:Wow, this one is long. So take your time. I can wait…:

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"Explain to me again why we're doing this?" Danger Duck asked with annoyance on his breath. It was enough that Ace had called him away from the television for this training session, but when he had seen the holo-trainer set up like a circus tent and his fellow teammates donning blindfolds, it was hard to take the interruption seriously.

"It's a trainin' exercise Duck," Ace explained, offering a blindfold to the fowl. "Ta help wit ar' teamwoik skills."

Duck stared at the limp cloth now in hand, then to Rev and Slam who were already trying theirs on.

"Oh yeah, nothing says 'teamwork' like a game of blind-man's-bluff." He sarcastically spat.

"Dat's not the game weh playin' t'day." Ace smiled, pointing upwards at the set of twin trapezes several feet above their heads.

"Up there?" Duck gulped. He was starting to like this scenario less and less. Ace scaled the thin pole quickly, meeting up with Lexi, already standing on the opposite side, blindfold in hand but otherwise ready. It didn't take Duck long to figure out his leader's intentions were. In a flash he teleported beak to nose with the rabbit to voice his complaint. "You expect me to trapeze BLINDFOLDED? The bunny did not falter.

"Dat was the plan." He shrugged, and tried to better explain. "One of us jumps from dis side, and we gotta trust dat ar' partner's gonna catch us and bring us safely t'theirs."

"Are you crazy!" Duck pointed down the vertigo inducing length. "We've got to be at least 50 feet up!"

"Don't worry about it," Lexi assured, "Slam's staying on the ground to catch anyone who does miss. Isn't that right big guy?" She called down.

Slam grunted happily, giving a thumbs up from his position on the ground. Duck gazed at him apathetically, then noted the one missing member of their menagerie.

"Hey, how did Tech get out of this?"

"He's-working-on-a-new-weapon-and-he-didn't-want-to-be-disturbed-cause-he-said-it-was-imperitive-that-he-focus-to-get-the-charging-system-right-or-else-it-could-explode-in-your-hand-and-I-don't-think-you-want-that-to-happen-no-sir-I-certainly-wouldn't-I-like-my-hands-where-they-are-thank-you-very-much." Rev answered, matter-of-factly.

"Natch, leave it to the nerd to get a note out of gym class." Duck folded his arms curtly.

"He is doing something more important then watching TV Duck." Lexi pointed out.

"I was watching the news." Duck defended himself with a tone of superiority. "Gathering intelligence that could aid us on future missions."

"Yeah, d'five day forecast is SO import'nt t'stopping supa' criminals." Ace smirked as Duck merely glared silently. Mentally cursing the rabbit's despicability. "You can pair up wit Rev. Lexi, you're wit me."

The rabbits tied on their blindfolds and grasped their respective trapeze crossbars tightly.

"Ya ready Lex?" He called. From the other side, she took a cleansing breath, adjusting her grip, running the procedure over in her head. She had done stuff like this thousands of times before, albeit sighted, this was no biggy.

"Ready!" He heard her call from her side.

They simultaneously leapt from their perches. Sailing through the air like graceful birds. Lexi sensed the air around her shift and change. The whistling passed her ears with varying pitches as the pendulum ebbed and flowed. The squeaking of the hinges told her Ace was approaching and she must be ready to anticipate his next move. With a swift motion she flipped herself into the receiving position, hooking the bar beneath her knees and holding her arms out readily.

"Anytime you're ready, Ace." She signaled.

"Here I go!" He called back. He waited for the arch to reach its prime, then released. Once airborne, she only had seconds to determine where he was. Using her super-hearing, she listened for his heartbeat; where it was strongest, were it was weakest. She eliminated where he wasn't then aimed for where he was. The pressure caught her hands and she immediately clasped them around his. The embrace of their paws lasted only fragments before she flung him towards the elevated platform she had launched from.

Flipping nimbly, he landed on the platform with a gentle bend at the knees. She heard him land and followed suit. Releasing the bar at the right moment, momentum propelling her backwards. A tuck and roll and she landed firmly on the pedestal. A solid dismount, perfect as always. Ace had lifted up the edge of his blindfold to see it.

"Nice land'n Lex." He smiled.

"Phfff… Showoff." Duck muttered.

Lexi removed her blindfold with a smile. Ace's grin was complement enough and she knew his praise made Duck ever so jealous.

"Your turn Duck." She smirked. Ace turned to the eager Roadrunner who was already gripping the trapeze bar.

Duck timidly approached the edge of the platform, and quickly regretted the peek given over the side. Normally he wasn't afraid of heights… but normally he had a jet pack on. He glanced ahead at Rev, blindfolded and already swinging, then down at the ground where Slam was staring up with a quietly mesmerized focus on the swinging bird that made Duck slightly uneasy.

"Alright, what's worse?" he asked himself aloud. "Trusting my fate to Mr. Short Attention Span, or the Jaws of Death below?"

"I'm-not-gonna-drop-you-Duck-the-chances-of-me-getting-my-timing-wrong-are-about-oh-five-thousand-to-one-which-is-pretty-good-'cause-I-have-you-locked-in-on-my-radar-so-I-know-where-you-are-and-I-can-tell-you-when-the-good-times-to-jump-are." Rev speedily encouraged. "That-is-if-you-need-any-tips."

Duck huffed and snatched the bar before him.

"I don't need any tips." He denied. "I am a natural." He defiantly donned his blindfold and leapt off. Within a single swing he was fully introduced to gravity's pull and was clinging pathetically to his trapeze like a frightened child to his mother's leg. Ace and Lexi couldn't help but snigger.

"Yeah, a real natural."

Duck frowned at the sound of their laughter. "I'm just finding my tempo." He excused, clumsily failing his legs to keep momentum.

"Ok-Duck," Rev instructed. "Prime-jumping-time-in-T-minus-5-seconds-four-seconds-three-two-now!" The speedster stretched out his arms for retrieval, but Duck remained stationary…well, as stationary as one can be on a trapeze, not even attempting to budge. "Come-on-Duck-you-lost-your-window-here-comes-another-one-in-five-feet-three-feet-one-foot---three-feet,five feet, ten feet," he sighed with disappointment, shaking his head. "He's not jumping."

Ace crossed his arms with resolve.

"Oh, he's jumpin'."

Using the spare trapeze he swung over to the other side and hopped over behind the still swinging duck. A carefully calibrated eye beam shot out, nipping Duck's tail in mid-swing.

"YeeeeOWWW!" Singed tail feathers fluttered about the air as Duck took flight. A huge swing forward as he released the bar to shield his burning behind from further attack, completely forgetting the necessity of grabbing Rev's waiting hands. The roadrunner quickly sensed Duck plummeting and leaping from his perch, took a nosedive to attempt catching him. Slam too, whipped into a frenzy, ran around in circles beneath the declining water foul in hopes of breaking his fall. Both prospective rescuers were denied as, by simple reflex, Duck Quacked mid-air and vanished from sight.

Rev removed his blindfold to ensure Duck's disappearance from his radar wasn't a fluke. As he hovered, he scanned the room for his training partner's presence. After a moment he surrendered and gave Slam a confused shrug, which the Devil answered with a bewildered grunt of his own.

The heavy doors of the training room slid open as Tech paced in, a frown on his face… and a screaming and flailing Duck in his arms.

"Loose someone?" he grimaced.

Duck finally gained his composure as he slowly came to realize he was no longer falling. Safely caught by someone. He lifted the edge of his blindfold and looked up at the glowering coyote.

"Oh, it's you." He remarked cynically. "Careful with the tail feathers, they're currently sensitive, thanks to a certain someone." He narrowed his eyes at the apathetically smug façade Ace was now putting up. Tech rolled his eyes and rudely dropped the duck where he stood.

The rest of the group ignored the cry of outrage and pain as the expression on Tech's face told them something more serious then a sore bottom was at hand here.

"What's up Tech?" Ace inquired as he slid down the ladder.

The coyote only pointed behind him towards the location of the communications room.

"Zadavia's on the line."

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"What's the crisis dejour on t'day's menu Zadavia?" Ace joked, entering the communications room. The remaining team took their seats around the holographic image. The stern face of their informer gazing down with omnipotent certainty as she spoke, her expression remaining neutral.

"A big helping of trouble today Ace. A kidnapping in City Hall Central."

He took his seat; kicking up his feet with an eager, yet contained, grin.

"Sounds tasty."

Slam grunted in agreement, licking his chops with a "Yum, yum."

"Earlier this morning, a woman going by the name Aphrodite, barged into the Mayor's office and kidnapped the Mayor's head assistant, Milo Thorne." The image on the view screens replayed the security video taken from the bureaucratic office of the morning's attack, along with a photo of Thorne himself. A well-dressed man in his mid-thirties, his hair cut short and neatly combed with a pair of thin wire glasses that sat on the bridge of his nose.

"Why'd she kidnap that dork and not the Mayor?" Duck asked bluntly.

"As of right now, her motives are unknown. But Thorne is not the only man that's been taken by her. Several men all over the city have been inexplicably drawn to follow her. It appears that she has the ability to attract these men to her, though I have not yet discovered how she accomplishes this."

"Well, she ain't bad looking f'starters." Ace commented.

Lexi rolled her eyes and coughed an attention grabbing "ahem." Ace noticed her bothered appearance and with sudden humility resumed focus on Zadavia.

"I can only imagine what she could do with such an army." The benefactor continued, concern showing on her face. "And I doubt it's for anything good."

Ace waved his hand with a confident lean back in his chair.

"Eh, nothin' we can't handle. Right team?" The others nodded, ready to go.

"Sounds like a good opportunity for us to field test my new Omniblaster 6,000." Tech smiled, holding up a thick three-barreled gun shaped device. He patted the top, prideful, as if he were stroking his best hunting dog. "This baby can shoot a range of projectiles including energy blasts, lightning arcs, and a heat seeking net launcher for fleeing criminals. Complete with a 99 percent accuracy rating."

"Only 99 percent?" Lexi inquired. Tech rubbed the back on his head, an embarrassed frown turning down his mouth.

"I got caught in the nets once during the lab tests…"

Red lights flashed over the monitors. Zadavia's expression did not change, but her voice deepened with concern.

"It appears that you'll be getting that field test sooner than you expected Tech. Aphrodite has been spotted in the retail district."

"Shopping for the latest designs?" Duck retorted.

The Toons looked over the new video feed. The femme fatale stood before a full-length mirror in a high-end clothing store in deep down town, modeling a long purple gown for her admirers, who gathered around her offering gifts of gems and jewelry.

"More like getting those guys to buy stuff for her." Lexi sneered.

Duck scoffed,

"Oh please, like you don't dream about being lavished with gifts from some admirer?

Lexi blushed. Secretly a gift like that was on her list of guilty pleasures. Who wouldn't want to get a little special something from someone who thought you were pretty? Especially of that someone wasn't too bad looking himself. She shook the thought from her head; now wasn't the time, and Duck's critical gaze was still leaning on her.

"Well…not like what she's doing." A touch of blush heated her cheeks.

"C'mon team, time we showed Aphrodite ah' own voision a d'red light special." Ace announced, standing from his chair. His face had abruptly morphed from joking and easy, to stern and serious. A clear signal it was mission time.

"Good luck Loonatics. Zadavia, out."

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Rainbow ribbons of light streaked across the busy streets. The humming buzz of five Loona-cycles and one supersonic Roadrunner darted about traffic. Motorists gave way to them respectfully. Pedestrians yielding to watch, slack jawed and marveling, until the Acme Heroes had vanished over the horizon.

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Aphrodite sat in the soft red velvet chair, her hands being massaged, the thermostat set at a comfortable 72 degrees, and the shades drawn so the sun would not dare intrude to bother her delicate eyes. Only the best for such a V.I.P. The mustachioed salesman grinned eagerly holding the black high-healed sling back up to her as if it were Cinderella's glass slipper.

"Mademoiselle, please try zees, Italian leather, ze most comfortable and elegant we carree. Zey will most defiantly complement such a beautiful and dainty foot such as yours."

"They are lovely," she smiled, lifting her foot up for all to see. The 30 or more men ooh-ed and ah-ed as she wiggled her toes. The clerk tenderly slipped the shoes onto her milky, soft feet. His moment of privilege, interrupted by the jingling chime of the entrance bell.

"Shoppin' spree's ova Aphrodite!" Ace announced, entering the room with his typical cockiness, the other Loonatics following close behind.

"Loonatics?" Aphrodite's eyes widened with surprise. For a moment she appeared visibly flustered, drained of the heavy confidence she had subdued the mayor with just this morning. Composing herself quickly, she straightened her dress and turned up her nose.

"This is a private party, and you weren't invited."

"Dat's okay." Ace Smirked, "We prefer crashin' parties anyway."

"Yeah Sister!" Duck chimed in, trying to catch a little of Ace's thunder. "We're breaking up your little fan club and taking you in!"

No sooner had the words slipped past his beak, he began to feel the angry stares pinprick all over his body. Every one of Aphrodite's men glared at him with severe, burning, hatred. Duck gulped hard, smiling nervously as the growls and glares felt hot on his feathers as they closed in tightly around him.

"Was it something I said?"

"How dare you try to take Aphrodite from us!" One of the men shouted.

"We have to protect her!" yelled another.

"Let's get 'im!"

Before Duck could realize what was going on, he was being trounced upon by a horde of angry men.

"Ow! Hey! Watch the feathers!" he protested as they ganged up on him.

The others winced as another large man leapt onto the growing mass that covered their companion. The dog pile suddenly collapsed as Duck appeared behind his teammates in a flash of quantum energy.

"Woo!" he gasped. "Ugly crowd."

Lexi pointed with wide eyes fixated on the rioting mob heading towards them.

"It's about to get uglier!"

Ace ducked the chair that came flying at his head and leapt behind a display mannequin. He pulled out his Omniblaster and set it to "capture."

"Set ya blasters t'net launcha." He ordered, "We don't wanna hoit um!"

The Loonatics obeyed and soon the room was filled with the sounds of flying mesh, pinning down and tying up rampaging masculinity left and right. It was an easy round up, like a private rodeo, twisted in the fact that the animals were subduing the cowboys in this case. Occasionally a brain blast or quantum egg flew past to destruct an airborne chair or mannequin but the effort for the most part was kept as nonviolent as possible. At least, that's what the Loonatics where trying for. The men on the other hand had more savage ideas in mind.

Laser pistols fired over the melee. The former mayoral guard decided to take on the occupation of pest control against Acmetropolis's heroes, their loyalty no longer with their city, their allegiance only to Aphrodite. Milo stepped in front of her as a shield for any errant blast that dared near her. Regardless of their own safety, the men continued to onslaught and blitz against forces stronger then their own, but not as bloodthirsty as they.

Duck relocated behind a metal statue suspended from a support beam connected to the domed ceiling overlooking the center of the store. The guards spotted him and re-opened fire.

"Hey! You're supposed to be on our side ya know!" The fowl complained.

A stray laser whizzed by his head, instead of hitting him thanks to the fast reflexes of a coward, it sliced a support cable, fraying it. The statue's weight did the rest of the work, snapping the cable and the effigy pulled away from the wall, dangling from its remaining restraints.

The barrage began again and the orange clad hero teleported away from the stream of fire, leaving the imbalanced decoration to loose its grounding without his knowledge of the severity of its instability. Tech pinned a large angry cab driver down in a net before noticing the wires on the suspended art piece snap, the weighty iron form leaning precariously over the remaining love obsessed combatants. The unrestrained figure toppled, aimed to crush the men poised beneath it. Tech dropped his weapon and caught the statue in an aura of green glow. The sudden distraction caused by this unexpected mayhem gave Aphrodite ample opportunity to run out the nearest exit, Milo close on her heals. Catching eye of this, Ace signaled the others to follow.

"Afta' her!"

Tech strained under the tonnage of the statue, scanning around for a place to drop the hefty hazard without smashing anyone. Unfortunately, with their mistress gone, the men had slumped to the floor in a melancholy depression.

"Move!" He growled at them.

"Aphrodite's gone…" One man whined.

"Why'd she leave us?" Another sobbed.

Tech groaned and turned to his comrades.

"I'll catch up!"

With a nod, Ace took off with the others.

The chase led them to a storage area piled high with shoeboxes and shelves of folded merchandise. The head start had hidden their fugitive well among the stock.

"Great, she could be anywhere." Duck proclaimed. His investigative gaze disrupted by a clodhopper whacking the back of his head. Heads turned to see Milo launching throw after throw, any shoe he could get his hands on.

"Leave her alone!" he demanded, tossing another volley of footwear. The Loonatics dodged, but found his aim to be defiantly accurate. Slam stood in between Milo and the others. The shoe barrage continued but thumped harmlessly against his chest before dropping to the floor.

"For a desk jockey, he sure has a good arm." Lexi noted.

"I know, isn't he hunky?" Aphrodite squealed from her seat upon many boxes in the corner.

"Give up Aphrodite." Ace focused his eyes squarely on her. "Ya army ain't here ta protect ya anymore."

She stood, pouting like a little girl denied candy.

"Why would you want to arrest me? I haven't done anything bad."

"Yeah right." Lexi huffed with a roll of her eyes. "Only trespassing and kidnapping." Aphrodite met her intolerant glare with one of her own, only to see the other Loonatics achieving the same.

"Now, now" She waggled her perfectly manicured finger. "Those boys came with me because they wanted to. Right Milo baby?"

"I'd follow you anywhere, Aphrodite." The spectacled other announced.

The heroes' gazes remained unconvinced. Their unfeeling chill left to run down her spine.

"See?" She teased. "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful."

"Oh, we don't hate ya 'cause ya beautiful. We hate ya 'cause ya tryin' ta control all d'men in d'city." Ace quipped.

"But it's so much easier to love than hate." Her voice was sultry and warm as she tossed her scarf over her shoulder filling the air with a light puff of pink vapor.

"Fhew! Somebody's overdoing it with the perfume." Lexi twitched her nose while fanning some of the fragrant mist away.

Aphrodite smiled and pointed to the remaining teammates.

"They seem to like it."

Lexi looked over to see the dopey looks of her companions fixated on Aphrodite's form. Their mouths partially agape in half smiles, eyes glazed in a daydream-like state. Lexi waved her hands in front of their faces, trying to reclaim their attention.

"Uh, guys?"

Duck blinked and slapped her hand away with annoyance in his glare.

"Do you mind?" he snapped. "All your waving around his blocking my view of…her…" He brushed Lexi aside to get closer. Aphrodite basked in his attention, while giving Lexi the same superior look she had given the mayor.

"She's beautiful…" Duck sighed.

"Beyond beautiful, she-amazing-she's-breathtaking-stupendous!" Rev exclaimed dashing about her to behold her many angles and curves.

"Hehheh…pretty…" Slam muttered with a blissful smile.

"Would you guys listen to ya selves?" Ace broke the hazy stupor with a shout. His serious leer slicing their attention back to him. "Ya all sound like ya crazy."

Lexi returned the domineering grin in Aphrodite's direction.

"She's gorgeous."

Then she faltered. Long ears drooping, eyes and mouth open wide, shock capturing her voice in her throat. She was only able to meekly squeak out a surprised utterance of his name.

Aphrodite could have eaten up her expression for dessert.

"Looks like your boys found a new queen bee, Honey." She smirked, taking Ace's chin in her hand.

Green eyes were now taking on a hot pink glow.

"I can still sting!" Lexi threatened, leaping up into a powerful kick aimed right for Aphrodite's head.

Her flight was stopped short by the painful yank of her ears. Dangling helplessly at the mercy of Slam's tremendous fist clamped tightly around her lobes.

"Grrthua, No hurt pretty!" he garbled, holding her at eye level, anger distorting his face into a frightening mask.

"Urhg, Slam, you're… hurting me…" she winced against the burning sensation that threatened that her ears were close to ripping off her head. She feebly tried to pry free, biting the inside of her lip to hold back the pain-induced tears pooling behind her shut eyes.

"Toss back that little fish, big boy." Aphrodite chuckled, "You already got the catch of the day."

Slam callously dropped Lexi. She landed disgracefully on her rear with a groan. Her ears throbbing from all the pinching and pulling they had endured. Looking up she saw the guys crowding around Aphrodite, competing for her attention.

"You're beautiful Aphrodite!" Duck swooned.

"You're wonderful Aphrodite." Ace stated.

"We love you Aphrodite!" The quartet sang at once.

Lexi stared in disbelief, the dreamlike scenario unfolding before her. Speechless, aside from a flabbergasted,

"Oh, boy…"

To be continued