My sisters say that I'm slightly obsessed with Loonatics Unleashed. I really wouldn't call it obsessed...I'd call it creativly inspired. This is the most that I've ever written in the longest time. It makes me happy to be able to write again. And hopefully, I'll eventually be able to finish some of the other stories that I have posted up in various places.
But for now, I write what my inspiration is aimed at. And at the moment, it's still centered in Loonatics Unleashed.
Unfortunately, this is not the sequel for The Evolution Process. That story is still really pending. This story was an idea that I randomly had one day during one of my creative thinking sessions (translation: when I was in the shower), and I thought it was a really interesting idea, so I wrote it up.
I actually got the idea before I finished The Evolution Process, and even before I wrote up Cast Off the Cloak. I'm not sure why I haven't written it up until now though. Possibly it's because school just started up for me and I've been slightly distracted. But it's here now (because I really wanted to post it up before someone else got this idea).
Anyway, I predict that this story will be a rather short one. Probably about 4 chapters, no more than 5 if I even get that much. Despite the length, though, I hope it'll turn out all right.
And anyway, I should shut up now and let you all get on with it. I don't own Loonatics Unleashed, because if I did I'd try to make it slightly better in the sense that Danger Duck would get much more respect than he currently does (poor Duck).
And now, on with the story!
The Feedback Effect
"Hey Ace," Lexi called after the other.
The leader came to a stop in the hallway to wait for her. Turning to look at her, he frowned a little when he noticed she was rubbing her temples. "What's up Lex?" he asked.
"Have you seen Tech around?" the acrobat asked.
"He's probably in his lab. I'm on my way to see him right now." He paused and watched the other for a minute. "Hey, you okay?"
"Not really. I've got this headache that's killing me. Plus my ears hurt. I was hopin' Tech could give me something for it."
"Oh yeah?" Ace asked as they started walking again. "That's why I was heading over. My eyes are buggin' me too."
"Be thankful that it's just your eyes," a familiar voice lisped from behind.
Turning slightly, the leader looked at the mallard. "Is somethin' bothering you too Duck?"
"Try everything!" Danger retorted. "My entire body hurts, like something was crushing me. But my hands are what really hurt."
"Huh…" Ace said slowly. "Y'know, Slam was complaining a little while ago about his body hurting too. I wonder if he also went to see Tech…"
"Probably.-I-wouldn't-really-be-surprised-if-he-did-because-have-you-noticed-how-we-all-always-go-see-Tech-when-we're-in-some-kind-of-pain?-It's-a-bit-weird-but-I-guess-it-makes-sense-because-if-it-has-to-do-with-technology-he's-most-likely-gonna-know-about-it-and-science-and-medicine-usually-go-hand-in-hand.-Granted-Tech's-no-medical-doctor-but-he's-the-best-we-got-I-guess."
"You on your way over there too Rev?" Ace asked as he looked over at the roadrunner.
"Yeah-I-happen-to-be," the quickster replied.
The leader then frowned a little. "Rev…are you limping?"
"Yeah-a-little-I-guess.-I-can't-explain-why-but-my-legs-really-started-hurting-a-while-ago.-Oh-and-I've-got-this-huge-headache."
The rabbit scratched the back of his head, his frown deepening. 'It's like an epidemic or something,' he thought. 'I wonder if Tech's in any kind of pain. That is just the thing we need…'
Finally the four reached the coyote's lab and as the door opened they noticed the scientist typing something at his computer. But in Ace's vision he could see that Tech wasn't typing at his normal speed.
As the door whirled back close and the four entered the lab, Tech glanced over his shoulder to look at them. "Oh hey guys," he said, spinning his chair to face them completely. "What's up?"
"Hey Tech," Ace replied. "We were just wondering if you had any kind of medication for pain or anything."
The genius frowned slightly, looking at the others curiously. "I'm not sure…"
"Well," the leader continued, "the thing is my eyes started hurting…"
"So do my ears, and I've got this really bad headache," Lexi said.
"Yeah-I-got-a-headache-too-plus-my-legs-are-killin'-me," Rev added.
"Oh yeah? Well my entire body hurts!" Danger interjected. "Especially my hands."
Ace nodded slightly. "And I remember Slam complaining a while ago too. By the way, did he come see you at all?"
"Yeah, Slam was here earlier. I ran a few tests on him but couldn't find anything really wrong." The coyote walked over to his work table and picked up a small tube filled with a dark crimson liquid. "Now I'm running some tests on his blood."
