Chapter 7

Tech clicked the clasps closed on his slick black suitcase, sliding it off the table and holding it at his side. It had been a few days since the whole incident at the restaurant and motel, and for the most part things seemed to have returned to normal. Both Rev and Tech were comfortable around each other, as friends (that was how they acted at least), and most of the team had moved on. Of course, Danger Duck was very insistent with Lexi for a while, trying to get her to spill the beans on what she had heard, but eventually even he gave up.

Most of the group was seated in the living room, watching sports. Tech walked in wearing his super hero getup.

"Alright, I'll be back in a few hours" he called out to them. They all waved back at him, only interested in the game. With that, Tech walked off. None of them ever really knew where he went, or what he carried in that briefcase of his. It seemed that he did this once a month, going out somewhere, fully in costume, with that black briefcase of his. They had all just assumed it was some science-nerd thing. Rev had never given it much thought; then again finding out what Tech did every month would make them a bit closer. He could just imagine it now, next month when Tech walked off to wherever it was he always went, Rev would be there, looking on, knowing what he was doing with the other team members completely oblivious. It would be like their special little secret. Rev quickly dismissed this thought. He needed to get off this whole Tech thing, and find someone else to crush on. Sure, he was able to act like a normal friend around Tech, but that didn't mean the feelings weren't still bottled up inside him. He couldn't just turn them on and off with the flip of a switch.

"Hey, does anybody know where Tech takes that briefcase every month?" Rev asked, wishing he hadn't. The gang simply mumbled a few words of disinterest, still concentrating on the game. Rev looked back at the door Tech had walked through. If he rushed, then he could still catch him before he left. But should he? He looked back at the tv, their team was losing, badly. This game was doomed to fail, there was no point in seeing it through.

"I'm gonna go with Tech. You guys enjoy the game" Rev zipped off to his room, dressed in his suit and then ran to the hanger to catch up with Tech. The rest of the Loonatics did not take any notice. By the time Rev caught up to him, Tech was almost ready to leave.

"Hey-mind-if-I-tag-along-not-to-but-in-on-anything-personal-but-I-was-thinking-I-could-join-you-that-is-to-say-if-you-didn't-mind" Rev called out. Tech looked at him, dumbfounded.

"You want to tag along with me? You don't even know where I'm going" Tech raised an Eyebrow.

"I know, but the game is in the dumps, so I figured why not see what you do each month" the roadrunner shrugged, trying to play it off as casual. He wasn't lying after all; the game really was in the dumps.

Tech rolled his eyes, "Alright, hop in, but you're probably not going to like it" the coyote gave Rev just enough time to zip in before closing the jet door. He was somewhat apprehensive about bringing someone along with him, but Rev was fairly smart, so at the very least if he was to bring someone, then he would be the best choice. Tech hopped into the pilot's seat, with Rev riding shotgun, and soon they were off.

"Say-I-don't-mean-to-be-impatient-but-I-was-wondering-whether-or-not-this-was-a-long-flight-not-to-imply-that-a-long-flight-would-be-bad-after-all-this-is-your-thing-and-I'm-just-butting-in-here-but-now-that-I-think-about-it-I-wasn't-exactly-prepared-to-make-this-much-of-a-commitment-assuming-it-is-one" Rev babbled. It really was only now that he realized he had no idea where they were going.

"Relax, we're practically there already. You can see it out the window" Tech pointed over to the Acmetropolis prison facility. Rev was quite familiar with the place, after all it was there that they had locked up most of the villains they had captured, with the exception of a few who had been moved to an orbital space facility. Just looking at it sent a shiver down Rev's spine, though he was unsure as to why. Maybe it was the idea of a bunch of people who hated him being located in one place, or maybe it was just the idea of being locked up with nowhere to run. Ever since the meteor hit, it felt like they had managed to stuff villain after villain in that place. Its high-tech surfaces and shine built into solid rock made it unlike any other structure in the entirety of the city.

Tech parked and they walked up to the security guard. Of course, this was not the first time Rev had been to this place, but he was only now beginning to realize how long it had been.

"Mr. Coyote, here on your usual business I presume" the guard at the front door noted.

"Yeah Mel. This time I brought some backup" Tech pointed a thumb in Rev's direction, holding up his ID. The guard looked towards Rev, resulting in the bird quickly scrambling for his wallet. Soon enough they were inside. Rev couldn't help but wonder what sort of business Tech had to take care of here, let alone every month. They came to the security desk and Tech placed his briefcase flat on it. One of the guards opened it up, searching through whatever was inside. Rev couldn't quite make out what it was, though he had a feeling he was bound to find out soon enough. They continued through the normal security measures (the prison was top notch after all) and soon found themselves on the elevator down underground, escorted by one of the guards.

"I don't mean to pry, but is there anything I should know before whatever happens happens?" Rev asked.

"Just stand back, try not to say much, and if you find any metal then keep it far away from her" Tech answered. It was then that Rev had a sneaking suspicion on who it was they were visiting, never the less he held off all comments until they arrived.

After a few minutes the elevator eventually stopped, opening up into a much larger room. A pathway, extending out from the wall, led to a spherical prison cell at the center of the large room. Inside the cell was a clustered mess, papers and notes everywhere, stacks on top of stacks on top of stacks. At the center, not bothering to pay them any attention, was a stout woman with a grotesquely large forehead, veins protruding from the sides. The three of them stepped out of the elevator.

"You wait here" Tech ordered the guard.

"Yes sir!" he stood to attention, staying at the side of the elevator entrance as the doors closed. Rev and Tech continued forward.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my old acquaintance, dog breath" Mallory Mastermind sneered, "and I see this time you've brought a little friend." She turned round, glaring directly at them. Tech held out his hand, indicating for Rev to stop. He then walked up to the cell on his own, pulling out a folding chair which had been leaning against a nearby control panel. The coyote sat down and opened up the briefcase.

"You know, you could be a lot nicer to me. I am doing this of my own volition you know" Tech said coolly as he pulled out a thick stack of papers, handing it over to Mallory. She snatched them up sharply, quickly flipping through.

"So, this is all of them? All of the recent studies and papers put out?" she asked, a twinge of attempted gratitude grazing her voice.

"All the ones worth reading anyway. I even included some recent theses you might find interesting"

"Student theses? I ask for you to only bring me the best of the best in my field, so that I can stay up to date despite being trapped in this hell hole, and you bring me this kid's stuff?" She glared at him, shaking the papers in her hand for emphasis.

"Watch it Mallory. You're not in a position to complain" Tech warned, "You get what you get and you don't get upset." With that he closed the briefcase, standing up.

"Leaving so soon?"

"With the attitude you're giving me, quite frankly yes" Tech sighed. It was at this moment Rev ran up, taking Tech to the side.

"Just-a-moment-please" He nervously commented, then talked to Tech so that she would not overhear, "Why are you doing this? Is this what you do every month? You take peer reviewed studies out to this super villain you used to know?" Rev couldn't see the benefit of it. Tech put his hands on Rev's shoulders, looking into his eyes, trying to find the right words to make him understand. This was a very sensitive topic for him.

"Rev, just try to look at it from my perspective. I know I put on a brave face for the gang, but the truth of the matter is every time we fought Mallory it was really hard for me. I mean, in a way I was the one who turned her into what she is now."

"So, the way you placate your guilty conscience is to visit her in prison? Tech you're a good guy, there's no reason you need to feel so torn up about this."

"I suppose your right, but no matter which way you slice it I can't just abandon her like this. I need to do something. Even if she built that machine of her own fruition, I can't help but wonder if she would have turned out differently if I hadn't been her tutor. After all, I taught her everything she knows." Tech was struggling to find the way to put into words how he felt about the whole situation. No matter what that past was, he and Mallory still had it, he couldn't just go cutting her off no matter how much he wanted to. Mallory, meanwhile, was seeing things from a very different angle as this conversation was happening. While she could not make out what they were saying, she could sure as hell see the expression in their eyes, and the way Tech held that infernal fowl. The stack of papers she held became twisted in her hands.

"Oh, now I get it" Mallory growled, "Everything about our relationship seems all the clearer to me now."

Tech and Rev stopped their conversation to look over at her, confused, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me you mangey mutt! For the first time since knowing you, everything about our relationship is perfectly clear to me. So, tell me, what was the point of bringing your little boyfriend here, just to taunt me? To make me understand how much you've moved on?"

"Mallory, I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Just stop with the act! Every time I tried to get intimate with you, and you would just act more interested in your inventions; the way you were so reluctant to commit, to admit to others we were a couple! The way you never even complimented the cute decorations I put on our locker! It all makes sense to me now, turns out you were playing for the other team the whole time" Mallory threw the papers she was holding away, getting as close to Tech as she could without leaving her cell.

