Note: Well, I've got a new story in the works, and it's not related to this one. I plan to release it in December, closer to Christmas. However, as I'm working on that, I will still be working on the ones I've currently got up. As odd as it seems, coming up with an ending for each story is hard(sans How We Got Here, seeing as it's a prequel story). It might take years for this one to have an ending. Anyway, back to this story. Before we move on, I have something to say to two reviewers.
Ron: I've never seen that version of Beauty and the Beast, so I'm surprised that you see similarities between the chapter and that version of the story. Let's just consider that comparison a coincidence.
The White Wolf named Alex: Well, it didn't really justify him kidnapping Diane, but yeah, Beast/L0U15 had a tough life. Now that he's with the Mighty Loonatics, we can only hope for the best. Not sure if anyone else from the original team would be happy to see him (primarily Duck). I hope that you like this chapter!
Now that I've done that, it's time for chapter nineteen.
Chapter 19: Shadow Dancing
It had been two days since the Mighty Loonatics had encountered Beast, and things were much different. Not only had they encountered the lab-created monster, but now he was living with them. As such, the team would take turns looking after him. While the creature proved to be a bit of a challenge at times, they were patient with him, to the point where it was like taking care of a pet. However, the new recruits were still cautious around him, as they worried about what he would do if he got angry with them. Not only that, but they could only imagine how Slam's teammates would react to Beast, as the Tasmanian devil hadn't told them anything about him.
As tomorrow would be Slam's final day with them, the Mighty Loonatics decided to hang out with him for the day. Knowing how he liked to eat, they decided to go to a buffet with him for lunch. Once they got there, the Tasmanian devil hugged the new recruits. He wrapped his arms around all of them instead of doing it one at a time, feeling that he should thank all of them. None of them objected to it, as they wanted the second-to-last day they had with him to be special. Even John smiled, although it was because of how awkward he felt at the moment.
Once they had finished up with lunch, the Mighty Loonatics were ready to go. Simon in particular was about to walk out the door, until Diane stopped him. As soon as they paid the bill, the team got out of the buffet, deciding to head back to HQ. While doing so, they saw people walking down the sidewalk. Every so often, someone would say hi to a member of the team, tell Slam they missed him, and gawk at the team's presence. The new recruits and the veteran didn't mind this, but they wanted to get back to HQ as fast as possible.
Unbeknownst to the team, a cloaked figure was looking down at them from the roof of a building. He scoffed, feeling annoyed at how the Mighty Loonatics were greeting those around them. It made the man sick, giving him the desire to fly down and attack them while they were vulnerable. He didn't, as he knew that it would be cowardly of him to attack them when they were unable to fight back. In addition to that, he doubted that he would win in a fight against them, especially when he didn't know how powerful they truly were.
"It seems that I'm in a conundrum here." The cloaked figure said to himself. "While I might have a few people on my side, I have yet to see how powerful the Mighty Loonatics truly are. Looks like I'll have to give them a taste of power in order to see how strong they really are."
All of a sudden, the mysterious being could feel a jolt in the air. This nearly caused him to fall off the roof. He caught himself, but not before wondering where that strange feeling could've come from. Looking down on the street, the figure could see Diane speaking to her teammates. In contrast to how she was before, the Arctic vixen seemed to be cautious, looking like she was warning the Mighty Loonatics. With that in mind, the cloaked figure could tell where the jolt came from.
"It looks like the new team has a telepath with them." He said to himself. "I'm not sure how I didn't sense any psychic energy before, but now I'm sure that someone in the team has psionic abilities."
The Mighty Loonatics were starting to disappear from his line of sight. Knowing that it was only a matter of time before they went back to HQ, the cloaked figure decided to use his powers. Focusing, he felt a powerful energy surge through his veins and arteries. Doing this was almost enough to cause him to black out in pain. This was something the being was not used to doing, as he had never been in a situation where he had to use his powers. However, it was something that the cloaked figure needed to do, so that he could spy on a person of interest and learn more about them.
"If I have to die to see what you can do, Mighty Loonatics, so be it!" The cloaked figure hissed.
Once the Mighty Loonatics entered their HQ, they decided to watch some movies to pass the time. While Slam didn't usually watch movies for fun, he only wanted to hang out with the new recruits before he returned to Blanc. Also, the Tasmanian Devil did like to eat popcorn whenever he watched a movie, so it was another plus for him. Lori was the one to select the first movie, having found a detective thriller on a streaming service. The Mighty Loonatics watched it, slowly becoming interested in its story. While doing so, Diane excused herself and went to another room with Jack, intent on talking with him.
Following Diane to her room, Jack closed the door behind him. The two wanted to talk in private, so he made sure that they were the only ones in the room. After doing so, the human-Jarlon sat down on the Arctic vixen's bed, taking a seat next to her. The vulpine only let out a sigh, deciding to let her teammate begin the conversation.
"So, are you sure that you sensed someone on the roof of a building?" Jack asked.
"It's possible." Diane said.
"What do you mean 'it's possible'?" The young man asked.
"I'm saying that my telepathy can pick up anything and mistake it for someone." The Arctic vixen said. "Sometimes, my telepathy is incorrect."
"That must suck to have telepathy and have it backfire on you." The Jarlon-human said. "I mean, if something that powerful can be incorrect, then what's the point of using it?"
"Jack, I haven't had telepathy my whole life." The vulpine said. "Even if it was more powerful, that doesn't mean that there wouldn't be something that could mess it up."
"Like what?"
"Machines that can throw it off. For all we know, what I was sending could've been one of those machines throwing it off."
Jack wanted to argue that he hadn't seen a machine that could throw off telepathy, but he didn't. Given how the team had been fighting all sorts of enemies, coming across a machine that could cause different effects to someone with superpowers wouldn't be terribly surprising. It would be like encountering the European Jewel that the Mighty Loonatics had seen at the museum. However, that artifact could cause powers to work in a different way, being influenced by ethereal forces. The machine that Diane was talking about was just technology, so it seemed illogical that it would be like the Jewel.
Putting that thought aside, Jack was curious as to what Diane's telepathy could've actually sensed. He doubted that it was the work of a machine, as there was no way a psionic ability like hers would be triggered by one. After all, telepathy seemed to only work on living creatures. With that in mind, the young man was certain that the being Diane sensed was a person.
"If you sensed someone," Jack spoke, "then wouldn't your telepathy tell you that it's someone we haven't encountered before?"
"That makes sense." Diane said. "It does take my telepathy a little bit to gather information from people."
"Could it be possible that you sensed something weird when we were on certain missions?" The Jarlon-human asked.
"No." The Arctic vixen said. "Why?"
"Because I remember seeing something whenever we were on certain missions." The young man said. "I couldn't tell what it was, given how it was so far away, but it almost looked like a person. I'm not sure how you wouldn't have sensed it, though."
"If it was a person, then there's someone watching us as we fight crime." The vulpine said.
"Why?"
"I'm not sure, but we need to be on alert for whoever it is. If they're watching us, then we need to fight them as quick as possible."
"We will, if we're able to."
After their little talk, Jack and Diane left the room, deciding to join their teammates in the living room. While walking, however, they could sense that there was something wrong. Diane's telepathy was telling her that she needed to get herself and Jack out of the hallway immediately. A chill went down the Arctic vixen's spine, feeling a dark force near her. Thinking quickly, she took Jack by the hand and started to run out of the hall with him. However, something told the vulpine that they wouldn't be able to escape whatever was near them.
Without warning, Jack found himself unable to move. Diane tried to help him, but her efforts proved futile. No matter how many times she tried to move him, Jack was paralyzed where he stood. The Arctic vixen's telepathy was going haywire, as it couldn't pinpoint where the dark force that was in the hallway was tied to. Wherever it was coming from, she wanted to get her teammate free as fast as possible. But, by looking at the young man's shadow, she could see that it looked like it was being ensnared by something. It was clear that whatever Diane was sensing with her telepathy had paralyzed Jack by attacking his shadow.
Before Diane could attempt to move Jack again, she heard an odd noise. When the Arctic vixen saw the odd creature that was paralyzing the Jarlon-human raise a bladed appendage in the air, she got ready to throw an energy blast at it. It seemed that the creature saw this, as it immediately let go of her teammate and tried to make a break for it. However, a now freed Jack fired a small aura blast at it. Diane only decreased the power behind the energy blast that she was ready to use, not wanting to damage anything. The creature didn't stand down, only getting in a defensive position.
"Careful now." A voice spoke. "You wouldn't want to destroy the building that was once home to the original Loonatics, now do you?"
"That wasn't our plan, pal." Jack said, looking around for where the voice was coming from.
