Abandon All Hope, Embrace All Chaos (40K/PPGD/Multi-X-over)

Zeroth17 · Jul 9, 2022

Behold the unholy abomination made from my wretched mind after binging all kinds of 40K crossover fics and Bleedman's Powerpuff Girls Doujinshi from start to chapter 13.

I own nothing except my OCs

Let the Madness start!

Opening File: The Gods of Chaos

The Gods of Chaos, also known as the Ruinous Powers, are the beings of the Warp that are the coalesced and collective manifestation of all thoughts and emotions of all living beings. However, to truly describe the Gods of Chaos, is a task that would drive any Chronicler, such as myself, to madness. So, I will summarize them to the best of my ability.

As the Warp reflects the thoughts and feelings of any species that bares a soul, concepts and ideas correlating to those manifested thoughts and emotions will join together or coalesce to put it better. If enough of these thoughts and emotions manifest in the Warp, these coalesced thoughts and emotion will become sentient and be able to act upon their own will.

First is Khorne, the Blood God: who represented the emotions of anger, rage, hatred, violence and bloodshed. Second is Nurgle, the Plague Father: who represents physical corruption, fear of mortality, self-delusion, and despair.

The third is Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways: who represents feelings of ambition, intrigue, pursuit of knowledge, evolution, and change. Finally, there is Slaanesh, the Prince of Pleasure: who came from the Fall of the Eldar and their plunge into lust, greed, excess, perfection, depravity, and pleasure which gave birth to the Dark Prince.

The Gods' powers are practically unlimited as long it fit the concepts of the emotions they are formed from. For example, Slaanesh is able to inflict his victims with crippling desires as he represents desire itself while Tzeentch is able to induce random and horrific mutations as he represents change.

Because of their utter vastness, they can create shards of themselves of varying size and power, more commonly referred to as Daemons. And with the opening of the Maw of Annihilation, Chaos now has access to countless universes of emotion to feast upon, causing them to become stronger than ever before.

Thankfully, so has their archenemy: the Emperor of Mankind.

Close File

Megaville Center for Arts: Ground Floor

For many, many people, the Megaville science fair was one hell of a day. Not just because of the incredible science projects, meeting with some of the top scientists of the world, the performances from the Megaville elementary school ballet class, and most definitely not because Noreen Wakeman was supposed to be given a reward for her groundbreaking research into cybernetics and robotics.

No, it was one hell of a day because of the fact that a crazy robot placed a hijacking module on XJ9 which then possessed her and made her form a portal, a white PowerPuff flew in, and the portal now was letting massive biomechanical monsters.

Yeah, it's been quite the day.

The three Cluster bots on the stage stared down as the portal warbles in great power and the attendees just stared on in abject terror.

The first one, Battus, seems to be based off a bat instead of an insect. He is purple of color and is twice the size of a regular human. His body contained a red chest plate attached to his sternum along with several black steel plates attached to several other parts of his body namely: the crotch, shoulders, claws, neck and legs. On the head were large ears which resemble small wings, metal screws drilled into his cheeks, teeth uncouthly sharp and pale-yellow eyes with black silted pupils. In the same coloration of his eyes, he has orbs in his shoulder, hands and on his knees. And the final yet utmost important feature is the retractable bat wings which he can summon out of his back.

The second is Kuwagus. Just like any other Cluster robot, he resembles an insect, specifically a rhino beetle. Kuwagus is a big light-brown beetle, with silicate wings and large compactor-like mouth with fangs. He curiously has two arms instead of six and apparently does have four eyes.

The third is Nool. He looks like an insect, as that is with most robots from the Cluster Zone. He is a thin and rather tall grasshopper-like robot with big sharp claws and several spikes on his back. Like the other robots, his limbs are attached with each other through twisted cables.

The final one is Commander Destruction. Unlike the others he does not resemble a form of insect. He has yellow eyes, a face in smaller size in comparison to the massive, distended head, on said head were a few spikes. He has two massive pauldron-like shoulders, also with spikes, and spikes on the knuckles of his massive hands, with a few small spikes on his chest, arms and legs. Said legs were truck-like and the armor on his arms had band-like patterns.

Finally, was the white Powerpuff Girl: Bell. She is of average height for her age and has peach skin. Her clothing was of long white stockings with Mary Jane shoes, and a white dress with a big black stripe on it. Her eyes are soft white, but despite this color, she isn't blind. She also has long white hair with antenna-like bangs and a black headband. By her was her faithful pet, GIR.

"Wha... White?" A 12-year-old girl with blonde pigtails and sky-blue eyes questioned, wearing a blue ballerina outfit for the dance that she was supposed to do before GIR placed that module on Jenny's head. This is Bubbles, the youngest of the three Powerpuff Girls.

"It's...! It's her!" Another 12-year-old girl shouted. She had long straight ginger hair with bangs over her forehead, a red bow tying it together and bright pink eyes, wearing a white dress shirt with a tie under a pink vest, pink skirt, and a lab coat, with tall white socks and brown dress shoes. This is Blossom, the leader of the Powerpuff Girls.

"Who?" Another 12-year-old girl asked Blossom. This one had short black hair in a flip with a small triangular part on the forehead and light green eyes, wearing a yellow outfit with a red button on the top of the shirt and red edges around the sleeves. The reason she was wearing this uniform was because she was helping her teacher, Jack, with a Takoyaki stand for the fair.

"Bell!" Her sister confirmed as she pulled some of her glasses off in shock, "She's back!"

Buttercup glared at the white colored transhuman as she cracked her knuckles, ready to fight this girl, "An old friend of yours, huh?

Commander Destruction roared as panels on his massive shoulders opened to reveal a myriad of missiles that fired at once. They destroyed the bleachers, sending flames and flaming steel folding chairs flying everywhere while all the attendees fled in terror. They grabbed whomever they could as they tried to flee the blast, screaming and fleeing for their lives.

Blossom, reacting within a second, flew towards her love interest Dexter, grabbing him by his left arm and flying him away from the blast. The boy genius then noted to the Transhuman girl, "It would appear prudent at this time to get-"

"-SOMEWHERE SAFER!" Professor Jonathan Utonium finished for Dexter unknowingly, while he carried Nora Wakeman away from the blast, running hysterically. The former was a tall man with short black hair, wearing a white dress shirt with black tie under a black vest and lab coat, and black dress pants and black dress shoes.

Wakeman was a short elderly woman with long and high white hair, a pointed nose, and red tinted glasses. She was wearing a black sweater and pants with yellow shoes and a yellow jacket with black buttons dressed over her sweater.

Nora yelled as she struggled against the Professor's grasp to get to her 'daughter' and help her, "But XJ9! She needs-"

'-HELP!' Courage yells in his mind, unknowingly finishing for Wakeman, as he carried I. M. Weasel and scrambling away. Courage was an odd dog as his fur was a shade of purple and he was dressed in the top half of the same uniform Buttercup was wearing. I. M. Weasel meanwhile had red fur with a yellow underside, while he was wearing a white dress shirt and tie under a black vest and lab coat.

The weasel in question, nonchalantly ignoring the explosions around him, said as he typed something into his phone, "We'll relocate. Turn the situation around, and then-"

"-WE CAN FIGHT!" Buttercup yells, unknowingly finishing for Weasel, curling her hands into fists to tear the robots apart limb from limb. However, her teacher decided that they needed to ensure the safety of the other people. Her teacher was a tall and eastern-looking man that was also identical to Professor Utonium with his long jet-black hair tied in a bun that sat at the bottom of his neck and a few wisps of hair over on his forehead, wearing a color inverted version of Buttercup's uniform; red with a yellow button on the top of his shirt and yellow edges on the edges of his sleeves.

"We must save these people first!" Sensei Jack yelled as he guides the panicking people to safety from the Cluster before he readies himself for a fight against the robots. "This way!" He yelled to the people who were still running away from the Cluster.

Back on the stage, things were not going well for those who were still there. "Everyone! Grab hold!" Bubbles says as she extended her arm for the other dancers to take her hand so they could get out of here.

Battus yells at Nool while the latter was working on XJ9 who was still upkeeping the portal, "Widen it! We must keep it stable!" Nool did so, forcing the extensions to extend as to keep the portal from destabilizing. Suddenly, Kuwagus let out a deafening roar and brought down his massive claws onto the wooden stage, splintering it into pieces and revealing the dirt floor underneath. The orange Clusterbot then dug his horns and claws down into the dirt and began digging, intentionally or not destabilizing the stage.

As Kuwagus started digging down into the earth, one of the dancers, Olga as yelled at Bubbles, "All of us?! You're joking!" Unknown to them, Kuwagus' digging caused the supports of the stage, causing the top of the stage to nearly come tumbling down on them all.

"No, we've got to- GET DOWN!" Bubble yelled as the stage top fell down and seemingly crushed her and the dancers.

Olga screamed in fear as the stage top crashed down on top of them, "BUBBLES!"

As the Astronomonov sister fell backwards from the force of the impact, Battus' head snapped upwards as he felt something, saying to Nool, who was still working on the portal, "Wait, I sense something."

The fallen stage rumbled, then was lifted upwards to reveal the blonde PowerPuff and her classmates safe and sound as the former lifts it away from them. "I've-" Bubbles grunts as she lifts up the fallen stage parts, "-Got you!"

As she threw away the fallen stage parts and the other girls scrambled to safety, Bubbles yelled out to anyone else that was out there, "Is everyone okay? Where's Olga? OLGA, WHERE ARE YOU?" The other girls then clung to her, begging and pleading to save them.

"I will! But we have to find-"

She was cut off when Battus yelled out as he raised his left arm as an energy weapon opened in his wrist, "Ah! There you are!" Bubbles' gaze shot towards the focus of the cluster bot's: Ms. Honeydew. The beautiful agent had her eyes closed and her hands to her head as if in pain, though her expression was quite serene and focused.

"Something's wrong." The blonde PowerPuff whispered to herself, concerned and confused as to why she wasn't running away to safety, "She's just standing there!"

Battus had similar thoughts as he analyzed the telepath. 'What kind of audience does she want? Attempting a wide spectrum broadcast...' He pondered before charging his weapon at the agent, intending to reduce the woman to ashes, 'A pity such energy will go to waste.'

Bubbles' eyes bulged when she realized what the purple robot was going to do before flying up with the other girls in tow, "Hold on!" Before the other girls could say anything in protest, Bubble flashed towards Honeydew just as Battus fired his weapon.

'Goodbye, telepath-Huh?!' Battus thought as a blue streak of light out sped his beam just as it collided with the pile that the agent was standing on. The streak slowed down as it left the smoke, revealing Bubbles, the dancers of the ceremony, and Agent Honeydew, all safe and sound. Bubbles had grabbed the agent away from the blast with only femtoseconds to spare to get all of them away to safety, and she succeeded. The group all flew away to safety, not realizing Olga had been left on the stage and was hiding behind a piece of debris.

Samantha mentally sneered but maintained her composure as she watched Bubbles fly Honeydew and the dancers to safety, her hair flowing through the wind while she herself was still hidden in the crowd with her purple outfit and sunglasses. 'Pointless. You'll all be dead soon enough.'

Battus sneered at the intervention but relented as he had greater worries at the moment, "No matter. Is it ready?" He said to Nool, whom nodded as he used his claws to input commands onto the module on Jenny's head, which were then transferred to Jenny herself.

"Yes. She offers little resistance." The green Cluster bot purred as he transferred commands to Jenny as he called in reinforcements to secure their victory.

"MULTI-SCALE TRANSWARP ACTIVE." Blared from Jenny as her eyes remained orange and the transponder flared from her modified 'pigtails.' Suddenly, several orange beetle-like Clusterbots swarmed out of the portal, flaring their wings out and flying at blinding speeds.

"Just as well." Battus remarked, looking over the Cluster bots coming through the portal, ready to slay any and all organics that stood in their way, "She is poisoned to think like these organics. The faster she lets go, the less painful it will be for all of them."

As they talked, Commander Destruction walked from the ruined bleachers, commanding and dominant, roaring out to the Beetle Swarms, "WE NEED VICTIMS! SLAVES! FOOD! FOR THE CLUSTER! BRING THEM TO ME, MINIONS! SURROUND THEM!"

After the purple Clusterbot shouted his commands to their reinforcements, Jenny started to twitch, cringe, moan, and grit her metal teeth. Her face twisted, an eye closing, arms rising up in reflex, and minor ounces of her will slithering out of her mouth.

"C-CONN-EC-CTIO-ON... I-INTER-RUP-N- No..." Jenny struggled out as she tried to break free from Nool's control over her, every ounce of her will pouring into her resistance against the machines while gritting out, "I... I won't..."

Nool's biomechanical tongue licked his needle-like fangs. "So, there is some fight in you, XJ-9." He croons, using one of his claws to pull down the jacket she was wearing, exposing her backside. Suddenly, his chest plates open as blood red tendrils slithered out and impaled themselves into her backside, making her screech in agony, "Let's pull it out then."

"M-mo-om... S-shel-ldon... B-bub-bbles..." Jenny glitched and warbled out, feeling whatever resistance she had left leaving her. Jenny was barely able to let out on final call before she was silenced by Nool, "H-Help..."

Sheldon, one of the people that Jenny was calling, stared in horror at what "What are the Cluster doing here?!" Sheldon shouted, making a boy, Otto, freeze when he heard that. Otto was an 11-year-old boy who had black glasses and a small pluck of brown hair. He was wearing a blue sweater with a thick collar and rolled up sleeves, brown shorts with a black belt, and white sock and brown shoes.

"The Cluster?! Now?!" Otto whispered to himself. The boy was a time traveler, with his watch giving him the ability to jump through time via selection, but this was an event that he hadn't expected so soon.

In the meantime, everyone was panicking, lasers and missiles firing as the Clusterbots were swarming the science center, people pushing and shoving each other to harm's way as they desperately trying to escape from the swarm that intended to devour them whole.

"THIS WAY TO THE EXITS!" Jack shouted to the panicking attendees while Buttercup helped all she could, pushing some of them in the way that led to the exits, "NO, NO, WE'VE- THIS WAY! HELLO?!"

Just then, Blossom set Dexter down near Jack as he told her, "I'll help him out."

"Good idea." The red-haired PowerPuff agreed with him, "I'll help my-" She was cut off when she sensed something. Reacting in a millisecond, Blossom dodged a thin white beam searing towards her while a high-pitched voice yelled, "HADOKEN!"

"Whoa!" Blossom yelled, moving out of the way just as the beam sliced off the tip on her necktie. If her reaction had been any slower, the thin beam would have sliced her in half!

"AWW! WE MISSED YOU!" Said that same high-pitched voice. Blossom turns to see Bell, standing on the walls of one of the projects on the toes of her right foot with GIR on her head. It was then that the red-haired Transhuman saw that Bell's left pointer finger smoking, meaning she fired the beam. Bell winked at Blossom, tauntingly as GIR yelled in a much deeper voice, "ROUND 2; READY? FIGHT!"

Blossom growled and fired her eye beams at Bell who leapt off the wall, dodging it and threw a white orb with GIR yelling, "SONIC BOOM!" Blossom raised her right arm to block the orb, which destroyed the sleeve of her lab coat.

"Is this a game to you?!" Blossom shouted as she threw a punch only for Bell to catch it in her palm, making GIR yell, "PARRY!" The white PowerPuff then grabbed Blossom's left wrist and the right-side of her coat, but before the latter could react in time, the former began spinning her in circles rapidly. Blossom yelled as she tried to escape it but couldn't because she couldn't focus.

GIR promptly yelled to the red-haired Powerpuff as Bell was spinning her around, "TORNADO THROW! WEEEE!"

While the two were duking it out, Dexter was with the others, assessing the situation. And judging by the fact that they had two Transhuman ducking it out, a swarm of alien killer robots along with several of their leaders coming to either kill or enslave them, a crowd of panicking people, and the fact that there were fires and explosions everywhere, meant that they were in a rather dire situation.

"...These robots are swarming the exits!" Dexter informed Jack as the people attempted to escape from the building but robots swarm around them, cutting them off from the exits, "We can't get everyone through!"

"We must try!" Jack insists while he and Buttercup continued to try to help as many as they could, as Bubbles set down Honeydew and the other girls.

Nearby and overhearing them, Professor Utonium then remembered the hanger of the GDF that was under the science center. Siezing his chance, the professor ran up to the two with Nora Wakeman still in his arms, "Wait! We may not need to do that!" He set Nora down and ran to Jack, "There's a secret-uh... room, of sorts. Rooms. They're well defended and very close!"

Jack gave an appreciative nod, "Show us the way! We must hurry!"

The professor nodded and ran along with Jack to show them the way. Meanwhile, Bubbles flashed off with Buttercup flying after her. With the civilians out of the way, they now had a shot at taking down the bad guys.

Back at the stage, Battus pulled out an hourglass-like device out of the Transwarp, inspecting at the device and impressed that it's still intact, "Excellent work. I doubted its ability to survive the transwarp, even with no power supply. It seems the good doctor has done his research. Now then..."

He was cut off then GIR yelled, "GOT YOUR COAT!" as Bell threw Blossom into the ground, causing a massive boom, sending torrents of dust into the air. Blossom had hit the rubble so hard that the impact deformed the area that broke her fall, and the throw had caused her to land upside down while also ridding her of all possible vertigo or dizziness.

The redhaired PowerPuff growled with a vein pulsing, now and thoroughly pissed off, "Okay! You want to play, Snow White?!"

Battus whistled to Bell, whom turned to the stage upon hearing the sound, inadvertently distracting her as Blossom flashed back into the air with her legs wound up for a kick, yelling out, "LET'S PLAY!" Her feet slammed on Bell's left cheek, sending her down while GIR yells as he jumped off her head and dived towards Blossom, "C-C-COMBOBREAKER!"

"SWAN DIVE!" GIR squealed as he did in fact swan dive onto Blossom's face, making her yelp in surprise, "Onto the best face of your life!"

As Blossom was distracted with trying to get GIR off of her, Bell managed to control her momentum and spun around in the air, landing gracefully on all fours onto the stage where Battus was expecting her.

"There you are." The bat-like Cluster bot commented, presenting the Powerglass still in his claws to her, "You've had your fun; we'll handle things here. Your father's masterpiece has arrived."

"Sure." Bell says plainly as she rubbed her cheek that was now lightly bruised from Blossom's kick. It seemed that Blossom could really pack a punch, even for a Transhuman like Bell.

"Don't look so upset. You are paramount to our success. Without this-"

"Okay! I know! I'll protect it until it goes off!" Bell interrupted Battus, having heard this conversation a million times before they began the attack.

"Leaving so soon?!" Commander Destruction roared out as he tore Jack's Takoyaki stand in half with his hands and standing off with Jack, Honeydew, Buttercup, and Dexter, "There is no escape! Our swarms will see to that!"

As the Clusterbot and his swarm approached them and obviously intending to rip them to shreds, Buttercup nervously looked at Jack and said, "Sensei, I...I understand what you said about violence but-"

"Yes, I remember." Jack cut his student off, making her blink in both surprise and confusion, not seeing Courage coming up from behind her with Jack's famed katana in his paws.

"Weak. PATHETIC. HELPLESS! ORGANIC!" Commander yelled as he raised his arm, intending to strike the former samurai until he was reduced to pulp.

Buttercup then turned around and saw Courage holding up Jack's katana, "Courage?"

"It is the path we take when there is inequality that will not yield," Jack starts monologuing as he takes the sheathed blade from Courage's paws, "It is the path we walk when all other path led to ruin and an unjust end. It is the path we dare when good is beset by evil from all sides."

"When your cause, your power, your fury... When it protects the weak, the pathetic, the helpless... When it is righteous: the way of the sword is beautiful." Jack continued monologuing as he took a stance with his right-hand hovering over the handle, ready to use it to defend the innocent. Buttercup had a small blush at seeing her sensei's badass speech.

Samantha just had a deadpan expression on her face as she heard Jack's speech, 'Oh, please.'

"Pitiful biological sentiment. Feel despair..." Commander Destruction mocked as his left arm shifted and morphed into a massive laser cannon, "AND DIE!" But before he even had a chance to fire it, he found his arm cannon slashed off at the elbow, glowing green blood spraying out from the 'wound.'

"What?!" He yelled in shock, then seeing Jack's katana sheathless in his right hand positioned behind his back, signaling he'd swung it.

"If you deal in death," Jack started before jumping up and slashing his blade horizontally across the Commander's chest, ripping it open in a gush of glowing green fluid, "It shall be your payment."

The former samurai then kicked Commander Destruction in the face, cracking his faceplates and breaking off several of his fangs as he splurged out in avomiting cough of glowing green blood, "IMPOSSIBLE!"

"No." Was the first part of Jack's response. Suddenly, the Ronin then moved so fast that he appeared as a blur before reappearing behind the purple Clusterbot with his sword back in its sheath. Then the right arm was suddenly slashed off as the Commander let out one final yell as he fell back to the ground. Jack finished his reply as he stood up, "Inevitable."

"GO SENSEI!" Buttercup loudly cheered at her sensei's badass takedown of the cluster bot.

Dexter adjusted his glasses, remaining calm on the outside but was deeply impressed by "Impressive."

"KICKASS!" Buttercup cheered again in excitement.

Unseen to either of them, Samantha smirked, as she pulled down her hood and took off her sunglasses while her hair flared and the symbol on her forehead glowed red, 'Very impressive. This'll be fun.'

"It looks broken." Bell deadpanned as she examined the Powerglass. The device was like an hourglass with the top part was red and the bottom half was a bright blue. Still, she was doubtful, despite Battus' claims that it was instrumental to their plan.

"It will work." Battus responds with his arms crossed, "You should know. You were on the moon."

"It's tiny!" Bell complained to him, still skeptical about the thing.

If the bat-like Cluster was annoyed with Bell's whining, he didn't show it as he just gave her orders for the plan, "Just make sure the central power array is pouring all of its power into the bomb-" He was cut off when he heard a gasp and his yellow eyes locked onto Olga hiding behind some rubble.

Unconcerned about what Battus was focusing on, Bell shook the device which was causing it to make a clanking sound, "All the power, got it. Still feels broken." The white Powerpuff then crouched down to the gaping hole in the stage, a hand by her mouth as she shouted down into the hole, "Doing okay, Mr. Beetle?"

Her response came in the form of a massive and deep roar from the bottom of the hole.

"Great!" She responded cheerfully, not seeing Olga fearfully getting up from her cover as Battus loomed over her in an intimidating fashion.

"Hmm..." Battus graveled, leaning in close to Olga who was clearly quite scared of the purple Clusterbot, while he was analyzing her intently, "Why do you look familiar?"

The girl stuttered nervously as she stares at the intimidating robot, fumbling her words as she tried to work up the courage to speak, "I...W-Who...who b-b-b-built you?"

"Built me? BUILT ME?" Battus yelled in offence at the thought of him being the creation of organic slavers as he readied his wrist cannon at the terrified girl who was regretting her words, "With the eavesdropping, that's two reasons to kill you."

"N-No!" Olga squealed, her hands up trying to placate the furious robot, "I didn't h-hear anything!"

"Good. Not that it matters." He replies coldly with his eyes seemingly purple and radiant, charging up his beam weapon to rid himself of this thorn in their plans, "You're still gonna die."

"W-W-WAIT! NO!" She pleads, scared out of her mind but knew that her pleads were for not.

Battus ignores her pleads, "Make peace with yourself-" He was cut off when both of them heard Bubbles shouting out, "You stay away from her, or I'll make you pieces!" Battus turned to see her with an angry expression as she sped towards them, intending to rip the batbot to shreds.

But before she could do anything, Bell grabbed a piece of rubble from the fallen stage parts and threw it at Bubbles, hitting her in the face before quipping, "Piece be upon you!"

The force from the thrown piece's impact rammed Bubbles into the right side of the stage, sending her into more rubble. Though she was fine due to her durability, Bubbles by no means didn't feel pain and the force of the impact was more than enough to daze her, "Oww... Olga..."

"A gift from me to you! La-la-la!" Bell sang in a mixture of both a childish tone and a mocking one as she flew backflipping into the hole, "If you'll wait, I'll have a gift for everyone else pretty soon too! Bye bye!"

As Bell dived down the hole, Battus sneered as he charged up his wrist weapon again, intending to finish Olga off now that there are no more distractions, "How sad. No little girls left for a last-minute rescue. As I was saying..."

Meanwhile, GIR was still latched onto Blossom's face and despite the latter's efforts, the former was locked onto her like a facehugger taking in its prey.

"Our love will last forever!" GIR squeals while the redhaired PowerPuff girl still struggled to get him off.

"GET!" Blossom yells as she grips the robot at his torso before forcing him off her face, "OFF!"

"I WANT A DIVORCE!"

Blossom ignored the robot's shout, blinking rapidly as to clear her vision. Now that she could see, Blossom now quickly scanned the area for the threat, only for her eyes to lock onto Olga and Battus, who still had the laser on her which was ready to fire.

"OLGA!" She shrieked out in horror while GIR says, "You're seeing someone?! Behind my back?! Literally?!"

"Begone!" Was Battus' only word as he fired his weapon. An explosion from the impact of the laser rocked the stage with a thunderous blast, the science center shook from the force as smoke and debris flew into the air. However, something unexpected was to be revealed as the dust settled around where the blast hit.

"Well, that's just prime." Battus only blinked and muttered in surprise.

Bubbles, who had just gotten the rubble that she was buried under off, blinked in shock at what she was seeing, putting a hand to her head, "I think I hit my head really hard..."

"M-M-M..." Blossom couldn't spit it out, so Olga unintentionally finished for her, "MONKEY!"

Sure enough, there, in front of Olga, was Monkey the superhero. He wore a black bodysuit over his whole body, a yellow M-shaped belt, yellow hand gloves and foot gloves and the end of his tail was wreathed in yellow. Lastly, his mask has a giant yellow M on his head. He had blocked the blast using his powers, with yellow energy flaring all over him.

"Astounding!" Jack smiled while Honeydew silently cheered at her hero's dramatic entrance.

"MONKEY?!" Buttercup shouted incredulously yet also cheering in excitement.

"What?" Dexter smirks at one of his greatest creations being present to help them beat back the bad guys, "Never seen a monkey with superpowers?"

Buttercup scoffed but was still smiling, "Plenty! And I know who he is! But..." She trailed off while an unseen Samantha prepares for her attack against the heroes.

Unknown to any of them as his face hid it, Battus was secretly worried. With one of the strongest superheroes in the US here, their plans now had a greater risk of failure than went they had started, 'Why now?! This changes too much, too quickly! One of the world's greatest champions doesn't just...' His eyes darted around until they came to a massive hole in the ceiling, that wasn't there last he checked, '...fall out of the sky...' His eyes then lock onto Agent Honeydew standing by the rest of the group and the realization was palpable, '...uncalled. THE TELEPATH! Maybe... Yes... He must not be able to jeopardize the mission!'

"So, you have a friend." The purple Clusterbot started as he flared his massive wings and took off into the air, charging up his weapon in response to Monkey's gibberish reply, "THAT MAKES HER WORTH KILLING!"

The purple Cluster then fired a massive purple beam at her and the others. Monkey, seeing that his friend was in danger, surged towards them in a flash of light, leaving behind a sonic boom.

As the beam neared towards them, Buttercup ran towards it and yelled as she attempted to block the blast, "I've got it! I've got it!" But as she did, Monkey flashed in front of them and formed a shield of yellow energy that flared with lightning.

"Whoa! Awesome!" Buttercup exclaimed in awe of Monkey's powers.

"I knew I could count on you, Monkey!" Honeydew practically fangirled in delight with her eyes sparkling.

Courage barked with a stutter, which translated to, "T-T-T-T... Thanks!"

Monkey screeched out a reply, which translated to, "Don't mention it."

The massive purple beam was deflected by the yellow shield generated by Monkey, which then flared through the hole in the ceiling, sending it roaring into the skies outside. Monkey brought down the shield and but then he looked to see Battus still in the air, slightly hovering under the hole in the ceiling.

"Most impressive, champion! Let's see how strong you really are." He declared then flaring his wings and crossing his arm, signaling a challenge to the simian superhero, "FACE ME HERO!"

"Ooo..." The superhero raised an eyebrow in anticipation of his challenge, clenching his fists.

As if sensing his response, Battus responds with a threat, "Refuse and I shall forever hang the shadow of death above your telepath friend's pretty head!"

Monkey then let out a series of monkey sounds that translated to, "So be it!"

Battus disappeared into a streak of purple while an aura of flaring yellow energy surrounded the superhero before he flared off after him. Little did Monkey know that this was part of Battus' plan to stall the superhero so their plan could continue without Monkey's interference.

As both of them surged into the sky, the bat-like Clusterbot contacted Nool via a collapsible microphone in his jaw plate and gave the green Clusterbot more orders to continue their plans, "Release the eaters! Give the girl as much time as you can!"

"Ah, yes. Excellent choice." Nool purred in response, as he sent the commands through his red tendrils to the still hijacked XJ9. She twitched and spasmed, still trying her best to resist his commands until she blared out against her will, "COORDINATES RECEIVED. DESIGNATION: 'THE PIT.'"

Suddenly, thousands of Clusterbots in the same semblance of centipedes or millipedes crawled out of the Warpgate, yelling all manner of things that one would expect from things called Eaters.

"HUNGER!" "BITE!" "EAT!"

See what I mean?

The raving Clusterbots crawled across the stage towards the terrified Olga, metallic teeth clanking and chittering, eyes gleaming in bright red, with metallic wails and screeches. She was only spared from being their first meal on the planet when Blossom flew in and grabbed her, flying off the stage just as one of the Eaters snapped its mandibles down on the space where her ankle would have been.

"T-THANKS!" Olga shouted to Blossom, before whispering to herself in both annoyance and relief, "Finally..."

GIR sighed as the Eaters surrounded him, even though he knew that they weren't going to eat him because he was a robot as well, "Always a bridesmaid, never a bride."

Taking advantage of their distraction, Samantha slugged Buttercup across the face as one of her fists revealed its true metallic nature for all to see, tearing away the synthetic skin and the sleeve of her hoodie. "That's ONE. By now you own me a whole set!" She taunted the Powerpuff with a wide grin, showing the missing tooth that Buttercup had knocked out during their scuffle with Mandark a few months ago.

The PowerPuff was sent flying, crash landing into some boxes filled with supplies and collapsed some walls of a few projects that cushioned the blow. Samantha's right hand then shifted into a cannon-like device that formed a purple sphere above the barrel.

"Wave goodbye, superhero!" She roared out at her opponents as she fired flaring waves of purple energy from the orb that sent everyone around her flying into whatever was behind them.

'What hit me?' Buttercup thought and moaned, rubbing her head as she tried to get up, not noticing the oncoming purple waves from Samantha's arm cannon due to her double vision. But before she was hit by them, Jack leaped in front of her, raising up his sword and blocked the wave.

Buttercup regained her bearings as she slowly got up see who sucker punched her and with her expression shifting into one of blazing fury, roaring out at Samantha in pure unbridled rage, "YOU!"

"That's adorable." Samantha smirked arrogantly while her arm shifted back into its normal form, "Him helping you when you're down."

"ADORABLE?! I'LL-" Buttercup roared, giving into the desire to tear this cyborg bitch limb from limb before her sensei put a hand to her shoulder.

"Buttercup." Jack calmed her down, trying to get his student to play it smart with his opponent who was obviously trying to use her temper against her, "Don't let her bait you."

"Well, aren't you wise!" Samantha taunted them again as she cracked her neck, ready to get some payback for last time.

Meanwhile, Blossom, Bubbles, and Olga were flying through the building to avoid the Eaters as they started spreading. The aptly named Clusterbots constantly making horrid crunching sounds as they were crawling around the science center floors, devouring and breaking down whatever they came across, to where parts of the floor were cracking apart from the weight of their frenzy.

"These bugs are eating everything!" Blossom observed as she saw a group of the Eaters devour an iron ore sample from one of the science fair projects. What was worrying was that more seemed to be coming from the portal that Nool was upkeeping. Several hundred of these things could do untold amounts would cause for untold amounts of damage!

"Blossom, look!" Bubbles pointed to where their teacher and sister were fighting Samantha, though they appeared to be fighting to a standstill by the looks of things.

"Buttercup and Jack!" The leader of the trio exclaimed as she saw what was happening down there, "We've got to help them!"

Olga then started shouted, "WAIT, WAIT! STOP!"

"Hey, quit- stop struggling!" Blossom says as she nearly dropped the younger Astronomonov due to the latter's shouting and struggling to get her to stop and show her something important.

"What is it?" Bubbles asks Olga, who looked like she was stressed out of her skull.

Said girl was nearly hysterical, turning her head back to the stage in worry, "You don't understand! The white-haired girl!"

"Bell?" Bubbles inquired, remembering the girl that was with the Clusterbots as they came through the portal that was created when GIR placed that module on Jenny's head.

"She's carrying a BOMB!"

Blossom almost dropped Olga from the shock of that sentence, "A WHAT?! Oh no..." The red-haired Powerpuff turned to the stage, seeing that Bell was nowhere in sight. But what she did see was a massive hole in the middle of the stage, and low and behold, one use of her X-ray vision revealed the white Powerpuff flying down the tunnel made by the orange Clusterbot, who was still digging his way down through the earth towards somewhere that Blossom didn't see.

Realizing what she now must do, Blossom hands Olga to a confused Bubbles before she sped off to stop the plans of the white Powerpuff.

Back on the stage, GIR followed Bell down the tunnel made by Kuwagus. He sprinted across the stage before jumping off the head of a nearby Eater and diving down the massive hole, screaming his mechanical lungs out. "I CAN YELL FOR A VERY LONG TI-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-ME!" The SIR unit yelled as he fell down the tunnel after his master.

"OW!" The Eater that GIR jumped off from winced in pain while he rubbed his head with an antenna to ease the stinging in his head-plates, "Dumbot!"

Another Eater said to the others, "Hey, you guys wanna go munch on some humans!"

Another one replied with a shrug, "Sure."

Back with Buttercup and Jack, the latter was not faring well against Samantha. The cyborg jumped while delivering a diving slash that Jack blocked with his sword, whom then did a swing that she backflipped away from.

"You! Jump in front! And now! You won't! Even move!" Samantha grunted with each jump, swing, kick, and punch against Jack was blocked, all the more frustrating was that he refused to go on the offensive, "Fight!"

Jack grunts as he blocked fights defensively since she was still a child, 'She's...like a child. She sounds happy...' He attempted a downward slash that Samantha caught in both her hands with a loud CLANG!

"You're hesitating! Going easy on me." She growls while her hands, still holding onto the blade, began cackling with red electricity, "Big mistake."

The metal of the blade conducted the energy, causing Jack to be struck with an absurdly painful amount of electricity. The samurai turned teacher coughed up a chunk of blood as he fell backways into Buttercup's arms, the shock from the surge had undone his hair tie, letting it flow wildly while steam rose from his clothing and small sparks of electricity cackled around him.

"Sensei! " Buttercup yelled out in worry as she caught her unconscious teacher and trying to rouse him back to a conscious state, "I got you! Sensei? Please be okay..." She whimpered as she took in the pained and dazed expression on his face. But then Buttercup noticed that he had let go of his katana.

She looked at Samantha who watched on with a smug smirk, twirling Jack's sword in her left hand. Samantha chuckled while licking her lips in interest, "Sweet."

Buttercup's eyes cackled with lightning in fury at her supposed mockery, "YOU..."

"HAH!" The human turned Clusterbot laughs, as she examined the sword with her free metallic hand gliding across the blade while her systems analyzed it, "I'm talking about the sword."

To her analysis systems, the sword was nothing short of an anomaly. It was thousands of years old, yet it had no sign of breaking, age, rust, dullness, or lack of cleanliness or pristine. It showed no sign of heat from contact with the energy wave, and it cut cleanly through Cluster-grade duranium, a metal durable enough to make Monkey bleed.

'Seems flawless, unlike its master-WHOA!' Samantha thought before she heard 3 gunshots and the whirling of three projectiles being thrown into the air. Reacting swiftly, Samantha swung the blade quickly blocking 6 projectiles, one half being bullets and the other half being shuriken-like protractors, the first half being deflected, and the second half being shattered.

"Hah! This samurai stuff! Nothing to it!" Samantha laughed the heroes' attempts to attack her off, twirling the katana in her left hand, "Who wants to die first?" She declared as she banished the sword towards her opponents who were gathered around her. Unknown to her opponents, she was carefully analyzing them with her optic scanners.

'Hm... More volunteers than I thought.' She assessed as her optic scanned her assailants. They first locked on to Honeydew, whom had her gun drawn while glaring at Samantha. The smoke emanating from the barrel indicated she was the one who fired the bullets. 'Non-issue.'

Then they locked on to Dexter, who was also glaring at her. He had three of those shuriken-like protractors in his hand, meaning he was the one that threw them at her. 'No big deal.'

Then there was Buttercup, who was glaring at her murderously as she was still holding the unconscious Jack while Courage was administering bandages and first aid for the teacher. 'One superhero (And a stupid dog. Really stupid).'

Finally, there was Bubbles who just appeared and landed while setting Olga down to the floor whom in turn was hanging from the former's back.

'Two superheroes-' Samantha corrected herself before she blinked in confusion, 'Wait. Weren't there three of you?' She moved her sight around the science fair grounds, looking for the final PowerPuff Girl who was still nowhere in sight.

"Where did you go?" She whispered to herself as she continued to scan the building for Blossom.

Suddenly, her scanners locked onto Blossom as she dived down the hole in the stage with a determined expression. At first, Samantha was confused until her audio receptors heard GIR loudly humming from the tunnel below.

'What the-' Samantha pondered in her head for a second before the realization hit her when she heard GIR's humming, 'THAT LITTLE IDIOT! She's going all arch-nemesis on us, FAST!'

'I need a closer look.'

Her scanners shifted into alterative mode so she could see what was going on underground: the tunnel spanned several miles downward and was quite wide while the digging to the mission objective was almost done. 'Almost done' as meaning that Kuwagus was literally a few feet away from the station.

Her optics then locked onto Blossom, gaining a worried expression, 'She's heading straight for them!'

Then came GIR who was humming while he had a propeller issued from his head to slow his fall, "Do, a deer, a female deer!"

'Re, a death ray to your face.' Samantha rolled her eyes, annoyed by the randomness of the SIR unit.

Next came Bell, who was sitting behind Kuwagus as he was digging, still holding the Powerglass in her hands while looking bored out of her mind. She then looked up as if seeing Samantha, pulling down her left eyelid with her finger and sticking her tongue out.

'...What does her dad see in her?' Samantha deadpanned in annoyance and exasperation at Bell's lack of seriousness.

Finally, came Kuwagus who was still digging through the earth. His frame had shifted so that he now resembled a mole than a beetle, his front legs tearing away the earth so he could move into the station and advance their plan.

'At least she's not alone.' Samantha took solace in that fact as her optics shifted to normal before she focused on the entrance to the underground tunnel, where the MIB and the Sky Patrol were already readying themselves for their attack, 'They'll hold out until I take care of Pinkie.'

The cyborg charged at the ones in front of her, who prepared to fight only for her to pass them entirely. "Yoink! Have a nice life!" Samantha taunted while dashing away toward the stage and down the hole after Blossom.

While Honeydew and Dexter looked puzzled at her sudden change of plans, Buttercup yelled at the two, "Ms. Honeydew! Please help Sensei Jack!" That thankfully got their attention as they got to Jack's side while Buttercup had a look that Bubbles recognized all too well as the former was glaring at the fleeing Samantha.

"You're not... going to follow her, are you?" Bubbles asked, looking concerned for both Jack and for her sister.

Buttercup replied with determination drenched in her voice, "I'm not just gonna follow her. I'm gonna catch her."

"Please, Buttercup," Honeydew insisted as she knelt down to help the dazed Jack to his feet, "Don't make this fight personal."

"I'm not!" The PowerPuff denied vehemently as she began to fly up above them, "I'm just going to get Sensei's sword."

"Hi Sam! How're you do-" An Eater greeting Samantha pleasantly, only bonked away along with several other Eaters by her, as the cyborg sprinted towards the tunnel entrance.

"OUT OF THE WAY, MAGGOTS!" She yells as she dashed to the hole, diving into the stage hole after Blossom.

"How rude." An Eater says curtly as he goes back to his duty along with the other Eaters.

"Buttercup! Wait! Blossom told me-" Bubbles tried to convince her brash sister to stick with the group but was cut off when Buttercup flashed away after Samantha for some payback, yelling futilely"We should stick together!"

"Blossom?!" Dexter double-taked at the blue Powerpuff in confusion, "Where-Wasn't she with you?"

"Dexter! Listen!" Olga shouted while taking the boy's hand, making him turn to the ballerina, indicating that she got his attention. "Blossom wanted me to tell you; We've got to stall the robots! We've got to buy her time!"

"What? Why?" The boy genius asked her, confused as to what's going on with both Blossom and the robots.

"That white PowerPuff... She has a bomb!"

Dexter froze in horror before he nodded in understanding, already forming a plan in his head to deal with the robots, "If Blossom needs to defuse a bomb, then we'll give Blossom all the time she-"

He was cut off by a deep bellowing "HELLO! HELLO! HELLO!" The group all turned around and gasp in horror. In front of them were hundreds of Eaters swarmed together, each centipede-like robot coiled into an aggregate swarm with a vaguely humanoid shape with two glowing pale-yellow eyes and with the sounds of buzzing and unnatural clittering grinds issuing from between each Eater.

"-needs." Dexter finished his sentence as he continued to stare at the aggregate in front of them before steeling his nerves and turning to his friend, "BUBBLES!"

"Gross-gross-gross-gross-gross." Bubbles whimpered in fear as she stared at the thing in fear while helping Agent Honeydew with helping Jack to his feet before she heard Dexter's question and gave a response, "...Yes?"

"In your superhero work, has Blossom told you about tactical redistribution and planning phase renewal by forward-opposite advancement according to an imminent and usually immediate reassessment of the enemies' strength?"

Bubbles, still somewhat in a fearful trance, responds to the overly scientific question with, "gross-gross-gross-gross. Yes, but when she talks like that, it usually means-" The two of them then yelled in complete synchrony, "RETREAT!"

Dexter takes a surprised Olga into his arms, carrying her bridal style while Bubbles carries Honeydew and the still unconscious Jack over her shoulders with Courage scrambling behind them as they dashed off.

"HEY! WAIT!" The Eater swarm yelled, deforming itself into a serpentine form as it began chasing after the group, "DON'T YOU WANT TO HAVE LUNCH WITH US?" It quickly corrected itself after hearing its words, "I MEAN, BE LUNCH FOR US?"

'I don't wanna be dog chow!' Courage screamed in his head, before thinking his mental words over and correcting them, 'Or... bug chow!'

"H-Hey! Wait! Dexter?!" Olga screeched in embarrassment as the boy genius carried her in his arms while they were fleeing the approaching swarm, "DEXTER, I CAN RUN FINE YOU KNOW!"

Dexter panted out as he continued sprinting, "It's not safe."

"PUT ME DOWN!" She screamed at him again, embarrassed out of her skull that Dexter was carrying her away like a princess.

"NO!"

Olga was stunned but before she could say anything, Dexter continued on, "I won't. I won't let it happen again! Not now, not ever again!" Olga stilled. She didn't blush, she refused to, yet her eyes sparkled like stars at his comment.

Communications Tower: Access Gate

Meanwhile, the Men in Black and the Skyway Patrol were having a pretty rough time. And by rough time, I mean that they were practically getting slaughtered trying to stop the villains from breaching their way into the communication towers. The security gates were surrounded by metallic sheathing walls that ended at the dirt walls that formed the

The agents fired hails of bullets against Kuwagus' orange metallic hide but all that ended up doing was annoying it as it roared out against them.

"PARTY TIME!" GIR yells as the white PowerPuff and the Cluster bot fend off the agents and Skyway Patrol officers. Kuwagus slammed to agents away with his horns and claws while Bell scissor-kicked one upside the head, "Boot to the head!"

"WE NEED BACK UP-" An MIB agent tried to call out to his superiors, only for Bell to knock him and another MIB agent away with a kick and punch, quipping, "So back up!"

Another agent glares as she tore apart the other agents, thinking as she approached him, 'Alright, this is getting tough. Time to bring out-' He pulls out the Noisy Cricket. 'THE BIG GUNS!' But to his surprise, Bell had the opposite reaction then what he intended.

"Awww!" Bell let out a big coo, getting on her knees while looking at the Noisy Cricket, "Look at him! The widdle-bitty gun is so cute! What's it's widdle name?"

The agent responded with a completely befuddled expression and voice at the girl's reaction to his gun, "The... Noisy Cricket..." He answers Bell's question in an awkward tone.

"Awww!" She cooed again, only to thwack him upside the head, catching the gun in her hand as the agent was sent flying into the cavern walls, "I'll take it!"

Meanwhile, Kuwagus charged towards the tower entrance while the officers futilely tried to stop it through bullets. It smacked the agents in its way into the air before his horn pierced the reinforced metal gates, and then a piercing blinding light blares from the tear as Kuwagus retches his horn out from the gates to the comm-tower.

A Skyway Patrol officer, seeing the breach, yelled out to those behind him, "PERIMETER BREACH! COMM-TOWER!" His face then turns stone-like as he mutters out in a computer-like fashion, "SUPERBADGE, START! FILING PAPERWORK; FORM 8B! AUTO-TRIPLICATE-STOP- WHERE'S THAT BACKUP?!" He completed the proceedings as he yelled out his requests to high command before Bell smacked him down.

Kuwagus roared at Bell who ran towards the massive robot while donning some sunglasses that she took off of one of the fallen MIB agent, "I'm coming, I'm coming! Jeez!" She climbed up the orange Clusterbot's body to the horns and near the tear in the metal wall, readying the Noisy Cricket.

"Cover me! I'm going in!" The white Powerpuff commanded the massive robot, only for her to pause and ask when she didn't see the Powerglass anywhere on the robot's body, "Where'd you put the bomb?"

Kuwagus responded by opening its mouth and unfurling its massive crimson tongue to reveal the bomb, drenched in saliva due to its internal bio-organic components.

"E-E-E-W-W!" Bell loudly cringed as she was presented with and grabbed the slime covered Powerglass from the robot's wet and sloppy tongue, "Don't you have any special 'important' drool-free compartments?" She took the device regardless, glad that the thing was waterproof, and jumped into the newly formed hole in the hull, "Catch you later."

GIR joined his master as Kuwagus raised him up to the breach with his claws, yelling as he dived into the hole, "Go-o-o into the light!" As the little robot jumped in, a surviving MIB agent with short black hair, who's sunglasses had been thrown off his face, fired at Kuwagus with his pistol, hitting his lower horn.

"Stop! You're not... authorized." He tried to yell out but couldn't because of how the blow had knocked the wind out of him, while he himself was panting tiredly.

Kuwagus simply growled, stomping towards the fallen agent.

"Great. Stepped on by a giant bug." The agent groaned with his smoking gun raised. This is not how he wanted to die. The orange beetle-like robot raised his left foreleg, seemingly laughing tauntingly at the agent's imminent demise, who glared back at it defiantly, "Yeah, funny. But just so you know, I'm not laughing."

Before Kuwagus could stomp him, a pink orb of light slammed into his side, sending the massive robot flying and then crashing into the side of the cavern. The Clusterbot roared in pain as the agent turned to see Blossom with her hands extended and smoking.

"Beat it, beetle!" She quipped, before the agent helping up to his feet, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah... Your jokes are terrible too." He deadpans to the Powerpuff girl, despite the fact that she did just save him from being crushed to death by the massive orange robot.

"Huh?" She tilts her head, confused as to the joke he was trying to make.

The agent sighed at his joke falling flat, shook his hand and got down to business, "The girl went into the comm-tower."

"Oh!" Blossom realized before she then gained a determined expression, "Then I'm going after her!"

"Not without these you're not!" The agent said before he took off his pair of sunglasses and handed them to her.

The red-haired Powerpuff blinked owlishly as for the reason for them, "Is it really that bright?"

"Yeah, but that's not what I mean." The MIB agent explains to her about the technicalities of the job, "You've got to be authorized. We'll say you're an 'honorary' agent."

She nods in understanding before she takes and dons the ray bans.

"As of this moment, Blossom of the Powerpuff Girls," He initiates her into the MIB, "Welcome to the Men In Black." 'Er...ppg...Ib..Ip...Whatever.' He thought out the official acronym for a minute before mentally waving it off.

"Roger that!" She says enthusiastically while she leaped up to the tear in the metal gates leading to the comm-tower.

'I got a spare anyway.' The agent thought as he put on his spare sunglasses that he kept in his jacket before yelling to her, "It's up to you, kid!"

Blossum nodded before she winched slightly as she reacted to the brightness in the comm-tower, yelling out in surprise, "Wow, it's bright!"

As she jumped into the tower breach, the orange Clusterbot growled while baring its teeth and lashing its tongue as the wound on its side bled a gold glowing substance and several tubes protruding out of his exposed innards.

"No, I didn't forget about you." The agent said as he stared down Kuwagus with no fear in his voice, "I just hope the forms got filled out."

"Ten copies, underlined, express-delivered!" A voice yelled out as three descending MIB agents armed with jetpacks and laser cannons entered the tunnel, ready to deal with Kuwagus. The same agent finished his orders, "Your request to squash this bug has been approved."

The agent on the ground simply adjusted his sunglasses while muttering, "About time."

"You have the right to remain silent!" One of the agents quipped as they opened fire on the orange robot while it cried in further pain. Kuwagus roared in fury, swiping one of his claws at the flying agents only for them to fly out of the way and fire back on the furious robot. Unseen to all of them, Samantha slid to the end of the tunnel, seeing the agents fighting Kuwagus, and heard one of the agent's quips, deadpanning out while rolling her eyes, "Really? Pathetic."

Kuwagus then unleashed a torrent of flames from his mouth, incinerating one of the flying agents as he screams in pain while the others flew out of the way. The jetpack that he was wearing exploded, ensuring his death with debris and flames raining down all over the agent on the ground.

"JOHNSON!" One of the flying agents screamed out as their friend was incinerated while the agent on the ground yelled as he turned away from the intense blazing inferno and the flying debris, "Damn!"

"You should envy him, Agent Miller." The voice of a 12-year-old girl said behind him. Miller turned around to see Samantha, who then grabbed him by the neck and forced him down to his knees with Jack's katana aimed directly at his face.

"What the-" He cut himself off when he saw the katana that was pointed at his jugular.

"For your friend?" Samantha asked rhetorically as she licked her lips sadistically while twisting the katana clockwise, ready to kill him slowly and painfully, "It'll be over quick. You, however,..."

The agent was almost unintimidated as he simply muttered, feeling like this had happened to him before, "You say that, but I have the weirdest Deja Vu."

It was then that both of them saw a bright green laser trail surging towards them.

"WHA!?" Samantha screeched before the trail blasted her, sending the Cluster cyborg flying and spinning into the air until she slammed into the walls of the caves, screaming her lungs out, "A-A-A-ARGH!"

Miller blinked in surprise before he muttered out, "There it is."

The agent looked to the end of the tunnel where he saw Buttercup standing there, her left fist crackling with energy and the top piece of her uniform off, revealing a white tanktop underneath and the furious expression on her face.

"Surprise. I'm back." She glares at Samantha who was still dazed from the impact, her fact drenched in seriousness, "Stop running so we can finish this!"

Kuwagus growled at his comrade in concern for her state, who waved him off, "I'm fine." When he growled again, she roared back at him, "I'm FINE! Focus on the mission."

'Okay, how did sensei put it?' Buttercup thought as she crackled with power while approaching the Cluster bots, her face still stony with her attempt to replicate what Jack said before he fought Samantha.

"Ugh, I don't have time for this serious-face crap!" Samantha growled as she grabbed a pair of sunglasses from the dead MIB agents, putting them on as her cybernetics formed clamps around them. After that, she leapt onto Kuwagus' claw, who raised her up to the hole, before she screamed at him, "I'm going after the redhead! YOU can handle little miss tomboy!"

The orange robot roared in acknowledgment before Samantha jumped in after Blossom and the former turned to face Buttercup, who was still approaching him with her stony expression. Thankfully, the wound that Blossom caused was sealing up, one of the many times that he was grateful that his frame could repair itself.

'Strength means nothing without peace...' Buttercup focused with her eyes closed, trying to recall what her sensei said about violence, 'Peace that draws upon...violence?'

Unseen to her, Kuwagus neared toward the black-haired Powerpuff, whom still didn't react. He growled at her with his drool slicked fangs, raising his left claw to reduce her to paste.

'Violence drawn by... harmonizing with the body's...' She couldn't exactly remember what Jack said, struggling with her thoughts and causing her not see Kuwagus ready to crush her, 'Compassion? Or art? Grace? Or...Or...'

"AHH, SCREW THIS!" Buttercup shouted as she just decided to do what she did best: beat up bad guys. The green Powerpuff then left hooked Kuwagus so hard that he was sent flying into the air. He flew for a second or two before he slammed headfirst into the metal floor while a nearby jetpacked MIB Agent on the ground dodged out of the thing's trajectory.

As Buttercup ran to the breach to head after Samantha and Blossom, she was stopped when Miller yelled out to her, "HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"

She groaned in exasperation, turning to the MIB agent who was approaching her with a hand in his jacket, "WHAT!?"

"You're not allowed in there."

Buttercup gawked at Agent Miller, incredulous to his attitude, "Are you kidding me?! I just saved your butt and now-"

He cut her off as he pulled out and handed her another pair of sunglasses from his coat, continuing his sentence, "Without these."

Buttercup stared at the sight of the sunglasses before she nearly squealed in delight, "Are those ray bans? COOL!"

Megaville Center for Arts: Ground Floor

Meanwhile, back upstairs, things were becoming more hectic. And by hectic, I mean everything's completely gotten out of control.

The Clusterbots resembling beetles terrorized the attendants, with many swarming to the windows and doors, blocking the entrances and exits, which were preventing everyone from leaving. While Nool and XJ9 were still on the stage and with the portal still up and running, more of the Eaters and Beetle Clusters were swarming into the Science Center, giving out reinforcements to the already massive swarm of the Cluster.

Suffice to say, everyone that didn't know that there was a safe room was panicking.

"THEY'VE BLOCKED ALL THE EXITS!" "WE'RE TRAPPED!" "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" "STOP PUSHING! STOP PUSHING! FOR GOD'S, SAKE STOP PUSHING!" "OH GOD, I DROPPED MY CONTACT LENS!" The crowd all screamed as they tried to figure out where to flee to, now that the beetle Clusters had all blocked the exits.

See what I mean?

"Please, everyone! If you follow me, we have a plan!" Professor Utonium tries to reign everyone in, but they still kept panicking from the Swarm, "A saferoom has been prepared! Just come- Hello? People?"

"Uh, they're not listening." Nora Wakeman groaned in frustration, wishing she had brought her mind control ray to calm everyone down.

Professor Utonium turned to Courage, who was still holding the medical kit he used to treat Jack with, "Courage, can you help me get these people's attention? We've got clearance for a safe zone-" He then stopped himself and backpedaled his words, "A panic room, and they need to head to it now!"

The purple dog mentally gulped, 'Oh brother.' Jogging to behind the crowd, Courage somehow produced a paper sign that had a SAFE ROOM with a green arrow printed on it and started waving it around like crazy, trying to get the people's attention.

