New Kid On The Block
Chapter 16 – Recovery
Hey guys, chapter 16 is here! So before going any further I would just like to mention that this story hit 50 reviews last chapter which is AMAZING! A massive thanks to everyone for their reviews, favourites, follows etc. You have made writing this story such a fulfilling experience for me :)
Loonaticslover13 – You have been my most consistent reviewer which is pretty unbelievable considering you're my favourite writer for loonatics stories, so thanks so much :) I knew you would like the Acexi, there will be plenty more of it in the coming chapters! Thanks again for everything :)
Hani tamersten – Aww thank you so much :) im really glad you're enjoying this story and don't worry, I plan to see this story through to its thrilling conclusion! :) And thanks! It's nice to know that I have SOME writing talent ;)
So when we left off, the loonatics had finally managed to complete their mission, but in doing so they had paid dearly… Ace had suffered a heavy injury to his shoulder, Blaze had collapsed from exhaustion and injury, and Tech was fighting for his life… Will everything be ok? Time to see…
Enjoy the chapter guys :)
From the moment that Ace had laid eyes on Blaze's battered, unconscious body slumped on the ground, it had been panic stations for the Loonatics. They had returned to Acmetropolis as quickly as they could and went had flown straight to the city's main hospital, the sight of the Loonatics' ship landing in front of the main entrance of the hospital as if it were a regular car park left onlookers more than slightly shocked. But the situation was now desperate. Tech's health being in crisis was one thing, but a quick scan of Blaze back on the ship after he had fainted had revealed that he had lost a life-threatening amount of blood.
The Loonatics had all felt a sickening feeling as they saw their two friends disappear through the doors leading to the intensive care unit, one after the other with numerous doctors all around them. They could do no more for their friends… At least their lives were in capable hands now right?
All five of them waited in the hospital for what seemed like a lifetime, throughout which they had gotten no news on the condition of their friends.
Zadavia had met them at the hospital as they had arrived and had waited with them the whole time before she realised that the Loonatics had been through hell and were likely exhausted. She urged them to go back to HQ and get some well-earned rest. They had all protested to their boss, refusing to leave their friends but Zadavia had simply smiled sympathetically and urged them again. Eventually they had given in and although they desperately wanted to wait for news on Tech and Blaze, they had left, realising that it was for the best that they get some rest. At least Zadavia was there, and she had reassured the Loonatics that she would let them know if there was any news.
Content that Zadavia was there, the five anthros returned to HQ. Beaten, tired and shocked at what consequences the mission had left, they all went straight to bed, without saying a single word to eachother.
Initially, they all struggled to get off to sleep. How could they sleep? Two of their friends were in that hospital fighting for their lives, and there was nothing they could do to help them…
Eventually, their tiredness had overcome them and they sank into the blackness of sleep. But one of the Loonatics was still wide awake…
Ace shuffled about on his bed, trying to find a position that wouldn't be uncomfortable with his injured shoulder –which was now in a strap after a doctor at the hospital had painfully reset the broken bone. But his shoulder was the last thing on the bunny's mind. Images of Tech and Blaze kept flooding through his head. It's all my fault he said to himself. These words repeated themselves to Ace again and again; he just couldn't put them out of his mind.
Eventually, he decided it was useless trying to sleep. He needed some fresh air… He slowly got up -silently grimacing as the various aches and pains all over his body stabbed at him- and slipped on some trousers and his slippers before making his way to the large balcony outside the main room. He casually leaned on the railing with his good arm, gazing down at the city of Acmetropolis. It was a clear night so the stars were visible, glowing like little fireflies.
As he continued to gaze out, Ace's eyes became rooted on the hospital where Blaze and Tech were and his guilt came flooding back. Where they even still alive? Ace couldn't even bear the thought of losing his friends. Tech was his left hand man and through his ingenious inventions and clever ideas, he was possibly the biggest reason why the Loonatics had become such a formidable force and had developed such a good reputation. But Ace didn't see him as a genius inventor, he saw him for the person he truly was deep inside and over the years, he had come to see the coyote as his brother, something he had never had growing up. If he died, Ace would hate himself forever for it.
Even Blaze –whom Ace had known for hardly any time at all- had become a close friend of his. In so many ways, the tiger was so similar to him. His physique, his personality, his likes and dislikes and especially his past… Despite his insecurities and rough start to life, Blaze was a pillar of courage and determination and was a great anthro. He was like a bright burning candle, with so much promise. Ace would never forgive himself if he had snuffled that candle out.
