Chapter 8: First Attempt and Encrypted Data

Morning arrived just like all the others as the Loonatics began what was becoming a standard routine. After breakfast, they equipped themselves and went down to the training court where Marc was waiting for them on a bench, eating a candy bar.

"Well, good morning, folks!" He greeted them. "I see you are in a excellent shape this morning."

"More or less, o' fearless coach! My back is killing me from yesterday's training session." Duck complained, groaning as he straightened his back.

"If your back and the rest of your body were as flexible as your beak when you talk, then you wouldn't have anything to complain about, Duck. "Patricia quipped.

"Very funny… It's so funny I forgot to laugh!" Duck snorted derisively.

"Okay, enough of that!" Mark chided, as he struggled to stop laughing himself.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Ace asked. "The usual training or something a little more challenging for a change, Marc?"

"Today, I think I'll give you guys a little break from the usual training. We're going to see the Monstrosity Crushers training in the court, using the holographic mode, so you can have a glimpse of what you're going to face." Marc said more seriously. "I don't want you to get intimidated when you see these guys moving on the court, because you will be able to compete at their own level, when the time comes. I just want you to watch them playing, so you can get a feel for their style and, maybe, if you can spot one or two flaws that will help you find a strategy to defeat them at their own game. So, come on, let's check them out."

Following their trainer and coach, Ace and the others entered the elevator and, when the doors closed, Mark pressed the button to take them to the ground floor, where the main court was. As they got out of the elevator, they saw the Crushers were practicing in the holographic mode.

The holographic scenery was an old salvage yard, where you could see piles and piles of crushed cars and other vehicles, scattered around. They all got seated on a bench near the wall. Everyone watched closely as each member of the Crushers used their natural abilities to pass through the obstacles.

Jumping from one side to the other, and sometimes even ramming their bodies against the obstacles, it seemed nothing would be able to stop them. Bourré was the one who was making more use of his enormous strength, using his fists to punch the crushed cars to the side, or create a passage which allow him to get to the basket. Blackjack was the one coordinating the team's moves, telling them what to do.

"21, Up and Down, now!" He barked.

Twenty-one grabbed the ball, and with a huge jump, she jumped over a bunch of wrecked cars, and as soon her feet touched the ground, she slid beneath an old trailer. With an elegant and almost perfect move, she threw the ball, right into the basket, scoring two points, without breaking a sweat.

Baccarat grabbed the ball and jumped as if he had springs on his shoes, threw it to Poker, who threw it back at him again. The Loonatics soon found out that they were using the "Give and Go" play.

Finally, when they were approaching the three point area, Baccarat once again threw the ball to Poker, who grabbed it, dribbled it for a second, grabbing it once again to execute a "Slam Dunk" that nearly ripped the basket from where it was hung.

Seeing that, Patricia gulped in fear, because she knew those guys were not fooling around. The rest of the team was feeling the same by the expressions on their faces.

Ace was worried but he didn't show it on his face. As their leader he couldn't afford to show fear in the face of the Crushers abilities and ruthlessness. He had to show only confidence and a surety that they would prevail no matter what he truly felt inside.

Before he could get his team's attention to help bolster their flagging confidence the holographic field shut down and the court returned to normal. Baccarat was the first to notice they had company.

"Looks like the puny little Loonatics have decided to join us, guys." He said loudly in that shrieky voice of his.

At his comment, his team mates turned to see their audience. Bourré eyed them with a nearly psychotic look as the Crushers approached the Loonatics who stood up before they got too close. Blackjack spoke up, his voice menacing and creepy.

"So, what did you think about our skills, punks?"

"Pretty impressive, I have to admit." Ace said honestly.

"Yeah, for a bunch of guys who have brains the size of peanuts, it was quite impressive…" Duck muttered under his breath.

Unfortunately, his remark was heard.

"What did you just said?!" Poker snapped.

"I said that you guys are all muscle and no brain!" Duck snarked off, in a louder voice.

"You really got an attitude, bird… I like that in a guy, because it will make it even funnier to squash you like an insect." Poker retorted. "And believe me, I will do that as soon as we get on the court.

