Loonatics: United

Episode 65: Suitable Widgets

Author's note: Hi everyone! While checking the story stats I found out some of you might have missed chapter 63 by mistake, maybe not, but check it out just in case :) Enjoy!

The suit activated the face shield's night vision, showing the ambient in scales of green, Ray managed to see the six heroes wondering where he could be, as the hallway's lights had also went off by the shock, so Duck cooked a pair of orbs, lighting the place enough for them to spot him. "You didn't expect this did you?!" Duck threw one of the orbs at him, it exploded when making contact with the suit, but when the explosion dissipated, Ray was standing there without any single scratch. Duck gasped while raising an eyebrow. "What the..?" Golden shines of light appeared on the symbiotic shield at the zone of the collision.

"So you got a shield, huh?" Tech readied his powers while adopting a combat position. "Let's see how it holds up."

Ray browsed through the suit's menus and selected the 'Hand to hand combat' option, a confirmation window showed up after the Loonatics' movements were tracked. He accepted with an eye movement and then he felt how the suit forced him to run towards Lexi, who was the most proximate target, he gasped when she backed her arm, ready to throw a punch, he closed his eyes in wait for a painful event but instead, the suit made him arch back and therefore evade her attack, Ray was taken back to a standing position and then his arm moved back and forth rapidly and strongly, hitting Lexi right on the face, she let out a brief scream of pain and fell over the floor, then she groaned and looked at Ray, barely as Duck's orbs weren't that luminous. She began to prepare her brain blast.

Rev ran towards him with his super speed, thing Ray didn't notice until feeling the impact on the suit, not being affected by it. Rev gasped after the clash and bumped a couple of times over the floor, rubbing his head while trying to get into his feet. "Hey…that shield is really effective I think I hate it but it's still awesome." Rev slowly managed to stand up.

"Bring the light, Duck." Ace thundered his fingers and began to rush towards Ray, being followed by Duck, who was still holding the dimly bright orange spheres. Ace approached the lemur and threw a punch at him, but the suit had anticipated his attack so Ray held Ace's fist with his hand, strongly grasping it and quickly twisting his arm, making Ace to groan by the pain. The suit then made Ray to hit Ace's stomach with his knee, the metallic materials of the suit made the hit even more painful for the leader of the Loonatics, who gasped and brought himself to the ground while rubbing his stomach. Slam roared beastly and headed towards Ray with his tornado, Ray's eyes widened when seeing him so he jumped high and passed over him, landing safely at the other side, he got hit again by Rev, with the same result, Rev gasped by the pain while shaking his arm, resting against a wall before the red blur he had left, looking at Ray as he was still impressed on how the shield was holding up.

Tech controlled a couple of metallic boxes that were in the lab and brought them close to Ray. "Maybe it needs a rougher test!" He smashed both boxes onto Ray, one from the left and one from the right.

"Woah!" Ray exclaimed as he thought that attack would really damage the symbiotic shield, but nothing happened, he sensed the impact but was unaffected by it. The boxes got dented and Tech just dropped them after an immediate thought of defeat.

"Uhm, sorry? I guess?" Ray said and let out a sigh before starting to hurry towards the door.

Lexi finally shot her brain blast at him, having managed to see his silhouette approaching the door thanks to the weak orangey light that Duck's orbs irradiated. The overcharged brain blast hit the suit, and nothing else happened, only the quick golden signals that the shield always showed after an impact. Ray got out of their sight afterwards, running through the hallway.

Lexi sighed with frustration, then she walked towards her boyfriend and helped him stand up. "Rev, Slam, don't let him esca…"

"No…" Ace gasped while rubbing his belly. "We go home." He let out another gasp of pain. "We need recovery..." He sighed while lowering his gaze. "…and a new plan."

Lexi rubbed her head with complaint. "You tell me…"

"Not like we got another choice." Duck opined. "That guy's invincible."

"For now." Tech replied with a straight tone. "Just for now."

It was night's eve, the dying sunset was reflecting on the skyscrapers' surfaces. Ray was home, having left the suit on the same spot, next to the worktable he was sitting at, looking at the video call window on the computer's monitor. "Well done, Mr. Robson." The snow leopard that the window displayed said, he was wearing a red bodysuit with black, rustic symbols adorning it, behind him, a frugal control room could be seen, poor lighted and working with old technology. "There's only one thing left for you to gather."