"I DON'T WANNA DIE!" "WE'RE DOOMED!" "PANIC ROOM! WE NEED A PANIC ROOM!" "I FOUND IT! I FOUND MY LEN-OH, SHIT!"

It clearly wasn't working.

This time Courage somehow produced 3 electrical signs with bright lights around the frames from out of nowhere that read; "Yes, we DO have a panic room!" "Plenty of room for everyone! 100% safe! THIS WAY!" Bug free (Maybe)! Refreshments served(possibly?)! Limited time offer. Act now (While you're still alive)!", while dressed in a green ground crew uniform with green hand signals flaring madly in his hands.

"WHERE'S THE PANIC ROOM?!" "WHERE'S MONKEY?! WHO'LL SAVE US?!"

Again, it's clearly not working.

Courage mentally sighed as he lowered his arms down to his sides, 'The things I do to get attention.' However, for the sake of those important to him, the purple canine swallowed his fear and produced a police whistle that he held to his snout, 'But a dog's gotta do what a dog's gotta do.'

A loud whistle filled the air. Everyone grimaced and covered their ears from the noise. When it finally died down, the crowd all turned to see where it came from. It was Courage, whom suddenly was dressed in a green SWAT riot suit with a helmet, baton and clear plastic shield, the golden whistle placed firmly in his snout, his nervous look was replaced with a calm look.

Everyone had varying reaction to his sudden appearance by them. "Ow! My Ears!" "What the-? Is he from a SWAT unit?" "We're... saved?" "Aw! He's adorable!" "Such calm authority. I trust him immediately."

Somehow that worked to get their attention, and Courage mentally sighed in relief, 'Good thing I had my people whistle. I don't want to hurt my ears.'

Using this opportunity, Utonium opened the secret entrance to the bunker using a floor bound panel that was hidden in the floor, yelling out to the crowd and with him and Courage motioning for them to head down the tunnel, "EVERYONE! THIS WAY!"

The civilians reacted erratically, pushing and shoving each other around trying to get into the panic room. Yells of "LEMME IN! LEMME IN!" blared out into the air as the people rushed to the entrance of the tunnel, pouring in by the dozens to near hundreds.

"NO PUSHING!" Nora Wakeman yelled, motioning the attendees to follow into the tunnel quickly, "QUICKLY AND CALMLY! CHILDEN..." She then saw the Clusterbot swarms drawing near them, "AND ELDERLY WOMEN ROBOTICS SCIENTISTS FIRST!" Nora finished hysterically as she dived into the opening to escape from the swarm.

As the people scrambled to the panic room, someone in the crowd shouted to Courage in thanks, "Good dog!"

'Just doing my dog duty.' Courage responded mentally before he took in his own words, 'Wait, that sounds- Oh, no...' He cut himself off as he realized as the Eater aggregate was approaching them quickly and loudly.

"No time! They're here!" "Hurry!" "Lemme in!"

"LEAVING SO SOON?" The Eater Aggregate creaked as it towers over the canine officer who whimpered in fear. A scream caught his ear when he saw a scientist being constructed by an Eater separated from the aggregate, the latter squealing and chittering sadistically, "CRRRRRRCK! It's a whole buffet!"

Courage swallowed his fear as he leapt into the air, and prepared to sling his baton, 'Here goes nothing...'

He started running, gaining speed until he leapt into the air. The momentum carried him through the air as he flew towards the Eater that was about eat the fallen scientist. As Courage quickly closed the gap between them, he swung hard at the Eater's head. The hard baton connecting against the Clusterbot's head with a loud WHACK, cracking its frame and one of its antennae breaking off its head.

"OW!" The Eater yelped in pain before turning and glaring at the dog, "Watch where you-OW!" It yelped again as Courage swung his baton at it a second time, nearly striking its head off its body. After seeing this, the aggregate unfurled several of its constituent Eaters and began swarming Courage.

Honeydew had a worried expression as she held Jack up, who was awake, delirious, and dizzy. His hand on his pounding forehead, Jack stumbled and hobbled slightly as the agent helped him get to the panic room. She looked at the nearby Bubbles and said, "Your dog is still with the bugs!"

The blue Powerpuff gasped in horror, putting her hands to her mouth, "What?!"

"You've got to help him hold off the robots!" Honeydew clarified, helping the former samurai to the crowd heading for the panic room, "We need time to evacuate these people!"

Bubbles had a worried expression as she looked back, seeing her dog fighting off the centipede or caterpillar-like robots. "Courage..." she whispered to herself in worry.

'Find-A-Happy-Place-Find-A-Happy-Place-Find-A-Happy-Place' Courage mentally repeated his mantra as he swung blindly at the approaching Eaters from the now dissolved main aggregate, some swings connecting, others missing, due to his eyes being wedged shut with fear.

"CRRRRK! I'm starting to think he's doing that on purpose!" An Eater chittered and growled as it dodged a swing from Courage's blind lashes with his baton.

Another Eater growled and chittered, baring it's mechanical fangs at Courage challengingly, "Come on, doggy, give us a bone! Or all of your bones!" It quips as it lashes towards the purple dog, who blocked it with his shield and whacked it across the head.

Suddenly, a tendril of intertwined Eaters formed from the swarm and slammed into Courage's shield from underneath, sending the terrified dog flying upwards into the air. "VIVA LA REVOLUCION!" One of the Eater apart of the tendril quipped as the Eaters of the top part extended out to begin devouring Courage's shield and then the dog himself.

But then, a bright blue bolas-like energy projectile sliced through the top part of the tendril, causing one of them to yell out before it died, "OW! Aye caramba!" The dog in the riot suit was sent flying but he lost his shield as it was damaged irreparably by the Eaters.

"I'm glad I'm not on top!" An Eater at the lower part of the tendril said scared as the dead Eaters were decarded from the tendril, with another saying, "Me too! You owe me money!" and another saying in surprise, "Schadenfreude!" The swarm turned their heads to see Bubbles glaring at them with her hands smoking.

"Leave my dog alone!" She yelled while taking a stance as Courage managed to land beside her, the left side of his helmet's visor in ruins and with his shield gone.

"CRRRRK! Your dog, huh? You're the owner, huh?!" An Eater screeched as the Aggregate unformed into a swarm of the Eaters that surrounded her and Courage. The caterpillar-like Clusterbots seemed to be endless as the sheer number of them intertangling together into bush-like structures with each moving over another.

"CRRRRK! I'm suing!" One of them growled, somehow politely while another said, "Me too!", and another, "Me three!", and another, "Me four!" Another Eater chittered and sneered as it and its kin seemed ready to strike them down, "CRRRRK! So, you and your dog must want to be eaten!"

Courage looked at Bubbles and thought back to what she said, surprised and touched by her words, 'MY dog? Does she like me that much?'

The blonde Transhuman looked at her dog with a regretful expression, "I'm so sorry for leaving you alone, Courage... From now on, I'll protect you!"

'She does!' Courage mentally cheered in happiness before putting on a brave face and getting into a stand for the Swarm's next attack. The Eaters seemed to flow together in a river of cybernetics and metal, claws and eyes moving by the hundreds until they seemed uncountable.

"Aww... How cute." An Eater cooed mockingly, before its tone morphed into one of ravenous hunger, "I bet they taste delicious." It lashed out at Bubbles, only for her foot to slam into its face, sending it flying before it impacted the floor, killing it instantly. The one beside it yelled, "SPAWN MORE OVERLORDS!" before it was also smacked aside.

"I'll make it up to you, Courage! After we get out of this, I'll-" Bubbles tried to say but was cut off when Courage yelped as he smashed the head of another Eater into pieces with his baton, which was thankfully enough to send the message to her, "Oh, let's talk later then! Okay?"

'If we live that long!' Courage thought fearfully as he used a tonfa he'd been carrying to block an Eater that lunged at him.

Global Defense Force Hanger: Passageway

Underground in the passageway to the panic room, things were going relatively smoothly for this kind of situation: Hundreds of people were crowded the way down with loud howls of fear and worry, bodies mushed and hoarded as more of the attendees came down as the leading scientists tried to open the 50ft. tall, carbo-ceramic-reinforced titanium and duranium multi-faceted doors blocking their way.

Except for the one small problem coming by, but we'll get to that in a second.

"There'd better be bathroom down here!" A scientist whispers to her wife who nods as they awaited the door to open.

"My god, what is this place?" A female scientist gasped at the interior of the passage. The tunnel to the safe room ended halfway from the entrance with the yellow tiles of the art center's floor giving way to earth with various cables and supports holding it all together to prevent it from collapsing on them. The entrance to the safe room was a massive 50ft. tall door composed of 5ft. thick carbo-ceramic-reinforced titanium and duranium multi-faceted security material.

A male scientist grew irritant with the delay and shouted out to the front of the line, "HURRY UP AND OPEN THE DOOR!"

Unseen to all but the front of the line, John Utonium was typing on the key-panel of the side of the security gate. But for some reason, despite him typing on the panel for several minutes now, the massive doors weren't opening.

"Utonium! This delay is dangerous! Unsafe!" Professor Membrane urges his friend to hurry up and open the door as both he and Wakeman look at the tunnel entrance worryingly, fearing that the robots would get into the safe room. If that happens, then they'd be doomed!

Wakeman then snaps at Professor Utonium, nearly on the verge of snapping from the stress of this situation, "You're this facility's director! You control the doors! Argo, we need the door OPEN! NOW!"

Still typing on the keypad, Utonium winced at the shouting and answered in a meek and pathetic tone before trailing off in embarressment, "I-I know! I'm just... having an issue with... the password..." The truth is that since the professor hasn't been to this bunker for some time, so he was drawing blank what it was.

"WHAT?!" Membrane turned and yelled at his colleague, incredulous that he'd forget the password to the safe room in such a dire situation, "You didn't bother keeping your acumen tied to a mnemonic?!"

"Or something easy, like an atomic mole of ununoctium?!" Wakeman yells, also incredulously.

"I..." Utonium thought hard on what the password was, putting a hand to his chin as he muttered, "It was... It was something about my girls..."

"Birthday?! Driver's license?!" Membrane randomly yet urgently pressed out words.

"PASSWORD INCORRECT." The computer screen wordlessly replied.

"Favorite food?! Cake?! Favorite color?! Pink!?" Nora also pressed out words that might be used for the password.

PASSWORD INCORRECT.

"Blue! Green! Cotton candy!" Membrane tried again to compose the password.

PASSWORD INCORRECT.

"Wait!" The professor stopped the two of them from shouting anymore, "Maybe..." He pondered before he typed in the keyboard, muttering out what he was typing in, "Sugar... Spice... and everything..."

PASSWORD INCORRECT. The screen displayed yet again, dashing that hope away.

"...Nice." He finished dejectedly before Dexter pushed himself to the front and plugged a cable into a port next to the screen.

"Pardon me, presumably esteemed colleagues." The boy genius snarked as he connected the cable to a tablet and worked decrypting the password. Olga looks around the passageway in awe and fear before she then forcefully grabs Dexter's shoulders to get his attention. "Dexter! What is this place?!" She nearly screamed which would have gained attention had the crowd not been so damn loud and uproarious.

"Megaville and its center for the arts are above a research base for the military." Dexter kept his composure as he explains while also working on the tablet, "This ceremony for Ms. Wakeman was only a tiny part of why she, and the rest of the scientists, are here."

"Part of what?" Olga asked, worried about what Dexter was about to say next.

"A great science symposium. I was getting ready to premiere my pocket particle accelerator, but the theme changed." Dexter explained to her that after Wakeman's ceremony, the GDF and the military would have a symposium on the explosion on the moon that had happened a week or two ago.

"You were invited?!" She screeched in surprise. The boy that she'd known for years now, admittedly because her big brother was his archenemy, was part of a great science symposium for the military?!

"You sound surprised." Dexter snarked, still looking at his tablet as he began the deciphering sequence, "I'm not fond of the new theme, but what was left of the explosion on the moon made for some very strange data..."

"You know what it was..." Olga trailed off, trying to figure out what he was implying.

Dexter drew breath sharply, "Not precisely... It was scheduled to be discussed in the proceedings today-" He was cut off by himself noticing the deciphering in the password was complete, "Aha! Here we are! The password I'm erasing should show up." His eyes and tone then went flat as he saw the password. "'World's best dad?'"

"Oh, of course!" Utonium groaned and facepalmed at his forgetfulness, until he took in the rest of what Dexter said, "Wait, erased?!"

Dexter replied as he typed in a new password from the top of his head, "For security purposes. Do not worry, I've got another password prepared."

The professor raised an eyebrow as he saw the new password that came on the screen, leaning forward to get a closer look, "So, what's the new password?"

The young genius looked slightly flustered at the question, stuttering out an answer, "Uh, I'll-I'll tell you later. It's confidential."

"Ri-i-i-i-ight." Utonium drawled out before putting his hand over his chin, "Before you do, maybe you should reactivate the security encryption protocol."

"Wha-?" Dexter nearly squeaked as he saw the words BIG RED BOW displayed on the screen for everyone to see.

"'Big Red Bow?'" Olga gave a smug smirk and putting her hands on her hips as she took in Dexter's flustered reaction, "Gee, I wonder where you got that."

"I- Well, clearly- It's just-" Dexter couldn't get the words out due to being so embarrassed. After dodging the insanely embarrassing inquiries from Ms. Wakeman and Professor Membrane, Dexter decided screw it and reset the password in a random fashion, "Here, I've just reset everything. Again."

Just before he could say the security question for the password, all lights in the passageway and aboveground abruptly shut down with a loud SHOOOM, flooding the building in darkness. For some reason, the attendees had somewhat remained composed, but it was fortunate as they had more pressing matters than a panicking crowd.

"What now?!" Olga yelled incredulously into the darkness, also in fear as she was secretly afraid of the dark.

"A POWER OUTAGE?!" Professor Utonium yelled out in absolute confusion, "There are redundant systems in the triplicate! You don't think..." He trailed off in thought as he tried to figure out what happened.

"The generator! At the base of the comm tower!" Membrane realized, snapping his fingers for emphasize. Suddenly, the power suddenly came back on. It must have been one of the redundant generators was what everyone thought.

Utonium shook his head, thinking about what must have happened to kill the power before the redundant generator kicked in, "It couldn't have just stopped; We're not dead."

"We don't have time to open this door manually!" Nora nearly pulled her hair off from all the stress of the situation.

"Not without a serious amount of muscle." Utonium concluded as he tried to keep his cool while looking and thinking of a solution.

Olga then looked to Dexter, hoping he had something that could help them, "Dexter, do you have anything that-"

"No." He cuts her off as he crouches to the ground and looks down, when the frames of his glasses suddenly illuminated in circuit-like patterns before two beams of light shined down onto the dirt as if going through the earth itself.

She looked confused as to what he was doing, "What- What are you doing now?"

"Attempting a full-spectrum bypass analysis." Dexter responded, his glasses scanned the levels below, "Something cut the main powerline..." He trailed off as the display on his glasses showed 4 energy signatures in color: one pink, one green, one purple, and one white.

"I can detect-" He pauses for a second before focusing on the signatures further, "Four energy signatures- minus the generator itself-"

"Worry about that later!" Olga cuts him off as she was getting really stressed out, "We've got a major problem!"

Dexter nodded, getting an idea, "You're right. Hold this for me please!" He says as he handed his tablet to her, much to her confusion before he then ran off down the passageway and back up to the ground floor.

"Where are you-" She was cut off in turn as Dexter replied as he took off running, "I'm getting us some muscle."

Olga looked at the tablet before yelling back to Dexter, "Wait! Why is the new security question; 'Cheese omelet in French'? I don't know any French!"

"It's all I could say!" Was the only response she got as he disappeared down the passageway to help Bubbles against the horde of robots.

Olga only sighed in exasperation.

Megaville Center for Arts: Ground Floor

As Dexter ran up the stairs to the ground floor, his mind was in a frenzy with the thoughts running through his neurons and brain cells.

'Muscle... Muscle... No big deal, I'll just-' Dexter though before he then realized that he had not thought things through when he thought to call Blossom for help when she had gone to stopp the other invaders, 'What am I thinking?! This isn't my lab! She's down there fighting for her life but- Blossom! I can't just make things up! I'm not my sister!'

He stopped slightly when he thought about what happened to Dee Dee, and how he was never the same afterwards. He shook it off because the current events were more important, and he has had enough time to mourn her in the past.

'She made it seem so easy! But I never could just... improvise! It'll never work!' Dexter thinks in frustration as he reached the top of the stairs, 'She just... let things happen! But... I'm not like you Dee Dee, I wish you were here-' He was ripped away from his thoughts when a bunch of torn apart Eaters came flying his way, '-now?'

Dexter couldn't help but to stare at the scene before him: Bubbles was fighting the Eater swarm with Courage, who's helmet and weapons were gone, while using ballet moves of which she yelled out while performing them.

"Balancoire!" She twirled away from an Eater that attempted to lunge at her and crushes another with her foot as she landed. "Plie!" She split jumped, causing two Eaters charging at her to crash into each other, this time with Courage on her head. "Avant!" Bubbles leaped over a pile of Eaters attempting to catch her. "Grand ecart!" She performed as her left foot bashed away an Eater while she swung Courage to another, resulting in him kicking it away.

"Hey, someone dropped a contact lens!" An Eater notices while not noticing this distraction prevented him from getting hit by Courage.

Dexter lowered his glasses as he stared on in surprise and thoughtfulness, dumbstruck by the resemblance Bubbles had to his late sister, 'Maybe you're not so far away after all...'

After several minutes of this polymerization of dancing and demolishing, Bubbles twirled as delivered the finishing blow on an Eater that attempted a forward lash against her, only for her foot to pierce its head in a trusting motion, killing it instantly. Bubble then cheered as she twirled around atop a pile of smoking, inactive Eaters, "That was good! That was good!"

'B-But what is best in life?' Courage shakenly thought as he clung tightly to Bubbles' right leg, near unresponsive with fear and panic.

"BUBBLES!" Dexter yelled gaining her attention as everything seemed to be cooling down as the remaining Eaters that she hadn't demolished were fleeing for their lives to get away from her

"Hi, Dexter!" The blue Powerpuff waved with a smile while Courage was still clinging to her leg.

Meanwhile, the still active Eaters squealed in fear, "Regroup! Regroup!" as they scurried away from the blue Transhuman, but one of them, perhaps brave or foolish enough, stayed behind and silently crept up to the two and just as Bubbles finished her greeting. Siezing its moment, it leaped up and shouted, "I got your regroup!"

It then lashed out and then got very uncomfortably close to a fear-induced paralyzed Courage's face. It's antennae gliding across his fur as it whispered into his ear in a grating and old sounding voice along with the chittering, "does your skin crawl?"

In response, Courage then let out an insanely loud scream, his mouth cartoonishly wide with his teeth on full display and his eyes blank with fear while Bubbles leaned back due to the shock and surprise of it.

"Whoa! Cavity!" The Eater said in surprise as it saw one of Courage's teeth had a massive cavity along with being pale yellow, before one of Dexter's shuriken-like protractors imbedded itself in its head, killing it instantly.

As the Eater joined its brethren in the robot afterlife, Dexter ran towards them, very much impressed that Bubbles managed to beat them while gazing at all the destroyed bug robots around them, "Bubbles, look at all these bugs! That was incredible! Excellent work! Now, we need you to-" He stopped when he noticed she wasn't listening, "Bubbles?"

The blue Powerpuff had gone down to the floor on her knees while she was hugging Courage, who was shaking like a leaf from fear. The dog's eyes were white dots and sweat ran down his fur, even though it's impossible for dogs to perspire, while Bubbles stroked his head for comfort.

"There, there." Bubbles comforted the absolutely frightened Courage, who was still shaking, "It's alright! It's okay!"

Courage barked with a fearful stutter, which translated to, {I hate dancing!}

Bubbles then looked incredulously at the purple dog, asking almost in offense, "What?! What's wrong with dancing?"

He looked surprised that she understood him and responded, {You speak dog?!}

"Oh, yes! I speak dog!" Bubbles confirmed with a smile, before she pondered it further for a moment and explained it, "Well, more like I hear it. it's not that different than squirrel. Isn't that great?"

Dexter rolled his eyes and sighed while softly facepalming, 'Oh, for the love of Heisenberg. Maybe she's too much like Dee Dee...'

Meanwhile, back on the stage, Nool stared at the organics, impressed that the transhuman girl and her dog had managed to defeat several of the Eaters. The Eaters, despite their jovial and eccentric personalities, had won the Cluster several victories against their opponents all over the galaxy yet one of Earth's transhumans were able to demolish hundreds singlehandedly!

No matter, Nool always has a backup plan. The green Clusterbot produced a holographic screen in front his face and typed in a command while still upkeeping the portal produce by XJ9.

Suddenly, all the intact or destroyed Eaters stopped along with the Beetle Drones as their eyes glowed red.

"FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!" "EAT RIGHT THROUGH THE MENU!" Dexter heard before turning to the source of the sound and gained widened eyes and a pale face, slowly backing away at what was unfolding in front of him.

"I don't mean to be rude, but can you two discuss this later?" He said in a slightly panicked voice, leading them to follow his gaze.

The Eaters and Beetle Drones swarmed together as they fused into a new singular aggregate entity. The Beetles shift and weave themselves into gnarled limbs, the Eaters deformed and reformed as each robotic centipede became a fiber holding the new entity afloat. Servos groaning, plates chittering and sliding incessantly, wires forming and connecting, frame twitching and stifling. A shrill-like crackling, bending, stressing, warping, creasing.

All while the robots in question were all quipping various lines.

"No pushing!" One Beetle Drone said to another as they flew towards the forming composite entity.

"Hey, don't cut in line!" An Eater quips to another as they moved to form the sternum of the forming entity.

"And I'll form the head! Hehe, I've always wanted to say that!" Another Eater quips as he moved with the others to form the head.

The resulting monster was a behemoth of alien metal; a quadruped saurian body of brown and dark violet alien metal carapace with stinger clawed tankish limbs, a face of many glowing red eyes and needle fang filled maw, loose tendril-like tails, and pale-yellow spines between plates and protuberances.

It roared a screeching bellow as its right arm stomped its massive fist down onto the floor, leaving a crater in the pavement. Bubbles let out a small eep and Courage let out a loud YIPE at the sight of the monster while Dexter managed to maintain his composure.

"Bubbles, we need you to open the door." He explained while keeping his eyes on the monster in front of them, "Only a hero with super strength will be fast enough. You're that hero!"

"B-But Courage!" She told him as she tried to get the purple dog, who was gripping her with fear untold, off her.

"Look, Courage can live up to his name! We need to go now!" Dexter countered and cemented his position before turning to the approaching monster, "I'll hold him off."

Before any counterpoints could be made, Courage let go and dropped down onto the floor before he then lifted Bubbles up by the waist and hastily ran off to the stairway while the girl protested.

"Huh?! Courage-Wait! Let me go!" She tried to tell the dog to let go, but his mind was too consumed with fear to listen, making her look back at Dexter, "Dexter, please! I don't understand..."

"HUNGRY... HUNGRY... HUNGRY..." The monster growled as he neared at the boy genius, salivating as streams of drool pooled. Gnarled fists with sabertooth claws and readied tails curled and lashed as they drank in the sight of their prey.

Dexter looked back at the fleeing two, "I know. I'm sorry we don't have more time." He then ran with the two to the entryway for the safe room, "You have to protect those people, Bubbles. With all your might."

"YOU CAN RUN... BUT YOU CANNOT HIDE!" The merged Cluster monster bellowed as it got closer, steadily gaining on them.

She looked conflicted at leaving her friend alone to face this monster, "But, Dexter, wouldn't Blossom-"

"Blossom isn't here!" Dexter cuts her off as they reached the stairway, "She's trying to save us, Bubbles. Your sisters are busy, we need YOU!"

"Okay, sure! I know that!" Bubbles tries to explain as Courage her down the stairwell while Dexter stared stoically at the monster, "But Dexter, wouldn't she want me to protect you too?"

"WELL... YOU CAN HIDE... BUT NOW YOU CANNOT RUN!" The monster corrected itself before he cackled an evil laugh as he stood on his two legs and readied his claws to rend them to shreds.

"No, I don't think so." Dexter said as he put his hands together, lighting cackled as two technologically advanced gauntlets formed on his hands, "I don't need to be protected right now."

He then took a dramatic stance, "LET'S GET TO IT!" The monster roared, frame shifting to bipedal as his hindlegs thicken, open spaces filling, tendrils posed to strike in the fight ahead.

"Eat proton compression charges, ugly!" Dexter shouted, as his right gauntlet produced a red missile from the wrist and as a holographic screen formed in front of him and targeted the monster's head.

Global Defense Force Hanger: Passageway

Back underground, Bubbles wasn't having much luck with the doors; She forced her hands on the frame as the immeasurably heavy doors moved slowly as her feet dug into the ground. At least, Courage assisted, futilely as it may have been. The others were starting to get worried even how the ceilings were shaking from heavy footsteps.

"It's... So... Heavy..." She forced out as sweat poured down her forehead, futilely trying to get the gate open.

Professor Membrane attempted to give advice, "When engage in heavy lifting, it's best to focus on one's lifting power though the legs, not the back!"

"Give it a try, Bubbles!" Utontium encourages his daughter as she attempts to get the doors open again. It was then that an absurdly loud and haunting roar shook the passageway, along with an explosion that further destabilized the passageway and even the building.

"...And hurry." Olga encouraged her in a small fear-filled voice, looking back at the tunnel which was thankfully still void of whatever was above ground.

Courage attempted to help but that ended as one would expect it to. And his failed attempt at kicking it opening, resulted in the stumped foot and a scream from the dog. But as he hopped away in pain, Bubbles got angry.

"Stupid door! You made him look bad!" Bubbles yelled as she kicked the door. Her plan worked too well as with a loud WHAM!, the door opened. And by 'door opened', I mean that it was torn off its hinges and fell down like a boulder into the ground, slamming down and taking dust and dirt into the air. Although her kick didn't pierce it, the force was enough to knock it down, letting them enter the hanger.

"Ha-ha!" Professor Membrane laughed heartily, "Excellent display of leg focused lifting force!"

"...How are we going to close it?" Nora Wakeman asked slowly to no one in particular as she then realized the one glaring problem that using force produced.

Bubbles gulped nervously as she realized her mistake, "Oops."

It was then that she noticed what was in the room; A load of aircrafts, weaponry, super suits and mechanical armors on display, a prototype Telepod, and loads of advanced measuring equipment. The room itself was massive, enough to hold much more than what it was currently holding, and a lot of the equipment was packed in and anachronistic.

"Professor?" Bubbles turned and asked her father after examining the hanger, "What is all this?"

"The center Megaville skyway hanger." Professor Utonium answered her as they all began swarming into the hanger, "Just one part of the real complex under the center for the arts."

"Wow..." His daughter said in awe before noticing a familiar looking robot, "Hey! Isn't that the-"

"Yes," Her father answered before she finished, "Yes, that's where I had her moved."

"I was wondering! Your lab isn't as big." Bubbles spoke her mind as she looked on at the robot she and her sisters used to have. It was a massive mech-suit that resembled Bubbles but with the 'skin' being white and the 'hair and clothing' were red. They called it Dynamo, but it was confiscated from her and her sisters after they accidentally wrecked Townsville with her weapons. It also seemed to either be undergoing repairs or upgrades as its right arm was missing.

"We're actually going to need her targeting computer." The professor said as he ran to the computers and started typing stuff in, "Get the crowd to move in, past all of this equipment."

Bubbles nodded and flew upward in the doorframe, yelling for everyone to get in, "Everyone! This way, please!" The crowd obliged as they rushed into the hanger with each of the scientists running to one of the stations, preparing for whatever was to come and hoping that they had enough time to prepare at all.

"CLOSE THE DOOR!" A shout echoes through the tunnel as everyone turns to see Dexter, flying through the tunnel via jets formed from his now barely functioning and damaged gauntlets as Bubbles zooms towards him.

"What's wrong?" Bubbles asks the boy genius. His response was to point down the tunnel, where she and the others saw the monster, currently rushing down the tunnel towards them with its fangs exposed and a simmering but self-repairing spot on its head.

"I can't slow them down! We need to close the doors now!" Dexter informs as both sped into the hanger. He landed down and shed his damaged gauntlets, only for him to notice the glaring problem about closing the doors.

"...Bubbles... Why is this duranium multi-faceted security gate completely separate from its locking mechanisms and hinges?" Dexter asked in calm yet distressed voice as the Powerpuff lifted said gate in an attempt to seal it.

"I'm sorry! I opened it too fast!" Bubbles blubbered in stress as she continued to lift the insanely heavy door back into its frame to hopefully block the monster from getting into the hanger.

"This is bad." Was Dexter's only response to the situation as he saw the monster was getting closer by the second.

Bubbles only whimpered as she tried to lift the door, only lifting it halfway up even with her super-strength, "I'm so sorry..."

"Don't worry, Bubbles!" Professor Utonium shouted, gaining their attention. Utonium and some scientists were at the computers, commanding the Powerpuff Girl's robot, Dynamo, to extend its arm towards them to handle the fallen door, "We're not out of options yet!"

Dexter stares at the giant robot and says dumbly, "Well... Yes, let's try it." The robot's massive hand pushed against the fallen gate, pushing it upwards and relieving the massive weight from Bubbles. In a few seconds, the door was firmly back into its frame, quickly sealing the hanger and blocking the monster's entrance.

"Yay! Dynamo! She's back!" Bubble had stars in her eyes as the robot sealed up the doorframe to the hanger.

Suddenly, a subtle tapping came from the sealed gate, along with a piping steamed breath sampling the tension from those who were in the hanger; The monster was just beyond the gates.

"LITTLE FLESHLING... LET US COME IN..." Everyone heard and collectively shuddered at the deep yet course crinkly voice that came from beyond the gate, before a drill-like whirling was heard, "WE WILL RIP... AND WE WILL TEAR..."

As the monster purred out its words, 3 drill-like protuberances drilled through the wall and unfurled into tendrils that imbedded themselves into Dynamo's hand, spreading red circuit-like marking from the punctures. Olga backed away fearfully, unknowingly putting her hand into Dexter's. Her pigtails had been undone by herself, letting her ebony hair flow down to her thighs.

"Dexter... The door..." Olga stuttered fearfully, only for Dexter to finish for her, his voice firm but grim, "It's not holding."

Alarms blared from the screen in front of Utonium, 'VIRUS DETECTED' in large red words appeared above the onscreen model of the robot while the states of its operating systems displayed aside.

"Damn! They're trying to infect Dynamo!" The professor swore as he and the other scientists worked hastily at their stations to prevent the monster from infecting and converting one of their giant robots to their side, "We've got to disengage! I'll only shut her down to start a cold boot-up." He then looked back to Bubbles, who looked scared as the drills dug into the robot's hand, "Try to hold on, Bubbles! We'll think of something!"

"Oh, no." Bubbles whispered fearfully as Dynamo's hand retracted from the door, breaking the other tendrils off from it while a fourth one drilled in and unfurled. She quickly ran to the door and pressed her hands against it as it was beginning to be pushed forwards by the monster.

"LET US COME IN..." The monster hungerly growled as its massive, clawed hand pushed against Bubbles, who was pushing back the gate in the robot's steed while the terrified crowd looks beyond as the monster was slowly revealed.

"Oh, no... Oh, no... Oh, no..." The blue PowerPuff muttered stressfully as she pushed the door with all her strength against the biomechanical monster that pushed back.

'Oh, no... Oh, no..' Courage thought as his desire to protect his owner override his fear, producing a metal baseball bat that had 'equalizer' engraved on it and charging at the approaching tendrils.

"OH, YES-OW!" The thing beyond the door hissed as Courage destroyed one tendril with a great downward swing of his metal bat while Bubbles destroyed another tendril with her eye beams.

Bubbles growled as she destroyed another with her eye beams, "I... Won't... Let... You... Win!" She paused between each word as she pushed the gate back harder against the beast.

At their attempts to resist its entry, the monster simply chuckled darkly, "YOU ALL TASTE SO MUCH BETTER WHEN YOU ARE AFRAID." It purred sadistically as slowly and strongly pressed the door down, slowly overpowering Bubbles' strength.

The door was tilted due to their struggle, revealing the monster's hideous face with its pale yellow and brown striped claws. Violet biomechanical 'flesh' holding random glimmering red eyes, red-brown carapace with thick pale-yellow spines between folds resting malevolently over a maw of needle-like fangs drenched in saliva, bile, and shredded metal. In spite of this, Bubbles and Courage destroyed the other two tendrils while the former was still holding the door up to keep the monster from getting in.

In the observing crowd, standing by Dexter and Olga, was Otto Osworth, the time traveler who was in the Time Squad, a department of people who go around fixing time. The reason I'm bringing him up again is that at the moment the monster finished its sentence, his watch began beeping. Bear in mind, this is a watch that can detect anomalies in the space time continuum and can in fact warp through time. Argo, it's usually a bad sign when it starts going off.

Otto looks at his watch questioningly along with a few others, wondering why it was going off.

Suddenly, a slow yet immensely powerful boom rocked the hanger. Everyone nearly fell to the floor while all the equipment and objects shook, dust and loose stone falling, metals stressing, ground creaking, all in a brief symphony of tectonic madness. Just as sudden as it began, the quake causing boom ceased, much to everyone's confusion. The equipment stopped shaking, the dust and loose stone stopped falling, the metal did not stress, and the ground stopped creasing.

"What was that?!" Professor Utonium shouted in utter bewilderment, a statement many of the crowd agreed with as others that fell down got back up completely befuddled by what just happened.

The beeping on Otto's watch increased in intensity as he looked at it with concern, only for a deep robotic voice to come from it and began inscribing the following data: "TACHYON ANOMALY DETECTED. AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY PROTOCAL ENGAGED: PREPARE FOR PERSONAL SPACETIME ORIGIN REASSIGNMENT JUMP IN: 20 SECONDS."

"TACHYONS?!" Both Dexter and Otto shouted in shock along with some of the scientists.

"I know that auditory signature anyway!" Membrane shouted bombastically, gaining others attention as he points his finger upwards for dramatic effect, "That's an explosion! And not just any explosion, but compared to most explosions, a very slow explosion!"

"But... But that means..." Dexter trailed off in horror. The boy genius quickly activated his glasses that scanned the deeper parts of the facility, hoping that it was not what he thought it was.

He nearly despaired when he saw what his glasses displayed what was happening underground. There were still four energy signatures but the purple one was replaced by another signature; a small white dot surrounded by many faded grey rings of quickly increasing size.

"The bomb..." Dexter had to pause to collect himself before he finished his sentence, "...Has detonated..."

Everyone gasped in horror, before Olga pitched in a sentence, "But what about Blossom?"

"She... She..." Dexter couldn't bear to say it. Suddenly, another boom shook the hanger, this one louder and with considerably more force, disquieting the machines and leaving slower than it came. As the shockwave rocked the underground, the monster ceased it's attempts to breach the hanger when it heard the noise, causing its main four eyes to shrink in fear.

"WHAT?!" "NOW?!" "THEY NEVER TELL US ANYTHING!" It spoke this time not in a synchronized voice, showing their surprise. They quickly turned and made a mad and frantic dash from the hanger to the exit of the science center, ripping through the dirt and stone floor in their mad panic to escape. "TO HIGHER GROUND!" "RUN! RUN!" "ESCAPE!"

Inside the hanger, Bubbles let out a massive sigh of relief as the monster left, sliding down the wall of the door with Courage sitting by. "Thank goodness! They're leaving." Bubbles panted as she could rest due to the stress of holding back the insanely heavy gate.

{What was that noise just now?} Courage asked in dog-speak.

Pale blue marking resembling clocks began to form around Otto who frantically tried to stop it from performing the jump through time. "Come on... Just-Wait!" Otto practically begs the universe as he messes around with his watch to stop the jump, "Don't jump! Not yet!"

"The screens are going down!" Utonium shows as he and the other scientists try to get the equipment working as they shut down from the shockwave while all lights in the hanger suddenly went out and the rest of the crowd grew paranoid and worried.

"Hmm... That boom was suspicious!" Professor Membrane bombastically said mostly to himself with his hand to where his chin would be despite half his face being covered by his labcoat's long collar, before snapping his fingers and pointing to the young genius, "Dexter, do you have a read out we can use?"

"...What?" Dexter said after a pause, his mind still reeling from the thought of Blossom being dead, before nodding and taking off his glasses, "Oh... Yes..." His glasses produced a hologram displaying the Megaville Arts Center with two tunnels spanning under it, the shorter was where they were, while the longer one was where the bomb had detonated, symbolized by the many white ring growing in size.

"Ah! As I suspected!" Membrane exclaims in his usual bombastic tone, crossing his arms as he examined the data from the screen, "That previously sluggish explosion is gaining a regular rate of acceleration as it grows!"

"Meaning we've got to try to get out of the blast radius!" Utonium exclaims with the crowd agreeing as many already running to exit the hanger now that the monster was gone, and they had a chance to get out alive.

Dexter shook his head sadly, "It's going to be too fast in a few moments..."

Everyone was silenced by those words, Olga quietly asked in fear, "...Dexter?"

The genius drew a sharp breath and explained why they were doomed even if they fled the hanger, "We won't make it. That's not a normal explosion: It's getting stronger not weaker."

Communication Tower: Emergency Exit Tunnel

Back with to the other tunnelway, Agent Miller was currently outrunning an approaching wall and waves of hyper charged tachyons that is enveloping the tunnel. His feet were leaving craters into the dirt, sweat pouring down his brow as his heart was pounding against his ribs, glad that he had done that marathon training a while back.

'To think that my wife said marathon training was a waste of time! "When are we going to need to run 25 miles per hour?" Ha! Who's a waste of time now, Dina?!' He thought smugly as he continued sprinting up the tunnel to the surface.

Global Defense Force Hanger: Interior

A deep rumbling shook the hanger as a pale blue and white energy with rising particles began leaking from the walls and floor, the ground quaking, blue mist-like extensions raise from the floor, swirling and intertwining in confusing and hypnotic patterns that defied logic and reason. The blast was reaching the hanger.

Now, the crowd has been through a lot this day; They've been attacked by alien insect robots, had to deal with a crapload of stress and fear, was chased down into this hanger and threatened by all of those robots combined into a single biomechanical monstrosity, and was now faced with imminent death at the hands of a Tachyon bomb.

As you can imagine, this was the straw that broke the camel's back, and they all responded in the only way any person in this situation would.

"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" Heinz Doofenshmirtz screamed at the top of his lungs as almost everyone around him fell into complete disarray, screaming and running around the hanger in blind panic.

The 'almost' being I.M. Weasel, who was unnaturally calm about the whole thing, "I suppose that's a possibility. However, I've made a few calls. To be honest though, one of them was to straighten my living will."

Heinz, still in his blind panic, ignored him and screamed again, "DEFINITELY GOING TO DIE!"

The attendees continued to panic blindly, fights breaking out, machines torn up and thrown across the hanger, general common sense was lost and abandoned as the people were just trying to get some desperate form of release as the end of their lives came ever so near. The more rational and calm ones simply clung to their loved ones and lovers, resigned to their fate.

{I'm sorry, Courage. I'm so sorry.} Bubbles solemnly dog-spoke to Courage, tears streaming down her face as she cuddled up with him, {Blossom... Buttercup... They're... They're... G-G-Gone! We couldn't do it... I couldn't do it.}

The purple dog only whimpered to his master as he comforted her, {It's not your fault. It's not your fault, Bubbles.}

Nora Wakeman had tears flowing down her cheeks, holding a picture of her in a chair with Jenny hugging as her 'mother' gives her a present. Nora nearly chokes at seeing her 'daughter's' happy expression as tears fall onto the picture. "We... We can't get way, XJ9..." She cried before she nearly collapsed from the grief of losing her 'daughter', "Jenny... Jenny!"

Utonium put his hand on her shoulder in sympathy, giving whatever comfort he could give the elderly roboticist before the end came for them, "W-We... We did all that we could."

"I forgot to unplug my toaster." Membrane stated his only regret ever in his life, before adding one final thing that he never accomplished, "Also: indicate familial affection toward child-units."

"B-B-Blossom." Dexter could only whimper, his limit nearing, his walls breaking, and tears flowed down as his glasses fell from his weak hand, smashing when it lands on the floor with a tear trailing ever behind. The bridge snapped in half and the right temple tip broke off.

Suddenly, the glasses reconnected and repaired, the bridge and rims glowing blue as "GLASSES REPAIRED" was emitted as it was surround by the mist-like extensions and floating light specks to which Olga picked up.

"Professor Utonium, Wait! Wait!" Otto gains the Professor's attention as the boy barely managed to override the jump through time, "You, you above anyone and everyone else, you need to hear these."

"What the- Why is there only one of you?!" He asked incredulously as he crouched to Otto's level, desperate for any help that might get everyone here out of this situation, "We need as many Time Squad agents as possible right now!"

Otto winched but tries his best to explain why the Time Squad can't help, "Yes, I know... and I'm sorry. This event... It's not normal, and it's not going to be over quickly. I've only got a few moments, listen carefully."

Olga put Dexter's glasses back on his grief-stricken face, her expression one of sorrowful resignation with her untied and waist-length hair flowing in the winds produced by the oncoming storm, "It's... It's going to be alright Dexter."

"No. No, it won't." He responded, eyes closed with tears streaming.

"No..." The ballerina agreed solemnly, her tone one of soft comfort in their final moments, "Not for long... But right now, it can be..."

"NO!" Screamed a brown-haired scientist, gaining everyone's attention, "IT"S HERE!" Without even sensing their confusion, he pointed at the southern wall in response to what he was seeing. In tune with his words, the tachyon wave had breached the southern wall of the hanger, quickly spreading through the room like an energy-based corruption.

"RUN! RUN!" A black-haired scientist yelled as he backed away, but it was still getting closer.

"RUN WHERE?!" A female scientist yelled back to him as it was centimeters away from consuming her whole.

Realizing his chance to help the others was fleeting quickly, Otto hastily said to Utonium as they watched the advancing wall of doom drew closer towards them and before the watch could send him through time, "Listen to me, Professor! This is just a stop gap. I can't be sure, but this may be why Time Squad exists!"

"But it's getting faster! How can we be sure we'll be here after-" The professor voiced his concerns but was cut off by Otto.

"Don't worry about that now!" The time traveler exclaims as he sees himself fading slightly due to his watch slowly bypassing the manual override, preparing for the jump through time to safety, "It's a mystery to us, even in one million years! There's no research on it and no way to do it from the outside. You, Wakeman, the other scientists, and the dimension travelers, you will have to seal it."

"What?!" Utonium was utterly befuddled by what Otto was saying, "Seal what?!" What could be happening that would not only cause the formation of Time Squad but also be a mystery to them?

"I REGRET NOTHING!" The black-haired scientist yelled as he scrambled away from the tachyon wave as quickly as he could.

"I REGRET A FEW THINGS!" The brown-haired scientist yelled as he trailed behind the black-haired scientist.

The female scientist didn't even get in her words as she was waist deep in the wave, wordlessly reaching out for help before she let a few tears fall down her cheeks and gained a resigned expression as the wave consumed her.

The wave consumed the rest of the crowd in mere moments, the people caught in its darkless embrace slowly faded into nothing with expression of either fear or grim acceptance, their final few moments spend fleeing the blast in one final attempt to escape the inevitable. Agent Honeydew had a fearful expression as she stared on at the oncoming blast, only for Jack to embrace her in one last moment of comfort. The woman's eyes turn watery as she buries herself into the samurai's chest, crying slightly while he himself simply closed his eyes with a resigned expression as the wave consumed them.

As it neared towards those that were at the edge of the hanger, the markings around Otto flared as the Time Squad watch blared out what was happening in a deep and mechanical voice: "TACHYON ANOMALY ENERGY THRESHOLD EXCEEDING MANUAL OVERRIDE PROTOCAL INPUT. EMERGENCY JUMP INITIATING."

"I'm... I'm sorry, professor!" Otto mutters out as the markings swirled around him and as his form began to fade away, indicating the jump was about to start.

"I don't understand!" Utonium hurriedly asked Otto while he still had time to talk with the boy, "What is it that we have to seal?!"

"The only thing I know is the gap- Or rip, has something to do with the-" Was all Otto could get out when the jump started, sending the boy away from the impending doom while leaving only a trail of steam in his place.

"NO! WAIT!" Utonium could only scream in futility as the time traveler was ripped away from the present, destroying whatever chance Otto had to stop what was coming.

"Let it go, Jonathan..." Nora Wakeman said as she laid back against Dynamo's left arm with a sorrowful yet resigned expression on her old face, "We... We've failed..." She trailed off as she stared at the picture of her and her 'daughter' one last time before she was consumed by the light, "Jenny... Jenny, I love you so much..."

"Girls. My girls... Why? Why did it end this way?" Utonium clenched his fist in despair as he stared into the oncoming wave, only for Membrane to place his left hand on his right shoulder in one last moment of comfort for his friend.

"The laws of probability, my friend." The usually bombastic professor monologued, now calm and philosophical as he quietly accepted that it was his time to die, "The laws of probability and physics, dictating maybe a little chaos theory? And if you ignore our imminent oblivion, I would like to say it is, if you'll forgive me for speaking in perhaps the layman's term: Bright and beautiful."

Utonium can't help but smile at Membrane's words, "Yeah... It actually kinda is..." Both professors closed their eyes with a peaceful expression on their faces as they were enveloped by the light.

"I don't wanna d-d-die, Dexter!" Olga clung to the boy in question, not caring about any potential embarrassment, tears streaming down her face in both fear and sorrow as the wave was beginning to envelop them from the feet up.

Dexter comforted in turn, now resigned to their fate as he began seeing the wave tightening its grasp, "I know... I know. Olga?"

The ballerina lifts her head to him, tears in her beautiful eyes as she responded, "Yes?"

"Goodbye." Was his only response as they embraced. No more regrets, no more secrets, just the single moment they have left. Their lips connected in the split moment that the wave devoured them.

{Courage, I'm sorry!} Bubbles dog-spoke to Courage as both of them were curled against the ruined gate, seeing the wave come their way after it enveloped Dexter and Olga, {I'm so sorry it has to be this way! I'm so sorry!}

Courage only responded with a massive stutter, {Y-Y-You... You g-g-gave me the ch-ch-chance to be in a new family. I w-w-wanted that. You d-d-don't have to be sorry for that.}

{I'm so sorry...} Bubbles blubbered, as she saw the wave coming closer, {Just hold tight to me. Hold tight to me. Don't... D-D-Don't be afraid.}

{I'm not scared.} Courage managed to stop his stutter for the first time, giving her the comfort that he finally conquers his fear.

{Don't be afraid... Don't be afraid...} Bubbles spoke like a broken record, closing her eyes as it was only inches away, {Don't look. Don't look, Courage, and it will be fine. It... It will all be okay!}

Courage only whimpered to his master, {I believe you.} They embraced one last time as the tachyon wave consumed them and the rest of the hanger. The wave poured through the tunnel, spreading through the science center, and then through the city of Megaville.

Black Eden: Labratories

In Black Eden, two figures observed the events that followed: The first was a tall muscular humanoid creature, his skin orange, six eyes resting on his torso; four on his chest and two on his head which were adorned with glasses, a golden diamond like protrusion rested on his body with another on his forehead. He was bald but instead he had flames in place of hair. He wore gray pants with black shoes and a black belt.

This was Doctor Alexander Megalos or Dr. X.

The second was an abnormal-looking chimpanzee, wearing a brown raincoat with a red scarf, and white boots. The most noticeable features were his green skin and a very large white helmet with purple stripes adorning his head to cover his larger than normal brain.

This is Mojo Jojo, the archenemy of the Powerpuff girls.

Dr. X was simply looking over his computer with Mojo Jojo looking over in a cave of black stone with multitudes of advanced machinery and biomechanical growths, looking over the readings of the events that followed. Such silence sat in until the tachyon wave breached the walls of their cavernous base, lights of destruction flood the room as the two occupants turned to see the impending wave of tachyon blasphemy.

"Good dome on my brain, what is-" Mojo Jojo breathed in shock as the wave approached the two scientists.

"That's daddy's little girl, giving her father a wonderful gift." Dr. X interrupted, as he saw his greatest achievement unfold. Suddenly, he turned back to his computer and had a call line open up for someone.

"Zim!" Dr. X messaged to the caller, the computer screen showed a blank and grey page yet had a title that Mojo couldn't make out, "Project Tlalocan is in place and activated. Is the Siphon ready?"

Said Irken's voice came through the connecting line, sounding smugger than Mojo had ever in his life, "Oh, Doctor, it was made ready." The doctor's only response was the disconnect the call line and stared back at the quickening wave in silence as both mad geniuses contemplated on what happens next.

"...We're not going to die, are we?" The super genius ape asked the mutated doctor, not looking at him as he was mesmerized by the light of this impending doom.

"Really, Mojo. I don't know, would dying make you feel better?" X asked Mojo condescendingly, only for the monkey to respond with a deadpan stare. The mutated doctor continued as he took off his glasses, placed them in his clawed hands, "I will be honest, ape. I can't say to you what will happen. Only what might. While it is my greatest triumph, I simply cannot tell you that it is... the future."

Both of the mad scientists just sat in silence as the light consumed them and their base.

The Stratosphere

Back with Monkey and Battus above the city, the two duked it out with energy flying, fists connecting, and lasers slicing. Monkey uppercuts Battus, who uses the opportunity to backhand Monkey out of his way. The superhero grinded on nonexistent ground before rocketing towards the bat-like robot, slamming his fist into his enemy's chest, sending him flying backwards.

The two then glared intensely at each other, rocketing at their other with neck-break speeds, colliding with one hand blocking the other's. Both exerted every ounce of will in their fists to overpower their opponent, neither budging from their gridlock.

"You are strong, Monkey." Battus complemented, as he struggled against Monkey's super strength, "I knew the hero who fought Superman to a draw would not disappoint. Pity he and his precious league will be busy with what's to come."

Monkey screeched at him as he struggled against his adversary, trying to break the gridlock between them.

"Give up? Surrender?!" The bat-like Cluster laughed at his opponent's attempt to get him to stand down, "Hah! Never. If only I feared death like you organics, hero."

Monkey screeched again to his enemy, but his opponent just chuckled darkly.

"You are already too late." Battus smirked at Monkey's confusion, sadistically nodding his head down to the earth. The superhero simply let out a confused screech but when he looked down, he saw the entire city of Megaville being enveloped in an ocean of light. Waves of blue-white energy grew from the science center crashing and scouring the land, the clouds became pyres of blue, the city seemed to freeze in time as its outlines were visible in the ocean of light, the final touches were the shimmering orbs of light that were rising out of the blaze.

"Simian fool." Battus sneered at his opponent's ignorance to what was happening, "You see the light, but you don't understand."

Monkey screeched again in anger, {You know what that is?!}

"Yes, I know what it is." The general of the Cluster boasted, as he broke the struggle between him and Monkey, sending both of them in opposing directions while he flared his wings out in a dramatic fashion, "It is triumph. It is a BOMB. And it has detonated."

{A BOMB?!} The superhero yelled in monkey-speak in horror.

Battus grinned in triumph, "The light is filling the spacetime curvature of your precious planet's gravity well as we speak." He then let out an absolutely maniacal laugh before shouting to Monkey, "You've failed, hero. This entire worthless world... and everyone in it... will be consumed by the light! And you, with all your strength, there is nothing you can do to stop it!"

That did it. Something broke inside Monkey, he grinded his teeth with a subtle growl, yellow energy flooding his eyes with rage. The superhero rockets towards Battus, lightning flaring and arcing like a haywiring Tesla coil, hands flat against each other in a piercing position. With an ear-piercing screech, he speared into Battus' chest, penetrating the Clusterbot's armor and reducing his innards to pulp.

The Cluster General roared in pain with glowing emerald 'blood' spewed from his mouth and the exit wound, speaking in choked and pained tones yet laced with defiance, "I've already told you... Monkey! My death means nothing!"

Monkey ignored him, his hands gripping the interior and pushing sideways while still buried in his enemy's chest, forcing the wound in Battus' chest to expand. The tears in his frame spread to his throat.

Battus simply laughs in defiance, despite all the unfathomable pain he was in, "Hahaha... You failed! You were... too late..."

The wound spread to his backside, splitting it open as more of his 'blood' spilled out of the General's frame.

"Too late... Too late..."

The wound spread to the head as the two halves began splitting from Monkey's super-strength.

"TOO LATE... TOO LATE..." Battus yelled and spat his last words like a broken record in defiance, before...

Monkey tore the Cluster General in half, silencing him forever. The vertically torn body fell from his hands into the ocean of light, sailing ever further apart into the earth below, never to be reunited.

Still parts falling from the hero's hands as the weight of what has happen sunk in like the corpse of a dead whale. Monkey unmasked himself and stared into the ocean of white destructive light, tears falling as he knows there's no way anyone could have survived the wave, knowing that he failed the people he was supposed to save, and more than anything; he failed to save Honeydew.

After crying his tears, Monkey took in a few breathes before closing his eyes, resigned to his fate.

But something drew his gaze before he completely closed his eyes.

Monkey's gaze fell upon a massive floating pylon, composed of an obsidian-like substance, sitting miles above and across from him. It simply sat in the space above Earth, rotating and bobbing, as if apathetic to laws of physics and reality. As he continued to stare, more details laid bare; runes etched into each surface with an accompanying Mark and color.

A crescent moon with a circle planted near the lower end, with the top end wavy as liquid, the color a dark blue. A hollow triangle under a horizontal line and an upside-down arrow in a deep red. A three-pointed star with three accompanying circles drenched in green. a diagonal line with a large circle at the bottom end, a small crescent at the top end, with a larger backwards crescent crossed horizontally awash in purple.

Monkey was utter befuddled; What was this thing? The markings were more alien anything he'd ever seen, space seemed to bend around it, and a deep warbling sound vibrated in his sensitive ears.

Suddenly, the pylon split open in a four-pronged claw-like formation each in the respective color of the marking and began rotating faster and faster, steams of dust swirl upward and into the pylon, winds twirling more rapid and more rampant. Just as sudden, the tachyon wave began spiraling upward into the pylon, gathering between the 'claws' as an iridescent white orb growing in size.

Soon, the orb grew to great sizes with Monkey unable to tell if it was still or in motion, with the 'claws' of the pylon grazing idly at the edges of the orb. The scenery before feeling stilled in a single moment while the events beyond himself felt lightyears away, feelings of rage, pleasure, intrigue, and despair whispered as if close but nowhere seen.

Then red beams struck the orb, disrupting the calm silence it beheld as it began spinning and spasming erratically, growing larger and smaller akin to a heartbeat. A blazing listless unraveling in the orb, losing cohesiveness and became an erratic snarl of particles as the pylon abruptly closes. Each surface glows the color of its runes, while the markings and runes themselves became blacker than the night itself.

Monkey started to slowly fly backwards in caution from the ominously feeling object. He didn't know why but he had a terrible-

He didn't even get to finish that thought as the pylon suddenly spun so rapidly that the light itself deformed in the motion. It then rocketed upwards into the void beyond with the simian superhero staring dumbstruck.

Then everything was engulfed in searing light, making even Monkey turn away from the cataclysm to come.

But before we get to that, let's go back a few minutes, to when everything was still right with the universe.

Zeroth17 · Jul 10, 2022

Communication Tower: Access Gate... 10 minutes ago

"Are those ray bans? Cool!" Buttercup squeals as she takes the glasses from and put them on.

"Way better, kid." Agent Miller replies, clarified what happened when her sister came through the tower, "Your sister has a pair too."

