The Comet Cometh Revisited

by iwolf208

Ace, Lexi, Duck, Slam, Tech, and Rev. You know them as the superheroes of Acmetropolis, but what were they like before the comet hit? What's the real story behind the Loonatics? (an in-depth expansion on the original epsiode...) **Ch. 6 & 7 featuring Ace Bunny!**

2. Morning at HQ

No, that was not a typo. This chapter is in fact 17,000+ words. =O

(Well... actually Microsoft Word said it was only a little over 15,000 words, but this site seems to think otherwise... and these author's notes can't be beefing it up THAT much...)

I figured this chapter was going to end up being long, but I never figured that it would end up being this massive. I suppose its largely due to the fact that this chapter has so much dialouge. I almost feel like apologizing for not finding stuff to cut out...

As I've mentioned before, I'm spending these first 3 chapters introducing the story and touching on the character's personalities. Let me start by saying that I sort of have mixed feelings about this chapter. There are some really good things in it, but there are also times where I feel like it drags a little, but hey, maybe thats just me being overly critical about my own work. That being said, there is ALOT of dialouge in this chapter. The team really isn't doing much of anything besides interacting with eachother (that is until the very last part), so I tried to make the conversations as realistic and flowing as possible, and I guess that's what made this chapter so long. Don't worry, future chapters won't be nearly this long (hopefully). Also, there will be alot more stuff for the Loonatics to do actually do in the next chapter, so let's keep our hopes up for that. =)

So with that, I suggest that you not read this all at once. Reviewing the piece from top to bottom actually took me about an hour and a half :P So, I recommend reading this chapter in sections. There are actually 4 breaks in the story, and I suggest that you use at least one of them to actually take a break and come back to it later. If you feel like trying to read the whole thing in one shot, be my guest, but don't blame me if your eyes start getting tired, or you start losing interest. (If you feel like the story is dragging, maybe you just need to take a break :P lol)

Also, I'd like to take a second and thank everyone who gave me a review for the first chapter. Your words were so encouraging, and I feel honored to have recieved them. I hope this chapter, as well as the rest of the story, exceeds your expectations...

I'll talk some more at the end. For now, let's just get to the story...

---

Ch. 2 – Morning at HQ

With the arrival of the mallard, a pair of metal doors rushed open allowing Duck to enter the kitchen/dining area. The rest of his teammates were already there. Both Rev and Lexi were working in the kitchen. Rev was multi-tasking at top speed switching between the stove, the oven, and the contents of the refrigerator. Lexi was at one of the counters mixing what appeared to be waffle batter in a large bowl. He also noticed that some covered food platters had been placed in the center of the rectangular dining table. Ace sat at the far end of the table reading a newspaper, while Slam sat at the close end, trying to construct some kind of pyramid out of forks and spoons. His eyes, however, seemed to keep wandering to the food. And, at the far end of the room, all by himself, Tech was meditating silently while sitting on top of one of those "levitating discs" he had put together. He, Ace, and Rev were the only ones in uniform. Duck, Slam, and Lexi still sported their pajamas. As Duck approached the table to take a seat, Lexi was the first one to make mention of his arrival.

"Well there's Mr. Sleepy-head! What happened, did your alarm clock break again?" she teased.

"What's the big deal? It's only 9:30…"

"Correction, Duck," Ace chimed in, "it's almost 10:00, and ya know ya really shouldn't be sleepin' in on a day like today…"

"Well, it's not like you guys have been up for that long…" Duck defended.

"Actually," Lexi answered, "I woke up about an hour ago, and both Rev and Slam were already up by then. Ace has been up since 7, and Tech over there's been awake since 5 this morning!"

"So what? It's Tech, big whoop! I probably wouldn't be able to sleep much either if I spent day after day locked up in that laboratory of his while the rest of us are actually out having lives…" Duck said bitingly.

"I heard that!"

The coyote's sudden interruption apparently caught the duck off-guard as he jumped slightly at the noise. His jump barely nudged the table, but it was enough to knock over Slam's cutlery construction. He groaned slightly in disappointment ("D'aaaawwww…") but immediately started the rebuilding process.

"Oh sorry, Tech," Ace apologized for his teammate, "did we distoib you?"

The hovering pedestal had stopped floating and was now resting on the ground as Tech stood up to approach the table, "A little bit, but it's all good, chief. I was just finishing up anyway."

As Tech took a seat next to Ace, he turned his attention to the fowl with the loud beak, "And for your information, Duck, I was only awake so early because the city officials contacted me yesterday asking me to put together an attraction for the festival today."

"How's that goin', by tha way?" Ace asked.

"Actually, all I really have left are the finishing touches. I should be able to finish it up after breakfast. I might need a little help, though."

"Sure, pal, whatever ya need! Right, Duck?" Ace brought the conversation back to their aloof teammate who only responded with a forced sigh.

"Listen, Duck, you have a point," Tech explained, "9:40 isn't really THAT late to be waking up. But I'm sure you know, as well as the rest of us do, that today's kind of important. The least you could do is try to wake up a little earlier and lend us a helping hand. If everyone else can do it, I'm sure you can too."

Duck knew he had a point, but he still felt like he had to have the last word, "Well, I'm sorry that my beauty sleep comes as such an inconvenience to everyone…"

Tech and Ace smirked at each other, but decided to let him have it this time. Lexi waltzed up to the table to set down a few more plates. Slam's mouth started watering as he raised his hands in an attempt to seize his eye's desire.

"Hold it, big guy," Lexi stopped him, "No one eats until everything's ready and we're all at the table. It'll just be a bit longer, okay?"

Slam groaned again ("Ooookkaaayy….") and gingerly went back to his silverware.

"Speakin' a which," Ace asked, "How much longa 'till we get ta eat, Lex?"

"Yeah, I'm practically dying of starvation, here!" Duck added.

"Don't worry guys, I'm sure we're almost done. Right, Rev?"

Rev answered in his usual top-speed fashion, "You're-absolutely-right-Lexi-and-BOY-do-we-have-a-treat-for-you-guys-today-if-you-just-give-me-a-few-more-seconds-for-the-muffins-to-finish-cooking-and-we-just-gotta-let-the-bacon-simmer-for-another-minute-or-two-and-then-all-we-have-left-are-the-WAFFLES-which-shouldn't-take-long-at-all-now-that-we-have-the-new-high-tech-waffle-maker-that-Tech-designed-for-us-which'll-have-those-babies-golden-before-you-can-say—(*ding!*) THEMUFFINSAREDONE!" With the alarm, Rev raced over to the oven to pull out his latest creation.

"We should really have Rev in here more often." Lexi noted cheerfully, "With his speed, we can get a 7-course meal in a 2-course time!"

"You guys sure are making a lot of food," Tech pointed out, "are you sure we need all this?"

"Well today's a special occasion isn't it? Besides, I'm sure Slam, here, will be more than happy to take care of whatever we don't eat." At the mention of this idea, the Tasmanian laughed excitedly in approval.

It was indeed a special occasion. Today marked the 1-year anniversary of the day a meteor had struck the city. At approximately 12:37 p.m. on the day of March 19, 2772, a rogue asteroid landed in the middle of Acmetropolis Harbor. Surprisingly, the impact resulted in very few casualties and only a handful of injuries, but the strike was powerful enough to knock the planet off its original axis, resulting in climate and time shifts all across the globe. Additionally, massive amounts of cosmic radiation were released from the impact zone that lingered throughout the entire city for several days. Fortunately, the radiation proved relatively harmless (save for a few scattered illnesses) but for some, it did provide an unusual side effect. For these 6 heroes, today marked the day that radiation from the meteor's first shockwave changed their lives forever. By somehow altering their DNA in ways that were previously thought impossible, they were each endowed with unique superhuman abilities. Since that day, the 6 of them had certainly come a long way. Two weeks after the impact, they all met for the first time and eventually decided to form a crime-fighting team of real-life superheroes. Despite their good intentions, the city was naturally apprehensive towards such an unusual group, but as time passed, the heroes proved themselves, and Acmetropolis quickly began to view them as a symbol of hope and security. Particularly in a strange new world that had become filled with chaos and uncertainty (the meteor's impact had also brought out more than its fair share of freaks and self-proclaimed villains, to put it lightly.) As a reference to a television show that was wildly popular over 800 years ago, the media dubbed the team as "The Loonatics" (as the heroes looked notably similar to characters in the original program) and the name quickly stuck. A year later, the Loonatics have become recognized as superheroes worldwide, and today, Acmetropolis was honoring them with a festival as a way of saying thanks. It was indeed a special occasion.

A few minutes had passed… *DING! DING!*

"Alright-guys-the-waffles-are-done-and-that-means-WE-CAN-EAT!" Rev finally announced with excitement. With this announcement, Slam had begun to grin eagerly while throwing his fists repeatedly on the table.

Lexi and Rev approached the table with the last few trays of food, and took their seats after setting them down. Duck raised a fork in his right hand and a spoon in his left high into the air, "Alright men! Let's get eatin'!"

Slam raised his arms in the same manner, "Yeeeaaaaahhh!" he bellowed. But just as they were about to uncover the plates, a voice interrupted them.

"Good morning, Loonatics."

On cue, the lights dimmed slightly and the six of them turned their heads to the living area beside them, where the voice was coming from. In the center of the living area, there stood a large circular pedestal which was now releasing a stream of holographic, multi-colored light up to the ceiling. A woman wearing a red robe, and sporting luminous white eyes appeared within the light to greet them. She had long, flowing blonde hair which was moving upward as if it was being affected by the stream.

"Good morning, Zadavia," Ace spoke for the team, "How've ya been?"

"I'm doing well, Ace, thank you for asking," Zadavia took notice of the two teammates who still had their hands in the air, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything…"

"Not at all ma'am, we were just about ta eat breakfast. What's on ya mind?"

