Ch 9: Vendettas and Losses

Montray and the remainder of the Council watched from a short distance. He chuckled, "That Barasia certainly knows how to stir trouble, eh? She'd make a good member."

Destruction shrugged, "I suppose, but I must warn you, she's not one to be messed with. You can tell, can you not?"

Samantha's eyes narrowed. They were using their latest weapon against little Bell, and she felt bitter towards them for that. Perhaps she didn't share their innate sense of insanity. But she felt as though it was wrong. She quietly separated herself from the rest of the Council.

Nool grinned, "I reckon a few more upgrades and she'll be unstoppable!"

Hassamu hissed, "We'll see. The outcome of this fight will determine both Barasia's future, and possibly ours."

Montray grinned, "I like those odds."


Bell let out a feral cry and lunged at her 'sister', slamming into her, their speed cancelling each other out. Immediately they broke into a flurry of fisticuffs, kicks and blocks. X couldn't keep track as the two girls surrounded themselves in auras of their respective colours, Bell shining like a little angel, whilst Barasia radiated only darkness. The two broke apart, before shooting back at each other, their eyes suddenly aglow with hate and loathing for each other. They bounced off each other but immediately dashed in again, only to bounce off again. Bell's eyes suddenly glowed brighter than the sun as a pair of thin beams erupted from them. However, they were easily dodged. Barasia, meanwhile, countered by forming a large sphere over her head between her hands and lunging it at Bell. Another pair of laserbeams from Bell's eyes punctured the sphere, causing a huge explosion. The warring girls dropped to the ground, squaring each other off. Together, they brought their palms in close to their bodies, spheres of their respective light forming between their little hands. Both of them cried like warring warriors from the ancient times, throwing out streams of light and darkness at each other, trying to overpower their opponent.

Zim returned, "I got the sprayca-" he caught sight of the battlezone Black Eden had become, "By the Tallest, I'm getting outta here..." Gir did a pirouette at his feet.

Bell was the first to break the contact of her beam, leaping above Barasia's attack as the ray of blackness shot past underneath her. Her eyes lit up again, lancing streaks of light down upon her sister in a full aerial barrage. Barasia's eyes clouded with a foggy haze, before she, too, shot out pure refracted energy from her artificial corneas. Lasers rained upon them, but did no real damage. They would be highly effective against organics, but against each other the attack was useless. Instead, Bell swooped down on Barasia, fist raised, only to be blocked by Barasia's open palm. Bell's other fist swung, but was again blocked, this time by Barasia's free hand. They were locked together, Bell's fountain of white hair billowing around behind her, Barasia's shorter, black hair twirling like crazy.

Gir danced about, urging Bell on, "I'm addicted to her, doncha know that she's TOXIC!"

"Give in, baby sis, I'm too good for you!" Barasia called out.

"Shut it, ya demented rustbucket!" Bell spat back. She tried to wrench free of Barasia's grip, but Barasia instead put more pressure on Bell's knuckles. Anymore and the rivets within her hands would start to snap. She caught sight of the Darkstar Council watching from nearby. All but the girl, Samantha, were among them.

Suddenly, Barasia released one of Bell's hands and struck the girl across the face with her fist, using Bell's distraction to her advantage. Bell stumbled backwards, Barasia screaming a triumphant "HAH!" in victory.

Bell's foot zipped up, smashing Barasia over the head in return. "HAH!" Bell shouted back.

Nearby, Gir danced about, "When the working day is done, oh, Bell just wants to have fu-un..."

Barasia growled, and extended her left arm. The top of her forearm, to Bell's great surprise, suddenly slid away. She watched as a large double cannon rose from within her arm. Barasia pointed it in Bell's direction. Bell's eyes scanned the weapon, foreign to the gynoid's design and obviously built in from an outside power. Then she saw it. In the time it took for Barasia to aim, Bell noticed a small symbol and signature on the side of the cannon. The symbol was small, black and red, and corresponding with a group of individuals whom Bell always thought she could trust. The signature was a giant N underneath. Bell recognised it. Nool!

Barasia's double cannon fired, but Bell, a new fit of rage alight inside her, jumped aside. She threw a punch into Barasia's head, knocking the girl to the ground. Then she whirled around, her fingers closing together, her eyes focused on the giant green Council representitive, "YOU!" she roared, throwing her arm forward. A blast of pure white eminence erupted from her open palm, straight at the unsuspecting kaijin. Nool had no time to evade and he threw his arms out in front of him in sheer panic. The blast wasn't just wide enough to go through him, it managed to take Nool's top half with it. The light cleared, and the kaijin's lower half slumped forward, as dead as his top half which had landed around 20 metres behind it. The other Council members tensed up, but remained where they were, not willing to risk anything.