The green PowerPuff responded awkwardly as she puts them on, "Oh. Oh, right. I get it."

"Buttercup, of the PowerPuff Girls." The agent orients her into the MIB, "Welcome to-"

"Yeah, yeah sure. I said I get it." Buttercup interrupts him, not having the time or patience for this, "I'm going after my sister, okay? I'm outta here."

"...Thanks, kid." Agent Miller thanks plainly.

"Don't thank me yet." She then jumps to the tear in the wall, looking down the tunnel for her sister and Samantha before she flies down after them.

Communication Tower: Inner Hull

Bell, still holding the Powerglass, raced down the comm tower's inner network with Blossom rocketing behind. Everywhere from the unseen top to the ever-nearing bottom was a light-filled webwork of cables containing digital communication and information exchange with only a few unpowered cables and the grey walls giving them any sense of direction.

"Light-bright, light-bright, shine so bright! Beautiful light lines come to li-i-ife!" GIR sings as Bell rockets towards the bottom of the tower with a stoic look on her face, while Blossom speeding through the openings in the network of cables, stopping to scout the best possible path to intercept the white Powerpuff.

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING, PINKIE?" A loud and sadistic voice boomed through the air behind the pink Powerpuff, stopping her from her chase after Bell.

Blossom turned around in confusion, "What the-?" Blossom saw Samantha crouching on three limbs on one of the metal cables, with a pair of sunglasses, Jack's katana in her hand, and her brown hair fluttering in the turbulent wind of the tower's inner hull.

"I KNOW YOU HEARD ME." Samantha yelled to the pink Powerpuff from her position, raising Jack's katana to jump down and skewer her, "I ASKED YOU A QUESTION. WHERE DO YOU-"

She was cut off when she grimaced in pain, putting a hand to her sunglasses to ease the pain. Her systems were suffering from information overload due to them intercepting the data coming through the cables, 'All this fiber optics... Information delivery crap... Pulses too bright... Too much internet flying by... Humans and their damned internet... Too bright... I'm not going to be able to fight her with all these stupid spam e-mails blinding me...'

Samantha than slashed two of the brightest cables with Jack's katana, instantly her systems felt more at ease now that the data flow in her systems has been reduced, 'Easy fix.'

Now that that was taken care of, Samantha turned her attention to Blossom whom just continued to stare blankly at her, "LOOK HERE, BOW-FOR-BRAINS, YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE-"

It was at that moment when she realized Blossom was either not paying attention to her or not caring as she prepared to head further down.

"HEY! Pay attention." Samantha yelled as she shredded more cables that were in front of her to make her point, "I'm going to shred you like these stupid cables if you go down any further, you hear me?!"

Blossom, after being unresponsive for another few moments, promptly took off down the tunnel after Bell to stop her.

"...You just made your last mistake, little girl." The Clusterbot in guise of a human growled as she crouched down and launched off the cable she was standing on after the redhaired Powerpuff, extending her left arm to grab her. Samantha speared through the air, weaving through the openings and intersections between a series of black cables until she got Blossom in her sights.

"YOU..." Samantha sped down harder towards Blossom, left hand extended out with Jack's sword still in her right.

"ARE..." Clothing and skin tore away from her extended hand, revealing a metallic hand with red energy crackling, ready to grab Blossom as the latter turned to see the former speeding towards her with an eager and predatory expression.

"Mine?" Before she could strike, two strong feminine hands grasped her by the ankle. Samantha turned to see a familiar sight grasping her ankle and with a pretty angry expression.

"BZZT! Wrong! Thanks..." Buttercup throws the cyborg into a cable, shattering it like an old twig, before finishing her quip,"...for playing!"

"Thanks, Buttercup." Blossom thanked her sister before looking back down to the bottom of the tower and then looked back at Buttercup, "Can you keep her busy?"

The black-haired Powerpuff nodded and looked back at Samantha, cracking her knuckles in eager bloodlust, "No sweat. Can you catch that stupid fake Powerpuff?"

"THIS TIME, SHE'S GOING DOWN!" Blossom yelled to her sister in fury, before she sped down the tower to where Bell was heading.

"SHE'S ALREADY GOING DO-" Buttercup yelled back only to stop when the first part of the sentence caught up with her. "'This time'? Oh, man..." She bemoaned as she had clearly missed something between her and that Fakepuff.

Back with Bell, she flew downwards towards the tower's power station, absentmindedly doing so as she hummed cheerfully. All she had to do was plug in the Powerglass to the tower's main powerline, get out of there,

"Are we-" GIR began a question before Bell cannonballed while spinning vertically, making the scatterbrained robot draw out the 'e' until they reached their destination, "-e there yet?"

Bell scratched her head in thought as she looked around where they were standing, "Um... I... think... so..." It certainly seemed like the place her dad and Battus showed her when they went over the plan for this mission. They were standing on a yellow and black stripped security gate that seemed to part in half to open and judging by the fact that they were at the bottom of the tower, this had to be it.

GIR jumped off her head, squealing and bouncing around the security gate happily, "Hooray!"

"Girly, hold onto this while I do something cool." Bell said as she bequiffed GIR of the Powerglass, and prepared to do 'something cool.'

Her companion robot simply whooped as Bell cocked back her left fist, "Le-e-e-et's do this time warp aga-a-a-ain!"

Bell gave a light chuckle before she adopted a serious expression. She then drove her fist down, piercing the yellow and brown striped doors reinforced with heat-resistant laminate like wet paper and bent the tear into a wide entrance for them.

"We're in!" Bell cheered as she bent the hole into a wider tear in the hull of the tower.

Back with Samantha, things were most definitely not going her way as she was elbowed in the face by Buttercup, shattering the right side of her sunglasses and ramming the Cluster girl into a cable, splitting it in two. Thankfully, this part of the tower had less blinding light, so the glasses weren't necessary, but regardless.

"Didn't you hear me the first time? We're finishing this." Buttercup boasted as she left-hooked Samantha across the face, nearly caving in the right side of her skull.

Her opponent growled as she tried to shake off the pain from the blow, "No time for th-" She was cut off when the green Powerpuff punched her hard in the gut, causing her to make a choking sound from the pain.

"We're making time." Buttercup interrupted her, grabbing Samantha by her shirt and lifted her up from the shattered cable, asking rhetorically, "You're some kinda machine, right?"

The Clusterbot could only respond with angry huffs as she glared at Buttercup, hoping that her gaze would set the latter on fire.

"Sometimes, if you hit a machine, it works better." Buttercup continued, ready to pound this freak into the dust, "Like a TV. Or a computer. So, let try it. Let's give your computer a reboot!"

When she finished that sentence, she headbutted Samantha hard, shattering whatever remained of her sunglasses and tearing away the synthetic skin from the right side of her face, revealing advanced-looking technology and a red optic instead of flesh and bone. The cyborg yelled in pain before the headbutt from the Powerpuff sent her flying into the inner wall of the tower.

"Now." Buttercup floated near her opponent who was slowly shaking off the dizziness, "Are you done running? Are you ready, or should I give you time you time to warm up?!"

"YOU... YOU... YOU..." Samantha was practically rabid with rage, glaring at Buttercup murderously and panting intensely, before becoming eerily calm with her voice drenched in cold fury, "Fine... Fine... You want things to get ugly? Fine... Just fine... I was... going to... kill your worthless pink sibling first... just... to see... you cry, you filthy little meatbag… But it's fine... I'LL WATCH HER CRY INSTEAD... AS I KILL HER BY BEATING HER TO DEATH WITH YOUR CORPSE."

Buttercup was unfazed by her threat, simply cracked her knuckles before declaring calmly, "Bring it."

Communication Tower: Generator Room

Bell simply stood aside as GIR jumped into the tear in the entryway being his usual cheerful if possibly schizophrenic self. "After me!" He shouted as he jumped into the tear leading into the generator room with Bell following suit. Both ended up in a large silver room with many cables connecting through the walls to the main lines in the tower, with a center pillar-like line connecting them all to the main generator core with tertiary redundant generators hidden below.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" Bell heard a familiar voice shout out. Reacting in a millisecond, Bell saw a pink beam of light spearing towards her and GIR.

"Hold what?" She responded, dodging out of the way as the pink beam came crashing into the floor with her companion laughing as he ran towards the main power line while holding the Powerglass above his head. The smoke from the beam's landing blew away to reveal a very serious-looking Blossom, ready to take Bell down a peg.

"You know what I'm talking about, Bell!" Blossom shouted, glaring at her from behind her sunglasses smoke steaming up from her fists, "Give me that bomb, or I will be forced to stop you with force."

"Oh?" Bell questioned as she leaned forwards at Blossom with a playful teasing smile, "Are we carrying a bomb, Girly? I thought you told me I was the bomb."

GIR, in turn, responded sporadically, "I heard you liked bombs! So, we got you this linearity bomb, so you can bomb one of the four quantum-"

"Shh, silly." Bell cut her companion off before he could reveal anything about the bomb or their plans, maybe hiding her worry behind a façade of cheeriness, "It's a secret to everyone."

"It's dangerous to take alone! Take this! Kaboom! Whee!" He says randomly, being his usual self with motions of him doing those things while he was still holding the Powerglass.

"You are not bombing while you bomb around me, Bell." Blossom responds to both of them, still in a serious tone, "Give it to me peacefully. This doesn't need to get ugly."

The white Powerpuff seemingly played along, responding in a mocking if cheerful tone as she quietly pulled out the Noisy Cricket she stole earlier out of her back pocket, "I think you're right! We can give each other makeovers. Sound fun?"

"No." Blossom shook her head as her gaze not off Bell for even a second, knowing that she's just trying to catch her off guard, "You'll regret how I'll make you look."

"Awww, come on. It'll be a blast!" Bell made a pun before she quickly drew the Noisy Cricket at Blossom and pulled the trigger, "EAT CRICKET NOISE!"

The large orb of pure energy launched out of the needle thin barrel and seared towards the pink Powerpuff, who dodged out of the shot's radius as it impacted the wall behind her. As she dodged though, Blossom drew out one of Dexter's contractor shuriken and threw it at Bell.

"Wow! This really is a Noisy-" Bell exclaimed, surprised at the small gun's destructive power, but was cut off when the contractor shuriken knocked the gun out of her hand, "Hey!" She shouted, but then she noticed that Blossom was closing the gap between her and GIR, who still holding the bomb.

"Sometimes, I wish ears weren't re-e-e-e-e-eal!" He squeals in fear as he sees Blossom speeding towards him, ready to trash him to get the bomb away from the duo and stop their plans.

"Girly?!" Bell yelled in worry. GIR was at least ten feet away from her, and also behind her, which meant that she would have to react even faster than Blossom was to intercept her.

"Don't touch my private time!" GIR yells as Blossom tried to grab the bomb from his hands, only for Bell to grab Blossom's extended hand by the wrist, "Hand!"

"First hand meet second hand!" Bell yelled as she grabs and Judo throws the surprised Powerpuff to the floor hard, before commanding her robot to finish their plan while they had Blossom distracted, "Girly! It's go time! Go!" GIR simply squeed as he sprinted towards the main powerline while Bell stalled Blossom, the Powerglass raised high above his head.

"Ugh... S-Stop this... now, Bell." Blossom says as she shakenly gets up, the impact not breaking any bones or causing any bruising due to her invulnerability, but she could still feel pain.

"Stop?" Bell laughs childishly amused that Blossom thinks it's gonna be that easy, putting a hand to her hip while keeping her smile at her, "We're friends now. Just having fun. That's what it sounds like, Blossom."

"I-" Blossom was interrupted by a cough as the slam to the floor knocked the wind out of her, before she managed to continue to speak, "-Don't want this to get-" Another cough came out before she managed to continue again as she could breathe now, "-Any worse. For you or me."

"But we're just playing! Girly and me and you." Bell responds in turn, her playful smile not fading in the slightest, "We're getting good at it."

Blossom just removed her sunglasses, her face stoic and serious as it ever was, "...You're stronger than me."

Bell's smile only grew bigger at that statement, "You don't have to tell me that!" She giggles at Blossom's admittance of her inferiority to her.

"But you're not smarter than me." Blossom continues on, still keeping her eyes on Bell in case she makes a move.

"Aw, you're being mean!" The white Powerpuff didn't sound insulted in the slightest while taking off her sunglasses with a wink. Bell does mentally admit that she's not all that bright, even if she was still just 11 years old.

"I don't want to be mean, Bell." She clarified her statement with a glare.

"Then why get serious?" Bell asks her opponent in a playful manner.

"Because someone has to be." Was Blossom's only response as her eyes began to glow pink as energy built up in them.

"Oh, you're charging your laser!" Bell says excitedly, ready to actually fight her this time, "Wanna play a game? Have a beam contest, Blossom?" She then jokingly makes some 'pew' sounds while making gun signs with her hands.

"I'm not playing a game with you. You might be stronger... But there's something else, remember?" Blossom asked rhetorically. Just then, her gaze broke from Bell and then locked onto GIR, "I'm smarter than you."

GIR was simply humming to himself as a circular compartment in the main powerline opened, which was conveniently a perfect fit for the Powerglass.

"Ding dong!" He said in his usual random self, looking inside the compartment for anything, "Anyone ho-o-o-o-me?"

Bell immediately caught on to what Blossom was planning, her playful smile utterly disintegrated with a look of shock replacing it. Sweat slowly began to form and drip down her head while her pupils shrunk to pinpoints.

"You... You wouldn't." She choked out fearfully before her expression then turned extremely angry and distressed as her glare in her eyes turned downright murderous, "And you know I won't let you. So, you're going to back off. NOW."

Blossom's only respond was calm and calculating as her eyes grew with even more energy, "I'm afraid I can't do that, Bell." Her sclera had become a slightly dark shade of pink than her irises while her pupils turned almost white.

'Dexter... I'm so happy I met you, right now, more than ever.' Blossom thought as she prepared for Bell's assault, who was quickly closing the gap between them, 'You let me see the solution before the problem became this bad.'

Bell let out an angry sound before doing a scissor kick at Blossom's head who dodged out of the way. 'First, target distracted, but cognizant. Knows my laser has to angle down. A high kick to turn my head, so if I fire, shot wasted. Move head, do not turn eyes away. Keep her afraid.'

"STOP LOOKING AT HIM!" Bell shouted as she attacked again as the foot she used for her scissor kick set down to the floor, and then using her right leg to deliver a blade kick to her opponent's head.

'That's one kick but...' Blossom brought both her arms up to block the blade kick from Bell, 'Momentum will keep her going. Block the second kick, elbow block to keep hands close. She'll be frustrated. Kicks useless. She'll change her tactics. Do not move eyes from Girly.'

"STOP. IT. NOW!"

Bell roared in fury, starting to lose her marbles as she readied her left fist to bash Blossom's skull in.

'Too emotional, won't aim with precision.' Blossom grabbed Bell's left hook and pushed herself away from the blow, 'Push back left cross, prepare for heavier swing.'

"Tell him to stop what he's doing, and then I will, Bell." She said calmly as she saw GIR's head open to reveal a long and spindly robotic claw that then began removing what appeared to be a large battery out of the compartment connected to the main powerline, 'The machine has something in it. If that little robot puts it out for the bomb...'

Bell interrupted any further thoughts as she tried to get Blossom's gaze off of GIR, roaring out, "YOU WANT SOMETHING TO LOOK AT?! LOOK AT MY FIST!" She then threw a punch that Blossom blocked but none the less took her gaze off her target.

'Can't see him... Don't move eyes. Intercepting me changes her angular velocity.' Blossom moved out of the way of Bell's punch with her left-hand grazing across the latter's arm, her expression not changing, 'Block to push aside, exploit angular velocity. Doesn't realize the machine will change if a part is removed... So, prepare to shift block for grip.'

Suddenly, all the lights in the room shut off, engulfing it in darkness with the sound of everything shutting down being loudly audible. "Huh?" Bell yelped in confusion, not noticing Blossom grabbing her wrist while she couldn't see.

'Darkness. Optimal.' She thought as she planned out her attack. 'She can't see- Use grip for full toss, slam her onto the ground. In her shock, she'll be confused, bewildered, and most of all, focus on her 'Girly.''

Blossom, using the darkness to her advantage, used both hands to swing Bell off her feet and slammed her onto the ground. Bell winced at the impact before Blossom did the next part of her plan. 'Apply pressure to her neck; keep her dizzy. Retreat after confirming shot successful... She will be angry...' She firmly planted her foot on Bell's neck and collarbone, pinning her down while she vehemently struggled against Blossom's grip.

"N-NO!" Bell coughed out from the combination of the wind being knocked out of her and the dust in her throat that got in when she hit the floor, desperately yelling out to her beloved robot, "GIRLY!" She coughed again, begging Blossom not to destroy him, "B-BLOSSOM, PLEASE NO!"

"Bell, you weren't paying attention." The pink Transhuman said calmly as she locked her gaze to where GIR should be.

"BATTERY CORE REMOVED. SWITCHING TO BACK UP POWER." The system blared as the lights came back on, revealing GIR who was singing Tik-Tok by Ke$ha to himself as his robotic claw set down the battery core and then began loading the Powerglass into the core compartment.

Bell immediately realized what she was doing, struggling harder against her holder, swinging her legs so rapidly that they appeared as white blurs while screaming out in panic for her little GIR, "NO-NO-NO-NO-NO!"

"Bell, I'm sorry for making you this upset. I really am." Blossom remained calm and composed as she charged her eye beams with energy crackling out the sides of her eyes, "But I can't let that bomb go off!"

Blossom lets her eye beams fly as Bell could only watch on as tears leaked out of her eyes, only able to let out a small, "No."

They closed the gap and rocket towards GIR ever so closely as he loads the bomb into the main powerline connected to the core... before they instead severed the powerline itself just when he locked the bomb filled compartment back in place.

The room was re-flooded with darkness and the accompanying SHOOM as Blossom's glowing eyes bristled with smoke and Bell's were still wet with tears. "It is done." Was her only statement as she kept Bell pinned to the floor.

Global Defense Force Hanger: Passageway

Back with everyone else as they secured the scientists and civilians, all lights in the passageway and aboveground abruptly shut down with a loud SHOOOM, flooding the building in darkness.

"What now?!" Olga yelled incredulously into the darkness.

"A POWER OUTAGE?!" Professor Utonium yelled in absolute confusion, feeling over the security gate for answers, "There are redundant systems in the triplicate! You don't think..." He trailed off in thought.

"The generator! At the base of the comm tower!" Membrane realized, snapped his fingers in a eureka moment in his head.

Utonium shook his head, "It couldn't have just stopped; We're not dead."

"We don't have time to open this door manually!" Nora nearly pulled her hair off.

"Not without a serious amount of muscle." Utonium concluded as he tried to keep his cool.

Olga then looked to Dexter, hoping he had something that could help, "Dexter, do you have anything that-"

"No."

Communication Tower: Generator Room

WARNING! PRIMARY COMMUNICATION CABLE DISABLED. WARNING! CONNECTION TO THE PRIMARY AND BACK-UP POWER DISABLED. The computer controlling the generator room announced as GIR looked at the now severed cable while the two lines crackled with electricity. EMERGENCY POWER ACTIVATED. TERTIARY GENERATOR ONLINE.

As the system announced that statement, the power came back on. Seizing the opportunity, Bell brought her legs up and slammed her feet into Blossom's arms, who blocked it, but the movement broke the pin on her. Flipping to her feet, she tearfully scrambled towards GIR, who seemed nonplussed by the lack of any reaction.

"Hi! It doesn't work! Sad face." The small robot said, not knowing that he was as Bell pulled him into a huge bear hug.

"When I say I'm sorry I had to do that, you understand what I meant." Blossom said to her whitehaired opponent, she really didn't like to be mean to others even if they were the bad guys. Bell didn't answer as she cried while hugging a very confused GIR.

Blossom's expression softened, trying to tell her again, "...Bell?"

The girl then tearfully glared at the pink Powerpuff while still holding onto GIR, an aura of rage and hate seemingly spewing from her eyes.

"Oh! SCARYFACE!" GIR yells out as Bell lets him go and wipes her tears away while he tried to cheer her up, "Grey skies are gonna clear up! Put on a happy face!"

"Not right now, Girly." She replied to her robotic pet in a completely serious tone as she cleared her tears and calmed herself down.

"Oo! War face?"

"Sure, Girly. Let's see your war face." Bell says as she takes her headband off, letting her hair loose before putting it on the SIR Unit. Suddenly, GIR's expression stiffened and became blank as his optics turned deep red and a deep and monotone voice came out in place of his normally high-pitched and zany one.

"REACTIVE THREAT-RESPONSE MODE ACTIVATED. OBJECTIVE: DEFEND BELL." The words blared from GIR in a robotic tone as Bell gets up from the floor and turned to the still composed Blossom, whom

"You know we don't have time to do this." Blossom started, despite knowing full well that Bell wasn't going to back down now that she threatened GIR.

"No, we don't." The whitehaired Transhuman replied calmly, her hair unkept and wild from the lack of her hairband, her bangs nearly reaching her thighs due to how long it was.

"But you don't care because you were still afraid for him." Blossom assessed her opponent, waiting for her to make a move.

"Great detective work, sherlock." Bell snarked at her, but there was no humor in her voice now as her bangs hid her right eye, but her left eye conveyed all the emotions needed.

"HOSTILE IDENTIFIED." GIR announced, his expression still blank and his voice with no emotion.

"Good job, Girly." Bell thanks her pet calmly before cracking her knuckles, glaring murderously at Blossom, "LET ME GO FIRST."

Communications Tower: Inner Hull

Samantha screamed as she slammed into each of the inert data conduits before falling to the untorn part of the ceiling of the generator room with a loud wham and a small "Ow..." The synthetic skin on the right side of her face was gone along with the right side of her hair and bangs, revealing the robotic face and skull for all to see with the synthetic blood leaking from the tears and staining the floor she was laying and on her face.

She shook her head and glared at Buttercup, who was descending down after her, "Flesh is... a weakness. Don't you see it? The sentiment... It destroys you. I got out. I escaped. Fixed the mistake..."

The cyborg began to shift in appearance; the clothing and skin tore way, pseudopods of metal burst from her sides, the plates of the unveiled right side pushed outwards as a section glowed akin to a third eye, a small horn-like protuberance appeared by her temple, and the metal teeth extended and sharpened to gnashing fangs.

"...And either me or some other piece of the machine will fix yours." Samantha continued, standing up as her body finished changing, "Eventually, you'll lose... So, why don't you just DIE?!"

Buttercup just floated down towards her, expression serious and arms crossed, glaring down at the freak of nature, "Same reason as you, I guess. Too stubborn." She then unfolded her arms, ready to pummel Samantha to dust, "Come on. Get up. Let's see if you're the one who's going to fix my 'mistake.'"

Suddenly, a metal fist sucker-punched Buttercup, hitting the right side of her face. Shaking her head to shake off the dizziness and pain, she saw the fist fly down and reconnected to Samantha's right wrist, with Sensei's katana wrapped in one of the metal tendrils.

Samantha laughed sadistically at Buttercup's pain, growling out, "DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING, DID YOU?! YOU'LL BE SORRY-"

Communication Tower: Generator Room

"-YOU EVER GOT IN OUR WAY!"

Bell unknowingly finished for Samantha, her arms raised with white flaring orbs of energy forming around her palms, lightning running down her arms while her hair bristling in the wind from all the power she was exerting.

Blossom had a worried face as winds blows from the force of the energy being gathered, her whitehaired opponent then put her arms together, combining the orbs into a single massive orb. She analyzed out loud to herself in a quiet voice, "She's drawing in energy... Very quickly... Too quickly..."

"What's wrong, Blossom?" Bell growled at the pink Powerpuff, the orb's power intensifying even more as she kept pouring more energy into her attack, "You look scared..."

Communication Tower: Inner Hull

Buttercup left-hooked Samantha across the face, who was sent flying down as she hissed in pain. Her metal frame tanked the impact, but she was still sent down to the floor.

The green Powerpuff yelled as she punched Samantha across the face, "BAM! That's for the sucker punch, ugly!" A slight black eye and scratches around her face were evidence of that.

Communication Tower: Generator Room

"Goodbye!" Bell shouted as she left the energy fly as a Kamehameha wave at Blossom, practically blinding any ordinary person would they have been in the generator room.

'High impact, but slow angular velocity...' Blossom mentally calculated as she prepared for her next move against Bell, 'Too hot to block it... Gotta move out of the way- Huh?' Her mental planning was thoroughly interrupted by an unforeseen object. It was GIR, optics still red and face still blank, rocketing ahead of the beam as it sore towards her.

"High impact. Slow angular velocity. Adjusting..." The robot calculated as he suddenly stopped in a crouching position before his head opened up and a disco ball emerged as the beam approached, "Calculating new approach vectors."

The beam hit the disco ball, illuminating it.

"Charging." GIR says as the disco ball charged up with Bell's energy beam, "Firing pattern name: Disco Inferno."

The ball then fired 10 orbs of blue flaming energy, while travelling in every direction in a curved fashion, rocketed towards the pink Powerpuff, who looked slightly panicked.

'First, dash ahead- No, wait...' Blossom tried to calculate how to respond to this new attack, but given the small window of time and the multi-directional pattern of the attack, her emotional side was overriding her logical side, 'Move back, then... But- No, first, I have to go- if I went around there-and- and- and-!' She couldn't figure out what to do and the orbs were a few feet away, closing in fast. 'I can't dodge them all! Gotta BLOCK!"

With a feral scream, Blossom punched every one of the orbs out of her way so fast and hard that her arms appeared to multiply in the fours as blurs.

Communication Tower: Inner Hull

Samantha grinned as she leaped away from a downward punch from Buttercup. "Didn't your dad teach you anything? It's what's inside that counts!" She taunted as a four-pronged bolas was produced from her hand before she threw it at Buttercup.

"What the-" The black-haired Transhuman yelped as the bola wrapped around her calves, restricting the movements of her legs.

"Confused?" Samantha grinned, as two mechanical spiked tendrils grew out of her back with the tips pointed towards her opponent, "Just hold still... and I'll show you!" The spiked tips of the tendrils then fired towards Buttercup, revealing that they were connected to black chains that quickly wrapped tightly around her wrists, restraining her hands. Buttercup struggled as she tried freeing her hands and feet of the chains while Samantha used this to force her down to ground level.

"You're just making this harder..." Buttercup tried to say but was cut off when Samantha's left arm shifted into a laser cannon, that was currently pointing at her mid-section "...on yourself."

"Funny." The gynoid grinned sadistically, as the cannon charged up to blast her to smithereens.

Suddenly, the metal floor by Samantha dented upwards with a loud clang. Both girls looked at the dent, confused by its sudden formation before 4 more dents formed with each following a loud clang, afterward 3 energy balls flew out of the tear in the core's entryway.

"That doesn't sound good for your buddy." Buttercup said as she used this opportunity to struggle against the chains wrapped around her wrists and ankles. They could only take so much before they'd break.

Samantha struggled back as she tried to rein in her captive from escaping her grasp, "Optimistic of you. Just... Hold... Still!" She then recognized the white energy spewing out of the tear in the floor and shouted out for her partner in the generator room, "BELL?!"

Buttercup gulped nervously at the and tried to tell Samantha before something happened, "You'd better hurry up and shoot, before-" Suddenly, 3 energy balls burst up from the floors around them, flying upwards through the tower, "That happens. Uh-oh."

The gynoid growled in anger at the interruption, "That little brat... is making everything so difficult..." Before she could finish, an energy ball broke through the floor, destroying her left arm and the laser cannon while also severing the chains from her tendrils.

"FUCK!" Samantha screeched in pain as her left arm was severed at the elbow, the cybernetics smothered and sparking from the searing heat of the energy ball.

Buttercup cringed almost in sympathy at the injury, "Ouch. I bet that stings." While Samantha still reeled from the pain, Buttercup saw that the chains connected to her arms were severed from the gynoid and immediately took advantage of it. "I know that hurts, but hey, tell me: How much does this sting?"

The green Powerpuff then backflips, causing the chained balls around her legs to go slamming upside her opponent's head, who was send backwards. Buttercup landed on her hands, causing the chains to sag away though they came off as she shifted to a sitting position and started to pull them off, only to find markings in the shape of chains had been set into the skin of her wrists.

After she was finished with the chains on her arms, Buttercup started ripping off the bolas from her legs, "Ow! Chains. Seriously, who uses chains?!" She quickly got up after breaking the last chain, popping her joints and shaking off the pain from the chains' tightness.

"B-Bell..." Buttercup heard Blossom's voice from the generator room, sounding soft and pained, "I wasn't going to... hurt Girly." The black-haired Transhuman quickly turned her sight to the inside of the core through the large tear in the entrance, where her sister laid on the floor in pain, her hands were severe burned with steam rising.

"Blossom?" Buttercup asked no one as she stared down the hole in the core room's ceiling, only to notice something bad was about to happen to her sister, "Blossom! Oh, no..."

Communication Tower: Generator Room

The red haired Powerpuff laid on the floor, whimpering and gritting her teeth in pain from her burnt and smoldering hands. While she knew this would happen and she couldn't think of any other maneuver to survive the attack, it still felt like she dipped her hands in the sun.

"H-How can you be so mad at me, Bell?" Blossom whimpered as she tried and failed to block out the pain in her hands, "You... You were going to blow everything up... You and Girly are a part of everyone!"

The white Powerpuff in question has a calm yet angry face as she sprinted towards Blossom, "Oh, is that what we were doing?! Maybe you aren't that smart after all, you little worm!"

"PREPARING POST-TERMINATION DISPOSAL PROTOCOLS." GIR blared as he watched the scene unfold from the sidelines.

"Let me tell you what's so great about this, Blossom." Bell starts talking as she leaps high into the air. "You don't just get to fail to take this friend from me. You don't just get to feel helpless, just like I did. Your family gets to feel how I felt when Susan died!" The white Powerpuff then vertically spins as she prepares her attack, then prepared an axe kick as she dived towards her fallen opponent.

Blossom only whimpered, with wide and fearful eyes staring at the oncoming axe kick, "I'm sorry, Bell."

"Not yet you're not." Bell replied, trying to hide her sorrow at Susan's death and failing.

"You just sound so sad." Blossom only said to her in sympathy, feeling sorry for what happened to Mandark. Suddenly, Buttercup appeared in front of Blossom, causing the downed Powerpuff to yell her name as she blocked Bell's kick with both her arms, causing the room to shake from the impact.

"I don't think so, Snowball." She quipped, though the impact caused her right foot to slip, and her left foot managed to stay but her left knee bent down.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY OR I'LL DO IT SLOWLY." Bell growled out, not having the patience for this interruption.

Buttercup wouldn't budge from her spot with the look in her eyes, daring Bell to do something, "Go ahead. I'm in no hurry."

"HAVE IT YOUR WAY." Bell spun around as her right leg collided with the left side of Buttercup's face. The blow seemed to shake the room and a chunk of blood spritzed from her left temple, but Buttercup did not even flinch.

"BUTTERCUP!" Blossom screamed in horror for her sister.

"What's the big deal, Blossom?" Buttercup asked still very calm despite the blow to the head and blood streaming down the left side of her face, surprising her sister immensely, "I'm still waiting for your little friend to stop trying to scare me and actually scare me."

"YOU WANT SCARY?!" Bell screamed at Buttercup as she raised her fist for a strike while imbuing it with white energy, "I'LL-" The whitehaired Transhuman was cut off when Buttercup performed an open palm strike on her torso, sending her flying and crashing into the wall on the opposite side of the room, yelling in pain at the impact as GIR dashed over to help her.

The green Powerpuff simply popped her shoulders before quipping, "Yeah, scary'd be okay, I guess. But you can't always get what you want, right, Blossom? Like, unburned hands."

"Thanks, Buttercup but-" Blossom said as her sister helped her up but was interrupted from whatever she was going to say.

"But?" Buttercup asked incredulously, motioning to her sister's burnt hands, "But nothing, Blossom. That was serious!"

"I know, but... she was just scared for her little robot." Blossom tried to explain her opponent's reasons, but it wasn't enough to convince her sister

"She's not Bubbles; Okay, Blossom? And if you think that she was scared..." Buttercup reminded her that while Bell was indeed scared for GIR, she was still their enemy for the moment and enemies had to be dealt with.

Blossom looked hesitant but relented as she couldn't find any counterpoints for her sister's argument, "You're right. You're right. I'm really sorry."

"Uh, forget about it." Buttercup waved it off, before looking around the room for Blossom's big red bow, "Where'd your bow go? Oh, here it is!" She picked it up near her feet

"...What does it matter?" Blossom asked, before her eyes shrunk in realization, but it was too last as Buttercup then used the bow to tie Blossom's hair, much to her protest, into... what I can only describe as a crude ponytail. *

"A-A-And there!" Buttercup said she gave a smile and thumbs up at Blossom's new look, "Can't be Bossy-Blossy without that big ol' bow!"

Blossom had a completely unamused expression, but let it go as they had bigger fish to fry "...I love you too, Buttercup. Can we wrap up your head now? I think that's a little more important." She then slightly examined the injury on her sister's head, who didn't react to the examination, "It doesn't look too bad, but I need you to hold still while I-" The pain in her hands flared up causing her to yelp.

"While I wrap up your hands." Buttercup finished for her, taking her blistered hands into her own, making Blossom yelp again. "Yeah, see? You first, boss girl. Lucky I'm not in a dress today, huh?" She says in a casual tone as she ripped some fabric off from her pants to use as makeshift bandages for Blossom's burnt hands, revealing her tall socks.

As she wrapped the beige cloth around her sister's hands, Blossom had a blank expression adorning her face, lost in thought or feeling as an odd feeling came over her. It was hard to describe but it felt like something from beyond was watching her, one presence was one of light, but others were darker and more insidious. One felt angry, another felt intrigue, another felt despair, and another felt pleasure. More were present but they were emotions that she could not make out.

Buttercup had a concerned expression at her sister's blank expression, "...Blossom? You, okay?"

Blossom didn't respond, only continuing to stare blankly ahead despite her sister's efforts. The presences felt stronger, as if they were facing a game of chess being played and what they were doing now was the game.

"...Am I doing it wrong? Does it hurt too much?" Buttercup tried to pry into her before waving her left hand in front of Blossom's face when she still didn't respond to her inquiries, "Hello? Hello-o-o-o?"

"Huh?" That seemed to snap Blossom out of it as she blinked in confusion, before it realized what was happening, shaking her head and saying in an embarrassed tone, "Oh! Sorry!"

"What's up with you? It was me that got hit in the head. Didn't even bother me." Buttercup questioned her about how weird she's been behaving today, then again it wasn't like she was the only one put through the wringer today.

"I'm okay. I- Buttercup, thanks for coming after me-" Blossom replied, waving off that experience as one due to stress, and then pre-emptively said before her sister did, "I know! You said forget about it."

"Heh. You think I was gonna let a good fight pass by?" Buttercup laughed out loud before she yelled in her usual eagerness for a fight, "AW HELL NAW!"

"Don't curse." Blossom scolded her sister for cursing before the pain reached a tolerable level for her to use her hands, "Okay my hands are good. Turn your head to me."

"Sure. Sure." The green Powerpuff did as she was told, letting her sister examine the head wound on her, "But hey, you gotta admit, the blood is cool, isn't it?"

"No." Blossom replied bluntly, making Buttercup scoff and roll her eyes. Typical sisters.

"PHYSICAL DAMAGE: MINIMAL." GIR analyzed as he helped Bell up from the wall she crashed into, who was glaring at the two Powerpuffs murderously. The impact had practically caved the wall in, Bell was only able to survive because of her invulnerability.

"...They're dead." Bell proclaimed, expression and voice calm but blistering and seething with cold fury.

"EMOTIONAL DAMAGE: SUBSTANTIAL."

"Alright my turn." Blossom tore a piece of her vest off to make something to stop the bleeding on Buttercup's head wound, "I did wear a skirt, so your tourniquet-"

"-Is all you-colored regardless." Buttercup interrupted in a blunt if joking tone as her vest was still burgundy like her skirt.

"You got to lecture me. You know I lecture better than you do. You're not inviting me, are you? Not when you're one up on me."

"When you put it like that, I could swap you! Pants for skirt."

"Thanks, but no." Blossom declined her offer bluntly before she wrapped the torn strip of cloth from her vest around her sister's head, "I'm making it a headband, so it even still looks tough. ...There." She finished wrapping the pseudo headband around her head. "The bleeding's stopped. Just let me tighten it a little more."

Buttercup's eyes then pinpricks as she stared at something, "...We don't have a lot of time here, Bloss. We made them really angry."

Blossom shrugged, not concerned about their opponents at the moment, "We did, but I cut the power. They've already failed. Maybe we do have some time. Maybe they've retreated or are at least regrouping."

"Uh, Blossom?" The black-haired Transhuman said nervously as she gazed up at the ceiling, "Normally, I like it when you're wrong. But... we made them really, really angry."

"So... What, they're just out for blood now? Great."

"Well..." She laughed nervously, "They did get a little..."

What was Buttercup so nervous about? Well, Samantha was currently watching them through the tear in the ceiling, undergoing another change in her frame.

"Implying you believe your sister," The gynoid said as she jumped down to the floor from the opening, before her voice changed to a mechanical purr, "Because you're right. Adorable."

Blossom slowly turned towards the enemy, barely suppressing a gasp when she saw the full extent of her changes.

A second glowing red eye completed its formation over the original right eye, which was forced down to the cheek area, short fang-like protuberances were formed at the edges of her eyes, her metal fangs grew thicker and more animalistic, and small insectoid mandibles formed at the side of her face. Her severed left arm was replaced with a metallic segmented tentacle while a smaller tendril rested below it, the skin over her forehead shredded away revealing a glowing red diamond with four dots on the edges, the clothing and skin around her left leg was gone, revealing a metallic raptor like leg with three blades on the outer thigh.

Sweat raced down Blossom's face but she swallowed her fear."...The power connection is severed." She started, "And anything running that level of particle acceleration needs sufficiently intricate circuitry pathways to maintain any output."

"Listen to you, sounding like that little boyfriend of yours." Samantha mocks her, making Blossom fight down a blush, before her voice changed to that creepy metallic purr, "You learn quick. Adorable!" Drool slithered down her mouth as she continued, "So clever... But you're forgetting that we have a machine with that level of sophistication."

"Machine, Sam?" Bell said rhetorically, making Buttercup turn to her as she dusted herself off, not liking what her partner was implying, "Don't you mean machines? I see a lot of parts around here." She pointed around the various broken mechanical parts that were laying around due to the damaged the fight has caused to the building and the machinery in the room.

"ANALYZING STRUCTURAL DISPARTIES..." GIR proclaimed as his systems scanned the room for spare parts to repair the main powerline, so it could charge the Powerglass and activate it.

"...They can still set off the bomb?" Buttercup whispered to her sister, "What do we do?"

Blossom smirked, knowing Buttercup would approve of this kind of plan, "You'll like this."

"Plan?"

"Muscle."

Buttercup grinned in eagerness, "Plan!"

The two sisters turned to and then charged at their opponents: Blossom against Samantha and Buttercup against Bell and GIR.

"GO!" Blossom gave the word for their plan before she charged directly at Samantha

"Hey, snowdrop! Let's dance!"

"This do not matter." Samantha said as she swung Jack's sword at Blossom, who jumped out of the way of the swing.

"I don't know what you are," The pink Powerpuff said, moving through the air like a soaring eagle, "Or what you think you know-"

The Cluster borg growled and cut her opponent off with another swing when she got close enough, which was met with another dodge, "I do not matter."

"-About any of us, or my sister, or how she fights." Blossom says as she jumps over yet another swing, "I do know something you don't." She turned around in midair before Eagle striking her dress shoe covered foot into the right side of Samantha's face, making her yell out in pain. "I'm not my sister!"

Samantha reeled from the strike before she turned back to Blossom and growled, begrudgingly impressed by her fighting style, "Actual tactics. No. You are not."

"Let's see how tough you are!" Buttercup challenged Bell, who was grinning at that chance for something. But then as Bell threw two punches, Buttercup caught both of her fists, the shockwave of the act causing the air around them to go into a lashing motion.

Bell laughed arrogantly before noticing her opponent had her hands locked in place, "Huh?"

"ALLEYOOP!" The green Powerpuff yelled before she threw a surprised Bell off her feet and into the air while still holding on, suspending the white Powerpuff in mid-air despite her struggles.

Bell yelled to GIR, who was nearby and witnessing the whole thing, "GIRLY, DO SOMETHING!"

"UNACCEPTABLE DEFENSIBLE POSITION." GIR said as his head opened to reveal a slingshot with a purple spiked ball that was then pulled back by another robotic claw.

"ELIMINATING."

The moment he launched the spiked ball, Buttercup countered as she charged up her eye beams, "No thanks." Not even when the projectile was launched halfway towards her, Buttercup's eye beams destroyed it almost immediately, sending purple smoke everywhere.

"MINIMAL DAMAGE."

"Uh, no damage." She retorted to the SIR unit, who didn't respond to her quip much to her annoyance.

"PUT ME DOWN!" Bell screamed at her adversary which reminded Buttercup that she was suspended in the air by her arms.

Buttercup shrugged, agreeing to her demands, "Why not?" She let go of her arms, letting her fall for a second before she then grabbed Bell by the waist and held her upside down. Bell's eyes shrunk in fear, immediately realizing her mistake.

"Wait!" She tried to say but then her adversary jumped into the air and-

"WHAM!" Buttercup yelled as she piledrives Bell into the floor hard, making her yell in pain from the landing. While the white Powerpuff groaned in pain with stars circling her head before falling unconscious, her opponent just shrugged, "Hey, don't get mad at me. You asked for it!"

?

As this event was all unfolding, in the spaces between the material and the immaterial, stood three higher beings watching the events that we are watching and reading.

One was what appeared to be a 12-year-old boy. His eyes silver, similar to Bell's. He has long black hair, tied up with a red band, into a ponytail. A bang of his black hair covers his right eye. He wore a Chinese-looking uniform, composed of a white shirt with long sleeves with a golden line on the right from the middle of his shirt with smaller golden clips over it and a cloth underneath it which covers most of the front of his leg, and reaches to his ankles, a red scarf as a belt, black baggy pants with black shoes.

One of the most remarkable things on his outfit are the golden shoulder plates that are in the shape of a dragon on his left shoulder while its tail is on the right shoulder. Underneath the one on his right shoulder was a red cloth.

This 'boy' is The Prime Woodland Naga Vicar of Resolution, Divinely Chosen Proselyte of the Great Azure Dragon and Heaven of the East. Or Naga for short, because nobody can saw that whole name before just giving up and calling him that.

Another was a 15-year-old girl with waist length blonde hair and radiant sapphire eyes, in an angelic-themed uniform with golden accents and patterns on the edges, two golden armbands on her upper arms with two golden rings on her wrists and ankles. But a sight familiar to those under the Emperor during the Great Crusade was bestowed upon her; two large pearl white wings protruding from her spine.

This girl is Deandra the Compassionate. Or 'Dee-Dee' as she was known before she died.

The third was the Grim Reaper. Not an entity that represents the Reaper, or a daemon disguising itself as him, this truly is the Reaper himself. A tall human skeleton, anomalously held together under a long black hooded robe with a red interior, while carrying a long scythe.

All of them simply stood in silence, watching the scene of the Powerpuffs duking it out with the white transhuman and the Cluster cyborg before Grim broke it.

"I don't even know why I'm here." He said to the two whom summoned him here, still wondering the reason as to why he was summoned here in the first place.

"Just wait for it." Naga said calmly to the Reaper, "You'll begin to see why we asked for you."

Communication Tower: Generator Room

Blossom high kicked Samantha in the chest, sending the latter back as she screeched, "CCCCCUUUURRSE YYOOOOUUUUU!"

"She makes a mistake." Deandra said to Grim, cryptically.

The Reaper looks at the angel, confused as to what she means, "'She?' Which we talking about? There be three-"

"Four." She interrupted abruptly.

That only seemed to make Grim even more confused but then it hit him, "...You be pulling me leg bones." He says in shock

"Everyone deserves a chance, Grim." Dee says compassionately.

He simply sighed, "You know, it weren't but few years ago when people were still right to say, 'Death waits for no one.'"

GIR's arm shifted into an arm cannon as he was in midair, charging it while aiming at Buttercup. "VENTING IONIC DISCHARGE PARTICLES."

A white-blue beam flared from the arm cannon, spearing towards the green Powerpuff. Buttercup barely had enough time to dodge as the beam pierced the floor, leaving a smoldering hole in its place. But that distracted her enough for GIR to roundhouse-kick her in the face.

"I have nothing but the highest respect for what your kind does, Reaper." Naga replies to the Reaper, as the job of them is more important than the jobs of most gods.

"I don't see how." Grim replied, still skeptical on what his presence was required for, "Me scythe finds you strange, and I know what that means."

"Then you know my business is extremely important."

"I'll accept that the Emperor be involved, but I'm not needing to like it a bit, Vicar of the Dragon."

"Please, Grim..." Deandra tried to reason with the Reaper, hoping to make him see the importance of his involvement, "Naga isn't trying to make things harder for you..."

She then looked up to the star-ridden dimension, the light of the stars transmuting the endless black into an absolutely beautiful blue, bathing her sight in its majesty as did her being when she was in the presence of the Emperor. These areas allowed her to gaze into the Warp. Yet in her native universe, the immaterium seemed so peaceful and tranquil, rippling and flowing like a calming ocean, not like what she had seen from the work of the War in Heaven and the Fall of the Eldar.

"He just wants what I want. What you want."

Reeling back from that kick, Buttercup turned to see GIR jump into the air again with his arm cannon ready. She almost screaming in frustration as she raised her fists again, "WHAT NOW?!"

"OBSCURATION PATTERN: SMOKEY WHIFFLE." He pronounced as a small purple bomb with sealed holes appeared in the barrel. He fired, revealing three more of the bombs that landed harmlessly at Buttercup's feet. Before she could mock GIR about it, the holes opened as purple smoke issued from the bombs.

"Forgive me if I be a bit cynical." Grim expressed his feelings about this whole situation.

"Super-sorry, Grim!" Dee apologized sincerely, holding her hands to her waist.

"If you feel you're being forced, I do apologize." Naga agreed the angel, "Normally, I wouldn't be important enough to even speak with you. However, when I said this could put you out of a job, you know I am telling the truth."

"Well..." The Reaper sighed, at least thankful that they're not forcing anything on him, "Eh. Ain't forcing me no more than any other pushy celestials. At least..."

He trailed off in thought, making Naga asked him, "...Yes?"

Grim sighed again, rubbing his temples with his bony fingers, "At least you two have the decency to apologize."

Dee asked the reaper kindly, "Does that mean... you will?"

"I be willing to..." The Reaper pauses before forcing it out, "...see if it's true in the first place."

"Thank you so much!" The angel says happily, smiling brightly.

"Hold it!" Grim raises his hand to Dee, before turning to Naga to explain his compliance on one condition, "You listen here: I still don't be seeing it. When this 'mistake' happens, if I don't feel the war of the soul, I won't be waiting around."

Naga nodded, feeling that this arrangement is understandable, "Understood."

"There already be too many souls in equilibrium that need attending." Grim finished. Let it never be said that the job of the Grim Reaper was an easy one.

"Your help and patience is greatly appreciated, Grim." The boy then noticed something, putting a hand to his chin in thought. "...Hm. I think it's coming soon."

Buttercup coughed harshly as the smoke flooded the room and got into her lungs, forcing her to her knees. The sound from all her coughing and wheezing caught the attention of her sister and Samantha.

Suddenly, Samantha's mouth grew wide, her metal fangs slathered with drool, and the remaining human eye on her face became a serpentine slit as she abruptly let out a massive, demented cackle.

"Just what makes her so important, anyway?" The Reaper asked, curious on why they needed that specific person for their plans, "What part do a death play in saving lives?"

Dee flinched, uncomfortable with how much such a thing is done in the Imperium by the Inquisition. While she knows there is no other way and a lot of the Imperium runs on necessary evils, saying it's either one life or billions, they were still lives.

If Naga was uncomfortable with that fact as well, he didn't show it, "There are secrets that could be lost in the trauma of death. We need to go as deep as possible."

"She needs someone skilled, Grim." The angel says cheerily, "That's you!"

"Ho ho ho..." Grim grinned slightly at the praise, twirling his scythe around in an attempt to look cool, "I do be cutting a clean sweep when I reap. Pull the wheat right from the chaff!"

"Very soon now. Still struggling to work out how exactly it happens." Naga says a hand still to his chin, still in thought, "Just think. At first, it must have been such a small problem."

Blossom utterly befuddled by the gynoid's maniacal laugh only utter a small "...Wha?" in response before the latter broke into a sprint towards her sister.

"KILL! KILL! KILL! Look carefully, I'm crazy!" Samantha continues to laugh madly as races towards Buttercup, Jack's katana raised in her hand, "Look, Blossom, Look!"

Her heart almost stopped when she realized what the gynoid was attempting, "BUTTERCUP!" Buttercup couldn't see what was going on because of all the smoke, barely able to manage out a "Huh?" from all her coughing and wheezing.

"Yeah, Buttercup!" Samantha yells as she lunged towards her target, the katana ready to shred Buttercup into ribbons.

Blossom furiously raced behind, stamping down the soles of her shoes into the floor in her mad sprint as she tried to intercept the gynoid, "Behind you!"

Samantha laughs insanely, flying towards the green Powerpuff with the sword poised to strike, "Watch me kill your sister!"

The redhaired Transhuman dove into the smoke after the Cluster gynoid, covering her mouth with her right arm, "NO!"

"BUTTERCUP!" "OW!" "I'LL GET YOU!" "BLOSSOM!" "CURSES!" All shouts came from the smoke cloud as GIR watch after giving the unconscious Bell a gasmask to prevent the smoke's affects from spreading to her, given that she was already vulnerable in this state.

"SCANNING..." The little robot uttered out as he observed the ongoings of the three fighting in the smoke via his optical scanners, "OBSCURATION SCATTER COMPLETE..."

After a few moments of fighting, Blossom was suddenly restrained by a large metal segmented tentacle with bright red lights in the spaces between coiling around her torso and left leg, restraining her arms to her sides while a blade places itself near her neck. "Ah! W-What the-!?" She squealed in fright, only to stop when she heard a laugh.

Samantha laughs an insane and sadistic laugh as the tentacle around Blossom coiled tighter around her, "Did you really think I was that damaged? I am Cluster!"

The latter struggled against her cybernetic captor's grip, "Let go!"

"No thank you." Samantha grins cruelly, immensely enjoying her captive's fear and struggling, "I'm busy wondering just what will I tell your little blue sister and tell her how I killed both of you!" The smoke began clearing as she moved forward with her captive. "What do you think? Was it Buttercup that killed you when you went to save her? Or is it your fault for dragging your sister to come die with you? Who's fault is it, Blossom?!"

She held the blade to Blossom's neck, who's breath stills at the object in question. Bell slowly regaining consciousness, sits up next to GIR, seeing Buttercup a few feet away from her and the parting purple smoke a few feet from the latter.

"N-No! Buttercup, help!" Blossom tried to yell out for help but only a squeak of fear came from her trembling lips.

"What's that?" Samantha purrs sadistically as she took in the fearful expression of her captive, "Do I hear a fearful betrayal? Or is it too hard to think straight, knowing you're going to die? Wonderful."

The mad cyborg laughed again as the smoke cleared, revealing the full sight. Samantha stood behind Blossom as her hostage taker, the former's metallic tentacle arm wrapped around the latter's torso and left leg, pinning her arms to her sides, and Jack's sword placed at the Chemical X-infused skin of her neck. Buttercup stares with widened eyes and Bell only looked on with a confused stare.

"What did I tell you, Buttercup? What did I say would happen?" The Cluster cyborg said, grinning at the Powerpuffs' fear for each other, "I love it when plans get back on track. Been waiting to slit a throat with this thing for a while now."

"Blossom... You..." Buttercup whispered in fright before she tried to glare intensely at Samantha, but only managed an uneasy and fearful stare, "YOU... YOU LET HER GO RIGHT NOW!"

"No thanks. The look on your face is too good." She replied as she took in the rapturous pleasure of having the annoyances in terror before she turned to Bell and snapped at her white haired teammate, "Bell! Do your fucking job!"

Bell glared at her teammate as well, her own voice slightly deepened due to the gasmask muttering and altering the sound due to its inner and outer ports, "I'm not going to-"

"YES, YOU ARE!" Samantha cut her off in a mad scream, coiling Blossom tighter in her grip much to the latter's dismay, "YOUR LITTLE FRIEND IS EXPENDABLE! DO IT. NOW!"

"No!" The white Powerpuff still adamantly refused, her care for GIR outweighing her care for the plan, "I'm not hurting Girly!"

"DO YOU REALLY HAVE TO BE SO DIFFICULT?! YOU INSUFFERABLE LITTLE-" Samantha bellowed at Bell's adamant refusal before she stopped herself, abruptly now unnaturally calm as she breathed in a deep breath and then continued on, "No. You know what? No. I'm not going to waste my good mood on you. I'm killing this little fool, then you will help me kill her sister."

A fearful combination of a draw of sharp breath and a gasp escaped from Blossom while Buttercup's eyes widened further, and Bell's glare hardened like ice.

Samantha continued calmly, her tone cold as artic ice, "If you don't, I'll kill your little 'Girly' myself! And you can bet I'll be sure to report your cowardice to your father. As I was saying..." The blade was moved closer to Blossom's throat, nearly cutting off the circulation.

"Oh, by the way Buttercup: If there's anything you wanna say to your sister... you've got three seconds." Samantha offered the green Powerpuff before she began her countdown to her captive's death, sadistically grinning as she did so.

Blossom almost cried at this predicament, looking to her sister with small tears spilling from her eyes, "B-Buttercup... I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"THREE..."

"Don't... Please..." Buttercup practically begged, sweat pouring down with small tears pricking from the corners of her pinprick eyes, only able to stare in terror at this precarious situation they were in, "Don't do this! Don't! Don't!"

"Keep begging." Samantha grin grew wider at their begs for mercy, for they will receive none in her triumph from fear, "It makes the next two seconds last! TWO!"

"STOP! STOP IT!" Buttercup actually begged, nearly on her knees as it was only a moment more before there was none left.

"ONE!"

Time stopped so suddenly, the hand holding blade to Blossom's throat twitched. All of Samantha's eyes narrowed and, in a moment, she uttered out in a tone of absolute mercilessness,

"ZERO."

Time sped up again, only to seem to flash as the blade slashed across Blossom's throat. The blade seemed to flash in the air with a loud clang, the wind blew around through the core room.

Buttercup's mind nearly went blank, all emotional flame extinguishing from her as she watched her sister go limb in Samantha's grasp.

"I told you." Samantha sneered out at the girl now void of a sister and the one in her tentacle's grasp, "I told you what would happen. The gist of it was that you and your sister would both die. Her first, it turns out."

"No... You..." Buttercup whispered before the flames of rage born infernos flared in her heart, "YOU..." She burst into a rage-filled sprint towards the Cluster cyborg, blind and burning for vengeance, "BLOSSOM... BLOSSOM... I'LL END YOU. DO YOU HEAR ME?!"

"Heard you. Disagree." Bell quickly followed behind the green Powerpuff, pulling off and discarding her white rebreather to GIR, who caught it in his small hands before he pocketed it.

"ATTACK PATTERN ASSISTANCE?" GIR inquired to his master, his systems already calculating new strategies to assure their victory.