A cool breeze blew by and Ace closed his eyes as the wind ruffled his grey fur. Please let dem be okay…
"Hey stranger." came a soft familiar voice from behind Ace. He turned around to see Lexi leaning up against the open balcony window, her green eyes gazing captivatingly at him. Even in her pyjamas she was still stunningly beautiful.
Ace gave her a tired but warm smile. "Hey Lex, sorry did I wake ya?" he asked slightly concerned.
She lightly shaked her head, her loose ears flapping around behind her "No don't worry I was already awake, I just heard you get up and thought I'd see if you're okay." She assured with a comforting smile.
Ace nodded "I couldn't sleep." He responded tiredly before turning back to face the city. His guilty feelings returned.
Lexi looked sympathetically at her leader as she walked and joined him at the balcony. She leaned forward on the metal railing and looked down at the city below. Nothing was said between the two bunnies for about a minute, but then finally Lexi looked up seriously at Ace. "It's not your fault Ace" she began with a gentle tone "what happened to Tech and Blaze…"
Ace shifted his gaze and looked down at Lexi disbelievingly. How did she know!? He asked himself, flabbergasted. It was like she had looked right into his heart and seen he was hurting. His surprised expression eventually changed and was replaced by one of sadness and guilt; he looked back out at the city. "I… I shouldn't have let Tech go alone Lex… and I… I shoulda kept an eye on Blaze… it was his first mission…" he stuttered angrily, he could feel his eyes moistening but quickly rubbed them. He didn't want to cry in front of Lexi… Suddenly he felt a soft hand cup around his cheek.
Lexi gently turned his face towards her, her emerald eyes locked with his sapphire ones. "It wasn't your fault Ace" she started firmly but delicately at the same time. "You did your best, there was no way you could've known how strong those robots were, there was nothing you could've done okay…" she added assuredly, her thumb rubbing his soft cheek tenderly.
She was right… And Ace knew it and although he still felt guilty, his best friend's comforting words had made him feel a lot better. "Tanks Lex… Dat means a lot…"
She grinned at him gladly, as long as Ace was happy, she was happy. Caught up in the moment, she suddenly reached out and hugged her leader, carefully avoiding his shoulder.
Ace for a moment was slightly taken aback by the doe's sudden expression of warmth, but then he embraced her back, feeling her small, warm body wrapped around his, he couldn't believe this was happening! The girl he loved with all his heart, hugging him!
This was the first time they had hugged since that time when Lexi thought Ace had been killed in space. But unlike last time when the others were there, making it feel awkward and when Lexi didn't want to give away her feelings, this time it was just the two of them and this time, their feelings for eachother were much stronger. There was no awkwardness, no restriction, Lexi felt… safe in his arms. Her heart was thumping wildly, twice as fast as usual but yet she felt so at peace, like she could stay there forever.
But it was at this moment that she realised that her cheek was resting on his bare furry chest, and then it dawned on her: Oh my god… HE'S TOPLESS! She blushed furiously and her heart started beating even faster than before. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my GOD! She screamed to herself, freaking out.
Ace could now feel her heart beating through her tank top, and it was going unbelievably fast! He pulled away and looked down at her concerned. "You okay Lex?"
She nodded rapidly, looking down at the floor and trying to pull her fringe over her cherry coloured face. "Fine! I… Im fine!" she stuttered nervously before turning away from him.
Ace gave the doe a weird look, confused by her sudden change of attitude. "You sure?" he asked her.
All that he got from Lexi in reply was a rapid nod, her face still turned away.
Ace still looked at his friend bemusedly but decided to let it go as a wave of tiredness suddenly swept over him. "Anyway…" the bunny began before letting out a big yawn. "I tink im gunna try get some sleep again." He continued before beginning to walk towards the window. "Tanks again for de talk Lex." He added as he turned back to look at her from the window. "I owe ye one."
Lexi looked up at her leader; a shadow hid her face now so she was able to look at him without him seeing the rosy colour spread across her cheeks. "It's ok chief… Night." She smiled before he turned and disappeared into the main room leaving her alone on the balcony.