"Why wait! Let's just settle it right now! Huh?" Duck blustered in challenge before Lexi grabbed him by the arm… hard.

"Stop this Duck!" She hissed at him urgently, giving him a hard shake. "That mouth of yours will get us in more trouble than we're ready for."

"Don't tell me what to do, Lexi!" Duck said, yanking his arm away from Lexi and blindly ignoring the danger as usual. "Besides, she's nothing but a muscled cheerleader who knows a few tricks."

Poker jumped in before Lexi or Ace could say anything. "Very well, I accept your challenge… one on one, and to make things interesting, I won't even use my powers to copy your unique abilities. However, you may use your abilities if you want to. That way you and your friends will see that even without using our absorption powers, my team is still superior!" She said flatly, a malicious tone in her voice.

"I'm so going to enjoy this… Pinkster, buddy, watch how I mop the floor with her face." Duck bragged to his friend but Pinkster was upset and was turning to Ace.

"P-P-Please, Ace, t-t-tell D-D-Duck to stop t-t-this b-b-before he g-g-gets… b-b-before he g-g-gets… b-b-before he g-g-gets… before he does something he will r-r-regret!" He pleaded.

"Sorry, Pinkster, but Duck really deserves being taught a lesson for not knowing when to keep his beak shut. Since he wont listen to good advice, this will either teach him or make him worse." Ace said firmly as he watched Duck and Poker go to the centre of the court. "Besides, it will be interesting how he'll react in a holographic field."

"I-If you s-s-say so, Ace." Pinkster said, worriedly. He knew his friend was very good at making a fool of himself but at this he might get seriously hurt. Still, if Ace felt Duck was in danger, he would be the first to order him to stop.

When the two opponents gathered in the centre of the court, the purple, female Nerdluckian, looked down at Duck.

"What venue would you like to play in?" Poker asked. "Jungle, volcano, junk yard, a cave... which will it be?"

"You pick it, sister… doesn't matter to me since you'll be losing." Duck snorted derisively.

Without changing her expression, Poker nodded. "Let's go for a simple one, just for you. Activate holographic simulation, level 1!" She ordered.

The computer obeyed Poker's order and the holographic mode was activated creating a white, sandy beach. There were a few coconut trees spread around the court and a few cliffs near the water. It looked so realistic that even the mere sound made by the waves sounded as if they were really near the ocean.

A ball appeared on the floor in the centre of the ring then suddenly flew upward, missing the ceiling of the building by centimetres before beginning its descent.

Duck was already teleporting to grab the ball but Poker, moving incredibly fast, leapt straight up and snatched the ball just before Duck could reappear. He was shocked when he popped into view and Poker was already heading back to the floor, ball firmly grasped in her hands.

Once she was on the ground, she began to dribble toward the basket. Just as she was about to slam dunk it, Duck appeared right in front of her.

"Oh, no you don't! I'm not letting you make a fool out of me, sister!" Duck growled as he used one of his morph balls, altered it to a super glue like substance, and fired it at her feet… hoping to glue her to the floor but he missed.

"I don't think so, bird-brain!" Poker jeered at him as she threw the ball.

The ball passed right under Duck's legs, ricocheting on a rock, described a curious angle, which made it hit on a coconut tree, throwing it back, where Poker grabbed it, and performed a perfect Slam Dunk, right in Duck's face.

He could not believe what he had just seen and the worst part of all that was the fact he was so amazed by what he had seen, he did not react. He just stood there, as she scored two points.

Still, refusing to throw in the towel, he shook himself, and once again tried to grab the ball, so he could show her that he also knew how to play the game. This went on for almost five minutes, until Poker had scored 50 points, while Duck had only scored 2 points.

The Crushers were enjoying the show, so it was up to Ace to put a stop to the game. He gave Marc a look, which clearly said to end it, that Duck had certainly learned his lesson.

Nodding his head, Marc got to his feet and called out, "Alright! That's quite enough! Tell her to stop, Blackjack."

"Fine… Would have loved to watch more, this was just getting fun." The orange Crusher said, snorting. "That's quite enough, Poker! The bird's already suffered enough." He shouted to her.

