Face In the Mirror

Alpha-Centauri Chronicles Book 2

A Loonatics Unleashed Fan Fiction

By

Pyry Cole

This is a free Fan Fiction, if you've paid to read it, you're nuts. The Characters and world do not belong to me, and are used without the permission of their creators.

Chapter One: Not so alone

Duck sat at a small desk his hands running through the jet black feathers on the top of his head. The frustration on his face was evident, something many would associate to the "Game Over" screen on the handheld sitting on the table before him. However, his thoughts were elsewhere this time. He just sat there thinking about what he had seen this morning. This was a chore in itself, as he had to grit his teeth through the abhorrent sounds of Slam's snoring. The super-powered snores of the Tasmanian devil in the top bunk could probably wake Beethoven himself.

He decided to leave the room, taking advantage of the soundproofing in the halls and just sat in a corner near the stairs to the upper deck. Finally alone with his thoughts, Duck began to reflect on what had happened earlier. He didn't want to believe it, that those two were together now. But the more he thought, the more apparent it had become. They were the only ones who understood each-other. So there he sat, two more team-mates hooked up, making yet another happy couple. Now he was the only one who was alone.

Ace and Lexi were an item, things don't get much more obvious. Even Slam found a nice girl. In fact, she was pretty much the only thing other than food on his mind since they took off. But now, Tech and Rev. They really were quite a match, and even Duck knew that, but he didn't want to. They were both guys, which made things a bit uncomfortable for him. But that was minor compared to the fact that he now felt incredibly and undeniably alone. There was no way he was going to get much attention now.

"This is great, just great, everyone else gets shacked up, and I'm out in the cold, Despicable!" He thought to himself. Sadly he hadn't even his infatuation with Misty Breeze to keep his mind hopeful. He still remembers the sting of seeing the announcement on the television, "Weather girl Misty Breeze, to be wed to the Channel Eleven superstar, Tom Twister". Things didn't look well for the prospect of a relationship with anyone he knew. Most girls found him too self-centered, even the fact that he was a superhero wasn't enough to keep them interested for long. If that didn't make things bad enough, his seventeenth birthday was coming up in a few weeks, and he was certain that everyone would be too busy with each-other to remember him. He just sighed and curled up, pulling his knees closer to his chest and letting his head droop. Duck drifted off to sleep, dwelling on his thoughts. He started to resent them all, having someone to care for them, even, to love them.

He was stirred from his sleep by the sensation of movement. Duck had become slightly more aware as he continued to move, and could feel that he was being carried in a pair of arms. There was little else he could tell, but he was happy to have a little attention, and too tired to care. He could hear the door to his and slam's quarters opening, and was immediately disturbed by a thunderous torrent of snores. The young mallard still tried to feign sleep through the clamor.

The door was quickly shut, sealing off the abysmal sound, and a familiar voice said, "Yeesh! No wonda' he went ta sleep aught here… but sleepin' on da flo' ain't good fer 'im."

Ace carried the black feathered avian to his and Lexi's quarters. When the door popped open, a tired looking Lexi was sitting up in one of the beds, her tan-orange fur contrasting with the pink and baby blue pajamas she was wearing. She looked at Ace, and the tired duck in his arms.

"Huh" she began "what's going on ace?"

The gray furred bunny responded, "I went ta get some wata and found 'im sleepin on the flo'."

"Aww… isn't that cute? But why didn't you bring him in his own room?" Lexi responded

Ace's rebuttal was simple "If ya hoid slam ya'd understand." He said, tucking the "sleeping" mallard into his own bed.

Lexi took note of this and spoke, "But… where will you sleep Ace?"

He thought for a moment and answered, "would ya mind if you scooted ova' a little? y'know, if that'd be okay wit ya."

She was filled with happiness at this statement. They hadn't slept in the same bed since the incident almost two months ago. It was so nice to feel more warmth from him, because it seemed that since then he'd been colder to her, trying to pull away. She dismissed this as the "hero complex"; him worrying that their relationship would "endanger her" and, that as leader, he needed to be there for the rest of the team too.

Lexi eagerly made room for Ace on the bed, and he came over, situating himself beneath the covers with her. The two of them drifted off to sleep, cuddled together, apparently for the first time in a while. Duck eventually drifted out of consciousness. The thoughts in his head were made a little more pleasant by the fact that it seemed he might not be totally forgotten after all.

It's a rather short full chapter… and it's a bit emo, however, the upcoming chapters will be a bit better (I hope)