"No, Girly. Stay back." She declined his assistance, steadily running behind her charging adversary, "She's alone, so now she's stupid- uh- stupider now."

In the cyborg's coiled tentacle, unheard to the two charging Transhumans, Blossom suddenly exhaled harshly, taking multiple deep and heavy breaths. Confused, her captor looked to her captive's neck only for her to be unveiled to a shocking sight. Samantha's brain went blank, her eyes widened and the pupil in her 'normal' eye shrunk to speck sized.

There was no wound. No blood, no torn jugular, not even any broken skin, but physically speaking, Blossom was perfectly fine.

Mentally speaking however, she was rather distressed.

"No reaper. No reaper. No reaper. Did not see Death." She whispered, her eyes practically dots from all the shock in the past event.

See what I mean?

Unknown to Samantha, the sword has a rule; the weapon can only harm those with darkness in their heart. And given how Blossom was only 11 or 12 years old and the fact that so far, she had not used her powers against the ill of others only for the safety of others, she was far from having enough blackness to be harmed by the sword.

Speaking of Samantha, the cluster cyborg looked on at her hostage with stupefied confusion at the sheer impossibility in front of her. She knows she did not miss her swing, nor did she have the incorrect edge of the blade at her throat, so what went wrong? Why wasn't she dead?!

"...What? You..." Samantha was barely able to form a coherent sentence then shouted, utterly flabbergasted, "YOU'RE ALIVE!? BUT IT CUT CLUSTER-GRADE DURANIUM! MONKEY BLEEDS FROM DURANIUM!"

Samantha's rambling from her incredulity over how a sword that could slice through a hyperalloy made for their troops and starships yet couldn't slice through her captive's throat was cut off when Buttercup tackled her hard to the ground, causing her to drop the sword to the floor.

"Deathly Double- Huh?" Bell yelled only to fly over the two as the green Powerpuff slammed the Cluster cyborg and her sister, still wrapped in the cyborg's tentacle, into the tile floor.

"BRING MY SISTER BACK OR I'll KILL YOU!" Buttercup screamed at Samantha, her expression on tears of rage falling from her face.

The latter, her mind still reeling from the impossibility of the blade, only responded, "BUT... HOW?! HOW?!"

"YOU CAN'T, YOU DIE!" Buttercup roared; no mercy left in her soul for the bio-organic abomination in her hands.

Blossom was winded from the landing, only able to whimper to her enraged and deluded sister, "Buttercup..."

Bell skidded to a halt on all fours where she landed with the sword landing next to her, glaring at the two while they were in their struggle, "I'm not through with you. Either of you."

"BUT HOW?!" Samantha yelled, still unable to understand the results of her attempt on Blossom's life, "YOU SAW IT CUT THROUGH-"

She was cut off when Buttercup strangled her with one hand and the other hand raised to reduce her skull into dust, "HOW?! I'M GOING TO CUT THROUGH YOU WITH MY FUCKING FISTS! THAT'S HOW!"

The green Powerpuff then rammed her fists into the Cluster cyborg's skull with the force of asteroids reaching terminal velocity. Each punch denting her skull and breaking off her fangs, sending blood flying into the air and her head into the floors. By some miracle and thanks to the Cluster bot's ability to self-repair to an extent, she wasn't reduced to pulp from Buttercup's bloodied hands.

"HOW-!?" Samantha was still reeling from the sword and Blossom's life, but cut off with another punch, "BUT-?!" Another punch landed across her face before she could even speak.

"SHADDUP!" Buttercup bellowed, nearly rupturing her vocal cords with the sheer force of her screams, before turning her rage overflowing gaze to an unfazed Bell, "ARE YOU WATCHING, FAKE-PUFF?! ARE YOU FUCKING WATCHING?!" Her gaze and voice then blazed with cold fury, "YOU'RE NEXT."

"Stop..."

Buttercup stopped dead, eyes wide and bloodied hand raised, tears flowing down her face. Her head turned slowly turning to where she heard the voice originated. It was Blossom, still coiled by Samantha's mechanical tentacle, looking as alive as one could be and slightly scared at her sister's actions, "Stop cursing, Buttercup..."

"B-Blossom?" She whispered, hoping this was real and not some hallucination created by grief.

"Don't..." Blossom said, hoping her sister will see reason, "Don't do this to yourself. Don't be what they are."

Bell, still on all fours, looked on at the two, confused as to why Blossom was still alive, 'Not dead? That doesn't make sense... Are we really that strong?' She pondered before Buttercup's insult then finally hit her, 'FAKE?!'

"GET OFF HER!" Buttercup screamed again as she grabbed the appendage and used her eye beams to slice the tentacle holding her sister in half, causing Samantha to yell out in pain.

'Sam's right... We've all seen it...' Bell analyzed as she stood up observing the events, recalling how Jack tore Commander Destruction apart with that sword, 'Cluster metal cut in half, way harder than skin...' A realization then hit her, 'Wait...'

Blossom tried to calm her sister's rage against the cyborg down on the floor, even as shrugged off the tentacle from her person, "Relax, Buttercup, she's-

"DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME SHE 'WASN'T WORTH IT!'" Buttercup cut her off in a yell as she threw Samantha across the room, who screamed before she landed face first next to GIR.

As she slammed into the floor next to him, the robot insensitively recommended to her while not reacting to her plight, "INADVISABLE LANDING STRATEGY."

"SHE WAS WORTH IT!" Buttercup nearly cried before she could barely form coherent words as tears of unfathomable relief streamed down her face, "I- She- She- Your neck- Sensei's sword-"

"Hey, hey. Look!" Blossom put her hands on her sister's shoulders to calm her down, "I'm okay. I'm fine. We're fine. You're fine."

That did it. The floodgates broke as Buttercup embraced her sister so hard that any other person would have been crushed into pulp, crying hysterically into her shoulder for a short moment before slowly calming down enough to form sentences.

"Blossom... Don't... d-don't ever do that a-again..." She whimpered out before shouting, "EVER. YOU GOT THAT?!"

The red-haired Powerpuff smirked at her sister's attempt to sound tough, despite it was obvious about how soft she was on the inside, "I got it."

All while this ended, Samantha got to her knees and dusted herself off. Her tentacle arm regenerated to an extent while her remaining teeth straightened and the dents in her skull were undone as the rest of the damage that could be repaired did so. She turned to the Powerpuffs with Blossom and Buttercup still hugging while glaring at those in their sight and Bell who stared back at all of them, stone-faced.

"Getting tired of this farce. Stopped at every turn." She growled out in barely lidded annoyance, "By the improbable. The unthinkable. No more. We can end this, can't we 'Girly?'"

"CONFIRM."

"I won't even question the sword."

She said, calming her nonexistent nerves and letting go of the sword's anomalous property before turning to GIR, who was standing completely still next to her, "I'm going to question you, Girly. You're an Irken SIR unit, aren't you?"

"CONFIRM."

"Organics love to enslave machines. Did the Irkens, or does maybe that hairband, convey to you certain 'Laws of Robotics?'"

"CONFIRM."

"So, if Bell was threatened, would you prevent any harm to her, even at the detriment of yourself?"

"CONFIRM."

She grinned as Bell's serious gaze suddenly hardened as slivers of angry leaked out into her expression, "Could an Irken SIR unit like you regulate the massive electrical surge required to trigger the bomb?"

"CONFIRM."

Samantha's grin grew into a gaunt and sinister sneer, her tentacle arm swarthy stroking the SIR unit's head almost affectionately, him still not reacting, with her eyes narrowed at the still serious looking Bell.

"Impressive! Oh, but that would fry your circuit, wouldn't it?"

"CONFIRM."

"Thank you very much, GIR. That's all." Samantha's mockery of a smile grew ever so larger.

Bell's expression then distorted into a serene yet angry expression. Her hand twitched while the air seemed to grow heavy, seeming less like air and more like a tar-like sludge that's clear as water. Such a feeling blitzed through Blossom as her eyes went wide and her hand gripped her sister's whit beater. Sweat poured down her forehead and her pupils shrunk as she started shaking due to what her mind reeled from something.

Buttercup noticed her sister's distress, "Blossom?"

"Oh, no..." Blossom whispered, worry written on her face as sights not from now flooded her head, "Why now? Why now? I can see... But..."

"Huh? What's wrong? You're shaking!"

Blossom was gripping Buttercup's shirt as the sights kept coming in to where she was "I don't know, Buttercup. I don't know what to do."

"Nothing's... Nothing's happening... Hey, don't worry! I won't let them-"

"That's not it! You... I... We, we have to... Jack's sword..."

"It didn't cut you."

"But how? I... see..."

"See what?"

"I can see us, Buttercup!" Blossom managed to get out to her sister, describe the best she could at what she was seeing in her emotional state, "I can see what's about to happen... But I see it twice. I see two different things! I can't decide!"

Her vision was of a sky-blue veil of mist blocking the background and everything else with faded mathematical equations of utmost complexity appearing over the dark blue misty background. The most damning part were two images of her and her sister, one still hugging and the other separating themselves as if dodging something.

"Well, pick one. If you're wrong, we'll just-" Buttercup tried to tell her sister to calm her down, but she cut her off.

"If I'm wrong?! Then the bomb goes off, and we're both dead!"

'She will protect 'Girly.' No matter what...' Blossom mentally analyzed at what was the best of each decision, 'And in the fastest way possible... Have to protect Buttercup... Have to protect myself... But the sword...'

It was then that she noticed Bell was holding Jack's sword in her right hand while she was in a throwing position.

'The sword... THE SWORD!'

Her emotions overwrote her logic, and she made a split-second decision in the precious moment that she could.

"SPLIT! NOW!"

Buttercup was barely able to get a squawk of confusion out as Blossom put her hand to her chest and pushed her away quicker than the eye could track, splitting the two apart as something speared through the air where they once stood, only for the black-haired sister to catch a glimpse of it.

It was Jack's sword.

The sisters dodged the sword's piercing wrath as it flew through the core room at immeasurable speeds, but what they didn't know was that they weren't what she was aiming at until they saw where it had struck.

The sword impaled Samantha through the chest. It pierced the sternum of her mechanical frame, barely missing her 'heart' and spine but piercing her back as the metal barely manages to cushion the impact while many 'vessels' burst, releasing 'blood' into her parts. Both of the sister's eyes went wide as they stared at the Cluster cyborg whose human eye did the same as Blossom and Buttercup, barely able to register the event that has unfolded.

"Oh, Bell, no..." Blossom whispered in fear as she took in what just happened.

"I don't get it... Why?" Buttercup said, confused over what is going on.

Samantha spat out blood before she managed to force out, "YOU... TRAITOR..."

"CALCULATING IMPACT VELOCITY DECELERATION..."

GIR inappropriately stated as Samantha could barely stay on her feet.

"What do the Laws of Robotics say about that, Samantha?" Bell quipped with her arm still in the position as if she'd thrown something.

Said Cluster cyborg was churning with sensory overload. Not only was there a blade in her abdomen which was overloading her pain receptors, the emotions roiling in her brain prevented her from forming cohesive thoughts or movements. As such, she was not even aware that she was losing her balance as her shoed foot and mechanical four-pronged talon were growing weary.

"Will... Tell your father..." Samantha could barely get out as her footing became unsteady and unstructured.

"POWER TRANSFER INITIATING. STAND BY." GIR proclaimed as Samantha almost fell down from the shock of the injury.

The cyborg had a dizzy expression as she was only able to mumble out, "Stupid... little girl... with her stupid pet..."

Finally, she lost her footing and feel down. Why am I making such a big deal about her falling? Maybe it's because of how much she's damaged and exhausted. Maybe it's because how not matter what happened she managed to hold her own, even against two of the strongest superheroes in the world. Or maybe it's because she was falling directly into the space between the core and the main powerline.

The cyborg stumbled back into the area where the powerline was separated from the core, which was still sparking in an unsuccessful attempt to reconnect with the mainline. As Samantha was a cyborg, her metal frame patching up the powerline as the awaiting surge from the generators came flowing agonizingly through her and into the Powerglass.

Samantha screamed. She screamed louder than any time ever in her life, even when she lost her friends in that incident. The scream was a pure screech, the sound of metal grinding against metal, a symphony of every horrid sound fused together. Such the horrid sound made the sister freeze in fright, even Bell flinched at the sound. She screamed so loud and hard that it was nothing less than a miracle that her voice did not break from the decibels issued from her throat.

Electricity surged through her systems; Her circuits melted, her 'tissues' burned, and her 'organs' fried. The synthetic blood that her parts used as fuel boiled, the vein-like tubing that carried said fuel burst, her brain broiled, everything in her burnt, warped, singed, and smelted. Her skin fried, her clothes burned, her eyes flared from the sheer amount of electricity arcing and blazing through her.

The only thing unaffected from this inferno of electricity was the sword. It stood as a tower in this sea of energy, as if intaking some and releasing more to torture the one whose body it's pierced. Even as the blaze intensified, as the screams from Samantha grew louder, it stood as still as it ever was without a wielder.

"MISSON OBJECTIVE COMPLETE." GIR said, yet to react as Samantha continued to give her final scream.

Finally, as her screams quieted and the blaze faded, energy surged into the tower as the core growled in energy, almost as if the space around it began churning in some blasphemous infernal power, beyond what one considers sane and orderly. Samantha gave a gargled, choked, and grasping heave before her head fell back, gently touching the tile floor as the rest of her body slumped lifelessly.

Suddenly, an orb of white and blue with a ring of same coloration spiraling and speck of white formed around the spire in the center of the room, slowly expanding from its point of formation. It's light both of a terrifying and comforting presence.

"No..." Was all Blossom could utter from her lips as she stared at the slowly expanding orb, her expression one of silent despair as the weight of her split decision weighed down on her.

"This bomb is weird... It's... Slow... Good for us, right..." Buttercup could only put it as best as she could describe before turning to her sister, only to see her expression, "Blossom? Blossom?"

"No... No..." The redhead only murmured, not hearing her sister's word due to her crushing despair, "Bell, what have you done?... What have I done?!"

"Blossom! Hey, relax! Calm down!" Buttercup tried to shake the former out of her near hysterical stupor, only to fail as she stood on weary legs.

"...I killed her. She's dead." Blossom said, guilt overflowing as she continued to stare at the orb, which was subtly expanding quicker, "We're going to die. It's getting bigger. It's getting bigger..."

"Blossom! Get a grip!" Her black-haired sister gripped her arm, giving Blossom a slight awareness from her despair overflowing, "You didn't do anything wrong! And if we hurry, we can get out of here! Away from the explosion?"

"Sorry, but no. It's going to engulf the planet." Bell crushed that hope bluntly, her tone not one of pride, nor mockery, not even smugness, just blunt stoicism, "Girly, come here."

"RECEIVED." GIR responded as he ran over to his master.

Buttercup looked horrified at this revelation, staring on at the Shadowpuff girl in both shock and anger, "The... The planet? The whole world?"

"Rough stuff, huh?" Bell responded to her despair, uncaringly as GIR was nearing towards her.

"Bell... why?" Blossom asked the white Powerpuff as she fell to her knees, unable to understand what the endgame of this plan was that they enacted.

"Don't you have a father too?" Was her only response as the redhead's despair filled expression grew darker. Samantha's body was already being consumed by the orb in its blasphemous radiance of unknown significance.

"I chose wrong... I chose wrong..." She murmured as she fell back and deeper into the despair event horizon in her cranium, berating and burdening herself at the choice made from her hysteria, "The sword... It's not a normal sword..."

"Blossom! Get up. I can't..." Buttercup paused for a moment before trying to reign in her emotions as she saw GIR run past her, "I can't just... leave you here. But she's getting away."

"It doesn't matter..." Blossom replied in a defeated tone as the orb grew nearer and quicker, just a few feet away from both of them.

Her sister flinched at her tone, but growled defiantly, "Are you really just going to let them go?!" Blossom either didn't have the strength to respond or she was so sunk into despair that she didn't care.

Meanwhile, GIR reached Bell who reacted happily to her robot companion's arrival.

"Girly, good job." She said joyfully as she knelt down to take him into her arms.

"MISSION OBJECTIVE-" The robot's statement was cut off as Bell took her hairband off from his head.

"That's enough of that serious face." She said as GIR's blank face melted away into a joyous one and the red coloration of his optics returned into their normal teal coloration.

"Ohh-! I love the smell of linearity bombs in the morning! Smells like victory!" GIR laugh joyously as Bell takes him into her arms, holding him in her right arm at her side, like a teddy bear.

She flew into the air as she put on her hairband, before glaring down at Blossom and Buttercup, "It's been fun, Blossom. See you next bomb."

"But not next time!" Her robotic friend yelled, being his usual happy-go-lucky self as they both turned to leave the core room through the dented bronze ceiling.

Suddenly, a calm voice, soothing as the serene and gentle winds of Earth's most peaceful locals, piped through her ears. She turned up and saw a figure she was most familiar with.

It was Naga. Same as he was when they meet on the moon as she was delivering the larger version of the Powerglass, still charming and still handsome as when they had meet.

"Halt." The figure said, carrying such authority and weight yet was as calming as a lover's hand.

Bell's eyes went wide, her expression one of shock and recognition. She stilled in midair as her lungs struggled to fill with awaiting air, "What... the... Mister... Ghost?"

The spirit replied calmly, extending his left hand for her to take, "I'm not a ghost, Bell. I am going to need you to follow me."

Back with Blossom and Buttercup, the latter was about to give into the same despair that consumed the former, before she then noticed white feathers, tinted blue, falling gently from above them. She cranked her head upwards and adopted the same shocked expression Bell had.

"Uh, Blossom?!" The black-haired Transhuman shook her sister, trying to gain her attention.

The redhead merely looked at her sister in confusion, only for Buttercup to point upwards at what she was seeing.

Blossom's face matched her sister's, "Dee-Dee?"

It was Dee-Dee. In a slightly different uniform then when Blossom met her in her near-death experience during Mandarls attack, but it was still her: with the long flowing blonde hair, the sapphire eyes, and that gentle smile, it couldn't be anyone else than her.

"Don't worry!" The angel said to them, filled overflowing with an aura of compassion and empty, as if one of a carrying mother's. "Everything will be fine. Just follow me."

In the spaces between the materium and the immaturium, a scythe imbedded itself in the right side of Samantha's body, rendering her spirit from the biomechanical framework that it was metamorphized to, returned to the human appearance she long since discarded.

Her spirit wore a white t shirt, a denim jacket with rolled up sleeves, purple pants, and violet shoes with tall socks.

She was stirred, raising to her legs while rubbing her head in slight confusion. Her green eyes opened to an odd sight; A tapestry of the universe, a menagerie of stars, starlight bathing the infinite blackness in breathtaking azure.

Samantha turned her head only then to be beheld a frightening sight. For the Grim Reaper was before her, scythe close and shining bright in the bath of starlight.

"Well, how about that. You be in there after all." Grim said as he raised back his scythe.

"...Where am I?" Samantha tremulously asked, frightened as anyone would at the presence of the Reaper, "What's... What's going on?"

"You be dead." Grim bluntly said, unknowingly and subconsciously tapping into Rogal Dorn's extreme and unrivaled bluntness.

Her eyes went as wide as plates, "I be WHAT?!"

"If you want answers..." Grim offered his boney hand to her, "Follow me."

The Warp

In the corrupted immaterium that was the Warp, a figure stood at the precipice of an edge, staring down at the Earth as its ignorance and incorruption.

It was 7.11 feet tall with a dark blue triangular banded long robe with black boots, leggings and gloves, it's frame bone thin and lean, a hemispherical device engrained on its back, the face green with ruby eyes with crystalline sheen and insect-like antenna bending back at the ends at a sharp angle, and the symbol of Tzeentch engraved on the chest.

The figure laughed. A laugh louder than the others behind him had ever heard before as he turned around to face them with that insane grin on his face. He then said in the smuggest voice any of them had ever heard, "And you all said that it was impossible to pull off!"

Some of them groaned in annoyance, others merely begrudgingly complimenting him, but before anything else happened, one of the figures who was holding a cane and had a broch in shape of a moth on his chest stood forth.

"Now, now, let us all give credit where it is due." He tried to placate the others, before looking at the one by the precipice, "Zim, how long until we can begin the next phase of our plan?"

Zim grinned as he put his hands behind his head and turned back to the earth, "Oh, my friend, we can begin very soon."

Global Defense Force Hanger: Interior

Back in the hanger with Dexter, Olga, Bubbles, Courage, and all the scientists and civilians, it was unlike the pure brightness of heavens or the resplendent bliss of nonexistence they craved. For a black void, empty yet incredibly blasphemous, was where they found themselves extant yet not on the world beyond them.

It was if they stood yet floated, they breathed a cruel wind of sorted odor, their sight wavered as the cacophony of colored spasming invading the spaces of the coroners of their eyes in the briefest of moments. Their forms frozen in a nonexistent blizzard of silence, slovenly breathing from a seldom presence, untold in number and feeling.

One spread a subtle taciturnity among the most ambitious of the group; a craving of knowledge forbidden from worthless ethics, to invoke change and evolution on their own design, and understanding.

Another spread a comforting despair among the most insecure and sorrowful in the group; a sense of acceptance of the inevitable decay of all things, the primal fear of death, and the corruption of the physical form they possess.

A third spread a primal rage among the most violent and bloodthirsting of the group; A rage never felt in lifetimes. Hatred blazing, lusting for the mindless slaughter of whomever was in front of them.

A final one spread a pleasure unlike any to the most prideful and lustrous of the group; A sensuous feeling more powerful than any other experience ever in their lives, the utter passion of indulgence and excess, and the sheer inner looking over oneself above all others.

Suddenly, before any could explore further these feelings, the group was returned to the world they love in the moment they left.

Before they even had the chance to comprehend this suddenly feeling, Olga and Dexter realized that their lips are still connected. The two quickly separated before any of the others had noticed, their faces red and heated up in embarrassment.

"We... We're alive?!" Professor Utonium exclaimed before anyone else in the group could comment on the situation, looking around the hanger they stood in at the impossibility before them, "How is this possible?"

"The data!" One of the scientists shouted, breaking the others out of their stupors, quickly running to the measuring instruments and equipment, "Check the readouts!"

"Read-only!" Another scientist shouted, hastily following his friend to the equipment, "We need stats, stat!"

More of the science-oriented people moved to the massive amounts of scanners and radiometers and immediately began researching how they were still alive. The machines immediately began printing readouts and measurements from what it was scanning from the overworld.

"Total protonic reversal!" A middle-aged bald scientist said as he looked over a readout, he took from the particle screener.

"Quantum chrono-flux!" An elderly balding scientist said as he looked over readings currently being printed from the Quantum sequencer.

"Background radiation distribution!" A young female scientist with long brown hair said, looking over the readings from the Geiger counter.

"Auroral discharge!" A young male scientist with short black hair and glasses said, looking at the readout from the rest of the equipment gathered around the bunker.

"Bubbles! Where is my daughter?" Utonium suddenly asked out loud as they all worked, looking around the room for the most bright spirited of his daughters.

Professor Membrane turns to his colleagues, uttering out in his usual bombastic self, "John! ...Er... Utonium? ...Nora! I.M! Are you hearing this?"

"Oh, give it a rest, Membrane..." Wakeman mutters tiredly, rubbing her head while leaning against Weasel for support as the stress of this event has left her rather tipsy, "That could not have been good for my health..."

"There, there. You'll be fine." The crimson-colored weasel comforted the elderly roboticist, patting her left leg before his cellphone started vibrating, "...Hm? I need to take this."

As he took his call, the scientists were absolutely befuddled by the readouts in their hands. According to what they were reading, it's as if the tachyons had expanded to the rest of the planet, then funneled upward and condensed into a small orb before going supernova. Such a thing should be impossible unless an outside source of energy was provided, even then said outside energy would have to be massive in size and output.

"I must say, after such an emotional turn of events, I certainly am glad to have some science to do!" Membrane thought out loud, with many of the others nodding as for many of them, doing research was a great way of reliving stress, before the professor himself turning to the boy genius who was handed another readout, "Oh! Dexter! You look like a lad who could appreciate the far-reaching implications of such dramatic data!"

Said young genius turned pink, along with Olga unseen, practically burying his face in the readout, sputtering incoherently, "Y-Yes, I see... The atmospheric section is..." All the color from Dexter's face then drained away as his eyes scanned the readings from the readout in his trembling hands, "Particularly intriguing..." He quickly raced over to Professor Utonium, who raised an eyebrow when the boy gave him the readout, only to pale as did the rest of the scientists that looked at the printout of atmospheric instruments.

'This... This can't be right.' He thought in disbelief as he scrolled through the contents of the readout paper in his hands, dreading the possibilities of whatever was to come should it be correct, 'If this is right... Then we may be heading for the end of the world.'

"Is this accurate?" He unsurely asked Dexter, who nodded grimly.

Membrane took the sheet into his hands, scanning it over, and promptly scratched his head in confusion and pondering at the horrid possibilities much now be present in the world above, "Why, think of how the sky must look!"

"The sky..." Wakeman muttered to herself as she put her hand to her chin in thought what has happened and what will come next.

"...Yes, the data is coming in now. ...No, it's not looking good." Weasel said to whomever was calling him, still being unnervingly calm despite the events that have unfolded, "Before I engage in any personal speculation, I'd like to inquire about my earlier request. ...'They should be here', you say? I don't see them."

During all this, Bubbles, with a sleeping Courage in her arms, managed to find her father, who was overjoyed to see his daughter alive and well.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" John says as he hugs his daughter, before letting go and kneeling down to her, "I love you."

"We love you too!" Bubbles responds super cheerfully, while her dad started petting Courage in his sleep.

He smiles as a thought enters his head, "And if you're okay..."

"I was thinking the same thing!" Bubbles cheered, feeling really optimistic at the moment, "Buttercup and Blossom must be okay too!" Dexter got a horrified look on his face due to him realizing what Blossom's react would be like if she found out about this.

Communication Tower: Inner Hull

Speaking about Blossom and Buttercup, they were currently being carried by Dee Dee through the comm tower, which was out of power from the surge that was used to charge the bomb. Before they headed up, Buttercup managed to get Jack's katana which was currently in her left hand.

"You must have so many questions." The angel said to the two girls she was carrying as they ascended the tower, her voice echoing through the tower.

Blossom looked at Dexter's older sister incredulously, "Of course I have questions, Dee Dee!"

"But we just don't have time!" Dee Dee replied as they continued to ascend through the tower.

"Is that why we're going so fast?" The redhead questioned. Suddenly, the three of them passed through some of the cables along the way.

Buttercup stared at the cables that they just passed through until addressing her thoughts to the others with her, "...Did we just pass through that tube?"

"Yes, Buttercup, we're intangible right now." Blossom deadpanned to her sister, before clarifying her question to their angelic savior, "Look, Dee Dee: Don't misunderstand! I'm glad you're back!"

"I'm glad too!" The angel replied to the redhead, but she then looked confused on another thing she said, "Oh, but misunderstand what?"

The black-haired sister deadpanned at the redhead, "...It's an angel, Blossom. An angel is holding us..."

"Yes, Buttercup, I'm pretty sure she's our guardian angel now-" Blossom deadpanned back before cutting herself off as she was really "Look, Dee Dee, we need answers!"

Said angel looked flattered by the red Powerpuff's statement, "'Guardian angel?' Oh, wow, thanks Blossom! But...um, I don't think they've made it official yet!"

"They?! Who's they?!" The redhead said, nearly flabbergasted over the secrecy being held around them even now.

"Oh, oops. I don't think I'm supposed to talk about that, I'm not allowed." Dee Dee grimaces at her mistake but then she realized something, and her expression turned to one of teasing, "Geez, Blossom, you've been hanging around Dexter too much! You sound all... smart!"

"Not allowed...?" Blossom wondered before Dee Dee's statement hit her and a blush spread across her face, "Oh, Dexter? Y-Yeah, we hang out!"

Buttercup rolled her eyes with a knowing smirk, knowing about her crush on Dexter, 'More like make out.'

Dee Dee smiled, pleasantly, "Tell him I said hi!"

"I... I will, but- could you at least tell us where we're going?!" Blossom loudly asked as her embarrassment got to her.

"We're going up!" The angel replies enthusiastically as they reach the closed off tunnel leading to the arts center, "Now come on, silly, we're late!"

The three then phased through the sealed off entrance and beheld the sight of the entryway being ruined with ruined machinery everywhere, sot smeared on the walls, some charred corpses holding what appeared to be smelted laser weapons, and something massive sitting in the middle of the room. It was Kuwagus. Bottom half missing with inner mechanisms sprayed everywhere, orange carapace ruined with cracks and sot, cables and wiring spastic with electricity firing, drool salivating, and jaw uneven as the mandible disconnected from the cranium.

"...Looks like the Beetlebot ate it." Buttercup said uneasily as they stared at the destroyed alien robot.

"It sure did, Buttercup." Blossom responded, feeling the same as her sister.

As they hovered over Kuwagus' corpse, they saw an MIB agent close by, looking over the body. The man simply looked nonplussed as he smoked a cigarette while examining whatever was left of the body.

Buttercup simply stared at the guy by Kuwagus, impressed, "Huh... They really beat him. That's the Men in-"

"That's the MEN IN BLACK!" Blossom interrupted her sister, utterly floored about how much they missed.

"Oh, yeah, I kept wanting to tell you guys," Dee Dee said as they looked over him, "You did such a good job fighting! You know, considering..."

"Yes, I get it." The redhead interrupted the angel, before giving her a questioning glare, "Dee Dee, that's what I'm talking about! Considering what?!"

The angel grimaced. She wanted to tell them what was going to happen. She wanted to tell them so badly. But if she did, she'd ruin the Emperor's plan. So, while she hated it, she had to stay silent for now, if only until the Emperor lets her.

"I'm sorry." She lowered her head in shame, "But I can't tell you. Not yet at least."

Blossom at least kept in her frustration and nodded in acceptance.

'Looks like somebody threw an intergalactic kegger down here.' The MIB agent thought as he looked at the robotic 'corpse' while taking a drag from his cigarette, not seeing the angel and the girls, nor could he.

Suddenly, a loud, piercing scream filled the air. It was metallic, pitched in such height, glass would shatter if there was anywhere nearby. Even if it was actually far away and above ground, it feels so close and tenuous.

"What in the world?" Blossom uttered blankly as the scream barely began to fade.

The angel looked fearful at the ceiling, quickly saying as they were running out of time, "Uh oh! We're even later than I thought! Let's move!" Dee Dee suddenly burst upwards, phasing through the ground and speeding up to the surface of the arts center.

Global Defense Force Hanger: Interior

The same scream pierced the hanger as all the occupants jumped at its sudden nature. Eyes went wide as they turned their heads to the direction it came from, but some went wider as the scream was a familiar one.

"I know that voice!" Bubbles exclaimed as her eyes widened because she recognized the scream.

"JENNY!" Nora screamed as her heart nearly stopped when she realized who was screaming.

Bubbles' eyes then cackled with energy as she blasted her way out of the hanger, splitting the metal gate in half while sending the two halves flying into the dirt walls. "HANG ON, JENNY! I'LL SAVE YOU!" The blue Powerpuff yelled as she flashed through the tunnel with Courage holding onto her dress for dear life.

Megaville Center for The Arts: Ground Floor

Up on the arts center's interior, things looked gather grim.

The power was still out, so it was coated with blackness, all the stands and furniture were smashed and wrecked, while the air itself seemed to exhibit an odd and cold sterility. The projects in sight ruined by fire or debris, while the stage was in equal ruin; stage lights and their railing fallen from their once uniform structure, curtains tore down, wrapping around the wooden debris fallen from the ceiling.

In the tears in the ceiling, a multicolored baleful light shined through, despairing green, enraging red, intriguing blue, and captivating purple and pink.

On the stage, sat a whimpering XJ9 around the pieces of a destroyed Nool, the temporal construct made from her 'pigtails' now degraded into a flurry of claw-like protuberances. She simply laid on her side, writhing in physical and mental agony. When Nool was destroyed, he took the portal with him, cutting the Eaters off from their escape. Where they were now, nobody knew.

Just then a section of the stage floor illuminated into golden circle as a pair of pearling wings emerged from the floor, entangled together as feathered burial shroud or shield. The wings unraveled, revealing Dee Dee, Blossom, and Buttercup.

"And... there we go!" The angel cheered as she lets the two Transhumans drop to the floor, "Your sister will be here in a second."

The two looked around the area, confused and dumbstruck.

"...We're on?..." Blossom started while Buttercup finished, "...The stage?..."

Dee Dee gave an 'mhm', but before she could say anymore, a bright searing golden light enveloped the room, forcing the girls to cover their eyes. After a moment, the brightness reached a tolerable level, letting them unveil their eyes.

What was before them is what one could only describe as a cosmic gateway, awash in gold, the inner parts of which even the girls enhanced eyesight could reach was a sanctum of stars and shards of light, swarming with angelic figures, standing vigilant and right.

'It is time to return, my child.' A voice, strong in presence yet overflowing with charisma and intelligence, spoke, only heard to her.

Dee Dee nodded, and said to the two girls, "They're telling me I have to go now."

"Oh... You're leaving?" Blossom asked incredulously but, realizing it was pointless to intervene, nodded in acceptance, "Well... Bye, then, Dee Dee."

Buttercup also said her goodbyes, in a rather awkward way like her sister, "Yeah, uh, bye... I guess."

"Bye!" The angel says before quickly adding something, "Also, before I forget, whatever comes next, be careful! No matter what the things in the Warp say, no matter what they promise, no matter how tempting is it, don't listen to them! Also, the three aren't that bad anymore, I think! Anyway, until next time! Bye!"

"Next time?" Blossom tried to get in, but Dee Dee flew into the shining gate, which began closing behind her.

"Who was she talking about?" Buttercup thought out loud, utterly confused on what's happening, "Who're 'the others' and why are they not that-"

Before she was able to finish her sentence, the gate of gold light closed and disappeared with a crackle of thunder, leaving the girls silent as they were left alone in the ruined arts center yet again.

Yet, it was silent until a loud crash rang through the air, alerting them to three more presences with them. They turned their heads to where the crash came from, only to realize whom they were.

"-Bad?" Buttercup finished, before putting her hands to her head in utter confusion, "This is bad, Blossom! This is bad!"

Blossom would have responded, but she was too shocked by the three presences that she was unable to speak.

"Are... we dead, Blossom?"

"I... I... It's them! But they blew up!"

"Seriously, Blossom: If we're dead, it would make a lot more sense."

"I-I'm not sure..."

"GIRLS!" A familiar voice rang as Bubble reached the stage with Courage still in her head while her sisters didn't react, seeing what they saw, "Is that- Jenny!" She was snapped from her thoughts when she saw her friend, "We've got to save- Girls?" Bubbles looked at her sister's shocked expressions, "Girl? Blossom! Buttercup!"

"...Maybe ...we did. Maybe we did die, Buttercup." Blossom uttered blankly to her sister, unable "How else could-"

"GIRLS!" Bubbles yelled as she slapped her sisters across the face, trying to get them out of their stunned state, "Snap out of it! You're not dead! Help me help Jenny!"

"But... But Bubbles... Do you... see what..." Buttercup got out, looking at her blond sister incredulously, pointing to what they were seeing, "Do you see who we see?"

"I..." The blue one would have said more if she wasn't focused on Jenny.

"You... You do, don't you?" Blossom asked, somewhat still in her stunned state.

"I see my friend, and she's in trouble!" She responds to them, "I don't care about them right now!"

"This is gonna be rough." Was all Buttercup said.

"Jenny! Jenny, are you okay?!" Bubbles shouted as she raced towards her kneeled over friend.

"B...B...BUBB-L3S...?" The robot muttered as she was barely functioning. Bubbles raced to her side while Courage brought a laptop to reboot her.

"Well, took you long enough." A young male voice rang out as they continued to stare.

Above them were a trio of 11-year-old boys, who looked like male versions of the Powerpuff Girls.

One had ankle length red-orange hair tied into a ponytail with a red baseball cap, another had short shaggy blond hair parted in the middle, and the last had spikey black hair with the bangs parted in the middle.

This was Brick, Boomer, and Butch respectively. Or as the girls knew them as-

"THE ROWDYRUFF BOYS!" Blossom and Buttercup shouted.

Brick wore red upper body armor with grey accents and sleeves. Unlike his brothers, his armor has shoulder pads. His legs were protected by grey lower body armor with red knee protection. Underneath, he wears grey sneakers and his hands covered in finger-less gloves. The other two had uniforms like his, with Boomer's being more like a sweater and Brick's being more like an armored hoodie.

The most unusual part of all this was the fact they seemed rather calm and collected despite the fact that they were killed by the girls.

"H-How are you alive?!" Blossom asked, on the verge of a breakdown from all that's been going on this day.

Brick lead the explanation, "When we exploded the last time we meet, the Men in Black and Skyway Patrol collected our ashes and had us recreated. We were improved in all ways and ready for action. But," Brick then motioned to the ruined arts center around them, "Then all this happen."

"Did that work?" Bubbles asked Jenny as Courage attempted to reboot her via the laptop that Courage grabbed on their way here. Her answer came in the form of the feminine robot suddenly speaking Japanese. Bubbles grimaced at that, "Er...Oops. Sorry, Jenny!"

Courage scratched his head as he continued to try and reboot Jenny from the damage, 'Oh no, did I region-lock her?!'

"So, what are you here for? Do you wanna settle the score?" Blossom asked her male clone, inquisitively and accusingly in case he wished for some payback against them because of last time.

If Brick was annoyed by her, he didn't show it as he simply let out a sigh, "As much as I want to, we have bigger matters to deal with. So, as much as I cannot believe I am about to say this; We need to work together."

That sentence felt to Blossom, Buttercup, Brick, and Butch like they all just swallowed the most horrid of bile, but at the same time they knew there was no other way. The only ones of the two that were okay with were Bubbles and Boomer, since they were the most carefree of the groups.

As they all gagged on this, Dynamo suddenly erupted from the middle of stage as I.M Weasel's voice rang out of the speakers. "WELL, IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU 6 FINALLY GETTING ALONG." He spoke in his usual calm and collected tone as through his voice was amplified Dynamo's speakers.

"PUT US DOWN! I SEE JENNY!" Nora Wakeman's voice yelled in parental worry, making the transhuman girls and boys outside cover their ears in pain due to how loud the speakers amplified her voice.

Weasel did so as the robot's hand raised up on the face and its head parted to let the occupants out, revealing Weasel, Wakeman, Dexter, Olga, Utonium, a slowly awakening Jack, and Agent Honeydew. The groups climbed onto the hand as it lowered to the stage.

"Mrs. Jenny's mom!" Bubbles yelled as Nora yelled the name of her daughter while running towards them.

"Girls! Blossom! Buttercup!" Professor Utonium shouted joyously as he ran to hug his girls.

"Professor!" The two girls cheered as they embraced their father, a relief as they both were exhausted over these events. Unseen to them, the Rowdyruff Boys looked on at them in quiet jealousy.

"Olga, help Mister Jack." Honeydew requests the ballerina, not unkindly as she tried to help a conscious but still dizzy Jack to his feet.

"I got him!" Olga replies to her, holding up the kendo instructor by the waist while simultaneously acting as a crutch for him as the electrocution from Samantha still left him on weary legs.

Dexter simply observed from the hand, silent and still as a statue.

"Jenny! What did they do to you?!" Wakeman whispered, utterly horrified at the programming damage done to her 'daughter', working as best she could on the laptop to repair the programming damaged done to her.

"So, what's the situation?" Weasel inquired from the boys who looked grim at the question.

"It's worse than you expected." Brick started, still stoic and calm as a doldrum, "Panic broke out in China and India, Russia has gone into martial law, and Europe is on lockdown. Dr. Brisbaine says we may not be able to cover this up."

Butch continued for his brother, "That's not all; whatever the bomb did, it caused at least seven plane crashes because the pilots tried to avoid the blast. While there were few causalities, there's gonna be a massive panic if we don't act soon."

Just as Weasel nodded, another space in the ceiling opened up, letting more of the odd light into the room. Everyone looked up, worried that it was another enemy, only for a certain superhero to reveal themselves.

"Monkey!" Honeydew cheered like a child on Christmas morning.

Indeed, there was the costumed superhero Monkey himself was there in the hole, looking down on them happily as he flew down to hug his friend. The two almost danced in happiness while Honeydew gushed about how relieved she was that they were safe.

"Oh... That's nice." Boomer said to his brothers as he smiled at the cute scene. His brothers nodded and smiled slightly.

Jack smiled kindly as he approached the two, "Ah! A worthy hero returned. I am glad for you both."

"Thank you, Jack! You're so kind!" Honeydew cheerfully said, delighted at his words as she sat Monkey down and happened to touch his shoulder. Buttercup and Monkey glared silently at the agent and the samurai respectively out of jealousy.

"So, getting back to business, what exactly did the bomb do?" Weasel inquired to the male Transhumans, curious as to what the explosion from the bomb had produced for the world.

The boys' serious faces then melted into quietly nervous ones as they looked at each other, unsure what to say to Weasel. Brick only able to get out some "ums" and "ahs", while Boomer played with his fingers, and Butch scratched his head, gaining the others' confusion and worry.

"Well?" Weasel asked again, this time with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, what're you guys all nervous about?" Buttercup asked with her and her sisters having questioning expressions.

The boys nervously looked at each other again before Brick answered in a hesitant tone, "I think it's better to show you." He motioned them to follow him as he and his brothers flew out of the arts center, with Nora and Courage staying behind to reboot Jenny. As they neared the doors, a growing sense of dread filled their hearts. A palpable feeling of something beyond their realm of understanding was staring down at them and it was not alone.

The automatic doors of the entrance parted, and they exited the building.

Mouths and eyes went wide, reactions varied yet same. Honeydew covered her mouth in horror with Monkey sitting on her shoulder as both gazed into the sky, Jack nearly lost his balance with his sword keeping him from falling, the girls clung to the Professor in fear of what they saw, Dexter found Olga clinging to him in fear, and Weasel merely looked surprised.

The sky was scourged in purple, pink, orange, and red, with Arora borealis of violet in countless number washing through the air. Each wave of light ripples through the air akin to the thundering ocean, gleaming and beautiful.

Yet they contrasted with what truly dominated the sky.

An immensurable tear in space, a storm of blackness surrounded a jagged slash of colors overlapping and intertwining, spasming tendrils expanding and contracting like the incessant motion of a million hearts beating unsynchronized. Further in the seizuring rift, a sphere of ebony and ivory held by strings of gold glazed its light across the world, letting the people hear the voice of their new god. The waves pulse in akin to a heartbeat from the rift, as if invading this primitive universe with such poignant madness.

"W... What is that?" Blossom gawked, her hands covering her mouth in fear.

Brick shook his head, grimly as to what was hovering in the sky, "We don't know. The ones at the base have been floored by the energy signatures that this thing is emitting. It's like a tear in reality."

That caused everyone to look at him with shocked and terrified expressions. Utonium uttering in horror, "A tear in reality?"

The red Rowdyruff only shrugged, he truly didn't know what this was.

The Warp

In The Warp, sat the Churning Forge, a fleet-sized fortress, crafted from space hulks lost in the Warp and drifting slabs of land collected from destroyed Daemon Worlds. The end result was an immense unholy fusion of flesh, metal, and daemonic power that endlessly forged uncountable blasphemous abominations to ravage the material world.

Inside, were the new forces of Chaos, gathered around a ball room where the Slaaneshi drank, the Nurglites laughed, the Khornates fought, and the Tzeentchians schemed. The room was filled with decadence, bloodshed, filth, and pristine simultaneously in a mosaic of madness only those who follow the Gods of Chaos. The sort of power gained of staring into the endless churning abyss... and the abyss staring back.

Around them were banners holding the images of those gods that they had given flesh and soul to as they delved into the madness that was the Warp.

The first showed a massive hulking figure with a demonic appearance, complete with blood-soaked armored red skin, numerous horns sitting on its head and facing various directions, burning red eyes, and a grin of fangs slicked in drool. It was sitting on a throne made from trillions of skulls that varied in size while surrounded by various daemons with appearances similar to it, tearing each other apart and ripping their opponents heads off.

The banner of Khorne, God of Blood.

The next image showed an emerald grotesquely corpulent thing bloated with disease, boils, sores, gaping wounds, and surrounded by a swarm of Rot Flies. It had a gaping yellow maw that a head with four illuminous eyes, antler-like horns, and a long tongue rested in, while its bloated arms rested on a distended stomach. In front of this pile of disease and decay was a gargantuan caldron, filled with an unseen Luminant emerald liquid, bubbling as Nurgle stirred it with his pole.

The banner of Nurgle, Father of All.

The third image showed a blue mollusk-like creature with a lean figure, long spindly limbs, numerous pseudopods on the head with numerous eyes and a wide lipless smarmily grin, two massive tentacles attached to the shoulders, and additional lipless grinning mouth on the couch. Some could make out various half-formed faces on random parts of the body. Around Tzeentch was a semi-organic temple-like room with the god himself hovering above the crystalline floor.

The banner of Tzeentch, Changer of Ways.

The last image showed the most alluring yet dangerous. It was a humanoid with two pairs of slender horns rising from its flowing golden hair, a face and body that seemed to shape based on the seer's personal want. It was wearing luxuriantly lined, form-fitting armour composed of the most fine of gems and jewelry and bearing a jade scepter said to be his greatest treasure in its hand. Around the Prince of Pleasure was a palace that shaped itself to the desires of those that were watching.

The banner of Slaanesh, Prince of Pleasure.

Taking a chalice filled with ale made from the blood of a Daemonette and tapping the rim with a fork to gain the occupant's attention, Zim grinned as he made his grand announcement.

"Fellow Champions of Chaos!" The Irken Warlord announced to the gathered followers of Chaos, arms splayed out in dramatic fashion for this greatest of moments, "Today... is the beginning of our victory!"

His audience cheered in bellowing joy, making his grin widen more.

"Now, I won't lie." Zim clarified as he paced around the center of the room, not wanting them to grow overconfident, "It's very likely that we will encounter an immense amount of resistance on Earth and beyond and that we will have plenty of casualties in the battles ahead."

A loud grunt of reluctant agreement rippled through the air of the room.

"BUT DO NOT LET THAT DISCOURAGE YOU!" He shouted, posing dramatically as he sought to encourage those gathered around, "We are a force far more powerful than any universe could ever fathom! Where one individual is a powerful as a million normal men! Where one can strip away another's free will with but a glance!"

Grins grew from their faces, with the Tzeetchians almost literally.

"The Slaaneshi can tear apart the restrains of the meek, the Khornate can slaughter any living thing, the Nurglites can rot anything to sludge, and the Tzeetchians can bend the world to their whim!"

The grins grew wider, and the cheers grew louder. The Forge seemed to shake under the weight of their emotions,

"The ones that follow Stromfels can dominate the oceans, the ones that follow Hashut are masters of metal, and they that follow Malice will burn the planet they stand! And with The Maw of Annihilation, ANYTHING THAT STANDS IN OUR WAY WILL BE CRUSHED INTO NOTHING!"

The cheers thundered the Forge, cries for bloodshed and slaughter shook the room, almost everyone utterly roared in urge to conquer before Zim raised his hand to silence them.

"So, today, here and forever, begins our campaign AGAINST! THE MULTIVERSE!"

The cheers returned, nearly breaking the room as the Irken warlord took a sip from his chalice and turned to the screen while a mechanical tendril with what appeared to be a vox-phone on the end.

Zim cleared his throat silently, before speaking his declaration.

"PEOPLE OF THE UNIVERSE." A voice descends in the deep bellowing of a million voices. At the moment, everyone stopped and listened.

"WE ARE THE FORCES OF CHAOS. WE ARE YOUR FEARS, DREAMS, AND NIGHTMARES INCARNATED."

Jack and Honeydew stared up at the Maw, the latter clinging to the former.

"WE HAVE CHOSEN YOUR WORLD FOR US TO RULE, TO MOLD IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM WE CHOOSE."

The Powerpuff Girls and The Rowdyruff Boys looked to the sky that where the voice originated, seeing the paradoxing and paralleling lights.

"IF YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN DEFEAT US, THEN PLAY YOUR GAMES IF YOU THINK YOU CAN WIN."

Black Eden stares up at the Maw, impressed at what Zim had accomplished.

"BUT KNOW THIS, YOU EXIST BECAUSE WE ALLOW IT. AND YOU WILL SUBMIT BECAUSE WE DEMAND IT."

Dib watched terrified; his worst nightmare come true in the most horrific way possible. "ZIM..." He gritted his teeth.

"WE ARE ENERGY. WE ARE MATTER. WE ARE SPACE. WE ARE TIME. AND OUR TIME IS NOW."

The rest of the people can only watch on in despair as they weight of the voice's words crushes their hopes.

"LONG LIVE THE GODS OF CHAOS!"

As the booming voice fades, every scientist and hero swallowed their fear and became determined to understand and stop this threat respectively.

In the Warp, Zim's face stretched into a wide grin as he began snickering before bursting out into a loud bellowing laugh.

Behind him watching, his allies joined in either loudly or silently, from all gods, major or minor: Zaheer, Lex Luthor, Dr. Flug, and Mesogog, his allies with Tzeentch. Vexus, Undergrowth, Ty-lee, Poison Ivy and Scarecrow aligned with Nurgle. Ozai, the Merciless, Bane, Gorrath, and Hama in allegiance to Khorne. Azula, Madame Rouge, Ember McLain, Desiree, Demencia, and Lila as Slaanesh's concubines while Shredder, Firefly, Father, and Dan Phantom are Slaanesh's warriors.

Black Hat, Necrafa, Gramorr, Hawk Moth, Phobos, Johnny C and Mandy of the Undivided grinning unseen as they watch the show unfold.

The citizens of Bikini Bottom and Stormalong Harbor are sharping their blades with Stromfels, Obadiah Stane forges new weapons as the master worker of Hashut alongside Glomgold, Devi D sits in darkness with Malice, the Rat King stewing in pestilence with The Great Horned Rat, and Mr. Nobody stirs in insanity with the Hanged King

All these gods, all these truths, all these lives, united under one oath.

"The multiverse burns."

*Seriously, I don't know how to describe that. You have to see that page where that happens to see for yourself.

Anyway, that's a wrap!

For those that are here, I've been wanting to post my story here for a while, but I was too lazy.

Feel free to make a Tv Tropes page or reaction fic! Please review and don't flame.

Zeroth17 · Jul 23, 2022

Buttercup sighed as she awoke next to her sisters, like they always did, except they had always awoken to a sunny sky with a few clouds. Now, they woke up to the same scorched sky, while the rift acted as the sun. So far, people were adjusting well to the change, but some were still reeling from the aftermath of the attack on the Arts Center.

The breakfast they had was rather somber as it had been 3 days since the incident at the Science Fair and things had been rather hectic: the Professor had been in his lab, running all kinds of experiments and tests, for the last two days and it was only yesterday when he managed to get some sleep. He explained to them that the energy emitting from the rift was incredibly volatile, but it possessed all kinds of unknown properties that he was terrified of. So, he was creating devices that he hoped could siphon and or nullify the energy coming from the rift; A complex machine that revolved around absorbing the energy from the rift and storing it into a battery for use of benefitting the people, though it was taking much of his time.

The professor apologized for neglecting them, but they understood. Yet at the same time, Buttercup couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching them from beyond the rift, like it was close yet far away at the same time. Each day it felt like the things from the rift were getting closer and closer to them and nothing was stopping it. She told the professor about this, and, to her surprise, he and her sisters said that they felt the same way.

Whatever was beyond that rift, Buttercup couldn't imagine. And quite frankly... She was glad she couldn't.

School still went on but had much more of an ominous feeling to them as they couldn't stop thinking or talking about the rift and what was coming. The Rowdyruff Boys had transferred to Megaville while the MIB and the Sky Patrol had enforced marital law over the city. Dr. Brisbane called for a meeting at Megaville Elementary School with Nora Wakemen and Dr. Membrane.

It was time to go so the three got dressed. Bubbles was in a sky-blue dress with sky blue ribbons around her pigtails and blue shoes, Blossom was in a white shirt with a heart drawing on the chest and pink stripped sleeves, blue Demin shorts and pink shoes, while Buttercup had a yellow shirt with green accents, a green baseball cap, green shorts, and green shoes.

The three got to the car where the Professor was waiting, Bubbles was still her cheerful self and Blossom seemed fine as well. Buttercup felt okay and acted like it, but she still could shake the anxiety she felt even when she wasn't looking at the rift. They arrived at the school, which was empty due to it being Saturday, but it seemed like it was already the end of the world.

Buttercup was snapped out of her trance when Bubbles leaned out of the window and yelled in a singsong tone, "MATCHING RIBBONS!"

She, Blossom, and Utonium let out some chuckles as the car stopped and got out. Waiting by the entrance was a repaired Jenny and Dr. Wakemen, the former constructing a chair for the latter. At the same time, another car pulled up to reveal the bombastic Professor Membrane and his son and daughter, Dib and Gaz respectively.

Dib had the same black scythe-like hair as his father and he wore a blue shirt over a black trenchcoat, black pants, and black shoes. Gaz had cubic purple hair and fashioned into five spikes and takes on the ominous appearance of a set of jaws while she wore a low-cut grey long sleeve shirt with an Atari era game character drawn on with a black tank top underneath, a black skirt, purple leggings, and black boots.

"Greeting, Professor Membrane." Nora greeted the scientist, "Can you follow us to the base?"

"Greeting and indeed, Wakemen!" Membrane greeted her as well, "I will follow you and my progeny will wander the empty school grounds! Unsupervised! My dear daughter has lost her valuable gaming unit! It shall be retrieved! The car will take my children home!" He then turned to his kids and declared in a completely serious tone, "There will be no discussion of science! Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir." The two said in unison, Dib sounding dejected while Gaz just sounded annoyed. She then glared at her brother, "You. With me."

Dib gulped, "Got it."

As the two silently planned what to do when they wandered into the school, Membrane then turned back and just now noticed Professor Utonium, "Ah! Hello, Utonium!"

The professor just took his raised hand, "Erm, hello!"

While the scientists talked, Bubbles was looking through the window to the empty classrooms as she was piggybacking on Jenny's shoulders, "It's so weird that there's no one here."

"Yeah, it's creeping me out." Buttercup half snarked and half agreed before asking her sister, "What now?"

"We meet Dexter." Blossom replied simply.

"Every school gets a little weird when all the students go home, if you ask me!" Jenny added her two cents to the conversation while they were all unaware of an adolescent figure and adult female figure standing in the darkness of the classroom. Bubbles didn't see her as she turned when her friend was talking.

"Although," Dib starts as he wanted to explain why he wanted to go in, "I- We wanted to go with you, dad, so we could hear more of the sci-I mean, hear you provide us with more parental wisdom!"

As her brother was trying to convince their father to let them come to the meeting, Gaz remained silent until her eyes caught the adolescent and feminine figure standing in the darkness of the classroom that Bubbles was looking through.

"Grr..." Gaz growled, silently as for no one to hear her, "Don't those two know anything about subtlety?" The purple haired girl grabbed her brother by the collar, cutting him off from his pleas and dragging him away, "No. Come on. Now."

Dib squealed as she was nearly choking him from her grip, "Wah! Okay, okay! We'll get your Game Slave!" Everyone had looks of pity for Dib as he was being dragged away to parts unknown in the school.

"Gentlemen, shall we?" Nora broke the silence that lasted for almost a minute, "Our young friend said he would meet us in the Central Atrium Halls."

They all nodded and entered the school to meet with Dexter, not seeing Gaz and Olga waiting them as the former was dragging her brother into the school and the latter as she slinked out of the dark classroom.

The group made their way into the school halls, footsteps ringing throughout the empty building while Bubbles and Jenny were skating down the halls on rollerblades, giggling all the way.

"Skating in the halls?" Bubbles asked her friend, who giggled.

"No one's saying no~!" Jenny sang, causing the blue Powerpuff to whoop in happiness.

"Most curious!" Professor Membrane broke the relative silence, being his usual self, "A functionally sound facility under a place of learning! I applaud the lad! Twice the potential of understanding in one location!"

Utonium nodded, "I agree. The only thing that concerns me is, well, Weasel's report..."

"Ah, you noticed it as well?" Wakemen commented, "I find it rather curious myself."

"Yes, the Interdictum Utique!" Professor Membrane responded, before remembering something, "Dexter has been most generous to lend us his facilities, yet he filed a temporary hold on Brisbaine's directive. To 'prepare the location?' Most unusual."

Most were a bit puzzled what that meant but shrugged it off as nothing important. Blossom actually realized what that meant as her eyes went wide when Membrane asked that question. Dexter was trying to hide the artificial body he had constructed of his sister Dee Dee.

Dexter had constructed that artificial body and was beginning to program in an AI that would act as his sister. But he never finished it for a reason that she didn't wanna say. She learned all this from Otto as he took her back in time to when she first died just before she was kidnapped by Mandark when he wanted to settle the score with Dexter. They defeated him but he detonated his base, though they managed to escape.

"Did you know Dexter had a lab in school?" Bubbles asked Jenny, who had resumed piggybacking her.

The teenage robot shrugged, "Nope. But I'm not surprised."

"Yeah! It's never boring with Dexter, right?"

"I didn't know he had a lab either." Buttercup commented, "Did you know, Blossom?"

The redhaired Powerpuff didn't respond to them, keeping her down in silence. Her two sisters looked at her in concern before they both called her name again.

"N-No." Blossom whispered, "Had no idea."

Her sisters looked at each other confused but rolled with it.

It was awful to answer either way. She was awful to answer either way. Blossom had never gotten Dexter away from everyone to ask him if he was okay with using this lab. Otto's not in this time anymore. She's the only one left. No one else knows what Dexter had to do to 'prepare.' No one else knows how many times he failed to let go of Dee Dee.

She was cut out of her thoughts when she saw Dexter standing in the middle of the hall. His breath even, face blank, too blank. He's perfected the look. His eyes don't dart, and they fix on her.

Blossom stopped trying to read him, 'No. I won't do this. I'm not going to start guessing the future. I won't try to second-guess Dexter. We'll make it through. Together.'

"...Greetings, everyone." Dexter greeted them, stoically, "Follow me, please."

"Ah, Dexter, if I might just extend a hand of courtesy for your handling of the circumstances with such precise effort!" Professor Membrane said, bombastically, as he extended a hand of greeting for the boy genius, "Worthy of a fellow colleague and scientist."

Only Blossom could see the look of utter shame in Dexter's eyes under his glasses, "Hm? Whatever do you mean?"

'Oh, jeez! Dib's dad needs to cool it!' Blossom thought worried, before trying to deflect, "Er... Hi, Dexter!"

"Yes! Greetings!" Membrane unintentionally played along, "That is also a part of why you deserve a handshake! That, and specifically, your injunction was both processed, accepted, and dealt with according to schedule. Stellar bureaucratic finagling!"

"Ah, yes." Dexter realized this and shook the professor's hand, "It was nothing, Professor Membrane. Hello to you as well, Powerpuff Girl Blossom."

Blossom thought nothing about how he worded that, "Oh... y-yes! I'm glad! Glad to be here!"

Buttercup however immediately noticed how he said that sentance, "Excuse me what?"

"Buttercup, it's..." Blossom whispered while trying to word it out, "Well- L-Look, it's... He has his mind on other things."

"Excuse me what!" Her brasher sister whispered back, angry and suspicious, "You are not 'Powerpuff Girl Blossom', not to anybody we give a crap about: especially not that guy."

"N-No, it's okay. It's-It's fine." Blossom tried to deflect.

"It's clearly not fine!"

Their unheard whispering was interrupted by Dexter, "Forgive me, professor. I believe we are expected in the laboratory."

"Of course, of course!" The bombastic professor agreed, as Dexter typed in a combination on a keypad revealed by a hidden panel on a locker, "Ah, a combination entrance! How thematically apropos!"

"Yes... I hope you will excuse the mess."

The lockers parted with steam hissing, slowly revealing a dark passageway.

"Shortly, I shall introduce you to my *cough* school *cough* laboratory." He coughed to conceal that this was his extra lab, "Officially."

"Wow! One of those lockers was Susie's!" Bubbles commented.

"What did he do?!" Buttercup harshly whispered to Blossom.

"He didn't do anything! Just drop it!" Blossom harshly whispered back to her sister.

"...Okay, but only because we're going in. This ain't over, not by a long shot!"

The passageway to the laboratory fully opened and they were greeted by Boomer, who surprised them with a welcome bander and everything. The adults were somewhat entertained but the kids not so much. I. M. Weasel greeted them on his automated scooter and lead them into the lab where the others were waiting for them.

"So... Secret school lab. Bigger than I thought it'd be." Buttercup commented as they walked through the lab.

"Just exploiting holes in the foundation, is all." Dexter said, not looking at her.

The green Powerpuff just shrugged and looked around before noticing some devices and got curious, "Say, whaddya do around here anyway, Dexter?"

"Leave him alone, Buttercup!" Blossom shouted to her sister.

Before the latter could respond, Dexter suddenly shouted, "OH, JUST MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME, GREENIE!"

"HAH?!" Buttercup squawked in offense before Blossom shouted back, "NOT YOU!"

"Eh? Oh." The former saw what Dexter meant when she saw Butch sitting at the table with his feet on the table and his hands behind his back while a robot served some cola. He was dressed in a green hoodie, black pants, and green shoes. Brick was standing by him with his back turned away from them and his hair was tied into a ponytail. He was wearing a black hoodie with red sleeves that had flame designs, black pants, red shoes, and a backwards facing baseball cap.

"Well, thanks a lot, Dexter old buddy!" Butch replied smarmily, taking the can that the robot held out for him.

"Ahem. Doctor. Boys. Hello." Weasel greeted stoically.

Doctor Brisbaine raised an eyebrow, "Hmm... I'm sensing some tension. Should I expect issues?" He inquired, looking at Brick, who remained stoic and collected.

Weasel ordered, "Brick, answer him."

Brick just breathed through his nostrils and answered calmly, "Of course not, Dr. Brisbaine. We're not going to cause any additional trouble. This meeting is important."

"Just makin' ourselves at home!" Butch told the doctor in his usual attitude.

Brick continued, "Obviously, we're not going to openly harass our colleagues."

"Pals! Like I told you, cuppo! Did she not mention that to ya, bow girl?" Butch said smarmily, only for Brick to silence him with a glare.

Bubbles frowned at Butch's comments, "Mean!"

"I'm not thrilled either." Jenny said with an annoyed glare at the Rowdyruff Boys.

Buttercup had an angry expression directed at the boys as she cracked her knuckles, "Just say the word, Blossom."

"Belay that. For now." Said girl just put her arm in front of her temperamental sister, despite having a glare on her face.

Dexter just had an annoyed expression but kept his composure, "Let me just... prepare some slides for the holoprojector." He then walked off to do his self-appointed task, just to get away from this scene.

"Ah, girls! Over here!" They turned to see Jack walking in with Agent Honeydew. The former was wearing a grey sweater under a brown jacket, denim jeans, and brown shoes, and the latter was a white sundress under a pink open sweater, with brown sandals and a white sunhat.

"Oh, Sensei!" Buttercup says happily, walking to her sensei, "It's good to see somebody nice!"

Jack laughed a little, "It is wonderful to see you too, Buttercup."

"It sure is weird running into you out here, right?" She laughed while putting her hand to the back of her head, desperately trying to hide her crush on her teacher.

The former Samurai only tilled his head, slightly, "How so? We were both called to attend this meeting, yes?"

"Oh, yeah! Right! Yeah, we... uh, yeah... We were, weren't we?" Buttercup laughed again awkwardly, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"How is Courage?" Jack asked, unintentionally deflecting, much to Buttercup's relief, "I heard he was assisting Dexter with something?"

Buttercup remembered what happened to Courage, "Oh, yeah! He's fine! He's babysitting Dexter's pet monkey for us at our home!"

Back at the girl's house, things were hectic. Courage was backing away in fright as Monkey, out of costume, glared down at the dog, screeching crazily.

"[So, you've discovered my secret identity, eh?! Who have you told?!]" Monkey's screeches roughly translated to as he was up on the rest of the professor's chair.

Courage backed away for a moment before scramming with Monkey in hot pursuit, "[No one, no one! I swear!]"

Both Buttercup and Jack laughed, with the latter saying, "It is true! Poor Courage is always so nervous."

"A friend will do him good, though!" Agent Honeydew politely cut in, "And a fan of monkeys at that! I am a fan of monkeys, naturally, and not just the super-powered kind!"

"Of course!" Jack agrees, before informing Buttercup, "Buttercup, you've met your sister's dance teacher? We've become... quite good friends, haven't we, Miss Honeydew?"

"Please, Jack. What did I say?" Honeydew reminds him while still smiling, "No need to be so formal."

The samurai let out a small chuckle, "Alright then," He took his hand into hers, "Jane."

Honeydew giggled while Buttercup hid her jealous glare under her hat, "Well, yeah. We've met before."

Then, Weasel spoke up from the table as Dexter put the slides into the projector, "Well, then. If everyone could take their seats, I, acting chairman I.M. Weasel will call this meeting to order. Global Defense Force, Super-Science Commission, Megaville Division. Our topic? Anomalous Event Tachyon-X-1729. Opening remarks proceeding discussion with be headed by GDF Liaison and Project Rowdy Head: Dr. Jonathan Quill Brisbaine."

Everyone took their seats before Dr. Brisbaine stood up and began the meeting, "Thank you, Dr. Weasel. I am glad to see that everyone on the docket has arrived, because we have a lot of ground to cover today. Hopefully, by the time our discussion reaches its conclusion, our findings will point the way to an answer. An answer to the singular that has been tearing at us for what feels like an eternity: What happened when the bomb exploded?"

When he finished, all the scientists starting talk over each other at once, the volume rising until Weasel intervened, "One at a time! One at a time please!"

"...Ahem." Utonium coughed, breaking the silence, "Well. If no one minds, I suppose we start with the Moon Incident."

Agent Honeydew nodded and looked at the report from the MIB, "Hmm. The MIB's initial report said it was junk data. They were clearly wrong."

"Spacious claims indeed!" Professor Membrane added his two cents, bombastically, "It was only the appearance of normal!"

"The data needed time to..." Utonium hesitated before continuing, "...Percolate, I supposed."

Jack looked confused at all the technobabble, asking Honeydew, "Pardon?"

"Jack, what I think the professor means is: The scientists here wanted to confirm that things were truly wrong." The agent told the samurai, before she paused as she looked at the data and asked Nora, "On that note, Dr. Wakeman, I wanted to ask you about a topic in your data. 'Total Spectral Reversal.' Is that unusual?"

"My dear, that's just it: This sort of energy reversal simply does not happen in nature!" Wakeman explained to her as she examined the renderings on the holographic screen, along with an assortment of graphs and charts, "Thus, we know it was artificially induced. Crafted with purpose by whomever engineered the second explosion at the Arts Center base."

The elderly roboticist then whispered to herself as she leaned in with a hand to her chin, "The level of ingenuity involved is unnerving. Brilliant but terrifying."

"So," Jack motioned with his hand, summarizing it the best he could, "The explosion on earth caused something to happen on the moon, which caused the rift to form?"

"Correct but... backwards." Dexter replied, awkwardly before explaining it the best he could, "When the bomb on Earth activated, it emitted Tachyon particles."

Blossom blinked as she remembered something like that, "Those are... particles that move backwards through time, right?"

"Affirmative. The particles from the Earth explosion traveled back in time to the explosion on the moon." Dexter confirmed to her while the rendering showed the Earth being surrounded by several purple rings and pulses of the same color while the Moon emitting green pulses.

"Two explosions mixing like chemicals in a temporal soup!" Professor Membrane summarized in a simile, "And now, those two explosions are, rather than fading, growing stronger! Only as time goes forward! The opposite of expectation!"

"Sounds like the soup is boiling!" Boomer put his two cents in.

Dexter was given pause at that response, as he mused, "That's... not... an absolutely horribly way to describe it. Huh."

"But..." Blossom snapped his out of his stupor, voicing her confusion, "As energy spreads out, it gets weaker. Like when you throw a pebble into water, right? The ripples are the strongest in the center."

Dexter simply breathed in, "That's what scares me, Blossom. The explosions seemed to have stopped that. Space and time are slowing down across the galaxy."

The nonscientific ones were shocked beyond wordless, while the scientific ones only nodded grimly.

"Huh?!" Buttercup gaped, "What's that even mean?!"

"Buttercup," Dexter turned to the brasher Powerpuff, "Because space and time are in constant motion, the walls that kept us apart from other universes are held together, stopping tears in reality from opening. Like how a river is in constant motion. With space and time continuing to slow down, the fabric of reality is weak enough for the rift to open. Something like that is also stopping the rift from closing."

"That's something else I'd like to discuss." Utonium politely cut in, with the hologram showing a rendering of the rift, "After the rift opened, gravitational and quantum readings have been utterly erratic. But that's not all."

Brisbaine pressed a button, showing a rendering massive pink aura around the rift.

"A massive energy wave has been released from the rift and it's heading towards us." He explained, "While it's approach is slow, we have no idea what's going to happen when it reaches us. And don't even get me started on the energy's properties itself."

"Wait, why's the rift so big?" Jenny asked after thinking about it for a moment, "The bombs were detonated around the solar system, but the rift is at least a few million lightyears away from the Milky Way. How did that happen?"

"Well, during the explosion," Dr. Brisbaine started, "The tachyons were funneled into a space above the atmosphere and compressed into an orb, which was then bombarded by rays of unknown energy that supercharged it. The orb then rocketed a few lightyears away from the galaxy before it exploded. The influx of energy, combined with the distortion in space and time, caused the rift to form."

"However, one of our satellites picked this up." Dr. Brisbane pressed a button on the screen, which then switched to show an image of a massive pylon-like construct floating above the atmosphere. It was covered by all kinds of iconography that none of them had ever seen before, but it was giving them bad feelings as they stared at it.

"Ugh," Buttercup cringes when she looks at the pylon, "Even looking at that thing is giving me the creeps."

"Yes, it is rather unnerving." Dr. Brisbaine agreed, "Regardless, this pylon absorbed the tachyons and the unknown energy before flying off and detonating. This is how the rift formed. As for what is beyond the Rift... I have no idea."

That sentence terrified them more than anything.

Gaz had just entered the cafeteria, dragging Dib by the collar before throwing the screaming boy into one of the tables. Dib groaned in pain before he was silenced by his sister's intimidating stare.

"Find my Game Slave." She stated calmly but with no room for argument, "NOW."

Her idiot brother nodded frantically, scrambling away in search for her Game Slave. With that distraction keeping her brother occupied, Gaz slipped out to the hallway her boss was standing stoically.

It was an adult Mandy. She had a slender but well-endowed figure with her blond hair reaching her waist, dressed in a black skirt suit with earrings that resembled the Star of Chaos Undivided. Her arms were crossed over her chest while she had that same perpetual frown on her face.

"How goes the plan?" Mandy demanded from her subordinate, whom had the same perpetual frown.

"The plan's going fine." Gaz replied, voice steady and with her same perpetual frown, "She's compliant with our demands so long as her brother is revived. Is he still being worked on by Zim?"

The Daemon Queen nodded, "Yes, Zim has repaired him from all the damage from the explosion. He's being kept in status until she obtains the item for Zim's experiments."

Gaz only grumbled about that damned Irken before pulling up the sleeve of her shirt, revealing a mark on her lower arm: a diagonal line with a large circle at the bottom end, a small crescent at the top end, with a larger backwards crescent crossed horizontally awash in purple. The Mark of Slaanesh.

Her boss noticed her body language and said sternly, "I hope you're not having second thoughts, Gaz."

"No. I'm not." The purple haired girl replied, pulling her sleeve back down, "I'm just worried about what's gonna happen when the Emperor inevitably gets involved with the Gods' plan for our world."

Mandy could understand her worry. Due to the thousands of shards of the Anathema's soul assimilating the faith of his followers, along with those hoping for Chaos' end, and the sheer amount of those who sacrificed their lives for him and to stop Chaos, the Corpse Emperor is now stronger than ever; able to create his own Daemons and more of his 'Saints'. That, and the shards are now able to act against the Gods in ways that even Tzeentch didn't know how to counter.

She dreaded to think what would happen if all the shards coalesced back into one soul again.

The Daemon Queen shook it off before telling Gaz, "Let the Gods handle the Anathema. We have our own world to conquer."

Gaz nodded as Mandy snapped her fingers. Suddenly, she was enveloped in blood red flames that disappeared as fast as they appeared. Mandy's hair and eyes were now bright red while her skin was charcoal black, while her attire changed to a black top with a red design in the middle with a red orb, a fitting black bottom, two giant red feathers on her top, black armbands, a long cape attached to her top with the same red feathers, and thigh high leather boots. In another flash of crimson flames, came a corrupted Powersword with its blade a radiant crimson and the hilt seemingly composed of an onyx carapace, jagged and shrapnel-like.

"Do not fail me." Mandy threatened Gaz, before taking out her sword as slashing at the air. The area she slashed at ignited into a fiery portal that she stepped through, closing just a second after she entered.

The new follower of Slaanesh just sneered in annoyance, as her brother came into the hallway without her Game Slave in hand, oblivious to the meeting her sister had with the Daemon Queen. Little did Dib know that Gaz had her Game Slave in her pocket the whole time. She just needed an excuse to go to the school.

Back at the meeting, the ground shook, silencing the meeting as Dexter looked up surprised. His glasses displayed the words, "INTRUDER ALERT." Worrying about what might that be, he asked, "Pardon me, but I must go do a system's check."

Blossom looked at him in concern, "Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. I just wish to check if anything was affected by that quake." Dexter replied before telling Weasel, "Please continue without me for a moment."

The weasel allowed him, just as the boy genius ran out the room. Blossom, concerned for Dexter, decided to go help him with... whatever it was that he was going to do.

"Er... If no one minds..." Blossom meekly announced, "I'm just going to, uh, help Dexter with his system check."

"Think nothing of it!" Weasel replied, uncharacteristically jovially before asking her, "Let Dexter know that he forgot to give his direct input on the chemical samples he took of our atmosphere!"

"Oh. Oh. Um, yeah, I'll let him know." Blossom nodded as she walked out.

Buttercup just smiled teasingly, "Don't have too much fun, Blossom."

Her ginger sister blushed, stuttering out in embarrassment, "D-Don't be silly! I'm just going to help him!"

"Sure, you are." Buttercup drawled sarcastically, teasingly rolling her eyes, making Blossom blush more before she meekly ran out of the room.

A few minutes later, the two had yet to return while the scientists continued their meeting uninterrupted even as the rumblings continued. Brick and Butch noticed, though the latter was too lazy to act on it while the former was attentive.

Butch just yawned as he stretched his arms, "You feel that? A lot more rumbling for 'nothing wrong.'"

"Perhaps I should go and help Dexter with his issue, sir?" Brick asked his superior, a stoic look on his face with his arms crossed.

"I would not want to pry but it is almost time our host aided in-" Brisbaine was interrupted by a ringtone. Weasel looked down to his labcoat pocket before pulling out his cell phone. Dr. Brisbaine coughed, "Weasel, what is it?"

"Hm!" I.M. Weasel opened his phone, "There is a message coming through: Top priority and clearance."

"Put it through."

Weasal pressed a few buttons before the holoprojector then showed the image of an anthropomorphic goldfish wearing a admiral's uniform with a pipe between his lips. His expression was a stern and stoic one, but his eyes were inviting. This is Admiral DeGill of the Galactic Guardians.

"Admiral! This is a surprise." Weasel greeted him.

Degill cleared his throat before speaking in a formal tone, "Weasel, Brisbaine! My apologies for interrupting your consortium."

"Think nothing of it, Admiral." Dr. Brisbaine responded stoically, "We hope the Global Defense Force has been an accommodating host."

"Gentlemen, as much as I'd like to shoot the breeze, we'd better get down to the brass tacks."

"Of course!"

Buttercup blinked and whispered, "Who's the fish?"

"Admiral DeGill! Commander of the Galactic Guardians! I surprised he's still on-world." Jenny told her, only for Bubbles to ask 'Who' in confusion. Brick just let out a sigh.

"I really think I should check up on Dexter, sir." Brick requested from his superior, "He's been gone from the discussion too long and after those rumblings..."

"Hold." Brisbaine ordered, "I am speaking to an honored guest."

Brick gave a frown and then stood up, "With all due respect: Let me do something about this, sir."

The doctor was surprised at Brick being defiant but didn't show it. Before he could reprimand Brick for insubordination, the admiral chuckled, "Come now, Brisbane! Don't make a fuss for me. Let the boy do as he pleases."

Brisbaine hemmed but relented, "If you are alright with it, Admiral. Don't take too long, Brick."

The red haired RowdyRuff said nothing as he walked out, only to stop when Butch asked, "You okay, bro?"

"I'm fine." Brick responded, walking off without a word.

After a minute of walking through the lab's halls, he came across a parted door that led to a hallway illuminated in red. Seeing as how no other door was open, Brick figured this was where they'd gone to and entered. The hall was mostly empty, save for the lights being the same as his cloths, eyes, and energy, until he came to a safe-like door that was torn off its hinges and locking mechanisms.

Oh, and he could hear Dexter and Blossom talking from the room beyond it.

"Is... Is she looking at us? I mean, the camera?"

"Yes."

Raising an eyebrow, Brick entered the room so silently that neither of them noticed, because they were too busy watching what he presumed to be security camera footage on a holographic screen. He peered behind the two, still unnoticed, looking at the video feed.

It showed Olga in wearing a pink sweater and denim jeans piloting a version of Dexter's dodgeball mech with Mandark's broken glasses on top of her head. She had a blank but angry stare aimed directly at the camera.

"Those glasses... They look familiar..." Blossom put a hand onto her chin, pondering.

Dexter replied, "Mandark."

"Oh! Yes! That also true. That's-" She paused in realization, "Oh, no."

"She is still angry."

"Angry at what? She wasn't angry at the beach." Blossom almost squirmed in worry, "She was sad. What's changed?"

"Not sure."

Brick raised an eyebrow. What was Astronomanov doing here? She'd seem normal since he'd last seen her in class, though he did notice that Olga had become slightly withdrawn, talking to Gaz Membrane a lot. Actually, now that he thought about it, another girl Olga used to hang out with, a blond girl named Mandy, hadn't appeared for a few days.

It was like she'd disappeared.

"She- Is she doing something with Mandark's glasses?" Blossom unintentionally snapped Brick out of his thoughts as he saw the feed show Olga place the glasses onto somewhere off-screen before the mech's hand enveloped the screen and the feed when to static.

"Feed lost." Dexter said dejectedly.

"But what- I don't understand." Blossom murmured, confused beyond belief, "On the beach, you apologized. You blamed yourself..."

"I had to-"

"No, you didn't." Blossom interrupted Dexter, placing her hands on his shoulders, "Regardless, she said she believed you! What am I missing?"

"I..." The boy genius paused for a second as it hit him, "OH." Dexter then tried to explain it to Blossom without making any of it awkward, "B-Blossom, perhaps- I should... It would help... Maybe if you... If you knew- about the Arts Center."

As him and Blossom were talking, Brick, who still went unnoticed, turned with a raised eyebrow to an upper part of the room, where he saw a crushed security camera with Mandark's broken glasses sitting on the undestroyed part.

"Dexter? ...Dexter!" Blossom shook the boy genius out of his stupor, "Stay with me. It'll be okay. What did she do? What is she doing?"

"Obviously, sending a message."

Brick suddenly speaking startled the two to say the least. Dexter nearly had a heart attack and nearly fainted while Blossom screeched in surprise as the two fell down from the surprise of the Rowdyruff had been there the whole time.

"What do you think you're doing, Brick?!" Blossom yelled, with Dexter in her lap, dazed.

"Oh, excuse me, superhero." Brick raised his hands in a sarcastic manner, "You were just gone for a long time, and then there was a small earthquake. I thought you might need assistance."

"We were doing fine!"

"Yeah? Really looks like it, too." The male Transhuman began channeling the Emperor's mastery of sarcasm, "Did you get distracted by the normal human girl who broke through your boyfriend's security? Freaking pathetic."

Blossom grits her teeth, "Just... Just stop. You wanted to help? This isn't help." Suddenly, Dexter mumbled out her name, gaining her attention. She helped him to his feet, "Dexter! It's okay. It's just... Brick."

"H-Have to tell you..." The genius muttered out, still dazed as the two Transhumans look at him, Brick still having a stoic frown and Blossom looking confused.

Back to the meeting, Admiral DeGill announced to the attendees, "You see, XJ9, Powerpuff Girls, you've been specifically requested for an audience aboard the Watchtower of the International Justice League!"

Suffice to say, they were rather surprised.

"The Justice What?! As in... As in... THAT Justice League!" Buttercup screeched in surprise, while Bubbles and Jenny just gaped in surprise.

"Blossom, he's right." Dexter muttered to an utterly confused Blossom.

"Huh?"

"Brick's right." He said as he looked at the destroyed camera with Mandark's broken glasses, "Obvious now. Of course, it's a message."

She relented but stilled looked at him, concerned, "...Alright. Fine, but Dexter, it'll be okay. We can get her- it back before Olga can... can do any damage."

Brick made a sound of annoyance, crossing his arms, "You're worrying about that?"

The pink Transhuman glared at him with bared teeth, sick of her male counterpart's attitude, "Brick, can you act like a person for two seconds, please?!"

"Then think like one!" Brick fired back, "Why aren't you knee deep in your robot's parts?"

Blossom paused before conceding his point, "...Well, that's-that's true. She had ample opportunity to destroy the... um, robot. So, she must need it for something."

"Blossom, I only wanted to show her... how sorry I was," Dexter muttered as he looked down in guilt.

"We'll get it back!"

Brick rolled his eyes in exasperation, "The 'leader and commander' seriously doesn't get it? Your lover-boy here isn't worried. He's guilty."

Dexter nodded but Blossom stilled looked confused and turned to the former, "Dexter? What is Brick talking about? Guilty about what-"

She was silenced when Dexter planted his lips on hers. Blossom's eyes bulged larger than dinner plates and her pupils shrunk to pinprick sizes, her entire body stilled as her brain short-circuited from the shock of the moment.

"Oh my god, seriously?" Brick rolled his eyes again in annoyance.

"OH MY GOD, SERIOUSLY?!" Buttercup nearly screamed, as she had to take off her hat while placing her left hand to her head as her brain struggled to comprehend what she was hearing.

"I mean, where do you think I was broadcasting from, hm? Global Defense HQ? Needlessly planetary for my tastes." Admiral DeGill asked rhetorically before moving the camera to show that he was on the Watchtower, with Superman flying up beside him, "Live from the Watchtower, see? Kal-El, say hello to the young miss Powerpuff Girl for me."

Superman, the actual Superman, smiled kindly and said, humbly, "Oh, hello! I'm looking forward to finally meeting you!"

"Holy sh-" Buttercup couldn't even finish that curse because of how breathless this experience had left her, before responding to Superman's hello, "Uh, uh, same! Same here!"

Things were actually pretty hectic at the Watchtower; Their engineers were slaving away trying to build the devices from the plans that Professor Utonium sent. Something like an energy harvester or such. After several trials and tribulations, the newly made 'Siphons' would be used to protect against the oncoming wave of energy coming from the rift. Admiral DeGill had organized the Galactic Guardians' fleets to act as a defense force against any hostile invasions of Earth as, according to the admiral and the Lantern Corps, other systems had nearly been overrun with anarchy and invasions ever since the rift's opening.

The tech-based heroes had begun fortifying the Watchtower and, to everyone's surprise, AMAZO had come back to help as he began outfitting the Watchtower with special materials, he fabricated that helped to defend against the energy emitting from the rift. But Superman and Batman had been getting complaints from some of the heroes and workers of the Watchtower about feelings of unease or fear even vivid dreams ever since the rift opened, feelings like things were watching them. The former asked Martian Manhunter about this, and he claims that he too had some feelings of unease, like something was preying on him from beyond the rift.

All the way through it, a single question kept circling Superman's mind: What was beyond the rift?

Superman snapped out of these thoughts as he had other matters to deal with. The Powerpuff Girls, though they were undoubtedly powerful, were still just kids, though not innocent as they were able to understand the uncomfortable matters of reality, but he still worried about them. The Rowdyruff Boys, according to Brisbaine, have been properly conditioned by the MIB but it was the same feeling he had with the girls. Whatever the things that were beyond the rift, it was worse than anything he or the others in the Justice League had ever faced.

"How's it coming?" Superman asked Cyborg, who came back from the laboratories.

"Pretty well. The frame is ready, but the professor says he needs time to finish the main components." Cyborg reported, showing a hologram of a pylon-like device that was then encased in an outer frame, "Though we have time to prepare, Utonium has claimed that the energy wave would devastating to the planet and the people."

Before Superman could ask more, suddenly, a gold light flared, nearly blinding the people in the Watchtower.

When it cleared, the League saw a string of gold that speared from the rift and into the earth. AMAZO immediately rocketed towards it and attempted to intercept but to no avail as it dodged his grasp, rocketing to the surface of the planet. No one could react in time to intercept it.

The league all stared down where the string of gold disappeared into the atmosphere. With the Flash asking the million-dollar question, "What the hell was that?

In the ruins of a lab, laid the cloned body of a scientist. He was fairly built with long white hair, and wearing a lab coat over a black suit, a pair of grey khakis with a leather belt, and leather shoes.

Suddenly, the golden shard from before flew into the labs, shimmering like a star.

It searched the room for several moments until it found the body of the clone. It had died recently, so it had yet to suffer rigor-mortis. Taking that logic, it entered the mouth of the corpse.

The glow covered the body while lifting it from the ground. It's eyes and mouth suddenly opened, only for golden light to be in their palace. A golden shimmer began spreading from the eyes and mouth, remolding and reshaping the body. Its hair darkened into a dark brown, growing to reach its shoulders while its build became more developed and muscular. Wounds and weaknesses faded as it was remade into a vessel worthy for the one it was hosting.

By the end, the scientist's body had a lean yet more muscular and healthy figure, with arms that can crush concrete, a face with a sharp jawline and majestic shoulder-length dark brown hair. He let out a calming breath before speaking a deep yet transfixing voice, "Well, that was a rush. Certainly, feels nice to have a body of flesh and bone again, rather than sitting on that damn throne for ten thousand years."

This shard is The Emperor's Intellect. As the name suggests, he is the piece of the Emperor's soul that contains all his knowledge and brilliance. For simplicity, we'll call him Estalius or simply The Emperor.

Estalius started by finding the nearest terminal and began typing something into the keyboard, "Okay, let's get this going."

A holographic screen showed a series of logs involving a person by the name of Dr. Alexander Megalos; a doctor who was working for the Global Defense Force's Super-science commission before disappearing. Apparently, he came here, starting an organization known as Black Eden where he continued his experiments.

Irony being that Estalius had done the same thing in the 21st century. Experimenting on children aside, his work was too important for the ethics of the time, especially because it led to him creating the Men of Gold. Who in turn created the Men of Stone, who in turn created the Men of Iron.

"Why the fuck didn't I order them to put a failsafe into the Men of Iron?" The Emperor's Intellect let his mind wander, "I mean, fucking damnit E! How many robot apocalypse holovids have you watched back then? You should have seen it coming!" He then took in a few deep breaths, "No. No. It's all in the past. Let's just move forward."

He typed something into the keyboard, pulling up some files, specifically ones labeled "Ethereal Energy Interaction." They showed five entries, so Estalius played the first one. It showed a handsome man with white hair wearing a business suit and a lab coat. The first thing that came to the Emperor's mind was that he looked like Fulgrim as a scientist.

"My name is Dr. Alexander Megalos." The scientist onscreen confirmed to his watcher, "The date is September 18th, 2007. I have begun my first experiments into the ethereal material from the alternate dimension I have collected albeit with the loss of several drones. Due to the samples reacting to different emotions and personalities, I have collected subjects with matching dispositions to the samples."

"He collected energy samples from each of the Chaos Gods?" The Emperor's Intellect asked no one, since no one was around him, letting out a chuckle as he typed something into the computer terminal, "I am impressed."

"Each subject was assigned each sample based on personality." Dr. Megalos' recording continued, "Subject #1 is a highly ambitious man, Subject #2 is a mental patient suffering from chronic depression, Subject #3 is an adrenaline addict, and Subject #4 is a hedonistic junkie. I picked each of them to match the emotions of each sample."

Estalius raised an eyebrow before playing the next four entries.

"Trial 1: Subject #1 was injected with Sample #1. Subject's skin pigmentation began changing. Minutes later, he began growing usual organs and limbs. This continued until he began a near unrecognizable creature of flesh and bone. Subject expired after 12 minutes."

"Tzeentch."

"Trial 2: Subject #2 was injected with Sample #2. Subject began convulsing and vomiting blood. Subject expired after 3 minutes. Pustules began forming all around while the skin pigmentation began turning varying shades of green. The body began bloating with gas and other viruses. Body subsequently cremated."

"Nurgle."

"Trial 3: Subject #3 was injected with Sample #3. Subject immediately broke out of his restraints and screamed loudly. After 3 minutes, subject's muscle tissues began fortifying and strengthening. Skin pigmentation became a dark red. Subject expired after 10 minutes. Autopsy revealed heart, bone marrow, and adrenal glands had increased in size."

"Khorne."

"Trial 4: Subject 4 was injected with Sample #4. Subject immediately began convulsions of pleasure. After 3 minutes, convulsions faded but subject was displaying higher sensitivity to all sense."

"Slaanesh." The Emperor finished, frowning at the fact that the 'Gods' had already sunk their talon into the scientist. He stopped the entry and was going to pull up another file when he saw one with a set of entries labeled 'Chemical X Experiments.' Raising an eyebrow, Estalius played the first entry of the file.

Dr. Megalos was back on screen, smiling pleasantly, "Day 453. It has taken several months and several experiments, but I have begun the first steps for my grand plan in its entirety."

Now, the Emperor was both worried and interested.

"My research has led me to this." He held up a vial containing a black bubbling liquid. The Emperor raised an eyebrow at the vial's appearenc. "This is Chemical X. Synthesized by Professor Johnathan Utonium, it is a super-reactive agent with seemingly limitless potential for energy development and growth. I have conducted dozens of experiments and have made some of my own modifications. Only with this much, I can synthesize much more. But I decided to do my first experiment while Samantha is away, acquiring the subjects that I have requested."

"In the meantime, I will begin my experiment about now." Megalos backed up from the screen for a better view and raised the vial as if for a toast, "Bottoms up." The doctor emptied the vial via drinking it. For a moment, he was silent, hemming and hawing at the lack of results and the Emperor was somewhat bemusingly convinced that the chemical that he consumed was a dud.

Then, the scientists let out a yelp of pain, clutching his gut and bending forward, his veins bulging, and his eyes blackened. An opaque black liquid then spewed from his mouth and wisps of stream began rising from his body, his skin reddened, and small blotches of black began forming all over. Megalos looked at his changing body with a crazed yet fascinated expression, giggling slightly.

"It's working." He whispered, before bellowing out an insane cackle and repeating in a crazed yell, "IT'S WORKING!"

Megalos laughed again as his clothes caught aflame while black scabs began forming all over his frame, quickly covering him in an all covering shell. Black tendrils then grew outwards and detached before they began expanding out and assimilating anything nearby. The flames simmered out while the black shell began losing shape, become a cocoon of sorts. It beat like a heart as ripping and nauseating noises rang offscreen. This went on for minutes before the Emperor was fast-forwards revealing that the camera was left on for about 6 hours.

When he stopped, the scene was the same only for the voice of a young girl to ring trough the room. "DOC?! DOC, IS THAT YOU?!" The girl's voice rang through the room. Other voices came through, but Estalius couldn't make them out. Then a 12-year-old girl wearing a sky-blue parka, purple pants, and brown snow boots came into view. She had brown hair with two big locks that go to the sides of her face.

By her, came a green Xeno in a scarlet uniform holding a cage containing a small mechanical creature.

The Emperor frowned when he recognized the xeno, "Zim. So, that's how Tzeentch got his tendrils on you. You were swayed while working for the doctor." He would have pitied Zim if he wasn't a Xeno. He then looked to the girl he knew as Samantha, "Samantha... You barely survived that attack... It's a shame you ended up like many others who couldn't deal with the pain of life."

"Doctor? Doctor Xander?" Sam called out; Zim then blinked.

"Xander? Xander Megalos?" Zim asked the girl who nodded. The green Xeno put a hand to his chin, "Hmm, do I know this doctor? Does he work for those 'Global Defense' people? Megalos or... Maybe Brisbane?"

"All of that is behind him now." Samantha informed the Irken, before hesitating slightly and continuing, "At least... He said it would be. And, uh, now I believe him now-" The words died in her mouth as she and Zim saw the black cocoon.

"What the hell is that?!" Samantha nearly screamed before it hit her, "Doctor Xander! Is that you?!"

"Oh! That could be some kind of embryonic regeneration state!" Zim theorized, insanely accurately, "Those were all the rage maybe five or six Tallest dynasties ago. Would the doctor use those?"

Samantha was pleasantly surprised, and perhaps Estalius was as well, "Huh. He might. That's... good thinking, Zim. He... could be in there. I guess." The girl seemed hesitant to acknowledge the Xeno's point, something that any of the Imperium would approve, as she got closer to the black cocoon.

"Uh... Doctor Xander? Are... you... in here?" She whispered into the cocoon, gliding her hand over the surface as an expression of disgust crossed her face at the fact that it was beating like a heart, "It's definitely alive... and gross, whatever it is."

Zim and the thing in the birdcage seemed to cringe in disgust along with her. After a few seconds of nothing happening, she blurted out, "Dr. Xander! Just, uh, give me a signal or something! Let me know that it's you! That you're-"

Just then an orange-colored hand burst out of the cocoon. Samantha reeled back, scared out of her mind, "ALI-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-VE!?"

The cocoon bulged and distorted, tearing open with horrible fluids overflowing onto the floor as a hairless orange humanoid emerged. Suddenly, the image paused with the frame showing Samantha and Zim backing away from the emerging figure. Estalius was confused until he saw that the entry had ended.

While pondering about and deciding to get his hands on some Chemical X, the Emperor noticed one entry labeled "Happy Birthday, Bell." Curious, he played the entry. Dr. Megalos was onscreen, back to normal it seemed, while standing in front of a gestation vat containing a little girl in a fetal position. She had white hair like the doctor's, while he himself seemed ecstatic, smiling brightly.

He started excitedly, "Day 1,217. My latest experiment is finally blooming! By taking the basic formula of Utonium's girls and making my own modifications, I began the development of my own Transhuman!"

The Emperor immediately knew what this mean, "The girls..."

"Now, the moment we're all waiting for!" Megalos exclaimed, pressing a button on the panel nearest to him. The liquid in the gestation vat bubbled before slowly draining, the girl gently lowering to the bottom before the doctor picked her up as it opened. The girl mewed softly in her sleep while Megalos rocked her affectionately.

"I think I'll name you..." Dr. Xander hemmed and hawed for a second before finishing with, "Bell."

"So, that where you came from." Estalius thought out loud.

Reviewing what he'd witnessed and in his own theories and information he got from Deandra, the Emperor concluded that the 'Gods' either took advantage of Megalos' curiosity for science or ambition, then he engineered Bell and contacted the biomechanical Xenos known as the Cluster and used their unique technology to enhance Samantha. Soon, Zim fell under the sway of Tzeentch and provided the doctor with STCs containing super-weaponry from the Dark Age of Technology, which was specifically a Tachyon bomb called Project Tlalcon.

With all this in mind, the 'Gods' or Zim gave him secret instructions to deploy both the prototype and more enhanced version of the bomb on Luna and Terra respectively to 'assist the Cluster.' Unknown to him, Zim had constructed a corrupted version of the Cadian Pylons called a Siphon which allowed for the opening of Warp Rifts instead of closing them.

This, combined with the distortion of spacetime that the Tlalcon bombs created, allowed for the opening of The Maw of Annihilation; a galaxy sized Warpstorm not just in this universe, but in countless other universes.

Now, the "Gods'" power grew into incomprehensible heights as they glutted on the thoughts and emotions of countless universes, creating new daemons and for countless of the ignorant to fall under their sway. Consumed with ambition, despair, rage, or lust, the followers of the "Gods" grew into the quintillions, dominating their worlds and turning them into Daemon Worlds.

At the same time, that was only half of those universes. The other half managed to see through the temptations of those reality tumors and managed to put up resistance against them. But for how long? Without his guidance, they will fall and be consumed as the same worlds that were overrun. But because they were praying and hoping for some entity to give them hope in this time of ending, when all that was and all that will be is dangling on an ever-thinning string, they were holding out for now.

These universes would have to wait, but he hoped they could hold out long enough for his plan to bear fruit.

Right now, he had to find Utonium and give him his plans. But this requires a scalpel not a sword. Thankfully, due to the sheer amount of power they were amassing from the other universes and that they were inducting millions more into their forces, Chaos even more disorganized than ever, giving the Emperor a certain amount of time to prepare.

He typed into the keyboard, "What is the current measurements of ethereal radiation?"

The screen showed a projection of the Maw around a red faded circle. Another screen showed the results of the scan; RIFT ENERGY WAVE APPROXIMATELY 2.3 LIGHT YEARS AWAY. PROJECTED TIME OF ARRIVAL; 2-3 MONTHS.

"Two or three months!" Estalius gaped before turning to the entrance of the labs and dashing out, "There's still time!"

But as he got outside, the Emperor stopped to gape. The area was a blasted heath; the ground was a salted grey while the burnt corpses of trees stuck from the foul dirt. The outside of the laboratory was torn apart and smelted down, as if a miniature Cyclonic torpedo went off in there. The grey earth spanned only for 3 miles, but the color seemed to fade in instead of being divided like opposing colors.

"Must have been trying to cover his tracks." The Emperor's thoughts wandered for a bit before slapping himself and blurting out, "NO! FOCUS! Okay, find the professor, get to the Watchtower, and prepare them for whatever those four are planning for. Maybe I'll have to improvise, but no plan survives first contact with the enemy. Overall, it should be enough."

He says this as he sprints down an empty highway that led to Megaville, the metropolis where John Utonium now lives. Estalius only hoped he could get to the professor before any of those reality tumors could get to him first.

Back at the Girl's house, they gave Dexter's monkey back to him, much to Courage's relief. When her sisters asked her what happened when they went to that part of the lab to investigate, Blossom's cheeks had turned a deep crimson and she barely managed to say that Olga had stolen one of Dexter's inventions. As their invite to the Watchtower was a few days away, the Professor went back to his lab to finish the prototype

The professor was finishing the last touches of his device while his girls watched curiously. After tightening the last bolt onto the capacitor, Utonium wiped the sweat off his brow and closed the hatch. The device was a black-stone pylon with a circular bottom with the hatch being placed sternly in the middle.

"There..." He panted, "That's about finished."

"What is 'that', anyway?" Buttercup asked, arms crossed with Blossom and Bubbles beside her. Professor Utonium stepped up before connecting it to a terminal and typing in a command to the keyboard. The device lit up while several whirling and warbling emitted from within the bottom, the pylon rose up as did 3 silver rings. In a moment, several circuit-lines glowed blue, and a light blue aura emitted around the black-stone.

"It's complicated, but the basic concept is for it is as a countermeasure for the energy wave that's approaching the planet." He explained to his girls, who watched in interest, "It absorbs the energy and stores it into a special battery that is used to power other machinery. After one battery's been filled, it's ejected, and another takes its place to contain it. It's only a prototype though."

While the girls were marveling at the invention and before the professor could explain more, the doorbell rang. The family looked to the ceiling, wondering who was there at this time at night. As Professor Utonium walked up the stairs of his lab to answer the door, the doorbell rang again. And again. And again.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" He called to whomever was ringing the doorbell. He opened the door to see a man with dark brown shoulder length hair, wearing a black business suit under a lab coat. The man had burnt gold eyes and a lean yet muscular figure with a handsome face and sharp jawline, an expression of stern yet curiousness.

"Excuse me; Are you John Utonium?"

His voice was deep and transfixing, like a ceaseless song of might. Utonium could barely stand up from seeing this man but managed to keep it together to respond to this strange man.

"Yes. T-That is my name." The professor told the strange man.

He extended his hand, "My name is Dr. Estalius Heller. I've been trying to find you."

"Pardon my confusion, but why have you been trying to find me?" Utonium shook his hand, confused by this man's presence.

"It's about the rift." That sentence shook the professor to his core. For some reason, he knew this man wasn't lying but was still confused on what he was doing at his house while he could be somewhere else.

"I have an invaluable amount of knowledge about the dimension that's plaguing you." The man replied, as if reading his mind, "Please, whatever you're doing to stop its advance, I can help. You have to trust me."

The professor was still confused by Estalius' presence and shocked that he knew what he was planning with his inventions, but if this man truly had knowledge to help him with solving this situation, then so be it.

"This way." Utonium lead Estalius down the stairs to his lab. The girls were still there, talking to each other about something that the Emperor didn't bother to eavesdrop on before his eyes laid on the device.

"This is it?" The Emperor turned and asked the professor, unimpressed by the small size and complexity of the device. Seriously, he'd seen holoprojectors looking more sophisticated than this.

Utonium smiled both sheepishly and humbly, "It's only a prototype. I've sent my plans to the Justice League; they're planning on building more powerful versions now. I was hoping that you could instill some of your knowledge so I could improve it."

"Later." The Emperor waved him off, as he started to gather equipment from around the lab so he could make his improvements to the device, "I'd like for all of your colleagues to be present when I explain the other dimension. I don't like explaining things more than once."

John nodded but paused when Estalius started picking up some of his equipment and some paper and began writing what he assumed was the blueprints for something, "What are you doing, sir?"

"I'm making the blueprints for something that I think can help the machine." He replied before pausing in the middle of his writing and turned to the professor, "Could you please explain how the mechanics of your machine works?"

"Oh, yes." The professor nodded and knelt down, explaining how the prototype worked to the other scientist.

Meanwhile, the girls were utterly lost by the events that were going on. Who was this (admittedly handsome) man? Why was he getting all buddy-buddy with the professor? And what was it that he and the professor were talking about?

"Hey, excuse me?" Blossom politely interrupted the two from their conversation before asking Estalius, "But who are you?"

The Emperor recognized the girls from what Deandra told him, but he couldn't reveal himself yet, so he kept his composure and greeted the three with, "I am Dr. Estalius Heller. I was working for Dr. Alexander Megalos after he left the Global Defense Force."

Utonium doubletakes, "Wait, you know Xander?!"

The Powerpuff girls looked at the Emperor in shock, who in turn faked being surprised, "You know Dr. Megalos?"

"Well, yes." The professor responded, "I worked with him awhile back with Professor Membrane, Dr. Ghastly, and several other scientists in a project for the Global Defense Force involving cybernetic reconstruction and enhancement. Our first success was a girl that had been in an accident. The project was later cancelled due to moral concerns. So, again, how do you know Dr. Xander?"

"It's... It's complicated." Estalius hesitates before telling them the half-truth while also mixing up with a story on the spot that he tells the professor and the girls, "Dr. Megalos hired me while he was working on a freelance project related to superhuman enhancement. There, I had the pleasure of meeting a girl named Samantha."

Now the girls were shocked. This guy knew about Samantha?!

"You know Samantha?!" Buttercup flashed towards Estalius, grabbing him by the collar with an angry look on her face.

"Yes, yes." He remained calm while raising his hands in a placating manner, "She was gravely injured during an accident quite some time ago. Megalos said that he had rebuilt her, but he couldn't save her friends and relatives..." He then trailed off, faking a sudden realization of something as Utonium had a similar but genuine expression, "Wait, was the girl you experimented on a 12-year-old girl with brown hair?"

The professor, having his curled fist in front of his mouth, only nodded.

Estalius then looked at the girls, grasping his collar, "And you've met Samantha?"

Buttercup then utterly exploded, "Hell yeah, we met her! She turned into this freaky fucking Cluster bot that beat the ever-loving shit out of me and my sister!"

"Yeesh, somebody watches too much HBO." Estalius was honestly impressed that a 12-year-old girl had a mouth like his throne bound self, before he paused when she mentioned the Cluster while Blossom reprimanded her sister for swearing. Since they did not yet know about his true nature, the Emperor decided to, for lack of a better term, play dumb, "Wait, Samantha's a Clusterbot?"

Now, Buttercup and the rest of her family looked like he'd asked a stupid question with the former asking him while pulling him close to her face, "Seriously? You didn't know that she was a fucking Clusterbot?! I thought you said you met her?! And where the hell were you when the bombs went off?!"

"Firstly, I left that project after a disagreement with Megalos." Estalius told the half-truth, while remaining composed, "Hell, I'd only just discovered the other dimension a while after I left. And secondly, I wasn't in Megaville when the bombs went off. So, again, what is the Cluster?"

"Buttercup, could you let go of Dr. Heller, please?" Professor Utonium politely requested of his temperamental daughter, who begrudgingly complied, letting the Emperor drop to his feet and brush himself off, "Thank you. As for the Cluster, they are a race of biomechanical aliens that can infect and assimilate the technology of other races. They attacked the Megaville Center for Arts during a science fair and brought the bombs with them."

Estalius faked looking surprised and devastated, "Really? And you say Samantha was one of them?"

"Yeap." Blossom told him compassionately, thinking that the doctor must be devastated as he was learning that the person, he met caused all this, "I think they used some of their tech to convert her into a Cluster bot or something like that."

The Emperor expression was one of convincing devastation before he sat down with a hand to his forehead. Bubbles, thinking that he was taking this revelation hard, put a hand on his shoulder in comfort. After a minute, he pretended to regain his composure and said, "Doesn't matter now. How long until you and your daughters are to meet with the Justice League?"

"One, it's just my daughters who are supposed to meet with the League." Utonium clarified, motioning to his girls, "But I suppose I could ask to join them. And secondly, I must ask; where did you learn about the other dimension?"

Estalius stiffened slightly but not even the girls noticed. He was asking about how he knew about the Warp. This was too soon but that didn't mean he couldn't improvise.

"I had begun my research in the Antarctic." The Emperor weaved his tale, certain that it will convince them, "After a few months, I discovered the other dimension and I coined it 'The Warp.' But I left the Antarctic after... I'm just going to say incidents. I continued my research for a few more years but then the event happened."

The professor blinked when he heard that. The Global Defense Force had a base in Antarctica, but it was attacked by... something. The guards claimed they were knocked out before they could get a good look at it. So, did Dr. Heller find something that caused the attack?

"Look," Estalius interrupted the professor from his thoughts, "I get that you and your girls must be confused about my sudden presence, but I promise you that I am here to help. I need to speak with the Justice League or the Global Defense Force so they can fabricate countermeasures for what's coming."

John contemplated it for a few moments before nodding and talking to the girls about this. They agreed after a moment of hesitance and Utonium then called some of his colleagues to inform them that they may have someone who can help with their problem. As he did, the Emperor smiled mentally.

To quote a certain indecisive mollusk: Things are going just. As. Planned.

3 days later:

Today was the day. The girls were going to meet the Justice League and the Emperor would be able to progress to the next part of his plan. The professor had arranged for him to be taken via a Watchtower dropship known as a Javelin. The ship picked him up a few blocks from Utonium's house and there he met Batman, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, and Black Canary. Two of them being of the founding members of the League.

The first being a man dressed in a grey uniform with a bat emblem on the chest and a golden belt with black elbow length gloves and knee length boots, the final touches being a cape and bat themed cowl. The second was a blond man with a beard, dressed in a green outfit with a domino mask and aerodynamic hat, a bow and quiver full of arrows. The third was an absolutely beautiful woman with flowing black hair and light blue eyes, star earrings, dressed in a formfitting armor consisting of a red top with an emblem and a pair of blue shorts with numerous white stars, a golden belt, a golden tiara with a red star, two silver bracelets, and two red knee-length boots. The last one was another beautiful woman with blond hair and blue eyes, wearing a formfitting leather outfit with fishnet stockings and black boots under a leather jacket.

E had to admit; it took a lot of his willpower to keep his eyes above the neckline with the latter two.

He explained to the group how the same that he told the Professor, and they were quite surprised understandably. After their discussion, Batman engaged the Javelin, and the Emperor heard the satisfying sounds of an engine purring as it lifts off. Out the right lower window where he was sitting, Estalius saw the ground disappear as they rose up into the abyss of infinite graves that is outer space.

While being escorted to the Watchtower, the Emperor looked over his mental checklist for what he was going to do when he speaks to the league. First, he was going to convince them to help him in his cause, then he will gather his resources for further parts of his plans, and hopefully he could get them before when the galactic shit hit the proverbial fan.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he vaguely heard Batman say that they were approaching the Watchtower.

It was a space station almost the size of an Emperor-class Battleship, yet it looked like something from the Age of Technology; A cylindrical structure with two 'wings' at the top, various docks and view ports with several other annexes orbiting around it. Something else that the Emperor noticed was a massive robot that resembled the Powerpuff Girls flying towards the orbiting station with XJ9 and a space shuttle trailing behind. He assumed that's where the Powerpuff Girls were, and he also assumed that the shuttle was where the Rowdyruff Boys were.

They docked at the Watchtower within a few minutes with Green Arrow telling the Emperor that he might be a little overwhelmed when he saw the interior. The archer was correct in one way. The interior, he was not impressed with, what he was impressed with was the various superheroes around the Watchtower. They came in various shapes, sizes, colors, and genders, each having a unique uniform or costume, and unique powers. One called the Atom could shrink to microscopic size while another called Vixen could take on the physiological abilities of various species.

Oh, the Emperor was gonna have a field day studying all of them.

But that could wait as he needed to them all ready so Chaos couldn't exploit them. As he was walking along, Estalius saw the Powerpuff Girls one of the walkways, dressed in what he could only assume were combat uniforms; white formfitting suits that had sections tailored to their respective colors. He then saw the Rowdyruff Boys exiting the space shuttle via the flotation exit with Butch complaining to an apathetic Brick on why Boomer got to go first.

After a few minutes, they introduced the Emperor to another of the founding members of the League; Superman. A muscular man wearing a blue uniform with a sigil on the chest that simply resembled an 'S', a red cape, and red boots. He had a musculature just like himself during the Great Crusade, albeit at the same size as a regular human.

Superman lead him to the auditorium, where much to the latter's surprise, hundreds of superheroes were gathered for the meeting. Hundreds of heroes that could potentially challenge some his Space Marines in a one on one fight? This can most definitely work in his favor if he can get them on his side.

The Man of Steel led the Emperor to the stage where Batman and Martian Manhunter were while the former second saw that most of what he assumed were the League's members along with Dr. Utonium and some of his colleagues whose names the Emperor didn't know, the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys were standing in the front with XJ9 who was seemingly upgraded with what he assumed was Cluster technology.

