Welcome to another chapter of the story. Thank you all for reviewing and reading. Sorry for the delay. Enjoy!
Beta reader: Annabees
Disclaimer: I own Nix, not owning Loonatics.
Chapter 10
"The eye is quicker then a rock, the hand is quicker then the eye, what's quicker then the hand? Light." --mimic12455
Deep within the church, down the hidden passage, in the seemingly endless darkness of the hallway, Ace and Danny continued their way toward the final destination. Their footsteps echoed across the walls. It was cold due to lack of sunlight, the moss-covered walls collecting the moisture and making the air thick. As they were running, they both had only one thought in their minds. Stop Nix and save Lexi. Not exactly the most original thought, but with Lexi being held captive by a madman?
They WOULD rather have her in one piece... and Nix in pieces.
At the end of the tunnel, there stood an iron door. Not bothering to knock or stop, they blasted their way in, sending the door flying. They stop after entering a few feet in the room, adapting to their surroundings. It wasn't really what they were expecting. It is room full of plants of many types. The air had a fresh, moist feel to it. It has been mildly lit except for a few areas where there were large plants. Also there are three men. One is really fat guy with the mustache, white shirt, and blue sweatpants. Another is thin guy with the tacky shirt and jeans. The last guy is short and had a blue shirt and black pants. Each one is in a random spot around the room; appear to be looking for something.
"Hey you three," Danny shouted. The three men look up from what they were doing. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"
"Hello," said the fat man. "I am John. He's Joe-" He points the thin man. "And that is Pete." He points to the short man. "We're salesmen whose money has been stolen by a robber. We've been looking for him since this morning."
"We had our money stolen for the last few days and got sick of it." Said Joe.
"Yeah, we follow trail from robber to here. Only we can't find him." Pete said, scratching the back of his head.
"You don't say…" Danny said, obviously not interested.
"Say," Ace replied. "I don't suppose you saw another rabbit around here, did you?"
"You mean the pink bunny with triangle on chest," John asked. The two Loonatics nodded. "Yes, we have seen her. She's in the next room over there." All three salesmen point at the door on the opposite end of the room.
"Thanks," Ace said with a smile. "Come on Danny." They both run to the door and enter to the next room.
"Good luck finding that robber!" Danny said before closing the door.
The salesmen continue their search in the greenhouse. While Pete was looking under the table, he thought of something.
"Hey guys," he said. "Should we tell them that room where pink bunny is at is also sacrificial chamber?"
"Nah," John said, shaking his head. "They'll figure it out when they get there. I mean, it's pretty obvious."
"Like you're eating habits?"
"I told you, I just have weight problems."
"The only weight problem I see is that you can't wait to put more food in your mouth."
"Will you two be shutting your mouths? We got robber to catch!" Yelled Joe.
- - - - - -
It was dark. The large stone chamber was almost barren, shaped like a dome. In the center of the room, there's a cross. Tied to the cross was none other than Lexi Bunny. Her eyes are closed, obviously unconscious. The only light source in the room came from the candles on the stands littered across the area. It gave the place an eerie setting. The iron door on the south side of the room gets blown off its hinges as Danny and Ace run into the room.
"Lexi!" They yelled in unison. They rush pass the candles, closing the distance between them and Lexi. Just as they got near her, however, a cage drops from the ceiling, landing with a loud clang around Lexi. The two rescuers stop a few inches from the cage. Ace looks at Danny.
"Danny, teleport yourself inside and get Lexi out of there." He said.
"I suggest that you forget that plan…"
They whirl around to see Nix a few meters away, in all his evil glory. The blindfold is no longer on his eyes, the lighting showing the purple tint of his irises on his face. He stood there with a smirk on his face, his staff in his left hand and a remote in his right. Danny looks at Nix heatedly as he and Ace prepared themselves for any attack Nix might throw at them.
"And why should we listen you?" He retorted.
"Simple," he said in an even tone. "This remote I have controls the electric current on the headband located on your female friend's head. I adjusted the voltage to send all the energy into her instantaneously. This will result in extensive tissue damage, heart failure, paralyzed lungs, and/or neuron-shut down." His smirk grew larger. "In other words: DEATH! So I suggest you stop worrying about your little friend-"
"Yeah, kind of hard not to when a nutcase straps an electro-headband of death on your friend's head." Danny deadpanned.
"Heh," Nix chuckled. "Always with the wise cracks, eh Daniel? Nice style in clothing…"
"Shaddap, ya psycho!" Danny interjected. "Just drop the remote before we send you on a one way ticket to hell!"
"I rather not."
"What do you hope to accomplish by capturing Lex?" Ace asked, anger evident in his voice.
Nix pockets the remote.
"I'm hoping to start the war again."
"War?" Ace asked. "What war?"
"The one that was rumored to never happened. The one between my family and yours, the Bunny family and Duck family."
"Huh?" This was new to Ace. He never heard of such a war.
"What? Don't you know? A feud between two families that ended 300 years ago, it was very interesting. The government covered it up, saying the last battle was a riot. It was agreed that they would never fight again… unless someone from one family kills another."
"What are you talking about?" Ace looks over at Danny, hoping to get something from him.
"Ace," Danny sighed. "There was a family feud that started 600 years ago between your family and mine. It ended 300 hundred years ago, with the conditions lay down by them. One is that no one would speak of the war ever again, so the future generations, a.k.a. us, would have a peaceful future. The other condition is that if a family member kills the other, the war would start again in an event that would signal the apocalypse of a single city."
"You mean-"
"-when I kill you or Lexi, the war begins." Nix interrupted. Ace looks at Danny, then at
Nix, then at Danny again.
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"'cause… I didn't think you'd want me around if you knew about it. Heck, you'd probably label me as a criminal or something."
"Danny, I…"
"Enough!" Nix assumes a ready stance; his left foot moves forward and both legs bent with the body slightly crouched, staff held near its front end about waist-high with both his hands palm-down. The aura's energy start wrapping itself around his body, flowing like wisps of vapor.
Ace draws out his sword and Danny form two eggs in his palms, eyes glowing with both power and rage.
"If you think you can beat us-" Ace retorted angrily.
"-then you need to get your head examined." Danny finished.
"Don't worry, I had it thoroughly examined before I got here."
He rushes at them without notice. Danny threw the two eggs at him; they both exploded before they could hit… and covered him with… tar.
"What the…" Nix exclaimed, trying to get out of the black substance that covers him. Ace blasts him with his lasers, knocking him to the ground. He jumps at him, bringing his sword down. Nix blocks it, kicking the rabbit away and into Danny. The aura around him bursts from him, getting rid of the tar on his body as he jumps back up from his fallen position. He comes face to face with Danny's fist. He staggers back as he ducks the high kick from the enraged foul. Nix jabs his staff into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him, and knees him in the face. He sees Ace coming from behind and blocks an incoming slash with his staff. The two fighters exchange hits, trying to land a blow only to be blocked by their weapons. Ace fired his eye beams, but misses. Nix throws a haymaker uppercut to Ace's chin and spins his staff, hitting the rabbit in the side of the head. Nix starts grinning and turns around… only to be tackled to the ground by Danny. He starts punching him in the face with right and left hooks, but Nix grabs him with his legs and throws him off. He gets back up and gets kicked in the face by Ace, staggering back from the blow. Before Ace could give another, Nix snaps the staff right in his face. With a quick spin, he also hits Ace on both sides of his torso and kicks him in the gut using the staff as leverage. Before Ace hits the ground, Nix throws the staff into his stomach. It bounces off of him and goes back to Nix, who caught it with ease.
Danny throws an egg at him while he was distracted. The egg hit and covers him head to toe in water… water egg. Guess Danny luck out with that one. He throws another one, but Nix repels it with his staff and sends it back to Danny. It hits, it explodes in a cloud of flour. As they were recovering, Nix begins thinking about his chances.
"Seems I'm at a disadvantage in numbers," Nix stated. "No matter. Lets see if you can keep up." His purple aura flares back up. Ace and Danny get back up, only to see Nix disappear again and the door left wide open.
"Danny, go on ahead. I'll catch up. I'm going to try ta free Lex." Ace said, holding his stomach from the impact of the staff. Danny nods and rushes out the door, chasing after Nix as the door slams shut. He had to stop the crazed madman before it was too late.
Danny rushes past the office door and into the preaching hall. He screeches to a halt at the middle of the center aisle. He looks around and finds Nix, standing at the end of the aisle front of the podium. He no longer has the eerie aura around him, looking as if he ran out of power. They both stare each other, waiting for the other to make his move.
"Daniel," Nix spoke, his voice unusually calm and, dare I say it, kind. "Dearest of my family… you continue to fight against me. Acting as my polar opposite for so long. There are so many things done to our family since these last hundred years. We continue our efforts to have the attention and success we so deserve, and yet we seem to have quite the opposite. Continuing to have our dreams taken from us by those rabbits."
"Having to listen to you is worse," Danny retorted.
"Heh," he chuckled, shaking his head in disapproval. "Even after all that has happen to our family by them, you still choose to protect them. I must ask you… why?"
"Why?" Danny looked at him confusion.
"Yes, why… Why do you continue listening to that 'leader' of yours? Why do you hang around with them? Why do you not hate them?" His anger rises as he continues. "Why do you help them? Why do you believe you be friends with them? Why do you choose to stop me from completing my plans! Why is it that every time I try to kill them, YOU TRY AND STOP ME! WHY! THEY KILLED OUR FATHER! I MUST KNOW WHY!" He starts yelling, pointing his Bo staff at Danny with vast rage. He simply looks at Nix with deadpan eyes.
"… because they are my friends… and just because our father died from his performance against Ace's grandfather, doesn't make this right. Our dad did his best and died what loved doing; the rabbit just had a natural talent for the stage. You can't go and kill a whole family because of that. Dad wouldn't have approved of you doing what you are doing; this has to stop." Danny folds his arms. "I realize I can't change your mind, but I can stop you. I chose to be a superhero, not for the fame or glory… well, maybe sometimes, but to protect the people I care for from people like you… And by the gods or whatever higher power is up there, I'll do everything within my power to stop you from killing Lexi, Ace, and any of my friends." He shoots into an attack stance, his eyes blazing with the intensity greater than the sun itself. "There's nothing you have with you that will stop me!"
"You say that nothing I have can beat you?" Nix starts glowing. "You don't realize the truth: I am nothing!" He gets into a fighting stance. It was the calm before the storm. The battle is about to begin. Danny took a quick glance at his gauntlet; the one Tech gave before they came here. He remembers what he told him about it, explaining how it'll help him with the next encounter he has with Nix.
- - -
(flashback)
Danger, in his uniform, is leaning next to the wall as Tech continues to tinker away at whatever he was creating on the table. He was told that it's help with the fight against Nix, but he doubts that could happen. Then again, Tech was known to make things that would normally be impossible for a normal person to even imagine, let alone create. He glances at the scientist impatiently.
"Come on Tech, hurry up!" Danger whined. "I'm going to die from old age if I have to wait any longer."
"Just a sec," Tech said snidely. "You can't rush brilliance..."
"No, but you can give it a big push."
"I'm almost… finished!" He exclaimed, holding up… a fancy-looking black and orange gauntlet.
"Uh… Tech, I'm thinking you lost your touch or are looking for a lawsuit 'cause that thing has been invented, I don't know… a few centuries ago!"
Tech looks fiercely at him. "This happens to be one of my greatest invention I ever created… this month," he added.
"What's so special about it?"
"This gauntlet is a combination of the Quantum Teleportation module (the matter transporter), Neon Orbital Restrainment ring, Particle Suspension generator, and a standard gauntlet I had laying around. I call it the "Quantum Stim Glove." This is specifically designed for you and ONLY you. I calibrated it from your powers, specifically this will activate from your teleportation ability. The power from you will transfer to the device and cause it to accelerate the speed of your mind and body. This will cause you to think and move at the rate that would be the equivalent of my thinking speed and Rev's rate movements." He gives the gauntlet to the egotistical duck, seeing him grinning like a maniac.
"Now that's what I'm talking about! With this thing, I'll-" He suddenly stops, seeing the stern look Tech is giving him. "… there's a catch, isn't there?"
"I'm afraid so, I BIG catch. The problem would be that the device wouldn't be able to take the strain and would cease to function. I estimate you only have a 3-minute time limit before it shorts out. So you only got one chance to use this, you better make it count. There's also the small chance of the device backfiring, causing you to turn inside out, blowing you to bits, or something far worse I rather not put into words. After what's been happening to my invention lately, I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't work." He turns away, feeling a bit of shame from his previous failures.
"Tech," Danger put his hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, you were just having an off week. If there was anyone I'd go to for help anything scientific, it'd be you… or Rev if you were too busy." He smirked.
Tech smiles and says, "thanks." As they were leaving the lab, Danger goes in a different direction. Looking back in confusion, Tech tells the black duck he's going the wrong way. Danger looks back, the gauntlet still in his hand.
"I'm going to change in a different costume, tell the others I'll be right up."
Tech shook his head and sighed. That duck, sometimes he wonders if he has issues with vanity or if it's genetic. He leaves and enters the elevator, heading toward the roof.
Danger quacks inside his room, throwing the gauntlet on his bed. He begins to take off his suit, which was just a single-piece jump suit. It wasn't hard to get out of, but it felt weird taking it off. It was like he was taking off a layer of skin or something. He got his arms out of it, exposing black and orange feathers underneath, and began working to get his legs out. He kicks off the suit from his foot and onto his bed. Walking over to the closet, he picks up a blue bandanna and ties it to his left arm. He opens the closet door and takes out some jeans and a pair of sneakers. He puts them on and slips on his shoes. He walks over to his bed and picks up the gauntlet. Looking at his carefully, he slips his arm into it. It was snug and fits him almost perfectly. He flexes his fingers; there was little resistance from it.
"Tech sure knows how to make 'em." He said to himself. He glances around the room one more time. This maybe the last time he ever comes in here again. With a deep breathe; he casually grabs the jetpack from his suit and leaves.
- - - -
'Hope this works," Danny thought. He clenches his fist, concentrating his energy into the gauntlet. Slowly, the lines and lights on the gauntlet start glowing orange. It makes a charging sound of some sort. Soon, the entire gauntlet starts glowing with energy. All of a sudden, it dims considerably. It spreads all around Danny, giving him a soft orange glow.
Danny blinks, slowly looking at himself. "… that's it? I was hoping for something… flashy." He began thinking of what went wrong. Though he did feel a little different, but still…
"Seems you received a broken tool, too bad." Nix said, quite happen with the obvious advantage he received.
"Oh boy…" he responded meekly.
Nix dashes forward and jumps into the air, his staff raised in the air for a downward strike.
"Time to die, Daniel!" He yelled. He brought the staff down with all his strength, intending to split Danny's head open…
… but he didn't have the chance. Danny, moving so fast that if someone were watching this, it would look like he never moved, had caught the staff. Nix, caught off guard, didn't prepare for what happen next. After catching the staff, he lifts it up with Nix still holding on and used the other hand to send an explosive egg at him with the force of a bullet. Nix rockets backwards and goes through the podium and into the wall, cracking it like glass. Nix, the shock and pain evident on his face, looks up at Danny, who was grinning like he won the lottery.
"Sorry, but this duck isn't going anywhere."
Sorry, I blew the entire budget on the corny acting and cheese dialogue.
That's it for now; tune in next time to find out who will win this battle.