Gir continued to cheer for Bell, "She's a maniac, maaaaaaaaaniac on the floor! And she's dancing like she's never danced before!"

Barasia didn't seemed fased by the untimely demise of the one who had brought her back, "So... you found out my little secret. Well done."

X, who had been watching, boomed, "You TRAITORS! You dare defy me!?"

Montray stepped forward, moving in by Barasia's side, "Of course! We are a superior race, as you know. We no longer bow to anyone as minions apart from Vexus herself. We," he indicated the remainder of the Council, "are bred for conquest. With Barasia's help, WE shall rule the planet Earth, and enslave the human race for Vexus's boundless glory!" He placed a hand on Barasia's small shoulder, "Isn't that right, Barasia?"

Barasia sighed and rolled her eyes, "Yeah, Montray, that's great..." then in a low mutter, she added, "YOU have just screwed EVERYTHING up..." She wanted no place with them. Barasia suddenly leapt up, spun in mid-air and sent her foot flying into Montray's head with huge force. The neck is a major weakness on many an animal, and it certainly was the case here as Montray's head flew from his shoulders, skittling across the ground as his huge form collapsed with a dull thud to the cold ground. "THAT was for blowing my cover!" she growled at the dead Count.

Bell stared at the atrocity her sister had committed. But it didn't appear to be over, as one of the Council members shook with rage. The large red Master Kuwagus trembled with hatred toward the girl who they had revived for the sole purpose of aiding them. Now that she no longer wanted in, he was livid. That, and the death of his comrade had pushed him over the edge, "MONTRAY!" the massive insectoid stag beetle roared, before charging forward, preparing to crush the little robogirl under his massive tread.

Barasia shook her head, "You stupid fool..." she muttered, before the arm cannon extended again. The two barrels extended outward as Barasia took aim at the huge beast. The cannon fired thrice, the nozzles recoiling backwards as they fired the blue-green energy from them. One shot blew apart Kuwagus's left mandible. The second decimated the right jaw. The third nailed Kuwagus in the head, blowing it apart. The massive bug collapsed in mid-stride, sliding along the ground as its dead form ground to a halt. Barasia gave the rest of the Council a dark glare. She would massacre them all if they stood in her path.

Bell was almost as white as her hair watching this unfold. Gir, however, was running around nearby yelling "Citrus fruit!". X had deliberately hung back, knowing he would end up like Nool, Montray or Kuwagus is he jumped in. Zim just couldn't stop staring. He had never witnessed anything like this before.

Barasia turned back to Bell, "Now that that little distraction is out of the way" her fists flared up again, "shall we?"

Bell hissed, before her hands also lit up and she launched herself at her sister once again. Gir started dancing about again as the two threw as many punches at each other as possible. Barasia tried a high kick only to be brushed aside by Bell, who sent her foot flying at Barasia's face, but the black Powerpuff knocked it away, raising her hand above her head, a sphere of energy forming above her fingertips. She threw the ball down at Bell, but Bell's pinpoint laser vision blasted it apart. The two girls chucked everything they had at each other, but never gained the upper hand over the other. It was a stalemate. They broke off their attacks landing about 15 metres apart from each other. They eyed each other, their totally opposite eyes piercing each other with stares darker than even Barasia's hair. Nothing penetrated the silence. Nothing at all. Except...

"Doom doomy doomy doom doom!"

Barasia moved her gaze to the little green robot, a predatory instinct filling her eyes.

She was getting REALLY sick of the little thing and its incessant uselessness. Someone needed to shut it up. She figured she'd be the one to do it. The little robot caught her stare and gazed back, its two stupid eyes blank and meaningless. Barasia pounced, flying forward, rearing her foot back. She would see to it that a bit more order and sense was brought to this place by annihilating the source of the stupidity.

Bell saw her intention, but knew she would be too slow to act. She only hoped Gir would notice, "Girly.... Girly!" Barasia's foot reached the pinnacle of its curve backwards, "NO, GIRLY, NO!"