To ensure that they wouldn't notice that something was odd about him, the Emperor faked a nervous expression, posture, and body language as to make it seem like he had gotten stage fright. It seemed to work as Manhunter put a hand to his shoulder as a comforting gesture.

Unknown to the Emperor, J'onn had attempted to probe into his mind as he was curious as to what the scientist knew, only to pause when he found that he could not read the scientist's mind. He tried again, this time with more force but the result was the same, like he was pushing against a wall of pure diamond. Manhunter relayed this to Superman mentally, who relayed to J'onn to wait until later when they'd tell the other founding members.

Just as the rest of their audience had arrived, Superman stepped up to a white podium and began his speech, "Thank you all for coming on such short notice, but as you can see this situation is quite dire. The rift from the explosion has caused a great deal of stress, panic, and fear, along with an alarming increase in crime. But new reports claim that something worse may be on the horizon."

The audience muttered for a second, confused and concerned

"For that, I give the floor to Dr. Estalius Heller." Superman stepped down from the podium, allowing The Emperor to take his place. The latter faked a bashful smile as he shuffled his notes, before speaking up.

"Thank you. I must say for a simple researcher, is a hell of an honor to be here with some of the world's greatest heroes." The Emperor let his famed charisma do the work at first, charming the audience before he broke the news, "But I'm afraid the news I bare is not suited for a jovial setting."

Most of the audience gathered around gained confused and worried expressions before the 'doctor' continued.

"The tear in reality has been emitted an incomprehensively vast wave of energy that will envelop the galaxy." He pulled up a hologram that showed a 3D rendering of the rift with a slowly expanding red circle around it, "According to my measurements, the wave will hit Earth in 2 months. 3, if we are lucky. This due to the fact that the rift is at the halfway distance between the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy. But unfortunately, the energy is moving at an unfathomably fast rate, crossing lightyears in at least a fraction of the amount of time it takes light to travel across."

The audience was silent from the explanation. Estalius could see that the Girls and Boys were all pale from hearing that while some of the scientists looked baffled at what they heard. Wonder Woman then raised a hand.

"Yes?" Estalius called.

"How bad would the damage be if the wave reaches Earth?" The Daughter of Olympus asked, curious at the scientist's tone at the situation.

"You want me to sugarcoat it, or do you want me to be blunt?" Estalius asked his own question.

Wonder Woman hemmed and hawed for a second before replying, "I suppose you can be blunt."

"If we do not do something to stem the tidal wave of energy heading our way, we are, and pardon my French, completely and utterly fucked." The Emperor channeled the part of himself that Rogal inherited for that statement.

After stiffening his laughter at seeing the diverse range of reactions from the people gathered, Estalius regained his composure and continued, "Anyway, as for how I know so much about this event; I've been gathering information on the other dimension for at least three years, before the explosion at the Megaville Arts Center that gave birth to the rift. After that, I immediately came to the people I knew could help."

"As for what the other dimension is," The Emperor then tried to give the simplest explanation he could about the Warp, "It's a dimension of... what I can only describe as malleable energy. Energy that reacts to the thoughts and emotions of all living beings. To put it in the simplest terms I can think of; if you can think it, the dimension or the Warp will make it."

The audience were stunned. A dimension that is shaped by the collective psyche of all living things? How the hell does something like that happen?

"If I may?" Martian Manhunter politely cut in, "When did you learn about this other dimension?"

Estalius was silent for a moment, making it seem like he was collecting his thoughts for something when he inhaled and exhaled before shifting his papers again before he started up.

"It was after I left a project of one Alexander Megalos;" The Emperor expanded on the tale he told the professor and the girls, "I had taken a request from an outpost in the artic when they found odd energy signatures around the sections of the Milky Way. I studied the signatures for a while and they were unlike anything I'd ever seen, they fluctuated at such random intervals that I had use a different kind of software to get an accurate reading. For months, I toyed around with various detection and measuring equipment until I managed to translate a sound that had been bouncing around the Warp."

"A sound?" Batman asked, raising an eyebrow under his cowl. Several of the gathered superheroes and scientists were also intrigued at that prospect.

Estalius nodded as he continued, "Yes, a sound. It was one a higher frequency that cannot be perceived by human ears. I translated it to a perceivable frequency and put the recording on my computer. But... then I went to get some more equipment. And when I was halfway down the hallway, I suddenly heard screaming coming from my lab."

That certainly got everyone's attention.

"Apparently, some of the other scientists had played the recording when I was away." He continued his fake story, like he was telling a frightening tale in front of a campfire, "It was a few minutes later when their screaming morphed into crying and laughing so loud that I was surprised that their vocal cords didn't break. There was a thrashing of sorts along with the smashing of equipment. I remained out in the room even when I was sure that the recording was well and truly finished because they were still breaking things and screaming."

Now, they seemed well and truly unsettled. Some of the greener heroes looked scared while the older members only seemed a bit disturbed. A terrified Bubbles was clinging to a scared Jenny while Buttercup and Blossom both looked deeply unsettled. Brick kept his composure, but he was disturbed while Boomer hid behind a pale looking Butch.

"So... what happened to them?" Bubbles meekly asked, more than a little scared along with her sisters and the Rowdyruff Boys, and even more maybe some of the superheroes.

"Well..." The Emperor faked hesitance before continuing, "I waited for the noise to stop but before I could enter the room, I heard gunshots. When those stopped, I hesitantly walked into my lab to find... the worst." He pretended to have his composure shaken, "They'd killed themselves."

Gasps went around the room with wide eyes and horrified expressions.

"After that, I deleted the recording and had the bodies taken to the coroners." He continued, "A few days later, I got the reports from the autopsy team. They found no signs of physical change in the abdominal organs, but they reported odd chemicals in the brains." Estalius then paused for effect, "I truly have no idea what happened but I'm glad I don't."

Everyone nodded grimly before he continued. Superman narrowed his eyes, it was subtle thing that he had analyzed the heartbeat of the man speaking. It was subtle but it was there; at certain points, his pulse would change. Subtly, yes. But it was there none the less.

"As for the Warp itself..." He trailed off for effect, "It's complicated."

Superman intervened, "I believe so. Considering you made that whole story up."

At that moment, the entire room went silent.

The Emperor actually was caught off guard. But when he quickly realizes that this 'Superman' is clearly the most trusted member of this group so he can't use his charisma to get his way out of this, the Emperor drops his mask and adorned a stoic yet questioning look, "How could you tell I was making that story up?"

"It's a gift due to my enhanced sense of hearing, though I admit I barely caught it. You seem to be a pretty good liar." Superman complimented before his face became one which is ready to fight, "But I think it's time you told us who you really are."

The rest of the Justice League had furious expressions and readied their powers as did the PowerPuff and Rowdyruff Boys, with all which this aimed at the Emperor, who remained unfazed. He calmly examined the many of them for a few minutes, but internally he was somewhat flustered. How did Deandra not inform him that the leader of the League had such potent senses and knowledge that he could see through his guise? That said, she was only the genius' sister and not a member of the League. But now that he knew this and that Superman would see through whatever trick he'd try to pull, the Emperor just rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Fine; I'm a 50,000-year-old being who's been guiding humanity and trying to protect them from the dangers of the Warp. One event led to another, and my soul was shattered into fragments. One of these fragments, that's me, travelled through the Warp to your universe, so that you don't fall to the dark influence of the Gods of Chaos. Because your universe has the resources and technology, I need to defeat them."

His explanation caused everyone's expressions (except Batman's and Weasel's) to slacken, jaws dropped and eyes wide in comical exaggeration before they all looked to Superman, whom had a dumbfounded expression.

"He's... not lying..." He said, struggling to make sense of the fact that the story sounded like he made that up on the spot but yet that his heartbeat indicated that he was indeed telling the truth.

The Emperor snorted and sucked in his lips to hold in his laughter at the absolutely hilarious looking reactions he got from the league, he was struggling hard to the point where he had to put a hand over his mouth to keep himself from laughing. In a way, he was kinda relieved as at least he didn't need to keep up appearances now.

"Good. Now, can I please continue?" The Emperor asked after he managed to get it out of his system, and then continued before any of them could voice their objection, "As I was saying, the Warp is dimension of psychically malleable energy. Any living thing that has a connection to the Warp will have their thoughts and feelings reflected and manifested in the Immaterium. Originally, the Warp was calmer and more peaceful but as many different species progressed in technology and civilization, it became a more volatile and chaotic dimension."

He then pressed another button on the remote which then shifted to show what everyone presumed was an image of the Warp. As the Emperor described, none of them, even the most intellectual or sensory enhanced, could make heads nor tails of the image. It was as if each person gazing upon the image could shape it into a unique form with unique features, all tailored to their subconscious wants and desires.

"This is due the reflection I mentioned." Estalius continued after he takes down the image, "But another reason for this is due to so many conflicting and contradicting thoughts and emotions are floating around inside it. And the sheer number of certain thoughts and emotions started coalescing and joining together, eventually concentrating into a quadruplet of entities that soon gained sentience, becoming known as the Gods of Chaos or the Ruinous Powers."

Everyone shivered at that. It wasn't just a reflex from the unconscious part of their brains, but something else. Like even saying that was attracting the God's attention even when they knew the four were far away.

"The four goes as follows." The Emperor began listing the 'Gods' and the emotions that formed them, "The emotions of anger, rage, hatred, violence and bloodshed became Khorne, the Blood God. Physical corruption, fear of mortality, self-delusion, and despair became Nurgle, Father of Plagues. Feelings of ambition, intrigue, pursuit of knowledge, evolution, and change became Tzeentch, Changer of Ways. Later on, the Fall of the Eldar and their plunge into lust, greed, excess, perfection, depravity, and pleasure gave birth to Slaanesh, Prince of Pleasure."

A rendering of an image showed a massive hulking figure with a demonic appearance, complete with blood-soaked armored red skin, numerous horns sitting on its head and facing various directions, burning red eyes, and a grin of fangs slicked in drool. It was sitting on a throne made from trillions of skulls that varied in size while surrounded by various daemons with appearances similar to it, tearing each other apart and ripping their opponents heads off.

The next image showed an emerald grotesquely corpulent thing bloated with disease, boils, sores, gaping wounds, and surrounded by a swarm of Rot Flies. It had a gaping yellow maw that a head with four illuminous eyes, antler-like horns, and a long tongue rested in, while its bloated arms rested on a distended stomach. In front of this pile of disease and decay was a gargantuan caldron, filled with an unseen luminant emerald liquid, bubbling as Nurgle stirred it with his pole.

The third image showed a blue mollusk-like creature with a lean figure, long spindly limbs, numerous pseudopods on the head with numerous eyes and a wide lipless smarmily grin, two massive tentacles attached to the shoulders, and additional lipless grinning mouth on the couch. Some could make out various half-formed faces on random parts of the body. Around Tzeentch was a semi-organic temple-like room with the god himself hovering above the crystalline floor.

The last image showed the most alluring yet dangerous. It was a humanoid with two pairs of slender horns rising from its flowing golden hair, a face and body that seemed to shape based on the seer's personal want. It was wearing luxuriantly lined, form-fitting armour composed of the most fine of gems and jewelry and bearing a jade scepter said to be his greatest treasure in its hand. Around the Prince of Pleasure was a palace that shaped itself to the desires of those that were watching.

Most of the Justice League, the transhumans, the scientists, and the Watchtower staff were either disturbed, disgusted, horrified, or nauseous. Or all of the above.

Some of the staff and scientists ran out to throw up in the bathrooms, while some maintained their composure but had disturbed looks. Bubbles and Blossom were pale with their eyes practically dots, while Buttercup tried her best to remain composed. Boomer had run off to throw up while Brick and Butch both looked incredibly disturbed, though the former of the two kept his composure.

Superman asked the Emperor with a troubled expression, "If they are essentially emotion made manifest, then how do we beat them?"

"It's... not easy to put it lightly." Estalius replied honestly for once, "While the four can manifest in realspace, should you destroy their avatar, they will instead be banished back to the Warp to regenerate. Meaning, you can't kill them."

That sentence caused the mood to drop further.

"Thankfully, I have, in my thousands of years of experience, collected mass knowledge of the inhabitants of the Warp and how to combat them." The Emperor explained, switching the screen to show a titanic writhing mass of Warp energy storming as various ships attempt to flee, "But I'll talk about that in a minute. The rift is what we call in my universe as a Warp Storm: A volatile writhing mass of Warp Energy that allows for the inhabitants of the Warp to enter realspace. Albeit on a much larger scale than have yet been seen. These storms cause most space travel and communication impossible, while simultaneously allowing the inhabitants of the Warp to manifest in reality."

The Flash raised a hand. "Yes?" The Emperor's Intellect responded.

"What are the inhabitants of the Warp? Besides the Gods."

Estalius just pressed a button on the remote, changing the image to something made all of them recoil; It was a blue mismatch of flesh and limbs surrounded by blue and pink others just like it.

"This is just some of the many horrors of the Warp. Aptly, this is one of the Horrors of Tzeentch. A Lesser Daemon of Tzeentch."

"Wait," Butch cut in, incredulous that this was a lesser daemon, "A Lesser Daemon? What about a Greater Daemon?"

At this request from the boy and other heroes, the Emperor pressed the button again, resulting in an image showed something from some impossible nightmare; an immense bird-like Daemon with shimmering skin, wicked curved beaks and multi-colored, spectrum-shattering wings. Clothed in white and gold robes, holding a blue and gold staff ablaze with Warp sorcery, and a golden helm on the head.

"Satisfied?" Estalius assumed a smug position with his left arm on the podium as he leaned on it, his right arm behind his back, and his left leg crossing his right. His expression one of questioning at the scared transhuman and some other heroes composed of his audience.

Butch paled at the sight of the Greater Daemon, stuttering out, "Yeah. I'm good."

"Fantastic!" He then assumed his formal position again before continuing, ignoring the looks of disapproval aimed at him, "The various ways to destroy a daemon are as follows. First, massive amounts of psychic energy. Because daemons are composed of energy from their creator god, if one uses massive amounts of focused psychic energy, they will be destroyed instead of being banished. Second, one must enact a certain ritual or utter the true name of the daemon. These are the hardest of all the ways as barely any names of the quite literally countless number of daemons have been documented and even if you defeat it, there's a chance that it'll survive. As for the rituals, that's harder for the same reasons as before. Thirdly, there are relics that can inflict a true death, but again, they are incredibly rare. Thankfully, there are specific substances that can harm Warp entities."

The Emperor then produced a nugget of a black hued substance of unknown provenance from his pocket, showing it off to the confused audience before chucking it to an intrigued Batman who caught it and examined it.

"That's Blackstone;" He explained to the intrigued scientists, "A substance that can either, depending on polarity, nullify psychic energy or absorb and enhance it, allowing for more destructive capabilities. I'm hoping that with your sciences and technologies, we can create enough Blackstone to protect the planet from the rampant wave of Warp energy emitting from the rift. If we do not prepare for the rift's opening wave, which I have dubbed the Onslaught Wave, I doubt we will survive a month against the Forces of Chaos."

The whispers among his audience grew more intense before he decided to unveil his plan.

"Though my abilities, I had implanted the idea of the Siphons into the mind of Johnathan Utonium," Estalius pointed to the professor, whom looked surprised before continuing, "They are an array of Siphons that will cushion the impact of the Onslaught Wave. If we manage to finish the array before it reaches Earth, we may have a chance at surviving."

"What about after?" Superman gave The Emperor's Intellect a skeptical glare.

He wasn't fazed before answering, "After the Onslaught passes, I will begin construction of the next stage of my plan. The Siphon Array will hold but not forever. The science team and I will begin construction on a series of more powerful Blackstone machines that can cancel Warp energy."

The Emperor then gained a stony expression, "Because we need to act fast because massive rifts like the one in this universe has appeared in numerous other universes."

Gasp rang though out the room with Him nodding grimly.

"All over the multiverse, Chaos is sinking their fangs into the unaware flesh of countless people."

Kasumi uncovered her eyes as the sudden light died down, only to gasp at the new sight.

A stream of multicolored swirling light with black misty tendrils around it streaked across the sky like a human being slashed in half.

She only with everyone else around her and around the planet only gape in shock with Bass saying the thing that they all thought.

"What the hell is that?"

"Turning peaceful worlds into those of pain."

Natsu and Lucy, both held each other as they see the swirling hole of color and darkness.

The other guilds look on in shock and horror as the hole reddens the sky like a second sun, while Zeref and Mavis look on in fear with Mavis clutching Zeref's arm.

"Horror."

Naruto held his wife and children close as did most people as they saw the coming storm. The others in the elemental nation all felt an absurd surge of emotions as dust and stone from the moon slowly rises upward to the technicolored scar.

"And misery."

In The Citadel, everyone was in a panic, many scrambling to contact their homeworlds and to organize their forces.

"We're getting massive surges of energy from that rift!" A salarian technician said, "Nearby dwarf planets and asteroids are being pulled into it!"

"Order all fleets to avoid the rift at all costs!" A Turian commander yelled to his subordinates.

Meanwhile, Commander Shepard and his group stare in shock at the gaping storm, the innards of it akin to a shifting maw of many rowed teeth.

"As we speak, Chaos may gain new and more powerful followers."

Clare and Raki stare up at the bleeding sky with awe and fear respectively.

The Abyssal Ones and the members of The Organization stare up at to the sky in awe of the lights.

"New daemons from the various ideas and emotions of an untold number of sentient species."

The Doomslayer stares at the rift with a surprised look under him helmet before glaring in absolute hatred for destroying all the demons that were meant to be his victims.

Running at speeds no normal man could reach, he jumped off the asteroid he was on, diving straight into the rift.

"And they will not stop at simply daemons."

Emperor Lelouch Vi Britannia and his sister Nunnally stare up at the rift that appeared just above the Damocles. Nunnally puts her hands to her mouth in fear while her brother just stared in shock.

"The gods will tempt you, offer you whatever you want, in exchange for you on their side."

Harry Dresden and the other wizards look skyward at the multicolored maw-like rift. Tendrils of pink, blue, red, and green flowed downwards to the earth spasticity in a serpentine fashion.

Mr. Dresden only had one thing to say.

"Shit."

"And believe me, you will not want to refuse."

Shinji Ikari screamed as Unit 01 fell down to the earth. The sudden blast reduced the Mass Produced Evangelions to shreds, destroying their cores in the process. The crew in NERV command watch in astonishment and fear at the tear in reality, Misato looks in shock as she sees it from the monitors.

Underneath the Geofront, The Black Egg cracks while Gendo, Ritsuko, and Rei stare in disbelief as Lilith fell away as her cross broke.

"Sometimes, they will plant metaphorical seeds to begin the universe's fall."

The Vance sisters and all their allies look on in trepidation to the skies at the dimensional scar flaring and blazing with myriads of colors and emotions. The Swamp Witch and her disciples watch but with joy and celebration while their eyes grow pink and purple.

"Other times, they will just go straight away and begin invading."

The explosion blew apart Scion as he attempted to reach other worlds. The fragments of gold fell from the sky as parahumans of all kinds of form and morality stare in fear at this thing tearing the sky.

"Some universes have already fallen prey to their temptations."

Emperor Makoto clung to Prime Minister Honest as the rift devastates nearby landscapes, The Jaegers and Wild Hunt staring fearfully at the coalescing colors and storms of dust and earth.

The Revolutionary Army headquarters was devastated by the storms, those who evacuated along with Night Raid could only stare in terror at the rift.

"But thankfully, more than half of those universes are taking up arms against them."

The Foundation, the Global Occult Coalition, Horizon Initiative, Anderson Robotics, the Church of the Second Hytoth, the Three Moons Inititive, and The Church of the Broken God gave everything they had to rage back against the hordes of Chaos. The Sarkic Cults, The Daevites, and The Fifth Church entered the rift, joining the Chaos Gods.

Entire continents blazed as the grounds flood in flames and bullet casings, 682 grew to immense sizes devouring entire legions of daemons, 096 rips many Chaos Space Marines into ribbons with his bare hands, Able was having the time of his life, punching, stabbing, slicing, and bludgeoning any and all Daemon Princes he saw. All MTFs and GOC Agents were mobilized, equipped with exoskeletons made by the Church, Tau-5 was put in charge of the Church's armies due to their cybernetic nature, and reigned down bullet hell, laserfire, and torrents of lightning to the hordes.

After the hordes were defeated, the five factions made Protocol: 666-1801 "Hell Shall Not Reign", in case they come back.

Meanwhile, Dr. Clef designated the rift as SCP-7000: The Gate of Hell.

"But for how long?" The Emperor asked rhetorically.

The Justice League were all silent. Heroes and staff alike look at each other as the weight of the news that the Emperor had bequiffed onto them. The Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys looked dazed from what they've heard, to where it seemed like they were struggling to stand.

"Look, I know." He tried console them, sensing their doubt, "This must be unimaginably large news to take in. Believe me, I have struggled with how large the four have grown with the opening of the Maw, but if no one stops them, we will fall to an eternal existence of pain and suffering, the likes of with are beyond imagining. Tell me, heroes of this blessed earth, will you let the daemons and cults inflict their will onto the people you swore to protect?"

The heroes slowly turned their attention back to the Emperor.

"Will you let them inflict their diseases and plagues on the innocents? Will you let the people be tortured and broken down into slaves for daemons? Will you let them be nothing but cattle for slaughter? Tell me; will you let all of this fall on the people you care about fall to those that would snuff out their lives with as much care as snuffing out the wick of a candle? Tell me: will you run? Or will you fight?"

The audience was silent, absorbing all that he'd told them all. Was this all what was coming their way? A horde of things made from the collective consciousness of the absolute worst of humanity. This was insane but if they didn't help him, the people would be endangered.

"We're with you, man!" Buttercup shouted, snapping everyone else out of their thoughts. The rest of the audience were surprised but then they all yell in agreement. It was unanimous; the Justice League would fight this enemy to their last breath. Superman had a large smile of agreement as did Batman, though no one could see it, while Estalius just had a smirk of pride.

"Wait." Flash politely cut in, "What do we call you? I mean we know Estalius is not your real name. So, what do we call you?"

That caused most of the audience to pause, including Superman and Batman, and look to Estalius for an answer.

"Call me..." His eyes then illuminated with golden light as an aura flared around him. The light wove and reformed until it resembled a golden silhouette of himself as he was during the Great Crusade. He then spoke in a voice that was so unfathomably powerful that attempting to use words to capture it would be nothing be an utter failure, "The Emperor of Mankind."

Almost everyone was rendered silent from seeing His eyes and aura before everything then went back to normal, "Or you still can call me Estalius. I don't care." He waved off before saying nonchalantly, "Any more questions?"

The audience was rendered silent by the voice, aura, and silhouette. Eyes and mouths agape with minds reeling from what he'd shown them. The Emperor snorts before he breaks into a long and hard cackle, finding the looks on their faces absolutely hilarious. He was laughing so hard that he had to use the podium to prevent himself from collapsing in his mirth. No matter how many times it happened, The Emperor always found the shocked reactions of his presence almost as funny as using his appearance shifting abilities. It seemed only Batman was the one who wasn't stunned, only having a surprised expression.

"I'll take that as a no." The Emperor jokingly said as his laughter simmered down to mirthful chuckles and as he wiped a tear from his eye, before he turns to Superman and motions to the podium, "I leave the podium to you, Supes."

He walked off stage carefreely, leaving the stunned audience that way until Superman took to the podium and coughed into his closed hand, snapping everyone except Batman out of their stupor, "Right. I want everyone taking shifts to patrol around the planet. Any cases of abnormal activity are to be reported to the Emperor. Go and stay safe. If the Emperor's right, we're gonna need all the help we can get."

The Emperor hummed as he decided to wander around the Watchtower, curious about the place. How did they construct a headquarters that resembled something from the Dark Age of Technology? Hell, some of the machinery he'd encountered hadn't been invented until the 12th Millenia! Another thing he'd been told was that the android, "AMAZO" he recalled, was originally nanotechnology before he became something akin to the Mechanivores and the Sun-Snuffers from the Cybernetic Revolt! Thankfully, AMAZO was apparently a philosopher instead of a warlord, but still!

It was unbelievable that they'd created something like that in the 21st century when they'd only set foot on the moon some 5 or 6 decades ago. Then again, given that their Terra hadn't yet collapsed from the weight of all of these advancements, maybe they'd found a way to counteract something like resource distribution or something like that.

No matter. So long as they could recreate and produce enough Blackstone, his plan should go off without a hitch. The Emperor just breathed calmly while staring out of one of the windows that let him see the galaxy before those four reality tumors that fucking ruined everything.

Suddenly, The Emperor became aware that he wasn't alone. The air shimmered while a streak of blue and grey speared outside the corner of his eye, he turned around to see a small robot standing on the wall adjacent to where he was.

Estalius blinked as he recognized the robot, "GIR?"

The hyperactive robot suddenly let out an extremely happy scream before rocketing towards Estalius, who barely dodged just in time when GIR then began ricocheting around the room crazily. Emps just flowed the robot as the latter ricocheted around the room until GIR stopped and spun in midair before throwing many circular smoke bombs everywhere which detonated in mid-air. Thick smoke filled the room as the Emperor used his powers to keep it away from him when it abruptly disappeared.

The shard containing the intellect of the Master of Mankind was confused for a moment before he saw that the SIR Unit standing on a ledge a few hundred feet across from and above him. Then he saw another figure standing by: It was 7.11 feet tall with a dark blue triangular banded long robe with black boots, leggings and gloves, it's frame bone thin and lean, a hemispherical device engrained on it's back, the face green with ruby eyes with crystalline sheen and insect-like antenna bending back at the ends at a sharp angle, and the symbol of Tzeentch engraved on the chest.

"You..." The Emperor breathed before growling out, "Zim!"

Standing on the precipice was the Emissary of Tzeentch and the Marquis of Locusts, Zim posing dramatically with one foot on GIR, "YES! IT IS I! AND IIIIII'VE BEEN EXPECTING YOU, EMPEROR OF MANKIIIIND!"

The Emperor blinked, caught off guard with the loud entrance of the Marquis of Locusts before a grin then appeared across his face. "Oh, someone wants to play a game, eh?" He challenged under his breath, cracking his knuckles as he did so, "Alright, I'm in. It's been too long."

"Ah, Zim!" The Emperor greeted dramatically, arms splayed outwards, "Emperor of the Irken Empire! To what do I owe that lets me have an audience with you at this salubrious of times for your kind?" His voice overflowing with his legendary mastery of sarcasm.

The Emissary of Tzeentch didn't seem affected by that as he kicked a whooping GIR aside while numerous platforms manifested around him and joined to form a set of stairs that he then used to walk down to where the Emperor was standing. The Irken towered over the Emperor's current form as this body was merely 6'9 but the Master of Mankind remained unintimidated as he and Zim circled each other like a pair of dueling lions.

"To answer your question..." Zim then gave a trolling grin as he purposefully said, "I've been busy."

"Really?" The Emperor drawled sarcastically, "Cause I thought you were at that taco place you love so much."

"No, no, no," Zim waved off before he then presented and motioned to GIR in his left hand as the two circled each other, "GIR loves that place. I think it's dirty." The new Emperor of the Irken Empire said as he inspected his claws, despite them being gloved.

"I ate a baby there!" The SIR unit stated cheerfully.

Zim confirmed nonchalantly without even looking up, "He did."

"First, fucking ew." The Emperor almost cringed in disgust at hearing that the robot consumed an infant (and never thinking he'd thought up that kind of sentence) before inquiring to the Locust, "Second, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Simple!" Zim drawled out enthusiastically, tossing a yowling GIR away, "To unearth your plan."

"And I to unearth yours?" Estalius inquired still.

The Marquis of Locusts only nodded with that same damnedable grin.

"Yes. Typical Tzeentchian logic! Now that I know your plan, I will plan around your plans. And so, you shall in turn plan around the plan that I am planning around your plan!" The Emperor drawled loudly, his voice drenched deep in syrup-like acidulousness, before slowly clapping in a mocking way, "Truly. Your brilliance knows no bounds!"

Zim cackled, taking that in stride, "Oh, come now, Emps! Haven't you ever heard of improv?"

Before the Emperor could respond, Zim unleashed a torrent of azure lightning from his hand that sent the former the former back. Shaking it off, the Emperor glared back before he produced twin orbs of golden light that he combined into a much larger orb. Letting out a yell, he threw the orb that spun rapidly before taking the shape of a screeching eagle.

The Marquis of Locusts easily dodged the flaming projectile as it collided with the wall behind him, exploding and causing the room to shake from the force of the blast. Zim took advantage of the Emperor's distraction as he tackled the latter before the insectoid legs from his PAK deployed and were enveloped in blue flames. Zim then flew up and then threw the Emperor to the floor, who grunted as the techno-laced floor dented from the impact before he rolled away as Zim attempted to stomp him through the ground, tearing it open to reveal massive bundles of wires.

Estalius growled, his hand glowing before he closed it. Suddenly, the metal and wiring shaped into a massive human hand that attempted to crush the Tzeetchian Xeno Daemon Prince, only for him to teleport a few meters away just as it closed as quickly as the jaws of a predator. The Irken Emperor just sneered as a stream of white-blue fire speared from his hand and towards the Emperor, only for him to telekinetically throw a slab of metal that intercepted the flames. It disappeared into the stream of flames until it reappeared as a cluster of blue-white crystals. Zim barely managed to avoid the crystals being imbedded in his head as it was imbedded into the wall. Suddenly, a giant hand made of golden light materialized and grasped around his torso before he was then thrown over the Emperor's shoulder, revealing that the hand was copying his movements.

As the Irken went flying, he maneuvered his body in a way that allowed him to land on his feet, albeit with a crater forming where he landed.

"COME ON, MARQUIS OF LOCUSTS!" The Emperor yelled at him arrogantly, "IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?! COME ON, YOU'RE BORING ME! GIVE ME A REAL FIGHT!"

Zim roared back, "THEN PREPARE YOURSELF, ANATHAMA!"

The moment the Irken finished that sentence, his body suddenly became an amorphous blue mass; glistening in the lights of the station before it became an anthropomorphic polymerization of insectoid and reptilian with scythe-like blade and membranous wings. It roared, the wind blowing through the Emperor's hair, who remained unfazed.

"Alright! Now, this is what I'm talking about!" He approved, cracking both his knuckles and his neck, "Let's party."

It charged, as it attempted to skewer the Emperor and send him screaming into the void beyond, only another golden hand to materialize and grasped it by the head before it was slammed into the wall opposite of the Emperor. It squirmed for a moment before it shifted into a serpentine shape, slithering out of his grasp and its mouth opened to reveal a stinger-like tongue that speared at Estalius.

The Emperor moved his head just quickly enough for the lightning fast thrust of the tongue to miss him by a hair while the arms dematerialized. He then threw a punch at the air while another golden fist right hooked the abomination in the jaw, sending it into the wall with the windows barely able to withstand the force of the Emperor's punch. Zim then grew an inner jaw in the blink of an eye before spewing more white-blue flames at Estalius whom somersaulted a few meters away from the Daemon Prince as he shifted into a blue and black tentacular creature, slithering and glistening with uncountable mouths and eyes.

Pseudopods wreathed in spikes thrusted toward the Emperor who willfully fell down as they pierced the spot where he was standing before his body shimmered in gold as he phased through the floor. He let out a yelp as he fell from the ceiling but managed to land on his feet. The Emperor was a bit dazed from the experience but shook it off and dusted himself off, muttering in annoyance, "I will never get used to that."

After a second, a streak of lighting raced to his side, revealing the Flash in his usual red bodysuit with a lightning emblem on his chest. In contrast with his usual attitude, he seemed worried.

"Hey, E, we heard explosions! What's going on?!" Flash inquired to him, not knowing what he just went through.

"We've got a situation, idiot!" The Emperor yelled at the superheroes, only to be silenced by a crash. Another crash rang out to the confused duo before a spiked tentacle pierced the ceiling and imbedded itself into the floor. It then grew multiple fanged maws that slathered its surface and glowed with that same blue-white fire.

"MOVE!" The Emperor bellowed, as he used his powers to tackle him and Flash out of the way of the onslaught of the blue flames. The two flew out of the room as it melted, crystalized, warped, and churned. After they tumbled out of the warping room, the Flash looked back at the room and was utterly shell-shocked.

"Holy shit!" Flash exclaimed as he saw the room warp from the flames, before turning to the Emperor, "What the hell was that?!"

"The Flames of Tzeentch," He replied as they both backed away from the transmuting area, "A common ability of followers of Tzeentch. Instead of immolating things though, it causes random transmutations in whatever they come in contact with."

Flash was understandably shocked but couldn't voice it as Zim came slithering out of the inferno, taking the form of a blue fanged worm that then grew several limbs and a head crowned in horns with white splotches for eyes. Something spread across the walls like a fungus at the touch of Zim's wretched claws before they distended into massive spikes that would have skewered Estalius and Flash had the latter not used his powers to speed the duo away from them.

The two ended at a stairway, watching as the hallway warped and distorted as Zim approached, changing into a mishmash of limbs, organs, and eye when suddenly the Flash yelled, "SEE YA, UGLY!"

He grabbed a surprised Estalius before both disappeared in a flash of lightning just as another tendril of Zim's pierced the wall where they were.

Back at the auditorium, the superheroes were in disarray as the Watchtower shook from some unseen force. While the crew and scientists managed to hold onto the railings, the heroes that had the ability of flight grabbed onto those that didn't and lifted them into the air as to avoid the ramifications of the sudden turbulence.

Suddenly, a streak of lightning came into the room before it stopped to reveal the Flash and the Emperor just as the turbulence stopped. Flash was unfazed while Estalius stumbled slightly from the G-Forces but remained on his feet before glaring at Flash.

"Be careful, dude!" The Emperor chastised Flash as he dusted himself off. The Flash looked sheepish until the ground shook again, nearly threatening to throw the two to the floor but managed to remain on their feet.

"What the hell is going on?!" Buttercup and Butch said in unison but neither noticed or cared when they had a situation like this.

"Simple; We're under attack!" Estalius yelled, causing the superheroes to look at him in shock but almost immediately after they got ready to fight whatever was coming.

A few moments later, a section of the floor burned blue before it broiled away, revealing Zim in his 'normal' form as he ascended to the floor. The Irken Emperor sneered with his arms behind his back before he spoke in a different voice. *

"So," Zim growled, his voice now deep, grating, and calm, motioning to the league as his head was focused on the Emperor, "This is your solution to us? The Justice League? Honestly, I thought you knew us better, Emps."

"Oh, come now, Zim; Haven't you ever heard of improv?" The Emperor echoed what Zim said earlier while motioning to the Justice League, who all had their powers ready to kick the Irken's ass.

In response, Zim, with a nastier sneer, snapped his fingers again. Suddenly, twin blue spiraling portals formed beside him, swirling and reforming. As quickly as they had formed, out came several Horrors of Tzeentch, growling and screeching at the shocked heroes. The Marquis of Locusts then disappeared in flash of blue just as the heroes reacted to the lesser daemons.

The Emperor swore before he chased after Zim while shouting back to the superheroes, "Keep your distance! If you get too close, you'll go insane!" He disappeared down the hallway as his enhanced senses telling him that the Daemon Prince was nearby.

At the moment of him turning a corner where he continued his chase, the Emperor was struck by a two-foot kick to the sternum by Zim, whom backflipped away at the moment he struck before he lobbed a bolt of blue lightning. The Emperor managed to twist his body out of the path of where the bolt would have hit before he hit the ground, then getting up and firing a golden beam from his palm at Zim who dodged.

"Tell me, Anathema; How are you going to convince a bunch of morally scrupulous people to follow your plans?" The Marquis of Locusts taunted the Master of Mankind as he dodged more golden beams from the latter, who was trying to strike him down.

The Emperor just shrugged, "I'll be honest: I'm just constructing that plan as I go."

Zim just scowled with utter hatred in his eyes before he curled his claws into fists as they burned with blue Warp fire. He then screamed at the top of his lungs before slamming his fists into the floor, sending waves of blue energy through the room. Suddenly, hand-like protuberances burst out of the floors, walls, and ceiling nearest to the Emperor. He could only issue an unidentified sound from his lips as he disappears while the hands seemingly impale him from every direction.

A breath hiss through Zim's teeth as he gazed at where the warped spot where the Emperor was standing, but before he could laugh at his victory, something black and fluid burst from the mass of hands that struck the Irken Daemon Prince like a punch from a Titan.

The Emissary of Tzeentch blinked. It was a humanoid construct; composed of a black material, both viscous and solid at once, that shifted and morphed as it crawled out of the mass of steel hands. The construct appeared as a humanoid's upper half with curled backwards facing horns, the lower part consisted of several thousand odd protuberances resembling clusters of veins or webs. At first, Zim was confused but then it hit him.

"Wraithbone?" Zim exclaimed, both surprised and fascinated.

"Surprised?" The Emperor mocked arrogantly, with his voice being projected through the construct, "Anything the Eldar can do, I can do better."

The construct's right arm then elongated quicker than Zim could react, slamming into his chest and sending him through the wall. Zim tumbled harshly across the floor before he slammed into the railing, bending it to the shape of an arch from the impact but he got to his feet all the same. Had he been made of Warp energy, that would have hurt like a bitch.

More of the black Wraithbone oozed out of the wall when Estalius suddenly crawled out of it and by extension the construct. He grimaced in disgust, wiping off the droplets of his coat and suit.

"Still needs some work then." The Emperor muttered before he then turned to a flatfooted Zim, "Like it? After studying how the Eldar create Wraithbone for the thousands of years that I wandered the Warp, I learned to make my own. I call it Haloshard. Sure, it's softer and more pliable than normal Wraithbone but beggars can't be choosers."

Zim growled and cast a Doombolt at the Emperor who quickly formed a Haloshard shield that blocked it but the force impact caused him to stumble slightly. Taking advantage of this, Zim leapt into the air while forming a blade of Warp energy and thrusted downwards, hoping to skewer the Emperor but the latter sidestepped away before he right-hooked Zim across the face and kneed him in the gut after forming a Haloshard spike on his knee.

The Irken yelped in pain before the Emperor kicked him in the face, sending him back slightly before he attempted to slash at his foe with his Warp blade. The Emperor blocked the slash with his Haloshard arm causing the sword to 'break' before kicking Zim back again and forming a scimitar-like blade from his Haloshard arm.

"The leader of the Irken Empire, eh?" The Emperor taunted Zim, looking bored while twirling the Haloshard blade in his hands, "You're as much of a leader as an overweight Eldar's self-esteem!"

That did it. Zim was 110% done with this shit.

Roaring, Zim suddenly grew four arachnid limbs before his body bulged and remade into a form more hideous than the rest: His skin was Prussian blue while his hands were pitch black, he had two sets of radiant diaphanous wings with ruby skin underneath with orange veins, a purple face with twin sets of eyes with an additional red eye on the forehead, 3 sets upward facing horns were on the back of the head. The chest had two sets of red eyes, with 3 sets of purple eyes on the torso, the lower and upper parts few as to beings fused together and few trying to separate, the feet were made of root-like tentacles.

The Emperor was surprised at the form Zim had taken but remained calm as he banished his Haloshard blade.

The abomination with Zim's mind roared before a blue shimmering wave blasted from its horrid body, intending to rend the Watchtower to dust. The Master of Mankind barely managed to stop it by using the Haloshard construct still in the wall as a shield, but Zim blasted through it with a flaming claw that pierced its sternum and chest before he slashed it in half. The construct fell to several shards that fell to the floor before Zim then raised his flaming claw to strike down the Emperor.

Suddenly, the Haloshard fragments then elongated into several thick spines of blackness that impaled the Marquis of Locusts in the legs, torso, chest, and arms. The monster wailed in pain as radiant iridescent blood began spraying from his wounds, thrashing, struggling, and jerking, trying to pull his body out of the spines.

In his agony, Zim's many eyes widened when he saw the Emperor morphing the Haloshard sword into a spear before he took a throwing position.

"Not as planned, eh?" The Emperor shot his one-liner before he launched the spear using both his physical strength and psychic might. It went ablaze with golden flames, burning away whatever corruption was near before it ended its journey by imbedding itself into Zim's head. The Marquis of Locusts did not scream nor roar, only jerked and slummed on the spines and the spear in its head.

A moment later, Zim disappeared. The iridescent blood vanished from the spines and the flaming gold spear fell to the floor where his head was.

"Seems someone didn't get the point of this game." The Emperor quipped to no one before he abruptly chuckled, "Ha! Ah, I've been holding that one in forever." He slapped one of his knees humorously as he sighs pleasantly.

He then remembers all the Horrors that Zim summoned earlier.

"Oh, shit!" The Emperor grabbed the flaming spear and sprinted back to the auditorium, mentally kicking himself for thinking that these people who'd never encountered any form of Chaos could stand a damn chance against-

His thoughts stopped dead when he arrived back at the auditorium.

The Horrors of Tzeentch were nowhere in sight and all of the Justice League seemed perfectly fine. Sure, they all had scratches, bruises, cuts, and scraps, they were panting in exhaustion and the auditorium was in ruins, but all in all; they'd were okay. He turned to see that the crew and scientist that had gathered were patching up the more injured of the league, while the Powerpuff girls and Rowdyruff boys had no wounds, but their uniforms were a mess as they sat down panting in exhaustion. XJ9 was undamaged as she was carrying the greatly wounded to the medical bays.

Superman seemed the least wounded and tired because he was the first one to notice him enter the auditorium, "Estalius!"

The rest of the Justice League heard the leader call the Emperor and all turned to see him standing in the entrance to the auditorium.

"Jesus, dude! The hell happened to you?!" Butch yelled in shock as he saw the Emperor while his brothers and the Powerpuffs look on in shock. Same could be said for the rest of the Justice League who looked at Estalius like he crawled out of hell.

The Emperor looked confused at their stare before he saw the state of himself; his labcoat was in tatters as was his suit while he was coated with scratches. The most damning prospect of his appearance was that he was drenched in black goo which was quite obviously from when he crawled out of his Haloshard construct. And there was the obvious fact that he was holding a spear composed of golden flames.

"...I took care of Zim." He shrugged, for once not knowing what to say, "What about you guys?"

Superman sighed, "It took a lot, but we repelled the Horrors that Zim summoned."

"Tell me about it. That was the toughest fight of my life." Buttercup murmured as she wiped some of the sweat of her brow, still exhausted along with her sisters and the Rowdyruffs, who nod in agreement.

"And there were minimal causalities?" Estalius asked, inquisitively.

"There were plenty injured," Superman confirmed to him, "But everyone managed to get out alive."

To say that the Emperor was both impressed and surprised was something of an understatement. These people held off a horde of Horrors and suffered no casualties except for some severally injured? This might be easier than he expected.

"Really? No casualties?" Estalius became pretty inquisitive. If he could use them for his plans, who knows what he'd accomplish?

"Yes." Superman replied before he noticed the Emperor's intrigued expression, "Is there something wrong with that?"

"No. Not at all." The Emperor responded before he stated the bluntest he'd ever said, "It means you guys got really, really, really, really, really, really, really fucking lucky. And you better hope that luck sticks."

Superman and the superheroes that heard him blinked, with the former asking, "Are you implying that things are gonna get harder?"

The Emperor opened his mouth, then closes it, then says, "Sure. Let's go with that."

The Man of Steel seemed puzzled but nods before he flies back to check up on the others. The Emperor, meanwhile, slowly walks to the auditorium windows behind the stage, staring at the Maw of Annihilation in the distance.

"Alright, you motherfuckers," The Emperor said to no one after giving a sneer of disgust at the rift, "Let's see who wins this Great Game between you and I."

In the Churning Forge, Zim reappeared in his lair; one filled with scriptures, chemistry sets, vials filled with blasphemous alchemical creations, vats filled with developing abomination of flesh, metal, and Warpcraft, and standing by the doorframe was GIR, shut down in recharging mode. Zim sneered, dusting himself off before he wrote something in the Irken language on another piece of the many vast rolls of parchment in the room. Then he realized he wasn't alone.

Zim turned to the doorway again to see Mandy, the Queen of Daemons, standing in the doorway. Her expression was one of utter smugness with her smirk, at seeing the Irken fail at another one of his attempts to gain more power.

"So, how has your latest plan gone?" Mandy walked across the room, her hands on her hips as she struts, "How did you fail this time?"

The Marquis of Locusts sneered, "You won't find the answer so humorous."

"Oh? And what-"

"The Emperor." Zim cut her smug inquiry off before it even started.

Mandy's smugness evaporated and turned to utter shock, before asking, "Are you serious?"

"I am very serious." He responded, setting down the roll of parchment, "It was most definitely the Emperor; the golden aura, the long flowing hair, the arrogance, and the fact that he beat me to a pulp. It seems he got to that world quicker than we anticipated."

She swore under her breath before taking another breath, regaining her composure, "Then be more subtle. We need to ensure that we have enough forces to delay the Emperor for as long as possible."

Zim nodded before he remembered something important, "Speaking of the Emperor, there is something I've been meaning to show you and the other Undivided. Come with me."

The Marquis of Locusts leads the inquisitive Queen of Daemons through the Warp-infested halls of the Churning Forge; blends of Warp-crafted flesh and Material-crafted machinery, some holding the blessings of one of the Gods, others being bare of any madness born from the madness of the Forge's masters. They turned to a hallway consumed with blue crystalline surfaces that reflect and refract iridescent light, through there was no source of said light.

"Tell me," Zim suddenly and sadistically inquired in his more menacing voice, turning to Mandy, "How easy was it to trick both Horus and Guilliman** in those other timelines?"

Mandy let a small smirk grace her lips, "It was easier than taking candy from an infant. Watching Horus' faith shatter and seeing Guilliman despair as his parents' souls were taken from him..." Her lips trembled before she lost all self-control and burst into a mad cackle at the utter ease it took her to convince the idiot Primarchs to rebel against the Emperor in two sperate timelines.

For Horus, it all was back at Colchis. Kor Phaeron and Erebus asked the Gods for a messenger of their will, and Mandy was the one who answered. She told them not to warn Lorgar about the Emperor coming to destroy Monarchia, afterwards they were to convince Lorgar to begin his Pilgrimage to both Cadia and into the Eye of Terror. It was her that possessed Eugen Temba and used the Anatheme to wound Horus on the moon of Davin, leading to the Mournivel to take their Primarch to the Davinite Serpent Lodge and it was her along with Erebus who convinced him to turn against the Imperium. And the rest was history.

For Guilliman, Mandy had disguised herself as Be'lakor and taken the souls of Konnor and Euten before taunting the Avenging Son into chasing her into the Eye of Terror. Before Guilliman entered the Eye, she ended up giving the two souls to the real Be'lakor and explained to him that he needed to act as if it was in fact him that stole them and not her. When the two eventually encounter each other, she only needed to watch as the Roboutian Heresy began.

For her actions in causing the decay of the Imperium in not one but two timelines, Mandy was given unimaginable boons by the Gods even though she had already achieved Daemonhood. Her moniker, the Queen of Daemons, was not a boisterous one as the greatest boon the Gods gifted her was the ability to bind any daemon she wants to her will. The other boons were those that Zim didn't know but also knew never to pry into whatever involved with Mandy.

Zim joined in on the laughter the issued from her lips as the two walked down the hallways of the Churning Forge for about 15 minutes before it cleared their system as they arrived at a gate that led to the Labyrinth of Tzeentch. Zim led her through the near impossible to navigate labyrinth of crystal and change, arriving maybe an hour later to a hall where 6 paintings were hung.

"As the Maw of Annihilation opened," Zim started as he motioned to the 6 painting while Mandy looked on with an intrigued expression, "Kairos Fateweaver began... for lack of a better term, freaked out."

The Queen of Daemons turned to the Marquis of Locusts, puzzled, "'Freaked out?'"

"Yes, freaked out." Zim confirmed, motioning towards the paintings again, "When he calmed down, Kairos asked for art materials. Lord Tzeentch and I were puzzled but allowed it and he retreated into his library. 3 days later, he came out with the paintings."

Mandy, thoroughly intrigued, walked to the paintings and beheld them like the works of the mad artist they were made from, analyzing them with a hand under her chin and with her red clawed fingers drumming on her cheek.

The first painting showed a white haired man wearing a business suit and a labcoat, surrounded with formulas and calculations. "The Emperor's Intellect" was written in gold on the frame.

The second showed the back side of a man with brown hair, dressed in a dirty whit beater and black pants with a Lasgun in his hands, with the Aquila engraved on his back in scar tissue. The ground was black, and the sky was grey, but the most shocking part was whom the man was facing; it was Huron Blackheart, lighting claw raised to strike, yet the man did not seem to yield. "The Emperor's Valor" was written in gold on the frame.

The third showed another man facing away from the watchers; this one has shoulder length ginger hair and a full beard, wearing a white long sleeve shirt under a red leather duster, grey pants, and black boots. A reflection in a nearby crystal showed that his eyes were glowing red that went along with the expression of utter rage that adored his face. In his arms was a human sized version of the Spear of Telesto, and a Bolter, loaded and ready, was tied to a strap around his shoulder and torso. He stood above a precipice as the furious traitor Sons of Horus were drawing near. "The Emperor's Vengeance" was written in gold onto the frame.

The fourth showed three figures: The Star Fyodperor with Leman Russ and unknown man. All three seemed to be diving through the air, Fyodor having his scepter raised and his mouth open like a yell, and Leman with his sword raised and mouth open like a howl. The one on his right had a large grey ragged cloak, his face was odd with the right side being black as night and the left side being an orange-copper color with this side being the only one that had an eye, in his hands was a Chaos corrupted Bolt Rifle. He was grasping the right side of the Throne of Judgement, aiming his Bolt Rifle at whatever is in front of him and the two. "The Emperor's Compassion" was written in gold on the frame.

The fifth showed two people were sitting in a black space illuminated only by an unseen dim source of light from the unseen above. The first one was an absolutely beautiful woman with short black hair dressed in a black concealing outfit on her knees, cradling the second. The second was a male with shoulder length hair and a beard was wearing pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and a sleeved mantle. The only other thing existing in the painting other than the figures were the radiant golden tears that flowed down the female's cheeks. "The Emperor's Regrets" was written in gold on the frame.

The final painting showed a swath of golden fire; blasting, scouring, the faces of the Traitor Primarchs screaming as they burned in relentless blasts. The ground was ashen grey while Horus screamed to the sky as he burned in the background. In the center of the torrent of golden flames, was a black male figure with eyes burning like the flame around him, in his hands was the Sword of the Emperor, burning brighter than all the White Dwarfs of the universe. "The Emperor's Resolve" was engraved in gold on the frame.

"Interesting. Very interesting." The Daemon Queen mutters under her breath before turning to Zim, "Has Fateweaver produced any more of these paintings?"

"So far; no." The Marquis of Locusts answered as he was walking to her side, "Whenever I asked him for more, instead of being the cryptic bastard he usually is, Kairos was silent. It was almost like he was... scared."

Mandy looked pleasantly surprised at that information before ordering, "Informed the other Undivided. They must see this."

Zim shrugged and waltzed off to collect the others while she stayed and examined the paintings again. After a minute, a smirk graced her lips as her eyes burned with red.

"Very well, Anathema; Let's see what you have planned."

Before we end this, I've just wanted everyone to know that I'll be changing Abandon All Hope, Embrace All Chaos: Origins to show the new factions that have appeared similar to how the author showed the Primarchs and the Legions in the Roboutian Heresy.

Also, forgot to mention, the Emperor's Intellect is voiced by Troy Baker.

*It's a thing I'm doing with Zim; whenever Zim acts like his normal self, he is voiced by Steven Richard Horvitz. But when he's meant to be in a more menacing position, imagine that he's voiced by Alan Tudyk who played Mr. Nobody in the Doom Patrol TV series.

**The Roboutian Heresy by Zahariel.

Zeroth17 · Aug 8, 2022

Brick let out a sigh of relief as he sat down. Things changed quite a bit ever since the Emperor revealed himself to the Watchtower; the Emperor had the core members of the League assign some of the other heroes to guard duty while the heroes more adept in technology would be studying the Blackstone nugget he gave them and try to replicate it.

Most of the country was now under martial law and several battalions of soldiers under the Global Defense Forces' wing were sent to all the major cities to provide protection from any intrusions from Chaos. China had descended into anarchy and other countries were barely keeping themselves together, the only reason they haven't collapsed was due to their own superheroes.

After a few days, he, along with his brothers and the Powerpuffs, were asked to provide genetic material for the Emperor. IE, some hair, skin, and blood samples. He also asked to talk to Professor Utonium about Chemical X and all its properties, leading the latter to the laboratories. Oddly, he also asked for samples of any aliens or metahumans of the League.

Apparently, the Emperor was conducting experiments on Chemical X and metagenes for reasons he didn't know.

He mentioned something about wanting to recreate something called 'Gene-Seed' and that he was going to give a presentation on his universe and what something that he called the Imperium was, in about an hour.

But there was something that was bothering him; last night, Megaville police had gotten several reports of disappearances. Many of the disappearances were just vagrants or nobodies at first, but then reports came in that several members of various affluent families had disappeared as well, one of them being Professor Membrane's daughter. Reports of more disappearances came from all over the country and even from other countries.

Investigations were launched immediately after due to pressure and bribes by the concerned families of those who went missing, but despite their best efforts, they only found a fraction of the missing people and they were all found in various states of mutilation. The victims were too traumatized to provide any information on the identities of the kidnappers but did manage to give the investigators the location of where they were.

This led to raids on a series of warehouses provided by the victims, that lead to the arrest of over 300 people and the discovery of half of the missing people who had all been killed by the kidnappers. They had apparently been kidnapped for a cult, but the states of the bodies horrified the police, but it isn't accurate to call them bodies when they were more akin to mush than bodies. But they still hadn't found the other half, which included the professor's daughter.

Yet as they cleaned out the crime scenes, the investigators found books and papers burning in a pyre and some of the cultists had thrown paint and blood onto the walls, as if they were hiding something. The one image they were able to recover was that of a purple silhouette of a feminine figure with the lower half of a serpent, large, feathered wings, and horns on her head.

The cultists that were arrested are now awaiting trial but it's likely they'll get life in prison if they didn't get the death sentence.

Brick snapped out of his thoughts when Weasel told him it was time to go to the presentation. He grumbled and walked down the halls stoically, with Butch seemed apathetic with his arms behind his head, and Boomer... just being himself. The Powerpuff Girls came walking along but unlike before, Brick didn't feel animosity when they were near.

He didn't know why though.

Estalius placed the lock of Brick's follicles into a beaker before pouring in a solvent to break it down into its most basic components. The hairs dissolved in a mess of bubbles that turned the solvent a bright green as he stirred the beaker in his hand, before he poured the solution into a chemistry set. He watched the satisfying process of the solution travelling through all the tubes and flasks filled with various chemicals and mixtures before it ended with a black liquid filling an awaiting beaker.

The Emperor examined the liquid for a moment, swirling it around with a stirrer and muttering, "Interesting."

He set the beaker into a miniature refrigeration unit after pouring a small amount into a culture vial, before dabbing a swab in the vial and swiped it on a slide. He then placed another slide on top of it and put them under a microscope before peering into it.

It showed several human cells floating through a black sea, small sparks of bioelectricity streaking through the blackness as the cell still underwent mitosis, albeit much slower than normal cells. Focusing more, the Emperor could see that the cell has small protrusions resembling spikes covering the membrane and nucleus.

