Well, here's the fourth chapter; I managed to narrow down Rip's possible abilities, and I decided upon the final direction of the story. X3 Also, I have no idea why Zadavia was in the tower instead of underwater like she usually is. I guess I forgot, is all. Anyway, I'll rectify that and get to some action! XD
Also, I've finally decided on a direction for the story, a direction that sadly will not result in TechRip. Xd Rip was deemed too young and I had better ideas related to TechRev anyway. XD
"So, what's up, boss lady?" Ace asked as he entered the meeting room. Zadavia stood next to the holo-screen, waiting patiently for the Loonatics to take their seats. Ralph and Harriet stood by to watch, despite the fact that they didn't need to hear the briefing. Disregarding their unnecessary presence, the Frelengian activated the screen, which segmented into several camera feeds of Acmetropolis.
"Acmetropolis is being threatened by a trio of superpowered individuals." Zadavia stated, gesturing to the screens to her left.
"They don't look familiar," Ace pointed out, rubbing his furry chin, "They're from outta town, right?" He had come to that conclusion after Tech's invention had been used. It should have removed the powers of everyone in town. However, Zadavia shot down that idea with a simple shake of her head.
"No, Ace." Zadavia said, focusing the holo-screen on a tall, heavy-set man with patchy stubble, "This man works in a butcher shop that's only a few blocks away. He possesses telekinetic abilities that allow him to literally 'chop' things into pieces. He's already injured a few people and broken into several establishments."
"Lemme guess," Duck snickered, "They call him 'The Butcher,' right? Ha! That's like, the most unimaginative choice of naming ever! I mean… he's… uh…" The glare he received from Zadavia and the others made him quiet down.
"Well, I suppose you are good at guessing," Zadavia sighed, rubbing her forehead, "Yes, they have started calling him 'The Butcher.' Unfortunately, he's not working alone. There are two women working alongside him."
"Lucky guy." Duck muttered, receiving another glare from Zadavia. While it wasn't harsh, she was hoping he'd take the situation more seriously.
"Anyway, both women are also from Acmetropolis." Zadavia said, letting the screen shift to the women, one elderly, one adolescent, "The young woman works in a hobby shock for occultists, and the older woman owns a bakery. Because of their abilities, citizens have been calling them 'The Candlestick Maker' and 'The Baker.'" Duck burst out laughing again, holding his sides as he wheezed in hilarity.
"Give me a break!" Duck laughed, kicking his feet around above him, "Do they get around in a giant bathtub, too? Cripes! What a riot! Supervillains are bizarre." His laughter died away slowly, and Zadavia continued once Duck had finished.
"They travel on foot, Duck, and they are extremely dangerous." Zadavia said, arms folded across her chest, "This Baker woman is capable of encapsulating people in a bubble of energy, which slowly cooks them to death. The young lady is also quite dangerous; she's already given several people serious burns with her pyrokinetic abilities." The room was deathly quiet. Even duck had stopped laughing. Both of the women looked so… harmless. Well, aside from the young woman. She was using her powers much more frequently than her companions, and setting many a scalp aflame.
"Oh-my-goodness-that's-awful!" Harriet exclaimed, "I'm-not-sure-I-want-my-little-Revvie-going-down-there-since-it-looks-so-dangerous-but-I-guess-there-isn't-really-any-other-choice, so-go-show-'em-how-to-behave-themselves, honey!" In the span of her run-on sentence, Ma Runner had rushed to Rev's side and hugged him. However, upon realized how close she was to Tech, she shuffled to Rev's other side, maintaining the hug as she moved. Suppressing a chuckle, Ace pushed his chair away from the table, standing up to address the team.
"She's right, guys… if she said what I think she did." Ace smiled, "Let's jet!" The Loonatics all stood, and, after Rev pried his mother off him, left the tower. Zadavia also turned to leave, her high-heels clicking softly against the tile of the floor.
"Wait-a-minute, miss-Zadavia," Ralph called, causing the blonde to turn around, "Where-are-you-going? You-don't-look-like-you're-a-fightin'-kind-of-gal, what-with-your-fancy-dress-and-shoes." Zadavia gave him a puzzled glance, trying to sort through what he'd just said. However, she managed to figure it out, and a small smile graced her face.
"I'm going back to my own base of operations." Zadavia said, although she wasn't obligated to answer, "I've been up here for far too long; I'm afraid I'm going to get heat stroke. You may remain in the tower to keep an eye on your son until he recovers. Farewell." With that said, the tall woman left the building, vanishing before the roadrunners' eyes. The two aging avians shrugged their shoulders and returned to the medical ward, glad to find Rip was sleeping peacefully.
Things were not nearly as peaceful in downtown Acmetropolis. Butcher, Baker and Candlestick Maker were quickly clearing the streets of people, most of whom were fortunate enough to flee unscathed. For those less fortunate… let's just say that most of them met a swift end. It wasn't much consolation, considering several people wound up burning. However, the strange trio came to a sudden halt when the Loonatics arrived on the scene, glancing apathetically at the six heroes.
"If you three know what's good for you, you'll stay where you are and let us take you into custody." Ace ordered, taking a triumphant stance above the three criminals. Candlestick Maker was the first to react, fire enveloping her clenched fist. With a pitching arm rivaling Duck's, she threw the flame at Ace's head, although the rabbit evaded it.
"Alright, let's take 'em down!" Ace shouted, "Duck and Slam, you take on the Butcher! Tech, you and Rev go for the Baker! Lexi and I will get that Candlestick girl." His fellow Loonatics nodded, splitting into their assigned groups to apprehend their foes. However, as soon as Ace gave the order, the three foes retreated, fleeing the scene.
"Ha! I guess they were afraid of the ass-kicking I was going to give them." Duck grinned smugly, bringing his thumb to his chest.
"Don't just stand there talking! We've gotta catch them before anyone else gets killed!" Ace commanded, before flying after the pyro with Lexi in tow. The other Loonatics followed suit, chasing after their assignments. Rev and Tech had (presumably) the easiest opponent, so they took their time. After all, how hard would it be to apprehend an old woman? However, they were finding out that it was surprisingly difficult. Someone her age shouldn't have been able to run so fast without breaking something.
The other Loonatics were having similar difficulties, their quarries also proving difficult to capture. Duck and Slam chased Butcher for quite some time, until the large man finally stopped. They were standing in the middle of a construction site, surrounded by cranes and massive building frames. I-Beams littered the ground, all awaiting use in the enormous building. Lonely machinery sat alone within the site, their hulking figures strangely foreboding.
"So, giving up, are you? Smart move. I'd wipe the floor with ya! I'd kick your keester! I'd…" Duck taunted, although his jeering died away as the large man laughed in a deep, gravelly voice. The waterfowl slowly retreated behind Slam, peeking out as Butcher finished laughing. He raised his cleaver, the large knife reflecting the sunlight into the eyes of his foes. Having temporarily blinded his opponents, he brought the cleaver down, unleashing a wave of psychic destruction. Several deep gouges slashed into the ground, rushing at Duck and Slam with incredible speed.
The bird quickly recovered from the shining light, however, and quacked himself and Slam out of the attack's way. While they remained unharmed, the I-Beams behind them weren't so fortunate. One look at the shrapnel Butcher had created was enough to set Duck's knees shaking.
"Whoa." Slam said, his speech straddling the fine line between understandable and unintelligible.
"We're doomed." Duck moaned, burying his face in his hands.
Ace and Lexi chased Candlestick a few blocks away from the crime scene as well, eventually finding her waiting for them in the junkyard. She grinned at them, her silvery hair hanging down in her face. Ace activated the Guardian Strike Sword, the blade springing back from its collapsed state. Lexi prepared herself to fight as well, fingers already against her temples. The pale girl brushed some dust off her black straitjacket and skinny jeans. Her appearance certainly explained why she'd gone on a rampage; she looked as though she'd escaped the mental ward and dyed her clothes.
"It doesn't have to go down like this." Lexi said, ready to attack if she needed to, "You could just turn yourself in, and maybe get 10, 15 years in prison." The adolescent said nothing, opting to instead set her fist ablaze. Lexi sighed, taking a more stable position; why did they always insist on doing things the hard way?
Remaining silent, the teen pitched the fireball at the lagomorphs, although she missed both of them. As Ace was about to dish out a witty taunt, he realized that she hadn't been aiming for them at all. The flames descended upon an oil drum, which promptly burst into flame. It seemed the drum hadn't been sealed very well either, for in a matter of seconds, flames encircled Ace and Lexi, roaring high into the sky.
"Is it just me, or was she a lot more prepared than we thought?" Ace quipped, soon standing back to back with Lexi. Candlestick leapt in through the fire, no traces of burns on her clothing. She was smirking at the rabbits, her vacant eyes holding a mocking look.
"Yeah, just a little." Lexi responded, firing a brain blast at the young woman.
Tech and Rev continued chasing the old woman, not certain of where she was leading them. The speedster had caught up with the woman a few minutes earlier, but after being clotheslined, he opted to pursue from behind like Tech. He was looking rather tired, but minimal exercise couldn't have given him godly stamina. However, he managed to keep the pace, despite wheezing slightly from the effort. Fortunately, they didn't have to continue the chase for long; the Baker had run into a dead-end alleyway, from which there was no escape.
"Oh-boy-Tech-it-looks-like-we've-got-her-now-since-it's-a-dead-end-and-as-far-as-we-know-she-can't-fly-oh-I-hope-she-can't-fly-that'd-be-a-major-pain-in-the-ass." Rev babbled on, although he wasn't silenced by the coyote. His attention had been focused on the woman, who looked ready to fight. Tech pushed a few buttons on his wristguard, revealing a small laser-like device.
"Stand down, ma'am," Tech ordered, "I don't want to scramble your atoms, but I will if I have to." He was bluffing. In all actuality, it was a net gun designed to ensnare super-powered individuals. It was something he'd designed ages ago, but hadn't tested in combat. If the woman insisted on fighting, he might finally get to use it. She certainly wasn't backing down. In fact, she was moving her hands in a peculiar fashion, as if forming a sphere.
Before either male could inquire, Baker thrust her hands out, creating a large orange bubble around the red and green Loonatics. Her palms were connected directly to the bubble, but remained on the outside. Almost immediately, the temperature within their entrapment began to rise, soon becoming uncomfortably warm.
"Oh-man-Tech, this-isn't-good! What-are-we-gonna-do-what-are-we-gonna-do-what-are-we-gonna-do?" Rev whined hopelessly.
"Honestly, Rev… I don't know." Tech groaned, the sweltering heat bearing down on them.
Well, this went a little longer than I thought it would. Also, I managed to give you all three separate cliffhangers. Xd Man, I'm evil. Sorry about that. I should have the next chapter up by Friday/Saturday, once I've finalized my idea for Rip's abilities; it's a lot harder than it sounds. D:
