Okay!
Just so you know this will be the last chapter I post before my mid-year exams so the next chapter will only come out in two weeks' time, unless I use the computer in the middle of the night again. I'll try my best to get the next chapter done earlier though, and if possible I'll try and finish up the next chapter early too. Hopefully I'll be able to post two chapters at once after exams, but no promises! Anyway, I don't have much time to chat or anything, I haven't had a chance to for a while now, so I'll hurry with review replies today, I apologize, and carry on.
Review replies:
NickyRockit: Yay thanks again for the new review! LOL this chapter may fill you with even MORE questions. I think I hide too much. Tell me how you reacted to the last line though, please? There are many many many many MANY possibilities. Of course everything will be revealed soon, since I brought a certain character back into this story and this person should tell you guys a lot of what had happened. But this story will definitely be longer than TCC in the end so keep reading!
AnimeGirl 144: Don't worry you weren't late. So long as I get reviews I'm happy. You were upset? Are you okay now? Oh thanks for reading don't have to review it, I still do watch for reviews for that one but I'm not expecting much since it's completed already. Well, I like humour but I'm not too good at it. My reactions to stuff are normally just insane enough to scare everyone around me…_ But well…YOU THOUGHT THAT GIRL WAS LYRA?! OMG! Um…read on and you'll see why I reacted that way. But please don't think I'm insulting you because I'm not and I've often been misunderstood. I mean, what kind of writer would I be if I insulted my readers? I'd rather be admitted to the mental hospital before I do that. Oh well, carry on and thanks for continued support!
starskulls: Jeez I told you I don't mind late reviews already! But are exams and stuff getting really that stressful? Your reviews are getting shorter and shorter and I'm a paranoid person so I'm getting worried Star! Are you okay!? Hope I can update soon but I'm having exams too for a while. T^T
Done though now I'm a little depressed…meh…
PART SEVEN: REVEALATIONS(did I use this title before? If yes I'll change it.)
Tech waited until it got considerably dark before he left the HQ tower. Rev silently watched him leave through the window without the coyote noticing. The roadrunner did trust him, but he was just a little afraid that his best friend could get himself into serious trouble. He may be the youngest and most hyperactive of the group, but Rev knew that going off alone may prove to be dangerous, especially after what happened to Lexi and Zadavia.
"What're you doing?" A sudden voice asked and Rev nearly jumped out of his feathers in shock as he turned and saw Duck standing there with a questioning look, arms folded across his chest and tilting his head ever so slightly to the side with concerned curiosity.
"D-D-D-D-Duck-what-are-you-doing-up-so-late-you-sh ould-be-asleep!" Rev exclaimed with a panicked tone, and the mallard raised an eyebrow.
"What about you? Why are you still up?" He asked, though he got suspicious the moment Rev reacted more violently than he had expected, which made him think that he wouldn't be getting an answer to his own questions, and he was right.
"M-M-Me? Oh-it's-nothing-I-just-felt-a-little-restless-you- know-with-everything-that's-been-going-on-and-stuf f-I-just-can't-seem-to-get-myself-relaxed." Rev lied, obviously not planning on letting up. So, Duck decided to play his trump card, though he didn't really like to do it.
"Oh really?" He asked, "Tech seemed pretty agitated when we were talking just now."
"Well-he-is-a-little-worried-with-what's-been-goin g-on-and-the-results-of-the-blood-test-is-really-c onfusing-now-you-know-he-told-me-he-would-need-to- go-confirm-something-so..."
"So you did talk to dog boy? You weren't just restless?" Duck interrupted, and Rev stared at him, finally figuring out what the mallard had done. He mentally slapped himself as he glared at Duck.
"That-was-unfair." He commented and Duck shrugged.
"Wasn't my fault you didn't catch on. Of all times and people why would Tech come to me for a chat? I was actually afraid it was too obvious." He said. Rev sighed in defeat. He hated it when Duck played him, though he did feel just a little better as the mallard hardly ever pranked or tricked him much after the Chaos Crystal incident, so it wasn't all bad. Still, it pretty much meant he unintentionally broke his promise to the coyote, who may eat him in his anger if he found out...more like 'when' he found out.