Slam and Duck lowered their hands reluctantly back to the table to listen to their boss.

"I was just stopping by to check up on all of you. I trust that you all have been preparing diligently for the festivities today."

"You betch'ur bottom-dollar, boss-lady," Duck spoke out before anyone else could respond. "I for one can say that I was lucky to find any time for sleep at all, what with all the hard work and back-breaking labor I've been putting in. Yep, you might as well start calling me 'Diligent Duck'!" The mallard wore a proud smile on his face. His teammates could be seen either rolling their eyes or passing him a look, but all of them remained silent. This was an outburst that wouldn't be dignified with a response.

Zadavia raised her brow, "Yes, Duck… I'm sure you have…" Duck's smile faded as she continued, "I'm sure I don't need to remind you of today's importance. It is truly an honor that the city would go to such lengths to put something like this together, and all for the sake of gratitude. Naturally, I expect you all to be on your best behavior and to represent the team to the best of your abilities."

The other teammates snuck a glance at Duck, who quickly took notice, "What're you all lookin' at me for?"

"Technicalities aside," she continued, "I would like to take this time to offer the six of you my personal thanks. All of Acmetropolis, as well as I, owe an incredible debt to your services. And let me be the first to say how proud I am of each and every one of you for selflessly putting your lives on the line each and every day for the good of the people."

"D'aaaawwwww…." Slam blushed, "yuuur wekkumm…."

"So today, even though I'm sure you've probably already made this assumption, I would like to formally and officially give the team the day off. Now, you are all free to enjoy yourselves at the festival today for as long as you like."

A few cheers went up from the table. "Thanks a lot, ma'am!" Ace spoke for the group.

"Well with all the dedication you've shown, you deserve at least one day where you don't have to worry about the fate of the city."

"Ain't that the truth…!" Duck agreed.

"Say, Zadavia," Lexi spoke up, "does this mean that you'll be at the ceremony today, too?"

"Well, it does sound appealing, and it's sure to be a memorable experience... but, alas, I've already made commitments."

"Awww come on, Zadavia, you have to be there," Lexi insisted. "You're a member of this team just as much as we are, maybe even more."

"Yeah," Rev added in agreement, "I-mean-you-gave-us-food-running-water-this-AWESOME-place-to-live-and-not-to-mention-all-the-stuff-you-do-behind-the-scenes-like-the-planning-organizing-scouting-monitoring-finances-public-image-and-providing-for-our-general-well-being…"

"And…" Tech pushed, "we can't forget that if it weren't for you, the six of us would've never met, and this team probably would've never been."

"Well, I am flattered that you all think so highly of me," the boss responded, "but in reality, I only play a small role that accompanies the much bigger burden that the six of you have to carry. If anyone deserves credit as heroes, it would be all of you."

"Well, we still appreciate everything you do for us," Ace concluded.

Zadavia smiled, "Thank you, Ace. Now take today to relax and enjoy yourselves, Loonatics. You've earned it. Zadavia, out!"

With her signature final words, her image disappeared along with the stream of light, and the lighting in the room returned to normal.

"Wow, she gets out even less than you, Tech," Duck commented to which the coyote responded with a small sneer.

"Alright," Ace spoke up, "Now that that's out of tha way, let's see what we got unda' these plates…"

With their leader's suggestion, the six of them began to uncover the platters that sat on the table before them. Ooohs and awed gasps sprang up sporadically as their contents were revealed. It seemed almost like anything and everything that had ever been called a breakfast food had been prepared for them. There were plates of eggs served scrambled, sunny-side up, poached, Benedict, and even served with other foods as an omelet. There were both waffles and pancakes cooked plain as well as with blueberries, strawberries, cinnamon, and chocolate chips. Plates of meat included sausage, ham, and three kinds of bacon (regular, turkey, and maple.) Hash browns were both cooked and served three different ways, there was both French and buttered toast, six different flavors of muffins, biscuits served with either gravy or jam, and three flavors of oatmeal. And, in the center of it all, there was also a huge tray decorated with almost every fruit imaginable like, apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, strawberries, kiwis, mangoes, cherries, pineapples, grapefruit, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, blue, black, and raspberries, and even watermelon.

"Wow…" Ace was the first to comment in words, "Rev…Lex…you guys've really outdone ya 'selves…!"

"Well, Rev deserves more thanks than I do," Lexi confessed, "I only had time to make the French toast and the waffles by the time he made everything else…"

"Nice goin' there, Rev!" The leader light-heartedly tussled the feathers on top of the roadrunners head.

"Just-glad-I-could-help-out-the-team, Ace!" Rev shot back proudly.

"Holy cow, look at all this food!" Duck finally announced in amazement. "It's making my mouth water just looking at it! I don't even know where to begin…there's the sausage…but then there's also the ham… but wait, I have to save room for the waffles…should I get blueberry or strawberry?...or maybe I'll just have an omelet…"

The rest of the team had already begun gathering their food as he mulled his options out loud. "Well, if I were you, Duck, I wouldn't take too long to decide." Tech spoke with a tone that almost sounded like a warning.

Duck simply scoffed and started another of his self-righteous monologues, "Oh my dear, Tech…you simply do not understand. I am a real-life superhero now, and every true hero knows in his heart that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Even the mightiest king knows how essential it is to start out his day with a healthy breakfast, and I am certainly no exception. One must not squander the sacred gift that is the morning meal, but rather, it should be enjoyed to its fullest! And a feast of this magnitude shouldn't simply be enjoyed… but CONQUERED! So, it is my choice…..no….my duty, to make sure I have the best meal that I can possibly have. And furthermore-" while taking a second to gather his next thought, he noticed that his teammates were staring at him with anticipating looks, "—what's with all the starin'?"

His teammates didn't respond to his question as if their actions were self-explanatory. He noticed that each of them had already piled their plates. Tech and Ace looked as though they had already pre-gathered their seconds. "Hey, you guys sure loaded up fast," he commented curiously, "what's with the rush?"

Again his teammates remained silent, braced for something that Duck obviously wasn't aware of. He began to analyze everything as best he could to figure out what was going on. Tech did caution him to hurry up, and he did notice that his teammates were grabbing for food unusually quickly while he was giving his speech. He got his last clue when he realized that it wasn't him that the others were staring at, but rather the beast who sat next to him. Since the plates had been uncovered, Slam hadn't so much as moved an inch or made a sound. There he sat motionless with his eyes wide and his mouth agape. But Duck did notice one thing: it seemed almost as if his pupils were shrinking as his mouth grew wider.

"No…" Duck began to protest, almost at a whisper, "Slam, please don't…!"

But by then, it was too late. The Tasmanian quickly snapped back to reality and released a series of crazed and excited yelping noises. His eyes glew purple as he stood up, surrounded himself with one of his signature tornados, and threw himself onto the table, devouring everything in a matter of seconds. Once his frenzy had subsided, Slam quelled his tornado and his eyes returned to normal. He landed softly back into his chair and let out a stomach-settling belch before picking at his teeth with a look of pure satisfaction. Every plate on the table had had been ravaged, but surprisingly, all the food that his teammates had already claimed was left untouched.

Duck's bill practically hit the table in disbelief, "B-but...but….I…." he stuttered.

"We tried to warn ya, Duck…" Ace mused.

"Thanks a lot, Slam! Now all the food is gone, and I have nothing to eat!"

"Actually… Slam didn't eat everything," Lexi noted as she picked up a nearby wicker basket, "there's still some muffins in this muffin basket."

"Give it here!" Duck spat out eagerly as he snatched the basket away from her. Unfortunately, his smile faded when he looked inside only to find a handful of strange-looking brown ones. He picked one of them up and inspected it apprehensively before managing a small bite. The bite was soon rejected. "Bran muffins?" he asked in disbelief, "Who the hell makes bran muffins? Who the hell eats bran muffins?" He turned his shouting questions to the cook, who only shrugged his shoulders.

Duck plopped back into his chair, "Well that's just great…" He looked over the muffin for a little while longer with distaste before he began forcing himself to eat it. He was hungry, after all.

Several minutes passed as the Loonatics tended to their food and made light conversation. Once Ace noticed that everyone had mostly finished up, he decided to bring up more important matters.

"Alright, I say we go ahead and get this business stuff outta tha way. Rev, run down to tha lab and check tha computer to see if tha mayor has sent us an itinerary yet." Ace didn't mind asking, as Rev had finished his food before anyone else.

"You-got-it-Ace!" The roadrunner's eyes glew bright red as he stood up and raced out of the room, leaving a thin line of flames on the ground behind him. As soon as he left the room, Ace lifted his hand, displaying all of his fingers, and began to count backwards from "10". Rev was back by "3".

"7-seconds! I-must-be-slowing-down!" Rev commented jokingly when he returned to see Ace holding up his time.

"Nice goin', Rev!" Ace commended, "So tell us, what exactly does today have in store fer us?"

"Hmmm…." Rev looked over the schedule a bit as he sat back down. "Well-it-looks-like-the-festival-is-actually-starting-right-now-but-it's-a-good-thing-that-we-don't-have-to-be-there-right-now-because-otherwise-we-would-be-running-late-and-it-would-be-rude-to-keep-our-fans-waiting-so-it's-a-good-thing-we-have-time-to-finish-getting-things-ready-because-otherwise-"

Rev's runaway mouth was interrupted when Tech reached across the table and clasped the runner's beak shut. He didn't usually like being so forceful with his friend, but sometimes it was the only way. "Let me handle this one, Rev…" The roadrunner handed him the paper as he let go of his beak.

"Let's see…" the coyote began, "Like he was saying, the fairgrounds officially open at 10 a.m., which is…. *looks at his watch* …in about four minutes. But we're not expected to be there until the 12:00 "Fan Meet n' Greet / Autograph Signing" at the Civic Auditorium. It says that they're not sure how long the event will last, but they've reserved the auditorium for two hours. Once we're done, we have a few hours of free time until 5:00 when we have to be at the Central Plaza for a recognition ceremony, which shouldn't take much longer than half an hour at most. And, since Zadavia gave us the day off, we're free to enjoy the festival for the rest of the night afterwards!"

"Sounds like a good day ta me! So, what's left to do before we head out?" Ace questioned openly to the group.

"Well," Tech answered first, "I still have to finish the ride I'm putting together. It shouldn't take me more than an hour and a half at most."

"Well… I'm-pretty-much-caught-up-right-now….. I guess I-can-get-started-on-the-dishes." Rev answered as he got up from the table and began walking to the kitchen.

"An hour and a half sounds like just enough time for me to take a shower and get ready." Lexi answered while also getting up, "I think I'll do that."

"Mee tooohh!" Slam responded while getting up himself.

"And I also…" Duck announced confidently at first, but slowly became more and more uncertain, "have…things…to do….as well….."

"Nice try, Duck," Tech stopped him, "But you're not getting off the hook THAT easily."

"What did I do?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all. And that's why I have an errand for you to run." Tech pulled a small notepad from his back pocket and began writing stuff down.

Duck groaned, "Aww, couldn't you just get someone else to do it? Like Slam, he's not doing anything right now!"

"Ehh…no."

"Oh come on! Remember what he did to the food? Sounds like Slam needs to learn a thing or two about being a good teammate."

"You know, I could say the same thing about you. But unlike you, Slam actually woke up early this morning and gave us a helping hand. Besides, it's not even a big deal. I just need you to pick something up for me."

Duck gave a frustrated sigh before giving in, "Fine… what do you need?"

"I'm writing down the address of the technical hardware store that I usually go to, as well as a list of things I need to finish my invention. I want you to run down to the store and ask for a guy named Jason. When you see him, just give him this list, and he should be able to find everything for you." Tech tore the piece of paper from his notepad and handed it to Duck. "I've also put down my membership number as well as my signature, so just charge it all to my account. I doubt they'll ask for anything else so long as you're in uniform. Any questions?"

"Yes... who's Jason?"

"He's actually my old roommate from my days at grad school. I can usually trust him with getting my orders right. Sometimes he even gives me a discount."

Duck folded the paper and was about to place it in his pocket when he remembered that he was still in his pajamas. "Alright, just let me get dressed. Who wants to go with me?"

His open question to the group went unanswered even though he was sure that everyone could hear him (even Lexi and Slam who were already halfway out the door.)

"Well….anyone?"

Rev looked up from his speed washing to acknowledge him, "I'll-go-with-ya-Duck-I-just-need-another-minute-or-two-to-get-rid-of-some-of-these-stains-MAN-THEY'RE-STUBBORN!" With his outburst, Rev's eyes glew red as he furiously began scrubbing another stained dish with a frustrated yet determined look on his face. His arm had become a large red and black blur and the sponge he was holding must have been moving back and forth at least ten reps a second (which is a lot if you think about it…)

Ace turned to Tech, "I think I betta go, too. Ya know, just in case…"

"Good call."

•••

"… I swear that guy isn't even human…..or…tasmanian. He's more like one gigantic stomach with hair!"

They had only been driving for a few minutes, but Duck had been talking almost non-stop since they left the tower. The three of them were driving in a car that was nick-named "Black Lightning XQ90", one of the many vehicles Tech had designed for the team. This particular car may not have been their fastest one, but it could easily hit 250mph in its fastest gear. With a sleek, yet powerful design that matched its name, it was easily the Loonatics' favorite road vehicle. For this situation, they were going to make use of the generous cargo space the car had available. Ace was at the wheel and Rev sat shotgun. Duck was enjoying a long and open backseat to himself and made it a point to stretch himself out as much as possible.

"I'm pretty sure he's adapted beyond the need for any other organs," Duck continued, "All he has is a stomach, and that's all he needs…"

"Hey, lay off Slam, will ya?" Ace interrupted, "I thought you guys were buddies..."

"Just because we're friends doesn't mean that I can't talk about him behind his back. In fact, it's my right, as his friend, to point out his flaws."

"Well you should consida' yourself lucky he held out as long as he did. It was yer own fault for startin' a speech when ya should've been fillin' yer plate."

"Sorry, Ace, I refuse to believe that any of this is my fault."

"Are you gonna be like this tha whole time, Duck?"

"Well, not if you give me something to eat like I asked…"

"I told ya, pal. We don't have time ta be makin' pit stops."

"Says who?"

In response, Ace turned to the navigator next to him, "Got it all figured out yet, Rev?"

Rev's eyes were glowing red as he held his fingers to his head in deep concentration. For the past minute or so, he had been using his natural GPS and tracking abilities to act as their own personal navigation system.

"Aaaaannnddd…..got it!" The lights in his eyes pulsated once as if to signal that he had gathered everything he needed. "According-to-my-calculations-Acme-Techware-Store-is-located-approximately-44.2-km-north-and-18.9-km-east-of-the-tower-and-the-quickest-and-best-possible-route-puts-us-at-about-53-km-or-33-miles-away-from-our-destination-and-judging-by-the-current-traffic-conditions-road-markings-speed-limits-and-our-current-speed-we-should-get-there-in-about-20-to-25-minutes-ideal-conditions-permitting-and-assuming-that-conditions-are-the-same-on-the-way-home-and-alloting-us-a-15-to-20-minute-stop-at-the-techware-store-I-calculate-that-we'll-be-back-home-in-about-one-hour. To-start-off-Ace-take-Freeway-Exit-473A-to-the-lower-highway-which-should-be-coming-up-on-our-right-in-about-58.7-seconds." His eyes returned to normal.

Ace turned back to Duck, "Says Rev."

"Incredible…" Duck mumbled, almost to himself.

"What? Rev's powas, or tha fact that I'm right?"

"…the fact that we must be going at least 100mph and it's still gonna take us 20 minutes to get there. I swear this city is way too big for its own good. How're we supposed to pass the time?"

"Hmmmm… we-could-play-some-kind-of-road-game-like… 'I Spy' or-something…" Rev suggested, though not particularly eagerly.

"Or…" Duck suggested, "Ace here could let me take the wheel…"

"Oh no…" Ace quickly responded, "You're no good wit' fast cars. I don't think I need ta remind ya about what happened last time…"

"Hey, if that lady didn't want to almost get run over, she shouldn't have been standing in the middle of the road like that!"

"She was a crossing guard….. We were in a school zone."

"That's not how I remember it." Duck responded firmly as if that somehow made him right.

"We could just have a conversation ya know," Ace said, returning to the original topic, "nuttin' wrong with gettin' ta know yer own teammates betta."

"Yeah, so what do you propose we talk about then?" Duck questioned unethusiastically.

"Well…..let's see…..eh…." Ace fumbled around in his mind a bit looking for something relevant, "…hmmm…..how about… (*snaps his fingers*) what Zadavia was sayin'? Ya, we all got tha day off, rememba? Whattya guys got planned?"

"Duh, Ace," the mallard responded as if Ace had asked a stupid question, "we're all going to the festival today, remember? Are you sure you're brain's working okay? Maybe I should drive-"

"I've got it, Duck," Ace interrupted flatly, his voice starting to get annoyed. He elaborated, "I was talkin' about what you guys wanna do at the festival with all our new free time. There must be tons of stuff goin' on tonight."

Rev's voice sprang to life, "Oh-man-oh-man-I-can't-WAIT-to-get-to-the-festival-I-just-love-all-the-sights-and-the-sounds-and-all-the-excitement-in-the-air-and-I-can't-wait-to-get-on-all-the-RIDES-like-the-one-that-spins-round-and-round-and-round-and-round-really-fast…or-the-one-that-makes-you-go-all-the-way-upside-down-and-keeps-you-there…and-then-there's-the-roller-coaster-that-goes-really-really-really-high-before-it-sends-you-back-down-to-the-ground-really-fast-like-WHOOOOSHH! HAHA-I'M-SO-EXCITED!"

Ace answered as politely as he could, "As fun as that sounds Rev, I don't think this is gonna be one a those kinds of festivals. This one's more like one a those festivals that's filled with booths and games, and prizes. I'm sure there'll be a few rides, but I probably wouldn't be gettin' my hopes up for a rolla-coasta…"

"Oh."

It wasn't very noticeable, but it sounded like Rev's voice dropped just a hair when he got this new piece of information. More than likely, it didn't mean anything serious, but Ace couldn't help but feel a little guilty for disappointing him like that.

"Well, I don't know about rides," Duck spoke up, "but everyone knows you only go to things like this for the food! Just think of all the tasty grub they're bound to have waiting for us! Corn dogs… barbecue sandwiches… snow cones…!"

Rev was given something new to be excited about, "Curly-fries-and-corn-on-the-cob…!"

"Huge slices of pizza and cheeseburgers…!"

"Cotton-candy-and-caramel-apples…!"

"All the things they can put on a stick…!"

"Those-frozen-lemonade-things-they-sell-in-those-big-colorful-cups…!"

"Anything with the word 'fried' in front of it…!"

"And funnel cakes!" The two of them finished in unison with a dreamy, hungry sigh. They both laughed.

"I gotta admit, that does sound pretty good." Ace spoke up, "I'll make sure to join you guys at tha food court later… but foist, I've got something I gotta take care of…"

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"I'm supposed ta meet up with someone that I haven't seen in a while. Someone very special…"

"Oh, someone special, eh?" Duck repeated with a sudden spark of interest. "This special someone wouldn't happen to be a girl,would it?"

"…Well…"

"AHA! I knew it!" Duck proudly accused, "You've got a special little lady that you've been keeping secret from us, don't you? A girlfriend perhaps?"

"You didn't let me finish-"

"You didn't have to finish," Ace was promptly interrupted, "because you hesitated! And then, you didn't deny it! In my book, that automatically means 'yes'. Case closed. I win." Duck's voice was reminiscent of a kid on the playground who was sure he had outsmarted someone. "Oooooohhh, I wonder what Lexi would think if she heard about this…"

By this point in time, Ace had become used to brushing off Duck's occasional remarks concerning him and Lexi, and how they must have something going between them simply because they spent a lot of time together. But for some reason, the comment caught him off guard, and he couldn't help but hesitate for a second before responding.

"For the umpteenth time, Duck," he finally responded, "Lexi and I aren't dating. We're just friends. Also, I can assure you that tha woman I'm meetin' at tha festival isn't my goilfriend, either."

"Oh yeah? Well then who is she?

Ace decided to turn the tables on the whole exchange, "Well, I was gonna tell ya… but I don't like that tone a yours, so I guess I'll just keep it to myself…"

The pride in Duck's voice dropped, "What? Aww come on, that's not fair! You gotta tell me!"

Ace threw a wink at Rev who was stifling a laugh. "Sorry," he said simply.

The mallard groaned in disappointment before mumbling a final protest, "Fine, be that way! It's not like I haven't already figured it out…"

"Honestly, Duck, you act as if a goilfriend is tha only person I could be meetin'. God forbid it's just a friend or a family member who just wants to see me on such a big day…"

"Turn-right-here-Ace…" Rev interjected to put Ace's thoughts back on track before he missed his exit.

"Thanks, Rev. I guess I let my mind get away from me fer a second there…"

"No-problem-Ace. Your-next-turn-will-be-another-right-in-about-46.3-seconds…"

"Got it." After confirming with Rev, he decided to return to the conversation, "So what about you guys, then? I'm sure you guys got friends or family that're comin' ta see ya."

"Well…" Rev began, "My-parents-did-say-they-were-gonna-come-to-the-festival-a-while-back… but-then-they-called-me-a-few-days-ago-and-told-me-that-something-came-up-and-that-they-wouldn't-be-able-to-make-it…"

"Did they say what it was that came up?" Ace pursued.

"Kinda," Rev's voice had slowed down a bit by this point, "Pop-didn't-go-into-the-details-but-he-did-say-that-he-and-mom-were-going-to-a-big-company-meeting-about-selling-one-of-their-new-patents-or-something-like-that. He-said-that-it-was-really-important-and-that-there-was-no-way-around-it-but-I'm-pretty-sure-they-could've-rescheduled-or-something…"

"That company a theirs really keeps 'em busy, huh?"

Rev nodded.

Duck decided to add his two cents, "And to think, if you hadn't been at the right place at the right time when that comet hit, you'd be wearin' ties and twistin' screwdrivers with your old man right now instead of hanging with us and doing real action hero stuff!"

Rev managed a small smile, "Yeah. My-dad's-been-trying-to-get-me-into-the-family-business-ever-since-I-was-a-kid. I-mean-I-do-like-making-inventions-and-working-with-my-hands-and-all-but-I-would've-probably-just-ended-up-with-some-boring-desk-job-anyway… Besides-I'm much-happier-fighting-crime-with-you-guys. Even-though-my-parents-still-aren't-all-that-crazy-about-the-whole-idea…"

"It still woulda been nice for 'em ta come…" Ace mentioned.

"Well-it's-not-all-bad," Rev noted, perking up some more, "they-did-send-me-this-card-that-I-got-this-morning!"

Rev pulled out a small card he was carrying in one of his larger uniform pouches and showed it to his teammates. The front looked pretty standard: a parchment-colored cardstock with the word "Congratulations!" written in big, velvet-red lettering. In the lower right corner, a pen had scribbled "From Mom, Pop, and Rip" which seemed unusual as signatures were usually reserved for the inside of the card. However, they found the reason for this when they actually opened it. It seemed as though every last square inch of space (on the inside as well as the back) was covered in the same black, scribbled handwriting. Duck squinted his eyes for a few seconds, trying to make it out, but quickly gave up. Ace could only manage a few glances at the card since he was trying to stay focused on the road, but he did manage to make out a few words and phrases. There were things he expected, like "dead-end job," "family business," and a less-than-appealing-statement about Tech ("that coyote" as he was referred to.) But among that, he also found things like, "always made us proud," "miss you at home (even Rip)," and the standard "love you very much." Collectively, it was enough to calm most of his concerns on the whole issue.

"Your dad writes how you talk." Duck commented as Rev put away his card with a laugh.

"So what about you Duck?" Ace asked, redirecting the conversation. "You got any family stoppin' by?"

There was a short pause before his answer was given, "As if! My parents never really gave a rat's ass about me."

The bluntness of Duck's reply surprised his teammates. His tone hadn't changed from its usual heightened confidence, but his words suddenly weren't so light. Ace glanced in his rearview mirror and saw that he had assumed his "position". He had leaned back slightly in his seat and his eyes were closed. His head was tilted downward slightly and was resting against his arms which were folded up behind his neck. Thanks to his optimistic and prideful personality, it didn't show up very often, but Duck had the tendency to assume this particular position whenever he was dealing with more serious subject matter, particularly when it involved him or his own personal issues. If someone were to see him in such a position, they might be led to assume that Duck was just lost in thought and simply thinking carefully before speaking, but the team knew full-well that Duck wasn't exactly the self-reflective type. No, his position rather suggested that he simply found little to no interest in the topic being discussed and would rather not spend time dwelling on it. It was as if he was withdrawing himself from the conversation until something more interesting came up, only saying what he felt was necessary.

As much as it concerned Ace, he knew that he wouldn't get anywhere by playing "psychiatrist" with him, not that he particularly wanted to. Eventually, he settled on assuming the role of a "peacemaker".

"Aww, come on, man." He spoke lightly, "I'm sure you're just exaggerating…"

"Hmmm… not really," Duck answered bluntly, eyes still withdrawn. "They were fine parents for the first few years after adopting me, but then they started getting caught up in their careers. I think they finally stopped caring once I had grown out of being a 'cute little kid'. Sometimes, it seemed like they only times they ever paid any attention to me were when I got into trouble…"

"Eh, why do I get tha feelin' that that explains a lot about ya?"

Duck simply shrugged his shoulders, apparently deciding that this was one of those questions that he could avoid. He had said too much already.

"Well, Duck," Ace decided to end on a more optimistic note, "whateva tha case may be, I just want ya ta know that you can always count on us…"

"Uh, Ace…" Rev began.

"Just a second, Rev…" He went back to Duck, "'Cuz ya know, I always considered the six of us to be sorta like a family… so maybe that can be just as good, ya know?" There was a pause. "And if ya want, I can be your Dad," he added jokingly, "how does that sound, buddy?"

Duck didn't respond, but instead threw a small smirk at the window, as if he was about to smile but caught himself just in time and laughed it off. It wasn't much, but the leader readily accepted it. Considering just how much cheese he had put into his words, he was mostly thankful that Duck wasn't making fun of him for it. That had to mean something, right?

"So anyways, what were you gonna say, Rev?"

"… you-missed-the-turn."

•••

Lexi stared at her reflection in the mirror.

"Am I finished already..?" she thought to herself.

She hadn't taken nearly as long as she assumed she would to get ready. She had taken her time in a long, hot shower… she had taken her time making sure her hair looked good… but that was about it. She remembered how it used to take her at least an hour in front of the mirror before she could see herself as "pretty enough to hit the town." But now, a full hour hadn't even gone by since breakfast, and she figured she must have been staring at her reflection for the past fifteen minutes.

"Is there nothing else I can do?"

After a moment, she decided to open her cosmetic drawer to see if there was anything that could catch her attention. Back in her old life, she devoted incredible amounts of time towards her appearance, but as time went by (particularly after first moving into the tower) she found that she was making less and less use of her inventory. That fact became even clearer to her now when she realized that she had forgotten what many of the products were supposed to be used for in the first place.

"Ughh, did I really used to use all this stuff?"

The superficial thought almost disgusted her. She rummaged through countless bottles and tubes, but found almost nothing that she honestly thought was necessary. She cared about her appearance, but certainly not this much. In fact, she felt embarrassed that she had ever found use for all of it. The thought of plastering herself together like a Barbie doll was very unappealing to her, but she figured that she had to use something extra (it was a special occasion, after all.) After a moment, she settled on some eyeliner which successfully managed to eat up about two minutes. The boredom returned quickly, but this time she refused to apply anything else.

"It'll still be a little bit before Ace and the others get back..."

She was suddenly removed from her thoughts when she heard what sounded like a small thud coming from below her. Sensing an opportunity, she began to pursue the source as her eyes glew pink, tapping into the hyper-sensitive capabilities of her ears. She traced the reverberations downward and found that the noise had come from an area a few floors below her own. She tuned in to the area, and quickly picked up the sound of voices.

"…why we can't have nice things."

"Ssaawwreee…"

"Don't worry about it. Here, I've got something better for you to do, anyway!"

"Oh, that's right! Tech and Slam are still here," Lexi thought to herself as she set her ears back to normal hearing levels (normal hearing levels for her were still about twice as sensitive as a normal person's.) "Slam must be helping Tech in his laboratory… I wonder what they could be up to…"

She took another look at her reflection, "Whatever it is, it's gotta be more interesting than this."

With that last bit of reasoning, she got up from her chair and left the room.

The layout of Loonatics HQ was actually fairly simple despite its unusual outside structure, with most of the team's activities taking place in the central, hovering sphere. The bottom and top of the sphere each held a "dispatchment" floor where the team would leave for missions that required them to travel by air. The top floor was particularly larger than the bottom one because it also served as a storage center for their small to medium-size aircrafts, complete with its own miniature runway. Sandwiched between these two floors were three general floors for the team. The highest of these held the team's bedrooms as well as a few guest rooms (this is where Lexi was now.) The floor below it was the official 125th floor of the tower and the main living area for the team. It consisted of the kitchen and dining area on one end that was connected to the main lounge area where the team spent most of their time. This was also the floor that guests were automatically directed to when visiting the tower. The floor below that held both a game room and an exercise/fitness area (which, admittedly, Slam used more often than any of his teammates.) The remaining floors were held in the actual tower itself. The highest of these was where the primary laboratory was located. It held several individual workshops where Tech would work on his smaller and average-sized weapons and gadgets. These rooms also surrounded a large central computer room that served as the control center for the entire HQ. It was also where the team could freely conduct surveillance, communication, and research operations. The training and combat center was directly below that and was the height of two average floors. The holographic fight simulator on this level was a much preferred form of exercise and training when compared to the fitness room. Lexi was heading to the floor below that, which was the site of Tech's second laboratory. This one set itself apart from the primary lab in the fact that it was only a single room that was built more in the style of a garage-warehouse and was the height of four average floors. This was where Tech built his much bigger projects such as vehicles and large-scale equipment. It made sense that the noises seemed to be coming from this level, seeing as Tech was working on an amusement park ride. The hundred-odd floors below that were used primarily for storing whatever Tech built in his 2nd lab as well as for housing the tower's energy and structural equipment. All of it led to the massive garage on the ground floor used mainly for dispatching road vehicles into the city. The garage also doubled as a sort of "Grand Foyer" upon entering the HQ where one could access any and all of the other floors (assuming you were authorized to do so.) All in all, Zadavia had really set them up nicely with such a construction.

The elevator doors opened up on the 122nd floor of the tower, revealing a large circular hallway. Fortunately, Lexi didn't have to walk far, as the main entrance to lab was almost directly in front of the elevator. She approached the keypad, intending to unlock it with the required access code, but was surprised when the doors opened automatically at her presence.

"That's strange," she thought, "Tech usually keeps the doors closed…"

As she walked in, she noticed that the room wasn't very well-lit and the only thing she could clearly make out was a small flashing of light and sparks coming from the left-side-center of the room. After walking a few steps in that direction, however, the image became clearer. The sparks were coming from a welding torch that Tech was using on a large sheet of metal.

"Door's unlocked!" Lexi announced as she continued walking towards her teammate. Upon hearing her voice, Tech put out the flame, pulled up his goggles and turned to her.

"And you just barge in here because…?" he asked lightly.

"Because I figured you wouldn't mind, seeing as how you usually keep the pass-code lock on the door," she stated matter-of-factly.

"I figured since it was just the three of us here at the tower right now, there wasn't much reason for me to be a 'shut-in' and keep them locked."

"So now you're worried about being a shut-in?" she teased.

"Well, yes and no. I mostly thought that since both Duck and Rev are out of the tower, that it was safe enough for me to keep the doors unlocked," he joked back.

"Oh yeah, I see what you mean." They both laughed.

"So anyway, what brings you down here?"

"Oh, nothing much. I just kinda ran out of things to do and decided to drop by and see what you were up to. Plus, I heard a loud noise that sounded like it came from down here. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, no need to worry. Slam was just helping me move stuff when he accidentally knocked some of my equipment over. Fortunately, nothing was broken, so I just found him something else to do."

"Speaking of which, where is Slam?"

Tech turned around and pointed upward. "He's up there!"

The object behind him was so massive that she wondered how she had failed to notice it before, even with the lights being dimmed. The object must've stood at least 50 ft. tall and looked to be almost like a smaller version of a Ferris wheel, carrying a total of 12 passenger pods. Each of the pods held 4 individual seats (that each had an unusual amount of safety restraints than what you would normally see on your average Ferris wheel.) The walls of the pods were triangular in shape, and the four walls met underneath to form a kind of upside-down pyramid. The main wheel itself sported a giant upside-down triangle (the team's logo) in the center with large lightning bolts branching out from behind it.

After Lexi had taken a second to survey the impressive structure, she looked in the direction of Tech's finger, and noticed that the front wall of the highest pod was missing, revealing Slam to be crouched down inside. It looked like he was working diligently on something around the missing wall.

"HEY SLAM!" Lexi shouted upwards. Slam turned to face her, sending a smile, a wave, and a greeting growl back down. "What's he doing all the way up there?" she asked the coyote.

"He's making sure that all the nuts and bolts are tight enough. I mean, magnetic powers are good and all, but they're still not a match for the manpower that Slam has."

"So I'm guessing he was bored too?"

"Haha, yeah. He's been down here trying to help me in whatever way he could for the past thirty minutes or so. He might be a little reckless and clumsy sometimes, but he really is a nice guy underneath, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Lexi said with a smile as Tech put his goggles back on and went back to his welding. "So this is what you've been working on, huh?" she asked after a moment.

"Yep! Pretty cool, huh?"

"I'll say. That thing is huge! But why do I get the feeling that it isn't just an ordinary Ferris wheel?"

"That would be because it isn't just an ordinary Ferris wheel."

"So, what else does it do?"

"Upp, upp!" Tech stopped her. "You'll find out when I'm done."

"Come on, seriously?"

"Yes, seriously."

"But, you can tell me, can't you? Pretty please…" Lexi pleaded.

"You know I don't like to show off my work until it's finished," Tech insisted as he finished welding, "Besides, I couldn't show it to you right now anyway. Duck's out getting the battery I need, so this is pretty much useless until he gets back."

"But that doesn't stop you from just telling me what it does…"

"Sorry," he replied coolly while putting away his equipment, "but a magician never reveals his secrets."

"But you're not a magician, you're a scientist," she pointed out. "And last I checked, those two were on opposite ends of the spectrum."

Tech took a few steps in the direction of the wheel. "Oh yeah, then what do you call this?" His eyes immediately glew green as his hands began to radiate a greenish aura. He held out his arm and shot a stream of the magnetic green energy directly at the sheet of metal he had just finished welding, causing it to hover close by him in midair. With his other hand, he shot a similar stream of energy directly at his feet, causing them both to glow while also forming what looked like a green transparent platform directly beneath them. With one hand still holding the sheet metal, and the other pointed toward the ground, the platform began rising slowly until the coyote had reached the level of the highest pod. He pulled the sheet of metal closer to the pod and carefully positioned it in place to reveal it as the missing wall. While holding the wall carefully in place, he stopped the flow of energy to his feet (though it didn't affect his levitation) and used his freed hand to shoot another stream of energy at something inside the pod itself. Lexi and Slam watched as Tech magnetically maneuvered a number of various screws, nuts, bolts, hinges, and levers into their assigned positions to successfully install what appeared to be the pod's door. Once he had finished, he relinquished energy flow to the pod and refocused energy back into the platform below his feet, lowering himself back to the ground where the platform disappeared and he deactivated his powers.

"Flashy science?" Lexi responded cleverly to Tech's previous question.

Tech laughed at the comment before turning back to his 'assistant' up above. "Alright Slam, I could only put the screws in about halfway, so make sure everything's screwed in nice and tight okay?" Slam sent an enthusiastic growl back down along with what looked like a thumbs up.

"Well, magic or not, that little trick was pretty impressive," Lexi added. "How come I've never seen that one before?"

"Honestly, I've had that technique up my sleeve for a while now. It's just that I haven't found a very practical use for it outside of the lab yet, let alone a battlefield."

"How'd you do it?"

"Simple. It all has to do with the electric field," Tech began with the usual enthusiasm he gave to his scientific explanations. "Elementary physics states that when two objects have the same charge, they will naturally repel each other, and that a positive charge is naturally repulsive. Since my magnetism allows me to manipulate an object's charge, I can use this to my advantage. By creating a magnetic barrier for me to stand on, and by building up large amounts of positive charge in both the barrier and the ground directly below it, I can create a repulsive magnetic force that can propel me into the air, and by manipulating the magnitude of those charges, I can control both the acceleration and the resulting distance that the platform is pushed."

"Oh yeah… I think I get it!" Lexi hadn't been in college for a full year before joining the Loonatics, but she was lucky enough to have taken a General Physics class during her first semester (if you would call it lucky.) So, she actually felt a little proud of herself when she realized that she could actually understand Tech's explanation. It was a nice change of pace from his usual over-complicated scientific diagnostics that often went way over her head (as well as everyone else's.) Rev was the only other member who could usually follow what Tech said in those instances, but there were things that even took him for a loop.

"Alright, now I just have to do some last-minute tweaking with the on-board computer system, and then I should be all set…" Tech sat down in a chair positioned in front of a set of computer monitors and immediately got to work. Lexi watched as Tech's hands started dancing almost robotically on the keyboard. All sorts of symbols, codes, and diagrams would pop onto the screen, but Tech would analyze them, evaluate them, and input an appropriate response with a speed that rivaled that of Rev's speech. Lexi could only watch him for a few seconds before she realized that it was starting to make her head spin. In an effort to stop it, she turned her focus back to the Ferris wheel, but when she started thinking about that, it only made her head spin faster.

"He really built something like that in one day…" she thought to herself. When it came to Tech, Lexi had somewhat mixed feelings. On one hand, it seemed like the coyote couldn't go a full day without spending at least half of it in his lab, and his more-than-occasional speeches about his inventions were really starting to bore her (almost to the point of annoyance.) To be honest, she saw Tech as somewhat of a shut-in who likely cared more about his gadgets than he did other people. But, there was also something else about Tech that argued against her more negative feelings: the fact that he actually got results. Tech was practically a genius…. no, scratch that, he was a genius. Almost every vehicle, weapon, program, or piece of technology the Loonatics had at their disposal had been thought up, designed, and constructed by Tech himself (sometimes with Rev's help, of course.) It seemed like he was capable of accomplishing anything that he set his mind to and was willing to do whatever it took to reach his goals. Tenacity like that deserved to be respected, at least to some degree. And besides, she knew that Tech could really be a cool and interesting person when he wasn't too invested in his work.