She breathed a massive sigh as she slowly wandered back over to the edge of the balcony and looked out. She couldn't believe what just happened. Oh my god… she said to herself once again as she bit her lip in excitement. First there was that moment up on the asteroid and now this! Was all this really happening? Was her wish finally coming true? Did Ace… like her? She smiled to herself one last time as she remembered the feeling she had felt being in Ace's arms. The warmth, the safety, the… love… And as that last word raced around her mind, she went to bed content, and slept like a baby for the rest of the night.
The next morning, they were all woken up by the sound of Rev banging and shouting energetically on their doors telling them to get up quickly. All of them realised that Rev's urgency meant it was something important, so they all got up without a word of protest, except for Duck who hurled a torrent of abuse at Rev for waking him, using language that would make a statue cringe. But the mallard finally begrudgingly got up, thanks to the steely words of an annoyed Lexi.
Eventually they all met in the main room and were surprised to see Zadavia standing there waiting for them.
"Good morning Loonatics" she greeted with a warm smile as they all approached.
They all replied with various greetings, sleep still lingering in the corners of their eyes. Zadavia's seemingly jolly mood sparked hope in the Loonatics that she had some good news. None of them spoke for a moment as they all stared anxiously at their boss expectantly. "So-umm… Have-you-got-any-news-on-Tech-and-Blaze-boss?" spoke up Rev, taking a step closer to the Frelengian queen.
Zadavia smiled at the obviously worried roadrunner. "As a matter of fact, yes Rev I do have news." She began. They all silently crossed their fingers. "Thankfully, the doctors were able to stabilise both Tech and Blaze overnight." This news was music to the Loonatics' ears and they looked at eachother gladly, and the good news kept on coming "In fact the doctors think that Blaze is out of the woods now, they've moved him to the recovery unit." Zadavia added.
"Bliiiije!" exclaimed an excited Slam which was met by laughs from everyone else.
But the laughter ceased when they realised that Zadavia had withheld a bit of information from them concerning another one of their friends. The question on all of their minds was eventually asked by Lexi. "What about Tech Zadavia?"
Zadavia's expression changed to a much more serious one, and their hearts sank. "The doctors were able to stabilise his condition, but he's still in intensive care. They're keeping a close eye on him."
The mood went dull suddenly as this latest admission from Zadavia was processed. The Loonatics had all had health scares from missions before, but nothing like this. Nothing like the condition that Tech was in… He and Blaze had almost died… And Tech was still in danger... But at least Blaze was going to be okay. "Are we allowed to go and see Blaze?" asked Lexi hopefully, changing the subject.
Zadavia said nothing but simply nodded to them as a smile curved her thin lips. There were smiles all around, and even Duck couldn't stop himself from cracking a slight grin.
Six days later…
"Oh-hey-morning-Blaze!" Called a cheery Rev as Blaze walked into the kitchen.
"Hey Rev." Blaze smiled wearily at his teammate as he poured a bowl of his newly found favourite cereal: "Choco Asteroids" (I know, I know, bad name). When living on the streets, Blaze had often gone hungry in the morning. But since joining the Loonatics and discovering the wonder of cereal, he couldn't start a day without a bowl of "Choco Asteroids" (seriously, it was like his life force), but he had to make sure that he hid the cereal well due to a certain Tasmanian Devil. He sat down at the large table; it was good to be back.
It was 5 days ago that morning that Blaze had woken up from his coma. It hadn't been a pleasant experience… When he first opened his eyes he had blacked out in confusion and lost control, just like he had during the missile mission in space. Even in his weakened state, it had taken 5 doctors to keep him pinned down. Eventually –with the help of some anaesthetic- he had calmed down and was back to himself. The tiger still didn't know why this blacking out kept happening to him.
Blaze's recovery had been speedy though and yesterday he had been discharged and could go home. The welcome he had got when he had returned to HQ was an experience Blaze would never forget. The looks on his teammate's faces, the genuine joy that they had shown at seeing that he was home had struck a chord in the tiger's heart. The only thing that would've made that moment any sweeter was if Tech was there to share it…
Thankfully, Tech was finally out of intensive care, but he was still in a deep coma and the doctors were still unsure if he would be the same if he woke up, or if he would wake up at all…
That possibility had cast a cloud over the loonatics mood. Although in themselves they were all pretty much back to normal, the coyote was always there at the back of their minds. Blaze was still bombarded with flashbacks of the sight of Tech being blasted backwards as the ball of plasma hit him…
"How'd-you-sleep?" called Rev's voice as those images flashed through Blaze's mind again.