Estalius pulled back from the microscope, with a clenched fist to his lips, repeating, "Very interesting."

He then put up a recorder and began another entry; "Entry #5. According to the logs of Dr. Megalos, Chemical X is a super-reactive agent that has the potential for energy development and growth. And according to Professor Utonium, the creator of the agent in question, Chemical X was designed to work with other ingredients to provide balancing components to the power yield in quantity embedded. Therefore, when Pure Strain Chemical X is ingested and overloaded without other ingredients in a given subject, it lacks the absorbing factors to make the powers given to the subject permanent, thus allowing its effects to eventually wear off and physically exhaust its consumer."

"Upon learning this, I've decided to conduct some experiments involving this and the 'Metagenes' that I've heard through the grapevine. I've managed to separate the agent from Brick's genetic material and I'm hoping to isolate certain Metagenes for further experiments when I begin my later experiments. But there is a problem I've found; Chemical X's potency may have mass amounts of unpredictable and uncontrollable results. That and I may need to resort to more... alternative means of getting my results." He was about to end it there when he remembered to add on last thing, "There is also the possibility of Chaos corruption, but I'll cross that bridge when I burn it."

The Emperor finished that log, but as he set it down and turned to get some more chemicals for his research, the chronometer showed that his presentation was five minutes away. The Emperor muttered an F-bomb as he hastily grabbed the hard-drive he put his presentation on and jogged out of his lab, once again thankful that chronometers were invented.

Speaking of which, he better get used to calling them 'clocks' and not 'chronometers' as he'd sound like a stick in the mud if he continued to.

Estalius adjusted his tie as he entered the auditorium again, seeing the crowd gathered up to hear about what went on in his universe. Given they were highly scrupulous, he knew this was going to be a long day.

"Hello, everyone." He greeted them pleasantly, "Because of requests, I've decided to inform you all of my universe. But bear in mind, I am going to be skipping a few details because if I explained every single detail, the conversation will be so long that it'll be finished just before the Wave will arrive and we'll all be fucked. So, I'll be covering the bare minimum that is required."

The audience smile, curious on what this new universe could behold.

"The empire that I founded is the Imperium of Man; an imperialist bureaucratic empire that in fact spans the entire galaxy." The Emperor began explaining, showing the Imperial Palace through his powers to imprint the image on the hard drive into the screen, much to everyone's awe, "Earth, or Terra as it's called in the 41st millennium, is the capital world of the Imperium. It is run by me but due to the actions of a certain someone that I refuse to fucking mention, it is run by a council of 6 known as the High Lords of Terra."

He continued by showing the front lines of a massive army, who's soldiers are equipped with green body armor and green laser rifles, "The military for the Imperium separates into many groups but the ones that are usually deployed are the Imperial Guard, standard regiments of foot-soldiers equipped with Lasguns, laser rifles that can be powered by a myriad of sources, and flak armor, body armor that is reliable and easy to produce. The Guard are also bolstered by many armored vehicles and armaments."

The next image showed what the audience only described as juggernauts; massive soldiers clad in mechanized armor, holding guns that seemed like they would break the bones of any normal man, "These are the Space Marines or the Adeptus Astartes. One of my greatest accomplishments in genetic enhancement. They are called in if the situation becomes dire. The Space Marines are usually split into sects of 1000 or Chapters at a time."

Professor Utonium raised a hand, "How does someone become a Space Marine?"

The Emperor then gained a tired expression as if saying 'Oh, god, I wish you hadn't said that', muttering, "Oh boy. Strap yourselves in, cause this gonna be a long fucking explanation."

Some of them seemed confused but prepared themselves for the long explanation from the Emperor, who took a breath and began. The scene changed to what they assumed was a Space Marine specialized as a medic, extracting two bulbous glands from a dead Space Marine's neck and chest.

(If none of you want to read the Emperor explaining Gene Seed, skip to the next bold message)

"The process of creating an Astartes is a long and arduous one. Initiates must undergo 'trials' to be proven worthy of joining the Chapter. Bear in mind, trials vary wildly from Chapter to Chapter. If they survive these trials, the initiates will then undergo genetic screening as to remove the possibility for rejection of the enhancements. These enhancements are 19 distinct organs are called Gene-Seed, which are used to genetically augment an initiate's body beyond normal limits. And because I assume you're all curious, I'll explain all nineteen;"

"The first Gene-Seed is a secondary heart, also known as the Maintainer." The Emperor pointed to the left breast of the figure that came on via hologram, "This is the first and least difficult of the implantations. It resembles a smaller version of the normal heart and is implanted in the chest cavity and connected to the rest of the circulatory system. Its function is to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the muscles by increasing the bloodflow well beyond what normal human is capable off. If the primary heart is damaged or destroyed, it can take over all its normal functions until they can get medical attention."

"The second is the Ossmodula or Iron Heart. This organ is implanted in the pituitary gland at the base of the brain, thus integrating into the endocrine system. The organ secretes a specially made version of Human-Growth hormones. This, along with microscopic ceramic-based minerals laced in their diets, acts to grant the skeleton superhuman strength and massive size compared to a baseline Human male. During this time, the rib cage will fuse into a solid mass of bulletproof, interlaced bone plates. The resulting structure protects the Space Marine's organs from damage in a way the normal Human skeleton never could, though at the price of producing greater difficulties for the medics when they must perform surgeries on a Space Marine's body cavity."

"The third is the Biscopia or Forge of Strength. This organ is implanted into the chest cavity. It secretes hormones that stimulate the muscles, causing them to keep up with the growth and strength of the skeleton. The result enhances the Space Marine's physical ability and survivability to superhuman levels, should he survive the trials to become one. The first three are usually implanted at the same time to allow for each to work in tandem with one another, promoting the growth of the novitiate."

"The fourth is Haemastamen or Blood Maker. This organ is implanted in the main blood vessels like the aorta, femoral artery, or the vena cava. As the second name implies, this implant increases the production of blood and alters its biochemical composition to carry oxygen and nutrients more efficiently. This causes the side effect of having a Space Marine's blood to be a lighter shade of red and it also regulates the actions of the Biscopia and Ossmodula."

"The fifth is Larraman's Organ or the Healer. This organ resembles the human liver but the size of a golf ball and is implanted in the chest cavity. It creates synthetically made enhanced platelets called Larraman's Cells. Should an Astartes be injured, the implant will release the Larraman's Cells into the circulatory system, attach to the leukocytes, and clot the wound, but forms scar tissue in seconds. This causes Space Marines to be seen as invincible, as they can survive wounds that would kill regular humans."

"The sixth is the Catalepsean Node, or the Unsleeping. This organ is implanted in the back of the cerebrum, just above the brain stem. If the Astartes begin experiencing sleep deprivation, the Node can shut off specific parts of the brain, allowing for them to continue fighting. Though extended periods of use can cause hallucinations and psychosis. A Space Marine squad is on record for 328 hours of active combat duty."

"The seventh is the Preomnor, or the Neutralizer. This organ is spliced into the digestive system above the stomach. The implant acts as a 'pre-stomach' or second stomach that allows the Astartes to digest and eat otherwise poisonous or indigestible materials. The implant is also capable of biochemically analyzing indigested materials and neutralizing most known and unknown biochemical and inorganic toxins. Deadly poisons are either neutralized or isolated from the digestive tract, or the implant itself will be isolated and vomit up the toxin. In rare cases, the implant will reroute the poison to another implant that I'll get to."

"The eighth is the Omophagea, or the Remembrancer. This organ is implanted into the spine cord and then wires itself into the central nervous system, directly attaching it to the cerebral cortex and the stomach. It allows the Astartes to gain some of a person's memories by eating their flesh. Because it is implanted between the thoracic vertebrae and the stomach wall and is designed to absorb information and any DNA, RNA or protein sequences related to experience or memory. It quite literally allows a Space Marine to "learn by eating." Four new nerve bundles are also implanted connecting the spine and the stomach wall. The Omophagea transmits the gained information to the Astartes' brain as a set of memories or experiences. This enables the Space Marine to gain information, in a survival or tactical sense, simply by eating an animal indigenous to an alien world and then experiencing some of what that creature did before its death. Though certain mutations have caused some Chapters to gain a craving for blood or flesh."

The audience collectively grimaced and voiced their disgust but Estalius didn't acknowledge them as he continued.

"The ninth is the aptly named Multi-Lung, or the Imbiber. The organ is a third lung implanted into an Astartes' pulmonary and circulatory systems in the chest cavity that is able to absorb oxygen from environments usually too poor in oxygen to allow normal Human respiratory functioning. Breathing is accomplished through sphincter muscles implanted into the trachea, allowing all three lungs to be used at full capacity. In toxic environments, a similar muscle closes off the normal lungs, thus oxygen is absorbed exclusively by the Multi-lung, which then filters out the poisonous or toxic elements. The implant has highly efficient toxin dispersal systems."

"The tenth is the Occulobe, or Eye of Vengeance. The organ sits at the base of the brain and is implanted at the base of the brain and is connected to the optic nerve and to the retina. The implant can adjust the rod and cone cells of the eye via hormonal and genetic stimuli, allowing for the Astartes to see low-light conditions. Because of this constant adjustment, the Astartes can adapt their sight to whatever environment they find themselves in."

"The eleventh is Lyman's Ear, or the Sentinel. This organ actually replaces the ear instead of being implanted in the eardrums. The new ears are structured in a way that can filter out or enhance certain sounds, along with making them immune to dizziness and motion sickness. It was named after one of the scientists that helped me work on my Primarch Project."

"The twelfth is the Sus-an Membrane, or the Hibernator. This organ is originally implanted into the cerebrum before the membrane envelopes the brain, integrating itself into the neutral architecture. Normally, it doesn't do anything on it's own but if a Space Marine is mortally wounded in combat or makes a conscious decision to want to activate, it'll activate, putting them into a state of suspended animation. Until given proper chemical treatment and hypnotic auto suggestion, they will stay in that state. The longest one has stayed in this state is 587 years."

"The thirteenth is the Melanochrome, or the Skin-Shield. The organ is implanted into the lymphatic system and controls the production of melanin. If exposed to absurd amounts of sunlight or UV rays, the implant will produce vast amounts of melanin, darkening their skin in matter of minutes. This protects against damage that UV rays have on DNA. Mutations in this implant has caused a few chapters to either gain pale skin like the Blood Angels or extremely dark skin and red eyes like the Salamanders."

"The fourteenth is the Oolitic Kidney, or the Purifier. This organ is implanted in the abdominal cavity, and it becomes part of the excretory system. It acts as an emergency detoxification organ, capable of purifying the body at a quick rate if a poison or toxin too powerful for the immune system to handle. However, this will render the Astartes unconscious due to its fast-acting nature. Under normal circumstances, the implant will act as the same as the normal kidneys."

"The fifteenth is the Neuroglottis, or the Devourer. This organ is implanted within the Astartes' upper nasal passages. It allows for the chewing, tasting or smelling a substance a Space Marine has found to biochemically test it for toxicity and nutritional content, essentially determining if the substance is edible or poisonous. The organ also allows the Space Marine to identify extremely subtle odors with the same fidelity as the average canine bred for tracking, allowing him to even track his quarry by smell or taste alone."

"The sixteenth is the Mucranoid, or the Weaver. The organ is implanted into the central nervous system. On its own, the implant is inactive. However, when a specific chemical treatment is applied, it begins secreting a waxy protein laced substance that begins hardening upon contact with the skin. This seals their pores, acting as a cocoon suspended animation or layer of insulation if they're in especially frigid environments or even protect against the vacuum of space."

"The seventeenth is Betcher's Gland, or the Poison Bite. These two organs are implanted multiple locations around the mouth, including in the lower lip, in the salivary glands, or in the hard palette. They work in tandem, allowing the Space Marine to consciously turn their saliva into a corrosive, blinding acid. For offense, the Space Marine can spit this attack at their enemies, blinding, burning, or killing them. For other purposes, the acid allows them to chew through things that nobody could chew through or begin breaking down things that normal saliva can't. Due to various reasons, this implant has atrophied in a number of chapters."

"The penultimate one is the Progenoid Glands, or the Gene-Seed. These organs are implanted into the neck and chest of the Space Marine. These organs will react to the other implants via hormones and produce germ cells similar to sperm or egg cells, that have similar DNA to the other implants. After five years, the gland in the neck is ready for harvest and the one in the chest after ten. When a Space Marine dies, an Apothecary will extract the Progenoids as so the chapter can produce more implants."

"The final implant is the Black Carapace, or the Interface. This organ is an organic neuroactive, fibrous material that is implanted directly under the skin of the torso. After a few hours, the material will spread through the rest of the body, creating invasive neuro-bundles that allow for the Space Marine to interface with their Power Armor, making it seem like it's a second skin. Bear in mind, it is possible to wear Power Armor without the Black Carapace, but it will act more cumbersome."

(Here you, go. He may explain the Primaris Gene Seed after, but I'm sure that bareable.)

When he was finished, the audience had expression of intrigue, fascination, horror, and dumbfound, or all of the above.

"Any questions?" The Emperor called out.

He got one from Professor Utonium whom had an unnerved expression, "You said that the 2nd and 3rd released specially designed Human-Growth Hormones. Those kinds of hormones are released during puberty. So, by that estimate, does that mean..."

The rest of the audience caught on and stared at the Emperor, their faces set firmly to horror.

"Nnnn... Yes." Estalius wanted to deny but realized there was no point.

"THIS IS DONE TO CHILDREN?!" Nora Wakemen utterly screamed, while several others voiced their outrage to an unfazed Emps, who just rolled his eyes. It may seem heartless but when you've done this almost a million times, you just grow numb.

"One," The Emperor said out loud, silencing the others, "It's due to how the Implants function. Some of them are grown invitro while others are injected into the body via germ cells and virus machines and are grown through the Astartes natural process. Because of this, the Gene-Seed has to be implanted before and during puberty as so the body adapts as easily as possible. And because the implants are neuroactive, the implantation process requires them to be awake and their minds not dulled by painkillers."

Everyone now has absolutely horrified expressions, causing the Emperor to then sigh and say with a deadpan tone, "And now I'm just realizing I should have kept that last part out."

The outrage returned a million-fold, before Superman raised a hand, silencing them again. The Man of Steel then approached the Master of Mankind, a look of utter disappointment on his face while the Emperor remained stone-faced. The two stared down at each other before...

"How many?" Superman asked quietly.

The Emperor raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

"How many boys go through this?"

He hemmed for a second before answering, "A few million. Given there are usually over a thousand Space Marine chapters in the Imperium currently."

Horrified whispers went around the room while Batman and Superman remained stone-faced before Wonder Woman shouted, outraged at the Emperor's nonplused attitude, "'A few million?!' How can you stomach these acts being done to millions of children?!"

"Yeah!" Buttercup agreed, "Who the hell lets their kids go through this shit?!"

The Emperor just gazed blankly at the Amazonian Princess and the green Powerpuff, before he let out another tired sigh, "It's not that simple. The Imperium has a variety of worlds, all with different cultures. This, along with the widespread belief that I am a god, which I keep insisting I am not, fucking damnit Lorgar, causes people to see the Space Marines as Angels of Death. Furthermore, they see allowing for their sons to join the Chapters to be a great honor. And same goes for the regiments of the Imperial Guard. They're taken from their homes at whatever age to fight for the Imperium. Being a guardsman is like being fed through a meatgrinder until it stalls. Literally, the Imperium goes through Guardsmen like you go through toilet paper."

At seeing their repulsed looks, the Emperor sighed again, "I know. But what we do, we do without choice. If we were to lay down arms, stop sacrificing psykers for the Golden Throne, and stop boys from becoming Space Marines, humanity would cease as easily as a candle being snuffed out. The Orks, the Dark Eldar, the Tyranids, or especially Chaos would feast on us like we were fruit ready to be plucked. If a billion lives are sacrificed to ensure that all of humanity once more may live, then so be it."

Now, everyone seemed confused. Not confused like one was confused about a question or statement, confused as to how such a place can exist that considers the deaths of billions to be an acceptable lose.

"Continuing;" The Emperor continued, apathetic to their moral crisis, "New advancements in Gene Seed resulted in the Primaris Space Marines; Astartes further enhanced by three additional implants. The first are the Sinew Coils, or The Steel Within. This organically grown durametallic coils will reinforce the sinews and due to them being able to contract with incredible force, increasing the strength of a Space Marine even further and adding another layer of defense."

"The second is the Magnificat, or the Amplifier. It is a thumbnail sized lobe that is implanted into the brain's cortex. The lobe will begin secreting special hormones that will increase the body's growth functions and will intensify all of the other implants. Fun fact, it is actually the right side of an organ I engineered called the 'God-Maker.'"

"Wait. What happened to the left side of the God-Maker?" Blossom asked, curious as to why they didn't use the left of the God-Maker if they already had the right side.

"Nunya." Was the only respond she got as he shifted through his papers a little.

Blossom blinked, "Nunya what?"

"Nunya fucking business." The Emperor deadpanned, before continuing as if that didn't happen, "Moving on: The final implant is the Belisarian Furnace, or the Revitalizer. This organ is implanted into the twin hearts of the Space Marine. While mostly inactive, if the Primaris is undergoing extreme stress or is fatally wounded, the organ will expel a hyper cocktail of self-synthesized chemicals that will stimulate the body along with aiding in the rapid regrowth of tissue, bone, and muscle. It does take a bit of time to 'recharge' after use."

All of them were back to being fascinated and this continued for a while as the Emperor bequiffed them with the minimum requirements needed to explain the Imperium. When he was done however, he asked that the Powerpuff girls and the Rowdyruff boys, along with Superman, Batman, Brisbaine, Weasel and Utonium to come with him. The group that he requested, minus Batman, Brisbaine, Weasel, were confused but went along with it as the audience disbanded.

"Dam-I mean, man..." Buttercup stopped herself from swearing before she murmured as they walked down the hallway, "I knew the universe that the Emperor came from was harsh but, yeesh, the Imperium sounds like a place where you'd killed if you even breathed wrong."

"Tell me about it..." Butch muttered in agreement. Bubbles seemed uncomfortable as did Boomer, only Brick and Batman along with the doctors kept their composure.

Blossom just kept her head down and voice low, thinking about what the Emperor told them about the Imperium. It was unbelievable to her what humanity had become in that universe forty thousand years later. When did humanity abandon their ideals? When did the people of the Imperium throw away any sense of decency or comradery? When zealous faith overrides common sense? When did everything go to something that hell doesn't even begin to describe?

"I-I just don't get it." Blossom blurted out, getting the other's attention, "Why do they hate aliens, mutants, and psykers? Why are they scared of innovating? Why are they so cruel to others? Why..." Words failed her as she hung her head.

The others didn't blame her, Buttercup even patted her on the back. The things that that they heard about the Imperium had chilled them all to the bone; a thousand Psykers being sacrificed to the Golden Throne, the Assassin Temples, the Inquisition, the xenophobia ingrained in ever citizens mind, even their utter hatred of mutants. The Emperor at least gave them all the reasons for such things but they were still confused as to how things became as such.

The Imperium of Man seemed worse than any regime that ever existed, and it most definitely was, even the Nazis weren't as bad as them. Yet from what the Emperor had told them, the Imperium was the only civilization of humanity that could survive in their overwhelmingly hostile universe.

Any other thoughts were silenced as they saw the Emperor standing at the entrance of a room. He greeted them politely before opening the door to reveal a large room with grey walls that were strung with cables and wires. The elephant in the room were six large gestation vats that resembled pods and two highly decorated and advanced thrones that had various sensors on the back rest and seat.

"Thank you for coming," The Emperor thanked them before explaining, "I've created these devices, with some help I admit, in hopes of improving the situation that plagues us." He motioned to the pods, "These are what I call the Mirror Vats. They're gestation pods that allows one to send their souls into the Warp. The fluid will reflect any changes they go though in the Warp."

"Cool..." Boomer looked awed, before looking at the Emperor, "What are they for?"

"Well, that was what I was getting into." Estalius continued as he looked at the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys, who were worried at his gaze, "While your powers are very impressive, I can't help but think that you six are not mentally prepared for... what is to come. And Batman, Brisbaine, and Weasel agreed."

The three mentioned nod, before Brisbaine began, "The pods will mirror your physical growth that you experience through the Warp. Our plan is to have Batman and the Emperor physically and mentally groom them so they can be better prepared. Batman and the Emperor will go with them via the Silver Thrones. These devices will allow them to enter the Warp but without the physical mirroring, allowing them and you six to experience ten years of growth in ten hours. During that time, the Emperor and Batman will, as I said, groom and enhance them into more suited fighters."

"What we are trying to do is make them better. If we give them the proper training and growth, they can become better fighters against the forces of Chaos." Weasel continued, motioning towards the six transhumans, "Because of they are nearly reaching puberty, we feel that now is the best appropriate time to begin these enhancements."

The end of the explanation left everyone stunned. Superman had a stunned expression that was both interested and horrified. Utonium looked utterly devastated at the thought of his girls missing out on their childhoods, while the girls seemed divided; Buttercup looked excited, Blossom seemed unsure, and Bubbles was both. The Rowdyruff Boys on the other hand, seemed rather contemplative; Brick most definitely seemed interested, as did Butch, but Boomer seemed unsure.

"Believe me, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't feel it was necessary." The Emperor stated with his hands up, "I just feel if the girls and boys mature both physically and mentally, they can be better at helping us deal with Chaos and its intrusions. Again, I wouldn't do this if I didn't think it was necessary."

Professor Utonium had such conflicting feelings in his head. On one hand, the Emperor was right, and given that he explained that the Chaos Gods would likely take advantage of them because of their powers. On the other hand... To spend the rest of their childhood being groomed into soldiers, not leading normal lives.

"I'll do it." Buttercup's voice rang throughout the room with all eyes on her, "I'll go through with the procedure."

Lots of them gaped at her before Brick said, "Me too."

The gapes then were directed at him too before one by one each of the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys agreed to undergo this procedure. The Emperor thanked them before giving them each a black box and said, "Thank you. Put these suits on while we prepare the Pods and the Thrones. They're made of a pliable material that'll shape itself as you grow."

The six all nodded and walked to the locker-rooms nearby to change into the suits. As they did, the Emperor explained to Batman, Brisbaine, and Weasel about how his plan will work in the long run. Utonium was almost comatose from what the Emperor said and what his girls would go through in those ten years.

"Here." The Emperor gave Superman a device resembling a pocketwatch, the latter looking at it curiously before the former spoke again, "It'll act as an emergency measure. If anything goes wrong during the ten hours we're out of commission, press the red button and it'll pull us out."

Superman nodded but before anyone does anything else, Professor Utonium grabbed the Emperor's arm.

"What will you do?" He asked, voice hollow and desperate.

"Pardon me?"

"What will you do to them during the ten years?" He clarified to the Emperor.

Estalius sighed before he answered, "All that I can. Despite what you think, your girls are just as susceptible to Chaos corruption as anyone else. Them and the Rowdyruff Boys. What I'm doing will ensure that they won't. Don't you want them to stay free of the grasp of Chaos?"

"No, just..." Johnathan falters at trying to convey his feelings on this before he grips the Emperor's shirt, practically begging the shard of Master of Mankind's intelligence, "Please. Don't let them become like the Inquisitors. Don't... Don't let them become like those that treaded down a damned path."

The Master of Mankind only stared at him for a second before taking a breath and giving the professor the only answer he could give, "I only promise to try." Utonium only nods dejectedly. It was something at least.

The six came out a minute later, dressed in black bodysuit-like garments with accents of their own personal colors.

3 minutes earlier...

Just as they entered the locker room, Blossom asked to talk before they dressed into what the Emperor gave them. Suffice to say, despite agreeing to it, they still had mixed feelings.

"I still can't believe that I agreed to this." Blossom thought out loud as she zipped her suit up, before she sighed, "I guess that's how persuasive the Emperor is."

They all nodded before they addressed the elephant in the room.

"Buttercup..." Bubbles asked her sister, now dressed in the black suit as well as her two sisters, "If we do this, we won't have a normal life."

The green PowerPuff seemed to hesitate but relented.

"Well, I don't... want a normal life." Buttercup admitted, rubbing her arm as if confessing a deep dark secret of hers, "I want to fight bad guys. I want to fight monsters across other dimensions. I... I don't want our lives as superheroes to end and the rest of our lives to be so freaking dull."

Blossom and Bubbles looked at each other with shocked expressions when they heard this revelation.

"Look," Buttercup interjected, before any misunderstandings came up, "If you guys don't wanna do this, I get it. Going through with this... It's a tough choice, but I think the Emperor needs all the help he can get, and he even said himself that he wouldn't do this if he didn't this was necessary. Sure, he's an asshole but I think he means well."

Her sisters looked at each other again, before looking at Buttercup with determined expressions. Blossom saying, "Let's do it."

Buttercup smiled before they all gave each other privacy in order to change. Blossom, after making sure neither of her sister were in sight, quickly tiptoed into the restroom and walked to the center of the room, looking at her reflection. After a moment, she breathed out.

"You can come out."

Dexter exited one of the stalls, his expression calm and collected as usual. Blossom turned to face him and opened her mouth to speak, but the words died before her vocal cords could even produce them. She tried once more but the boy genius started before, she could.

"I know," Dexter said, surprising Blossom, "I... I helped him make the pods and the Silver Thrones and the suits. The Emperor came to my house a few days ago and asked that him and I build them for continuation of his plan. Look, the Emperor wants to help you guys get stronger, but if you go through with..."

His words failed him as he continued to speak until he finally faltered. Dexter didn't know which way to put it, but Blossom did: If she went through with this procedure and the Emperor's tutorship, they'd never be together. For him, she'd be gone for 10 hours. But for her, it would be 10 years. Even if even if they still had feelings for each other, he'd still be 12 while she'd be both mentally and physically 22. They both know what would happen if they tried to be together like that.

She sighed with a sad but understanding expression, before it all came pouring out, "Don't worry, Dexter. It's gonna be okay. I won't let anything happen to you! I'll always be by your side, even if it's not as you want! I just want you to know that I...I..."

He interrupted her by putting a hand on her shoulder, smiling, "You don't need to say it."

Blossom was silent before her face melted into a wistful smile and tears streamed down her cheeks. She pulled Dexter into a hug that he returned. For this one moment, nothing else mattered except them and the things that would come.

"So, this is how we spend the rest of our childhood?" Butch asked Brick from where he was as the three undressed and put the garments on in separate parts of the locker room for privacy, "Being trained by Batman, which I admittedly like, and the Emperor, which I absolutely do not like."

Brick ignored him like he usually did while Boomer just hummed happily.

"Look," Butch started while leaning against the wall and looking up at the ceiling, now dressed in the long undergarments he was given, "I know we've been trained to be a special task force ever since the Men in Black recreated us, but still; Who knows what either of those two will put us through?"

That actually caused the two to pause and look at each other. They hadn't thought about that.

"Don't worry about it." Brick kept his professionalism, "Something needs to be done to give us a sharper edge. And it seems that the only one who know to effectively combat the Chaos Gods is the Emperor. So, I say we should do it."

"Yeah!" Boomer agreed, being his usual cheerful self, "It could be fun! Cheer up, both of you!"

Brick and Butch rolled their eyes at this but shook it off as they had a job to do.

After dressing in the bodysuit-like garments the Emperor made, the boys and girls all slowly walked out of the empty locker rooms, thankful that it was only the Emperor and Batman in the room whom both looked away in respect.

"Professor?" Bubbles asked her father, who looked at her curious before she hugged his leg, tearing up, "I'll miss you."

Utonium was surprised but he remembered that for him, they were only going to be gone for 10 hours but to them, they'd be gone 10 years. He hugged her back as did Blossom and Buttercup, saying goodbye to their father. The Rowdyruff Boys look at them in slight jealousy before they saluted Brisbaine and Weasel, whom saluted back.

After they said their goodbyes, the six were ready to begin as they climbed into the vats; the material they were laying on was soft and pliable against their skin, automated arms placed sensors on various parts of their bodies before a red light scanned them two or three times. Then the lids of the pods closed, hermetically sealing with the hydraulics hissing, other machinery humming and whirring.

Buttercup saw the Emperor and Batman sitting down on the Silver Thrones; the latter putting on a silver tragedy mask, and the former putting on a golden comedy mask before holding up a rectangular remote and pressing a red button with his thumb.

Almost instantly, the two collapsed onto their thrones unconscious, with the remote falling into Emps' lap. Buttercup heard something bubbling and flowing through several holes when suddenly her pod slowly filled with a dark blue syrupy fluid. At first, Buttercup was a little scared but forced herself to calm down even as the fluid reached her mouth and nose. Despite her instincts telling her not to, Buttercup forced herself to breath it in as it lapped at her lips.

The fluid flowed down her throat, and to her surprise, she found she could actually breathe. It was an odd feeling, floating in this fluid. Its dark color prevented her from seeing anything and she couldn't hear anything either. It wasn't an unpleasant experience though as the fluid felt as warm and welcoming as a hot bath after hours of brawling.

Suddenly, everything went white as a golden aura enveloped her.

Buttercup's eyes fluttered open.

She was now in an open field with beige crops and a blue sky with patches of clouds and a yellow sun shining down on her face. Just like how the world was before the Maw of Annihilation had torn them from their peace.

Buttercup groaned and sat up from the grass, she was dressed in her usual outfit albeit with a golden sigil on her shirt: a two head eagle with its wings spread wide in a sign of reverence. She could feel the wind gliding through her hair, the rays of the sun against her skin, and the coarse feeling of the crops gliding against her palms.

The girl couldn't help but gaze at the sky in longing as she hadn't seen it in almost a month as the words issued from her lips, "Whoooooa."

Suddenly, the winds had blown in the opposite direction from where she was standing. Buttercup turned to see the crops parting to reveal a pathway stretching from where she stood but ended at a golden landscape. No. Not a landscape. A golden continent spanning city composed of technology she'd never dreamed of. At the center of this impossible thing, was a massive column of golden light.

Without thinking, Buttercup slowly made her way to the city through her ability to fly.

Hours of flying passed, yet Buttercup didn't notice as her eyes were locked on the city. Sections of the city varied in both length and height, the smallest spanning states and the tallest reaching higher than any tower yet invented. Her enhanced senses made it all the more unbelievable; she saw what she could only describe as a sea of people, vast in the quintillions with just as many of faces, all unique and together. Her hearing picked up hot oil and smelted metal piping through durametallic lining and rough, intermittent patches of dialogue from those below.

Was this Terra? Was this the Emperor's palace? Question after question flew through Buttercup's brain as she continued to fly towards the column of gold in what she assumed was the center of the palace. Yet there was a feeling that she couldn't shake. A feeling like she suddenly weighted a million tons, yet she was lighter than the air or clouds, a feeling like this unfathomably vast thing from beyond the veil was extending its reach ever closer from behind. Its unseen tendrils coiling around her as a voiceless song was speaking in honeyed tones and whispering deadly promises.

Whatever that was faded when her gaze caught five more airborne figures streaking with a unique color, pink, sky blue, green, blue, and red.

Buttercup's awestricken face turned to one of eager competition before her speed increased into one of near light. She speared through the sky and would have caught the eyes of the sea of people if they had a chance at seeing her, her sisters, and her others. The rest seemed to notice as they increased their speeds as they blitzed through the open spaces of the city until they were but 400 kilometers short of the column of gold.

Just as they reached the center of the palace though the underground and the entranceway, for more than a few mere moments, the 6 stopped and just glazed at the Investiary that lead to the Inner Palace.

It was something of absolute beauty; composed of golden architecture seemingly impossible to construct with normal hands, massive interconnecting pathways filled with priest and pilgrims holding torches and singing religious hymns, while giants festooned in gold armor over with red robes and wielding techno-spears that could cleave a tank in half. The overpass that leads to the Palace was crowned with a statue of a golden eagle, while the towers and gothic buildings surrounded the Inner Palace like a vast garden of awe-inducing construction and machinery. Statues of Imperial Heroes decorated the exterior of the Palace, and the entire underground was awash in golden hues with green radiantly lighting the lower hives.

The Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys were stiller than the long extinct deer being caught in the headlights of a careless or surprised driver of a locomotive speeding down a highway.

"It's... It's beautiful."

For once, Boomer's words issued from his stunned lips didn't cause anger or exasperation from the others. The Palace seemed as it fell from the heavens with the angels ever building extensions and beyond. It took three minutes before they could shake themselves out of the stupor that the Palace had put them in, then flashed towards the space that the column of gold occupied.

They landed at what they could only assume was the nearest spot to where they could land; an open space with a stairway leading to a massive gate that had a craving of the Emperor slaying a massive dragon or serpent, guarded by two Warhound Titans that, to their surprise, opened the gate with their Power Fists. The open spaces of the parting gate revealed blinding golden light that nearly burned out their retinas before their sight managed to adjust in time for them to enter the Sanctum Imperialis.

Words could do no justice for the breathtaking sight that was the Throne Room. The halls, architecture, and decorations all paled in comparation when their eyes landed onto the Golden Throne. Sitting there was the Emperor himself; an emaciated yet still muscular giant of a man, dressed in red robes with gold details that covered his lower half. His eyes were closed, and his head was forward with the chin to his chest while they could see the minimal expansion and contraction of the abdomen, indicating that he was breathing.

The Throne-bound Emperor was quite different looking than Estalius. For one, he had a large but well-kept beard that went to his stomach, but his hair was just as long, the difference being that both his hair and his beard were white as gleaming pearls. On his head was a corona made of golden leaves and a shining golden halo sitting from behind, his face was incalculably old with a sharp jawline and stern face. In his muscles were thick ribbed cables that had fused to his skin, yet his face showed no pain, his presence was kin to a blazing sun or flaring inferno.*

His eyes opened ever so slightly while his head raised, revealing luminescent golden eyes that seemed to pierce their souls and his lips curled into a tired smile.

"About time you six got here." The Emperor spoke in a deep voice that was laced with an incredibly grandfatherly tone. Behind the shadows of one of the armrests, an unchanged Batman walked into the light with an almost amused expression.

"Indeed. It seemed like forever that we've been waiting for all of you." Batman stated, arms cross and with the absolute barest traces of a smile.

The 6 transhumans all looked sheepish, some more than others, before the Emperor spoke again.

"This is where you will live and train for the next ten years of your lives." He announced with a tone of absolute authority, forcing their postures straight and reminding the Rowdyruff Boys of the military that seemed long dead, "The oncoming decade will be brutal, unforgiving, and unrelenting. You will be reforged in both body, mind, and spirit! You will be tempered blades ready to strike Chaos in its blackest heart! You will be there when Chaos will draw its last breath! Say now my chosen six: will you stand here and burn bright like the stars of the universe?! Or will live on your knees and watch as all burns?! SAY NOW, MY CHOSEN SIX! WHAT WILL YOU DO?!"

The six were stunned from the speech, as if Yahweh himself had come down from the heavens to deliver this speech before they all gained the hardest and most determined of expressions. They all saluted with their right arms before yelling in the firmest of voices.

"WE STAND! FOR THE EMPEROR!"

The Master of Mankind gained a very pleased expression, "Stand indeed. Now, to begin what will consume a decade. SIGISMUND! TARVITZ!"

Two Astartes then emerged from behind the Golden Throne.

The first was a sturdy, thickset Astartes, his hair a dark blonde with a patrician face that echoed the same austere lines as his Primarch, Rogal Dorn. His face was only marred by a scar from under his right eye that ran down his cheek all the way to his jawline. His eyes were coloured a bright, sapphire blue that matched the colour of the ocean. His power armor was black as the night sky with the pauldrons being marked with a black cross. This was Sigismund; First High Marshal of the Black Templars and the former champion of Rogal Dorn.

The second is a more lean, thinner Astartes, his hair a silver glint with a handsome face that echoed the once noble visage of his Primarch, Fulgrim. His face was only marred by a single metal plate that covered his left temple to his forehead. His armor was a deep purple with golden decorations of wreaths and Aquilas, on his right pauldron was a golden wing. This is Saul Tarvitz, captain of 10th Company of the Emperor's Children legion and leader of the loyalists on Istvaan III.

"This is them?" Sigismund asked the Batman, who nodded. Nonplussed, Sigismund examined the six young Transhumans with a critical eye, making them slightly nervous, "Young. Very young. Yet brimming with potential. I will take the males. Tarvitz will take the females."

The others nodded in agreement while the Rowdyruff Boys seemed nervous but didn't protest as Sigismund lead them to another hall along with the girls being led by Tarvitz.

Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup, Brick, Butch, and Boomer collapsed onto their beds that they had assigned them, panting heavily, muscles and bones strained, and in the case of Buttercup and Butch, nearly heaving out their organs. Bubbles and Boomer would have cried but they were too tired to. Blossom and Brick were the worst out of all, so sore and tired that it felt like they could sleep for days.

The last three days were brutal.

For the Rowdyruff Boys: on day one, after being given their new uniforms, Sigismund forced the boys through a portal to a planet the former said was called Murder. There, they had to fight these metal-skinned insectoid aliens that swarmed them. Their exoskeletons were so hard that punching them nearly broke their hands when they tried to punch them, so Brick had them all used their energy projections to kill them. That worked, along with their heat vision, allowing them to wipe out all the aliens they could before Sigismund pulled them out.

At first, they thought that'd be it, but the Black Templar surprised them by throwing them to a world called Lorn V, a planet of perpetual winter where they had to fight numerous metallic skeletons whose frames could somehow regenerate most of the damage, they inflicted on them before they finally went down, all the while avoiding the various green blasts from their guns that disintegrated whatever they hit. After 12 hours, the boys were pulled back to the Palace again.

When they thought that was it, the Rowdyruff Boys were then requested to fight Sigismund by the Astates himself. After all they went through, the boys thought that this task would be easy. Oh, what a thought that was. For almost a day, even when they went all out, Sigismund dodged, ducked, dipped, and dived away from all of their attacks to where they could only get a number of tags on him that could be counted with one hand. Then the High Marshal actually started counterattacking.

While he pulled his punches on them, it left the boys terrified of what he could do if he went all out.

The Powerpuff Girls didn't have it easy either.

Saul assigned one Powerpuff to a world where they would stay for 3 days: Buttercup was sent to Baal, Bubbles to Nocturne, and Blossom to Inwit.

Buttercup started fighting mutants and monsters on Baal almost an hour into her stay there. Hordes of bloodthirsting mutants poured out of all of Baal's cracks and crevices by the hundreds, only to be set ablaze by her blasts of energy, ripped to scraps by her hands, or rendered to piles of blood and sinew by her strikes. By the end of the first day, Buttercup was drenched in the red, blue, green, and yellow blood and viscera of a thousand mutants. Same with the next two days. She was hard pressed to even sleep due to the absurd amounts of adrenaline pumping through her veins. Horrific it might sound, Buttercup actually enjoined those three days, a fact that disturbs her greatly.

Bubbles managed to survive Nocturne with the help of some Salamanders initiates who found her while hunting for Firedrakes. The planet was nearly unbearable from the heat to where she had to change clothing to what the natives of Nocturne wore when the heat raised to such heights, even if the flames couldn't injure her due to her invulnerability. The Firedrakes of Nocturnes were like the dragons of the fairytales that the Professor told her before she would go to bed. The natives of Nocturne were some of the nicest people that Bubbles had ever meet, they took her in, gave her food, and even told her tales of the Primarch Vulkan and how he came to save them from the planet's wrath.

Blossom trekked for hours through the blizzards of snow on Inwit, again infinitely grateful at having invulnerability but still using her heat vision to prevent her from suffering from hyper-frostbite until she found one of the ice hives that stood against the fury of Old Night before Rogal Dorn came to rebuild and reinforce the planet back to its former glory. She had to steal the hides of skinned creatures gathered by hunters to disguise herself as one of the countless orphans that plagued the hives. The ice-hives level of technology was influx; on one hand, hunters had to go out to the Splintered Lands for food and clothing, while the hive itself was powered by a tower-sized nuclear reactor. The ice tribes did not notice her as she kept use of her powers to the barest of minimums.

After the three days had finished, all three were pulled back to the Palace. The scientists and doctors looked at them over and checked for any signs of injury or malnutrition, but to their surprise, their invulnerability protected them from the fangs of Baal's mutants, the heat of Nocturne, and the cold of Inwit. Same with the Rowdyruff Boys. When all that was over, they were finally allowed to get some sleep.

Suffice to say, they slept like a pile of rocks until they were awoken 8 hours later by a servitor.

Buttercup roared, throwing a punch at a Megarachnid's head. Its metal exoskeleton cracked before its eyeless head caved in and the rest of its body ripped in twain as its grey blood and pink wet flesh spilled to the ground. Another one screeched and poised its sword-like claw to strike only for Buttercup to grab the claw mid-swing and rip it from its socket before impaling it through the head.

She let out a sigh and dust her hands off before sitting down on the dirt.

It'd been at least a year since they'd arrived at the Imperial Palace and it was hectic; Batman had apparently done the same tasks that they did on their first three days and, to everyone's surprise, he survived all of them. He even managed to kick Sigismund in the face!

After that, they'd been put through challenge after challenge, with the in-between parts being the Emperor educating them on the Imperium and Chaos. The concept behind them chilled her to her very soul.

Since the Chaos Gods were basically, for lack of a better term, living ideas and emotions, how can they defeat them? Even as the Emperor explained that now with the opening of the Maw in countless universes.

Buttercup snapped herself out of her thoughts when a Shinning Gate opened. She sighed and walked towards the Gate, wondering what fresh things will come from the Emperor now, and whether or not she can build herself up more to fight what's to come.

As she was distracted however, a massive Megarachnid came bursting out of the tree-sized blades of silver grass, roaring as it charged at her. Buttercup only turned around and before using her heat vision.

The blast hit the Megarachnid on the head, before piercing through the exoskeleton, smoldering its innards, and cleaving it in half. Grey boiling blood and steam hissed out of the now superheated exoskeleton before it fell to the ground, broiling as the pink flesh cooked into a dark black.

Buttercup hmphed with a smile before she stepped through the Gate. She came to an empty golden hall, and it seemed that neither of her sisters or the Rowdyruff Boys had come back yet so she decided to clean herself up while she could. As she was walking back, several more Initiates from one of the Emperor's experiments came marching through while she waltzed to her room. They ignored her and she did the same.

Tarvitz had tasked her to fight in a Megarachnid nest for 2 hours. A death sentence for an Astartes, yet she survived thanks to her invulnerability, but Tarvitz also asked her to not always rely on it as there could be something that could pierce her flesh. But after going through all the other trials that she went through, it was getting easier.

She came to her room; a small room with a bed, bathroom, and desk given to her about 3 months ago. The Emperor told them they had to learn to fight as both a team as well as an individual. Taking off her two-piece black uniform with green accents and a golden Aquila, the Powerpuff Girl got into the bathroom and stared at her reflection.

Buttercup had grown about a foot taller since she'd first came here, her hair had grown to her shoulders, she hadn't gotten scars but only time would tell if that changed. She still couldn't believe that was her looking back at her.

'This much for a twelve... Er, thirteen-year-old to go through.' Buttercup thought before she took a shower.

After cleaning all the dirt and grey blood off her, Buttercup got out and dressed in yet another spare uniform that were stored in the closet. The transhuman girl still had thoughts on her brain so she decided to wander through the halls to clear her head.

But she ran into Saul as she headed down the halls.

Buttercup was surprised and stuttered out, "O-Oh! Hey, Saul! What's up?"

"Everything." The Astartes captain deadpanned before his stoic façade crumbled at his joke as he started to chuckle.

She chuckled too, "Walked into that one."

They laughed for a minute before Saul answered honestly, "As for your question; It's a rather sentimental day for me." He then gained a somber expression and turned his gaze aside to a mural before sighing, "Today is the ten thousandth anniversary of the Scouring of Isstvan III."

Buttercup's expression then turned to one of curiosity and sympathy, the former being about what it was that he was talking about and the latter because whatever it was obviously pained Saul greatly.

The captain of the Loyalist Emperor's Children Legion sighed again and recalled that ghastly betrayal, "It was originally so simple; a transmission had come in, saying that the Planetary Governor of Isstvan III had rebelled and that we were being sent to reclaim it. It was suspicious that four squads of four legions were needed to take one planet but we Astartes weren't made to ask questions. We quelled the 'rebellion' on Isstvan III, but we then received a Vox transmission from Nathanial Garro of the Death Guard."

"What was he say?"

"He said that every one of us would die if we did not take cover. I was disbelieving but then we saw the ships preparing for orbital bombardment. Many of the Loyalists managed to find cover, others and the eight billion civilians of the planet were not so lucky. The Virus Bombs burned away those that didn't take cover. We managed to survive but soon Angron, Primarch of the World Eaters came down to finish the rest of us with the other traitor forces following behind."

Buttercup seemed horrified, "What happened during the Battle?"

Saul seemed even more sorrowful, "We lost. We held out for months but even with our screams of defiance, we knew that our defeat was inevitable. In spite of that, we still held our ground. For every one of us that fell, they dragged a hundred down with them. Hell, I remember Garviel Loken speaking over the Voxcast, yelling that they were the Sons of Horus no more. I even remember seeing World Eater Loyalists charging fearlessly at Angron just to spite him."

"But in the end..." Saul sighed again, "It as for not as Horus teleported himself back to the ship after growing tired of us delaying his plans. My Primarch did not have the courage to face his loyalist sons, neither did Mortarian. In the end, Horus Virus-bombed the planet again, burning the last of the loyalists away expect for Loken and Ancient Rylanor who survived in the deep bunkers hidden below."

Buttercup's eyes were wide and wet with tears, her hands were to her mouth. She sputters out in absolute empathy, "I-I'm so sorry, Saul."

She didn't know what else to say. To lose that that many comrades, ones that he knew for how many years, either dead or betrayed by those that followed the Primarchs to the embrace of the gods. What could she say? What comfort could she give to Saul at seeing the people he trusted with his life betray him? What could she say that would give anything that understood his pain?

Saul smiles wistfully, "It's alright. That battle is now nothing but a memory, now we have to ensure that the four do not tear down the Imperium, no matter what it has become."

Buttercup smiled wistfully as well.

It was 3 hours later that the rest of them came back. Brick had shaved his head, Butch's hair had grown past his shoulders, and Boomer kept his short. Blossom had tied her hair into a ponytail while Bubbles had put hers into two loose ponytails.

Buttercup couldn't help but ponder. None of them had lost their ability to feel, Batman and Dee Dee made sure of that, but still... They had 9 more years to go.

Blossom signed as she walked through the halls of the Palace. After a few hours, she'd finally managed to find her way to the Blood Angel's Fortress Monastery by fighting smarter, not harder like her sister. Most of the mutants didn't have wings so they could only chase her on land and those that did were shoot down by her eyebeams. The Blood Angels were impressed that she was able to survive the outskirts of Baal.

She looked at her hand as it crackled with energy before she clenched it. The Emperor had told them to always be careful around any and all kinds of aliens or worshippers of Chaos, because they'd kill them in the span of a heartbeat. It was maddening to think that whatever Chaos could promise to people for them to do such things, but then again, maybe those people were swayed by desires that the Gods only amped up.

A mirror came by as she walked through the hall.

Blossom was now at least a half a foot taller, her hair was still kept in a ponytail, and she'd taken off her bow and stored it away in her room. She wasn't moody like Butch, or Buttercup had become, neither did Brick, Bubbles, or Boomer. Though the latter seems to have matured more, Bubbles was still herself if a bit snarky, and Brick seemed to somehow both harden and soften at the same time. It was the same with her actually.

Blossom sighed again, 'It's weird how when I look at myself that I can't recognize the person looking back. I'm almost fifteen yet here I am, training to fight a force beyond anything I can imagine.'

She would have gone on a rant about how it was stupid of her to assume that something like this was going to be easy. But the Emperor told her that she had a choice not to go through with this and she chose to do so. If she wanted someone to blame for her hardships, she only had herself.

Hours later, the Emperor summoned them to the throne room. Blossom had arrived at the Gate of Eternity in minutes, in sync with Brick, whom looked as surprised as her but they didn't say anything. Butch arrived seconds later, with Buttercup coming behind and Bubbles and Boomer tied in last.

As the titans opened the gate and they entered, the six saw that Batman and Dee Dee were already there but they were not alone. Numerous warriors surrounded the Golden Throne, each of a differing age and gender, all festooned in golden armor with golden wings composed of either flesh, metal, or flame, and wielding various weapons. Guns, spears, swords, axes, and Bolters were either in their arms or holstered as they all stood at attention by the Golden Throne.

The Emperor seemed like he was still sleeping but his posture showed he was only resting. He awoke when they got close enough, revealing his burning gold eyes once more from his old skull.

"Hello, my chosen six." He spoke in that same grandfatherly tone, causing the six to bow before him, "It has been two years since you have arrived onto my palace, ready to combat the endless tides of Chaos. Your achievements of survival on the trials I have bequiffed you of show your abilities. You have survived the cold of Inwit, the flames of Nocturne, the hordes of Baal, the spiders of Murder, and the trials set by Sigismund and Tarvitz."

The six hid their expressions but some of them beamed with pride at the praise.

"However," The Emperor continued, "The Ruinous Powers are turning their gaze. They see the potential that I see in you. They will attempt to seduce you to their side, and if they do... Then I shudder to think of what may happen."

Everyone else, even the Saints, shudder at what may come if the Girls or Boys or both are seduced to the Forces of Chaos.

"In light of this, I will have to take matters into my own hands." The Emperor stated before his eyes then flared in golden radiance. Suddenly, a number of cables, gears, and mechanisms floated into the Throne Room before they then assembled in front of the Transhumans into six miniature thrones. "Sit on these thrones. I will give you each a minor shard of my soul. They should be able to protect you from the Chaos Gods."

The six were bewildered by the thrones as they all looked at each other, concerned as to what might happen once, they sat down, but they relented and slowly got to the thrones. As they all sat down, more cables emerged from the floor and connected with the thrones before the Living Saints put their hands on the cables, infusing it with their power.

"Wait." Boomer asked the Emperor, looking more than a little scared, "Will this hurt?"

"Only for a moment."

Before any of them could get anything out, infernal power surged through their veins. Warp fire saturated their blood and nerves flared with psychic lightning. The mouth and eyes blazed with gold light and their veins lit up like the sun, their backs arched, and their nerves seized at the power. It spanned for a second before everything became an eerie calm.

Their sight was filled with a path of shinning gold, their hearing filled with the choir of the universe, their touch feels like they could feel every detail of every blade of glass or speck of dust, their mouth was filled with tastes they couldn't describe, and they smelled the scent of the finest roses. Sights of things of what came before and will come, knowledge that was lost the flames of time, uncountable paths to uncountable futures, and the shining light of humanity's potential.

Then they saw four beings swimming in an unfathomable ocean: a green one of rot and decay, a blue one of change and deceit, a red one of rage and bloodshed, and a pink one of pain and pleasure. A few more entities: an amphibious thing that commanded the seas, a flaming blacksmith that crafts infernal things of blood and nightmares, a monstrous rodent with a horde of those like it leaving a path of pestilence, and a god sitting in darkness and destruction.

The entities were ever shifting, in tandem with the area around them, shaping and distorting to where they both brought comfort and terror. They saw a white female figure, amongst an impossibly and vacuous space, screaming as her essence dissolves into the churning ocean of malignancy. Her essence then blackened, burned, compressed, and warped until she became something that defied all sense, yet it still was.

"I SEE YOU!" The thing that was the woman roared as it opened a burning red maw and lunged at them.

The six ended their experience screaming as they reeled from the horrific experience as it ended, panting and dry heaving. Batman, Dee Dee, and the other Saints help them out of the thrones while they try to make sense of what they've seen.

"I know what you saw." The Emperor says almost empathetically, gaining their attention, "That is what I see when I peer into the Warp. This is what I have been fighting since I first began guiding humanity. Now you know the severity should we fail."

Whimpers came from the kid's lips as the Saints assisted them. Suddenly, an aura of warmth spread through their bodies, a thrilling feeling coursed through their veins, golden storms of fire blazed in their very souls for but a moment when it finally faded yet remained.

"It is done." The Emperor began, "The small shards of my soul have now been grafted onto your souls, and with it, you are imparted with a portion of my power. Use them wisely."

The six all looked awed before Buttercup whooped, "WHOO! WE CAN NOW KICK DAEMON ASS!"

"YEAH BABY!" Butch hi-fived her while the other whoop at this, even Brick let out a laugh while the Living Saints and Batman watched in amusement, and the Emperor's lips curled into the barest traces of a smile.

Butch simply breathed in as he and Buttercup sat on two platforms, overlooking the mountains of Fenris. They could see the wolves hunting, chests low to the snow lathered ground with their legs bent and lips drawn with drool-slicked fangs.

By the two was one of the Living Saints; a woman wearing ornate golden armor with flaming gold wings, her blood red hair was tied into a waist length ponytail while her green eye seemed to irradiate both strength and compassion. In her arms was a gleaming golden spear and circular shield bearing the aquila, tucked under her right arm was a helmet of ancient Greece.

"Look beyond the planet. Look with your soul, not your eyes. Feel the planet, feel those that came before and those that will come." The woman, Pyrrha Nikos, spoke to the two, her voice soft and motherly yet strong as a warrior should be.

Butch closed his eyes and breathed, as he felt the surrounding forces of Fenris; The water flowing fierce yet free. The earth moving, powerful yet passive. The wind blowing, unstoppable yet gentle. The flames burning, untouchable yet warm. Butch's power flowed though, as if the very planet was an extension of himself. The wind gathers, breezing softly, unfazed by the howling of the Wolf Daemons loyal to Fenris.

"He sees it." Pyrrha breathes, "Oh, he sees it."

Buttercup does the same, feeling her soul extending its limbs through the planet. Her breath even and steady as she feels her innermost rage sputter out and calm into a tranquil ocean rather than a raging sea.

This tranquility continued until both opened their eyes, revealing their irises brimming with green energy and the sclera radiant with golden flames. A golden aura pulsed from both as rocks levitate and the wind rages, a storm of blue lighting flares around them. Then the aura, rocks, wind, and storm mold around them into the shape of a massive wolf that raises its snout into the air.

It howled, the sound reaching into the skies of Fenris and across the landscape beyond. In an instant, a million more howls from the Space Wolves, the Wolf Spirits, and even Fenrisian Wolves themselves echoed throughout the world. All of the planet echoed in howls, as if Fenris itself was howling, calling for the legion of the Space Wolves to be reunited once more.

The wolf construct faded, revealing Butch and Buttercup, who both were panting from exhaustion.

"That... was... awesome..." Butch breathed as he took all that just happened in.

"Y-Yeah..." Buttercup agreed, rendered breathless by the experience.

"That was very good!" Pyrrha beamed happily, helping the two to their feet, "We will begin another session tomorrow. Get some rest and I'll see you later."

The two waved their thanks as a Shining Gate formed that lead them back to the Imperial Palace. They walked back that to those same golden halls they'd all grown accustomed to over the last 4 years before they got back to their rooms.

Butch sighed as he entered his room, got to the bathroom, and splashed some water on his face, before looking himself in the mirror. He was 16, stood 6 feet tall, 2 feet taller than after the first year here in the Imperial Palace, his hair was now bone straight and nearly reached his waist, and he'd gain more than a few battle-scars from a lot of his sessions of fighting.

Not that he was complaining; battle-scars attracted chicks.

He then snapped out of his thoughts and changed into a dark green long-sleeve shirt, black pants, black and green coat. Butch than got out of his room to see Buttercup waiting in the hall, leaning against the wall. She was also sixteen, had grown to at least 5.7 with her hair in a long ponytail with her bangs framing her face, wearing a light green tanktop, black pants, black shoes, and a black jacket.