Gir merely stood there as Barasia's foot screamed forward at him, "YAAAY, I'm doo-"

SMASH

Gir's tiny body was sent skittering across the ground, bouncing at least five times, before he slammed into a nethertree and came to rest at its base. He didn't move. "GIRLY!" shrieked Bell as she rushed to his aid, tears cascading down her cheeks, dripping off as she ran. Zim also ran to his sidekick's aid, but Bell got there first. She cast a pained yet warning glance at Zim, telling him to back off. Then she stooped down and picked up Gir in her arms. The kick had been more than enough; the right side of the little robot's head had caved in. He appeared to be twitching slightly as though stuck in a movement loop, his final word on his lips, "D-d-d-d-... doom-d-d-d-dooomy d-d-d-d-d..... -oom! D-d-d-d..."

Bell cradled her little friend close, her tears begining to soak the fabric of the suit Gir wore, "Girly... it's ok... I'm here now..." she saw several little green lights within the dog suit flickering, as though struggling to stay active. Bell sobbed as the robot's functioning left eye look up at her. His circuits were toast, and his core was slowly ceasing to function.

"Y....Yaaaaaaaay...." Gir managed to get out, slightly garbed and static-ridden. Then the lights within his suit shut off and Gir moved no more. Bell held him close to her artificial heart and cried. She tried not to believe it had happened, but she knew that at that moment she had lost a valued friend.

Zim stared at the two together, the way that Bell had treated Gir like a close friend as opposed to a mere servant as he did. Now, Gir was gone, and a massive part of Bell had been ripped away. His eyes blurred with unshed tears and he turned away, mourning the loss of a comrade, and sharing the pain that the young white-haired girl was feeling. "What is this emotion....? Why.... Why am I...."

Bell stared down at the little robot, who was no more thanks to the heartless gynoid that called herself Bell's sister. Her fists clenched up as her tears falling on Gir's body like rain. She cried softly, hoping by some miracle that Gir's wrecked body would somehow start up again. But she knew her childish anticipation was futile. Gir wouldn't be coming back. She felt her body shaking with overwhelming grief, but she got to her feet and turned to the girl responsible for all this.

Barasia looked bored staring back at Bell. Her arms were folded as she regarded the girl slyly, "You seem to have a problem with your friends. They're either stupid, they end up dying," she chuckled, "or in this case, both!"

Bell sniffed, her jaw clenched and her eyes closed. Her fists shook as she sobbed. She never thought her sister would stoop this low. She was a daughter of X, she was almost identical to her! Yet... yet she had done all this! She had killed two Darkstar Councilmen, and then destroyed Gir. There was no way she could be forgiven now. She was beyond salvation, "I don't know why I'm so important and dangerous to you..." her eyes opened, glaring at Barasia with wrathfulness, "but Girly did nothing wrong. You're not my sister, and you're not just a mean girl who attacks people for the fun of it... you're a butcher!"

Barasia grinned, "I like that title. I'll remember that!"

Bell crouched slightly, "I don't care if I destroy myself! As long as you go down WITH ME!" she hurtled herself at Barasia again with all the vigor her joints and circuits could muster

Bell mauled Barasia and another fistfight broke out. Zim picked up Gir's remains, staring down at the destroyed robot. Would it be at all possible to repair him? He almost hit himself for even wanting to. And yet....

Bell's fists flew at Barasia in a flurry of skin-coloured jabs. Barasia noticed she was fighting harder than before, and she would need a little extra something to bring the white Powerpuff down. But Bell had seen her in action, the bullets from her fingers, the blasts from the cannons within her arms, and those small explosives that she had used. She would never forget the clicking noise made when the device activated, and the slow beeping noise that followed, gradually getting faster as the countdown towards detonation occurred. Then, the device would burst, creating a massive eruption that would destroy everything around it. But Barasia would need plenty of time to plant and activate the device, time which Bell could use to her advantage. She kicked out at the shadow of herself, the black Powerpuff appearing to grow weaker and less defensive. Barasia would try to retaliate, but Bell's staggering rage kept her at bay. Bell sent her fists flying at Barasia's face, blocked by the ebony Powerpuff's forearms. Her eyes lit up again, attempting to blind Barasia to let her guard down. Barasia squinted against the snowy light that eminated from the girl's eyes, but it wasn't enough. But Barasia saw her chance, and she sent the toe of her schoolshoe into Bell's shin, making the ivory PPG cry out in affliction. Bell backed off and Barasia withdrew a few metres. Bell's leg had been kicked hard, at it appeared to hurt her significantly. But Bell wasn't about to give up. She tried to take off again, to run at Barasia again. But something was wrong. She moved her left foot forward in her first step, but her right leg, the one which had been kicked, wouldn't move. The connections, conduits and power flows within her leg had been damaged and the leg would not function.

She was immobilised.