"We were just trying to keep this creature from killing us." Diane said, looking down at the shadowy beast.
"I didn't send one of my constructs here to kill any of you." The voice said.
"Then why did you send it?" Jack said. "Who are you?"
"I cannot answer those questions yet. But, I can have my construct bring you to a safer place, so that you can fight it without causing damage to your current place of residence. What do you say?"
"That sounds fine with me." Diane said.
"Me too." Jack stated.
"Very well." The voice said.
All of a sudden, Jack and Diane found themselves covered by the construct, almost as if someone had thrown a blanket on them. Once that happened, the two could see that they were being teleported out of HQ. They braced for impact, wanting to be ready for whatever was coming up next. However, to their surprise, the Jarlon-human and the Arctic vixen found themselves in the forest. Knowing that the sun was out, Diane could see that they were brought to a place where the disembodied voice would be able to spawn more of the shadow constructs. Jack, on the other hand, knew that he had to be ready for whatever would come his way.
"Are you ready?" The voice asked.
"Yes!" Jack and Diane chorused.
"Then let's begin."
Several shadows surrounded Jack and Diane, forming into different creatures. One of them lunged towards Diane, so she responded by using an energy blast. This destroyed the construct, making it vanish from where it once stood. Its fellow creatures swung their limbs at the Arctic vixen, attempting to hit her. However, another blast was fired, being larger than the last one. This took down four constructs at once, its increased power having drawn them into it like a vacuum.
Knowing that Diane was a threat, the shadow constructs ran towards Jack, eager to take him down. However, the young man was quick on his feet, as he jumped away from them. Once they began running towards him again, the Jarlon-human pulled out a rose and swung it around, transforming it into a whip. He used the whip of thorns to attack each construct, intent on letting the weapon do the talking. For some of the constructs, the hybrid used his psychokinesis to pull them towards him. When he found himself surrounded, he ignited the whip and eliminated the living shadows that were eager to take him down.
As Jack and Diane fought against the shadow constructs, the mysterious being watched them. He had wanted to see how powerful the Mighty Loonatics were, so he was getting quite the show from just two members alone. They were destroying each living shadow without hesitation, using the powers that they had access to. Not only that, but the Jarlon-human and the Arctic vixen were strengthening and combining their powers in order to take down each threat. The figure couldn't help but be impressed, if not a little intimidated. Chances were, the new recruits could turn out to be more powerful than the original Loonatics.
"Well done!" The mysterious being said, getting the attention of the two superheroes. "I'm impressed by the skills that you have shown me, because you're stronger than I had anticipated."
"You're the being I sensed when we were in town!" Diane said.
"Indeed, I am." The figure said.
"But she couldn't sense you with her telepathy until today!" Jack said. "What gives?"
"I guess that my powers didn't trigger it until now." He said. "As such, I can only conclude that your powers have increased after your previous battles."
"Alright, man, this is getting kinda boring, so I'm gonna have to ask you this: Who are you?" The young man spoke.
"I am no one. However, when the meteor struck Acmetropolis, not only had I gained superpowers, but I was also mutilated to the point where I needed to replace certain areas of my body with machines. Before I go, I shall tell you what I have planned for the future: I am sending more villains out to fight your team, while I train to increase the power of my ability, Shadow Dancing. If I have to steal the European Jewel from the museum, I will."
"You're not going to, because we'll be there to take you on!" The Jarlon-human said.
"We'll see about that."
Before Jack could use any of his powers on the mysterious being, he heard someone snapping their fingers. He and Diane found themselves back at HQ, albeit at the entrance. The young man then walked into the building, eager to tell everyone where he had been through with Diane. She followed him, but something began to nag at her mind. It was the mysterious being's voice, being a sound that the Arctic vixen had heard before. It wasn't the voice of a celebrity or a hardened criminal, it was the voice of someone she knew personally.
It couldn't be him, he died when the meteor struck! Diane thought to herself. But, that voice, it sounded so familiar! Could it be him? If not, could the villain be using his voice to torment me? I'll have to talk to the team about this!
Note: It was about time that the mysterious being made himself known to the Mighty Loonatics. However, it seems that he may or may not be someone who Diane knew before getting her powers. Could it be him, or is the villain playing a trick on the team? Either way, it looks like the new recruits have a new threat on the horizon. This new threat is even going to send more villains and train to increase his powers. Will the Mighty Loonatics be able to fight him then?
Until next time guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!