Ch2: I want to thank OmegaDragon3000 for again being my first reviewer, but dude, what's with all the name changes. It's confusing, but do whatever you want I guess (as long as you keep R&Ring I don't care what you call yourself). Anyway let's go alright.
I own nothing (again)
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"And now we go to our newest reporter Chelsea Falls with the latest news. Chelsea."
"Thank you. In a small suburb of Acmetropolis today a family of four…"
"Duck, are you watching the news…after the weather?" Lexi asked as she came into the living room and saw Duck on the couch staring at the large TV on the wall.
"It's the new news girl." Tech explained from his place in a chair off in one corner of the room. He sat there reading a science journal that had peeked his interest.
"Well that explains it." Lexi replied with a roll of her eyes. Still she sat down on the couch to watch what kind of news was on. Ace had told them to try to stay in touch with the daily events in the city. You never can be sure what might come in handy later on after all.
"Yeah well, she's no Misty Breeze but…" He stared amorously at the image of the brightly smiling young blond woman on the screen. Then something more interesting than her looks came on.
"Our top story today, however, is the mysteries string of disappearances that have been occurring all over the planet. So far the police have gathered a list of over 38 men and women that have gone missing in the last month. The newest additions to this list were Sal Moss, a recently paroled criminal, and his attorney Ronald Hail. One thing that connects the string of names is that most, if not all, have some type of criminal record or have been involved in some sort of mysterious dealings. The thing that makes these disappearances different from normal ones is the total lack of evidence. The only evidence that has been recovered is a fine powdery substance that has been at the scene of every disappearance. When police commissioner Hal Speck held a press conference this morning he said that due to the lack of evidence they have no suspects at this time. When asked if they were thinking of bringing in the Loonatics to assist in the case the commissioner said "This is a police matter and it will stay that way until new evidence shows that their assistance is required. Until then, I ask that the Loonatics take care of their own business and we shall do the same."
Lexi looked at the screen incredulously. "Am I the only one who feels like we've just been insulted?"
"No…" Tech answered as he put down the journal he was reading, "I feel the same way."
"How dare they! They just told us to mind our own business when we haven't even done anything yet." Duck stated angrily. He was suddenly very riled up. He always is the first person to loose his temper, Lexi thought. But still he's right… a total drama king, but right.
"I guess we should probably tell Ace. I'm sure he'll have something to say about this." Lexi said as she stood up to do just that. Then the tower alarm went off, signifying they were needed to come to the cities aid once again.
"It will have to wait." Tech said as he stood and headed to the COM room. "Right now we have to go take care of our business." He made sure to add a heavy layer of sarcasm to this statement. He did not like being insulted by the police any better than the rest of them after all. The three made their way to the COM room and saw Ace, Slam, Rev, and Zadavia waiting for them.
"Greetings…" Zadavia began, "There has been a robbery at the Kelly Ware jewelry store and all police units are busy at the moment, so they need you to get there as soon as possible."
Well that's irony to a tea. Tech thought, the police tell us to stick to our area of expertise and they will handle all else, and yet now we are being called upon to do their jobs because they cant make it. Tech thought this but said nothing. He had the feeling that telling Ace and the others about the police commissioner's comments right before a mission was a bad idea. It might throw them off their game, and it would not look good for them if they failed to capture a simple thief.
"Alright Zadavia, we'll take care of the robber no problem." Ace said confidently. He and his team usually faced superpower enemies and still mopped the floor with them so a regular crook like this should be no problem. "Loonatics lets jet!"
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The Loonatics arrived at the store in a matter of minute but the burglar was already gone.
"Rev see any body on your GPS?" Ace asked as he looked at the shattered glass that had once been the storefront window.
Rev looked around with the bright red glow in eyes for a few seconds then said, "Yup-I-got-him-no-problem-he-ran-off-down-that-alley-made-a-left-strait-right-then-a-left-so-now-he-is-aproxemently-fifteen-meeters-over-that-way." As he finished he pointed in the correct direction.
"Uh yeah…lets go get him." Ace said as he ran into the indicated alley and tried to remember the directions, and the others all followed.
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The robber was hiding in the alley and seeing what kind of haul he had gotten. Not bad, he thought, and no cops to worry about. That's a first. Guess its my lucky day. Then he heard the sound of the Loonatics approaching. Dame! I didn't think they'd send them after me. Well time to get out of here, and quick. So he ran out of the alley and found himself running down an empty street. He surveyed his surroundings to see if there was a place to hide as he ran down the middle of the road.
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Hello there crook. Where do you think your going? A shadowy figure in an alley watched the robber approach. Time to go to work…again.
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The robber was so busy looking for a place to hide he failed to notice a dark figure move out of another alley and move toward him on an intercepting course. He may have noticed this if the Loonatics had not came running around the corner of his old alley and started running after him. He looked back and saw them come out and his brain suddenly tried frantically to find a solution or a way out. Then he looked ahead of him and saw the shadowy figure standing directly in his path. He skidded to a halt and quickly pulled out the gun he had tucked into his waistband. He never got the chance to use it, however. The dark figure just as quickly grabbed the robber's arm and twisted it around behind his back with a loud 'crack'. Then, when he was standing with his back to him, the stranger kicked in his knees so that he fell to a kneeling position in front of him.
All this took place in less than a few seconds and the Loonatics witnessed it all…and were very impressed.
Well not exactly the way I would done it…but I like this guys style, Ace thought to himself as he smirked at this impressive sight.
The stranger looked up from the subdued crook and saw the Loonatics standing there watching him. He was, conveniently, standing under a streetlight so he was clearly visible. From their position a few feet away they could see this man was tall and thin, but still muscular. He was wearing a black shirt, black pants with a large, simple, silver buckle on a black belt, and a black hat with a wide brim that was reminiscent of an old cowboy hat, only the brim was straight all around and not curved. Then they noticed that there was some kind of cloak or cape fluttering behind him. What was strange was that it did not appear to be made of any fabric. The end, which went almost down to the ground, would shift and move as an open flame might. If you listened carefully you could even hear the smallest 'crackling' noise, but despite its fire-like qualities it too was pitch black.
"Uh…hi there." Lexi said a little timidly. Over all this man painted a very intimidating picture.
He looked at them silently for a moment with a blank face, then his mood seemed to lighten, but this showed only slightly. "Hello…you must be the Loonatics. I've heard a lot about you, obviously." His voice was calm, but a little raspy. It almost completely lacked any emotion, but they could tell he was genuine in his greeting.
"Hey. Nice take down there." Ace offered this small amount of praise as he moved forward, with his team following behind him.
"So what's the deal pale?" Duck suddenly moved to the front of the pack and began hurling questions at the stranger. "You some kind of vigilante or something, because we don't need…Ouch!" Duck began to demand information from this stranger but stopped when Lexi stepped on his foot.
"Oops. Sooo sorry Duck." Then she leaned in and whispered harshly "Stop being such a pain will you! We don't need to make any more enemies because you can't keep your big beak shut." He only looked at her then at the ground and grumbled something under his breath.
Ace decided to ignore this and instead focused on this man who had so effortlessly subdued the criminal. "Well if you don't mind me asking, who are you?"
The stranger looked thoughtful for a moment, thinking of the best response. "You can call me…Shade." He answered coolly.
Shade? Well I suppose it fits him. "Nice-to-meet-you-its-always-nice-to-meet-a-fellow-superhero-which-doesn't-happen-a-lot-so-it-is-a-real-treat-to-"
"Stop there." Shade suddenly raised his hand and commanded Rev to stop his sentence, and then put his hand back down on the criminals shoulder (he had placed his hands on both of his shoulders to keep him from moving any where). Rev and the others looked a little confused. "I'm not a 'superhero'. I'm more of a…crime fighter." He stated in the same blank voice that did nothing to hint at his feelings. This only served to increase the teams confusion and curiosity.
"And…what is the difference?" Tech asked as he studied this strange man clad in black. Again Shade paused and thought to himself about what he was just asked.
"Mainly this I suppose." He stated plainly. Then his arms that were resting on the robbers' shoulders began to smoke. Flames then sprang up on his own shoulders, then moved down his arm. It was not a regular fire as they saw. It acted like one but instead of being red or orange or even blue, which are normal colors for fire, it was black. A deep, dark, dismal, black flame that quickly made it's way down Shades arm and then spread to the robber.
The Loonatics watched in amazement (and some horror) as they saw the flame spread all around the criminal's body. Although he was obviously terrified he did not cry out in pain, and Shade simply kept the same calm, almost uninterested expression that showed his almost complete indifference to the shocked looks of the Loonatics. Quickly the robber was completely consumed by the strange black fire and then in a flash…he was gone. Nothing was left but a large pile of ash where he had been kneeling just seconds before.
"And that's that…." Shade brushed the ash off his hands and then began to move away from the group. "…my work is done. It was nice meeting you all, but I have a busy schedule to keep so I'll just be going." He turned away but stopped when he heard the protests of the Loonatics.
"Hey, hey, wow. Where do you think your going?" Ace asked as he struggled to get over the shock of what he had just witnessed. "What did you just do to that guy?"
Shade sighed heavily. "I would love to stay and chat but I have other appointments to get to. So maybe we can talk some other time." As he said this he lifted his arm into the air and then swiftly brought it back down. Instantly a tear manifested in midair. It showed a dark and shadowy world on the other side of it. Shade took one last look at the team and waved goodbye half-heartedly. Then he disappeared into the dark rift and it closed behind him.
The Loonatics all stared in shock and awe at the sight they had just witnessed. Most were speechless, but not all.
"What was that? What just happened?" Duck asked as he tried to wrap his mind around what he had just seen.
"It would appear that he…incinerated that criminal." Tech answered Duck's question somewhat. "But how he did it…I don't know." Rev was just as shocked as everybody else but suddenly he perked up and got excided.
"Hey-guys-I've-got-that-Shade-guy-on-my-GPS-hes-only-a-few-blocks-away-I'll-go-get-him." And he zipped off barely waiting to finish his sentence.
Which meant that he did not hear Ace call out to him. "Wait Rev! Don't go alone. You…need help" but he trailed off as he saw it was too late. He was gone. "Great." He said as he slumped forward in defeat.
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Shade emerged from the rift a few blocks away just as Rev had said. He once again found himself in an alley that was secluded and dark. Perfect for me I guess. He started to walk down the alley when he felt a gush of air from behind him. He stopped in his tracks and put his head down. He drew in a long breath, a sign of annoyance and frustration, but it was the only sign he gave. As he turned around his face was as blank as ever. "Hello Rev. Can I call you Rev? Listen, why don't you just leave. It would be best for both of us if you did." He talked to Rev in a calm, slow tone as if he were talking to child.
Rev was not really the type to get offended by such things, but he still could see when he was being talked down to. "Nope-sorry-can't-do-that-me-and-my-friends-have-some-question-we-need-to-ask-you." He stated firmly with his arms crossed.
Shade looked down again and rubbed his eyes in frustration. Guess I have to do this the hard way. Shoot…he looks like a nice kid…I'll take it easy on him. This time. He again looked up and stared directly into Rev's eyes. His expression did not change, but his mood had obviously shifted. "Let me rephrase that…" he walked toward Rev now and Rev started to back up until he was backed into a corner. "Your either going to walk out of this alley or your going to be wheeled out in a stretcher." He was now less then a foot away from Rev and he stood towering over him.
There were no lights in the alley but the moon was full that night so Rev could see his face clearly enough. He came face-to-face with him and got his first good look at Shade's face. It was long and thin with a prominent chin. It was a very average face. The most striking feature was the eyes. Rev saw that he had green eyes like his own…only they were worlds apart. His were more of an emerald green first of all, but it was more than that. His eyes contained all the bright cheeriness that youth provided. They were so full of curiosity and joy because life had yet to striped those traits away. Shade's eyes were much different. They were dull and dim in comparison to Rev's. They looked more gray than green. In fact, one word could describe his eyes completely…cold. That was all there was to them. Any other emotion would also contain that trait; cold anger, cold happiness, cold sadness…just plain cold.
So now Rev stood with his back against a wall as he stared into Shade's cold eyes that burrowed into him. "You know…" he suddenly continued as he backed off only slightly. "That long neck of yours could turn out to be a…liability. After all it's so long and thin…it would not be that hard for someone to, oh say, snap it…or ever strangle you. It makes a very vulnerable target if you ask me." Rev gulped and suddenly grasped his throat. "Send this message to the others. I like you guys. I can appreciate what you do, but don't get in my way otherwise…we will have problems. Do you understand?" He asked the terrified Rev who was using all of his willpower to keep from shaking…shaking too much any way. So he quickly nodded his head and once again Shade seemed to undergo another invisible transformation. He moved away and became almost completely non-threatening. "Alright, that's good to hear." He walked over to one of the walls and made another dark rift appear on it, but stopped before he entered it. "You remember what I said about that neck. Just be careful out there. I'd hate to see anything bad happen to a nice kid like you." Rev couldn't help but smile a little and this also got a very small smirk from Shade. So he tipped his hat, stepped into the rift and disappeared.
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That's Ch2. I liked it. Did you? (only one review so far, that makes me sad, but this is only the second chapter so I'll be patient). I'm excited about my new OC. What are your first impressions of him?
*EDIT*: I noticed something else that needed to be changed and figured I might as well take care of it.