This has to be the longest chapter by far. I didn't really intend for it to be that long, but I didn't feel right separating any of it either. So, I left it as is. But good geez...
I started calling Duck 'Danger' in this chapter. My older sister, after reading a few chapters, asked me why I didn't call him Danger and basically told me I should. So I thought I'd give it a try. The others still call him Duck, but in the narration, he's Danger. Just letting you know.
Anyway, since this chapter is so long, I'm going to stop here. Enjoy!
Rev's eyes were glowing bright crimson as he flew, leading the others to find Tech. After he had woken, Ace told him about the bank robber and how he had been responsible for the coyote's odd behavior. In a way, the roadrunner was relieved to know that everything that had happened wasn't the other's fault. But when the leader told him that Tech was gone, he grew worried. Why would the bank robber take the coyote anyway?
In his mind was a map that he was using to try and locate Tech. What really concerned him was how much distance they had gotten away from Acmetropolis. Even with how fast they were all flying, it had still taken them quite a while to reach their current location, and they still had a little distance to go in order to reach their destination. Even considering how long it took for most of them to regain their senses, if the bank robber had taken normal means of transportation they would have seen him – and Tech – by now. Since they hadn't, it made Rev wonder what exactly the 'bank robber' really was and wanted.
"Hey Rev!" he suddenly heard Ace call from behind.
"Oh-yeah-sorry-what-was-that?" he replied.
"I was just asking how much farther we gotta go."
"Oh-well-it's-hard-to-say-maybe-about-a-few-more-kilometers."
There was a moment of awkward silence until, "Rev?"
"Yeah?"
"You okay?"
"Yeah-I'm-just-fine-don't-worry-about-me."
The rabbit frowned slightly as he continued to follow the quickster. Then he said, "I'm sure he's okay…"
Rev inhaled deeply, letting it out in a small sigh. "Well-I-hope-so-because-" Suddenly, he froze in midair, causing the other four to abruptly stop behind him.
"Whoa!" Danger said, momentarily losing control of his jet due to the quick stop. "A warning would be nice!"
"What's wrong?" Lexi asked.
"That's-really-weird," the roadrunner said, looking down at the ground with his still-glowing crimson eyes. "According-to-my-sensors-Tech-is-supposed-to-be-right-here."
Puzzled, the other four Loonatics looked down at the large empty desert below them. "Ya sure?" Ace asked.
"Yeah-I'm-positive-that's-what-I'm-picking-up."
Lexi's ears glowed a bit. "I'm not hearing anything…" she said.
"Well, it's worth checkin' out…" the leader said, motioning for the rest to follow as he headed down.
As they began the descent, Danger went ahead impatiently. "There better be something here," he muttered. "Otherwise we'd have come all this way for nothing…" Suddenly, the mallard came to a stop as a loud thump was heard.
Blinking, Ace hovered to where the other had stopped. "What's up Duck?" he asked.
And he watched as the show-off seemed to push himself away from a wall, shaking his head. "Dunno…" Danger replied. "I think I hit something…" Hesitating, the duck turned off his jet, expecting to fall to the ground below. To his and everyone's surprise, he didn't. In fact, as the mallard got up, it appeared as though he was standing on air.
Carefully the rabbit landed beside the show-off, finding himself standing on a hard surface. "I see," he said, taking a few steps. "The bank robber guy must be using some invisible shield to hide himself…Not bad."
"Blombah meh ga?" Slam asked. At least it sounded like a question.
"No, we wanna keep a low profile," the leader answered. "Try to get the element of surprise, y'know? Tryin' ta rip the roof off prob'bly won't help. Let's try searchin' for an entrance first…"
"Yeah, like he'd really just leave one open for us…" Danger mumbled as the five of them slowly stepped around. Considering they were still several meters above the ground, being careful seemed like a good idea.
The painful howl quickly faded into suppressed groans as Tech once again acquired his right mind. The electricity around him died and left him panting for air for his exhausted body.
He had lost count of how many times Charles had tested the genetic alteration device, with 'failed' results. Each failure gave him only a few minutes rest as the man attempted to fix his machine before electric blue pain seared through his body. As he looked up, his vision blurred and his head pounded, he was surprised that he was still conscious. Not only did the alteration machine exhaust him, the restraints on his wrists would absorb his energy when he used his powers.