"His blood…?" Danger asked, grimacing a little.
"Like…taking-it-out-with-a-needle?" Rev asked, making a slight face.
"Yeah…If something's going around, then maybe I should take a sample of blood from all of you…"
"You-mean-like…with-a-needle?"
The genius pulled one out from a drawer, almost as though he had it all ready. "Yeah…" he replied slowly.
If possible, Rev seemed to pale a little. "Oh-y'know-what?-Suddenly-I'm-feeling-all-better-now-so-I-guess-I-don't-need-to-be-here-so-bye!"
Grabbing the roadrunner's arm, the scientist pulled him back before he could speed off. "Not so fast, I saw you limping in here. Just hold still, this won't hurt…"
"Yeah-that's-what-they-always-say-before-they-stab-you!" the quickster retorted.
Watching as Tech held up the needle while trying to get Rev to calm down, Ace frowned a little. "Tech," he said, "is your hand shaking?"
The coyote looked up at the leader. "Huh?" He then looked at his trembling hand. "Oh, that…See, like Duck, I've been feeling some…discomfort throughout my body, but especially in my hands."
"Really?" Lexi asked.
"Yeah. I didn't think too much about it really, then Slam came in and told me…or tried to tell me…about what was bothering him. I wrote it off as a coincidence though I performed examinations on him, but now with all of you, I'm not too sure."
"You think it really could be something serious?" Ace asked.
"I'm not sure, but it wouldn't hurt to check. That's why I'll need a small sample of blood, Rev," the coyote said sternly as he glared at the roadrunner.
Rev, who had been trying to sneak out, turned back to the other. "Well-do-you-think-you-should-be-handling-neeldes-if-your-hand-is-shaking-like-that?-What-if-you-stick-it-somewere-wrong-and-kill-me?"
Walking over to him, Tech gently took the other's arm. "That's why you hold still, Rev. Honestly, you're worse than Slam…"
After managing to keep the quickster from whining and fidgeting, the genius finally managed to draw a small sample of blood. "See, that wasn't so bad, now was it?"
Rev simply responded with a small whimper.
Shaking his head slightly, the coyote went to the work table and transferred the crimson liquid into an empty test tube. "Who's next?"
Glancing at the others, Ace then stepped towards the table. "I'll go Tech," the leader replied.
Nodding slightly, the scientist opened a drawer and pulled out a sterile needle. Cleaning a small spot on the rabbit's arm, he carefully slid the point under the skin.
"Ow!" Ace said suddenly. It felt as though the needle had jabbed something it wasn't supposed to.
"Sorry!" Tech replied, carefully drawing the leader's blood before pulling the needle out and wiping the other's arm. Placing the needle down, the coyote began massaging his hands.
"You okay?" Lexi asked softly.
The coyote winced as he continued to rub his hands. "Yeah…Like I said, my hands have been hurting lately, that's all."
"Hmm…I'm beginning to feel that letting you stick a needle in my arm is a bad idea…" Danger piped in.
Transferring Ace's blood to an empty tube, Tech then pulled out another needle. "Don't even get me started, Duck," he said, cleaning a spot on the other's arm.
"Well, someone's a little cranky…"
"Can you blame me? My entire body feels like it's on fire, and my hands are really irritating me."
"Last I checked, I have the same problems."
"Yeah, but I bet you didn't have to chase Slam around this lab. And for someone who's complaining about body pain, he can move pretty fast."
"Ah…I see. Fine, just be careful. My arm is very sensitive, y'know." Turning his head away, the show-off covered his eyes with his free hand.
"Yeah…sure…" Hesitating slightly, Tech slowly slid the needle in.
And Ace could see that the coyote was doing his best to be very careful so he wouldn't accidentally hurt the other the same way as before. 'I wonder how much he can work on with his hands like that…' he thought.
Pulling the needle out, Tech cleaned the mallard's arm before placing the blood into a test tube. Getting a new needle, he said, "Okay Lexi, your turn."
The bunny sighed softly, holding her arm out. "Fine, let's get it over with."
Carefully sliding the sharp point in, the scientist drew some blood before pulling it out and wiping her arm. Placing the blood in yet another tube, the coyote sighed, massaging his hands again.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Ace asked as he watched the other. If the coyote was sore all over, then he didn't feel that doing all this work was good for him. "Do you need one of us to take your blood or anything?"
"Um…no actually," Tech replied as he organized the glass vials. "I've already taken a sample of my blood."
And that was when the rabbit noticed that there were six tubes filled with crimson liquid. "Oh…"
"Plus, I think I'll be able to test these all…It could take a few hours longer than it normally would, but I should be okay…"
"Then what should we do?" Lexi wondered.
"I recommend doing nothing," the scientist responded, looking at them. "I think the best thing right now would be to rest for a while until I can figure out exactly what's wrong."
"Sounds good to me," Danger said as he and Rev headed towards the door.
Watching the two go, Ace then looked back at Tech. "Ya sure you don't need any help?"
"No, I think I've got everything under control here."
The leader hesitated slightly. "Okay…" he finally replied. "Just don't push yourself, okay Tech?"
The coyote nodded slightly though already appeared immersed in his work. "Right…"
Shaking his head, Ace then turned to the acrobat. "Let's go," he said.
The two left the scientist's lab with only the sound of the mechanical door closing behind them. As soon as they were out in the hall, Lexi began rubbing her temples again.
"Ugh…" she said, shaking her head slightly. "I hope Tech can find out what's wrong with us…"
"If anyone can, it'll be Tech," Ace replied softly.
"You really think he'll find out what it is?"
"Oh, I have no doubt that he will. What really worries me is exactly what he'll find…"
Doing nothing really sucked.
That was Ace's opinion, and he was sticking by it. And he wasn't that bad off to be honest. Compared to all the others, he was the lucky one.
He understood that they needed to rest for now since they weren't quite sure what was wrong with them. And of course he felt that all the others should refrain from everything for a while since the pain they felt affected significant areas. Which was why he worried about Tech working in the lab for the past five hours. He wondered if the scientist had taken a rest at all.
Still, the only problem he was having was with his eyes. And while he agreed that he should rest his eyes, doing nothing just didn't settle with him. He wanted to train a little since he hadn't done so today. But unfortunately, he had been warned against it.
He could meditate…except that was all he had been doing since he and Lexi left Tech's lab. No matter how much he enjoyed meditating normally, there was a limit to everything.
Well, at least he had rested his eyes for the past few hours.
The sound of the mechanical door caught Ace's attention. Slowly opening his eyes, he found that his vision was slightly bleared. As he rubbed his eyes to clear his sight, he frowned slightly. That had never happened to him before.
When the blurriness had subsided, the leader watched as Tech entered the lounge area carrying a small box in his arms.
Looking at Ace who sat on the floor, then at the other four Loonatics lazily settled on the couch, the scientist raised a curious eyebrow. "Did someone die in here or something?"
"We were just taking your advice and relaxing," the rabbit replied as he slowly got to his feet.
"I didn't mean you guys couldn't converse…"
"Whatever," Danger said. "Have you found out what's going on with us yet?"
The coyote rubbed the back of his head. "Well…not yet…"
"Not yet?" Lexi asked as she slowly sat up. "It's already been hours. How much longer is it gonna take?"
"You can't rush these things," the genius replied as he opened the box he held. "My computer is running a final scan right now. But if I were to make a hypothesis, I'd have to say that it has something to do with our powers."
"How do ya figure?" the mallard asked.
Reaching into the box, Tech took out a small bottle filled with a light red fluid. "Well, if you think about where the pain is concentrated in each of us, it makes sense.
"For Ace, the pain is fixed in just his eyes where his laser vision and optical enhancements originate. For Lexi, the pain in her head can be directly linked to her brain blasts, which are then fired from between her ears. That and her auditory amplifications can explain the pain she feels there.
"In Rev's situation, his mental GPS capabilities constitute for his headache, and his super speed explains why his legs ache. In Slam's case, his tornado form and super strength affect his whole body, which is why he feels pain everywhere in his body. The same thing goes for Duck, and even myself, because his teleportation ability…"
"Quacking," the mallard corrected quickly.
Tech ignored him. "…and my regeneration ability deals with our entire bodies. However, Duck also can generate his…eggs, which appear in his hands, and I use my hands when manipulating magnetic impulses. That's why we feel a special concentration of pain in that area."
"Well, you look okay now though," Ace said as he stood behind the other and peered into the box. Inside were more bottles filled with the same red liquid.
"That's because I took one of these," the coyote replied, handing the bottle he held to the leader. Reaching into the box and pulling out more bottles, he added as he distributed them to the other Loonatics, "Keep in mind, though, that this isn't a cure for our ailments. It's just a pain reliever."
Opening the bottle, Slam took a small sniff of the solution inside before grumbling a question.