Blaze snapped back to the present. "Uh… Yeah ok thanks… You?" he replied, still half in a trance.
"Weeeeell-I'm-not-usually-one-to-complain-but-I-think-I-had-a-bit-too-much-alcohol-last-night-I-mean-I-thought-you-don't-get-a-hang-over-until-the-next-morning-but-mine-seemed-to-hit-me-the-second-my-head-hit-the-pillow-and-when-it-hit-me-it-hit-like-a-blooming-spaceship-and-then…" Rambled Rev –he talked about having a headache, well now he was starting to give Blaze a one!- but thankfully the roadrunner was cut off before he went into a full autobiography.
"So in other words Rev, no you didn't sleep well…" came the voice of Lexi as she and Slam walked into the kitchen and sat down either side of Blaze, exchanging good morning's with him.
"How was it being back in your own bed?" Lexi questioned the tiger with a sly grin.
Blaze let out a light-hearted chuckle. "Better than being in a hospital bed that's sure!"
"Too right!" smiled Lexi warmly as she went and got her breakfast.
Blaze had been warned by the guys about the rock-hard mattresses that were used on the hospital beds. And now he'd experienced it, the infamous bed covering had reminded him of the hard floors he had to sleep on when living on the streets. And although the feeling of waking up feeling like your back had been rubbed with sand paper had become normal to Blaze, he'd still pick his comfy king sized bed any day of the week!
"Wehis Duck?" Asked Slam, wondering where the mallard was although the Tasmanian devil pretty much already knew the answer.
"Still in bed I guess Slam, he spends most of his life there after all." Joked Blaze as he grinned at his large friend.
"Yeah and the rest of the time he's either annoying the hell outta all of us or looking in the mirror!" Spat Lexi as she sat back down with her breakfast. Food spilled out of the three boys' mouths as they struggled to hold back their laughter at Lexi's dig at Duck.
Eventually the laughter died down and they carried on with their breakfast and with talking about last night's drink-fuelled fun. "And-when-Ace-tried-to-run-up-the-wall-and-do-a-backflip-and-ran-straight-into-it! Man-I've-never-seen-him-so-wasted!" remembered Rev laughing all the while, the others all joining him.
It was then that Lexi realised that their leader wasn't around. "Hey where is Ace?" the doe asked as she looked up at the wall clock which said that the time was 9:43. "He should be up by now."
"He left early this morning." Answered Blaze as he gulped down the last mouthful of his cereal. "Zadavia wanted to talk to him I think…"
This was odd, usually if Zadavia had something to say she would say it to all of them. But the fact that she had asked Ace to come and see her alone was puzzling. Puzzling and worrying…
"Jidhe hyabu Tech?" questioned an obviously worried Slam.
"I don't know big guy, I guess we'll find out when Ace gets back…" replied Lexi, who had taken on a serious demeanour.
There was complete silence in the kitchen as the four of them contemplated what kind of news Zadavia had if she had only wanted to tell Ace.
Suddenly a drowsy Duck walked in, yawning and clearly hung over. Then he caught sight of the others, serious looks spread on their faces. "Ok… What did I miss?"
-o-
Ace pulled off his helmet as his bike came to a stop outside a large, secretive looking building. The bunny flexed his still injured arm –which was no longer supported by a sling but still very weak- and dismantled the bike and then began making his way towards the building. This particular building was where the AUOU (Analysis of Unidentified Objects Unit) was based. Unbeknown to the general public was that this was where the missile that the Loonatics had stopped was being studied and analysed.
Ace wasn't sure exactly why Zadavia had asked him to meet her here, but he reasoned that it must have been to do with the missile. To get into the top secret building, Ace had to go through a lengthy protocol security check which had left him huffing as he wasn't the most patient anthro in the world. But he was finally let through and was ushered by a man in an expensive looking black suit into the giant hangar were the missile was being kept.
The missile itself was in the process of being completely dismantled for a proper analysis, the outer skin of metal had been ripped away, the Axovorinium had been removed and the various electrical components were now being carefully extracted to be studied.
Ace found Zadavia on the other side of the hangar, overseeing the workers take apart the lethal rocket. He nodded to her as she caught sight of him and she returned a quick smile.
"Thank you for getting up so early to come and meet me Ace, especially considering last night." She greeted with a sly grin and raised eyebrow.