If it wasn't for the bonds that kept him at the wall, he would have collapsed a long time ago.
"I don't understand what's wrong," he heard the other scientist say. "According to my research, this device should work perfectly."
Normally Tech would reply with some snappy remark about the man's capabilities. But he just didn't have the strength to.
Pulling the remote laser from his jacket, the man once again began to fix his invention. "Hmm…maybe it's because I haven't been restarting the effects each time I experiment. That may have something to do with it." He carefully made some adjustments to his device. "Maybe if I set everything back to normal and then attempt again the results will be closer to what I want…"
It was standard for Charles to talk to himself, the coyote had discovered. It looked as though he did so purely to show off his knowledge and abilities. It had taken awhile, but he had learned to ignore the man. But that time, he couldn't help but listen despite his weakened state. The word 'normal' had caught his attention and echoed in his mind.
Even just a few minutes of normalcy would relieve him from the nightmare he found himself trapped in. He would have preferred to return to his true state permanently, but as long as Charles had the device, there was no chance of that happening.
Turning off his laser remote and putting it away, the man then quickly read over the device's data screen. "All right. This will set things back to normal…"
But before he could aim the device at Tech, there was a soft beeping sound. "Hmm…there appears to be some intruders trying to get in."
And to Tech's disappointment, the genetic alteration device vanished, replaced as a fingerless glove on Charles' left hand.
Reaching into his leather jacket, the man pulled out the remote and aimed it at the wall adjacent to where the coyote was trapped. Suddenly the wall became a screen where the other five Loonatics appeared, feeling around the invisible lab. "Looks like your friends are here to get you…" Charles said mockingly.
Tech stared intently at the screen, suddenly feeling very awake. 'No…' he thought, his brow furrowed in anxiety. 'Not now…Not now! If they come…and I'm in this state…!'
"Well, it would be rude not to let them in, wouldn't it?" he heard the other scientist say, much to his horror. "And after all, I'm sure you're hungry, and they'll make an excellent meal for you."
Tech's heart pounded painfully in his chest, feeling rather ill at the thought. But he knew, unfortunately, that that could very well be the case. He found himself hoping beyond everything that the others wouldn't find him.
The screen was switched off and the man put the remote away, smirking at the coyote. "Shall I let them in, Tech?" he asked sardonically.
"N…No…" the scientist replied weakly, his throat dry and caused his voice to crack.
"Oh, but that isn't very nice, is it? After all, they're looking for you. Why not give them what they want? Though…I could try some experiments first…"
"Ex…experiments?" Tech repeated, his eyes slightly wide.
"Oh don't worry. They're nothing like the experiment I attempted on you. I just wanted to test out some things before…letting them come see you. After all, we may need to even the field a bit if you're going to hunt them properly."
Smirking again, Charles turned and headed out before Tech had a chance to protest.
Rev slowly walked on the ground, his hand pressed against the invisible wall of the lab. After Danger had…'discovered'…that what they had been standing on was dome-shaped (Slam just couldn't help but laugh when the show-off slipped and hit the ground), they were able to determine the relative circumference of the dome. For its rather large height (he would have guessed about the height of a twenty-four-story building, if pressed), the width was less than proportionate. Even by walking, it only took Rev less than five minutes to circle around the entire thing.
Ace said that the height of the dome might have been just the invisibility shield itself, and that the lab might have been smaller than that. That made a little sense, but they couldn't figure out why anyone would do that.
At any rate, the roadrunner was walking slowly around the dome. He thought about running (even though he had already circled the building five times), but he didn't want to miss finding the entrance because of his speed.
"I forget…" Rev heard Danger say, "why don't we just 'make' an entrance? I'm sure Slam could do it."
"Because we're trying not to be caught," Lexi retorted.
"Right," Ace replied, "plus we don't know how strong this shield is. Explosions with no results aren't really the best ways to stay low."
Slam mumbled out a string of unintelligible words, and they all decided he was asking a question.
"I'm not really sure what he said…" the mallard said, "but if he was wondering anything about the chance that we've already been spotted, then I won't reiterate."
Before anyone could answer, the wall beneath Rev's hand hissed and moved, causing him to jump slightly. The others came up behind him and all five watched as the wall, though invisible, appeared to slide up and reveal a large room that seemed rather empty if not for the large metal pipes that ran from the ceiling to the floor and certain areas of the walls. As sunlight entered from the opening, it caught in the metallic flooring and cast a bright light that reflected off the walls.
"Eh…I'm gonna guess that he knows we're here…" Ace spoke softly as his sapphire eyes scanned the area. The fact that the room was empty gave a very strong sign of a strap. He also noticed at the exact opposite side of where they stood was an open door that seemed to lead down a long hall. An idea was beginning to form in his head.
"Rev…" Ace whispered. He was hoping that the villain could only see and not hear them. "Do ya think you could make it down there?"
The roadrunner glanced at the leader before turning his head slightly and noticing the door across from them. "Yeah-I'm-pretty-sure-I-could," he replied.
"Okay," the rabbit said, his whisper slightly louder so the other three could also hear him. "I'm pretty sure there's a trap waiting for us here…But I think we can use that to stall long enough for Rev to slip in and find Tech."
"So what?" Danger asked. "We just walk in?"
"Pretty much."
If there was any way to argue with that, no one did. Turning slightly, Ace hesitated a little before slowly stepping through the door and into the lab. Lexi headed in after him followed by Danger, then Slam, and finally Rev.
They kept a watch out for anything, but the lab was very quiet. Too quite for the leader's taste. And he didn't want to take any chances.
"Okay Rev," he said in a hushed tone, "get going."
Nodding, the quickster sped out through the door and down the hall.
Not five seconds after he had left did both that door and the main entrance shut with a unified clang, causing Danger to jump a few feet into the air. He didn't even have time to land before the lights went out, covering the four in total darkness.
Ace grit his teeth slightly, suddenly feeling a little nervous. His vision was no good to him in the dark, and he knew that Lexi, even with her hearing, couldn't pinpoint exact locations if they were attacked. Danger could create a fire orb, but he had never sent he mallard hold one for more than a few seconds.
He wasn't sure what to do or what was going to happen. That was what bothered him the most.
"Ow!" he suddenly heard Danger say.
"Hey!" Lexi exclaimed.
"Bletha!" came Slam's yell.
Before he had a chance to ask what was wrong, Ace felt a cold solid object snap around his neck, causing a surprised cry of his own. Reaching up, he felt what seemed like a tight metallic collar that restricted air from reaching his lungs.
"Terribly sorry about this Loonatics," a voice echoed around them. "I simply meant to give you all a 'present', but I was sure you wouldn't accept if you saw what it was."
"If that's the case, you may wanna rethink your party favors…" The rabbit winced slightly as the lights then turned on, blinding him for a brief moment. Blinking rapidly to clear his vision, he looked towards his teammates. Around Lexi and Danger's necks were silver metal collars, similar to the one he imagined he was wearing. For Slam, though, the trinket was clasped around his wrist.
The four turned slightly to face the wall behind them as it started to flicker like a screen. Soon the round tanned face appeared, a small smirk crossing his lips. "So, what do you think of my gifts?"
"Talk about tacky…" the bunny retorted, feeling the collar with her hand.
"Oh? Well I'm sorry to hear that you don't like them." It was obvious how sarcastic the man was. "Well, I'd remove them from you, but I seem to have misplaced my keys for unlocking them."
In Ace's eyes, there was no keyhole for the gadgets anyway. "Guess this'll just hafta do…" he said as he looked at the one on Slam's wrist. His eyes began to glow as he concentrated the burning energy to them. But before they were able to fire, white hot electricity shot out from all four of the trinkets, enveloping the bodies of the heroes.
Charles' smirk widened and he brushed strands of ebony from his face as the four collapsed to the ground.
Tech's eyes and hands were brightly glowing as he struggled against the luminous blue restraints that held him to the wall. Every passing second left him weaker than before as the bonds continued to absorb his energy. He knew that he couldn't use his powers to free himself, but at that time he was rather desperate. He needed to get free and find the others.
Suddenly all light around him, blue or green, faded as he shut his eyes, shaking his head furiously. 'No, no, no!' he mentally screamed at himself. 'Don't act this way! Stop it!' His heart was pounding painfully in his chest.
It was difficult, more difficult than he could ever have imagined. And frankly, it frightened him knowing how little control he really had over…everything. He couldn't concentrate at all; every form of rational thought had abandoned him and left him feeling even more helpless. The immense fear suffocated him, threatening to consume him entirely.
But he had to keep fighting it all; the fear, the powerful instincts…himself, if he needed to…to make sure everything turned out the way it needed to be.
And yet he knew…He knew that if he kept fighting it, something would inevitably be lost. And he prayed that it wouldn't be his sanity.
"Tech?"
His eyes snapped open and his head shot up at the sound of the familiar voice. At the moment he saw Rev standing at the doorway, a strange mix of relief and fear swept through his body.
Soon the roadrunner zipped over, emerald eyes wide as he stared at the coyote. "My-gosh!-What-the-heck-happened-to-you?" he cried. His friend looked horrible, looking about ready to collapse if he wasn't stuck to the wall. The sharp scent of smoke was everywhere, and the other's golden eyes just seemed so dull and listless. Almost like…like…
Almost like coal.
"Never mind that…" Tech replied hoarsely, the words burning through his dry throat. "Just help me get out of these…"
Looking at the restraints, the quickster frowned. "Aren't-these-metal?-You-could-try-using-"
"If I could use my powers, I would have. No, it doesn't work."
"Well-there-doesn't-look-like-there's-a-way-to-open-them-either-unless-they're-connected-behind-in-the-wall-or-something-and-I'm-not-strong-enough-to-break-down-a-wall-we'll-hafta-find-another-way-to-get-you-out."
Looking from the bonds to the other, Tech then said, "I have an idea, Rev."
"Oh-yeah-what's-that?"
He motioned to behind the other with his head. Turning slightly, Rev's eyes came across what appeared to be a large laser.
"If you can increase the voltage of that electro-laser and incinerate me, I should be able to regenerate outside of these cuffs," Tech said.
The red bird turned back to the other, his eyes wide. "You-want-me-to-do-what?"
"It's the only thing we've got Rev, and we don't have a lot of time."
"What?-Why-don't-we-?"
"Just listen to me, Rev," the coyote said sternly.
The quickster looked at his friend, confusion and concern melding together. Hesitating for only a second or two, he then sped over to the laser's consol. He found a dial with some numbers on it, its current setting on the number four. Carefully he turned the dial and increased the numbering, hoping he had set it to the right amount that would do as Tech wanted without killing him first. His hand then went to a large red button that he assumed meant to fire the laser. Hovering over it for what seemed like hours, Rev finally hit the switch.
He didn't look as the laser unleashed its electric-based attack onto the waiting coyote. But as much as he wanted to, he just couldn't block out the painful cry that rose from his friend signaling the laser's precise aim.
When the cries suddenly stopped, Rev switched the laser off. Inhaling deeply, he turned to look at the pile of ashes that sat on the metallic floor.
He was used to seeing his friend that way. At least he should have been. After experiments that had (literally) blown up in his face, Tech could always use his regenerative powers and he'd be fine. Rev had seen it over and over again.
But this time something didn't feel right. Forget that Tech had just asked him to fire a laser at him. Something had just not felt right about doing it, even with the genius' healing powers. Rev felt…knew…that his friend was keeping something from him.
His heart began to beat rapidly when, after what seemed like so long, the other still hadn't regenerated. Normally Tech would regenerate after just a few seconds. But nothing was happening. Had he turned up the voltage too much after all?
He let out a breath of relief when the black ash began to glow emerald. Slowly it grew and began to take shape.
But as he watched on, he once again got the feeling that something was wrong. Instead of growing to the coyote's standing height, as he was accustomed to, the ashes took on a much smaller form. Tech's body began to appear, but the coyote was on his knees nearly doubled over. One hand covered his eyes while the other was at his abdomen trying to control his ragged breathing.
Heading over, Rev knelt beside the other, fear and concern flooding through him. "Tech-what's-wrong?-Are-you-okay?" he asked frantically.
The genius was silent for a moment, still trying to control his breathing. Finally as he lowered his hand and looked at the other, he replied softly, "Yeah, I'm fine…"
But Rev knew that his friend was lying. The pain that he tried to hide was just too noticeable. And his eyes were still dulled, almost as though the life was begin driven out of them.
He didn't say anything, however, as the coyote slowly pushed himself to his feet, wobbling a little as he stood. He just stayed by the other's side, just in case.
"Where are the others?" the coyote asked in between heavy breaths.
The roadrunner thought for a minute. "Did-I-go-down-some-stairs?-Yeah-I-think-I-did.-So-the-others-are-upstairs-being-a-distraction-so-I-can-come-find-you."
Frowning slightly, the scientist then began to slowly head to the door.
"Hey-hold-on!" Rev said, walking beside the other. It wasn't hard to keep up with the exhausted coyote. "Where-are-you-going?"
"We need to find the others…" As he walked, Tech kept a hand to the wall in order to retain his balance.
The other's weakened state didn't escape the quickster's concern. "Are-you-sure-you're-okay-Tech?-I-mean-maybe-we-should-wait-and-you-could-rest-a-bit…"
"We can't. Finding the others is our first priority right now."
"But-you-really-look-like-you-need-to-rest.-I-mean-you-really-need-to.-You-look-like-you're-about-to-collapse-or-something.-I-really-think-we-should-find-someplace-for-you-to-lay-down-because-"
Rev quit talking when Tech's hand slipped from the wall and he lost his balance. Lunging forward, the roadrunner caught the other before he could hit the ground.
The coyote panted heavily, closing his eyes for a moment before pushing away from the other and continuing to walk.
"Tech…!"
"We need to find the others…" the scientist muttered, still walking slowly, "and I need your help finding where to go…"
But Rev had had enough. He zipped over to stand in front of the other and blocked his path. "Tech-what-is-going-on?-What-is-wrong-with-you?" he asked, worry mixed the intensity of his gaze. "I've-never-seen-you-like-this-before!-I-mean-sure-you've-always-been-kinda-stubborn-but-you-always-knew-when-you've-hit-your-limit-and-I-gotta-telll-ya-you-look-like-like-you're-about-to-hit-rock-bottom."
Tech looked at his fellow Loonatic with tired dull eyes, his breathing still heavy as he quickly thought of the words that he needed. "You're just gonna have to trust me about this, Rev. Punnet is up to something and we need to stop him now. Who knows what he's already done to the others?"
The roadrunner blinked. "Punnet?"
"The 'bank robber'…" Tech answered softly as he slowly managed to get around the other and continued on. "He's been behind everything the entire time. He's the explanation for what's been happening to me the past week."
Though he wanted to know more about this Punnet person, something else the other had said caught his attention."You-know-what's-been-happening-to-you-this-past-week?"
"Well, not really…Kind of…Punnet told me about it earlier…and later on, I began to remember little things about it. Not much, but still."
Rev winced a little. He was hoping the other wouldn't remember any of it at all.
"Anyway, we need to find Punnet and the others before he does something to them."
The roadrunner wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing that the other had changed the topic so quickly. "How-do-you-know-that-he's-planning-something?"
"Because…he told me so…"
"He-told-you?-What-did-he-say?"
"Just that he wanted to try something out. Which way, Rev?" Tech asked as they reached a fork in the hallway.
The quickster led the other down the path he had come from, and the two continued on in silence. He made sure to remain at his friend's side in case he stumbled again (which he did a few times). He felt really nervous for the other as he continued to push himself. In Rev's eyes, the coyote didn't have a lot of strength left and seemed ready to fall over with just a gentle tap. It seemed like a miracle he could even walk at his point. What had Punnet done to him anyway?
They slowly climbed some stairs and walked down a longer hallway than before. Twisting and turning, weaving and walking until they finally reached a dead end.
"Well-this-is-where-I-came-in-from-so-the-others-should-be-there," Rev said, "but-it-doesn't-look-like-we-can-get-thought-unless-we-can-break-it-down-and-that's-not-likely-to-happen."
He jumped when Tech's eyes and hands began glowing emerald. "Tech!" he said. The other didn't seem strong enough to use his powers.
But the scientist didn't heed the quickster as he raised his hands, palms facing towards the metal door. It began to glow as well, and as he brought his hands down, spreading them further away from each other, the door split down the middle and was pulled away from the doorframe.
Rev had expected a battle scene. Instead he was greeted by a computer consol in front of a giant screen that took the place of a wall. From a port in the consol were electric beams that formed a giant cage over the unconscious bodies of the other four Loonatics.
As Tech slowly stepped into the room, Rev sped over to the cage. "Ace-Lexi-Slam-Duck!" he said, stopping just before he touched he charged bars.
For a moment, all was silent in the rather large pipe-filled room. Then Ace began to stir, groaning softly as he slowly sat up and rubbed his head.
"Ace!-Hey-are-you-okay?-What-happened?"
"Y'know…" the leader muttered, still feeling a little groggy, "I couldn't tell ya…"
"I could…" Looking up, Rev blinked when he saw the villain, Punnet, leaning against one of the metal pipes across the room. "The devices your friends are wearing are all highly sensitive to rapid increases in energy levels, such as when your friends attempt to use their special abilities. The devices are also all connected with each other, so if just one of them tries to use their powers, all four of them feel the…shocking results. Depending on the strength of the energy output, the electrical impulses vary. For example, I would have to guess that Ace's laser vision would result in enough electricity to power a good portion of Acmetropolis." The man shrugged. "Just an estimate though."
By this time, as the other three were beginning to wake, Ace was up on his feet, he and Rev facing the villain. "Fascinating…" the rabbit said sarcastically.
Smirking, the man turned his violet eyes to the roadrunner. "If you want to free your friends, try my computer," he said, pointing to the consol.
Rev blinked rapidly. "What?"
"The computer is the foundation of my entire lab and controls everything. If you try it out, maybe you'll be able to free your friends from the cage and the devices."
Ace and Rev exchanged questioning, doubtful looks. "You expect us to believe ya just like that?"
"I don't expect you to believe anything. However, what I speak is the truth. If you try my computer, you should be able to free the others. Still…"
"Why is there always a catch?"
"First you'd have to figure out the access code that I use for all my computer programs. And even if you do discover the code, the only device able to overturn the computer is in my possession. So even if you disable the command of the electric cage and devices, I could always enable them again. Finally," Charles added, his smirk growing as he motioned to behind the roadrunner, "before you try anything, you might want to check on him."
'Him' meant Tech of course, and Rev had nearly forgotten about him during the exchange. Turning quickly, his eyes widened when he saw that the coyote had fallen to his knees, holding his hands to his head and groaning softly. Speeding over, he knelt down beside the other. "Tech-what's-wrong?-Are-you-okay?"
The coyote didn't answer. Instead, his hands began to emit the familiar emerald light.
The four trapped behind the cage could only watch on as the roadrunner tried to talk to the coyote. When Tech's hands began to move slightly, Lexi suddenly looked off to the side. Gasping, she looked back at the two. "Rev, watch out!" she called.
The quickster barely had time to look before a metal pipe crashed into him, sending him back until he hit the wall behind him. He struggled, trying to slip from under the glowing pipe that trapped him there as the coyote got to his feet and faced him, his eyes and hands still blazing brightly.
"Rev!" Ace said, hating the helpless feeling that swelled up inside because he could only watch as the coyote slowly stalked closer to the roadrunner.
Charles laughed as he folded his arms over his torso and watched the scene from his position leaning on a metal pipe. "This is going to be interesting…" he said to himself.
The coyote stopped and stood three feet in front of the struggling hero. Tall ears folded back against the skull as sharp teeth bared and a low snarl vibrated in the back of his throat.
"Tech, snap out of it!" the leader called. "Ya gotta stop now!" The others also began yelling to the coyote, trying to snap him out of his present state or at least distract him so Rev could get free.
But the villain laughed. "Don't listen to them, Tech. You just continue what you're doing…"
The coyote didn't even seem to perceive that he was being spoken to. He just continued to stare at the struggling roadrunner, snarling. Raising his glowing hand, he pulled another metal pipe from its station, aiming it at Rev.
Charles frowned slightly before shrugging a bit. "Not exactly the way I imagined it, but I can always fix it later, I suppose."
Ace clenched his fists. "Don't do it, Tech!"
With a swift hand motion, the pipe sailed through the air. The clang of metal pipes rung out loudly, drowning out any other noises. Silence stood for a moment before pipes clattered to the floor, followed by the heavy thump of a body.
More stunned silence befell all of them, eyes wide as they stared at the startling scene before them.
Still against the wall, though the pipes had fallen from him, Rev blinked, looking behind the other at the unconscious body lying on the ground. Turning back to his friend, who appeared normal save his exhaustion and still-coal eyes, he asked softly, "Are-you-okay?"
"Fine…" the scientist managed to huff out as he placed a hand to his chest to control his breathing.
"And-Punnet?"
"He's…not dead…if that's what you're thinking…I couldn't have killed him anyway. My aim slipped." The last part, of course, was an attempt at humor to break the tension.
"Nice performance there, Tech," Ace suddenly said, feeling it was now all right to relax. "You had me goin' for a minute."
"Not me," Danger stated. "I knew it all the time."
"Sure ya did," Lexi replied sarcastically as Slam began to laugh.
As the other four began talking, Rev watched as his friend turned, his back facing him and towards the unconscious body. He watched as the coyote stretched out his glowing hand towards the body before slowly bringing it back in. Soon, from Charles' body came a large remote, surrounded by the emerald illumination. It hovered towards them until it reached Tech's hand. As he looked on, he saw that Tech was studying the remote, which was normal for the scientist. He was always interested in examining any piece of complex technology, whether used for or against them.
What he didn't expect, though, was when Tech suddenly dropped the remote. As soon as it hit the ground, the coyote crushed it under his foot, breaking it into many little pieces. Rev frowned slightly. He had never seen the other simply give up and not try to understand any machine. 'I guess he's really tired…' he thought.
Suddenly the bars of the electric cage disappeared and the metallic devices from the others fell to the ground. Then the lights shut off, leaving the six in complete darkness for about a minute before the entrance door opened and allowed the sunlight from outside to partially fill the room.
"Well, glad that's over…" Danger piped up. "Now, how about we get outta here, like…now?"
"Not yet," Tech replied softly. "There's one more that I have to do first." Turning to Rev, he said, "There's a fingerless glove on Punnet's left hand. Wanna get it for me?"
"Yeah-sure-no-problem." Running over, the roadrunner grabbed the item before zipping back and placing the glove in Tech's hands.
Slipping the glove on, the coyote inhaled deeply before letting out a small sigh. As he clenched his hand, the black material of the glove grew and encased his arm.
"Whoa…" Ace breathed as he and the others stared at the laser-like weapon.
Pressing a button, the scientist then lifted the covering top, looking at the screen that came up. He had seen how to work the machine too many times for his liking.
"So, uh…what is that thing?" Ace asked, watching the other.
"This…is the reason for my strange behavior lately…" the scientist replied as his eyes quickly surveyed the screen. "And by the way, thanks for letting me know about what was going on. Really appreciate it."
The five glanced at each other guiltily. "We just…didn't wanna upset ya about it," Ace said. "I mean, it was outta your control, so we thought it'd be best for you not to worry about it."
"Well, I would have preferred to hear it from you guys than from Punnet."
Silence fell over them. They didn't know how to respond to him.
"I guess it doesn't matter now," Tech said after a long moment. He closed the top cover. "The important thing is that we reverse the effects and get me back to normal as soon as possible." The laser returned to its glove form and Tech removed it, handing it to the one standing closest to him.
Rev blinked slightly, looking from the glove he held to the coyote. He watched as the other looked back at him, silently holding up his hand, clenching and unclenching it. Nodding slightly, the roadrunner slipped the glove on and imitated the other, jumping a bit when the laser cannon-like apparatus engulfed his arm.
"Do you feel a button with your hand?" Tech asked.
"I-think-so-yeah-there's-a-button-there."
"Okay. What I need you to do is fire it at me."
Rev looked up at him. "What?"
"You need to fire that at me. But you need to make sure to hold the button down for two minutes. No more, no less. Otherwise it might not work."
"What's that going to do to you?" Lexi asked.
The scientist was silent for a moment. Turning to the quickster, he said, "Do you remember the day of the bank robbery? What happened to me then?"
"You-mean-with-the-electric-field-that-got-you-that-time?-Yeah-I-remember-that-but-what-?"
"This…is the device that was responsible for that."
Rev's eyes widened slightly as he looked at the laser that held his arm. He recalled how much pain that the other had been during the duration – had that been two minutes? – of the electric field. And in Tech's current condition…knowing that this device was responsible the coyote's strange actions for the past week…Firing the electro-laser was bad enough. He didn't know if he could do something like that again. Not now.
Noticing the bird's hesitancy, Ace cleared his throat. "Hey, uh Tech? Maybe we should do this later. Like, maybe we can head back to the tower. You can get some rest, and then we can fire ya."
But Tech shook his head. "We have to do this right now."
"Um…Tech…? I-don't-know-if-I-can…" Rev said, beginning to remove the device from his arm.
The coyote turned to the other. "Rev, I really need you to do this for me. I'll be fine, really, but we have to do this right away. The sooner I'm back to normal, the better."
Frowning deeply, the roadrunner looked down at the machine. He could feel his friend's pleading gaze burning into him, and he had vowed to help the other no matter what, hadn't he? If this was what the other needed him to do…
"Okay…" he finally replied.
Nodding, Tech instructed the others to step back so that he and Rev had more room. "Remember, you need to hold the button down for exactly two minutes, okay?"
Returning the nod, the quickster held up the weapon, steadying his trembling aim as he looked at the other's coal-colored eyes. He told himself that this would help his friend return to normal. But knowing how exhausted the other already was, and knowing that this would injure him further, Rev couldn't help but shut his eyes as he finally fired the laser.
Instead of the blue electricity that he was used to, Tech was assaulted and surrounded by a soft orange energy. But the pain was still the same, forcing him down to his knees. He held his hands to his head, trying to bite down a deep groan.
The other four could only watch the two for what felt more like two hours rather than two minutes. But soon the electricity died and Rev ripped the laser off his arm, throwing it aside before kneeling beside the coyote.
Following the other's example, Ace walked over and knelt in front of the scientist. "Tech?" he said softly. "You feelin' okay?"
Panting heavily, the coyote nodded slightly. When he looked up, Ace and Rev noted with extreme relief that Tech's eyes, though fatigued, were once again their normal golden hue. "I've felt better," he finally muttered softly.
"Yeah. I kinda figured. Let's get outta here and get you rested up."
Before Tech could reply or even get to his feet, the room darkened as the entrance door slammed shut again. The only light was the surrounding emerald glow from the door. Startled, Ace turned to look at the coyote. But to his surprise – and to some extent, his comfort – Tech looked just as confused as he did, his eyes still normal.
The screen wall by the computer consol suddenly switched on, casting a soft light on the heroes. Then a low laugh echoed around the room. They all looked over at Charles who was on his knees, one arm around his stomach while the other remained at his side, holding what looked like a glass bottle. Though beads of sweat were forming and his brow was scrunched in some pain, the villain continued his mocking laugh.
"I guess we missed the joke," Lexi said.
"It appears you aren't going anywhere," Charles said hoarsely. "I guess you all have Tech to thank for that."
"What's going on?" Tech asked as Rev and Ace got to their feet. He, on the other hand didn't have the strength to get up at the time. "I thought you said that the remote controlled your entire laboratory."
"I did…And it is true. The remote does control my lab. You were correct in your assumption that destroying the remote would shut my lab down. However, I suppose I forgot to mention my special program."
"Special program? What special program?"
The man smirked. "You see, I programmed into the remote a virus that reached my main computer through the sparks and electricity in the air, should the remote ever be destroyed. It overrides the computer's power and initiates the detonation sequence."
The Loonatics stiffened intensely.
"And, once again thanks to you Tech, you will find that escaping will be more than difficult."
"Are you insane?" Ace said. "What about you? You're gonna blow yourself up too?"
"There's no point in living after being beaten by you creatures," Charles replied, looking at the bottle in his hand. "That would never sit well with me." Placing the bottle on the ground, he rolled it towards the coyote.
Blinking, Tech picked up the bottled when it had reached him. Looking at the label, his eyes widened. "Wh-what…?"
The villain chuckled softly, coughing a little. "That's right. I only regret that I won't be able to witness your demise. However, as long as I rid the world of you pests, then I believe I've done my part. Destroying my lab, my work…myself…will all be worth it. So…I'll see you all…in hell…" Charles coughed again, heavier than before just as his body slumped forward to the ground, unmoving.
The Loonatics stared at the still body of the man, unbelieving of what had just taken place before them. Finally, after forever, Duck was able to voice what they were all thinking. "Whoa…!"
There was no time for anything else to be said, though, as the light from the computer suddenly turned red and a clock appeared on the screen. "Warning…" the computerized voice echoed around the room. "Detonation sequence has been activated. Self-destruction in T-minus 5 minutes…"
TBC
My beta said that the thing with Rev, Tech, Punnet and the pipes was pretty predictable. What do you think? I think it kind of was, but I didn't know what else to do with it. Oh well. I did the best that I could with it, and that's all there is to it.
But she also said that I was evil because of the way I ended this chapter. What do you think? I think...I am...Mwahahaha
If you want true evil, though, just wait until the next chapter...
Anyway, thanks for reading! Please review, and I'll catch you all next time!