Mojo Jojo froze as he stared at the professor's so-called 'latest creation'. There were three girls with their hands and legs locked into a metallic bubble-shaped cast with wires and cables stuck through every part of their bodies. They looked like children no older than 5 years old. Their eyes looked glassy and cold, unemotional and oblivious to the fact that they've been trapped in a weird lab with weird objects stuck all over them. There were no signs of life in their eyes or their bodies. They just remained there, their eyes staring blankly into space and know nothing of what's going on around them. The rest of the wires were connected to more cables with monitors that beeped mechanically like those heartbeat detection machines. They all intertwine with each other, forming a large fat wire that was connected to a huge computer, almost like the one Dexter has in his laboratory, and it showed images of their exoskeleton, their profiles, their statistics and their current conditions.
But it wasn't that they were androids that bothered him. He could tell right away what they were as soon as his eyes caught sight of the wires and cables.
It was that the girls were the exact replica of the Powerpuff Girls.
"Prof., what is...?" Mojo Jojo felt that he knew the answer to the question but he had to know all the same.
"This is my latest creation I've been talking about," Prof. Utonium said excitedly. "I'm recreating your sisters. Remember that fateful day I tried creating the perfect little girls and you kinda 'helped' me into bringing them to life? Well, after they left, I tried to bring them back, but somehow it didn't work anymore. No matter what I try, no matter how accurate I got the ingredients, no matter how strong I made the Chemical X's components to be, it still didn't work. Everything failed. I almost lost hope and my sanity thinking that your sisters will never return.
"Then I had an idea. If I can't recreate them, how about bringing them back to life? You know, I thought if Victor Frankenstein can bring life to a man-made being, why can't I? So, as sickening as it sounds, I went to the graveyard and dug your sisters' graves. No one found out though. I just took their bodies out and put the coffins back into its place. No one suspected a thing. Then from here, I started doing loads of modifcation on them. I added special chemicals so that their bodies won't rot while I work on them. They're still halfway done, but as soon as I look for the suitable internal organs, they'll be the best creation I've ever done! Now that you're here, my project will be complete!"
Mojo Jojo cringed in disgust at what Prof. Utonium was doing. He seriously has lost it. How could he think that be doing this, he'll bring the girls back to life? It's possible to create an android and make it move and all, but in the image of the Powerpuff Girls? It didn't seem right. He may be evil and all that, but ressurrecting the dead was not his kind of idea. He continues to stare quietly at the girls as Prof. Utonium continued to ramble like him.
"These little girls will be perfect! Finally, I've created the real perfect little girls. They'll be sweet and nice and cute and bubbly and have all the superpowers I've programmed into them. And best of all, they won't die! They'll never leave Townsville and they'll never leave me ever again! Everything will be back the way it was, you'll see, Jojo. They'll fight crime and they'll attend school just like they used to. They'll never grow old, or go sick and die. Townsville will need time to adjust to this but I'm sure everything will turn out alright. They'll be with me forever and that's what counts. Best of all, you can get to play with your sisters for as long as you live! Don't you like it? Oh, silly me, why should I be calling them your sisters? You're part of creating them, so you should be called a dad, but now they're newly improved and all and will be reborn by me, so it's back to the sister routine..."
Mojo Jojo didn't say a word. He stares at the girls and knew that this was wrong. Sure, his intentions are noble and it's quite reasonable why he wanted them around. He might even get the chance to do a little manipulation and programming of his own since they're just androids. But it didn't feel right. It just didn't feel right. He didn't know why.
“Help us…Help us, Mojo Jojo…Help us…”
The dream began to reappear in his head. The Powerpuff Girls' pleads rang in his ears like loud churchbells. He stared at the glassy eyes of the Powerpuff Girls. So life-less, so consenting, so blank and distant, so...unreal. He knew what to do. Without warning, he took out his plasma gun and aimed it at the girls. One by one, he shot them, breaking them into pieces. Starting from the limbs, he worked his way to the top, decapitating the girls' head. He shot at the cables and the wires and at the huge monitor that had an ERROR blinking sign on. Prof. Utonium gaped in horror at what Mojo Jojo was doing. He yelled and begged him to stop in vain. Mojo Jojo spun round and made for the rest of the equipment in the underground lab. Everything was destroyed within seconds by Mojo Jojo's plasma gun. Prof. Utonium wanted to rush over to the broken girls but Mojo Jojo grabbed him by the collar and dragged him away. Prof. Utonium trashed and yelled in protest, demanding to be let go but Mojo Jojo ignored him. He dragged him up the long flight of stairs and all the way up to the original lab upstairs. As soon as he and the professor got out, he closed the sliding door and shot at the access button on the wall.
"What the hell do you think you were doing?" Prof. Utonium jumped and grabbed Mojo Jojo by the collar. Surprisingly, he didn't flinch or resisted in any way and didn't move an inch. "Why did you go and destroy everything I've worked so hard for? Do you know how much time I've spent in trying to bring them back alive? Do you know how much time, money and effort I've spent in making all those gadgets and getting the girls' body to be ressurrected? How could you kill them again! How could you kill your own sisters!"
