Chapter 3- Beauty and Brains
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You have got to be kidding me…
Those were the words floating from Lexi's mind as her bewilderment transformed into frustration at the four teammates now practically (or in Slam's case, literally) drooling over Aphrodite before them.
"Hello! Guys! That's an evil villain you're fawning over." She tried reasoning with them. They didn't respond, not even to acknowledge that they had even heard her speak. They continued leering, staring, sighing, in a heavenly daze. There may as well have been little cartoon hearts floating around their heads. Aphrodite giggled again, only this time not in a childishly sweet way. More like a mocking, self-indulgent way. A true nature pricking though the innocent façade, as paint would chip off a wall showing the original, ugly, outdated colors underneath. It entertained her to see Lexi so earnestly trying to shepard her friends back onto her side, and her failing at it was the frosting on the cake.
"It's so cute that you want your friends back." She teased meanly. "But they're mine now and they don't want it any other way. That's what happens when a man falls under my spell."
Lexi snarled.
"Then I'll have to break your spell when I break your face!"
She charged up a Brain-Blast and aimed carefully, not wanting to accidentally hit one of her teammates. The pink bolt zapped with an unleashed fury. Aphrodite's eyes widened, the confidence draining from her face.
Until a sword's blade intercepted, deflecting the beam away to fizzle out within the nether regions of the room. Ace stood nobly by Aphrodite's side, a picturesque facsimile of a knight by his lady. The sight was equivalent to a blow to the chest. The stares of the others on Lexi stung. They wore expressions of betrayal, but she quickly reminded herself she had done nothing wrong. Aphrodite looked at how they gathered around her and grinned that snaky, witchy smile. Her superior expression returning as if she had planned it this way all along.
"Oh, didn't think it would happen that way, did you?" She cutesy-talked with mock sympathy.
Lexi growled under her breath. This was the end of her limit.
"When I get my hands on you…" She snarled, but was unable to finish her statement when the glares began again, distracting her. She smartly backed off, fearing their percolating wrath. Needless to say, Aphrodite was hardly distressed.
"All you have are threats?" She held back a laugh "That's pretty pathetic."
"So's having to brainwash guys to like you." Lexi hissed back. "And pretty shallow if you ask me."
Aphrodite's face scrunched up flashing beet red, puffing her cheeks in a manner that resembled a child about to throw a temper tantrum.
"Shallow?" She snarled indignantly. Her eyes glared sharply.
Her newfound followers turned to her with confused expressions pleading to know how they could ease her frustration.
"How, dare, you…" She fumed, gritting her teeth. The angrier she got, the more her beauty seemed to fade, burned away by the heat of her hate. She finally took notice of the male Loonatics glimpsing her sympathetically. With an annoyed, commanding tone she heaved,
"Well, don't just stand there, make her HURT!"
It was comparable to that point in the horror movie when the girl hiding from the killer realizes she's been spotted and there's no escape. Four sets of glowing eyes turning on her with the abhorrence shared only with villains in the past.
Lexi tried to stifle the flutter in her heart. This couldn't be real. This was a bad dream, right? Her best friends and teammates were NOT about to kick her pink bunny butt to the curb… right? The quartet lunged at her. She leapt over Rev as he zoomed straight for her. Slam's trunk-like arms thrashed at her, but she kicked him in the chest, spring boarding up and somersaulting over Duck's grasping hands. Powered on the rush of adrenaline she dashed out the heavy exit door, without a single glimpse behind her.
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In the back alley, behind the outlet strip, Lexi found little reprieve as the rapid footsteps tapped closer and closer. Her reaction time was severed as a red streak snatched around her around the waist and carried her back towards the building.
"Man-you-really-got-Aphrodite-angry-back-there-Lex-good-thing-we're-on-her-good-side-so-maybe-if-you-apologize-she-won't-be-mad-anymore-and-she'll-let-you-hang-around-with-us-or-something-that-would-be-great!"
Lexi rolled her eyes. The idea of being Aphrodite's gal pal nauseated her more then Rev's rapid movements through the alleyway. She braced herself and swiftly swept her leg beneath Rev's, halting his speed in an abrupt stumble that propelled them both to the ground. The remaining momentum sending him sliding uncomfortably against the concrete, Lexi leapt from the roadrunner's weakened grasp and with a tuck and roll, avoiding a nasty introduction to road rash. Rev skidded to a stop, crumpled and close to unconsciousness a few feet away. His head and tail feathers lying disheveled over his body, he tried to pull himself up but collapsed with fatigue. Lexi frowned; hurting him was the last thing she wanted to do.
"Sorry!" She called before running away. Within a few measly seconds, he had cost her precious time and distance. She resumed her escape, trying not to focus on the fact that she had felled a friend. Not even two steps further did she go before Duck materialized in her way.
"Not so fast, sister." He announced cockily. "If anyone's getting props form Aphrodite for catching you, it's gonna be me." He grinned, pointing to himself in a self-assured way before taking a clichéd superhero pose. "Now come quietly and I won't have to use force."
She shook her head, sighing inwardly at his lame spouting. He was the same old Duck, even when brainwashed. She pointed in a random direction over his shoulder and shouted,
"Look! There's Aphrodite now!"
As expected, he turned, abandoning his attention to her in a hopeful search.
"Where? Is she watching me? Do I look heroic enough?" He preened his feathers a moment and turned back to show his captive.
Only to discover she was his captive no longer.
His face dropped, then molded to a look of scorn and annoyance. He yelled into the empty alleyway.
"Hey! That was a low blow!"
Somewhere out from the maze of brick echoed an apologetic,
"Sorry!"
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Hidden in the dark cover of the alleyway, Lexi managed to force down a few deep breaths of air. Her mind racing, senses alert, she knew this reprieve was just a little pit stop before the chase began again. The distant footsteps her super hearing had picked up assured her of this. The steps began to pick up their pace, searching and wandering with an uncertain footfall. Lexi knew they'd find her eventually and she had a choice; run now and hope she'd loose them or stay and try to take her pursuer by surprise. She chose to stay and fight. After all, she had heard him long before he could possibly hear her.
She flipped the charging switch on her Omniblaster. The tiny whine told her it was ready to release its payload on her command. Hoping a little stun blast would be able to handle opponents who could outrun, teleport out of, slice through, blast, or otherwise tear to shreds a restraining net.
The footsteps where now getting more frequent, rapidly closing the gap towards her. Her finger twitched on the trigger as she tried to ready her mind. What was coming around that corner was an enemy not a friend. With a nerve-rallying cry, she whipped the weapon up at arms length straight out, pointing it right between the eyes of the pointy-eared form darting into her line of sight.
"Lexi!" Tech shrieked, nearly loosing his cool. His arms up submissively, shaking; the expression on his face indicating the idea that his heart may have stopped. His pupils shrunken to the size of pinpricks in anticipation for his head to be blown off, a sadly too familiar sensation.
"Tech!" Lexi's arms slackened, as did her jaw. A sigh of relief rolled out of her mouth.
"That's not the best way to make a guy happy to see his teammates, you know." He lowered his guard as she lowered her gun.
"Sorry." She pleaded for what felt like the hundredth time. "It's the others, Aphrodite turned them into her love zombies!"
Tech's face regained its surprised cast momentarily. Lexi's sad eyes proved to be the only evidence he needed to see she wasn't bending the truth. Then, another realization overcame him.
"But, her powers didn't effect you. Intriguing." He looked about the alley. "Where are the others now?"
Suddenly the brick wall beside them erupted with smashed mortar and flying rubble scattering, bursting free from the construct. The mighty purple fist followed by the imposing form of Slam Tasmanian leering through the impressive body sized hole he had just made for himself. Lexi slid Tech a sardonic stare.
"You just had to ask?" Her voice deflated.
The bulky behemoth lunged forward. His ferocious mitts narrowly missing Lexi as she deftly flipped out of his range.
"Run!" She grabbed Tech by his wrist and dragged his bewildered body behind her.
The chase only lasted seconds as Slam activated his tornado mode. Instantly the alleyway became a wind tunnel suctioning the fleeing duo back towards their predator. Failing to keep their footing, they left the ground, tugged strongly by the current into what appeared to be an inevitable encounter with a windy Charybdis.
Reacting quickly, Tech spotted a fire escape on the side of the old building parallel to their pathway. Reaching out a glowing hand he summoned the ladder down from locked position. He and Lexi grabbed on and pulled themselves to the safety of the higher levels. The wind died down and the beastly warrior stared up at them now out of his attack range.
Or so they thought…
Slam grabbed the fire escape and pulled mightily, causing the fire escape to wobble and warp. Lexi and Tech tried their hardest to hold on despite the undulations. Finally the metal escape was freed from the brick and hoisted unnaturally into the air, the frightened mammals flung from their perch. Lexi's gymnastics kicked in and saved her from a broken back as she landed expertly in an energy-dissipating crouch. Tech activated his backpack and gave himself a rocked-assisted landing next to her. Slam approached them, a hungry glint in his eye neither of them liked.
The devil seemed intently focused on the girl bunny, however, as Tech dutifully noted. Realizing she was the brute's true target, the coyote aimed to gain her an escape. Slam lunged forward, looking to give Lexi the worst bear hug in history, but a certain green-hued canine forced himself between them. Tech held the Omniblaster square in Slam's face.
"Slam, don't make me do this."
Herculean arms hit him with the impact of a semi-truck.
Lexi's face froze with shock as Tech flew backwards, the helpless prey of rag-doll physics. He impacted with the edge of a dumpster before flipping into the open receptacle. He landed inverted, his tail in his face and a discomforting tingle numbing his legs.
"I don't think that's what he had in mind when he said that." Lexi mused. The glowing purple eyes reminded her that Tech wasn't the only one in dangers path. Gaining speed she ran away, hoping to escape this bad dream like scenario. It was no use however, as Rev instantly blocked the end of the alleyway. Duck appeared on her left, Ace to her right, she was boxed in.
Aphrodite calmly followed the fray, her high heels clicking to announce her presence like applause. Milo close behind her, smiling dreamily, and seemingly oblivious to the inevitable mayhem. She surveyed the destruction with a half interest. When she saw Lexi still standing, her curiosity boiled to frustration.
"You haven't finished her yet?" She indignantly whined. "I thought you were supposed to be professionals."
"I almost got her!" Duck excitedly proclaimed, bouncing like an eager puppy. "That counts for something right?"
Aphrodite sighed and pushed past the duck. She fumed; tightening her fists, then took notice of Ace standing so close by her side. His expression was one of disappointment, the look of a master shamed by failure, but a tiny spark of resolve. It was a warriors' look that gave Aphrodite an idea. She turned to him with a smile.
"Acey, why don't you show them why you're the leader?"
He stepped forward and drew his sword. The thin blade telescoping out with a flick of his wrist. A stern, unquestioning lens over his eyes. A quick trot sprung him up into the air, the blade held over his head ready to make the vertical slash straight through his fellow lagamorph. Something inside Lexi's throat tightened, reducing her voice to a meager gasp of fear.
Only inches from her earspace, the steal suddenly jerked back, flying itself and Ace still holding tight, right into a nearby brick wall, imbedding itself there.
"You okay?" Tech's voice recovered her senses. She looked back to see him climbing from the dumpster, his hand and eyes glowing brilliantly.
Ace snarled with fury, yanking his sword from the wall and rushing back towards Lexi. She leaned back, dodging his slice. Placing her hands on the ground, she back flipped to get farther out of range. Tech sped to intercept his next swing.
"Get outta d'way!" The bunny ordered.
Tech stood firm, his arms crossed in a defensive stance as the blade came down. A thin green magnetic field the only thing between him and loosing his arms.
"Ace, what are you doing?" He beckoned to his leader's common sense. "Its us!"
Ace pushed harder on the handle. His intent to obey Aphrodite was overwhelming and Tech was standing between him and finishing her command. Tech pressed back, determined to stop this insanity.
"You're not really going to hurt Lexi are you?"
Ace's eyes stopped their golden blaze. The blue irises taking on a softness of worry, as a moment of hesitation began to linger. The wait for results was too much for Aphrodite to bear. She decided to take things into her own hands.
"What is taking so long?" She walked over to the combatants, eyeing them both with distain.
Ace halted at her sudden presents right next to him and Tech. Both warriors slackened as she eyed Tech over with intrigue.
"Looks like I missed one."
Tech did not like the way she was looking over him. It was a look he had received times before by those who wanted something out of him. It made him uneasy, more so when she got too deep into his personal space. He took a step back to retreat, but found it oddly difficult to take his eyes off her.
Lexi saw the intent in Aphrodite's eyes. She called out to Tech before he could fall deeper under her spell.
"Tech, get away from her!"
Tech regained his focus, a rush of adrenaline pumping his heart realizing what Aphrodite was trying to do. His eyes darted around and fell upon a nearby trashcan. Thinking quickly, he levitated the can and overturned its contents onto the Diva's head.
A waterfall of refuse poured down, clinging to her hair and clothing. The smell was awful and its pungency snapped Tech's mind fully back to reality.
Aphrodite shrieked. Her dress stained with drippy coffee grounds, skin tainted with slippery banana peels and sticky tissue paper. The repugnance on her face wrinkled her features. For a moment, silence. She shivered with revulsion and shock.
"My new dress!" Her disgusted cries bounced off the alley walls. "Ew, ew, ew! Gross!" She shook off as much of the slimy waste as she could; Milo and the brainwashed Loonatics watched her with confusion, approaching with concern. Tech and Lexi however, took several cautious steps back.
"It's okay,"
"It'll wash right out."
"That banana peel brings out the color in your eyes!"
Her followers tried to calm her.
"I can't be seen like this!" Aphrodite wailed, "Get me out of here! NOW!"
"But what about them?" Duck pointed towards the retreating others.
"I don't care!" She burst "You can destroy them later. I need a bath!"
"Oh-right-away-with-bubbles-and-scented-oils-and-those-little-beads-that-get-all-fizzy-when-you-drop-them-in-the-water-you-name-it!" Rev spouted, scooping her up and zipping off, the remaining loyalists running in his wake, leaving a bewildered Tech and Lexi to themselves.
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To be continued: