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!**

6. The Stuntman (pt 1)

Yay, I'm back!

In case you haven't been keeping track, it's been exactly four months since I posted the last chapter... ... :(

Yeah, I can't apologize enough for the huge delay in my writing. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but a lot of things seemed to crash in all at once and it's been really difficult to find time to go to school, go to work, write fanfiction, and have a halfway decent social life all at once. But I guess that's just a way of life when you try to have a creative hobby while going to college. And admittedly, I didn't write nearly as much as I should have while I was on Christmas Break... hehe. Either way, I'm really going to try and get future installments out quicker. If I had written this entire chapter as quickly as I've been writing during the past couple of weeks, I could've probably had this out around New Years. Anyway, we'll talk plenty more about release dates/possibilities later...

This is my first backstory chapter! :D Like I've said before, we'll be going over the backstories of each Loonatic EXTENSIVELY, so much so that each character will have a total of three chapters devoted to them. This is the first part of Ace's story. I have to say, that I am actually very proud of this chapter. It ended up being even better than what I expected and, in risk of overselling it, I think this might be the best chapter I've ever written. But then again, that's just my opinion and you'll just have to read for yourself to decide what you think. The chapter starts off where we left off at the festival before we start getting into the flashbacks.

Also, in case you haven't noticed or were wondering, this story has a new icon. I hand-drew that picture myself and it will be the official icon for this story for the next three chapters (while Ace is the focus). It's also part of the reason why I took a little longer than I expected. I'll be drawing one of those for each of the Loonatics so expect more drawings in the future!

One more thing. You'll notice that at the beginning of the chapters from now on, there will be song lyrics. I've picked out three songs for each character that I think represent them well in this story. So, while the story focuses on them, I will share a sample of the lyrics from one of their "character songs" at the beginning of each of their chapters. 3 chapters = 3 songs. Not only will you get a look into the kind of music I like, but you'll also have a chance to get another look at what I feel each of the Loonatics represents. I encourage you to give the full songs a listen when/if you have the chance. :)

Anyway, I've wasted enough time, so let's just get to the story. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to proudly present to you... the story of Ace Bunny...

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Loonatics or anything involved with them. They are all copyright of Warner Bros. or whatever. I only claim rights to any original characters and any original plotlines. So, ha! Just try and stop me now copyright peoples!

---

"Someone told me love would all save us

But how can that be? Look what love gave us...

A world full of killing, and blood spilling

That world never came

And they say that a hero can save us

I'm not gonna stand here and wait

I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles

Watch as they all fly away..."

- "Hero" by Chad Kroeger

---

Ch. 6 - The Stuntman (pt.1)

"Hit it, Loonatics! We've got people ta save!"

If he had the chance, Ace probably would've taken the time to shout out more specific directions, but the rapidly approaching meteors wouldn't allow him any more than a simple call to action. Fortunately, that was all his team needed.

Before their leader had even finished his order, they had sprung into action, each doing whatever they could to best help the now panicked and disoriented crowd. Ace had the furthest projectile range of anyone else on the team with his laser vision, so he played to his strength by focusing primarily on the rocks that were falling out of the comfortable range of his teammates and threatening the people in the furthest and most dispersed areas from the stage.

Lexi's brain blasts had quite an impressive range as well, but they just couldn't match Ace's lasers in terms of proficiency. The further her waves of sonic energy had to travel, the weaker and more unstable they became, greatly reducing her accuracy. While she could occasionally sneak into the long-range areas, she used most of her energy on more mid-range targets that were well within her area of control.

Of course, the majority of the people in the crowd found themselves in the mid- to close-range areas, so a little extra protection there would be necessary. That's where Slam and Duck came in. Since Duck was the only other member on the team with a usable projectile attack, it was clear that he would have to be the main person providing backup for Lexi. The only problem was that since the contents of Duck's eggs were largely left to chance, it wasn't the most reliable move. He compensated the only way he knew how... by throwing whole barrages of eggs as fast as his arms would let him. More eggs thrown meant more chances of finding the good ones that could actually deal some damage.

This left most of the close-range area to Slam. He may not have had any projectiles, but knowing that he could easily reduce most of these meteors to dust with a good clean strike, he decided to put his fists to work. While he was initially only capable of defending the immediate stage area this way, he quickly found out that if he angled his hits just right, and swung with just the right amount of force, he could send a meteor flying backward instead of destroying it outright. With a method like this, he could easily destroy multiple rocks at once by crashing them into each other and more effectively cover his post.

Together, the four of them were handling the situation well enough, but there were still two Loonatics who had yet to spring into action. At first, Tech tried using his magnetism on the meteors in hopes of finding any amount of metal he could manipulate. But seeing as how the most he could do was stray a few of them off-course, it became clear that these rocks had little to no metals at all. It certainly wasn't enough to be considered useful, so this method was quickly abandoned.

But what else could he do? The powers Tech had at his disposal were better suited to more defensive or strategic tactics. In such a spur of the moment situation that required a lot of offensive strength, he couldn't help but feel a little helpless. In an effort to buy himself some more time, he clenched one of his fists, gathered some magnetic energy into his palm, and threw his arm into the air, forming a temporary electromagnetic shield that would not only protect himself, but also the other inactive teammate standing next to him.

If Tech was feeling helpless, Rev was feeling downright useless. Unlike his teammates, Rev had virtually no offensive capabilities. Sure, he had some decent combat moves - by coupling his strikes with super speed, he could deal punches and kicks that almost mimicked super strength - but this was hardly a one-on-one fight. To give his strikes enough force to do some damage, he needed both the time and the space to properly accelerate them, neither of which he had at the moment. He quickly dismissed the idea of taking to the sky as well, seeing as how he would likely spend more time evading oncoming meteors than he would actually hitting them.

Once Tech threw up his shield, he immediately understood the coyote's intentions and moved closer to him for protection. They both stood in silence for a moment, stressing over what either of them could do to contribute, before Tech eventually broke the silence.

"Rev, how are your legs?" he asked.

Rev glanced downward and tried to see if he could give them a proper assessment. For the most part, it felt like his legs had largely recovered from earlier. Aside from some lingering stiffness and a couple of sore spots, they seemed to be perfectly functional. Of course, he hadn't tried running on them yet...

"They're-fine," he answered simply.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes-Tech-I'm-sure!" he chirped back, slightly annoyed at his insistence.

Tech wasn't too convinced, but this wasn't the best time to protest. "The ship's not far from here. I need you to run down there as quick as you can and fetch me my neutron cannon. I need you to be fast, but don't push –" Before he could finish, he turned and found that the roadrunner was nowhere in sight, no doubt already having raced off on his new mission. Sure enough, Rev had made it back to the coyote's side in a matter of seconds, carrying with him an armful of weapons.

"You-didn't-say-if-you-wanted-the-defracting-neutron-cannon-or-the-beam-splitter-neutron-cannon-or-the-one-that-goes-GA-GA-GA-GA-GA-GA—!"

"This one should do the trick…" he said with a smirk as he picked up a large blue blaster at the topmost part of the pile, "thanks, Rev." With a quick change of hands, he dropped the barrier, took hold of the weapon, and started firing powered energy shots at any asteroid in sight.

The coyote may have had a natural offensive disadvantage compared to most of his teammates, but his proficiency with firearms more than helped him make up for it. It only made sense that the genius who actually created the team's weapons would also be the one to spend most of his training time figuring out how to best use them. Consequently, Tech was perhaps the most proficient marksman on the team, and was often the one called on when the team needed a sharp shooter. With his newfound means of support, he quickly went to work providing backup for his teammates, specifically aiming for the meteors that were out of their reach.

Unfortunately, now that Rev was finished with his impromptu delivery, he was once again left without a way to contribute. Looking at the surplus of weapons he had on hand now, his first thought was to see if he could follow Tech's example and use one of the blasters. He picked out a long, dark green-colored cannon and set the others down in a pile beside him. This was the rapid-fire neutron cannon, or the gun that went "GA-GA-GA!" as he so called it. Anxious to see what he could do with it, he picked out a random falling meteor, aimed his gun at it, and pulled the trigger.

Of course, Rev didn't really have a lot of experience with firearms of this caliber and the amount of recoil that came with these shots caught him completely off-guard. Only the first few shots actually hit the intended target - leaving it virtually unscathed - while the barrage of shots that followed after went in almost every other direction as the roadrunner lost control of his aim. As quick as he could reclaim his composure, he managed to release his hold on the trigger and put an end to this momentary chaos. Looking around, he was relieved to see that it didn't seem like any of his rogue shots had hurt anyone or damaged anything, and the meteor he was aiming at had ultimately been taken care of by one of Slam's punches. Not daring to try his hand at it again, he decidedly tossed the gun back into the pile with the others. He could manage the simpler guns well enough, but these were out of his expertise.

And once again, Rev was back at square one. There had to be something he could do, right? He couldn't just stand by idly while his friends were doing all the work. They were counting on him... the townspeople were counting on him... He had to come up with something... but what? Putting his thoughts into overdrive, his eyes took to scanning the crowd. Since the meteor shower had started, it had thinned out significantly, most of the people having retreated into nearby buildings for safety. However, not everyone had managed to find their way out of the confusion and groups of people could still be seen trying to find a way through the scrambling crowds of panicked citizens.

And just like that, Rev had an idea.

"Rev..!" Ace yelled out in an attempt to get the speedster's attention.

"Already-on-it!" Rev shouted back immediately, already knowing what his leader was going to suggest. As the red started to shine from his eyes, he couldn't help but wonder if his legs were going to be up for such a task.

But then again, this wasn't the time for him to be thinking about himself.

With his newly acquired sense of purpose, he raced out into the crowd and started ferrying anybody he could out of the confused mess and into the nearest safe zone. While his friends worked on controlling the downpour, it was now his job to get as many people to safety as he could.

He didn't let it distract him, but Ace couldn't help but smile at Rev's perceptiveness. That little ball of energy could always figure something out, couldn't he? Fortunately for all of them, Rev's actions were actually quite necessary and he was thankful that he didn't have to waste time in giving a full command. In a matter of seconds, he watched as the roadrunner, running quickly enough to leave a trail of lingering flames behind him, scooped up a young boy and his even younger sister from the center of the plaza and carried them over to a modest storage house nearby, where some other citizens were already taking shelter. As quickly as he got the two of them out of harm's way, he raced back to that same spot and carried another individual to the storage house who turned out to be the children's mother. Another lightning-fast rescue trip brought the father into the picture as well. It was a touching scene, the four of them reunited in a family hug, but Ace had only looked at it for a second before he was struck with a realization of his own.

His mom was out there.

His eyes scanned the remains of the crowd frantically in hopes of finding her. She said that she was going to be here for the ceremony. Had she managed to find shelter... or was she still caught in the crowd? Not knowing the answer to that was tearing him apart with worry, and no matter where he looked, he couldn't find any sign of her anywhere. There was just too much confusion for him to get a good look from where he was standing now.

Thinking it over carefully, he was faced with two options. He could either stay where he was, focus on the meteor shower, and hope that his mother was one of the ones who managed to escape... or he could leave his post momentarily and make sure of it himself.

As a leader, the logical answer was clear.

But as a son...

"Lexi!" he called out, trying to get the female bunny's attention.

"Yeah, Ace?" she answered back, though not turning her attention away from the meteors.

"Keep an eye on things fer me up here, will ya? I gotta get out there..!"

"What? Why?!"

"I just need ta take care o' somethin' real quick," he answered, trying not to be more specific in fear of sounding selfish. "I'll be back in a sec..!"

"What are you crazy?" she asked incredulously, stopping him in his tracks. "We need you up here!"

It looked like he was going to have to explain himself. "It's my mom, Lexi... she's out there somewhere! I have ta find her!"

Lexi's assertiveness softened as the two of them stared at each other. Looking into his eyes, she saw the usual seriousness and sense of urgency that he would typically have during situations like these. But what surprised her was that she could also see a good amount of uncertainty and even a bit of panic mixed in with it, emotions she didn't normally see in her leader. She was still convinced that what Ace wanted to do wasn't a very smart idea, but she also wasn't sure if she could bring herself to try and hold him back.

It probably wouldn't matter anyway. Judging by his expression, his mind had already been long made up.

"Alright..." she conceded, "we'll cover you. Just be quick..."

Ace nodded, "Thanks, Lex." With one quick motion, he pulled out his Guardian Strike Sword, and leapt from the stage into the chaos.

"Tech..." Lexi called out in instruction after he left, "cover the long range while Ace is out! I'll help you out as much as I can..."

"I'm on it!" Tech answered back, obediently following the orders of their momentary leader.

Sprinting frantically through the crowd, Ace was as thankful as ever to have a blade like the Guardian Strike Sword. If it were any other normal weapon, the leader wouldn't have even considered bringing it along, considering that this was just supposed to be a peaceful ceremony. But the Strike Sword was very easy to transport, possessing a unique ability to collapse itself into its own handle - which was no bigger than a water bottle - when it wasn't in use. Because of that, it was easier for him to go with his gut and bring the trusty sword along, just in case. This time, it looked like his instincts were on point.

He also couldn't help but admire how ridiculously strong it was. Zadavia had told him that the blade was built from some of the most durable metals in the universe, and it certainly showed. While his teammates seemed to be holding their own pretty well without him, meteors had an easier time slipping through a four-man defense system than a five-man one. Consequentially, Ace still found himself dodging and striking whatever rocks that happened to fall in his path. A swift swipe of his sword could split one of the rocks in two, a feat he was sure most other swords were incapable of.

As he raced through the chaotic scene in the plaza, it almost reminded him of his old training exercises. His constant ducking, diving, and dodging, mixed with the occasional strategically-timed strike, was testing the extent of his evasiveness and sense of perception. It was the kind of situation he often familiarized himself with during his past martial arts training. It was almost nostalgic in a way...

The way things used to be...

Even amongst his battle with a falling sky, Ace couldn't help but be reminded of it all... his old life... his old job... his old home... and of course, his mother...

...

...he had to find her.

•

• • •

• • • • •

• • •

•

"Wow, dat was tha coolest movie, evah!"

As the crowd of people happily exited the theater, a young bunny eagerly skipped out ahead of his mother, mind buzzing from the excitement of the images he had just seen.

"Hold on a second, Ace..." his mother cautioned behind him to little effect as her son burst through the theater doors, running into the sidewalk outside. Seeming not to care who was around, the boy began scurrying around energetically while loudly voicing praise and child-like excitement over his favorite superhero.

"Hey look at me, I'm Blaze!" he chirped as he picked up a stick from the ground and began brandishing it like a sword. "Hand ova tha goil, Nightfang... or I'll burn ya to a crisp!"

"Ace..."

"Don't ya know what happens when ya play with fire? You only get burned!"

Just as Ace had begun to engage his invisible nemesis in battle, his mother caught up with him and placed a hand on his shoulder, diverting his attention.

"Ace," she said, "we need to get going. You have to get up for school tomorrow and it's getting late."

"Awww... but I'm not tired yet, mom..."

"Here, take my hand..." she instructed, ignoring his complaint. The boy latched onto his mother as she proceeded to lead him off the sidewalk and across the street. They were headed into a public park on the other side and once they made it through there, it would only be a few more blocks before they reached their home.

Ace probably could've made a bigger show out of his pouting, but after seeing a movie starring his favorite sword-wielding, fire-summoning superhero, there was no way his mood could stay sour. He was jumping up and down again before they even made it to the park.

"Dat was such a cool movie," he resumed gleefully. "My favorite part was when Blaze lit his sword on fire and used it ta kill tha scary swamp monster! What was your favorite part, mom?"

She chuckled, "Whatever part you liked best..."

"Hey mom... do ya think superheroes are real?"

"Hmmm... I'm not sure, sweetie..." she answered carefully. "I've never seen one before..."

"Well... maybe they just protect us in secret... dat's why ya've nevah seen one!"

She smiled at him, "Maybe you're right..."

"Superheroes are so cool, huh? I wish I was one of 'em, 'cuz they're not afraid of anything!" Ace leapt from his mother's grasp and raced into a small huddle of trees just outside the park path. "If I had superpowahs, I could do whatevah I wanted, and I'd be really strong! I'd even be strong enough ta stand up ta those mean ol' fourth graders dat like ta pick on us at recess..." He held up the twig he was still carrying with him and swung it around like a sword once again.

"Take dat... and dat...!"

"Well you know, Ace..." she began as her son flailed around, using his imaginary powers, "you don't need to have superpowers to be strong..."

Her son only looked at her curiously, with a face that looked like it didn't quite understand. "It's true," she continued. "And whether or not there really are superheroes out there somewhere... anybody can be a hero... all it takes is a little courage. As long as you're brave enough to stand up for what's right, you're already strong enough to be a hero."

Ace dug his toes into the ground for a second, not having quite expected such an answer. "I guess so..." he muttered after a moment, "...but superpowahs would help!"

His mother chuckled warmly, "I'm sure they would."

With their little moment finished, she held her hand out in front of her to which her son quickly took hold of. The young bunny's energy was still brimming as they continued down the park path.

"When I grow up," he exclaimed, "I wanna be a real-life superhero! I'll have all these cool powahs and fight bad guys, just like Blaze! And when people need help, they can just come ta me, and I can help 'em! I'll be extra brave and strong... and I won't be afraid of anything..."

There was small stint of uncharacteristic silence as they walked on. Ace was looking at the stick in his hand reflectively.

"...and maybe if I was a real superhero... I could go find out where daddy went and bring him back home..."

Ace was surprised when the two of them suddenly stopped walking.

Curiously, he looked up at his mom and saw a blank, yet oddly pained expression on her face. Her gaze was cast towards the ground in front of her and was oddly still as if his words had frozen her somehow. Her grip around his hand seemed a little tighter as well.

"Mommy..." he asked worriedly, "what's tha matter?"

She didn't respond right away, but a light shake of her arm seemed to snap her back to reality. Her expression vanished as quickly as it had come and was replaced by the calmer, more collected demeanor he was more familiar with.

"It's nothing..." she assured, relaxing her grip. "Come on, sweetie... we better get you home. It's getting dark..."

• • •

• Time: 3:47 p.m.

• Date: March 18, 2772

It was surprising how vivid that memory still was.

He wasn't sure why it had come to him now of all times, but he guessed it probably had something to do with the room he was in. He was sitting in a waiting room filled with rows of empty chairs. He was the only one there now, but about an hour ago there had been dozens of other people scattered in those seats. One by one they were all summoned away, his stomach twisting into another knot each time a name was called that wasn't his.

Aside from the walls painted in brilliant golds, reds, and purples, and adorned with signed movie posters alongside portraits of famous actors and actresses, it was essentially a standard sort of waiting room. There were coffee tables placed amongst the chairs that were littered with all sorts of magazines. There was a television screen placed in the corner that was broadcasting a 24-hour news program. At the front desk, a few receptionists were busy typing away at computers and taking business calls.

Out of all the waiting rooms he had sat in over the years, this had to be one of the nicer ones though, and he probably would've been more appreciative of his surroundings if his nerves weren't so distracting. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so nervous. Wasn't he usually a much more confident guy?

A door beside the reception desk eased open with a click that sent a jolt through his skin. Through the entryway, a man in a headset appeared, clutching a clipboard.

"Ace Bunny...?" he called out, reading a name off the list. Finally hearing his name called, Ace made eye contact with the man, and stood up with an understanding nod. "Saving the best for last?" the man jested.

Ace chuckled nervously, "Let's hope so."

He couldn't even come up with a remark better than that? Something really was wrong...

As he followed the man through the door and into a series of winding hallways, the sheer magnitude of the entire situation started hitting him harder than ever. Here he was at the head office of one of the biggest film production companies in Acmetropolis, a company that had introduced the world to some of the most promising film icons of their time as well as a wide array of popular film franchises.

Among these franchises was a film series known as The Adventures of Man-Babe. Thus far, it had seven films in its repertoire and an eighth installment was currently in production. Though most film critics could agree that the series' quality had declined in recent years, each new sequel would always seem to draw in enough moviegoers to warrant its typical designation as an A-list summer blockbuster.

It was the kind of spotlight Ace had been chasing after for years. He was still a fresh face in the movie business, but the bunny had already managed to garner a modest reputation for himself. Unfortunately, when compared to the established veterans of the film industry, he was still an inexperienced rookie at best and the young stuntman could rarely land anything better than a B-list movie.

This time though, it seemed like Lady Luck had given him the opportunity of a lifetime. Just a few days ago, the lead stuntman cast in the newest Man-Babe sequel - doubling for the lead actor - had injured himself while performing a scene and wouldn't be able to finish the film. If that wasn't enough, it seemed none of the other stuntmen they had on hand could adequately portray the part. With their filming deadline fast approaching, the producers couldn't afford to hold a traditional open casting call, so they had to come up with a quick solution. Apparently, enough people had submitted their names for that same part during the initial casting calls that they decided to call everyone back for a round of emergency auditions.

Ace was one of these people.

This was it, a real second chance. It honestly hadn't surprised him at all when they overlooked his name entirely in the initial selections and didn't even bring him in for an official audition. He couldn't expect anything more with a franchise as iconic as this one. But now that fate had finally given him a real chance to prove himself, he was facing an opportunity he had spent much of his life preparing for.

Ever since he was a child, he dreamed of a future where people would know his name, where he would stand out among the ordinary people around him and truly make something of himself… of course, his dreams had been a bit more specific when he was younger. He had to admit that wanting to be a real-life superhero was a decent place for him to start, but everyone has to grow up sometime. Though, that sort of youthful idealism wouldn't be so quick to leave him.

A real role model... someone people could look up to... a hero in his own right... maybe that was what he really wanted. Maybe...

Ace was suddenly lifted from his thoughts when the two of them came to a stop at a lone door at the end of a long hallway. His heart was racing...

"Here we are," the man announced as he reached for the doorknob, "the last audition of the day. You ready to go?"

"Eh... not really," Ace admitted as he again wondered what had happened to his usual sense of wit. The man smirked at him before opening the door and ushering the bunny to proceed inside.

The audition room looked a lot like the inside of a typical gymnasium, being roughly the same size. The walls were completely bare and colored a pristine shade of white that almost seemed to glow, standing at stark contrast to the scuffed-up, black marble floor below him. He wasn't sure, but he could've sworn that he had seen a room like this in a movie once before.

At one end of the room, four individuals were seated at a long table draped in a black cloth. On one end, there was a middle-aged businessman dressed in a sharp suit. If Ace had to guess, he'd pin him down as an executive who worked in the higher levels of management. The woman next to him looked to be of similar status in her own formal looking attire. She was probably around the same age as him also, with dark brown skin and pepper-colored hair.

Next to her was another woman, though much younger and more casual-looking. Her skin was a light peach and her hair was mostly blonde save for a bright red highlight that fell behind her left ear. Out of the four of them, her eyes appeared to be the kindest, as if she was the only one who hadn't gotten tired of sitting through hours of auditions. It made the man sitting next to her stand out that much more. He was an artsy-looking fellow with fairly long black hair underneath an odd red beret, a trim goatee in the shape of an upside-down triangle wedge, and an oversized pair of clear visor glasses. The eyes behind them oozed a sense of self-importance and his expression suggested that his patience had been the one among the four of them to run out first.

The man with the clipboard took his place by the entry door and prompted Ace to stand in the center of the room facing the judges' table, to which he complied. He waited patiently – and nervously – to be addressed as the two older judges were busy scribbling notes into their papers.

"Ace Bunny?" the suited man inquired, finally looking up.

"Yes sir."

"It looks like you're the last one for today. How do you feel?"

"Yes sir."

The man gave him a look and an odd sort of shrug before writing something else in his notes. Ace slapped himself mentally. "Alright," the judge continued, "we'll just start off by getting right to the physical audition and save the questions for afterwards. Your audition will be divided into three parts which you will do in succession with only brief pauses in between. Each part will last only a few minutes and they will test your abilities in an arrangement of different scenarios. We will not only be testing your abilities but also your sense of awareness and reasoning. To start off, we'll need you to choose a weapon."

He gave a motion of his fingers and two assistants pulled out a long metal rack that displayed a large variety of handheld weapons in all shapes and sizes. He couldn't help but marvel at such an impressive assortment, but there was one weapon in particular that the bunny couldn't seem to take his eyes off of. Immediately, he took hold of a long, thin sword with a black and blue handle as the two men rolled the cart away. Giving the instrument a good look over, he quickly realized that it wasn't any typical blade. It was a state-of-the-art "dummy" training sword, the kind that were often used as props as well as training equipment. It had the same weight and feel of an actual sword, but it could only work effectively against objects that were made of similar "dummy" training materials. To anything else, this sword was no deadlier than a child's toy.

The man gave a nod as the woman next to him jotted a few things down in her own notes. "Excellent choice," he acknowledged. "You may use your weapon for the first two parts only. Before you begin the third assessment, you will need to hand it back to our assistants. Your first evaluation will begin once you hear the buzzer. Good luck."

Ace nodded in understanding and readied his sword in front of him. For several agonizing seconds, the room fell into a dead silence that convinced him that the judges could somehow hear the thunderous beating of his own heart. He took a few seconds to calm his nerves and center his mind through a few calming, meditative breaths. He didn't have long though, as the sound of a buzzer instantly snapped him into action mode.

The sounds of machines warming up drew his attention to the walls where small hatch doors halfway up slid open to reveal what looked like small, embedded launch barrels. He kept himself from taking a full look around, but from what he could tell, it looked like there were three doors on each wall, which meant twelve total spots where projectiles could be shot from.

Not even a second later, he picked up the sound of compressed air and instinctively side-stepped to his right, dodging a projectile that had been shot from one of the barrels directly behind him. Hearing another shot, he turned in the direction of that same barrel and saw a second projectile – a grayish disk somewhat smaller than a Frisbee – heading straight for his chest. With a quick diagonal swipe of his sword, he split the disk in two, both pieces landing on the ground on either side of him.

He knew he recognized this room. This was the same room that had been used in a scene from one of the earlier, classic Man-Babe movies, a famous scene where the hero was trying to escape from a villainous research lab and had to cross through a room where poisonous darts shot out of the walls. Ace couldn't hold back his grin for finally making sense of such an odd room. As the adrenaline started coursing through his veins, he felt all his anxiety melt away, his usual confidence finally coming back to take its place.

Now it was time for him to shine.

With every burst of air that he heard, Ace reacted with a swift and calculated response. If he caught the disk in a good range he could slice it with his sword. If the disk wasn't so compliant, he would simply dodge it with a side-step, duck, or even a jump if it came at his feet. The barrage of disks was manageable at first, allowing him ample time to showcase his skills with a number of trick shots or evasive gymnastics. But sure enough, the disks started coming faster as time progressed, often firing in multiples at a time. Even with his best efforts, he couldn't avoid the inevitable number of disks that slipped through his defenses and hit him directly, and by the end he was dodging more disks than he could hit, ultimately using his sword as more of a shield than a weapon. Still, the determined bunny managed to keep hold of his footing, and could only hope the judges weren't looking for perfection.

As he managed to swipe through one final disk, he heard the sound of a buzzer, the same one from before. The mini-cannons ceased firing and retreated back into the walls, doors sliding shut to reform the pristine, seamless walls. Assuming this meant he was done with the first part of the audition, Ace took a second to relax himself and catch his breath as the judges scribbled notes and a team of sweepers swept the floor clean in a matter of moments.

After the room was once again like new, the buzzer sounded again to signal the start of the second assessment. Like before, the sounds of machines warming up drew his attention to the walls as they revealed yet another surprise. On three of the walls (excluding the one the judges were in front of) a number of garage-size doors opened up as a series of robotic, gray training dummies made their way out. The dummies were humanoid in shape despite having fairly small arms in proportion to their bodies and flat-wheels instead of legs. Most of them were roughly his size, though there were a few that stood at least a few feet taller and a good deal stouter.

Looking at his new test, Ace wasn't quite sure what was expected of him. Was he supposed to try and cut them to pieces, or should he try and think of a way to stop them without damaging the equipment? Were they just simple moving targets, or were they actually programmed to attack him somehow? He spent his first minute or two simply trying to stay out of their way and observing them, trying to come up with a battle plan. It soon became clear that the robots didn't have any real offensive capabilities, but they were able to keep track of his movements as they followed after him wherever he went. Ultimately, he decided that a full offensive assault wouldn't be necessary.

His plan instead would be to render them motionless. They were sturdy robots for sure, but a few strong, well-timed punches or kicks could knock them off their wheels. Once they were on their side, they were unable to pick themselves back up and, aside from a bit of pesky flailing, were no longer a threat. The larger dummies were trickier. Not only did they require a lot more force to knock over, but their arms were actually long enough to help them back onto their wheels. As much as Ace tried to avoid it, he found it most effective to use his sword to either cripple or remove the arms entirely before knocking them over. Without the useful appendages, they were even less threatening than the smaller dummies.

A few swift strikes knocked the last standing robot off-balance, and a sweep at its feet sent it falling backwards. The moment it hit the ground, the buzzer went off again to signal the end of the second assessment. As the cleaners once again came out, this time to deactivate and take the robots away, Ace used this chance to look over at the judges and gauge what they might be thinking. The two official-looking ones were busy scribbling notes as usual, but the younger woman seemed to be grinning amusingly at him while the man with the beret was giving him a curious look.

Once the robots were cleared, an attendant came up to Ace directly and asked for his sword, to which he complied and gave it away. Once it was out of his hands, a man dressed in a traditional martial arts robe stepped out through a door and walked up to him. He was a fairly muscular man who looked to be around his mid-30s and sported a clean shaven head. With a nod of acknowledgement, the man put his hands together and bowed respectfully before his opponent. Being all too familiar with this practice, Ace returned the gesture respectfully before they each took a stance to ready themselves. It looked like the last assessment was going to be a standard one-on-one fight.

With the sound of the buzzer just seconds later, the man lunged forward with an open-palmed strike to his chest, which he quickly stepped backwards to avoid. Similarly to what he had done with the dummies, Ace relied on a purely defensive strategy for the first few moments, using this time to assess his opponent's moves. The first thing he noticed was that his strikes were forceful, yet restrained... as they should be in a peaceful sparring match. If anything, this revealed that his opponent was indeed well trained in this kind of combat.

It may have been a simple or obvious thing to notice, but it did help him piece together just what kind of fighting style he was up against. His strikes may have been quick and powerful, but they were also very readable. He seemed to be relying on textbook techniques and made little effort into any kind of surprises. If Ace was perceptive enough, he could correctly predict where and how he would strike next, allowing him to put up an effective block. For sure, the man's technique was near perfect, but what should have been his greatest strength was going to be his greatest weakness...

By knowing just how and where his opponent was focusing his energy, not only could he block his attacks, but he could also use a counter-strike and hit him where he would be most vulnerable at that moment. With a few good strikes, he could easily take away his opponent's momentum and set him up to be knocked to the ground. If he couldn't outright take his momentum away, he would instead use it against him by grabbing hold of an oncoming limb and countering with a throw. Of course, the man was certainly capable of holding his own, landing a few impressive moves of his own when he had the chance, but it was clear who had the advantage.

Catching a rounded kick at his side, Ace had just managed to flip his opponent onto his back one last time before the buzzer sounded for the final time. Releasing his lock, he helped the man back onto his feet. They exchanged another bow before he walked away, leaving Ace alone with the judges. Surprisingly, none of them were writing anything down, and all eyes were looking him over intently with expressions that hinted at a revived interest. That was, except for the man in the beret who was looking unusually scornful.

"Impressive work, Mr. Bunny..." the formal-looking man began.

Ace smirked slightly, simultaneously happy about his performance as well as the return of his lost confidence. "With all due respect sir, ya can just call me 'Ace.' I'm not much fa dat formal stuff..."

"Ace, then," he corrected, "how many years have you been in the business?"

"I was cast in my first role almost two an' a half years ago."

"And let me ask you this," he continued. "How long have you been training in the martial arts?"

"I'd say... since I was about seven years old."

He looked at his papers, "And you're twenty years old now..."

"Yes sir."

"I saw you using a lot of different techniques," the younger woman spoke up. "What kind of styles do you know?"

"Well, aside from traditional karate, I've also taken classes in tae kwon do... judo... tai chi... an' even northern chāquán. O' course, I nevah try ta stick to just one style too much and add in a lot o' my own stuff..."

The woman smiled a bit and looked like she was going to add something else before the man with the beret spoke first. "Well some of your techniques did seem a little... unorthodox to say the least." His words were generic enough, but his tone suggested the worst they could possibly imply. "According to your file, you were never called in for an official audition during casting. Care to explain anything about that?"

He wasn't sure what it was, but something about that guy was definitely rubbing him the wrong way. "I guess it's just because I'm still pretty new to tha business. Big movie studios like these don't really like guys like me, ya know?"

"Well I'm surprised," the younger woman answered, "you're clearly very talented."

"Thank ya, ma'am," Ace responded with a smile.

"Now... before we let you go, Mr. Bunny," the older woman began, "I want to ask you one last question..." She paused. "Why do you think we should cast you for this part?" All of the judges were now watching him intently, waiting to see how he would answer.

Ace took a second to gather his thoughts. "Well, ta be honest..." he started off hesitantly, "I don't really think I can give ya a good enough reason..."

A few of the judges shuffled in their chairs. None of them had expected an answer like that. "And why is that?" the older man asked.

"I didn't get ta see any o' tha other auditions today," he explained, "so I can't honestly tell ya if I was tha best. Fer a movie like dis, I know ya can only pick whicheva one ya think was tha best... and I don't know if dat was me. But I do know one thing... I've worked hard ta get where I am today... and I've been through a lot ovah tha past few years..." Ace felt his fists tighten, "An' I promise... if yer willin' ta give me dis part... I will work even harder... as hard as I possibly can... ta be tha best stuntman you've evah seen...!"

There was a small bout of silence as the four pairs of eyes seemed to be locked onto his own. Had his words affected them any? The older woman took a moment to glance at her papers before asking something else. "Just out of curiosity... you said that you've been through… 'a lot.' Would any of that have to do with your current residence in the East Eleventh District?"

Ace briefly looked down before giving his earnest reply. "Yes ma'am."

"Ugh, I can only imagine what it must be like to live in a slum like that," the man with the beret chimed in suddenly. Ace threw him a non-threatening, but obviously annoyed expression as he continued. "At least it's nice to finally see someone from those parts who's actually willing to work at making something of himself. I have to say... there are far too many of you people in those awful neighborhoods that just expect everything to be handed to them..."

That was it. Something had to be said.

"Well excuse me sir," Ace began sarcastically, "but I don't see how a person's work ethic has anything ta do with how much money they've got. I'm sorry dat some of us people can't afford ta buy nice things like those fancy visors o' yers and can only settle for real glasses... ya know, tha kind that actually help us see bettah..."

The man's expression instantly twisted into a scowl as he adjusted the aforementioned visors. "I'll have you know that these visors are top designer brand and are probably worth more money than you'll ever have in your life! But I guess a street rabbit like you shouldn't be expected to know the true value of things..!"

"No offense sir..." Ace replied heatedly, now clearly getting angry, "but I'm not a rabbit, I'm a bunny! Maybe if you'd just pull yer head outta yer ass for a few minutes, you'd a been able ta tell tha difference!"

It only took a second for Ace to realize what a bad idea it was to say something like that.

Each of the judges looked shocked to say the very least. The older man seemed to be looking at his fellow judges intently, waiting to see how his colleagues were going to react. The older woman was looking directly at Ace, eyes widened in a very questioning and almost scrupulous glance. The younger woman looked to be the most surprised at his outburst, but the fact that she was holding her hand over her mouth might have been more due to the fact that it almost looked like she was trying to stifle a laugh. The man with the beret looked at him with a face that looked like an explosive mix and outrage and bewilderment.

"Why you arrogant little -"

"Enough Steven," the older man instructed firmly, cutting him off. He turned to Ace, "I believe we're done here, Mr. Bunny. We'll give you a call sometime tonight to let you know of our decision."

Ace nodded, "th-thank you for yer time..." As he walked to the door, he tried his best to avoid further eye contact with any of the judges, as if that could convey his regret somehow. Whatever confidence he had garnered after his performance had just been ripped away and it was starting to make him feel sick. His audition had gone so well... and he just had to ruin it by opening his mouth like that. How could he have been so careless?

As the man with the clipboard escorted the crestfallen bunny out of the audition room, he made sure to offer a few consoling words once they were out of the judges' earshot.

"I just wanna say… that I'm completely on your side with everything you said in there. That guy's a prick."

• • •

"Now approaching… East Eleventh! Next stop… East Thirteenth!"

The automated female voice announced the train's current location as it slowly pulled into the station. Once it came to a stop, the doors rushed open to allow the usual influx of commuters to move in and out of the cart. But even for it being right in the midst of Rush Hour, the movement through the doors was minimal. They were programmed to stay open long enough to accommodate the large crowds that usually filled the train cars at some of the more populous areas of the city, but in these parts, traffic was low. Most people who were unfortunate enough to take the East-bound trains were smart enough to get off around the ninth district at the latest.

Ace didn't travel into the central part of Acmetropolis very often, so coming back from it now, it was quite apparent how much poorer and generally less maintained his home station felt compared to the ones uptown. Walking through the station, he noticed all the graffiti, the outdated utilities, and the occasional homeless person a lot more than he had that morning. They weren't the most pleasant sites, but they were very familiar ones around here.

Making his way out of the train station and into the world outside, the sky was the first thing to catch his attention. The sun was just beginning to set, and the late rays were bathing the sky in a warm, richly golden color. It was one of the few things he actually preferred in this part of the city over the grandeur of the nicer districts. With all the skyscrapers and billboards in Central Acmetropolis, he wondered how often those people could see a full, unobstructed sunset like this one.

It was a beautiful sight, but it also clued the bunny in that his time was running short. He still had a few things to do and he needed to be quick if he wanted to make it home before dark.

A few turns and a couple of blocks later, Ace reached a modestly decorated shop on a street corner called Molly's Market and went inside. It was a quaint little grocery store that was probably only a little larger than your average convenience store. Regardless, he usually found the service to be quite nice and efficient, and the store itself seemed to have a little bit of everything. Seeing how it wasn't all that far from his own home, he ended up coming here quite often.

Knowing exactly where everything was, it only took him a few minutes to scan all the aisles and find everything he needed: spaghetti noodles… spaghetti sauce… garnish leaves… a head of lettuce… tomatoes… carrot sticks (ooh, half price!)… and salad dressing. Venturing away from the food aisles, he picked up a few extra things that were a little less typical: a small, white table cloth… a couple of clean, unscented candles… and a small bouquet of roses.

After making sure he hadn't forgotten anything, he brought his haul up to the store's only open register. The woman manning the checkout line was an older, somewhat stouter woman who, despite the friendly smile she typically wore, seemed to give off a fairly commanding presence. For him, this woman needed no introduction.

"Hey, how's it going, Ace?" she greeted warmly.

"I'm pretty good, Molly… can't really complain. How're things fer you?"

"Oh, you know… same old, same old… just trying to keep this old place from falling apart." They both shared a polite chuckle. "So what's with all this?" she questioned curiously while scanning his items. "You got a hot date tonight?"

Ace smiled secretively, "I guess ya could say dat…"

"Well, you're certainly going all out on this one, aren't ya?"

Ace laughed at what she was clearly implying. "Maybe one o' these days, I'll be able ta afford something bettah…"

"Speaking of which, didn't you have some kind of audition today?"

At the mention of it, Ace's heart sank a little after being reminded of what had happened just moments ago. Of course, for courtesy's sake, he kept the disappointment from showing too much on the surface. "Oh… ya heard about dat, huh?"

Molly gave him a look. "Oh come on Ace, you oughta know how fast news like that travels around this neighborhood. Tell me, what movie was it?"

"Man-Babe 8."

She whistled impressively, "Sounds like good money to me! How do you feel about it?"

"I don't know… ya know how tough it can be fer a new kid like me ta get into stuff like dat…"

"Well… I have faith in you. While you were working here, you were one of the best workers we could've asked for. I figure a guy like you wouldn't have left a job he was doing well at unless he really had something to offer."

"Yeah, but tha movie business is a little harder than bein' a bag boy. I can tell ya dat much…"

"You know, if I wasn't sure you'd turn me down, I'd easily offer you another temp job here at the store. But, I guess it's best that you're off to bigger and better things nowadays. You don't really belong in a place like this... especially after what happened last night..."

Ace was surprised that he didn't know what she was talking about. He usually kept up with what was going on around his neighborhood, particularly when it involved his old workplace.

"What do you mean?"

Molly gave a saddened sigh that Ace couldn't help but find troubling. "I guess you haven't heard... you remember Lacey, right?"

"Of course," Ace replied. Lacey started working at the store a full year before Ace had quit. She was roughly his same age, and while the two of them had worked together, they had gotten along just fine and became fast friends. Of course, now that Ace was busy devoting himself to a new line of work, they didn't get to see each other as often as they used to, but she would always seem to be working at the store when he stopped by, eager to catch up with an old friend.

Come to think of it, he found it odd that he hadn't seen her at all so far...

"Our store was robbed last night, Ace. Lacey was working a night shift when it happened."

Ace's jaw dropped in disbelief. "What? Are you serious?"

She nodded, "The punk came in with a mask and a gun around midnight just when she was about to close up. Apparently, there weren't any customers at the time, and since it was the end of the night, she was the only one working. He put the gun to her head and made off with everything in the register. By the time the police got here, he was already long gone."

"Dat's terrible..." Ace replied, still in a semi-state of shock. "What was she doin' workin' a night shift in tha first place? Don't ya usually get Frank ta close up?"

"Frank called in sick yesterday and nobody else could fill the spot. Lacey said she was looking to get some extra hours, so she decided to stick around past her usual shift and close everything up. It was only one night..."

"I can't imagine... is she okay?"

"Depends on what you mean by 'okay.' She wasn't hurt or anything - thank God - but she got shaken up pretty bad. Once the police called me and told me what happened, I rushed over here as quick as I could. When I found her, she seemed to be holding herself together pretty well while she was talking to the cops. But... once she saw me, she pretty much broke down in tears. I gave her some paid time off so she could have time to recover from all of this. It was the least we could do..."

"Poor Lacey..." he muttered sadly as their conversation hit a standstill, both of them becoming lost in their own thoughts. Crimes and burglaries weren't unusual in this side of town, and this actually wasn't the first time the store had been robbed. That wasn't anything that surprising. What really seemed to bother him was that someone like Lacey, one of the friendliest, most hard-working people he had ever had the privilege of working with, had to be the one subjected to something like that. It just didn't seem fair to him...

"Anyway," Molly resumed after a second or two, "that'll be $29.50."

Ace dug into his pockets and pulled out an even $25, placing it onto the counter. A little more digging, however, quickly tipped him off that he was short the rest of the money. What a disappointment... he was sure he had remembered to bring enough. He looked over his items carefully, trying to determine what among them was the least important. "Ya know, on second thought... I probably could make due with just one o' those candles... and I'm sure I've got somethin' at home dat I can use as a tablecloth..."

He reached for the items with the intent of putting them back on the shelf, but the cashier quickly scooted them away into a shopping bag before he could grab them. "Don't worry about it, Ace. We'll take care of it."

"Oh... no," he began to protest, "I couldn't ask ya ta-"

"It's no trouble," she insisted. "Besides, I'm sure you can pay us back plenty when you get that Hollywood paycheck..."

Considering that she had probably lost hundreds of dollars the night before, Ace wondered why she would still be willing to do something like that. It was only a few dollars, but it was still more than the usual pocket change. He wasn't the most comfortable with accepting the charity of others, but he did know one thing. If a poor merchant in the East Eleventh District was willing to extend a hand to help, it was usually best to save the stubborn pride.

He formed a small smile in resignation, "Eh... if ya say so. But once my new movie comes out, I'm payin' ya back... double!"

"That's what I like to hear," she replied with a small laugh as she handed him his bags.

"Thanks a lot, Miss Molly."

Her reply was surprisingly earnest, "You're a good kid, Ace. Take care of yourself out there, alright?"

There was a second of pause before he smiled back, "Don't ya worry about dat, ma'am. I'll be fine." As he took his bags and headed for the door, he remembered to add one last thing.

"Oh, and if I don't see her foist, tell Lacey I said 'hey.'"

"I will."

• • •

The slowly vanishing sunset was just starting to fill the sky with deep shades of orange and crimson, hinting that it would soon be covered up by the horizon. Having walked a few more blocks, Ace finally reached his home street and instinctively broke into a steady jog.

At the end of the street, he stopped in front of the modest, musky-brown building that was his apartment complex. It was only a few stories tall and not glamorous by any means, but it was the place he called home. As far as the notorious East Eleventh District was concerned, this was technically in one of the safer areas. That alone didn't save it from things like crime and violence, but it became the haven for most well-meaning families and honest people who shared the misfortune of not being able to afford much better. He walked up the few steps that led to the front door and went inside.

There weren't any actual rooms on the first floor, which was instead a lobby area that held a few living/lounge areas along with a dining hall towards the back. Right now, there was a small gathering of people in the main lounge watching some kind of sports game, likely a Basherball game judging by the sounds. Normally, he would've joined them in simple attempt at socializing, but he had bigger plans tonight. Ace headed straight for the stairs to take him up to his room, but a familiar voice quickly caught him along the way.

"Ace Bunny... what's been keeping you?"

Turning around, he saw a woman walking towards him from the lobby area where everyone else had gathered. She had tanned skin and long black hair, decorated with a few braids. Her smaller body frame made her look fairly young, even though she was a few good years older than he was. In her arms, she carried her son - not even a year old - who was nursing away at a bottle of milk. This was the woman who owned the complex, Ace's landlord... err... land-lady.

"Evenin', Mrs. Valdez! How are ya?"

"What are you doing getting back so late?" she inquired, readily ignoring his casual greeting. "It's getting dark out there, and you know it ain't safe to be out in those streets at night! Didn't your mama ever teach you any better?"

Ace chuckled, "Calm down Stephanie, the sun's still out ya know. There are still kids playin' in tha street..."

"Well if their mamas know what's good for 'em, they'll be bringing them inside any minute now. You're usually home before we get the sunset, you know...

"But tha important thing is dat I'm here, right?" he jested.

She gave him an amused smile before walking back into the lobby she had come from, leaving Ace to his own business. For a landlady, she was actually quite a friendly person, often wanting to find ways to converse and interact with her tenants in an attempt to get to know them on a more personal level. It was probably why she was in the lobby now while the game was on. He found this also made her a more understanding person when it came to collecting rent, a quality that had admittedly saved his neck a few times before. Sure, she could come off as a bit firm or stubborn sometimes, but it mostly had to do with the no-nonsense attitude she had when it came to the more serious matters. He assumed it came from the fact that she was a young mother herself.

After making his way up two flights of stairs, Ace reached the third floor of the complex and walked down to a room at the end of the hallway... room 301. Unlocking the door, he walked inside and took a look around at the place he called home. It was a rather small, somewhat cramped living space, but it was enough for him to put his feet up every night.

Immediately walking in, the kitchen/dining area sat on the left side of the apartment. The typical kitchen appliances and cabinets were propped against two of the walls and the empty space it left was predominately taken up by a basic dining table. The dining area was connected to the living room on the apartment's right side which only featured a fabric sofa and a few recliners around a small coffee table seated in front of a television screen. Going ahead, straight from the doorway and between the two areas, there was a small hallway that ended with a bathroom and held two doors on either wall that led to two separate bedrooms.

Not wasting any time, Ace dropped his bags on the dining table and immediately started boiling a pot of water on the stove. He looked through his cabinets and his refrigerator and gathered everything he needed and placed them all out on the table. Preparing all this food and cleaning up the place was going to be quite the balancing act, especially with the amount of time he had to do it.

Ace gave his knuckles a good crack. It was time to work some magic.

• • •

He had only been twiddling his thumbs in the hallway for a few short minutes before his guest showed up. He had even brought out a folding chair and sat himself down in front of the door, prepared to wait for a considerable amount of time. Apparently, he had cut it closer than he thought.

The bunny at the end of the hallway was wearing a navy-blue jacket over a set of light purple-colored scrubs. Coming up from the stairs, her face seemed a bit preoccupied and more than a little tired, but her more serious disposition vanished quickly once she caught sight of what was waiting for her.

"Ace?" she inquired, "What are you doing out here?"

"Just waitin' on you…" he answered, getting up from his chair. He had just gotten comfortable…

"You couldn't wait inside?"

"I wanted ta catch ya out here foist," he explained. "Listen… ya remembah me sayin' dat I wanted ta take ya out somewhere nice tonight..?"

"...And I told you not to worry about it since we don't have a lot of money right now," she finished for him.

"Well yeah, I know dat…" he acknowledged, "but then I started thinkin'. I figured dat if I couldn't take ya to a fancy restaurant on a day like today… then I could at least bring one to ya!"

She gave him an odd sort of look, not quite sure of what to expect. "Here I'll show ya," he continued as he put his hand on the doorknob. "Let me be tha foist ta welcome ya to… La Casa di Bunny…"

With his formal-sounding announcement, he opened the door to reveal the fruits of his labor waiting inside. Pamela gave a soft gasp as she took in what was there.

Even with all the lights dimmed, you could tell the place had been cleaned up quite a bit. The floor had been mopped, the furniture was dusted, and that pile of old dishes that was plaguing the sink had finally been taken care of. It certainly was a cleaner apartment than she had remembered it being that morning. In fact, she hadn't seen the place so cleaned up in a long time…

But of course, the real surprise was in the kitchen. The dinner table had been covered in a fine white tablecloth and a humble arrangement of roses sat in a clear glass vase as the centerpiece on top. On either side, there sat a simple white candle atop a small golden candlestick, its flame bathing the area in a soft, warming glow. He had even brought out their plates of fine china, items she was sure hadn't been touched in years. And all the while, the sounds of a soft classical violin – coming from a set of speakers she noticed on top of the counter – filled the apartment with a delicate ambiance.

Ace smiled, "Happy birthday, mom…"

"Ace…" she eventually managed to say, "you didn't have to do all this…"

"Nonsense," he dismissed while shutting the front door behind them. "Right this way, ma'am, I'll show ya to yer seat…" With exaggerated posturing, he walked over to one of the chairs at the end of the table and pulled it out for her.

"But I haven't gotten a chance to change yet…"

"Don't worry, yer fine just tha way ya are! Besides… I think tha salad's been sittin' out here for almost an hour now. We bettah go ahead and start eatin' it…"

Once she had taken her seat at the table, he pulled out a simple folded menu on a sheet of paper and handed it to her. "Here ya are, ma'am. We've got a fine selection today."

On the front side, the words "Casa di Bunny" were printed in fancy script lettering. Opening it up, she almost laughed when she saw the only thing inside: "Spaghetti. Comes with bread and a salad."

"Well it's a tough call," she teased, "but I think I'll have to go with the spaghetti."

"Excellent choice… and what would ya like ta drink? I think we've got some tea… and… maybe some tap water..?"

"Tea is fine."

"Comin' right up!" he replied pleasantly before placing a fancy wine glass in front of her and filling it promptly. Immediately afterward, he picked up a basket covered in a white cloth and put it on the table as well. "Here's some bread ta start out with…"

"Mmm… it smells delicious…"

"They should taste delicious too. I made 'em tha same way you usually do." As his mother tasted the rolls, Ace was hard at work putting together her salad. He had already mixed the vegetables together, so all he had to do was put it all onto a plate and add the dressing. Zesty Italian… her favorite.

Artfully, he picked up the plate and walked back to the table. "How's tha bread?"

"It's the best batch you've ever made," she answered simply.

"Dat was my foist time…"

"I'm not lying, am I?"

Ace smiled, "Well here's yer salad, ma'am," he said while placing the dish in front of her. "Now it'll just be a few more minutes before tha main course…"

Ace went back to the stove with a satisfied grin on his face. So far, his dinner plans were going pretty well. It was nice to see his mother taking a moment to just relax and enjoy herself. She always seemed to have a lot on her mind as well as her schedule, so it was nice for them to have a change of pace. Taking care of dinner was the least he could do for her. They may not have been in the best financial situation, but that wasn't going to stop him from treating his mother to something special for her birthday.

Over the years, she had really done a lot for him, always being someone that he could rely on. No matter what troubles came his way, it seemed like she was always there, supporting him, encouraging him, and picking him up when he fell. What amazed him even more was that she had done it all completely on her own, after his father had abandoned the both of them when Ace was only four years old. To this day, neither of them had a reasonable explanation as to why he had done such a thing, but it didn't help nowadays to dwell on things that couldn't be changed.

Of course, things only seemed to complicate themselves further once his mother had her accident at the manufacturing plant. Several months of complicated surgeries, extended hospital stays and grueling rehabilitation sessions awaited her afterward, and Ace eventually came to realize the simple fact that she had managed to pull through it at all was a true testament to her strength... a strength he had seen all along, but never fully appreciated until then. Unfortunately, not everyone was so understanding. After only a few months of leave from her job, the same plant that was responsible for her injury in the first place had decided to let her go, leaving the two of them with a stack of hospital bills they suddenly couldn't pay for.

In the end, that was the main reason that the two of them were in this sort of situation now. Up until about a year after the incident, they had lived comfortably in the East Fifth District. But as the bills piled up, they just couldn't manage enough money to meet all their obligations, and an apartment in East Eleventh was the best they could afford. His mother even took a risk by using that opportunity to go back to school and eventually become a nurse. It left them with a student loan debt on top of their other bills, but at least it gave his mother a better-paying job. Ace, too, began to do what he could to help out. Even though school was over for him and he was old enough to live on his own, their collective financial situation kept them together, each pulling in whatever income they could to stay afloat. In the end, they fared better together than either of them would have on their own.

But even as demanding or unfortunate as their circumstances were, Ace really didn't mind living with his mother. Their suburban district may have been infamous for its crime, but they had done a good job so far of staying out of its way. They had managed to settle into a fairly decent area where most of the people were nice and often in similar circumstances. So long as one didn't go looking for trouble, or stay out past dark unattended, there wasn't all that much to worry about.

Besides, his mother had done so much for him over the years. She was the one who had raised him all on her own and made sure that he made his way through school. She was the one who had encouraged him to take karate classes when he started displaying his interests at a young age. She was even the one who supported him most when he decided to follow his dream of trying to make it big in the movie business, even though the odds were stacked fiercely against him that he would ever make it anywhere.

As far as he was concerned, he was going to stand by his mom and help her for as long as it took for him to get them out of this mess and back on their feet.

He was going to get them out of there one day... that much he knew.

Ace topped off both plates of spaghetti with a fresh garnish leaf (for extra fanciness) and carried both dishes to the table. "Dinner is soived!"

"Wow, that certainly looks delicious!" she praised as the plate of steaming food was set down in front of her.

"Well let's hope so..." he jested while taking his own plate and sitting down directly across from her. "Now before we start eatin'," he said as he filled his own glass with tea, "I'd like ta propose a toast." He raised his glass into the air in front of him as Pam gave him a sort of questioning look.

"To tha greatest mom a guy like me could ask for... happy birthday."

She immediately sent a smile towards the tabletop as if she was a bit embarrassed to see her son making such a big deal out of everything. But she eventually looked back up at her son with the kindest and most thankful of eyes before raising her own glass as well.

"And let's not forget to toast the fine chef responsible for such a meal..." she added.

Accepting her response, the two of them clinked their glasses and took a drink. With the toast out of the way, Pam immediately started sifting through her main course, eager to see the extent of her son's cooking skills - and admittedly, how it compared to her own. After a good forkful, she found herself pleasantly surprised.

"Hey, this is actually pretty good. You've improved quite a bit since that last time you made spaghetti and you burned the sauce... somehow..." she teased.

Ace didn't readily acknowledge the joke, but instead kept his gaze firmly on the woman across from him. He had already made his toast, but he still felt like he had something else to add.

"Look... err... I know ya didn't ask fer anything..." he began, "and... I know things have been kinda tough fer us lately..."

Pam looked up from her plate.

"But... I just wanna say dat... I'm sorry I couldn't get ya a real gift dis year..."

Pam smiled, "you know I'm not worried about things like that. You don't need to apologize for anything. I couldn't ask for a more perfect evening..."

Ace smiled politely back, "Yeah, but I really wanted ta get ya somethin' special dis time around, ya know?" He paused. "Tell ya what... dis time next year, I'm gonna get ya a real present for yer birthday."

"Ace..."

"I promise... a year from now, we'll be a lot better off and I'll actually be able ta afford ta go out and get ya somethin'. Ya can count on dat..."

She looked like she was going to insist further, but eventually decided against it.

"I'm sure you will..." she eventually conceded with another smile.

Always the supportive one...

"Now, enough about that. I want to hear all about that audition you had today..."

• • •

"Oh Frederick... I couldn't bear to live one more day without you. So please... stay with me tonight!"

"My dearest Laticia... surely you know that I love you more than anything else in the world... but, I must return home to the mother of my child... Penelope!"

"Penelope? But... I don't understand... she's your sister! And she's been dead for years... she died of a broken heart after my father-in-law left her at the altar..."

"That's exactly what we wanted you to think...!"

"Who writes dis garbage?"

Ace sat in the recliner with his arms folded in a mock smugness. He and his mother, having already finished their meal, were now sitting down to a quiet evening of television. If he hadn't found what they were watching so unintentionally hilarious, he might've actually been kind of annoyed with what his mother had settled on.

"Quiet down, Ace," Pam hushed, "he's about to explain himself..."

"I just don't understand how ya can watch crap like dis," Ace ranted on. "It's like tha writers just wrote down what a little goil said while she was playin' House with her dolls."

"Fine, if that's the way it is..." the woman on-screen cried out, "I'll just go and kill myself! I can't go on living knowing you're in the arms of another woman!"

"A very emotionally distoibed little goil, dat is..." Ace clarified.

Pam sighed, "I'll admit... the writing really went downhill once they revealed that half the town was actually part of an undercover alien race. I'm mostly just watching now to find out what happens between the maid and that handsome doctor of hers..."

"Well, once dis is over, I get ta decide what we -" Before he could finish, a loud ringtone startled the two of them. It took a second for Ace to realize that the noise was coming from his pocket. With some clear anticipation, he pulled out the phone to see who it was, his eyes growing wide when he recognized the caller ID.

Acme Films Inc.

Ace turned the surprised and fateful expression on his face to his mother who instantly read his emotions. With a quick gesture of her hands, she shooed her son out of the room, snapping him back into focus as he practically leapt from his chair and took the phone into his room.

As he walked, he stared at his phone for a good while, not being able to bring himself to answer it until he was sitting at the foot of his bed. With a deep breath, he pressed the button to take the call.

"H-hello...?"

"Hello," a female voice answered, "may I speak to Ace Bunny?"

"Dis is him."

"Oh good... my name is Amy. I never told you my name, but I was one of the judges from your audition today. How are you this evening?"

Judging by the infliction in her voice, he assumed this was the younger woman with the red highlight in her hair. "I'm doin' alright... how about you?"

"I'm doing great, thanks for asking! So listen... we said that we were going to notify you of our decision once we came to one. So, I'm just calling to let you know that after some careful deliberation..."

She must have paused for a second because the fleeting passage of time that followed felt like the longest second of his life. He was sure he had stopped breathing...

"...we've decided... to cast you for the role."

The answer didn't seem to register with him right away. "I-I'm sorry, what was that?"

"I said we've decided to give you the stunt double position. Congratulations!"

Ace could hardly believe what he was hearing. There had to be some kind of mistake. "R-really...?"

She laughed, "Of course! It took some arguing, but we felt like you were the best person for the job. That is... if you still want it..."

"Y-yes, of course I do! Thank you so much..."

"You're very welcome! You did deserve that part by the way, that was an excellent audition if I do say so myself."

Though the result itself was finally beginning to register, he was still in the process of wrapping his head around it. "Thanks... but how? I mean, I really thought I screwed it up at tha end when... ya know..."

"Yeah well... there were definitely some arguments against you... that being one of the stronger ones. Some of us made that argument more than others, if you get what I mean. The issue of having an anthro actor double for a human role was also made... but in the end, we couldn't deny your clear skill level. We're on a filming deadline after all, and we couldn't afford to spend too much training a new recruit to meet the full requirements for the part. Simply put, you were the best one. We would have been crazy not to choose you."

The gratitude in him was beginning to overflow, each word she said practically driving the reality of it all deeper and deeper. He had actually pulled it off, hadn't he? "I-I don't know what ta say... ya don't know how much this means ta me..."

Amy gave a kind of sympathetic chuckle, "Well, filming starts bright and early tomorrow morning at seven sharp. We'll need to see you an hour earlier though to get you ready. Can we count on you to be back here at six tomorrow morning?"

"Absolutely...!"

"Great, then we'll see you then! You have a nice night and congratulations once again!"

"Thanks... you too..."

With the click of a button, Ace put the phone down to his lap, though he didn't let it go of it right away, keeping it in his hand as if it were a way to stay in the moment for as long as he could. Looking up, he noticed his mom standing in the doorway, mirroring the same hopeful and thankful expression he must have had on his own face.

No doubt she already knew what the news was.

Ace immediately got up from his seat on the bed and wrapped her up in the biggest hug he had given anyone in a long time...

---

Well that was it. What did you think of Ace so far?

Coming up in the next part, we'll get to see what Ace's first day on a big-name movie set is like. Will it be everything he dreamed? We'll also see what kind of challenges/opportunities await our hero when fate sends a comet his direction!

Alright, for the next parts... here's what I have in mind. I had originally wanted to write the chapters far enough in advance so that I could release all three parts in about 12-day period (4 days between each part), but I'm actually pretty behind. I AM pretty far into the next part, but I still have a ways to go. But here's what I'm thinking. I can have Part Two published somewhere around 5 - 7 days from today and Part Three published somewhere around 5 - 7 days from THAT date. Which means Part Two will be up sometime between March 6th - 8th and Part Three will be up sometime between March 11th - March 15th. It'll keep me pretty busy, but I feel REALLY confident that I can make these deadlines. I'm on spring break starting on the 9th and I'm lucky enough to not have any major tests or assignments until after the break.

If you're ever curious as to how my progress is going, feel free to check my profile for any news and/or reasons for delays. I update it pretty frequently, so... let's just hope that any delays are only for a day or two at most. I know I'm bad with deadlines, but I really am confident about this. Fingers crossed!

Anyway, that's all I have for now. Please review if you have the chance, as I REALLY appreciate any sort of feedback. Since the next part will be coming out soon, I might actually respond to some of your reviews in the next author's note, so if you have questions, feel free to ask! I've also noticed that it looks like a number of new people have come to this site while I've been gone. Here's hoping I get some new fans!

Thanks for reading guys, and I will see you all real soon! :)