Ch. 9: Dead Weight
Slam grabbed Syfer's fist as it came down, aiming for Duck's unconscious head. He held on until he felt his power return to him. He then lifted Syfer over his head and threw him against the opposite wall. He then reved up his tiny tornado and charged, knocking Syfer not only back up against the wall again, but causing the wall itself to collapse. He didn't stop pressing forward however. He rammed Syfer through another wall and finally pinned him up against a third. He punched the man's face so hard that his neck was in danger of snapping. Syfer's limp form fell to the ground and Slam finally took a look around. Tech, Rev, Massive and Mastermind were all staring. Slam had knocked down the walls separating the three arenas.
He turned his head to look behind him. If Tech and Rev were on this side, that meant that Ace and Lexi were on the other. He charged his cyclone legs once more and sped forward, this time aiming for the opposite wall.
"Stop him!" Cried Mastermind.
"Oh, no fat head!" growled Tech. "You're battle's with me, remember?" he leapt in front of her as she made to chase Slam. He completely forgot the weapon he was holding. Exerting as much strength as he could spare, he brought his fist all the way back and snapped it forward, giving a sizeable bruise on her enormous forehead.
Massive, tossing Rev aside as easily as if he was a rag doll, tried blocking Slam's advance but was simply knocked aside. Slam crashed into the monster that Tech had been fighting, turning it into a huge pile of dust and rubble. He didn't stop until he had successfully smashed his way through the other two barriers separating the arenas.
Sykes was blasted away from Ace and the stone creature holding Lexi was reduced to a pile of debris like its clones. Only one more was left and Slam was quick to destroy that one as well.
"Damn it!" shouted Weather Vein. "Who-"
"Syfer, who else?" Mastermind cut across her angrily. "But it doesn't matter. We still have them." She advanced on Tech who leapt out of her reach and landed beside Rev, putting a protective arm around his almost unconscious form as Massive came closer threateningly. Tech pointed the molecular energy blaster and sent a blast his way that lifted him off his feet and slammed him into the end wall. Weather Vein snarled furiously and started aiming lightning, high winds and hail at Tech but Lexi diverted her attention by shooting a stream of brain blasts at her that hit her in the chest, causing her to fall backwards off her cloud and fall heavily on the floor where she lay, unmoving. Sykes aimed his gun at Lexi but Ace furiously zapped it out of his hand with a beam of his lazier vision.
The five separate arenas was now one big battle field filled with chaos and mayhem. Slam had to grab Duck's still unconscious form out of harm's way and set him down next to Rev who was just barely conscious himself. Tech was standing in front of him, and now Duck, with his magnetic shield raised, protecting them from Mastermind's attacks. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up however. He could feel his healing powers slowing down. All this energy overload was starting to finally get to him. He could feel the damage from the nanites intensify as he slowly became a constant glowing figure, the regeneration power now in overdrive, nonstop, mode.
Ace, Lexi and Slam were slowly being driven back to the other three by the oncoming mob. Even with Syfer out for the count, Massive and Weather Vein had recovered and was now back on their feet ready to finally finish the Loonatics once and for all.
Tech was getting over whelmed now. He fell to one knee as the others joined him, getting behind him. Ace and Lexi were doing their best to knock down the four villains coming at them, but they were having a difficult time aiming. Everyone was exhausted beyond the point of comprehension. The mere fact that they had lasted this long was a miracle. That food and rest wasn't enough to really give them the strength they needed to beat these guys. But then, it wasn't really meant to. Finally Tech couldn't hold it anymore and he had to drop his shield. Mastermind, Massive, Weather Vein and Sykes were all advancing. They finally stopped about five feet in front of the weakened team, identical evil smirks plastered on all their faces.
"Any last words?" sneered Sykes as he and Mastermind raised their guns.
Ace, for once, had no retort. He had always thought of what he would say if this situation ever should arise, however, his mind seemed to go blank. He couldn't remember anything he had come up with. He reached out and grabbed Lexi's hand, wanting, needing, to feel her presence. She was the last thing he wanted to feel, wanted to see, before she disappeared into the darkness. Only this would be a different darkness, he told himself. In this darkness, I wouldn't even be able to feel her with my hand. There will be absolutely no way to tell if she's with me or not. I won't hear her, see her, feel her; her, or the others. He let his eyes wander over to the limp figure of Duck. He wanted to know who had told him he wasn't an attribute to the team. He wanted to tell him that it wasn't true. He wanted to tell him that he might be annoying at times, but he was the one on the team that had more courage than any of them, even if he puts on a show pretending otherwise at times. Ace wanted to let him know how important he was to him, not just the team. Duck was like a brother to him, irritated the shit out of him most of the time, but their relationship was stronger than anyone, even anyone on the team, could guess. He doubted that even Duck knew how strong it was. The truth was, he loved him, Duck was family. All of the team was family. They had surpassed friendship long ago. Sure the love wasn't the same as his and Lexi's, that would just be weird. But they all loved one another, how could they not? They had lived together, ate together, laughed, joked around, played games and fought crime together for the past three years. You don't do those kind of things with someone for that long without developing a strong connection with them, it's bound to happen.