Still, looking at him now only stirred up more and more questions in her head, the same questions that had stayed unanswered in her head for the longest time. After debating the thought for a moment, she decided that now would be as good a time as any other…

"Hey Tech," she finally asked, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what's up?" Tech answered without turning from his work.

She paused, "Why are you so smart?"

Tech gave a small laugh, only taking the question at face-value. "What do you mean by that?"

She elaborated, "I mean… you have got to be, like, the smartest guy I know. It's amazing how much you know about things like science and technology. I guess what I'm trying to ask is… were you just born that way… or was it something you had to work at?"

There was a pause as Tech figured out how to respond. "Well… I'd be lying if I didn't say that a lot of it is probably genetic. In fact, my family bloodline has had an impressive share of bright minds."

"Really? How so?"

It became clear that Tech had actually taken the time to research his family tree. "Over the past century and a half, my family has had… 5 scientists… 3 doctors… 6 inventors… 12 professors… about 3 or 4 engineers… and a number of other things, like physicists, archeologists, and computer programmers. I suppose that I was just lucky enough to run into the inheritance."

"That's pretty cool," Lexi said encouragingly. It wasn't quite what she was looking for, but at least they were headed in the right direction…

"Yeah, it is. But I'd also be lying if I said that I never worked at it. Whenever I realized that I was a 'smart kid', I really started to become invested in my schooling. I always strived to do my best whenever it came to my classes, and I always took my studies pretty seriously, all the way up through grad school even. Back in college, I used to have people come up to me all the time, students and professors, who would joke and say that I should really learn to take a break once in a while….. I guess I just had a lot of time on my hands…"

There it was! Lexi was hoping that she had asked the right question, and fortunately it seemed like she had. Tech had finally given her something she could work with. "What do you mean?" she pursued.

Tech had actually stopped typing by this point, leaving the room with a strange and almost anxious silence. It was a safe bet that he had something on his mind that was dominant enough to keep him from multi-tasking. He knew what was coming, but he wasn't sure if he was ready for it.

"Lexi," he finally spoke, "do I really have to-" He stopped mid-sentence when he looked over at the bunny and found that she had actually pulled up a chair. She sat down, crossed her legs, and gave him a look that seemed to say, 'of course you do'. Her eyes were unrelenting and determined, but at the same time patient and tolerating. He knew that there was no way to change her mind when she was like this, so there was no use in trying.

With a conceding sigh, he turned back in the direction of the monitors (he would feel better if he wasn't actually facing her) and crossed his arms in front of him. He tilted his head downward and closed his eyes. This was Tech's "position" and it was actually quite similar to Duck's, aside from the way they held their arms. The rest of the team took notice that both of them would usually retreat into these so-called "positions" whenever they were confronted with something personal (though they would never admit to having anything in common.) However, there was one major factor, other than arm carriage, that separated the two of them in this aspect: mentality. While Duck would usually send out an air of passivity and disinterest, Tech's seemed to be much more self-reflective. It was as if he meditated silently over every strong feeling or branded memory that was locked inside of his head before speaking. He seemed like he was making every effort to choose his words carefully and make sure than anything he would decide to admit was honest and true. This case was no exception and the coyote made sure to avoid saying too much.

"It's just that…" he spoke slowly, "I've never really been that much of a social person, you know? I never really had many friends at all… In fact, even when I was a little kid, I would spend more time doing things on my own that I would spend going out and making friends."

"How come?" Lexi's words were pushing, but encouraging.

"I don't know…" he took another pause to think, "I guess I just never really felt like I fit in with the other kids. Sure, it was fine for the first couple of years…but then my interested started to change. While everyone else wanted to go outside and play tag or kickball on the playground during lunch, I was more interested in sneaking into a computer or a chemistry lab and fiddling with whatever little idea that had popped into my mind that day…"

Tech smirked at the thought, "I was such a strange little kid back then…." he paused. "After a while, the other kids started noticing what I was up to and it didn't take long for them to start making fun of me for it. Pretty soon, it became really hard for me to make any friends…. After a while…. I suppose I just stopped trying…"

There was a small pause. "College was a little better," he resumed, "because I felt like it gave me a fresh start, and I found that I could relate to people a lot better than I could in High School. But, even then, I found it really hard to connect with people just because I had spent so much time on my own, you know? I guess I just got used to the whole idea…" He paused again, thinking about what he just said. "All I ever really wanted was to fit in….. but I was just so… different than everyone else… I guess that's what made it so difficult."

While he was talking, Lexi's eyes had somehow found their way to the ground. But, when he had finished, Lexi decided to take another look at her teammate. She had never seen this side of him before and while she was grateful that he had shared as much as he did, she was intrigued to know even more. What exactly had he gone through to make him give up on his social life like that? There were still questions burning inside her, but by looking at him, she could tell that he had already said pretty much everything he was going to say at this point, not that she blamed him. In fact, she almost felt like she understood.

"Actually Tech, I know exactly what you mean."

"Hmmm…?" he voiced with intrigue. That was definitely not the kind of response he was expecting.

"You were saying how hard it was for you to fit in because of how different you felt. I think I can relate…"

"What? YOU?" Tech asked with exaggerated disbelief. "Miss Popularity herself… actually had social problems growing up…? I find that hard to believe…"

Lexi smiled softly, "Well it's partly true. High School was the easy part for me. My old school district had its Elementary, Middle, and High Schools all in the same place, so the class that I ended up walking across the stage with at graduation was almost the exact same class I had started Kindergarten with. I guess I really am just a naturally social person at heart, because it was easy for me to make friends when I was a kid. I was practically a friend to everyone and a lot of those friendships stayed with me as I grew up. You are right about one thing though, I did start falling in with the 'popular' crowd by the time I reached High School. I still like to think that I was a little more 'three-dimensional' than your average stereotypically popular teenager, but they did rub off on me. By the time senior year rolled around, I'm pretty sure my thoughts didn't see anything besides boys, fashion, or whatever came up on my cell phone."

They both laughed.

"College was where it all changed for me," Lexi continued after a moment. "Only a few of my friends actually went to the same school that I did, so it was almost like starting over completely. Since I never really had the need to make new friends in High School, I found it unusually hard to meet new people in college. I really wanted to, but I guess I just didn't know how to start… Plus, the demographics at Acme U didn't help me out any…"

"Is it really as bad as they say?" Tech knew what she was referring to.

"Well… it is a bit exaggerated, but not by much. I actually looked up the official numbers, and as it turns out, anthros only make up about 2% of the entire student body."

"Really?" Tech was mildly surprised, "that's only 1 for every 50 humans. Even if it's not as bad as what they say, that's still a pretty low number…"

"I mean," Lexi began explaining, "it's not like there was any discrimination thing going on; for the most part, people were pretty tolerant and accepting. But, it was still really unnerving, you know? Whenever you've been at the school for almost a full year and the only time you see others like you is during the occasional walk around campus, and you only had one class with only one anthro in it… it can really make you feel out of place. Regardless of the way other people actually feel about you, if you feel so disconnected from the people around you… it can really affect your confidence…"

The room went silent for a little bit. Tech felt obligated to respond in some way. "Did you ever try to get involved in anything? You know, like an organization or a sports team or something?"

She thought for a second, "Well… I actually did try one thing…. But it didn't really work out…"

Her words hung in the air for a moment and Tech really didn't know how to respond. A part of him wanted to ask her what exactly she had tried, but she didn't seem very eager to share at the moment. Besides, he wasn't the type to pry and he didn't want to put even more emotion in the already weighted air. Since he could identify with what she had told him, he decided to go with something more encouraging.

"Well… at least the past is behind us, right? The way I see it, it's not whether or not you fall down, it's whether or not you decide to get back up." He gave her a small, close-eyed smile. Lexi looked at him for a second, digesting his words, before she returned the expression.

Tech went back to work on his keyboard and Lexi went back to her thoughts. Until now, she had never thought that she could have much in common with the coyote, but now that she knew otherwise, it was comforting. She continued to watch him work for another moment or two before she noted that it wasn't making her head spin anymore (well, not as much.) She no longer felt a distance or overwhelming feeling while watching him work. Now she was feeling something new….. was it admiration? Yes, she supposed it was. Admiration….. and gratitude…. for forming a new connection with her teammate.

•••

"…and that should just about do it!" Tech said conclusively while pressing one final key. He and Lexi had kept up small talk for the past several minutes while Tech finished his adjustments.

"So that means you're all caught up?" Lexi asked.

"Yep! The system should be fully operational once we plug in that battery."

"Good, 'cuz I'm dying to see what something like that is capable of!" She laughed, "Speaking of battery, when are the guys supposed to be getting back?"

"I don't know," he thought for a moment, "I figured that they should've been back by now. It never takes me longer than an hour at most when I pick something up myself. It's already been almost an hour and a half."

"I wonder what's keeping them?" she wondered with a slight hint of concern, "I hope they're okay."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it, Lexi," Tech's voice picked up a mocking tone, "I'm sure Ace will be back in your arms before you know it…"

"Not this again…" Lexi thought before arguing back. "You really think that same old tease is going to get to me this time?"

Tech laughed, "I don't know. It's worth a shot at least."

"Honestly, both you and Duck must think I'm an easy target or something. I don't even know where you guys get that idea…. I mean, it's not like I'm practically jumping at the sound of his voice…"

"What's up, Docs!"

The familiar catchphrase rang dominantly throughout the room immediately after the lab doors swung open. Lexi jumped from the unexpected noise and fell from her chair. Tech gave her a look of pure amusement.

"Oh Ace, what a coincidence," he answered, "we were just talking about you…"

Ace slowly walked in the lab toward his teammates. He was carrying a medium-size box. "Really? What about?" he asked.

"O-oh, n-nothing…" Lexi stammered nervously while trying to get back on her feet, mentally cursing herself for not noticing Ace's presence sooner with her hearing, "nothing at all!"

Ace set the box down a few feet away from them and looked like he was about to say something else when a large thud from behind them shook the floor. The group turned around to see that Slam had jumped from the top of the wheel to the ground before them and was now running to his teammates.

"Hey Slam!" Ace greeted him. Before he could react otherwise, the Tasmanian scooped the leader off of his feet and held him in the air in a Herculean embrace, jabbering excitedly. "Feels like someone's in a good mood today…" the bunny managed to remark with an increasingly tight breath.

Thankful for the distraction, Lexi shot a death-glare at Tech that seemed to say, "Thanks for making me look stupid!" and elbowed him in the arm. The jab hurt more than he expected, but he still couldn't help but laugh.

"Come on Lexi, you know I'm just messing with you…" he said lightly to her as he took a few steps closer to the others. Lexi softened her features a bit. She knew that Tech probably meant what he said. At least he wasn't like Duck, who honestly seemed to believe himself every time he brought up the idea of her and Ace having some kind of relationship. Tech surely knew better, he was just poking fun. Besides, Slam had successfully shifted the conversation away from her falling out of a chair, so there really wasn't a reason for her to be embarrassed anymore.

And, in retrospect, she would've found it hilarious had the same thing happened to any of the guys. So for now, she set her emotions aside and decided that she wouldn't kill Tech…

…this time.

"I like ya too, Slam…" Ace struggled to speak as the muscleman had yet to soften his hold, "…but I'm also fond of my ribcage…"

The Tasmanian finally realized what he doing and relinquished his death-hold on the bunny. "Hehe, sawree…" he said sheepishly. Ace took a second to smooth out the newly acquired kinks in his arms and shoulders.

"So, I'm guessing you found everything alright?" Tech asked him, referring to the box he had brought in.

"Yes sir! It took a little longa than we thought, but we got yer… uh…. thing."

"You mean my battery?"

"I dunno. I let Duck do all tha talkin'. I just drove him to tha store."

"So long as he's pulling his own weight. Where is he anyway? And Rev?"

As if on cue, the lab doors swung open once again and Rev zoomed inside towards the others carrying a medium-size box of his own. "Hey-Slam-hey-Lexi-hey-Tech! Sorry-we-took-so-long-it's-just-that-we-made-a-couple-of-wrong-turns-but-it's-okay-now-because-we-brought-back-the-super-cool-battery-you-needed-and-let-me-tell-you-Tech-it-is-a-beauty! I-know-how-much-you've-been-wanting-one-of-these-and-I-just-know-you-won't-be-dissapointed-and-speaking-of-which-where-should-I-put-this?"

"Just set it next to Ace's. Thanks Rev!" Tech answered as the roadrunner put down his cargo.

"So now that just leaves Stooge #3…" Lexi remarked.

"Say Rev," Ace asked, "what's keepin' Duck?"

"I-don't-know-he-was-right-behind-me…"

The lab doors must have been waiting for key words to show up in their conversation, because the doors opened on cue once again, this time to reveal their missing teammate. Duck entered the room slowly as he was struggling to carry the weight of a box that was at least twice as large as the others.

"… (Huff) what's… in this thing…? (Huff) Bowling balls…!"

"There ya are, we were startin' ta get worried," Ace joked.

"…yeah, well that's all well and good… (Huff) but can I please put this down now? (Strain) It's really heavy…"

"Alright Duck," Tech conceded, "I supposed you've done enough for now. You can just set it down where you are."

"THANK GOD!" the Duck burst out. He had only made it a few feet past the doors, but he immediately fell forward letting the box hit the ground and letting his body fall hunched over it. After a second, he managed to work up the energy to teleport (quack) himself into the chair Lexi had just gotten up from, slouched back lazily in an attempt to get his energy back.

"Now let me just make sure that we've got everything here…" Opening up Ace's box, he pulled out a black rectangular base that was about 2 inches thick and roughly the size of a TV tray. The top side was riddled with various ports and plugs. In Rev's box, he pulled out a long and thick main cable along with a variety of other smaller wires. To save effort, Tech shot a stream of magnetic energy at Duck's abandoned box and managed to pull out its only content. It was a large rectangular mass of metal painted black, riddled with all sorts of various buttons, knobs, indicators, and ports. The block had one end that was made of rounded glass with what looked like various wires and filaments inside. "Perfect, it looks like everything's here. Good work, guys!"

"Alright Tech," Ace asked curiously, "what's so special about this battery-thing a yours? What exactly does it do?"

"I'm glad you asked. This little number is known as a Kinetic Molecular Energy Generator. The battery itself contains a vast assortment of simple and stable molecular compounds. By using an initial electric current from an external source, we can excite the molecules into guided motion. As the compounds are moving in uniform centrifugal motion and interacting with each other, we can generate massive amounts of energy which can then be harnessed and used as a power source."

"Which means?"

Rev translated, "We-zap-the-molecules-to-make-them-move-in-circle-which-makes-the-battery-run."

"Precisely. I've wanted to test one of these out for the longest time, and building something like this gave me the perfect excuse."

With that, the group's attention shifted towards the massive wheel that stood beside them. Everyone except Lexi and Slam were seeing it for the first time. "Alright then," Ace asked for the group, "so what does that thing do?"

"Exactly what I wanted to know," Lexi added.

"Tell you what, how about I show you all what it can do? I need to give it a test run, anyway." Tech promptly began to assemble the battery. He plugged the large main piece into its base, matching the ports up correctly, and connecting some of the smaller wires in various places. He then connected the large cable wire from the base of the battery to a large outlet in the laboratory wall.

"Before I can start it," he explained, "I need to build up a stored charge in the battery itself by tapping into the tower's main power grid. That way, the battery can use this reserve charge to excite the molecules every time it turns on."

With a quick keyboard command, the lights in the lab began to dim slightly as one of the electronic meters on the battery started filling with a lighted green bar. Once the meter was completely green and read 100%, Tech killed the power transfer and disconnected the wires, re-lighting the room.

"Okay," he continued enthusiastically, "let's hook this baby up and see what she can do!" Tech picked up the battery using his magnetic powers and walked up to the ride itself, with the rest of the team following closely behind. Duck was reluctant to get up from his chair, but since his breathing had returned to normal, he conceded to join the others. Once they had reached the main control panel for the ride, Tech opened one of the compartments and installed the battery using a few leftover wires.

"Here goes nothing…" With a simple button press, the battery slowly started coming to life. It emitted a high-pitched whistle sound that was slowly raising in pitch until it became inaudible, leaving only a variety of humming and vibration noises as the only sounds coming from the device. The glass end of the battery began to emit a small light that glew brighter and brighter as it turned from yellow to white. After giving it a second, Tech went up to the main control panel and flipped a switch, immediately activating a fantastic display of lights on the ride itself. The walls of each pod were completely lit up with one of the six colors of the team's uniforms (making 2 pods for each color.) Aside from the standard white lights that outlined the wheel's frame, the triangle in the center was also entirely lit and alternated between the six colors. The lightning bolts behind it were lighting up in a random, but choreographed sequence of neon-blue lights that started from the bases and flashed upwards towards the tips.

"Prreettyyy…." Slam, like the rest of the group, was in awe.

"Nice color scheme!" Lexi noted encouragingly.

"It grabs your attention, I'll give you that," Duck added simply.

The wheel had already begun turning slowly, but Ace knew that there had to be plenty more to see. "So what else does it do?" he asked slyly. Lexi turned and smirked at the coyote since she had asked the same question earlier.

"You guys know me too well," Tech admitted as he flipped a switch to stop the ride just as a yellow pod arrived at the bottom, ready for passengers. "When I was trying to decide on what to make, I had all kinds of ideas in my head that I wanted to try out. But, since I could only make 1 ride, I decided that whatever I would wind up making needed to be versatile. That way, I could please a large variety of riders. So, with that in mind, I came up with this. I call it The Loona-Loop v3. It may look like an ordinary Ferris wheel, but there are actually three different ways that you can ride it, providing the passengers with three totally different and unique riding experiences, that they themselves are actually in control of. To demonstrate this, as well as to give it a test run, I'm going to need a couple of volunteers…"

"Oh-me-me-me-pick-me-I-wanna-try!" Rev threw his hand up in the air as if his excited voice wasn't enough to get his friend's attention.

"I knew I could count on you, Rev," he said with contentment. "Go ahead and take a seat." Rev zoomed up to the loading platform and eagerly picked his spot. "Oh," Tech added, "and make sure you only use the seatbelt for right now. I want to test out some of the safety features."

"You-got-it!"

"Alright, now I just need one more person…"

After a quick second, Slam threw up his hand with a grin to volunteer and immediately stepped forward onto the platform.

"Thanks Slam."

"Uhh-huuhh!" the Tasmanian laughed as he took a seat opposite Rev.

"Okay, first things first. I'll need to activate the on-board computer system. Since the riders have a lot of control over their ride experience, I installed an intelligent sensory program that will always ensure the safety of the pod and its passengers."

With that explanation, Tech flipped a switch at the control panel, projecting a four-sided computer screen that hovered in mid-air in the center of the pod. A robotic female voice began to speak.

"Ride requested… scanning for passengers… 2 passengers in seats 2 and 4 detected… all safety requirements met… default Mode '1' selected… awaiting 'start' command."

"Technically, you can start off the ride in a different mode, but since I need to test how the pods transition between modes while the wheel is in motion, I'll start them off on the default setting."

With another flip of the switch, the ride eased into motion. "Oh-boy-oh-boy-oh-boy…" Rev could be heard saying as the pod slowly moved up and away. Once the wheel started moving at full speed, Slam could be heard laughing with anticipation.

Tech decided to let the ride make about 2 or 3 complete rotations before continuing. "Good, now that we know it works fine in Mode 1, let's kick it up a notch!" To avoid yelling over the ride, he spoke to both passengers via the built-in communication systems in their suits. "Hey Rev!"

"Yeah?"

"If you look on the side of your seat, you should find two buttons. Press the one that has the number '2' on it. If you can't see it, it's the bigger one."

"Roger-that-Tech!" It didn't take long for him to locate it, and pressing the button caused the robotic computer voice to re-appear.

"Mode change requested… Mode '2' requested… awaiting confirmation from other passengers…" A diagram displaying the location of the button appeared on Slam's screen.

"Slam, you have to press the same button that Rev just pushed," Tech explained to them. "Since he requested a mode change, the computer wants to make sure that it's okay with the other passengers before beginning the safety check and starting the switch. So both of you just do exactly what the computer says, and everything should run smoothly."

"Oohhkie DoOhkie!" Slam bellowed as he pressed the button.

"Confirmation received… analyzing safety features… please equip the following safety equipment…"

With that prompt, a short list of safety features and their appropriate diagrams appeared on the screens before them and they both applied them as instructed. The first step was to attach another seatbelt that ran diagonally across their chests. The second step was to pull down a thick overhead safety bar that locked down in front of them, just above their waists. The bar was attached to the top of the seat with large padded columns on either side that served as an additional barrier for their sides. These vertical columns also had hook-like handlebars where they could rest their hands. Once everything had been locked into place, the diagrams disappeared from the screens and the computer voice returned.

"All safety equipment in place… all riders secure… initiating transition to Mode '2'… please watch your feet."

What happened next honestly took them by surprise. The pod immediately began to open from the bottom as the walls folded up slowly to unite and re-form the pyramid above their heads. Since the bottom of the pod was technically a point due to its pyramid shape, there was a sheet of metal at the bottom that served as a level floor, but even it retracted into itself as the walls moved up. Both of them were forced to rest their feet on a cross bar that was attached underneath the seat. Otherwise, it was only them and the seat, dangling in mid-air. To add on to it, the four seats all began to rotate slowly in a circle. The switch had shocked the two Loonatics initially, but they both quickly warmed up to the new thrill.

"Oh-my-gosh-this-is-so-cool-you-guys! I-feel-like-I-could-fall-at-any-second!"

"Blargharifijartigaaa!"

"Wow, that's insanely cool!" Lexi commented in amazement. The ride had suddenly become very interesting to her.

"Pssshhh… big deal, so you took away the floor," Duck said, obviously unimpressed, "I thought you were going to show us something new and exciting…"

"Eh, correct me if I'm wrong Duck," Ace spoke up, "but isn't there still one more settin' we have ta see?"

"So what, are they just gonna spin faster?"

"Well, let's find out then, shall we?" Tech responded confidently. He resumed communications with the passengers, "Rev!"

"Is-it-time-to-move-on-already-Tech?" he spoke with an already thrilled voice.

"You got it, Rev. So, both of you, look on the cross-bar that's in front of your waists. There should be three buttons. Press the smallest one with the number '3' on it!" Both of them pressed the button in unison and the computer voice once again re-appeared.

"Mode change requested… Mode '3' requested… confirmed by all passengers… please place feet behind the cross-bar located below the seat…"

Another diagram appeared on their screens to explain the new request. It seemed unusual for them to tuck their legs inward in such a manner, but they remembered Tech's advice and did as they were told. Once the computer picked up that they had done so, it continued.

"All riders in position… initiating transition to Mode '3'… hold on tight."

The new changes started out simply enough. The speed of the pod's rotation increased slightly and each of the hanging seats turned to the side to face the direction of the spin. What happened after that was anything but expected. The crossbars that hung below their chairs slowly began to fold upwards until they rested horizontally in front of the seats (similar to a foot rest that has been raised on a recliner.) Then, in a stunning turn, both the crossbar and seat itself began to fold backwards in unison. When the two parts formed a straight vertical board with the back of the seat (leaving Slam and Rev practically in a standing position) the entire seat began to tilt clockwise until it was almost horizontal. This put the riders in kind of "flying" position. Rev and Slam were stretched out and facing the ground below, with the seats above their backs and only held in place by the safety equipment. To complete the experience, the beam that connected the four seats together above them tilted upward slightly. This meant that the riders were now flying in an angled circle, where they would move both upward and downward in a diagonal rotation. Rev and Slam could barely contain their excitement and could be heard shouting and laughing over the ride.

"Man-this-is-so-COOL-I-feel-like-I'm-flying-which-really-isn't-all-that-new-considering-I-already-can-fly-but-still-this-is-just-as-much-fun-because-I-don't-actually-have-to-do-anything-except-sit-and-enjoy-the-ride!"

"Wow Tech, this ride kicks ass!" It was easy to tell that Lexi was excited because she didn't normally curse. She couldn't wait to try it out for herself once she got to the festival.

"Alright, alright," Duck spoke, lightening up some, "I guess it does look kind of fun…" He seemed almost disappointed in himself for admitting it.

"I'm pretty sure I've said this before," Ace began cheerfully, "but I think you've really outdone ya-self this time, Tech."

"Thanks guys," the coyote responded to the group, "it really means a lot knowing that you approve."

"No problem, buddy. Now, how 'bout we work on gettin' those guys down?"

"Got it." Tech went back to the communicator, "Hey Rev!"

"Tech-let-me-tell-you-that-this-ride-is-amazing-I-feel-like-I-could-stay-up-here-all-day!"

"Glad you like it, but I think it's time we wrap it up."

"Awww… do-we-have-to? Can't-we-just-have-another-minute-or-two?"

"Yeeahh!" Slam agreed.

"Sorry guys, but I think we're already running late for the festival."

Rev sighed, "Fine, so-what-do-we-have-to-do?"

"Both of you need to look on the bar at your waist again and hit the largest button with the number '1' on it. The computer should take care of the rest while I work on slowing you guys down."

"Gotcha!"

The computer voice re-appeared once the buttons were pressed, "Mode change requested… Mode '1' requested… confirmed by all passengers… all safety equipment in place... now transitioning to Mode '1'… please remain as still as possible."

With that, the seats ceased spinning and the pod itself went back to being level. The seats slowly began folding back into their original positions and turned facing inward. The metal floor reappeared as the triangular walls folded back down to re-form the pyramid structure on bottom. The pod had turned back to normal. After a few more slow rotations, the yellow pod eventually came to a stop on the bottom of the wheel as Slam and Rev removed all the various belts and bars to exit the ride. The computer noticed them leaving and bid one final farewell, "Thank you for riding the Loona-Loop v3! Have a nice day!"

Once they had gotten off, Tech flipped a switch to shut off all the power for the ride and stepped out of the control panel. "So I'm guessing that you guys liked it?" he asked the two riders.

In response, Slam immediately went up to the coyote and gave him a giant smothering bear hug; similar to the one he had given Ace earlier.

"I'll take that as a yes…" Tech managed to squeeze out before Slam let him go.

"Hold on, I have a question!" Duck spoke up. "Just how do you expect us to take something like this with us to the fairgrounds? I don't think we have anything that can carry it…"

"Actually, I've thought about that to, and I have the perfect solution. Rev, fetch me my…"

Before he could finish his request, Rev had already raced to another part of the lab. He already knew what Tech was going to ask for, and he quickly brought it back to him, "…your-Molecular-Reconstructor?"

"Actually, yes," Tech asked, somewhat surprised at the roadrunner's attentiveness, "nice work, Rev." Tech pointed the device at the wheel and shot it with a stream of golden light. Immediately, the ride began to shrink down until it was about the height of a small tennis ball.

"Aww, it's kind of cute like that," Lexi commented lightly.

Duck approached the shrunken wheel and tried to pick it up. He was surprised when he couldn't. The mallard was putting every ounce of strength he had into lifting it, but the object refused to budge. "Well, that didn't help anything!" he argued after a few failed attempts. "Why is it so heavy?"

Tech began to explain, "That's because I only affected the object's size. I didn't do anything to affect its weight. To do that I'm going to need…"

Rev was one step ahead of him again, and had successfully retrieved the item in advance, "…The-Gravity-Stabilization-Gyro?"

Tech laughed, "I guess great minds do think alike," he joked. He pointed the Gyro at the shrunken wheel and shot it with a series of whitish rings that completely enveloped the object for a moment or two. Once the rings had subsided, Tech stopped the device and approached the object, picking it up easily and putting it into his pocket.

"Show off..." Duck muttered under his breath.

"Alright gang," Ace took charge, "we've eaten breakfast, we've gotten ready, and Tech is finished with his ride. Are we all ready ta head out now?

"Of course! I'm always ready to meet my adoring fans…"

"You-can-count-me-in!"

"Ready when you are, Ace!"

"All set, chief!"

"Bllaargghh!"

"Good, 'cuz we got a festival ta get to. Let's jet!"

---

Whew, you made it! HIGH FIVE! =D

Sorry if it seemed like I was rushing a little at the end, 'cuz I was...

Anyway, this is what I meant when I said that I was going to try and develop the characters and make them seem more realistic and deep. I hope it came across okay. Also, If you feel like certain characters were dealt with less than others in this aspect, there's still more to come in the next chapter. I needed to spread it out, and I probably just felt that those characters will have their moments in a more "situational" environment. In other words, don't worry, it's coming...

Okay, now let's get to more important matters. I will now begin writing chapter 3 and should have it up hopefully in 2-3 weeks. For future reference, my goal is to have a new chapter out at least every 3 weeks (unless of course life gets in the way, I am in college, you know.)

Also, if you're anxious about how long it might be before the next chapter comes out, be sure to check out my profile, I'll be updating it frequently whenever I make progress on my writing.

I guess that about sums everything up. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I can't wait to get to the good stuff )

So, please leave me a review telling me what you think, and I will catch you guys later! Thanks!