"In a sec!" She shouted back then made one final shot.

Duck, hearing that, knew he only had a few seconds to at least score again. He tried to snag the ball from her, but as soon as he tried to, he ended up getting launched, along with the ball, going right in head first through the basket.

His head hit the floor right behind the ball but didn't break anything. He did come away with a humdinger of a headache. If it hadn't been such a sobering sight of the female beating their team mate they might have laughed. Instead, they were all worried.

With that last basket, the holograph collapsed and the court returned to normal. As Duck struggled to his feet, Pinkster having ran to his side to help, Poker moved close and said in a wicked voice.

"Looks like I beat the crud out of you, Duck, and I didn't even break a sweat. And for the record, the 2 points you scored, I let you score them so your ego wouldn't sink even more than it already had."

"You're despicable, you know that?!" Duck snarled.

"I'd rather be despicable than be a loser like you… loser!" Poker said, smirking, turning her back on them and headed for her team.

That parting shot made Duck see red. "I'll show you who the loser is!!!" He shouted, preparing to send a morph ball her way when he was stopped by a psychic bubble cast by Patricia. "Hey! Let me out!" He growled furiously inside the bubble

"No can do, Duck. You better keep your beak shut before the Crushers decide to have you for dinner." She told him, telepathically, before releasing him.

The Monstrosity Crushers left the court laughing out loud and jeering about Duck. That, of course, made him even madder but he took no action. He walked stiffly toward his team mates with Pinkster at his side.

The team was discussing what they'd seen and what they would have to do to be able to win this thing.

"Well, that was productive… Not only did we find out Duck is a total loser when it comes to basketball, but we also discovered we may not beat these guys in the holographic mode." Mimi said gloomily.

"We already knew Duck wasn't the brightest, but I never expected these guys were this good." Sylth said heavily. "They really know how to use the holographic mode to the best advantage."

"I agree with you on both those points, putty tat." Tweetums said grimly, as he flew over to the bulky cat's shoulders, landing on his left shoulder.

"Well, I resent the first one, but agree on the second one." Duck said reluctantly, joining in on the discussion.

"Don't take this personally, Duck, but she kicked your feathers, when she threw that ball with you latched onto it into the basket." Mimi observed, shaking her head.

"Si, and though it was rather humiliating for you, it was mucho funny for us to watch what happens when you let your ego take over your brains." Swift mocked him.

"Yeah, Duck may have asked for it but the humiliation was actually very useful. It gave us a better idea of what we're up against. Now we know exactly what we have to train for to be on even footing with these guys. So it wasn't a wasted effort." Ace said, giving Duck some credit that soothed his ego a little.

"Well that was certainly a back handed compliment. Thanks for that crumb of support, o' fearless leader!" Duck sighed, annoyed, his pride still hurt some.

"Don't mention it." Ace answered flippantly, an amused smile on his face.

"Just like your team leader pointed out, you need to get started training in the holographic mode, because that's where you will have to use your unique abilities to gain terrain and make them eat your dust, if you catch my meaning." Marc said seriously.

"Well then, what are we waiting for… let's get to it guys!" Ace rallied them, heading out onto the court.

"Blarghgalrhlagagahlg… But I'm hungry!" Slam objected.

"But we just had breakfast less than an hour ago, Slam!" Lexi exclaimed.

"You already know that Slam is always hungry." Ace said but sighed. "However, since we'll most likely be working through lunch on this, I guess getting a meal now would be a good idea, that is, if the coach agrees." He said looking at Marc.

Marc sighed, spread his hands and nodded. "Sure, why not!"

After a substantial snack, the Loonatics began training in the holographic mode. At first, they felt a little strange, passing from the ordinary court, where they'd been playing according to the basic rules, to the holographic mode, where they played using the different elements of the scenery to help them score more easily.

By the time they quit training for the day, they were more beat than before. They all crawled back to their suite, where after a shower and a quick meal, they went to bed, except Tech, who decided to stay up working on the encrypted data, which Lexi and the others had retrieved from the laboratories, the day before. During the entire day, Tech had been thinking of ways to find out what was written in those files and was now time to put them into action.

