DISCLAIMER: We don't own the Loonatics Unleashed concept or characters.
This is a round-robin, a story written by several authors. Author notes and more information can be found at the 'Loonatics Unleashed' forum. New writers welcomed.
Chapter One – by JC
-clink-
Looking up from his porridge, Ace eyed the glass on the table, waiting. Any time now …
-clink-
… and it gave a minuscule jump, again. It amused the rabbit to know that Danger, being the smallest of them, was able to stomp around with enough force to rattle the cutlery. Unfortunately, as the team's leader discovered some time ago, the amusement never lasted long.
"Has Mister Mad Scientist any intention to finish this decade or should I write a note for my grand-grand-grandsons to come pick up my stuff?" the duck lisped while moving to the kitchen in order to retrieve his breakfast.
Ace noticed that only Rev rolled his eyes; apparently, the rest of the team silently agree with the mallard, even if they dared no voice their discomfort in such words. Ace himself was getting tired, but that was more due to the coyote's secrecy than because of the lack of uniforms.
"Tech-will-finish-when-he-has-to-finish,-it-is-not-as-if-he-is-getting-delayed-on-purpose,-you-know.--He-usually-does-things-fast,-not-as-fast-as-me-of-course,-so-maybe-this-problem,-whatever-it-is,-is-a-particularly-difficult-one.--I-mean,-he-has-been-locked-on-his-lab-for-three-days,-and-I-am-not-sure-he-has-eaten-or-slept-at-all,-so-it-ia-obvious-he-is-really-worried-and-trying-his-best-to-solve-this-thing."
Rev's fast speech gave the male rabbit another source of distress. It was not a rare occurrence to find the roadrunner helping Tech with any experiment he was working at; but, as Lexi had earlier pointed to him, this time the fast avian spent most time running around than at the coyote's side. Even then, Ace had taken a little comfort on the fact that one of them was still being allowed into the lab.
Now it seemed that even Rev had not idea of what was happening on their resident genius' mind.
"Ace?" focusing on his teammates, Ace found that Lexi was looking directly at him, and waiting to get his attention before continuing. "Should we worry for Tech's health? I mean, if what Rev says is true and, he might be starving."
All right, he thought, noticing the team's attention on him. Apparently, the only female had found the perfect excuse, one that all of them were willing to use. "Okay," he agreed. "Once everybody is done, we'll go make sure he's fine."
It didn't take long for them to clean their plates, which meant that not only Duck and Lexi didn't complain this time about Slam and Rev's eating habits: they also copied them. Soon they were on the corridors, with the roadrunner carrying a tray and the rest of them following. Of course, nobody ever acknowledged the fact that only one was needed to carry on the aforementioned task; none was to let pass the chance to satisfy its curiosity first hand.
"The lock is on," complained Danger, having reached the lab's entrance first. Curiously, he managed to beat the other bird on it, even if he had chosen to jog instead of quacking to their destination.
"Of course it is, Duck," retorted Lexi. "Which part of 'Tech is locked on his lab' didn't you get?"
"No-sweat," Rev was saying, while his feathered fingers vanished on a blur over the security panel. "This-week,-Tech's-code-consists-on-a-Weibull's-distribution-function-based-on-the-basic-statistical-values-for-the-principal-stars-at-the-Polaris'-galaxy.--I-just-have-to-try-different-combinations-to-find-the-right-one,-which-should-not-be-that-far-from-the-one-used-the-last-time-I-came.--Yep,-here-it-is."
"But it was so clear! Why didn't we think of it?" Danger sarcastically muttered while getting into the room.
Ace shared a smile with Lexi over their partner's words. None of them would admit it out loud, but most of the cynical anthro's statements were right to the point, even if he choose to express them in a way that let him open to teasing.
"You are late by … two point thirty-five minutes," said the scientist once the entire group was into the room, his eyes remaining glued in what Ace knew was a not very potent nanoscope.
"You were waiting for us?" the leader asked, while he noticed the coyote's attire.
Ace had had three days to get used to the others being around on civil clothes all the time, which still was kind of weird; not that he hadn't seen them on civvies before. But he had expected for Tech to cover whatever he used when not in hero attire with the customary lab coat most scientist used. Instead, the coyote was wearing his uniform and a modified version of their first Exo-suits, this time colored on eye-shocking neon yellow.
"Rev said you were growing restless," Tech explained, adjusted some dials and finally looked up. Ace noticed his eyes lighting up with curiosity, apparently at the foreign sight of their not-mostly-black clothes, but the coyote said nothing about it. Instead, he addressed one of the team while moving away from his workbench. "Rev, could you explain what I've asked you to do? It will give me enough time to change."