Lexi squeezed his hand gently and pushed her face into his shoulder. He put his arm around her and held her close and she clung to his shirt. This was it. She always had a funny feeling that they wouldn't be able to keep up this crime fighting gig forever, but she had never known when the end would come. So many times it had seemed so close, but it had never come, not until now. Now, she couldn't see any possible way out of this. Death was knocking on the door and they couldn't ignore it this time. So, with the end so near at hand, she didn't feel that she and Ace had any reason to be 'professional' now. She clung to him as tightly as she could, hoping that when their bodies were finally put down for that eternal rest, she would be able to still hold on to him in where ever they were going next. She thought of the others as she hid her face in Ace's chest. She had grown up with a mom who was scared to leave the apartment to go get groceries and a step father who took the term 'daddy's little girl' way too far. She had gone through school trying to fit in and find an escape from her home life. But it wasn't until she had joined the Loonatics did she ever feel like she belonged…like she was excepted. Ace was the first one to really love her. He saw her for who she was and what she could be. Slam and Duck were always fun to hang out with, maybe Slam more than Duck at times, but both had been like brothers to her. She had gotten close to them before even Ace. And Rev, although his talking sometimes gave her a headache, was one of her best friends who she wouldn't give up for the world. And Tech, he was like the father figure she never had, even if he was only like two or three years older than her. She couldn't help but smile sadly to herself. Well, she thought, at least you were able to find people out there who cared about you before you died. And really, isn't that what life's mainly about? To find where you belonged, what you were good at, grow as much as you could and find others who could share it with you?
Tech growled. They were trapped and there was nothing he could do to get them out of it. He winced as he again felt the sharp pain of the nanites tear at his insides. He gritted his teeth. If this was it, he was NOT going to let it end with him being so venerable to his own damn body. And with a deep breath he did something that he had promised himself he'd never ever do for as long as he lived; he lifted his paw and released his claws. He then tore at his arm, cutting it deeply. Retracting his claws he put his paw over the open wound which he prevented from being healed and a stream of tiny, bloody, robots was pulled out of his system by his magnetic powers. Blood continued to drip from his arm as he pulled Rev into his lap. He needed to hold him close, feel his heart beat before his own failed him He needed to tell Rev how much he loved him before he left.
Rev for his part, was half conscious when he felt warm, gentle, slightly shaking paws drag him into a slender lap. He used his last amount of energy to look up into the deep caramel eyes he would never be able to look at enough. Silently, they had a short conversation, words passing through them with their eyes.
"I love you." The caramel eyes said softly.
"And I love you." The emerald ones responded.
"I wish we had more time."
"Well, who knows what's on the other side." The emerald eyes told the caramel ones. "Who's to say that we don't have more time over there, where ever or whatever it is."
"But if we don't?" the caramel eyes asked desperately.
"Then we know we were loved, truly loved, and the memory of that love will sustain us for whatever comes next."
Rev put his head on Tech's chest and closed his eyes, readying himself for the warmth of the blast that was to, perhaps, take him away from Tech and the others forever. He had come from a nice family, a wonderful family actually, but the Loonatics were his family now. Ace and Lexi were like brother and sister to him. And so was Slam and even Duck. He was annoying but one couldn't help but like Duck once you got to really know him. All he wanted was to be recognized which wasn't easy when he kept messing up all the time. But he had determination, guts, and loyalty. Qualities that are hard to find in a person. And of course Tech was the love of his life. Kind of ironic seeing as how his ancestor spent his whole life running from creatures like Tech.
Slam closed his eyes. He didn't want to see the others terrified faces, the four cold grins, or the two blasters that was going to free his soul from his body. Those were not the final images one wanted in their mind. He instead brought up memories of the whole team laughing and having fun. Watching movies, going to sporting events, eating pizza and Chinese after a winning battle. He let a small smile form on his lips these images filled his mind. The Loonatics were the only people who hadn't tried to use him for profit. They were the only ones who hadn't laughed at him, judged him, or treated him badly. They were his family, even Duck, no, especially Duck. He acted arrogant and self-centered most of the time, but really he was one of the most carrying people Slam knew. He was always trying to do the right thing by everyone and all he wanted was to be accepted himself. Slam knew that Duck was going to be the one he would miss of all, him and Lexi who was the first person to really show him any kindness. She was as close to him as a sister would be. He really couldn't have asked for a better group of friends ever, he couldn't have asked for a better family ever.
"Well then, this is goodbye Loonatics." Cackled Mastermind and she and Sykes pulled the triggers.
All of the Loonatics squeezed their eyes shut, Ace tightened his grip on Lexi and Tech tightened his grip on Rev. But, the burning blast of energy they had all been expecting to feel never came. Cautiously they, one by one, opened their eyes to see what had happened. Maybe they had been hit but hadn't felt anything. Maybe that's how death worked, as painless as falling asleep. But that wasn't the case.
Lexi was the first one to let out a cry of shock and pain, tears falling more freely then they had been when she was crying about her stepfather. The others soon echoed her, all except for Ace. He couldn't make his brain register what his eyes were seeing. A figure lay before them, a black figure in an orange uniform.
*shields head with arms* not the face! Plz, don't kill me... just keep reading...I know it looks bad...but you can't always trust your eyes...things aren't always what they appear...who knows...miricles can happen right? I doubt they'll happen here but you never know...just plz read on and then decide to kill me or not...