Mojo Jojo would've said anything. Mojo Jojo could've said that it's better that they're dead so that he could take over the world in peace. He could've said that he didn't need another group of troublemakers trying to foil his plans every time he tries to conquer the world. He could've said he hated them and wanted them dead and be rid of them forever. He could've said that it didn't feel right to ressurrect someone who wanted, above all things, to rest in peace. He could've said that bringing the dead to life is an insult to the nature and to science. Yet of all reasons he could've said, he only said one thing:
"Because they're not real. Dead and unreal."
Those words struck Prof. Utonium real hard. Almost immediately, he was brought back to reality. The Jojo he thought he was talking to was no more, but the Mojo Jojo who had been his little girls' long-time archenemy. The haze and illusion of hope in his mind have cleared with Mojo Jojo's surprising words of truth. How could he kid himself to think that he could bring the exact same girls back to life? He knew that there would be complications and it wouldn't exactly be the same girls he came to love ever since the day they're created. He had touched them before while he was recreating them. Their bodies were so cold and lifeless, and he realized that this was the feeling he'll get once they're back to life. The feeling of cold, hard steel for the rest of his life. He soon fell onto his knees and whispered between tears, "What should I do, Jojo? What should I do?"
"I came here to ask for your help," Mojo Jojo said, finally stating his business. "I want you to build a spirit world portal."
"A...spirit world portal...?"
"I'll explain later," Mojo Jojo turned to the access button on the wall and sighed, "Maybe I shouldn't have blasted that contraption so harshly, coz we need all the materials we can get."
For the next few months, Mojo Jojo and Prof. Utonium got busy. He blasted the door to the underground lab open and went down to find any materials they could find that are still usable. They repaired the damaged robot helpers and started working on the blueprints of creating a portal. According to their calculations, they assumed that the spirit world is scientifically another dimension--another parallel universe just like any other parallel universe scientists have been believing to exist but yet to be proven. They started hand-picking usable and repairable materials and began building. Neither of them stopped for meals or anything unless the sound of their stomach forcefully reminded them to get some grub. They took to sleeping in the lab itself and again, Mojo Jojo was haunted with the same dream about the girls being pinned with strings driven throught their bodies and blood flooding the floor, with the laughter of their kidnapper ringing endlessly in his ears. He often scared himself awake and would then continue to work without the professor. Deep down inside, he felt a sort of responsibility for both the professor and the girls. He felt that the professor deserves all the rest he need after being trapped in his own fantasy and false hopes for so long. He needed this release. He didn't know where did this feeling come from, but he knew one thing--the girls needed his help and he was obliged to do so.
His mind may say that it's just so that the dreams would stop haunting him and would leave him in peace, but his heart secretly knew that it was for another reason. Another reason that he refused to admit or acknowledge.
After many months (nearing a year, actually) of tedious work, the portal was finally finished. It stood about 15 feet in height and 30 feet wide, shaped like a semi-circle, with a short flight of staircase to match. It was connected with a long cable to a stand filled with numerous controls. Prof. Utonium and Mojo Jojo were surprised at their piece of work. This was the first time they actually worked together in peace to finish a job together.
"I can't believe we actually finished it," Prof. Utonium said in marvel.
"I cannot believe that we actually worked together to do this," Mojo Jojo said in disbelief.
"Are you ready for this?"
"I believe I am."
Mojo Jojo stared long and hard at the spirit world portal. Finally, this day has come. The day that would end his nightmares and resolve once and for all if what had been happening to the girls is true. Tentatively, he went up the stairs and stood before the semi-circle. He turned around and nodded, signalling the professor to activate the machine. Prof. Utonium nodded in reply and started clicking away. There was a great gust of wind out of nowhere and a kaleidoscope of colours began to appear inside the semi-circle. It twisted and turned into an eerie shade of dark colours that loomed menacingly and threatened to swallow Mojo Jojo in one gulp. Mojo Jojo took a deep breath and stepped forward.
"You have an estimate of about an hour," Prof. Utonium reminded. "This is a one-shot thing. If you go for more than one hour, the portal will close and I won't be able to do anything."
Mojo Jojo didn't reply. He had already made up his mind and he was going to do it. He had to finish this and end those sleepless nights once and for all. Before he made his way into the portal, he spun round and faced Prof. Utonium.
"If I don't make it out, promise me something."
"What is it, Jojo?" Prof. Utonium asked. He hadn't gotten over the habit of calling him his real name now that he started it.
"Don't mourn for me. Don't even create anything that would remind Townsville of me." So saying, he turn his back towards him and advanced closer into the portal.
"Why?"
Prof. Utonium thought he heard Mojo Jojo muttered "Because I don't deserve it" as he slowly disappeared into the portal, leaving him standing there in total awed silence.
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