Yes, even Buttercup was scared almost half to death just by what she saw. Still, kinda makes ya wonder just what happened that got Dr. Brisbane in that condition. Then again, I forgot to bold in some other clues. And yes Bear, I loosely based that giant hand off of Ocarina of Time, only without the drum arena and monstrous cyclops thingamabob. And I only used one hand.
Chapter 29: Too much trust?
*PPG room 9:23AM*
*screen shows the sun rising partly above the horizon. The scene then shifts to Blossom and Bubbles standing on their bed next to what appears to be a curled lump under the bedsheets*
Blossom: Buttercup! Rise and shine! The professor has breakfast on the table and Shad went ahead of us...again.
Bubbles: He made your favorite this morning. Bacon and tater-tots.
*the "lump" rolls toward the ledge and falls off the bed. The sheets come off, revealing a slightly sleep-deprived upside-down Buttercup with a bad case of bed-head*
Bubbles: Buttercup? What happened to you?
Blossom: You didn't actually stay up the whole night for no reason did you?
Buttercup: *shudders* I wish.
Blossom: What?
Buttercup: Huh? I mean, good morning! Last one to the bathroom is a rotten egg!
Bubbles: We already brushed our teeth.
Blossom: Are you feeling okay Buttercup? You don't look so good.
Buttercup: Nonsense! *floats up and flies toward the door, only to crash into a wall instead* Where's *yawns* the door?
Bubbles: It's to your left.
Blossom: Whether you actually stayed up all night for heaven knows why or not, you really need some rest. Let's just get you to the bathroom first.
*Blossom and Bubbles each lift up Buttercup's arms and carry her out the room. They float through the hallway and enter the bathroom to the left*
Buttercup: *still half-asleep and squirming* But I don't wanna take a bath!
Blossom: You're not. *takes a green toothbrush out of the toothbrush rack* Although that might not be a bad idea. Toothpaste please.
Bubbles: Okey-doke! *takes a tube of toothpaste from the sink ledge and squirts a pea-size toothpaste onto the green toothbrush*
Blossom: Hold still Buttercup.
Buttercup: *still half-asleep* I can bwash me teesh be mesaf.
Blossom: Not in your condition you can't! *lifts up Buttercup's lips, revealing all her teeth in clear view for Bubbles* Now!
Bubbles: Here goes.
*Bubbles puts the bristles on the toothbrush on Buttercup's teeth, brushing left and right, and when Blossom tilted Buttercup's head a bit, Bubbles brushed the teeth up and down and on the tounge*
Blossom: Okay Buttercup, spit here. *turns Buttercup's head towards the sink*
Buttercup: Me noooose tikus. Ah...AH....ACHOO!! *sneezes the toothpaste and some mucus out of her mouth and into the sink*
Bubbles: EWW! Turn on the sink!
Blossom: Ugh! Way ahead of you.
*Blossom rotates the left knob next to the faucet, pouring out cold water into the sink and pulling all the spat out toothpaste down the drain*
Buttercup: Oooh. Lookie goos rowd a rowd.
Blossom: Now all we have to do is get you awake. Or at least awake enough to have breakfast and go back to sleep.
Bubbles: But how?
*Blossom crouches down and opens a cabinet under the sink and takes out a bucket. She fills the bucket with cold water to the brim, then blows an icy frost on it to further lower its temperature*
Blossom: If this doesn't work I don't know what will. *swings the bucket, tossing out icy cold water that splashes on Buttercup's face, snapping her out of her sleep-deprived daze*
Buttercup: WHAAA! COLD! TOO COLD!
Blossom: Finally!
Buttercup: F-f-f-finally what?
Bubbles: You were talking really weird and stuff. Did a nightmare keep you awake?
Buttercup: *remembers that little scene she saw in the wrecked lab behind the door in Shad's mind, then tries to force a smile* What makes you say that?
Blossom: Well it looked like you stayed up a bit late. We even had to brush your teeth for yo...Buttercup?
Buttercup: *shaking from what she saw in Shad's mind* Just a bit c-c-cold. *grabs a green towel from a rack and dries her face* You did splash water on me.
Bubbles: It didn't look like you were shaking from that.
Buttercup: Yeah...let's just get downstairs, I'm starving. *exits the bathroom*
Bubbles: Blossom...
Blossom: I know. She seems okay but I felt that something didn't seem right about her. That must've been one big whopping of a nightmare she had.
At least...I think it was a nightmare. Unless...no, she wouldn't do that alone.
*downstairs, in the kitchen*
Shad: What took you Powerpuffs so long?
Blossom: Buttercup was half-asleep so we had to help her brush her teeth.
Bubbles: I think she had a nightmare and it kept her awake.
Shad: Nightmare? Did you have one too Bubbles?
Bubbles: Nuh-uh. I was having a tea party with Nekokoneko.
Professor Utonium: Exactly what was in your nightmare Buttercup?
Blossom: Was it a giant spider?
Buttercup: I don't wanna talk about it. *munches on a strip of bacon*
Shad: When I got up I saw you sweating a lot. Maybe it was a big nightmare?
Buttercup: C'mon! Shouldn't you know?!
Shad: Know what?
Buttercup: You didn't...okay smartypants! What did you dream about?
Shad: I was dreaming about being in a pillow fight tournament with Bubbles, and won!
Buttercup: That's it? That's it?! What's with you?! *bangs hand on the table*
Blossom: Buttercup what are you talking about?
Buttercup: *whispers to Blossom* You didn't go in Shad's dream bubble did you?
Blossom: *whispers back* I didn't want to see that shadowy monster again, so I just stayed in my own dream.
Shad: What are you saying? Can I hear?
Blossom: You never had any nightmares last night?
Shad: I said no! I didn't have one last night and I didn't have one last last night. Or last last last night. Or last last last last night. The last nightmare I got was being in that lab place stuck in a tube and that Brisbane guy lying about stuff about mommy havi...
Professor Utonium: Shad, about that "dream" you had. None of it seemed real to you?
Shad: No! I had that weird nightmare because I didn't have my Bubbles plushie with me. Mommy and daddy said so.
Blossom:
AUGH! Still no luck!
Shad: *eats the last strip of bacon* All done.
*Shad looks at Buttercup's plate, which seemed barely touched at all*
Shad: Are you okay Buttercup? Last time you usually get done eating right after I do.
Buttercup: *sighs and pokes a tater-tot with her fork* Guess I don't feel as hungry as I usually do.
Bubbles: But you said you were starving a few minutes ago! And you never lose your appitite!
Blossom: Yeah. *looks at the "lantern" sitting on the table* Shad do you have to have that on the table?
Shad: The sticky note says I have to keep it with me at all times.
*meanwhile, in the basement of Shad's house*
*Dimitri eats his pancakes on a tray, being very careful not to spill any syrup on the keyboard. The monitor he's staring at shows his son, the PPG and his old friend Adric having breakfast*
Dimitri: That's right Shad. Listen to your parents. *pops a piece of pancake in his mouth as Claire steps in*
Claire: So how's things?
Dimitri: Outside his mind, perfectly normal.
Claire: Outsi...you mean...
Dimitri: Yep. Our lantern picked up some stuff from the "specter" in Shad's lantern.
Claire: Now now, I know how the lantern link system works. After all, it was all...
Dimitri: Yes, I know. Making the lanterns was your idea... last year.
Claire: And what did the specter pick up?
Dimitri: Well another Powerpuff got inside Shad's buried memories...again. Buttercup got in but before she went any further...well, let the images speak for themselves.
*Dimitri connects the lantern to the monitor. He takes the breakfast tray off his lap and starts typing rapidly. Then after clicking a few things, the monitor shows an image of Buttercup floating what appears to be a giant hand*
Claire: Isn't that one of those giant hands from Ocarina of Time?