"Okay, according to the Stanzanian studies, the Omega numerology is the base of all encrypted numerology and alphabet, which was established by numerous studies, regarding 21st and 22nd century cryptology. So, if I use the same principle…" Tech muttered to himself.

Tech continued to work on through the night. Although he was tired and sleepy, he had to give it a try. He just needed time and patience to get it done. He used all the programs he knew or could find to break the data then tried to find out what every single symbol meant. Frustrated after a few tries, he decided to take a break. Going to the mini-bar, he opened the door and grabbed a can of soda.

"Maybe what I need is some sugar so my brain can process things faster." The coyote told himself, as he opened the can. "Still, I can't figure out why so many symbols, most of them ancient ones, were used in the encrypting process. Whoever did this, really didn't want people to know what is written in those files."

Finally, after hours of hard work, Tech finally figured out a way to decipher the data and see the message that was written in it. Applying the same principle to the encrypted data, he thought that it would reveal some kind of clear message. Unfortunately for him, the data made no sense at all. It looked like a huge list of names. Some of them were written in English, while others were written in other languages from more than forty or fifty different planets.

Morning soon arrived and the Loonatics groggily got up, only to find Tech still in front of the desk working on the decoded data. His eyes showed he had been up all night, probably taking no more than a few minutes to sleep. Ace approached Tech, trying not to scare him.

"Hey, Tech… Are you alright?" Ace asked him softly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, chief." Tech said thickly, a yawn interrupting him. "I was just giving the finishing touches on the latest version of the deciphered data." He yawned once again.

"What did you find, Tech?" Mimi asked.

"Until now, nothing unusual… I mean… the data you brought back looks like a huge list of names, but these names don't seem to have any sort of connection among them." Tech answered displaying the list on the huge screen monitor.

"I've never seen or heard about any of those names." Sylth mused staring at the names.

"Precisely… it's like the persons on the list never really existed." Tech said. "Still, I think that whatever this list is, it has definitely a connection with Project Prometheus, whatever that project is, of course."

"I'm starting to think we will never find out what Swackhammer is really up to." Patricia sighed unhappily.

"Don't worry, sis, we will end up finding what that slime ball is up to, even if we have to dig out his dirtiest secrets to do it." Mimi said firmly, comforting her sister.

"Yeah! I bet if we start digging out all of his dirty secrets we will find out he made shameless things throughout his life, maybe since kindergarten! Because you know what people always say, a bad childhood is a step closer to a life of crime, which in his case would certainly be true. I would not be surprised if he had paid for his college diploma, so he would not have to study, which reveals a serious talent to deceive, lie, cheat, steal and trick everyone for the most incredible reasons that we can all imagine." Rev declared.

"P-P-Point taken on t-t-that!" Pinkster said. "A-A-And I know w-w-what I'm t-t-talking about."

"Anyway, I should just leave this for now and get ready for the training." Tech said, slowly getting up from his chair, clearly showing just how tired he was.

"Uh, uh, Tech. You're not attending training today." Ace ordered firmly. "You need your beauty sleep. You earned it!"

"I know, but if I don't attend the training, they might suspect something." Tech objected.

"But nothing, Tech… you need to lie down, relax and catch a few Zzzzs." Duck chimed in.

"I thought you didn't care, Duck." Lexi snorted.

"And I don't, but without his brain power, Tech is as useless as a fish out of water." Duck retorted.

"Now that's weird coming from a Duck, who had his tail feathers kicked by a girl, just yesterday." Sylth said in mild amusement.

"It's unanimous, Tech, you're staying here and getting some rest." Ace insisted.

"Then, you better take this with you." The coyote said, grabbing something that was on the far side of the desk and handed it over to Ace. It was a Holocube, but this one looked a little different from the one they used before. "It's an improved version of the Holocube that I designed. The only difference to the previous one is, this one lasts for more than 16 hours. That way, no one will suspect that I'm missing on the court."

Ace activated the Holocube and, in a split second, a perfect duplicate of Tech appeared in front of them, just like when they used it before, to cover Rev's absence.

"Gotta love these gadgets of yours, Tech." Ace said in amusement. "You really got to."