Ace smiled, embarrassed. He didn't remember much of the night before, due to the fact that he'd had a few drinks, but he had probably made himself look like an idiot quite a few times. "Don't mention it boss." He said as he rubbed the back of his neck.
With the formalities over, Zadavia nodded to the well-dressed man that had shown Ace in, he turned and left the two of them alone. "Please follow me Ace." Asked Zadavia as she turned around and opened a door leading into a pitch black room.
Ace promptly followed her into the dark room which, even with his brilliant eyesight, Ace couldn't make out a thing. The room finally brightened as Zadavia turned on the lights. It was some kind of conference room from what Ace could make out. It was rectangular in shape and very plain; there were no windows and no furniture except for around a dozen chairs surrounding a hologram table which looked very similar to the one back at the Loonatics' HQ.
They both walked over to the table and sat down directly opposite to eachother. The chairs were surprisingly comfortable noted Ace, but now it was down to business…
"Well as you know Ace, the AUOU has been dismantling and studying the missile for the past week or so now." Zadavia began as Ace sat and listened intently. "And in the last couple of days they have been able to get right into the missile's control system, they were finally able to abstract its main computer." She continued.
This was good progress. Now that the AUOU had been able to take out the missile's main computer they would be able to obtain a range of information such as the capabilities of the missile, the technology that it contained and controlled it, and most importantly: where it was launched from…
Zadavia carried on updating Ace. "Yesterday, the most senior and skilled hackers on the planet were brought in to break the computer's firewall and thankfully they were able to do so. All of last night, analysts were going through the data in the computer and they were finally able to establish where the missile came from…"
Ace leaned forward in his seat; he already knew what was coming next.
Zadavia pressed a couple of buttons on the holographic table's console in front of her and a galactic map sprung up from the table.
Ace looked over at his boss confused. "Eh… Aint dis de part where ye show a picture of some unhoid (unheard) of planet Zadavia?" the bunny asked.
"I would show you one if I could Ace, but according to Acmetropolis' galactic archives, the planet the missile was launched from doesn't exist!" answered Zadavia as she gazed over at the puzzled Loonatic.
Now Ace was really confused. "How is dat possible!?" Hyperspace satellites had mapped the entire known universe at least 3 times over the last couple of hundred years. Every galaxy, solar system and planet had been found and documented. It was nearly impossible that they could have missed one!
Zadavia shrugged helplessly at Ace's question. "I really don't know Ace, it's very mysterious… But there must be a reason for it." She answered. "Although the computer hasn't given us any data on the planet itself, it has given us coordinates. And this is where you and the others come in." The update had now turned into a mission briefing. "Not only do we need to find out where and why the missile was launched, but also how this planet has remained anonymous for so long."
Ace smiled coolly, he always loved mission briefings. And this one was starting to sound like a good one. "Ye can count on us boss." assured Ace confidently.
Zadavia now stood up from her seat and walked around the table over to Ace. "You and the others need to be very careful Ace, some of the technology discovered from that missile is very advanced and not familiar to us at all, whatever you're going up against is clearly very intelligent." warned the wise Frelengian.
Ace nodded seriously as he stood up, grimacing as he had to put a bit of pressure on his bad arm. "Have we ever let ye down Zadavia?" he joked playfully with a cocky smile.
Zadavia smiled radiantly at the bunny. "No you haven't." she agreed as she shook Ace's hand (his good one). "You all have one day to rest up and get ready." She said, steering the conversation back on the serious path. "Good luck Ace."
Ace smiled at his boss again. "Tanks boss." And with that, he turned and headed towards the rooms exit. He had opened the door and was just about to leave when he was stopped in his tracks.
"And one more thing Ace…" began Zadavia, and Ace turned back to face her. "Don't forget that you're a man down…"
These words struck a sudden realisation in Ace: They were going to have to take on this mission… Without Tech…
Ace gave his boss a final nod of thanks before turning and leaving the room…
Sooo there we go guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and once again sorry for it taking so long. But now that I've got 2 weeks off college for Easter I'll have some more free time :)
So next chapter the Loonatics will begin the epic mission that Zadavia has given them and, trust me when I say this, it's going to be one of their most dangerous, challenging and friendship-straining missions yet!
So stay tuned, and I'll see you guys soon :)
P.S. Have a look at the story updates section of my profile for a look at a new story idea I've come up with! I haven't decided if I want to do it yet so lemme know what you guys think of it :)