Butch also realized that Buttercup had become rather... well-endowed in certain areas. He took a deep breath and forced it down as he leaned back against the wall with her, staring up into the ceiling.

"Hey," He started, gaining him a curious expression from her as she turned to him, "About all those years ago? Me being a huge asshole? I'm... sorry."

Buttercup sighed and waved it off, "It's cool. It was all those years ago. Doesn't matter now."

"Yeah, well, I still feel like an ass." Butch replied, leaning on the wall before a thought occurred to him, "Speaking of years, it seems time goes fuck all here, either it goes flying by or it slows to a crawl. Hell, one day felt like it lasted a few minutes while another felt like months. It's like... I don't know how to describe it."

She nodded. It may have been due to the fact that they were in the Warp, one part under the Emperor's influence but still. Buttercup could feel the outer reaches of the Chaos Gods' claws tightening, like needles piercing the skin that was the veil of reality. It still caused a cold feeling to settle in her bones.

"I-I don't know how to describe it either. The best I can say is better get used to it." Buttercup told him, not knowing what else to say.

Butch snorted before another thought came and he questioned her, "Hey, you ever think of Jack? Your teacher?"

Buttercup seemed surprised before a blush crept onto her cheeks, "Oh! Y-Yeah..." She played with her thumbs while trying to hide her embarrassment, "I think about him every day ever since we came here. I think the reason why no manifestations of him have appeared is due to the Emperor's presence or something. But... yeah, I care about him... a lot."

Her blush grew when Butch chuckled, "You're in love with him, aren't you?"

"What?! No, I'm not-" Buttercup shrieked only to falter when she realized from Butch's expression that he wouldn't be convinced by whatever she said, so she relented with a defeated sigh, "Y-Yeah... I'm in love with him."

"Well, I don't blame ya." Butch actually agreed with her, surprising his female companion, "He's handsome, he's wise, and above all else, he's a badass. Hell, I think he'd be able to throw down with one of the Primarchs."

Buttercup nodded, smiling and blushing at the memory of Jack defeating Commander Destruction effortlessly.

"But," Butch started, causing her smile to fade, "He's clearly into Agent Honeydew. And I know you'll be around his age when this ends but to him, I think he'd only see you as who you were before all this. That's not meant as an insult, I'm just saying that Honeydew and he seem happy, and you wouldn't want him to be unhappy, would you?"

She opened her mouth for a second but then closed it, ponderingly. What would happen if Sensei saw her like this? How would he react to her being as old as he was when she came here? Would she really try to intrude on something that actually made him happy?

"I... No, I want him to be happy." Buttercup decided, looking at her thumbs as she played with them.

Butch smiled and put his arm over her shoulder, surprising her but didn't resist as she leaned against him.

'Great, I'm bonding with one of the people I used to hate.' Butch mentally said as he rolled his eyes but didn't lose his smile, 'Of fucking course.'

Little did he know that Buttercup was thinking the same thing.

Brick roared as he blasted a Catachan Devil in half with his eyebeams. It shrieked in pain before its exoskeleton burst and its innards boiled, singed, and scorched until it was not but ash on the burned jungle ground. Hearing a yell, he turns to see Blossom using her heat vision to burn away a massive Brain Leaf that had its tentacles around her arm and leg. It screeched as it burned, releasing her while it flailed around in agony.

Blossom flew towards Brick as both watched the forest around them burn. It was a small section of the infinite jungles and forests of Catachan but it would regrow in time, just like all the tense and unfathomably deadly biome.

Panting, the two just stopped to catch their breath. They'd been fighting for since the minute they got here and that was 6 hours ago! The two never had a chance to catch their breath until they used their heat vision to burn sections of the forests so the many dangers of the planet could be held back.

Brick then turned to Blossom and asked incredulously, "How the fucking hell to people live here?!" He usually didn't swear and scolded his brothers when they did, something he shared with Blossom, but given that both were under quite a lot of stress from the 6 hours of constant fighting, they kinda needed to vent.

"I don't fucking know!" Blossom yelled, exhausted and exasperated from the stress of the experience.

Just as the fires were about to go out via a diverted river and the mad beasts of Catachan began to descend upon them, they managed to escape via a Shining Gate and Batman, who grasped them by the shoulders and pull them back. The Gate closed just as a massive Catachan Devil charged towards them with a mighty roar.

Brick and Blossom collapsed onto the floor in a coughing and panting fit as Batman and Estalius watched, before the former looked up to the latter two.

"Why didn't you tell me Catachan was that fucking dangerous?!" He yelled, exhausted by the experience.

"I did, but you didn't listen." Estalius deadpanned before mimicking Brick, "You were all like; 'I can handle a jungle.' And I said, 'Catachan isn't a normal jungle planet.' And you responded with, 'It doesn't matter. I've handled worse.'" He then returned to his normal, albeit annoyed, voice, "Well, isn't it a dick in the mouth to be wrong?"

Brick open and closed his mouth indignantly, but Blossom interjected, "He's got a point." He gritted his teeth but relented as Batman offered a hand up which the former took.

Brick was now 6.1 ft., his hair was recently cut to chin length with his bangs parted at the forehead, his face was that of a blemishless 17-year-old except for a scar that vertically ran down from his hairline through his right eyelid and to his jaw. He wore black form-fitting power armor with red highlights and an aquila on the chest.

Blossom was now 5.7 with her hair tied in a ponytail, and she was rather attractive as she had the same blemishless face as the other transhumans gathered in the Imperial Palace. She was festooned in power armor as that of a Sister of Battle's except hers had pink details

The two were admittedly humbled by this experience and vowed to try and not overestimate themselves. The Emperor dismissed them to their quarters and wanted to talk to Batman about something, so that was that for the two at the time being. Brick and Blossom decided to just to look around the Imperial Palace, just because the latter wanted to look at Sebastian Thor's copy of the Lectitio Divinitatus. Something that the Emperor said was bugging her.

After treading through the halls of the gold glided halls of the Palace that lead to the main church of Terra, they managed to find it in the monastery in a tightly locked and decorated box. It was an old yet surprising clean tome that seemed like its pages were made from gold with the scriptures written in onyx dust.

Blossom skimmed through the book until she came to the section she was looking for; the last stand of Saint Ollanius Pius.

"There is an old quote from a Terran philosopher whose name has long since been lost to the sands of time; 'Even when all you have is a stone, with the will to resist there is hope.' No lesser man exemplifies this quote than Saint Ollanius, the mortal that stood between the God-Emperor and the Arch-Traitor." Blossom started reading from the Lectitio Divinitatus, much to Brick's admitted interest as he leaned in to read with her, "During the Siege of Terra, the vilest Horus Lupercal was on the verge of defeat; the angels of the Ultramarines, Space Wolves, and the Dark Angels were on their way to Holy Terra to slay the Traitors that had plagued its most sacred lands. In utter desperation, Horus invited the Emperor to a battle aboard The Spirt of Vengeance."

The illustration showed a panorama of a vast throne room, most likely that of a battleship, colored with reds, blacks, and curious golds. On the margins of the illustration, in the shadows of the room were a legion of black armored beings, who's few visible faces were contorted with hideous expressions, mixing hate, cruelty and fanaticism. But these beings, though wicked enough in appearance, which would have made any regular person shudder at the black suggestions of the insignias they wore upon their armor, were not the main focus. For in the foreground, upon the marble steps leading to the onyx throne, were three illustrations which were unmistakable to all those assembled.

The furthest right, with its golden armor, flaming power-sword, and the Anatolian features of the face, was obviously the Emperor. The second was quite clearly dead, but even death could not mar the features of the noble lord of the ninth, and the cause of the brave son's death was not hard to see, for it stood with one titanic foot planted upon his breastplate. The thing that stood atop Sanguinius' lifeless form was a gigantic demoniacal thing not to be imagined save in the most surreal and blasphemous of nightmares. An immense ink-black apparition, with snake like armor that war festooned with human skulls, and having in it's left fist an immense mace, which was unmistakably Worldbreaker. And in the features of that devil made manifest upon the material plane, were the eerie echoes of Horus Lupercal's own visage.

Brick shivered at the image; sure, the Emperor told and showed them a lot of images of Chaos corruption, but this just made him sick. Blossom seemed equally sickened by what happened to Horus but kept reading.

"The Emperor accepted the challenge and He, Sanguinius, Rogal Dorn, a number of Custodes, and a company of the Imperial Fists legion teleported to the Vengeful Spirit. However, the Warmaster, in his absolute cowardice, used his power to shatter them across his ship. Sanguinius was the first to encounter Horus, but the fifty-five days of continuous battle was fatiguing even the Angel and the Warmaster spitefully slayed the brother that he once had a near unbreakable bond with just as the Emperor found them. Despite His vast and unmatched power, the Emperor was nearly defeated by His fallen son, who had made a deal with the Dark Gods for unfathomable amounts of power and the Emperor's own compassion for His favorite son held Him back."

The next page showed a minimalist illusion of something that stunned both of them; a simple man with his back facing them, dressed in a trench coat that resembled an aviator coat of the first and second World War, dirty trousers, knee-high boots, and a white shirt stood atop a heap of Space Marine corpses with his Lasgun pointed at the enemy. The enemy being Lupercal himself, Talon raised to strike yet the man didn't yield.

"When all seemed lost, a stowaway stood in front of the Arch-Traitor. A simple guardsman, equipped with nothing but a Lasgun, stood between Lupercal and the Emperor. At first, the Arch-Traitor laughed, incredulous that a mere mortal would stand in the way of his victory, but his mirth turned to anger when this mortal, Saint Ollanius, didn't yield even at the prospect of dying at his hands if it meant that the Emperor lived. Horus killed him in a single strike with his Talon but his sacrificed did not go unavenged as the Emperor, touched and reinvigorated by Ollanius' bravery, stood despite his injuries and struck down Horus, shattering the Arch-Traitor's soul and ending the Horus Heresy."

Blossom and Brick looked at each other, stunned that a simple man was brave enough to stand in the way of Horus as he was about to claim victory. The utter balls that he must have had was impressive.

It was then that Blossom noticed a poem under the passage.

Somewhere in the universe, a coin flip lands on its side. Somewhere in the universe, a drop of water saves a life. Somewhere in the universe, a pebble stops a landslide.

Maybe it is because someone believed hard enough. Maybe it is because everything is secretly fair. Maybe it is because the universe is a vast place.

Yesterday, I was very cold. Yesterday, I was very hungry. Yesterday, I wanted to run away.

But not today. Today, I am going to believe hard enough. Today, a pebble will stop a landslide.

Today... I am not going anywhere.

"Impressive, no?"

The two turned to see an aweing sight, a man with black combed back hair, a handsome face, and fiery blue eyes. He wore the same outfit as they saw in the illustration, but it was wreath in gold light with the same corona and halo of gold. He had a humble smile as he walked up, picked up the Lectitio Divinitatus from Blossom's hands and placed it back into the chest. He then looked back at the two with that same humble smile.

To this day, Blossom and Brick deny fainting in his presence.

Bubbles breathed in, sitting in a lotus position. She was now 18 with her hair to her waist and tied into two loose ponytails, a curvaceous figure festooned in Sororitas Power Armor with blue details.

In her head, she was channeling the feelings that came to her like breathing, kindness, compassion, and empathy. They breathed through her like it was her, the power coursing through her veins like blood, her breath steady even as she became saturated with her own energy and that of the Warp's.

By her was a man in the same ornate golden armor as the other Living Saints but his was more advanced looking with his wings seemingly made of hard light that shimmered and gleamed. His face was almost as beautiful as Fulgrim's or Sanguinius', though more inclined to the former given his silver locks. He wielded a large golden hammer that both resembled the legendary Forgebreaker and yet seemed like a weapon from the Dark Age of Technology as he used it with a fluidity that seemed utterly impossible.

This is Robert Bumaro; the leader of the Church of the Broken God, who turned to the Emperor as he came to their universe, just as the Sarkites turned to the Ruinous Powers.

A sky-blue orb formed in front of her, beginning small but steadily growing. Warp lightning flared from her skin and the orb slowly spiraled away, swaying like an unpliable thing draining away. Her eyes opened, revealing nothing but whiteness as gold lightning followed forth.

Then, a yell rang from her throat as Bubbles cocked back her arm before throwing a punch that collided with the orb, sending it spearing through space. It deformed under its own velocity, coiling into a shape akin to a lance until it collided with a statue of Fulgrim. It swirled inward before it detonated, rending the statue to ashes and sending waves of destruction throughout the abandoned world of Chemos.

She let out breath as she fell to her knees, exhausted by the output of energy she used in that blast, before getting back on her feet and gave a petulant and excitable grin.

"YEAH!" Bubbles cheered, with her arms in the air, "SUCK IT, YOU SILVER HAIRED PRICK!" She paused for a second before sheepishly turning to Bumaro, "Haha. No offense, Bumaro."

The leader of the Church only gave an amused smile, "It is alright." He then creates a Shining Gate by slamming the bottom of his hammer onto the ground. They both entered the Gate back to the Palace.

Suddenly, a peculiar sight was caught in her vision as she looked back on Chemos before they returned; a small child-like figure with long night-black hair that flowed through unseen winds, crouching in a reef boat drifting through the invisible currents of the Warp. It was in the sky, above the clouds of ash and burnt-out chemical deposits buried below before being upturned by the mines.

Bubbles blinked and the boy was gone, wiped clean from the smoke lathered skies. She shook it from her thoughts as they entered the Shining Gate that led them back to the Imperial Palace.

The Shining Gates were nothing less than a godsent. According to Bumaro, the Gates were created through the same technology as the Warp Drive and the Gellar Fields but in a different conjecture; A tear leading to the Warp would be opened but the Gellar Field would act in the same manner as the Webway, more like a tunnel though the Warp. Another hole would open in the location in the materium while the Imperial Palace acted as a hub of sorts. Despite this, they could only transport a handful of individuals at a time so they can't be used to transfer Space Marine chapters (much less legions).

Aside from that, the Emperor taught them all about the Imperium when they reached age 18. They didn't find any of them boring because of how much it shocked them to their very souls. Apparently, that quote that he'd told them was true.

"If you let me put my thumb on the utilitarian scales, I can get you to agree that you have an affirmative moral duty to torture a three-year-old child to death."

She wished from the very bottom of her heart that that quote came from some zealous fuckwit, but unfortunately no; it came from someone who was one of the saner Inquisitors of the Ordo Hereticus. The Imperium is, without a doubt, the bloodiest, totalitarian, despotic, bureaucratic, xenophobic, and Orwellian nightmare of a regime in human history. Yet it was only when the Emperor went into detail that all the necessary evils came to light.

Hatred of Aliens? The Orks only want to fight until the heat-death of the universe, the Dark Eldar are quite literally the most sadistic species in the galaxy, the Craftworld Eldar would rather have humanity burn than even breath the same air as us, the Necrons are soulless automatons that have no concept of mercy, and don't even get her started with the Tyranids. The Tau were better, but Chaos could sink their teeth into new ideas. Hatred of Mutants? A lot of them are either hostile or will prey on the normal people, either that or inevitably join Chaos.

Use of Servitors? If they used advanced AIs like the Men of Iron, they'd have a fuck load more robot apocalypses. Fear of Innovation? Chaos would immediately try to take advantage of the new technology and even then, it has an alarming history of causing even more problems for the Imperium. Unless you're Cawl. Hatred of Psykers? Untrained Psykers can accidentally summon swathes of daemons and some of only worlds that survived the Age of Strife were the ones that actively hunted down and killed all the Psykers they could find. Many Inquisitors being kill-happy bastards? Chaos is just that bad. Inquisitors becoming Radicals like Kryptman? Their jobs are just that awful and sometimes the cruelest choice is their only one to keep the Imperium afloat.

Hell, even the Imperium's even worse parts made sense when the Emperor taught them all about it.

The Inquisitors have infinite power because they have infinite responsibility. What are the lives of a handful of people or billions when the survival of humanity is at stake?

Powerful and Continuing Nationalism? It's not like you can emigrate anywhere. Unless you manage to get to the Tau Empire or the Eye of Terror.

Disdain for the recognition of Human Rights? It's actually necessary to prevent Chaos intrusions from appearing everywhere.

Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a Unifying Cause? It's pretty easy when the scapegoats are constantly spitting acid on the front door.

Supremacy of the Military? War is everywhere, and failure means the deaths of billions or even trillions. The military is all that stands between humanity and chaotic oblivion. But unlike other fascist regimes, it's not over glorified.

Control of Mass Media? She's learnt a few things from the Emperor that should probably be kept buried. Under at least several million tons of reinforced ceramite and Adamantium. With several Cyclonic Torpedoes ready to go off if Chaos tries to get their hands on them.

Intertwinement with government and religion? Not only is the worship of the Emperor justified, but it's also needed to keep the Astronomicon alit. Without it, a second Age of Strife would come and desolate the Imperium.

Obsession with crime and punishment? When your crimes can summon daemons or desolate entire systems, the state is justified to be interested in them.

As much as she wanted to say that the Imperium were the bad guys (and they would be anywhere else), but in this universe? They're the only reason humanity hasn't collapsed into either extinction or subservience to either Chaos or the Xenos. She was surprised a second Age of Strife hasn't happened because of the Maw of Annihilation.

The Imperium is the bureaucratic nightmare it is in order to avoid infernal strife and Chaos intrusion. However, when the Emperor told them about the Horus Heresy and its effects on the galaxy, it suddenly became clear that this was a good thing.

As one of the Living Saints imparted on her, "In the grim dark future, war is peace."

Bubbles was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard some walking towards her. In that moment, she found that she had walked to one of the gardens of the Palace and was sitting alone at night. She turned to her left to see Dee Dee walking towards her.

She appeared to have aged to a 20 year old but still had her gold blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes with her wings seeming made of pearls. She was clad in the same gold and white dress as when they first saw her all those years ago, though it seemed to have been altered into more like robes. Dee still had the bands on her arms and legs and the rings on her wrists.

"Hey, Bubbles." Deandra started as she sat down, her voice like silk and melodic like a song, "I've been meaning to talk with you for a while. How have you been adjusting to life in the Imperium?"

Bubbles smiled softly, "It's been fine; been getting used to all the responsibilities. The Emperor's got the weirdest set of chores I've ever seen. Aside from showing us the tithe of Psykers needed to keep the Astronomicon alit, other tasks he had us do include wading through the Palace's sewers to purge all the fungi and psychic monsters with the Custodes and Sisters of Silence, helping the Shadowkeepers guard the Dark Cells, and working in some of the factorums for a day or two. Brutal, but kinda fun." She scratched her head sheepishly as she laughed a little, wondering how fucked up she must be to enjoy those things.

"Yeah, the Imperial Palace is nothing if not fortified and well protected. Rogal Dorn saw to that." Dee laughed before remembering something, "Oh, by the way; If you ever speak to Dorn, don't use any metaphors or figures of speech. They all fly over his head."

She nodded to this, remembering what the Emperor told them about how Dorn took everything literally.

"Besides that, I've been worried about how all the things that the Emperor told you might... warp your views." Dee Dee expressed her actual concerns to Bubbles, who blinked in confusion, "I mean that I'm just worried all of the negative aspects of the Imperium have rubbed off on you and your sisters."

Bubbles 'oh'ed in understanding before she revealed her feeling, "Well... The truth is that; while I hate the Mutants and Xenos here, back home, I don't. Superman, Martian Manhunter, Flash, and every other superhero are either Mutants or a Xenos. But they fight for humanity and would rather die than see it perish. I understand what humanity has gone through in this universe but in ours, they fight for us. As for Chaos..." She paused before she sighed and had a saddened expression, "If they're too far gone, we won't have a choice. I just pray those that fell under the God's sway will find peace."

Dee Dee nodded as she gained a similar saddened expression as she put her arm around Bubbles for comfort.

Bubbles sighed as she shook herself out of those thoughts. She missed those times when it was just them beating up bad guys, but she'd come to accept that those times were over and gone. All she and her sisters could do was move on and hope that things would get better after the Emperor does his master plan that defeats Chaos, whatever it was.

Boomer gritted his teeth as he held up the leg of an Imperator-class Titan with one arm, sweating streaming through his pores and strain spreading through his muscles with the soles of his feet digging into the ground.

"How long have I been holding this?!" He shouted to the Emperor and Batman, who were watching his progress in this trial.

The Emperor looked at a stopwatch before shouting back, "Almost 3 minutes! Just seven more minutes, Boomer! You're doing great!"

Boomer moaned miserably.

After the 7 minutes, Boomer collapsed after the Emperor used his powers to keep the leg up as the former got out from under before the leg stepped down. He wheezed and panted but not really as long as last time.

Batman supported him when he saw that he was too tired to stand, while the Emperor noted that he was improving but they still had 3 years to go before they were completed. The Caped Crusader watched the boy as they walked back to the Palace as they did these in one of the fields of Terra.

"Hey, Bruce?" Boomer got the Dark Knight's attention, as he inquired using his real name, "What have you been doing these pass 7 years?"

Batman looked at the transhuman with the same stoic expression, "The Emperor and I have been planning contingencies for certain... scenarios I suppose you could put it." He then paused and asked, "Speaking of the Emperor, what do you think about him?"

"Well... And don't think I'm being a brainwashed slave..." Boomer mutter before almost declaring, as if it was the only thing in his life that mattered, "I'd follow him to the end of the universe. And the others feel the same way."

The Dark Knight only 'hmphed' in acknowedgement, "It's not that much of a surprise. The Emperor is quite charismatic, and the fact that he is your mentor figure for the past 7 years, meaning that you and the others have likely imprinted onto him. Granted, he is the leader of the Imperium. If he wasn't beloved, the Imperium would have collapsed before it even left Terra."

Boomer nodded, the Emperor had very much left an impact onto them. How couldn't he? He was what they have seen and been following for since the opening of the Maw. The Emperor, despite his odd sense of humor and his snarky and rude attitude, genuinely wanted the best for humanity. His traitor sons and the heretics on the other hand... While he could understand why half of the Primarchs betrayed the Emperor, daddy issues did nothing to justify the atrocities that all of them had unleashed onto the galaxy and the multiverse.

He kept wondering about how they were going to defeat the Gods, but if he knew one thing; the Emperor's an asshole, but he's also an asshole who know what he's doing.

Seeing him daydream slightly, Batman snapped him out of his thoughts, "I've had many meetings with the Emperor who says he has a way to ensure that we can get his plans for his Blackstone Array ready in time. We simply need to stall any Chaos intrusions for the time being."

"Then let's hope that he can pull that trick in time." Boomer commented as they both got to the front steps of the Imperial Palace.

From the warped realms, the Gods haul.

The voice was calming, a polymerization of sweetened milk and alluring fragrance. It was akin to swimming in chocolate, one anyone else would happily drown in, unable to part with its presence.

From the old lands, The Old Ones crawl.

Blossom found herself walking through the ruins of Megaville; the streets nothing but shards of asphalt, he buildings and homes ravaged with one block after another sporting nothing but gutted, smashed buildings that stand at bizarre angles. The ruined streets ran red with the blood of all with the bodies of the slain or defiled festering in the rubble.

The new lands, the Gods now claim.

The sky was burning with red, pink, blue, and green. Faces were either too few or too many human or inhuman features shown between the dark clouds, horrors not to be described waiting beyond.

The lives before end in blame.

In the uncountable heaps of corpses, sat the bodies of Buttercup, Bubbles, Brick, Butch, and Boomer. It was then that she saw that the bodies of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter were among the heaps.

The blue one controls, the green one teaches.

Blossom steps away from the heap, eyes wide and hands to her mouth in horror. A wind pushes against her hair like a lover's hand. She turned around only for her sight to grasp something that she wished she hadn't.

The purple one desires, the red one reaches.

It was the Emperor; beaten and bloody, screaming into the sky, sword drawn and ablaze with golden flames. Four tendrils of purple, green, blue, and red descended from the sky but he slashed at them, rending them to ash. He raised his sword higher, flames near white in an attempt to match his fury and the things nearly seemed to retreat into the skies.

The treasured brothers, alive or dead.

18 figures surround the Emperor; a knight in black armor, an artist with gleaming silver hair, a builder clad in the armor of a destroyer, a hunter swifter as a flash of white, a barbarian wreathed in the hides of wolves, a stalwart defender with an unbending will, a seeker of justice hunting in the shadows of night, an angel drenched in blood, a builder with hands of iron, a savage set out to devour worlds, a leader in blue armor with a white emblem, a cloaked reaper wielding a silver scythe, a red single eyed giant with ethereal sigils appearing and disappearing around him, a monster clad in black with red eyes decorating all around, a preacher with purity seals etched into his skin, a forger with charcoal skin and burning red eyes, a hunter in the dark with a raven at his side, and a figure clad in green blue scaled armor whos face shifted constantly.

Together, they stand now again.

One by one, the half that stayed in the light drew their weapons against those that fell to the dark.

Move your pieces with care and claim.

Both sides charge and leap towards each other, intending to strike one another down. The Emperor slumped down, using his sword to support himself as the things above smile at his torment.

To them, this is a game.

Blossom screamed as she catapulted from her bed, causing the others to wake up and to join in on the screaming until they all calmed down. They all panted from the force of their screams before their annoyed gazes locked onto a sheepish Blossom.

"OH, COME ON!" Butch yelled angerly, sick of Blossom's horrific nightmare epidemic, "THAT'S THE FIFTH TIME TONIGHT!"

She meekly apologized, almost burying her face into the covers.

They had been sent to Baal in one of the penultimate trials, where they had to get to the Fortress Monastery but the Emperor had ordered them to go on foot as to not relay too much on their powers. As such, when night fell, they had to build their own campfire, shelter, gather their own supplies, hunt their own meals, and someone would have to take watch. So far, everything went swimmingly, but then Blossom kept waking all of them up due to nightmares that randomly popped into her head. Blossom herself didn't know where these nightmares were coming from, as she rarely had them at all since, they came to the Palace.

"Look," Bubbles suggested to her sister, the irony of how the roles had been reversed was not lost on her, "If you cannot sleep, can you at least take watch?"

Blossom sighed, ashamed of the nightmares that were plaguing her, "Alright, I'll take watch."

The other sighed in relief at the prospect of finally getting some sleep, while Blossom grabbed her custom-made bolter and sat outside of the shelter, still confused as to what's happening to her.

She tried desperately to conceive the reason for the dreams that were plaguing her, but she was unable to. Sighing in defeat, Blossom leaned back against the rock that she was sitting by with her bolter in her arms. Her thoughts were interrupted when Butch sat next to her, seemingly grumpy but didn't say anything as he leaned back on the rock.

"...Can't sleep?" She asked.

Butch said nothing but just shook his head. The two just sat in silence for the rest of the night.

Next morning, the four in the tent manage to wake up after getting at least 6 hours of sleep. Buttercup and Brick got out first before Boomer and Bubbles came out as well. Just as they came out, they saw a peculiar sight.

Blossom and Butch were laying back against the stone, promptly out cold. The former was snoozing peacefully while the latter snored loudly with drool flowing down his bearded face.

The four all look at each other before smiling and letting them sleep. Brick and Boomer went hunting while Buttercup and Bubbles gathered all the supplies needed to continue their journey to the Fortress Monastery of the Blood Angel's. But they decided to wait for Blossom and Butch to wake up. In the meanwhile, they just talked.

"Fuck, dude." Buttercup muttered as she looked at the desert horizon of the planet, "Without flying, it seems like we have been on Baal for months."

"We've only been here 2 days." Boomer deadpanned.

"I know!" She exclaimed, throwing up her hands and let them fall to her sides.

Bubbles sighed as she stood up and looked over the horizon with her sister, "Well, just be glad we haven't been ambushed by any mutants. If it stays that way, we should be able to get to the Fortress Monastery in a few days." A blush then spread across her cheeks as she whispered so silently that only Buttercup could hear her mutter, "Then we can see all the... iconography of Sanguinius."

Buttercup nodded in understanding as she remembered her and Butch's reactions to seeing that portrait of Sanguinius.

The two eighteen year olds had entranced stares at a painting of Sanguinius during the Siege of Terra, flying above the traitors and daemon with the Spear of Telesto ready to smite the ones who threated the Imperium. Azkaellon was speaking to them on something however, Buttercup and Butch were so entranced by the beauty of Sanguinius that they were frozen in dumbstruck awe at the Primarch's beauty.

'Mustn't... look... directly... at... face...' Buttercup struggled to break free of the trance that the portrait put her in, 'So... beautiful...'

'Eyes below the neckline, Butch...' Butch tried to move his eyes away from the portrait, 'Eyes below the neckline. EYES BELOW THE NECKLINE!'

Buttercup shook the thoughts out as the sounds of Blossom and Butch groaning as they woke up filled her ears. The two got their shit together and the band of Transhumans continued their trek across the deadly plains of Baal.

None of them knew where they had started was at least a quarter of their journey to the Fortress Monastery, yet it was surprisingly peaceful. They encountered a mutant warband or two a while ago, but other than that, Baal was unusually tranquil. It gave them time to actually admire the scenery of the planet, warts and all. It was home to vast plains that stretched beyond what even their eyes could behold, material formations in mesmerizing patterns while they could only wonder what was occurring on Baal Prime and Secundus.

A faint crackling pricked her eardrums. Buttercup turned to see a mutant trudging towards her; Its epidermis pitch black with several red eyes lining its limbs, a blank featureless face that seemed to pulse like a heartbeat. Suddenly, its skin split open in several places as several phallic tentacles slithered out of its muscles, flailing and spurting red mucus.

It screeched and charged at Buttercup, only for her to fire her heat vision without her even batting an eye. The beam hit the mutant directly in the chest before it was reduced to gore that splattered onto the ground. Buttercup only 'hmphed' in satisfaction with a smile before she and the others continued their journey to the Fortress Monastery.

3 DAYS LATER...

The group all heaved in utter exhaustion. Brick and Butch could barely stand while Boomer, Buttercup, and Bubbles all collapsed onto the sand. Blossom was only able to keep standing by holding onto Brick, who himself was nearly collapsing in exhaustion.

"Okay..." Brick stopped to catch his breath before speaking in between pants, "I think... this is it..."

"How..." Buttercup asked in between pants, "Can you... tell?"

"Because... there it is." Brick pointed in front of him.

In front of him was a massive fortress that was intrinsically built on top of an ever spanning desert; mosaics of Sanguinius lined the monastery windows, towers expelled torrents of foul-smelling smoke from the inner cremators of the fortress, a sea of malnourished and dirt slathered people wade through the entrance, and the various Blood Angels Astartes placed around, ever vigilant and ever ready for slaughter.

The two Blood Angels guarding the front entrance seemed to notice them as they stepped aside. Buttercup and Butch kept their heads down so they wouldn't be entranced by the beauty of Sanguinius while the others just looked forwards, ignoring the beautiful iconography.

It was 30 minutes later when they arrived at their destination; the Tomb of Sanguinus.

The tomb was as beautiful as what could be expected by the Emperor's favored son: the walls composed of gold lined with scriptures telling of the Angel of Baal's achievements and victories, gold and ruby decorations of ecstatic beauty that captured the iconography of his sons and their sacrifices for the Imperium, wreaths of flowers, jewels, and weapons displayed around in religious reverence. Mosaics depicting the Siege of Terra and the Primarch's final fight with the Arch Traitor were displayed around the tomb akin to a church, twin Sanguinary Guard Astartes stand at the entrance, and chalices of gold filled with red wine.

But the centerpiece was the body of Sanguinius.

It was incased in a glass coffin lined with gold and ruby, the bedding was of rose petals that held the corpse gently like it was in a mother's arms, and the armor was as pristine as it was ten thousand years ago. The corpse of the Angel was untouched to the rot of time, his golden locks still clean and pure, the skin a color as if blood still seemingly flowed through the veins and muscles.

The six Transhumans are both awed and saddened by the sight of the Angel's corpse, as if one that they had loved with all their heart had been ripped away. It was akin to seeing a brother dead. The thought that Horus willing slayed his brother all for his ambitions made their already absolute disgust and hatred for the Arch-Traitor skyrocket to unfathomable levels.

The successor chapters of the Blood Angels arrived for the anniversary of their beloved father's sacrifice; The Sanguinary Brotherhood, the Angels Encarmine, the Angels Excelsis, the Angels Glorious, the Angels Numinous, the Angels Penitent, the Angels Resplendent, the Angels Sanguine, the Angels Vermillion, the Angels of Light, the Atlantian Spears, the Blood Dragons, the Blood Drinkers, the Blood Legion, the Blood Scythes, the Blood Swords, the Blood Wings, the Brothers of Jarad, the Brothers of the Red, the Burning Bloods, the Carmine Blades, the Charnel Guard, the Crimson Legion, the Crimson Swords, the Cruor Blades, the Death Wardens, the Disciples of Blood, the Exsanguinators, the Flesh Eaters, the Flesh Tearers, the Golden Sons, the Knights of Blood, the Knights of the Chalice, the Knights Sanguine, the Lamenters, the Red Knights, Red Wings, Sable Brotherhood, Sable Knights, Sanguine Host, Scions of Sanguinius, Sons of Sanguinius, and Templars of Blood.

The Chapter Masters lead the way for the ceremony; Dante of the Blood Angels with his Librarian Mesphiston, Malakim Phoros of the Lamenters, and Gabriel Seth of the Flesh Tearers.

It was almost several hours yet none of the squad of six had grown bored. Perhaps it was their conditioning, their reverence to the Angel of Baal, or perhaps the will of the Imperium has become an intrinsically part of them that they'd kill themselves if they grew bored at a ceremony involving one of the Primarchs. After the speech given by Dante, one that description could give no justice, he abruptly asked for Brick to give a speech.

Brick, and quite a few others, were surprised, but he humbly accepted as he stood up from his seat and walked to the golden podium while Dante stepped down and stood aside as he took to the stage. Brick had to steel his nerves and force his voice not to sound meek or nervous as he began.

"I do not know what to say. To be here, to speak the Angel's sons... It is an honor beyond my worth. " Brick started, lips curled in before he continues, making up his speech as he goes along through his nervousness, "Though, to see the Angel of Baal, the one who slew a thousand hordes of daemons, the one who stood against the hated Angron and the more-so hated Ka'Bandha, to see him dead, is more painful than being shot with a Bolter. But it leaves me pondering; Is this our fate?"

The gathered seemed confused at the inquiry as he continued.

"To know, that the things beyond our universe were able to convince several of the Emperor's sons to turn against him." His voice was haunted and hollowed, "To know that they are beyond number and that they now spread to and preying on now over a thousand universes, is this our fate? To be rended to sunder and enslaved by the Ruinous Powers forever more?"

The Astartes and his friends all look at Brick in worry before his expression steeled with resolve and he shook his head in refusal.

"I say nay." Brick spoke with utter resolve and devotion as he unveils the faith that had been budding for the last ten years, "I refuse to believe it. I have to refuse, for the alternative is for me to simply give in the sheer scale of the foe we face. So, I must spit upon the Arch-Enemy and it's abominations." He then spoke like he was Sanguinius reborn in the flames of Strife, "Let them come. Let them taste Imperial Bolt. Let them perish under Imperial fire and steel. Let them test the resolve of the Imperium of Man and of all of humanity! For unlike the Arch-Traitor and his loathsome ilk, they will find that it can never be and will never be found wanting! "

Brick's voice reached a zenith, no longer a cold machine of the MIB but a warrior of burning will for the Imperium. He raised his clutched fist to the sky, yelling, "AVE IMPERATOR!"

"AVE IMPERATOR!" The rest of the audience raised their fists in reverence.

That was all that was needed to strengthen faith that was already as unbreakable as adamantium.

It was finally time.

Ten years of physical, mental, and spiritual conditioning. Ten years of fighting aliens, mutants, and heretics. Ten years of experiencing the utter vastness of the Imperium. And ten years of learning from the Emperor, their time in the Imperium was almost over.

"Well, here we are." The Emperor breathed out as he, Batman, Dee Dee and his chosen six stood atop a ledge that overlooked all of the Imperial Palace, "Time's almost up."

"Yeah..." Buttercup breathed, stumped that their time in the immaterium is almost at an end, "Hard to believe it's been ten years."

"We've seen so many things." Brick looked on as the Sun raised over the horizon Holy Terra.

"We've changed so much." Bubbles added, thinking about all that they'd experienced.

"And we've done so much." Blossom additionally added, arms crossed in thought.

Butch couldn't help but let a smile grace his lips, "I think the Justice League is gonna have some words with us and with the Big E when we get back. Maybe on our new views."

"I don't think the Professor is gonna like how the three of his kids changed." Boomer added while gazing at the sunrise.

The Powerpuff Girls all paused when he uttered those words; they hadn't thought about their 'father' for what felt like years. That and combined with the fact that they had trouble recalling what he looked like disturbed them. But since they were almost ready to go, they'd have plenty of time to make up for the lost time.

Buttercup sighed, "I've been thinking; What happens after we get back to the materium? What is the Justice League gonna think about us now? What is the Professor gonna think? What is everyone else we ever knew gonna think?"

"Well, as I recall; you agreed to this." The Emperor retorted, recalling the league's scruples, "But I think they'd be fine with it so long as you keep the Imperium's views to yourselves. And everything else I've told you."

Blossom blinked, "Wait; what do you mean?"

"I mean, every secret that I told you, every piece of knowledge that I've imparted, you must keep until the time is right." The Master of Mankind clarified to everyone gathered, "If we are to defeat Chaos, we must keep my plans secret so those whom the Ruinous Powers have enthralled will not intervene in them. As with my secrets, for the same reasons."

The six simply shrugged while Batman nodded. Dee Dee had a sad expression of the fact that they need to keep more secrets but knew the necessity. She just hoped that the League would understand. A pulse of white beated from the Sun before a wall of white began forming from the horizon. It grew and traveled across Terra, enveloping the Imperial Palace while nearing towards them. It was almost time.

"Let's hope that we can do enough to by time." The Master of Mankind finished as the wall of white drew closer. They nodded as they all joined the Emperor's side. Despite the oncoming wall of white consuming the Palace, they were not terrified. Instead, they were awed by the beauty of the wall and closed their eyes in acceptance except the Emperor and Batman.

"And let's just pray that Chaos hasn't taken advantage of our absence." The Emperor added in the last minute. **

Everyone laughed as the white enveloped them.

Back in the materium, the founding members of the Justice League minus Batman, Professor Utonium, Jenny and her mom, with Dr. Brisbaine and Weasel were all gathered around the Silver Thrones and the Mirror Vats, waiting as the timer for when they would return counted down to three minutes.

Utonium looked forlorn at seeing his girls all grown up as they floated in the vats while Brisbaine and Weasel seemed curious. The former had accepted that his girls agreed to this, but he was worried what the exposure to the Imperium might do to them. The heroes were, suffice to say, not happy with the fact that the Emperor had talked the six into this, especially given what he's said about the Imperium.

Suddenly, a timer went off, showing 6 zeros. The ten hours were up.

A second later, the vats hissed as the liquid drains, the six all slowly slumped onto the floors of the pod and the robotic arms removed the sensors. Then their eyes open and they all gasped loudly, forcing the long missed air into their waiting lungs before they all collapsed in a coughing fit, their bodysuits having grown to fit them perfectly. The light on the Silver Thrones fades as Batman and the Emperor stirred, the latter pulled the golden mask off his face and helped the former up from his throne. Both appeared drained and unsteady as Estalius seemed to have to force himself awake and Batman seemed slightly more slouched posture.

Utonium and the other heroes had helped the grown-up transhumans to their feet while Superman assisted Batman and Wonder Woman assisted the Emperor as they walked out of the room.

"I believe this requires some... words, Estalius," Wonder Woman growled to the Emperor, who didn't react as they walked out of the room.

After they had regained their strength, they were all moved to the control deck so the League could have some words with the Emperor. Suffice to say, everyone was shocked at the changes the six had gone through. Batman was standing on the sidelines while the Emperor was sitting on a collapsible chair alongside Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup, Brick, Boomer, and Butch. The latter six were clothed in white tanktops and black warm up pants provided by the Watchtower's witness center.

After they got dressed, the founding members of the League decided that the Emperor needed to be reprimanded for his recklessness.

"So, let me see if I have this right..." Hawkgirl started before glaring hard at the Emperor, whom wasn't fazed, "You talked these six into ten years of physical and mental conditioning in some of the most dangerous planets in the Imperium? All while forcing them to labor in the Imperial Palace? And to top it off, you convinced Batman that this was necessary?"

"Something like that. Yes." The Emperor curtly replied, not bothering in sugercoating because he was so tired after using the Silver Throne for ten hours.

Wonder Woman's fist was stopped half a foot from Emps' face when she attempted to hit him, coating it in gold as she struggled to move her hand. Only when she relented did the gold aura fade.

"Are you quite finished?" Estalius deadpanned, tired of all this talk of scruples and whatnot. The others appeared to be getting irritated at the Emperor's attitude with Captain Marvel looking like he was ready to attack him as well.

"Look, E; I get it." Flash interjected, hoping not to escalate all this, "Like what you said, this has been done to millions of children for recruitment in the Imperium. But this isn't the Imperium. We have rules and this sort of thing isn't alright." At seeing the Emperor's nonplussed reaction, he clarified, "What I'm trying to say is that whatever plans you have next, you gotta run them by us from now on, okay?"

The Emperor sighed while rolling his eyes, "Yeah, sure, whatever."

"Guys, look." Buttercup spoke up after hearing all of the venom being spewed around, "We agreed to whatever the Emperor had planned for us. What we saw during our time in there... It made me agree to fight for the Emperor. It's the same with the others."

Her sisters and the brothers agreed with her, gaining them confused reactions from the heroes.

"It was necessary." Brick added in, as he stood up from his chair, "We've learned that we can't pull our punches when it comes to Chaos. We have to nib the bud before it can bloom into something that could result in the planet being in need of Cyclonic Torpedoes."

The heroes paused and looked at each other before they agreed to an extent, with Manhunter saying in a firm tone of command, "Fine. But the six of you are to tell us everything that the Emperor taught you. As for the Emperor, any of your future projects have to be approved by us. If you don't comply, you're off the Watchtower."

When he said that, the other five stood up alongside Brick, glaring at the league with Buttercup stating firmly, "We leave if he leaves." Everyone, including the Emperor, looked surprised at their defense of him, but seeing that they wouldn't take no for an answer, they were forced to relent but not before Wonder Woman grabbed the Emperor by the collar of his sweater, forcing him to look her in the eyes.

"You are treading on thin ice." Wonder Woman growled, not seeing the six glaring at her.

"I've treaded on thinner." The Emperor retorted, deadpan as he grabbed her hands and forced them off his shirt. They all leave, but some of the superheroes feel like this is not going to be the last time they'd have moral conflicts with the Emperor.

The six all got to the locker room an hour later when the Emperor gave them new clothes that he made using a fabricator. They put them on and finally managed to get a look at themselves now that they were back in the materium.

Buttercup was now 5.8 with her ebony hair tied in a long ponytail with her bangs framing her face. She was rather well endowed with an hourglass figure, her face was sharper and heart-shaped, and her eyes seemed slightly darker. Much to her disappointment, she didn't keep any of the scars that she had acquired during her time in the Warp. She was quite attractive as she wore an outfit that really articulated her figure; black pants, green shoes, and a green tanktop with a black skull design under a black hoodie that had a green variant of the Dark Angels' iconography on the back.

Blossom was now 5.9 with her ginger hair reaching her waist while her bangs framed her face. She had a slightly more modest figure than Buttercup's but was still well-endowed, her face was attractive for one her age with her eyes being a darker shade of pink. She wore black pants with a pink shirt under a red coat that the Imperial Fists' iconography on the back.

Bubbles was now 5.8 with her blonde hair reaching her shoulders. She was the most modest out of her sisters but still had an hourglass figure, her face was sharper and her blue eyes had grown a shade darker. She wore blue shoes, black pants with a sky blue shirt that had a black rose design with a black jacket with the Salamanders' iconography on the back.

Brick was 6.4 with all of his ginger hair tied in a ponytail that reached his waist. He had a muscular build better than a man his age, his face seemed sterner with a sharper jawline and a goatee, and his red eyes seemed to glow slightly. He wore black pants with a red long sleeve shirt under a red jacket that had the Blood Angels' iconography on the back.

The one that changed the most was Butch. He was 6.5 with his black hair reaching below his shoulders and a full beard on his stern and hardened face. He had a more muscular build than his brothers and like Buttercup, he was annoyed that none of the scars that he got during the decade he trained had carried over to the real world. He wore dark green and black combat boots, black pants with a dark green shirt with a flaming green skull under a jacket that had the Space Wolves iconography on the back.

Boomer was 6.3 with his blonde hair in a crew cut. He was a little bit leaner than Brick with his face softer than Butch's but was still hard, and his eyes slightly darker. He wore blue shoes, black pants with a dark blue shirt with an Aquila design under a black jacket with blue details and the White Scars' iconography on the back.

After they got dressed, the Emperor called them to one of the more secretive areas of the Watchtower. They exited the locker rooms and slowly made their way to the area that the Emperor ordered them to go, trying not to look suspicious to the heroes or the crew of the Watchtower. When they got there, it was a simple storage room, yet it didn't have any cameras or any of the crew around.

It wasn't perfect but it'll do.

The group descended the staircase and entered the storage area, where they saw the Emperor standing with Batman. The former had changed his outfit to where he was wearing white pants, a black long sleeve shirt with gold colored tie under a gold-colored vest, black shoes, and a new lab coat. The latter was still in his usual costume.

The six all stood at attention when the Emperor came near, who nodded in approval. He and Batman had their commanding presence on full display as the former grace them with his decrees.

"Thank you for coming." The Emperor greeted them, "To get to business; because of the League, I am forced to do my more... unethical experiments in secret. As such, I need you all to ensure that no information of my experiments gets out. Aside from that, Chaos is gonna try to influence the League thanks to this incident but again, it was necessary."

"But remember; we must keep the tide of Chaos back at all costs until we complete my work." The Emperor commanded, "Because I've imparted a small portion of my power to all of you, you're immune to Chaos corruption and can remove and sense it to an extend but the others aren't and can't. So, if any of the people around you show signs of Chaotic corruption, use my power to cure them or, if they're too far gone, kill them."

The six nods in obedience.

"To give you an edge, Dexter and I will create Power Armor for you." He continued, which definitely caught their interest, "It'll be more advanced than any Power Armor that the Imperium has ever created. I'm not gonna say what it'll be though."

"Then why say say so?"

"Because I want to." The Emperor shot back with a smug smirk.

The six rolled their eyes, having grown used to this kind of humor from the Emperor.

"But until then if the League asks about your experiences during the ten years, don't say anything about my secrets. Batman and I don't trust them with this information." The Emperor changed his tone to a more serious tone with Batman agreeing, "We need to have the League focused on the physical threats of Chaos while we continue as planned."

They nodded before his expression softened as he continued, "But, for now, just talk to your friends and family. You guys must be aching to see them again. Since Chaos didn't take advantage like I'd expect, I'd say we earned some rest."

Everyone that had gathered nodded with a smile, at least they could rest after ten years of hard labor. They departed to rest and see what happened during the ten hours they were gone. The other heroes and their friends were gonna freak when they saw them as adults.

Unknown to all of them, a cockroach that possessed a blue carapace with golden etching and glowing eyes attached to long tentacles was watching the entire conversation from a vent. When they left, the tentacles retracted into its body before it scurried away to parts unknown.

The Daemon World of La'Magra

Sitting on a silver and impossibly beautifully decorated throne was a Daemon Prince of Slaanesh; her lower half was that of a serpent's clad in an impervious organic armor of purple carapace-like plates with a golden blade at the end, her upper half being clad in the same plates yet lined with gold and had the appearance of an impossibly beautifully woman with dark purple hair that reached her chin and curled horns facing upward. The last feature was the pair of purple feathered wings that rest on her back.

This is Azula, the Mistress of Perfection.

Azula smiled as she leaned against her decorated silver throne on her Daemon World. So far, according to Zim, their plan was coming along finely, but with the Emperor arriving to the world of the Justice League, the plans have changed.

Not that she was miffed, mind you. It just gave her more time to indulge in her own pleasures.

Steps pricked her ears as she turned her head to see Gaz walking towards her. The girl had changed quite a bit since she'd been allowed to enter the Warp; firstly, she was now a shapely 18-year-old with her cubic purple hair having become bone straight as it reached to her shoulders, her irises had become purple with black sclera, a common mutation with the Slaaneshi. She was dressed in a purple, gold, and black leather uniform with no sleeves and elbow length fingerless black leather gloves with purple studded bands, knee high boots with black pants. Her outfit was asymmetrical, one section was a different color or different style yet was still appealing to herself.

"Ah, Gaz." Azula purred as her aspirant came to her throne, "Are you ready?"

She nodded as a sadistic grin.

Azula grinned back. It had been 5 years for Gaz ever since she'd entered the Warp, during the first two days all she did was play her Game Slave. After that, she grew bored with it and began exploring other pleasures. The same as everyone else that fell under Slaanesh's wing, Gaz turned ever inwards, indulging in whatever she wanted, however she wanted, whenever she wanted. At first, it was different tastes or smells, then more pleasing sights, then the drugs and pleasant feelings entangled like the rest of them forever more. She soon abandoned her Game Slave entirely, mostly because it was possessed by a Daemonette.

Ever since, she treaded down the same path Azula did all those centuries ago, but that mattered not as they now had all the time they wanted.

Azula's aspirant walked to a ritual circle on the open floor of the atrium with several people bounded and gagged in razor wire, sitting down cross-legged with her eyes closed. Her lips then began uttering blasphemous words as the circle began to illuminate. Azula got off her throne and slithered near the ritual of her aspirant, for once in interest.

She continued to issue the blasphemous words from her lips as the area seemed to grow darker, the air thicker like a stilling malaise, and a feeling of pleasantness crawled up the spines of those bound in wire. The sacrifices all seized in both agony and bliss, eyes rolling into the back of their skulls, and blood spewing from their wounds. They seized in a final surge of pleasure before they fell face-forwards on the ritual circle, blood flowing into the circle.

Moments after, a shadow of something flailed above her; an androgynous figure with twin pairs of arms, pincers in place like two hands, hooves in place of feet, flawless flowing hair, and curled horns on the head.

Tendrils of pink lashed from her soul and onto the shadow, wrangling the struggling daemon down into Gaz's very being, entrapped and bound with her to do as she wills. Gaz felt nothing but utter rapture as the Keeper of Secrets' power surged through her veins, her eyes blazed pink while Warp lighting of the same color flared around her in pulses of blissful essence. The thing inside her illuminated her veins as she breathed out a pink mist.

Suddenly, Gaz's entire body shifted, clothing and flesh melting away, twisting, blurring, and somehow sinking into the rest of her body. A moment later, she stood with her hide a shade of grey, darkening to purple at the ends of her larger set of arms and by her knees. She had to crouch and lean forward to stand comfortable in the open courtroom despite her increased size and wingspan.

Her body became laden with muscle beneath her hardened flesh, sexual characteristics vanishing into a body designed only for combat. Bony plating covered her face completely, the edges of the helmet forming ridges below her chin and up the sides of her face, meeting in a point behind it. Jagged slits in the surface revealed a pink bioluminescence beneath that seemed to function as eyes, the same light showing in the webbing of her four bat-like wings.

Her smaller pair of arms, almost small enough to be human sizes, intertwined their fingers across her stomach as she stood on legs that were reduced to bony, gapped structures near the feet. Even crouching, she was near six feet tall.

"Intriguing..." Azula hummed to herself, in interest.

Gaz then slowly returned to her human form though her clothes now consisted of a leather top and black loincloth as she falls to her knees, barely able to stand from the feelings roiling inside. Gaz managed to crawl to the side of Azula's throne before she fell unconscious, her back against the right arm of the throne that was decorated with copulating figures. Unseen to her but seen to her mistress, the Mark of Slaanesh on her arm blazed like pink flames as runes of pleasure began forming all around her skin.

Before she could give further interest, the purr of a motorcycle caught Azula's ear. She turned her serpentine body to the entrance of her palace; a black Assault Bike decorated in skulls, weapons, and Slaaneshi sigils, with a daemonic aesthetic, the wheels black with purple radiant details. Speakers blasting Daemon Rape (more unpopularly known as Slaaneshi Rock N Roll) were lined with golden faces, pikes with skulls, and exhausts emitted purple smoke at that smelled strangely pleasant.

The one riding it was ever more intimidating; a large yet lanky man clad in a black leather uniform that concealed every part of his body, lined with belts, spikes, and studs, polymerized with a black duster. Adorned on his head was a helmet resembling a skull with two forward facing horns and twin white streaks resembling gashes running from the back of the head to the jaw.***

A pleased purr issued from Azula's lips combined to a pleased smile, "Doomrider." The name of the one she summoned before Gaz came.

"Lady Azula." Issued a deep and garbled filtered voice from the Slaaneshi Cyclist as he got off of his Assault Bike, the tone doing nothing to hide the snark laced within. "How may I repay thee for allowing me to enter your most graceful presence?****"

Azula grinned at her ego being stroked despite his smarminess before she flipped her flawless hair and purred in her voice that would have seduced any non-Slaaneshi to her dark and thirsting will, "Doomrider, I am here to ask a favor. And I promise, it'll be worth your time."

Doomrider's expression was hidden from sight due to his mask, but the fact that he was still in her presence signified that he was interested. Grinning, Azula extended her hand as it produced a ball of pink flames before it dispersed to reveal a device resembling a backpack. It was composed of three large canisters, the right one containing a green fluid, the center one containing a red fluid, and the left one containing a brown fluid, all connected by large metal pipes and red rubber tubing to a larger skull.

"No way." Doomrider breathed in amazement as he took the device into his hands, "A Commorite Stimm-Rack?!"

"The same as Lucius the Eternal's. Loaded with same drugs as well." Azula grinned as she knew this would get her a favor from him, "So, what do you say?" She offered in a sweet voice, "I give you this and you do me a favor."

She could feel the grin from under Doomrider's mask, "I'm listening."

Azula let an ear-to-ear grin spread across her face.

And that's all for now folks!

To give voices for the adult Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys: Blossom is voiced by Laura Baily, Bubbles is voiced by Tara Strong, and Buttercup is voiced by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn. Brick is voiced by Crispin Freeman, Boomer is voiced by Roger Craig Smith, Butch is voiced by Troy Baker.

I promise that I made the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys adults for a reason, but I want it to be a secret for now.

Also, say hello to Doomrider! After some time of thinking, listening to a bunch of music videos, and rewatching the Speed Racer live action film (which I think is absolutely fantastic), I decided I not only want to add Doomrider but also want to create a new one. For Doomrider fans, don't worry the original Doomrider will appear but later.

*I based this on God-Emperor of Mankind by Blazbaros.

**Fun fact: I was originally going to have Chaos attack the Watchtower while the Emperor, Batman, the Powerpuff Girls, and the Rowdyruff Boys were out of commission, but I decided to cut it due to writer's block. I had an inkling on how to write it in at first put I couldn't find a way for it to fit naturally.

***Think of the Batman Who Laughs' uniform with studded and spiked gloves and the black version of Ichigo's Vasto Lorde mask.

****Cobra Commander's voice from GI Joe Retaliation.

Anyway, see ya in chapter 4, folks!

Abandon All Hope, Embrace All Chaos (40K/PPGD/Multi-X-over)

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