"Sure,-Tech-but-you-better-hurry-up-because-I-do-not-think-there-is-much-to-say." Rev waited until the laboratory restroom's door was closed, and then he started his tale. "So-basically-I-have-been-running-at-the-tower-main-areas,-except-that-time-yesterday-when-he-told-me-to-ran-in-circles-in-my-room-and-his-room-and-then-in-the-lab,-which-wasn't-really-funny-because-I-broke-some-test-tubes,-and-even-if-he-told-me-it-was-okay-I-also-broke-some-things-at-his-room-so-please-don't-tell-him."
"I'm hearing you, Rev," came the muffled retort from the closed bathroom.
Noticing the roadrunner's embarrassed grin, Ace hurried to intervene. "So Tech had you running around?" he asked, wondering if it hadn't been a plan for the coyote to get rid of unwelcome company. "We were wondering about that; but you usually don't stay in a single place for long, so it wasn't that different from your usual behavior."
"Yeah-well,-I-know;-but-this-time-I-was-following-the-courses-that-Tech-told-me-to,-and-I-also-had-to-keep-in-mind-the-time-or-the-distance-or-on-how-many-occasions-I-had-to-pass-on-certain-places,-and-he-was-recording-things-like-my-speed-and-the-temperature-and-humidity.--But-the-weirdest-part-was-the-clothes,-not-that-I-am-saying-that-Tech-is-weird," he raised his voice on that last part, before trailing off, "just-that-it-was-weird,-you-know,-to-have-to-change-so-many-times-and-yeah."
They remained silent, digesting the roadrunner's hurried words, until Tech joined them.
"Is there something wrong with Rev?" Danger charged, surprising Ace and the rest of them, until he rolled his eyes and continued. "I mean, of course there are a lot of things wrong with him, I was just wondering if there's something new."
"Aww,-I-didn't-knew-you-cared-that-much!" said Rev with a brilliant smile which the group found quite contagious. "Thanks-for-your-concern,-Duck."
"Shut your beak," the aforementioned anthro almost growled, crossing his wings over his chest and sinking on the empty stool, no matter how impossible that seemed.
"What's up with Rev's fashion, doc?" Ace asked, his face serious even if he was inwardly smiling at Duck's childish display. Besides, he was feeling redeemed as Tech fumbled with a lab coat, trying to get it right. "Does this have any relation with our uniforms?"
"Yes, it is related; and no, those were not part of Rev's wardrobe. I required him to use several outfits made from different materials, some of them related to those on our uniforms, some not. Do you mind?" Here Tech made a pause until Danger vacated the stool, muttering all the way. "Thanks. I just need to check one more thing."
Five members of the superheroes' team waited for him to analyze the uniform he had been wearing. Now, standing closer to the coyote and without the interference of the yellow suit, Ace could notice that the garment under the nanoscope was in fact completely black, and had not the colored patches they were used to.
"Damn!"
"What?" questioned Lexi, who had jumped higher that anybody else at Tech's sudden outburst. She received no response.
Looking at the questioning glances from his teammates, Ace shook his head. No matter how much they wanted to be informed, it was no wise to interrupt the coyote when his concentration usually was the only thing preventing them from getting fried. They just had to give him a little time to figure out whatever he had to figure out.
… of course, he hadn't thought they would end waiting for fifteen minutes, and counting.
Reluctantly, the male bunny nodded to Lexi.
"Uh … Tech?" she started. "Have you been eating? It wouldn't help a lot if you faint in the middle of a battle."
"Not that I'm going on any battle with this clothes," Duck complained, gesturing at to what he was wearing.
Sighing, the coyote got up again. "Thanks, Lexi, but you must not fear; coyotes can go without food for days. And those of you who absolutely need one of their uniforms can take it from the void vacuum over there."
Turning around, they noticed a large containment unit whose walls were turning translucent at Tech's gesture. Ace was momentarily taken aback by the fact that not only Duck, but also Rev and Slam ran on the equipment's direction, while he and Lexi moved on a slower pace.
"Here,-here-and-here," Rev was saying, while he handled his uniforms to the other two and took his own. Apparently, the walls were made of energy and could be crossed by any limb without danger. Turning on the rabbits' direction, Rev asked, "Do-you-want-one-of-yours-too?"
"I don't know," Lexi answered, and Ace recognized the reluctance on her voice, while she observed mesmerized the rest of the dark clothes floating on the void. Turning to face the coyote, she asked, "Are they okay now?"
"Unfortunately, no; they are still infected," was said without enthusiasm.
"Infected!"
Ace was sure that one of the higher pitched exclamations had been his, but he preferred to ignore the fact in order to amusedly watch the Tasmanian devil's antics while he tried to decide what to do with the piece of fabric and circuits. Duck, on the other hand, had lost no time and his own uniform had been unceremoniously tossed to the farthest side of the room.
"Or infested, if you wish," the coyote continued, as he moved to the roadrunner side. Rev, Ace noticed, was still in possession of his black suit, although he eyed it somewhat distressed. "Could you retrieve one of mine, Rev?" Tech asked. "Thanks."
"Care to explain, buddy? I fear you never said there was something wrong with our uniforms."
The team's leader watched as Tech mulled over his words, not that there was too much to analyze; but apparently the coyote was still reluctant to share his discovery with them. Whatever the problem, it was obviously giving a hard time to the scientist, as his tired stance proved.
"That's because I am still not sure there's something wrong with them." Tech motioned them to follow, calling some files that the holo projected in front of them. It started as a 2D image, showing a black surface with fine silver lines entwined. Little blue sparks blinked here and there, so sporadically that at first Ace believed them a figment of his imagination.
"That's our uniforms, right?" the bunny asked.
"Yes, they are." At Tech's command, the image moved and turned 3D, the zoom augmenting until a little oval figure took shape. It was black too, and the only reason they could separate it from the background was the seemingly liquid surface, almost mercury like. That, and the tiny cobalt ray that suddenly shoot from it.
"That was beautiful," the female bunny said, quite reverently.
"Yeah,-it-surely-was,-but-what-I-really-want-to-know-is-how-it-got-there,-because-I-am-sure-that-was-not-on-our-uniforms,-or-was-it,-Tech?"
"In fact, it has been there for some time, although I don't know how long. But you are right: it shouldn't be there." The holo changed, dividing on six images, those of their uniforms full size; Ace could recognize his at the top corner on the left. Then the zoom augmented one more time, and they were seeing more of those black objects. "These are from the last time we used our outfits. And these," the image changed again, this time showing patches of different colors, "are the samples I took from Rev and myself. Now, can you see the difference?"
Ace paid close attention to what was being showed. Even before Tech made his question, he had noticed that some of the patches appeared clean, while others were plagued by the same things, even if they were always of the same color than the background. He was about to say so when Duck talked.
"Those silvery hairs."
What?
"Hey,-that's-right.--Those-are-the-circuit-lines;-there-are-not-drops-on-the-materials-without-microwires,-so-maybe-those-little-drop-bugs-need-them-in-order-to-survive.--That-means-that-to-kill-them-we-only-have-to--" there was a pause, long enough to alarm all of them, as Rev was not one to usually make pauses.
Soon it became obvious that the roadrunner was too scared to keep talking, so nobody found strange when Danger demanded an explanation. "All right," he said to Tech. "What was all that about?"
"First: Duck's observation was correct." Arched eyebrows followed that statement. "Rev's too, to an extent. Those drop bugs, as he called them, are in fact nanogines and no living creatures. Therefore they can't die, yet they turn into dust when kept away for long from any material with integrated circuits."
Lexi shook her head. "But you couldn't clean our uniforms, right? You said they were infested."
"In fact, those have been cleaned; that's why I keep them on the void vacuum. But I regret to say that the nanogines will reappear once we activate the microcircuits. That's why I used the word 'infected' first: this invasion changes the materials' basic structure; once a wired fabric has been exposed to these things, the only way to definitely terminate them is through destruction."
"So," Ace cleaned his throat before continuing, dreading to ask the question. "If this is an infection … have you identified the source?"
"I have two main theories, but one of them has a probability of occurrence of ninety-eight point forty-seven percent."
Tech's tone told him that they wouldn't like it, yet Ace had to know. "And we don't like this theory because …"
"We are the source."
Silence.
"I support the other theory, who supports the other theory?" Duck looked around, counting five hands up, his included, before confronting Tech. "Which is the second theory?"
"Unknown source."
Silence again.
"I still like the second theory most."
"You and I, Duck; you and I. Tell me you have a solution, doc." Aware of the scientist uneasiness, the Loonatics' leader expected to be said that there was no way out.
"I think I have one; I estimate there is an almost absolute chance of success." Nobody dared to ask, yet the question hung on the air, unspoken: But? "But I think some of us will not enjoy it."
"Don't-say-it,-please-don't-say-It.--Anything-but-that,-please,-please,-please,-please--"
Shaking his head, Duck tried to joke, yet it was obvious to them all that the roadrunner's nervousness was rubbing on him. "Okay, what does speedy know that we do not?"
Reluctantly, the coyote dropped the bomb. "We should do without any wired fabric for a while. For how long, I'm not sure; not less than a month, according to my first projection."
"NOOOOO!"
"Okay, I'm officially spooked." It was Lexi, who couldn't tear her eyes from Rev, Slam and Duck, who were wandering the lab in several stated of distress. "Could anybody tell me what's going on with them? I mean, is not a big deal --"
"Not a big deal? Not a BIG DEAL! Do you have any idea what a tragedy this is? No, of course you don't, how could you? To you this is hilarious. Ha ha, let's make fun of the duck. Who cares about hurting the duck's feelings, anyway?"