"Well, I couldn't make a cure without knowing exactly what was wrong," Tech replied. "All I could do was making something to ease the pain in the meantime."
"So what?" Danger asked. "You feel completely better now?"
"Well…I'm not in pain anymore, at least."
The others all looked at Ace, who shrugged before placing the bottle to his lips and drinking the contents. Soon, the others did the same.
When the bottle was empty, the rabbit handed it back to Tech. "Mm…" he said. "Cherry-flavored."
Swallowing the liquid, Lexi gave a satisfied sigh. "And not the bad mediciny kind either," she added.
Placing the bottle down, Danger said, "I dunno. I prefer orange myself…"
Looking at the coyote, Ace asked, "How long does this stuff last?"
"24 hours," Tech replied. "By then, I should have some results from the tests I'm running so I'll hopefully be able to develop a cure."
The rabbit frowned slightly. "Hopefully?"
"Well…it really depends on what's wrong with us. If I can make a cure for us, then I will."
"I don't really like the sound of that, Tech."
The scientist shrugged. "I can only do the best I can. It depends on what I find."
"So…" Lexi said slowly, "what happens if you can't make something to fix what's wrong with us?"
Before the coyote could answer, a familiar holographic light shone as Zadavia appeared before the Loonatics.
"There is a problem in Acmetropolis," the woman said.
"Actually, we have a slight problem as well Zadavia," Tech said quickly before anyone else could say anything.
"Oh?" the boss asked curiously.
The coyote nodded slightly. "It's a problem that affects our bodies….possibly our powers as well."
Even amidst her glowing eyes, the look of concern was clearly visible as she gazed upon all of them. "Can you explain Tech?" she asked softly.
"I wish I could. But at the moment, I don't have the necessary answers. I'm running tests on my computer, but in the meantime I don't think it's wise for us to push ourselves, especially if our powers are needed."
The woman frowned deeply as silence held her for a time. Finally she replied, "You're certainly right, Tech. Without knowing the root of the problem, it would be dangerous to risk anything. And I trust that you're speaking the truth, for I have no reason to doubt your instincts…"
Tech nodded slightly.
"But unfortunately," she continued, "the situation in Acmetropolis cannot wait." The screen behind the projection flickered to life and displayed the image of the city under attack by countless metallic creatures, ranging in design from giant scorpions and spiders to more human-like beings. The Loonatics watched with widened eyes as at certain times a creature would seem to melt into a puddle. Soon, whatever came in contact with the silver pool dissolved in a column of smoke. Then the creature resumed its solid form, leaving giant burning holes where it once was.
"They seem to have acidic properties which cause them to corrode anything in immediate proximity," the scientist observed. "But it seems it's only effective in their liquefied form."
"Even in their solid form, however, these beings are dangerous," Zadavia said. "And readings show that the more that they eat away at, the stronger they become."
"We'll take care of it, Zadavia," Ace stated firmly, causing the others to look at him.
"Are you sure Ace?" the woman asked. Though it sounded as though she was neutral, concern once again made itself known in her voice.
But the leader just nodded. "We'll handle it. We'll find a way to stop those monsters before they ruin the whole city."
The woman seemed hesitant for a moment. After what seemed like an eternity, she said, "All right. Just be careful Loonatics."
Ace nodded slightly.
Returning the nod, she looked at all the others. "Zadavia out." And the hologram was gone.
Turning to the rabbit, Tech frowned deeply. "I don't think this is a good idea, Chief," he said.
Motioning for the others to start heading out, Ace looked at the other. "We don't have much of a choice, Tech. You saw those things. They were eating everything in their path. For all we know, they could have eaten people too."
"But I think…"
"Listen Tech," Ace said, placing his hand on the coyote's shoulder. "I know how intelligent you are, and of course I'd listen to you when it comes to the facts. But right now, you don't have any definitive answers, and until you get some, we have to go do what we can to help out there."
"But you're not listening to me!" Tech yelled. "We won't be able to help anyone if we're dead!"
TBC
Mwahahaha. Am I evil? Just a little.
I'm not sure it it's too noticeable, but unlike my previous Loonatic stories, this is not centered around Tech (gasp). At least it shouldn't be. I'm not sure how well I got that point across in this chapter. It should be more apparent in the next chapter though. But the reason I did that was because...well, I felt like it. There's no other way to describe it.
I believe this story...will be rather evil. (smirk). But I shouldn't reveal anything, because where would the fun be if I did that?
Anyway, please review and let me know what you think so far. No flames though please. Thank you, and see you next time.