Dimitri: What?
Claire: Wait, no. I think I recall seeing it on Wind Waker. A floormaster...
Dimitri: *stares at Claire in surprise* Since when do you play video games?
Claire: The hospital I work at mostly caters to children. Children who prior to me healing them talk about video games. A LOT of video games.
Dimitri: Hmm. Been a while since I played an RPG. Or any game for that matter. But anyway, let's see what Buttercup saw. I can only hope it wasn't too much.
*Dimitri turn a dial on the lantern causing the monitor to flash to another screen, which shows Buttercup staring at a bloodied man on the floor, tears in her eyes*
Dimitri: *shocked, then speaks in sarcasm* Perfect. MARVELOUS!
Claire: That's where...*sniffs*...it began, didn't it? How much longer until they...
Dimitri: They won't! I'll make sure of it!
Claire: Although none of this explains the giant hand. Could Shad have done that?
Dimitri: I don't think so. *stares at the monitor* Brisbane. *clenches his fist in anger* In some way or another, you deserved that.
Claire: But did the bystanders deserve it as well?
Dimitri: Who's to know? We didn't get there in time to help evacuate them. *fist shaking* All this simply because he was obsessed with his plans!
Claire: Uh...maybe I should turn this off. *presses the off button on the monitor* This dim basement isn't the place to have breakfast. *grabs Dimitri's arm with her left hand and his breakfast tray with her right* How about a brighter room for soothing that stress? *pulls Dimitri out of the basement*
Dimitri: Or I can just try and stop thinking about 3 years ago. Too bad that it's not so easy because of the Powerpuff's intrusions. They keep this up and Shad will remember something he shouldn't remember...for as long as he lives.
*back at the PPG household*
*the PPG have a little chat while Shad helps the professor wash the dishes. Buttercup just stands next to the bed, her face almost describing fear itself*
Blossom: You saw what?!
Buttercup: I don't know where I was. First it was all dark, I was able to see everything eventually, and there was this wrecked lab.
Bubbles: Lab? Like the professor's?
Buttercup: No. A different lab. It was much bigger but everything was broken. All those computers were smashed, there were these big TVs cracked, and there was some sort of tube thing...at least I think it was. Last I checked, it was broken from the top.
Blossom: Buttercup, were you scared just being in there?
Buttercup: .............no! Why would I...
*Blossom taps her foot on the ground and gives her a stern look*
Buttercup: Fine! I was scared alright! I don't know why but the place creeped me out! I saw stuff like that in horror movies all the time but that place scared me! I-I-I-I-I don't know why but it did!
Bubbles: Was there anything else?
Buttercup: There was *shaking in fear* b-b-b-b-b-b-blood.
Blossom: Blood?! From who?!
Buttercup: I followed it and it ended at this guy lying down next to this big gaping hole where the door used to be. I tried to help him up but...
Blossom: Your hand went through him?
Buttercup: How did you...
Blossom: I know. I figured that if no one can see us then we can't even touch them. We're like ghosts in...wherever that door sucks us in. And it looks so different, everything is in black and white and that Shad look-a-like keeps stopping us from going in there. I don't get it.
Buttercup: Me neither. The gaping hole next to that guy led to a hallway. Call me crazy, but it looked like the same hallway we were in!
Bubbles: It was?!
Blossom: Keep going.
Buttercup: Give me a break, I can't remember much on account of being so scared for some reason! There was that same screaming screeching noise from last time and I almost lost it! Before everything blacked out I saw someone in a labcoat walk to the guy on the floor. And get this: he called him Dr. Brisbane...I think.
Blossom: Dr. Brisbane?! You mean that guy one of the solders mentioned the last time?
Bubbles: And Shady mentioned him yesterday too! Or was it 2 days ago?
Buttercup: The guy in the labcoat mentioned the entire place being called Global Defenders or something. Never heard of them.
Blossom: Me neither.
Buttercup: There's just one more thing I remember: The guy in the labcoat...he had an X on his labcoat. After that, everything blacked out and this white sphere thing took me and I was back in my own dream.
Blossom: That's what happened when we all went in...hold on...what was that?! Someone in a labcoat with an X on it?
Bubbles: That sounds like the same guy on that picture Shady has!
*the door opens and Shad walks in*
Shad: What picture?
*Buttercup floats up and darts toward Shad*
Buttercup: Yeah, funny you should ask. *tells Shad what she saw in her dream*
Shad: That nightmare you had? And that man who used to visit me was in it? Did he say his name?
Buttercup: No, but some Brisbane guy was in it.
Shad: He was in my dream too! Wow, we both dreamed about the same man. I didn't think something like that can happ...
Buttercup: Would you wake up Shad?!
Blossom: Buttercup never even saw this Brisbane person! If both of you dreamt of the same person, then that "dream" you had wasn't a dream and the same went for Buttercup! Besides, who dreams in black and white?! Not to mention the people in the dream don't even see you! Don't you think any of this sounds a bit strange? Did you ever bother to ask your parents?
Shad: I do. And they always say it's just our nightmares going wild.
Blossom: And you believe them?
Shad: Yes! Mommies and daddies are good people! And good people don't lie! That's that and that's how it always is! Right Bubbles?
Bubbles: I think.
Shad: See! Bubbles agrees with me! Why can't you think that my mommy and daddy always tell the truth?! You should know! You're good people too! You're superheroes! *runs out of the room*
Bubbles: Shady wait! *follows Shad*
Buttercup: Give up already leader girl. Everything we try to say to him about what we saw only makes him upset. That and he doesn't believe us. Besides, at least he trusts his parents.
Blossom: I know.
It's just that he trusts his parents TOO much. If only Shad can understand that.
End of Chapter 29.
Added after 10 hours 26 minutes:
Okay, good news. Thanks to Keeper I found and added BGMs to chapters 26, 28 and this one! The next chapter should come shortly...or some of it. It's 10:30PM where I'm at.
Here's something to listen to when
Blossom wonders about those strange "dreams" and unknowingly hurts Shad's feelings, the poor kid.[/url]
Added after 41 minutes:
And now...huh? Chapter 30 already eh? Must be getting close to the end of the first part.
Chapter 30:
*Shad's house 11:43AM*
*Dimitri sits on the recliner reading the newspaper while Claire is out on her job*
Dimitri: Great. Now I know how Claire feels when she's away from work too long. Come on, Dimitri get ahold of yourself. You can beat...*starts to slouch*...boredom.
Security system: Code name recognized: Utonium. Now disengaging security protocols.
Dimitri: *jumps up* Huh?
*the door swings open to reveal the professor, stepping inside*
Professor Utonium: Dimitri?
Dimitri: Adric!
*Dimitri runs up to the professor, only to stop due to the noticibility of the height difference. He only stood as high as the professor's upper chest!*
Dimitri: That's not fair. Really, it isn't!
Professor Utonium: *looks down on Dimitri* Heh. I see you're not at the university considering it's a Saturday. Me and the girls were about to go out ourselves.
Dimitri: Were?
Professor Utonium: You see...
*Shad pops up behind the professor and hugs Dimitri*
Shad: Daddy!
Dimitri: Shad! What brings you here?
Shad: The Powerpuffs think you're a lier. Especially Blossom.
Dimitri: *gulp* D-d-does she? You're not quitting the sleepover are you?
*just then, Bubbles pops up behind the professor as well*
Bubbles: Of course not Mr. Staydamind! We still have so much to do.
Dimitri: Yeah. Anyone else behind there?
Professor Utonium: Bubbles? I thought I told you to stay inside. I'll sort all this out. *sits on a recliner*
Dimitri: Hmm. I concur. *sits on another recliner*
Shad: Can we...
Dimitri: No! This is grown-up talk. You can play with Shad upstairs. I'm sure he'd like to do so.
Shad: *blushes* How did you know?
Dimitri: Your face just said so.
Shad: Faces can talk? I don't get it.
Bubbles: It's probably some grown-up thing. Let's go. *Bubbles and Shad go upstairs so Shad's room*
Dimitri: Good. Now we can begin our little chat. What's going on with your girls saying I'm a liar?
Professor Utonium: Well it all seem to start when I was watching the morning news until Shad ran downstairs...crying. I caught up with him and he says his feelings got hurt. I asked how and he says the girls don't trust you. Apparently Shad cares a great deal about you and Claire as much as you two for him. And any blame that gets directed at you gets directed at him. He trusts you and hates it when people call people liars when he knows they tell the truth.
Dimitri:
Great. Way to bring Utonium here, Blossom! I'm not sure if I understand some of this. I know we care fo...
Professor Utonium: True, but you also teach him ways to tell the difference between good and evil. Due to that Shad takes it so seriously that he thinks anyone who lies are evil. Or close to it. So when the girls thought you were lying about something, Shad misinterpreted that as an insult saying you and Claire are "evil" and hurt his feelings. As if he thinks my girls will put you in prison. After all, that's what happens to bad people and since...
Dimitri: OK, I get it!
Professor Utonium: Look, the girls have been telling me that they saw strange things in their dreams...or more specifically, Shad's dreams. You see, during that whole
Sandman incident, my girls discovered the ability to go in other people's dreams. They mostly go in their own but when they decided to go in Shad's dream for some reason, they ended up in a maze instead. Does your son like mazes?
Dimitri:
What the...a maze?! Strange. I don't recall Shad having an interest in mazes. No. As far as I know that is.
Professor Utonium: Well here's the baffling part. When the girls asked Shad about the maze dream, he didn't recall any of it! What he thought of while asleep was something irrelevent to what my girls saw. At first I thought this may be related to the Chemical X, but that couldn't be since my scanners didn't pick up any traces of it in his body. It's possible Shad doesn't remember, but Blossom kept telling me that she suspects otherwise. And that may have been what set Shad off. Whatever the girls said to him he denied every single one of their accusations...whatever they were.
Dimitri: I'm sure it was just a truth or dare thing, that's all. *big anime sweat drop appears on his forehead* Heheh. It's probably just their imagination gone arwy. Now if Shad wants to come home...
Professor Utonium: No no. Despite his friends thinking you and Claire are lying about something, Shad wouldn't want to cut short his stay.
Dimitri: Adric, you ever heard of a white lie?
Professor Utonium: I might have.
Dimitri: You see, if me and Claire are lying about some...
*the professor starts to raise an eyebrow in suspicion*
Dimitri: Hypothetically! If HYPOTHETICALLY, me and Claire WERE lying to our son, it would only be for his own good and nothing else. If something bad ever happened that was so...well, horrifically bad and the truth would be damaging to the child's very psyche, then a beneficial lie is formed. A white lie of sorts. Of course we would never make a bad lie. Something along the lines of say...me and Claire threw out his Bubbles plushie and tell him that a ghost took it. That's a bad lie. A lie that we would never pull off. But if the aforementioned bad thing ever happened, then a white lie is formed to
protect him. If course this is all hypothetical. We never lied to our son period! Think about it for a minute. Suppose if the aforementioned bad event of sorts happened to your girls. If push comes to shove what would you do? Tell the truth that may change them for the worse, for fabricate a white lie and spare them the grief?
Professor Utonium: .........................................I'd tell the truth.
Dimitri: You see Adric, kids were meant to be hap...what?
Professor Utonium: Allow me to hypothesize: If the girls had a pet hamster and it died for some inexplicable reason while they were on say, a field trip, I'd tell them what happened instead of saying it ran away. You see, most, if not, then all things heal with time. My girls would move on like any normal child would. It doesn't matter how bad the event were to be. If a child were to ever find out that he's been lied to regardless of the reason, then the bond between parent and child would be severed severely. And in more ways then one, THAT would be more bad then any terrible event or incident that's been covered by a web of white lies.
Dimitri: *shaking* Heheh. You always were smarter then I gave you credit for Adric. Just now you proved that your a genius in more ways then one. I really do wish you agreed to that job offer all those years ago. Such a way with people. Almost like Claire, really. *stands up and walks to the kitchen* You would've made such a great professor at the Global Defenders, despite being an early graduate.
Professor Utonium: Just one...actually, 2 more questions.
Dimitri: Shoot.
Professor Utonium: That silver pistol I told Claire to give you. You ever figured out what ammunition it uses?
Dimitri: No need. I already know what it runs on.
Professor Utonium: Hmm?
Dimitri: I mean, what's the next question?
Professor Utonium: My surname seems to turn off all the security here. Any idea why that is?
Dimitri: ...............it's an emergancy word. The man who helped me set it up says it should only be used in dire situations. So I suggest you knock next time Adric! I happen to care for the saftey for my family!
*up in Shad's room*
Bubbles: So you thought we called your parents evil people?
Shad: *wipes his eyes with a tissue* Uh-huh. Mommy and daddy always told me that people who lie are bad people. I don't know why but Blossom said they were lying. I started to remember that liars are bad people. And bad people get sent to jail.
Bubbles: Oh. So you thought Blossom was going to call the police and put your parents in jail?
Shad: *nods*
Bubbles: Shady you're so silly! People don't go to jail for lying! What Blossom wa...
Shad: I don't care! I hate it when people say mean things to my parents and its even more bad when the people who say that are my friends! And they're superheroes! It's not like Blossom and Buttercup know my mommy and daddy! They never lie to me! They tell me not to lie so they don't lie either.
Bubbles: *hugs Shad* There there Shady. Blossom and Buttercup probably said a few things wrong. They probably didn't mean it...I hope.
Shad: At least you don't think my mommy and daddy are liers.
*the door opens, then there's a quick flash. Bubbles and Shad turn around to see the professor holding a camera*
Shad: Mr. Utonium!
Bubbles: Did you...
Professor Utonium: I was just making sure the camera works. Honest!
*back at the PPG room of the Powerpuff household*
Buttercup: Okay, how about this. We find Shad in his dream first, then we show him his look-a-like...
Blossom: That won't work either. It seems that every time we try to find him we end up at that door. And one way or another it just opens. Of course I was the one who broke it.
Buttercup: Heck right. If we were to record everything in there somehow and show it to Shad he'll have to believe us!
Blossom: Yeah, but remember when I saw his finger glowing and he didn't even notice? How are we going to prove that?
Buttercup: Quit making my head hurt! There's too much stuff to prove.
*the door opens, revealing the professor, Bubbles and a very flushed-looking Shad*
Blossom: Good, Shad's back.
Buttercup: What's with you? You're more red then usual.
Shad: *blushing* Uh...yeah. I think.
Professor Utonium: Buttercup, may I have a word with you?
Buttercup: What'd I do?!
Professor Utonium: Nothing. Just come out for a sec.
*Buttercup follows the professor out the room and down the stairs. There, the professor takes out a photo from his pocket. The photo was Bubbles hugging Shad*
Butterucp: All right you got it!
Professor Utonium: What do you say?
Buttercup: Thank you professor.
Professor Utonium: And?
Buttercup: I won't use it for blackmail.
Professor Utonium: And?
Buttercup: Ugh. I'll wash the car and do the dishes for a month.
Professor Utonium: That's a good girl. *walks away*
End of Chapter 30.
And some BGM for that little chat.
Yes, I know it's the same BGM from before, but it's good!
Theory though.
Its like they've never been hit by a light-speeding pillow.
She'll give the photo to Shad eventually. Not like she can blackmail him with it.
What just happened?