"Mallory, just stop, there's no reason to go looking for excuses! Things happened the way they happened, and we can't change that now, nor can we control the way we feel about it. I'm not dating anyone! You are still the last person I dated; you understand?" There was a long pause. Tech collected his briefcase, then guided Rev to the exit, not bothering to look back. Rev on the other hand, couldn't help but stare over his shoulder at Mastermind. She looked at them with visceral anger, mixed with a hint of sadness.

"I did it all for you, you know" She said calmly. Tech stopped, she continued, "The whole reason I felt like I needed to get smarter, the whole reason I built that infernal machine in the first place was because of you. The way you always seemed to favor spending time in the lab, I had just assumed you didn't find me interesting. I thought that if I could become as smart as you, or even smarter, then I could keep your interest. I guess it was all for nothing."

Tech glanced back, "I'm sorry, Mallory." With that they entered the elevator, the doors closing behind them. Not one of them spoke as they left. All through the elevator ride, all through security, all the way back to the jet, there was total silence. They both sat down, buckled in, and took off without a word. Rev had so many questions, but he was hesitant to ask them.

"Do, um, do you want to talk about it?" Rev asked, hesitantly. Tech sighed, not answering for a moment.

"When I told you guys about my history with Mallory, I might have left out a few key details for brevity's sake. As you already know, back in college I became Mallory's tutor, that was how we first met. Eventually after a few months we had become very good friends. We were hanging out together a lot, and even enjoyed just working on inventions together. Eventually, one day out of the blue, Mallory asked me about dating. She knew I wasn't seeing anyone, and at the time everyone else I knew was in a relationship. So, I said yes and we began dating, though looking back on it now, it really wasn't what I wanted. I just wasn't interested in Mallory in that sort of way. I realized a few weeks into the relationship that I only liked Mallory as a friend, and no matter how hard I tried to convince myself that this was the right thing to do, I just never felt any romantic feelings towards her. Of course, I did my best to hide it at first, thinking it was better to live a lie that to tell her the truth, but looking back on it I should have just been honest. We spent months together, each day she spent thinking how closer we grew, I was spending it thinking how to break things off. Eventually she began to figure out how disinterested I was, mainly because I was losing patience in terms of fake caring. She confronted me about it, and I admitted that the feelings we shared weren't mutual. After that we barely talked, before I knew it, she had started work on her machine to steal minds, and I had to shut it down. The rest is history." Tech had finally finished his story by the time the Loonatics tower was coming into view. Rev was unsure what to say at first.

"Tech, don't tell me you blame yourself for… what happened."

"I do, and it would be ignorant of me to think otherwise. Now do you understand why I pay her a visit every month? If I had just been upfront with how I felt about her sooner, then it never would have happened. I let it grow and fester, I at least need to do something to make up for what happened."

"But Tech, blaming yourself like this, how much longer is it going to last?" Rev had to wait a moment to get a response.

"Until she forgives me, I suppose."

"Tech, I don't know if that's ever going to happen."

"I know" There was another moment of silence between the two, letting everything sink in. They were almost back, if Rev was going to finish asking his questions, then it would be best that he do it now.

"So, can I ask, have you done any dating since then?"

"No. Mallory was the last person I was romantically involved with, after the whole incident with her, I decided it would be best to just focus on my work." With that said, Tech landed the jet back at the tower.

As they walked in, most interest was minimal, with the exception of Duck. As Rev and Tech walked by, he nudged Lexi in the ribs.

"Ack! Hey, what's the big idea?" She complained.

"Look over there. Not that obvious! That's right, a subtle look" They looked on as the two passed by, "What do you think blabber beak and brainiac were doing out there?" Duck asked, his interest in what was going on once again peaked.

"Duck, you should really stop trying to pry into other people's business" Lexi scoffed.

"All I'm saying is that they had that mysterious getaway to the hotel, and now Rev is accompanying Tech on his monthly trips. If you would tell me what you know then it would solve this whole problem!" Duck begged. Lexi shook her head; she was resolute to not go spreading around rumors to things she was not meant to hear in the first place. Especially to someone like Duck.

"Honestly Duck, whenever those to go and do something together are you going to bother me about it?" She said, wanting him to stop. This was getting difficult. Duck had calmed down the past few days, but even after a break it seemed he was still unwilling to let this go. Maybe it really was time she came clean.

A/N: My feelings on this chapter are kind of mixed to be honest. My goal here was to flesh out Tech and Mallory's past but I feel like I wound up just making her into a bitter ex girlfriend. I can always bring her back and flesh her out more with a redemption arc, but I don't know. I know a lot of people are mainly here for the Tech/Rev stuff, so I don't want to take away from that.