"Duck, chill down," Ace ordered to no avail.
Meanwhile, Lexi was warily eyeing Danger. "I have no idea of what are you talking about."
"Lexi, Ace; if you allow me to clarify." Once he had their attention, Tech elaborated. "Each one of our uniforms has particular proprieties, thanks to the circuit lines enclosed on the textile fiber. Those allow the material to adapt to our different powers. You probably don't give much importance to this because of the nature of your enhanced abilities, but the rest of us experience certain difficulties with some of our powers while dressed in non-wired clothing."
"What kind of difficulties?" the female inquired.
This time it was the roadrunner who attempted an explanation. "You-remember-the-time-we-were-trying-to-blow-up-that-meteorite,-and what-Tech-said-that-had-happened-with-Duck-and-his-atmospheric-suit?"
Comprehension downed on Ace. "He couldn't quack it. Does that mean that, with normal clothes …?" Unable to continue, the anthros' leader examined his teammates under a new light. He had never thought about it, yet it was obvious the others had had some bad experiences with this issue on the past.
"None of you can't even start to imagine how horrible those first weeks were," Danger Duck said, as if reading the rabbit's mind. "One moment there was my room and the next, poof, I was standing naked in the middle of a theater or something like that. Good thing my quacking back then was like a hiccup attack, so I was gone before anybody could ever scream."
"But you have more control now, right?" Ace questioned, trying to calm the agitated bird. "If you avoid teleporting--"
"Quaking. And what you think I have been trying to do those past days?"
"Well, then continue doing so. If this has worked so long, it is obviously--"
"Is not as simple, Chief," the coyote interfered. "You have not noticed any of our … episodes … because Rev's speed, Slam's tornado and Duck's quacking allow them to hide until they get a new set of clothes. Our powers are so integrated to our every-day routine that it is almost impossible to stop using them."
"And-it-is-not-as-if-you-could-control-your-molecular-regeneration-at-all,-Tech;-and-gee,-I-hadn't-thought-about-it,-you-really-have-no-way-to-cover-yourself-when-you-recover-from-your-ashes-state,-unless-you-use-your-magnetism-which-I-think-might-work.--But-really,-my-clothes-don't-get-destroyed-so-fast-if-I-drop-my-speed-a-little-and-I-think-it-is-the-same-for-Slam,-and-even-Duck-can-quack-back-to-his-clothes-if-he-does-it-really-quickly-I-guess,-so-you-are-the-one-who-has-more-trouble-with-this."
Now that Ace had been informed of the situation, he became aware of the fact that Rev wasn't moving at his usual speed, even if he fidgeted a lot. He especially, but also Duck and Slam to a certain extent, seemed about to blow up in restrained energy.
"Can't he just stay away from dangerous situations?" Lexi asked, pointedly looking at Tech.
Duck chuckled. "We are talking about the same guy, right? 'Cause the one I know is a magnet for dangerous situations. And I'm not complaining," a glare accompanied Duck's words, daring the others to make a joke, "but why we can take the uniforms, if they are still dangerous?"
"Well, as a fact, I never said the nanogines were unsafe."
Puzzlement graced their faces. The situation was getting weirder by the second.
"What are these drops for, then, adornment?"
"I don't know, Duck. They might be harmful when active but dormant at this precise moment,; or they might remain completely innocuous. Whatever I state now would be pure speculation."
"So, let make a list of what we know for sure about this things," recapitulated Ace. When Tech remained silent, he asked again. "Uh … doc? That was your cue."
Tech sighed and looked up, as if praying to the ceiling gods. "We know for sure that they shouldn't be there," was all he said.
Ace blinked. "You've been on it for three days and that's all you have?" The question was out before he had time to realize it was the wrong thing to say.
"I don't know everything, all right!" The coyote gestured wildly, anger and frustration coloring his voice. "From all I've been able to gather, which is ridiculously close to nothing, those nanos already got into my bloodstream and are messing with my synaptic processes, because I. Have. No. Idea. I am blank, lost, I have no clue. So please don't ask me to explain something I don't understand. Not at this point."
Silence, long enough for Ace to notice they had been doing much of that recently. Remaining silent, that is. But then, the circumstances called for it. It was not every day when their usually resourceful teammate admitted defeat. It didn't help, either, that a mental and unwelcome image of the Loonatics Team fighting stalkers had taken residence on the leader's mind and refused to leave.
They just had to give Tech more time, the male rabbit decided. The coyote would eventually figure it out. Shuddering, Ace prayed for it to be sooner rather than later. He had no idea what would happen if Zodavia called with a mission before this situation was solved.
---
Next turn: Jessi the Fangirl.