Ray nodded at him. "The jetpack, yeah." He replied. "I still need the…"

"Location." The snow leopard chuckled. "I've just sent it to you."

Ray moved the thin, metallic mouse and opened the message software then looked at the file he had just received. His eyes widened when finding out the next place he had to rob. "You gotta be kidding me." It happened to be a map signaling the Loonatic's Tower.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" The snow leopard said with a straight face. "Come on, Ray. You've already managed to come back from AMRI unharmed."

"I…" Ray sighed and lowered his head a bit. "I'll do it, okay?" He looked back at the snow leopard. "Then I'll have the treatment?"

The snow leopard chuckled and crossed his arms. "That's the attitude, Mr. Robson. And yes, as we promised, you will be treated in Alumia's top medical centers."

Ray let out a sudden, brief chuckle of happiness. "Thanks, I'll get the jetpack tonight, I promise." He said. "The suit will be fully equipped by tomorrow."

"Then we'll meet sooner than we planned." The snow leopard said. "Again, good job." He nodded. "Chaos reigns." He said before ending the communication. The video call window displayed a black fire icon with four gleams over it, inside a circle of the same color, over a red background, covered by signal static.

Ray didn't give too much thought on the phrase that the snow leopard always said at the end of their calls. He turned off the monitor and stood up from the chair, heading to the stair that led to his 'bedroom', as he thought he needed a nap before the final strike.

Ace and Lexi were at the lab along with Tech. Ace put a white, square shaped pill in his mouth, then he swallowed it with a sip of water from the glass Tech had offered to him. "Yeah, I think I'm starting to feel better." Ace said sarcastically while cleaning some water from his snout.

Tech chuckled. "Just wait some minutes, boss. You'll feel good as new."

"And then? How are we going to beat that lemur?" Lexi inquired, she had taken her own pill.

Tech sighed. "I'm working on it, Lexi." He turned and began to walk away from them, surrounding the central table. "And don't worry…" He stood before it and started to do some research over its digital surface. "…no one's invincible."

Duck entered the lab while pretending a cough. "You mean almost no one…" He pointed at himself.

Lexi sighed and rolled up her eyes. "Just when the pain was already leaving."

"What you guys doing?" Duck walked towards them. "I know I should be at the living room but Slam has kinda taken over…He doesn't frighten me or something but…well…"

Tech grunted while sliding some programs over the table's luminous surface. "Just leave, Duck, when it's not Rev it's you."

"What?" Duck raised his shoulders and hands. "Can't I be of any help here?"

"No." Lexi, Ace and Tech said almost at the same time.

"Oh well I'm just bored that's all…and I don't want to talk with Mr. Yada-yada right now…or like ever." Duck said while crossing his arms and looking at Ace and Lexi, waiting for some conversation to come up. "So…how you doing, guys?"

Lexi sighed. "I need a snack." She began to walk away.

"I follow you." Ace said and did as he said, then they both exited the lab.

"Huh…how rude." Duck said then looked at Tech. He began to walk towards him hesitantly.

Tech looked a bit at his left while still keeping attention on the table's surface. "Duck I warn you don't you come here!" His voice's tone increased gradually until Duck was already at his side, looking curiously at the things displayed over the table.

"What is that?" Duck touched a blueprint that was on a minimized window on the surface, making it to maximize and block the window where Tech was reading an article.

Tech growled and rubbed his face. "Duck…I have work to do…" He stared at him with a frown. "Alone!" He exclaimed, pointing at the lab's exit. Duck raised his shoulders, having not flinched by Tech's angry reaction. Tech sighed and his ears went down. "Just…don't touch anything." He was just about to close the maximized blueprint of the team's jet, but some of the data it showed grabbed his attention, he was immersed in his thoughts and reasoning, comparing what he was seeing with the article he had been reading. He kept studying the blueprint, his eyes suddenly started to widen. "Duck…" He spoke suddenly. "Maybe…you really were of help at the end."

"Uhm…" Duck recurrently switched his gaze between Tech and the blueprint, with still no clue of what Tech was talking about. "It's nothing...really..." He said with a tone of confusion.