While Mojo's Away...

Chapter One: Ruff Night

Mojo was lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling of his jail cell, brooding. He was trying to pinpoint the exact moment his masterful plan had gone so wrong. He had double, triple, and quadruple-checked all his calculations—everything had been correct. His list of demands had been written up, proofread, and citrus-scented (as citrus is an evil scent compared to its almost evil counterpart, lemon). He had been boasting and laughing maniacally as his giant robot crushed the buildings and structures beneath him. About a block of Townsville had been under his feet when a small tapping sound on the glass of his cockpit caught his attention.

Blossom was the one who had knocked, but Bubbles and Buttercup were behind her and all three stared at him and his giant robot completely unimpressed. He had been looking forward to trying out his new weapons on them. He had prepared after all: citrus scent and everything.

But the glass to his newest robot had been soundproof. He remembered that now. It explained the confused faces the girls had given him while he rambled on in his cockpit about their ultimate destruction, voice completely muffled.

The rest was a bit of a blur for Mojo. He hadn't even completed his pre-victory laugh before he was being thrown out of his robot, into a police van, and now a jail cell—specifically the one he currently occupied. Mojo grabbed the sides of his bed and squeezed the uncomfortable mattress.

"Powerpuff Girls," he said with a grumble "Next time, it will be different! For I, Mojo Jojo, will—"

"—Shut up!" His neighboring cellmate shouted before he could even start one of his trademark rants. Mojo would have had something to say to that but he chose to sit up on his bed and set his head in his paws instead. Something else was on his mind.

Calculations, demands, citrus—not lemon—scent…

Why couldn't he stop going over this? He had a peculiar feeling he was forgetting something very important but couldn't think of what it could be. Maybe it had nothing to do with his scheme. Maybe he left his oven on. Was he making biscuits this morning?

"Oh well," he mumbled to himself, deciding to lay back down in an attempt at sleep. It couldn't have been that important if he didn't even remember what it was.

"MOJO!" Brick pounded on the observatory's massive steel door before switching to the doorbell. Behind him, Butch lay on his back, mindlessly staring up at the blackening sky while Boomer doodled in the dirt with his finger.

"Maybe we can break in," Boomer said.

"Mojo made his house Powerpuff-proof," Butch said, gritting his teeth. He closed his eyes in annoyance. "Which means it's Rowdyruff proof. We can't get in."

"How about we go back to HIM's?" Boomer stood up to stretch while rubbing away his drawing with his sneaker. He chewed on his lip thoughtfully before throwing a glance in the direction they had come from.

"The last time we went back to HIM's early he got mad at Mojo and they fought for three weeks," Brick said. His forehead was resting on the door as he tried to think of what to do. It was just like Mojo to pull some stupid crap like this. The red Ruff didn't know why he thought this month might have been any different.

"I doubt HIM is even home. Ain't he going on vacation or something?" Butch looked up at Brick from his position on the ground. "He was prattling on all month about visiting someplace or whatever. He practically shoved us out the door."

Brick's whole body shook with anger. He returned to pounding his fists into the steel, barely denting the door. "MOOOOOJOOOOO!"

"Forget it, dude; he's not gonna answer." Butch sat upright and rubbed his temples. "I don't know why the stupid monkey agrees to watch us when he's never freakin' home!"

"Maybe he went out?" Boomer said, earning a glare from his brothers. "What? He could've!"

"Thank you for your optimism!" Butch said sarcastically and fell backward to lie down again. "This is so stupid! Where the heck are we gonna sleep?"

"I don't know, dude," Brick sighed and slid down the wall to sit on the ground as well. Mojo didn't forget about them, right? Sure, he was a scatterbrained idiot, but he didn't just... forget, did he?

"We could try a hotel," Boomer suggested with a shy shrug.

"With what money, Boomer?" Butch asked.

"Well, I don't hear you mentioning anything!"

"That's cause I'm trying to think of something that'll actually help."

"And I'm not?"

"No."

"Yes, I am!"

"No, you really aren't!"

"Shut up!" Brick shouted, quieting his bickering brothers. "Look, we've got time to think about this, right? It's not like we need a place to crash right now."

As if on cue, a crack of thunder erupted above them causing all three boys to jump. Their gazes rose to the darkening evening sky and a lone raindrop dropped on the bridge of Brick's nose.

"You were saying?" Butch said as the droplets started to pick up the pace. A second later, Townsville became a blur to a shower of rain.

"Under the observatory!" Brick said but he and his brothers were already soaked to the bone. All three of them darted under the house and instantly sank to their knees in the mud and muck that was under there.