"Still-that-was-mean-of-you-Duck-what'll-Tech-say? " Rev pouted as he said that and the mallard rolled his eyes with both amusement and impatience.
"I won't tell on you so calm down already. Just tell me what's going on." Duck stated bluntly as the roadrunner was starting to pace around with worry, almost completely ignoring what his teammate said. Almost.
"I'm-sorry-Duck-I'm-just-really-really-really-nerv ous-about-everything-especially-with-Tech-but-he-w on't-tell-me-anything-so-I-have-to-say-I'm-feeling -a-little-left-out." He said finally when he calmed down. The mallard frowned. Tech didn't even tell Rev what he was doing? Well, it wasn't as if he had to report to the roadrunner about everything that happens to him, but the two were pretty close as friends and the coyote had always been more open with Rev than anyone else. It was almost like Ace and Lexi's case, only without the one-sided romance.
"If he didn't even tell you it's gotta be serious." Duck commented and Rev sighed, again. He started pacing again, but Duck decided he should stop the roadrunner before he paced enough to form a hole in the floor and made him sit quietly on the couch. Rev, surprisingly, put up little resistance. Duck sat down next to him. For a while, no one said anything, though Rev fidgetted with pretty much anything he got his hands on.
"You know..." Duck finally said, breaking the awkward silence that had begun to fill the room. Rev looked at him expectantly.
"I remember...two months ago, I had a talk with Ace right here just before he...left. It was the night before that day." He confessed. Rev's eyes widened, more astonished than anything else. He asked the mallard what Ace wanted, and hardly received any form of response for a moment. Then Duck sighed, though it sounded exasperated.
"Jeez why'd all of you think I don't feel like being the one to start a meaningful conversation all the time?!" He exclaimed and the roadrunner jumped at his outburst. He blinked a few times to let his mind process what Duck had just said, then he lowered his head to his shoulders in a lousy attempt to apologize without really saying anything as the mallard continued to glare at him. It didn't work until he really did add a soft 'sorry?' to that. Duck then rolled his eyes and turned away to stare forward.
"I told Ace we'd really miss him. That the team won't ever be the same without him. Hmph...that stupid rabbit...he acted pretty calm throughout the whole thing. It got me real mad." The mallard confessed as any remaining sign of his glare completely vanished and got replaced by sadness, though not without his usual minor irritation.
"He said he was calm because he wouldn't be able to go through with everything if he let his emotions get to him. He told me we were the best teammates he could ever ask for." He continued, then became a little more quiet as he had his fingers in the criss-cross position and was rubbing his thumbs against one another.
"You know Rev, I'm really wishing I could've done a lot more to save him. He called us the best team he could ask for but I couldn't help feeling like we sent him to his death. I know it's weird for me to be saying this but I never really had to face something like that. And I hope I never have to again."
Rev was silent as Duck told him the rest of what happened, which wasn't much except for the short gaming session they had before the two had finally gone to bed, though Duck told Rev that he didn't believe Ace really went to sleep at all that night. In all honesty, neither did Rev. If it were him, the roadrunner would probably cry the entire night at the thought of having to leave everyone forever. He, they all, knew Ace was strong, but even the strongest person wouldn't be able to keep it together for too long if they were forced into such a situation. Right?
"Hey-Duck-why-do-you-think-it's-weird-for-you-to-b e-saying-this-I-think-it's-perfectly-fine." Rev asked, hoping to move away from the overly depressing topic. The attempt seemed to work, at least for a while, when the mallard just told the roadrunner that he knew he always acted like a self-centred twit and probably made the rest think he was incapable of other stuff.
"You did think Ace was the one to start chatting with me that night." Duck added in to try and prove his point.
"Aw-come-on-I-said-I-was-sorry!" Rev complained and Duck laughed at him.
"It's fine I was just messing with you. But thanks for asking." He told the Loonatics's youngest member. Then he stood up and allowed himself a stretch. "Well, I'd better go get some sleep before my feathers start falling off. And when Tech comes back from his joyride let him know I said he should tell the rest what's going on. That we all have the right to know, now of all times."
Rev hesitated for a moment before sighing and nodding. Satisfied, Duck quacked his way back to his room.
