The navy blue mono-cycle with the pair traveled a pavement street through an abandoned industrial sector. It was murky, oxidized, and rusty—any word that described the dark warm colors that intruded on the metal beams and splotched the moldy gray walls of destroyed factories. The sky reflected the mustard yellow color from the lights of upper sectors.
Behind them, Fizz traveled with the aid of her hologram. It hung from her hair bun, fell behind her and curved below her feet to create an odd-vehicle she could control as freeline skates. She wore an updated version of her lavender and violet bodysuit with chrome accessories such as a belt and weapon straps on her thighs.
They really hadn't spoken since they left Sector Nine. Deets understood what Burn was trying to convey about their friend. She doesn't say anything; she just lashes out to get people away from her. Either it was for her cynical amusement or the repercussion of Ed's disappearance.
But there was that glimmer of hope, she was there with them! A bit annoyed, but she could've denied their request, kicked them out of her lab, hacked Burn's suit and many other harmful actions to get them out of her space. With that thought, they confirmed Fizz was still that caring little girl they first met through their job in Dojo Deliveries.
"Yo, where's the place? I want to be home by nine to watch the game!"
Burn checked the time through his computerized helmet. "It's only five!"
"Considering it's you guys: we're gonna fight something, get angry at each other, get over it, fight again and learn some kind of lesson. If we can skip the lesson and the emotional turmoil, that would be great!"
Scratch that.
The group stopped in an exit turn that headed towards the lower sectors. The crew got out of their vehicles and looked down the bridge. Under the street, lay an intricate-designed chromed base. There was an opening was in the center of the circular base.
A pair of turquoise gloves suddenly squeezed Fizz's shoulders. She turned to see their old pal Loogie. He also wore a newer version of his old bodysuit and hover boots instead of the ancient relic that were in-line skates. Unlike the redhead, he seemed like her polar opposite. He hugged and greeted his old friends. His sentences were a bit more coherent… just a tad.
"What's this gig you got me?" he questioned the inventor as he inspected down on the bridge. He had this child-like excitement for the mysterious base.
Fizz looked up at Burn and Deets with a confident smirk. "What? You thought I was gonna go down there?" She wrapped her arm around Loogie's shoulder. "Since we're having this sweet sweet reunion," she continued in this long sarcastic tone. "Might as well get the daredevil himself to check this out."
Loogie grabbed the redhead tightly by the waist and she squealed in surprise. The pair watched in amusement as she tried to break it up. He jumped off the bridge with the inventor in tow. The pair looked down in horror; not because of the jump, but because of the death wish the man gave himself.
With his loose hand, he grappled onto the bridge for a safer landing. The young woman pushed herself away from him and she continued to fall to the platform. Her hologram divided to different long and thin strands, almost like spider legs, and landed her safely to the base. She angrily looked up at the man and he slowly descended to the base.
"You're welcome, m'lady!" the muffled voice of Dr. Pinch exclaimed to her. He was the hand that held onto the m-grab.
"You fucking nutjob!" She sighed and she motioned her friend to the opening.
"WHAT? WHY DOES LOOGIE TAKE IT EASY? HE ALMOST KILLED YOU!" Burn exclaimed angrily. Fizz gave him a hard time for lesser things he has done to her. Deets could be heard laughing out loud after his claim.
She ignored him as they walked cautiously towards the opening. The hologram went down first and illuminated part of the inside. They looked down. The coast was clear. This time, Fizz consented to be grabbed and both grappled down the hole. As they went down, the interior lit up slowly by its own in light blue.
"It recognized us as the Joker and Builder," she explained to her partner.
They soon found out that this was one of the bigger buildings in Progress City, if not the biggest. It was a giant hub with plenty of computer screens and many alien structures and floating beams. It matched the outside with the chrome finishes. There were various doors on the walls leading to what they imagine to be more rooms.
They landed. The redhead recalled her hologram and used it as a computer while Loogie skated to the nearest door to investigate.
She didn't need a confirmation from her invention that this had Ed's signature all over. She didn't even need a visual confirmation with the same style of architecture that several of Ed's devices had. She remembered his scent; she grew up with him: the Lasergeddon animated series marathons, the weekly horror movie nights, the weekends in Fizz's room watching her tinker the various utilities in her home and both getting into trouble and grounded afterwards, them making up with her parents with baked goods…
Both moving out of her house to live together in an apartment, going out for drinks every Friday after they got off from college, messing around, lots of messing around, Fizz getting that job at Huckinson's Robotics Laboratory, getting home late every night because of a new biotech study, Ed making dinner every night, creating a new device to simplify her and Ed's life, presenting it to her boss and getting the money to create various prototypes, Ed finding out she could possibly destroy people's livelihoods with her holo-solid device…
Ed breathing heavily after entering her—oh, who was she kidding?—their room, exclaiming about having a vision of an apocalyptic destruction by Bedlam, their heavy argument, more heavy breathing, even more heavy breathing, squealing and shrieking in delight…
She could smell him faintly.
She got out of her trance when Loogie grabbed her by the shoulders again. He stared worriedly at her. "You didn't go to the psych I recommended, did you?"
"I'm okay, Lou!" She tried to show normalcy with fake conviction. She could tell he wasn't buying it. "I-I'm just in shock how I ever missed this place's signal…" Still wasn't buying it. "…that's all."
He pulled out Dr. Pinch from his back pocket. "You don't get over people so easily! You put the blame all on yourself and idolize Ed to the point he's this omnipotent god and you forget he is just as human as you! Ed leaving was never your fault. I'm a hundred percent sure by now he left us—not only you, but all of us—to protect us!"
She pushed him away. "That's what you keep on saying, Pinch! Every. Fucking. Time! And every time, it still doesn't help me!" She still hadn't fathomed that she was fighting with a catfish puppet—product of her older friend's mental illness.
"Everybody, let's calm down now!" Loogie stood between his puppet and the young woman. "The captain of this ship is nowhere to be found!" He returned to the dilemma at hand and tried to steer away from any unnecessary conflict in the line of duty. They could argue on the phone some other time.
Fizz was dumbfounded. "He's not here?" a high pitch to her voice. She could also smell humidity with his faint smell. She was so entrapped in her memories that she forgot the other clues surrounding her.
"Cap'n left with his booty!"
She recalled her holo-solid once more. Indeed, it grabbed ahold of Ed's signature—from three weeks ago—but the actual man wasn't around at all. Even the devices like the Slammer and Optigogs were nowhere to be located. She should've known it wouldn't be that easy! Getting a hold of Ed was like grabbing air with your fingertips: close to impossible!
After that punch in the gut, Fizz and Loogie ascended back to the bridge to meet back with their friends. With a loud "Go fuck yourselves!" and a red face of pure anger, Frances left them all.