"For real, dude?" Butch said as he and his brothers made their way more inward hoping to find drier land.

"Ack! I lost my shoe," Brick said. He hobbled on one foot and tried to spin around to look for it, but his supporting leg didn't turn with him in the mud. He quickly lost his balance and fell backward with a splash.

Boomer snickered. "Smooth."

Brick trembled in agitation but didn't say anything as he tried to correct himself back into a standing position. He twisted and pulled but couldn't get out.

"Shoot! I'm—stuck!" He grumbled. Butch and Boomer laughed, but still sloshed over to him. They managed to succeed in uprighting their brother, but once Brick was standing, they both slipped and splashed into the mud themselves.

"AHHHH! That's cold!" Boomer said. Brick looked over his shoulder at his brothers.

"You gotta m-move slow." Teeth chattering, the red Ruff demonstrated. He finally found dry land and pulled himself out before shifting to help Boomer. Butch had managed to climb out already but his shirt caught on an exposed screw by his shoulder. It ripped the sleeve of his shirt and cut him.

"OW! What the—?!" He grabbed at his shoulder and scowled at the ruined fabric and blood. "Oh, p-perfect!"

Brick rolled his eyes. "Watch out for screws, B-Boom. They're st-ticking out all over the place."

Boomer wrapped his arms around himself as he closed his eyes and shivered. Their clothes were caked in mud and drenched from rainwater. It was going to be difficult trying to stay warm.

"All our stuff is ruined-d-d," Butch motioned to the soaked bags they had left at the doorstep. His brothers scowled in annoyance at the sight.

A breeze swept under their shelter causing them to tighten and coil in on themselves further. They listened to the heavy thumps of rain above them until lightning shot across the sky and lit up Townsville. The thunder that followed startled the three of them, but this time Boomer squeaked and shifted closer to his brothers.

"Aw, you ain't scared of a little thunder, are ya, B-Boom?" Butch asked, grabbing his brother's shoulders and grinning mischievously. Boomer bit his lip.

"N-No…" he said, though he sounded unsure. Butch laughed.

"Siss-Sissy!"

"I'm not a sissy!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Guys!" Brick shouted. "Sh-Shut up! You're both sissies." There was an awkward silence between the boys for a while. All that could be heard was the patter of the rain and the chattering of teeth.

"Am not…" Boomer muttered after the brief moment of peace. Butch punched Boomer's arm who retaliated by smacking Butch in the face. Annoyed with both of them, Brick growled and twisted to slap at his brothers too.

They were about to announce a winner when another round of thunder roared in the sky, causing all three boys to freeze in fear.

"You're afraid of the thunder too, Butch!" Boomer said, pushing the green Ruff off of him.

"Are you admitting you were afraid in the f-first place?" Butch asked with a snicker.

"What? No!"

"You said 'too'. As in, as well. You sayin' you're afraid of thunder? Ain't your nickname Boom Boom?"

"Guys, shut up," Brick said with a groan as he rubbed his temples. "This already sucks. Stop making it worse."

Both his brothers grumbled something inaudible but stopped their bickering. Butch turned to Brick.

"Did you find your shoe?"

The red Ruff took a moment to answer before he lifted it up to show his brother.

"It's worse than my other one," he said but he started to slip it back on his foot anyway. "I can't even find the laces."

They were quiet again as they sat shivering in the cold before Boomer broke the silence with a groan of frustration.

"Why is it so cold-d?" He asked, rubbing his arms up and down. "We're on a f-freakin' volcano!"

"M-Mojo drained it, dummy," Butch said, teeth chattering in his mouth. "W-We're gonna freeze to death."

"No, w-we won't!" Brick said. "Just get closer together. We'll keep—keep warmer that way."

Butch and Boomer both looked dumbfounded at the suggestion.

"I t-think I'd rather f-freeze to death," Butch said. A gust of wind brushed past them. All three boys squeezed their eyes shut in pain. Without another word, Boomer and Butch scooted over to their red brother.

"G-Guys, I'm hungry," Boomer said.

"M-Me too," Butch added. Brick's eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

"Didn't you guys eat at HIM-M-M's?" They both shook their heads. The leader was a bit surprised at that. He thought he was the only one who had skipped out on dinner.

"I thought we'd eat here," Boomer said. His blond hair was plastered on the sides of his face from the mud and grime.

Brick frowned and looked at Butch. The green Ruff's jet-black hair was longer than Boomer's. It had fallen into his eyes and was matted down from the rainwater.

Brick was sure he didn't look much better.

"I hate that stupid chimpanzee," he said. Butch and Boomer nodded in agreement.

It was going to be a long night.