As much as Rev didn't really want to and instead wanted to let Tech have his privacy for a while, Duck was right. He had to tell them what was going on with him. Rev shook his head, then got up to head to bed as well, taking it a little slowly. If he had been faster, he would have heard the shuffling sounds of feet hurrying back down the corridor.
Slam was looking for the current Loonatics leader. Mainly because Lexi was bottling up her emotions pretty unnaturally so the Tasmanian devil wanted to make sure she was alright. Besides, he hardly ever had a real private conversation with anyone on the team, not counting Duck while they were video-gaming. He decided that that should change. He had knocked on Lexi's door and found that she wasn't inside. He got worried and went to look for her, finding her hiding in the corridor that connected their rooms to the main room in the HQ tower. She looked surprised and sad and just a little confused. Slam was about to say something, then heard Duck's voice.
"You know...I remember...two months ago, I had a talk with Ace right here before he...left. It was the night before that day."
Slam froze. Lexi was eavesdropping on Duck's conversation? With who? And to who would Duck confess such a thing without any sign of his usual tone?
"Oh...really-what-did-he-want-to-talk-about?" Rev's voice came. Well, that answered Slam's question. Though he was surprised. He actually suspected it to be Tech or Zadavia, not that she was awake at the moment due to her injuries. And Tech seemed to be someone the mallard would share personal affairs with. But Rev...Duck never did seem that close too him after all.
There was a brief silence. Slam didn't dare look to see what was happening since his large build would've definitely given him and Lexi away. Truth be told, he really wanted to get away from there because he knew eavesdropping wasn't a good thing, but couldn't resist the curiosity. Lexi was the same, and she was peeking at the two birds ever so carefully.
" Jeez why'd all of you think I don't feel like being the one to start a meaningful conversation all the time?!" Duck exclaimed and both Slam and Lexi cringed. They honestly both felt a little guilty as they never really could imagine Duck starting some depressing or meaningful conversation. They knew better now. There was another silence, then Rev's weak "sorry" was heard.
"I told Ace we'd really miss him. That the team won't ever be the same without him. Hmph...that stupid rabbit...he acted pretty calm throughout the whole thing. It got me real mad." Duck's voice said again. Lexi let out a faint gasp and Slam blinked.
"Woah...I never thought Duck would be like that..." Lexi commented quietly and the Tasmanian devil growled softly in agreement as they continued listening.
"He said he was calm because he wouldn't be able to go through with everything if he let his emotions get to him. He told me we were the best teammates he could ever ask for. You know Rev, I'm really wishing I could've done a lot more to save him. He called us the best team he could ask for but I couldn't help feeling like we sent him to his death. I know it's weird for me to be saying this but I never really had to face something like that. And I hope I never have to again."
Lexi and Slam both listened silently and sadly as Duck recounted what had happened. The whole time, Rev was quiet as well. Slam had no idea what to think. He had been sure Ace's decision to fight to his death had just about broken the team apart, but in truth it made them closer in disguise. Knowing the former Loonatics leader, he probably made sure that that would've happened one way or another, at the very least. The conversation also made the Tasmanian devil rethink the idea that Duck was no more than an ego-istic moron with minimal care for his comrades. It wasn't true at all. Well, Slam had never really thought it was completely true, but he did to a certain extent and it made him feel like the bad guy all of a sudden. He never did get the chance to get to know Duck did he? Even though Duck was considered to be his best friend. It was just ridiculous.
Duck finished the story. Another quick silence occurred.
"Hey-Duck-why-do-you-think-it's-weird-for-you-to-b e-saying-this-I-think-it's-perfectly-fine." Rev then said, and Lexi turned away. Not at all to Slam's surprise, she had tears in her eyes again. She was really greatly affected by everything, and Slam wanted to make it better, but he didn't know how, not a single clue.
"Oh don't joke with me bird-brain! I know you guys always think I'm some self-centred twit who couldn't care less about the people around me. I know I act like that but I have my reasons. And anyway, you did think Ace was the one to start chatting with me that night." Duck replied with annoyance.
"Aw-come-on-I-said-I-was-sorry!" Rev complained. Duck's teasing laughter echoed throughout the hallway.
"It's fine I was just messing with you. But thanks for asking. Well, I'd better go get some sleep before my feathers start falling off. And when Tech comes back from his joyride let him know I said he should tell the rest what's going on. That we all have the right to know, now of all times." He said to Rev. Slam couldn't see anything, and Lexi wasn't looking anymore either, but he was sure that Rev agreed to the statement since neither said any more and the static-like sound of Duck's quacking came. Lexi looked pale under the dim lights. She turned to Slam.
"We should leave before Rev sees us." She suggested and Slam just agreed as the two took off down the hall and entered Lexi's room. For a while neither of them said anything. Slam wasn't even sure why the current Loonatics leader would push him into her room, but he decided not to leave as he guessed that she probably wanted to talk to him about the conversation they just overheard. If that guess were to be entered in the lottery, Slam would be the winner of the grand prize.
"Hey Slam, what do you think of...what those two were talking about?" The female bunny asked, sitting on the floor and hugging her knees, her eyes wet but no tears were flowing. Slam sighed sadly on the inside. He knew it must be taking every ounce of Lexi's willpower to stop herself from crying. He growled an answer, saying he wasn't too sure. Listening in on the conversation had filled him with a whole churning sea of emotions he wasn't sure how to deal with. Lexi sighed and admitted she wasn't sure either.
Ace had told Duck how he really felt about everything. Sure, the mallard had somewhat forced it out of the former Loonatics leader, but still, he had shared his true feelings with Duck instead of her. Lexi couldn't help but feel jealous. Of course it was immature and stupid, but she was Ace's closest friend. She wished she had been the one to have that talk with him during his last night alive. But no. She chose to selfishly remain in her own room and cry. She didn't think about how Ace felt at the time. She only thought of how cruel he was being by leaving her wearing such a calm external façade. That was all it was, a façade. He must have been hurting too. What an idiot she was.
Slam noticed the female bunny's sudden distraught expression and sat down next to her on the floor. He put an arm around her in hopes of comforting her, though from what exactly, he didn't know. All he knew was a teammate and friend was in trouble and he wanted to help. Lexi still didn't cry, but she found herself leaning against Slam's huge upper arm and felt grateful for his presence. It was nice to have support.
"Thanks big guy." Lexi said gently as she chose to stare up at the ceiling. She replayed the conversation in her head and sighed. She tried to think about it carefully. Ace hadn't wanted to leave them at all. Of course Lexi never thought he did, but he had been acting so at ease the whole time she couldn't help but doubt that, even though that doubt barely existed. It made her realize what a fool she had been to think that. When she did, she realized what the last few sentences meant. Tech was off doing something strange again. She mentioned it to Slam, who only just seemed to realize as well. The two of them glanced at each other.
"Well, I guess I can't be emotional about Ace now, at least." Lexi said with both relief and annoyance, "Let's get to sleep, and remind me to question that coyote in the morning."
Tech reached the outskirts of the city pretty easily. Fortunately for him Rev didn't follow. He was really grateful the roadrunner decided to stay behind(though in truth Rev had planned to tail him only to be prevented from doing so by Duck). Tech wasn't sure what he may end up facing and if it turned out dangerous he would rather be in trouble alone than drag his best friend into the mess.
The coyote called out, using Ace's name as he wasn't sure how else to address the one who contacted him even if he turned out to be someone else entirely. He walked around a little, hoping to spot the guy, but after a while he started to wonder if he was pranked, called into a trap or had just gotten the wrong location. All seemed possible. Tech could only hope the third was the right guess.
Then, he saw a figure moving behind the rocks in the area. It was easy to see that he or she was wearing a cloak. The figure didn't move and looked like he or she was watching him. Tech decided to risk a small, "Excuse me?"
The figure laughed a little, sounding female. She then jumped down from the higher rocks and landed a short distance away from Tech, directing in front of the coyote. She removed the hood of her cloak, which was a vibrant indigo, revealing short blonde hair and lime green eyes that seemed extremely familiar for some reason, but Tech didn't know why. She looked human, but she wasn't anyone he'd seen before.
"So you came after all. Follow me." the strangely familiar girl said before she took off in the direction Tech's back was facing. He jumped when she did and turned around to see her already quite far. Wow, that was some speed, though it was nowhere near Rev's speed without his powers. Still, it was fast for a human.
"Wait! Who are you?! Where's Ace?" Tech shouted as he ran after her, almost considering to rely on his jetpack to catch up to her. "And how'd you expect me to follow you when you're moving so fast?!"
"Sorry smarty-pants, but the guy who called you...wait, you thought he was Ace Bunny?!" the girl suddenly exclaimed, so surprised she stopped in her tracks right in the middle of the sprint. She was staring at him with a completely arrogant look of disbelief. "You mean all the time he spent wasting his energy to send you those messages, you never took a good look at who he really was and how beat up he was?!"
She looked really annoyed. Tech wasn't exactly sure why, but at least he got confirmation that this person, the one who contacted him, wasn't Ace. Did that mean he was really...no, he shouldn't think of that at the moment. Making himself depressed wouldn't help anything. However, the confirmation also raised several new questions for him. If that wasn't Ace, who was it? And why would he want or need to use Ace's voice and help them? Nothing made sense. Tech shook his head.
"Well sorry about that. But really, who are you?" he asked again after the weak apology. The girl looked even more annoyed, but she answered him nonetheless.
"My name is Nutrix. I'm one of the Blue Guardians." she confessed. Tech was shocked, to say the least. The girl, Nutrix, she said, was a member of the enemy group? At once Tech took up a defensive position. When she saw that, she put her hand to her head in an exasperated gesture and sighed.
"Calm down, I'm on your side. If I wasn't I'd have attacked you by now when you were caught off guard." Nutrix pointed out. Tech still didn't trust her, but he back down a little. Then he decided to bring up the question of why she would even be on his side.
"Let's just say it's because of a guy I like, and that's who I'm taking you to meet." she paused before continuing, "And do me a favour. When you see him, don't lash out. At least hear him out before you make the choice to listen to him or not. It's the least you could do since he's been trying so hard to contact you all and help prevent the disaster my comrades are planning."
"Why would you think I would lash out at whoever this is when I don't even know him?" Tech asked, getting more and more confused. Nutrix let out another sigh.
"You know him alright. Anyway you'll see when you get there. He's really weakened right now, and he can barely move so I want to get back to him as soon as possible." Another pause, but this one left a worried and almost sad expression on Nutirx's face. "You could kill him right then and there if you want, he said he wouldn't resist if you really want it, but please just promise to leave him alone until he's done explaining. Or you'll never learn the things you really need to know."
"K-K-Kill him?! Why on Acmetropolis would anyone want to do that?!" Tech exclaimed, completely and utterly perplexed. This however, lead to Nutrix shouting at him to just shut up and promise. Unable to find any other option, Tech agreed. Nutrix looked relieved, then she told Tech once again to follow her quickly. She took off again and the coyote did his best to keep up. A while later, they came to an unusual rock formation and Nutrix showed Tech that there was a small secret passage craved into the side of the rock, and pulled him inside. It was dark, but before long Nutrix somehow lit up a torch on the side of the wall and the light spread to the rest of the cave in an instant. When it did, both Nutrix and Tech were horrified to see someone lying on the ground near the back, writhing in pain. A second later, he let out a scream of agony. Nutrix rushed to him at once without a word, but a look of pure worry was on her face. Tech on the other hand was more petrified than anything else. Why? It was because the person on the ground suffering from immense pain was a rabbit anthro, fully suited in a yellow-themed Loonatics uniform. He had both his hand on his head, just clutching them as he was tormented, and Nutrix fell to her knees next to him and her hands glowed. A few painfully slow minutes later, the rabbit anthro calmed down. He kept his eyes shut and was gasping desperately for air.
"I told you not to exert yourself! There's only so much my healing can do for you!" Nutrix shouted at him. Then she glanced over at the coyote, noticing this distress.
"You promised." she told him, but he didn't really hear her. His gaze was focused on the rabbit anthro. No...it couldn't be...
The rabbit anthro opened his eyes to reveal the prism-like orbs Tech remembered all too clearly. He was Chaos Ace.
Finally!
I revealed who the one causing Tech and the rest perpetually scarring headaches was! But there are still a lot of things left waiting to happen so please don't miss the next instalments. So far, we're nowhere near the end but things will start getting REALLY dramatic from here on out! Enjoy! Xyla, out!
