A/N Hey guys, here's the next chapter so I hope you're enjoying the story so far since I have no idea what happened after the meteor crashed into the bay and how Zadavia gathered the Loonatics together, or what their first mission was since the cartoon never fully explained it so I'm making it up as I go along.
So, without further ado, enjoy.
I let out a quiet groan as I started to regain consciousness, slowly opening my eyes and grimacing as everything hurt when I started coughing and saw that I was laying on the floor of what used to be a department store with debris on top of me, then I went and started pushing off rubble until I turned onto my stomach.
I put my hands on the floor and slowly started standing up while hissing in pain, feeling my ribs and my right leg protesting from the movement as I used a counter as a crutch the help me stand up, then I clutched my ribs with one arm and started limping out of the wrecked store when my eyes widened in pure shock and disbelief.
"Oh god..." I trailed off as I saw that buildings were destroyed, totaled vehicles were either scattered on the streets or hanging off buildings, and there were dead bodies everywhere as some were laying in the streets, halfway buried in rubble, or hanging off of what's left of the buildings as some looked more gruesome than others.
I was shuddering and tearing up at the complete devastation all around me as the sky was dark, which showed that I had been out cold for hours when I spotted the Acme-Tech Insititute looking just as bad since half the building appeared to be destroyed and that's when I realized that Tech could be seriously hurt or worse and I didn't even want to think about the possibility that he didn't make it.
"Tech, can you hear me?!" I shouted as I started limping down the street while I heard the faint sounds of sirens or helicopters, telling me that the city's emergency services and the military were searching for any survivors to aid them and get them to safety so emergency shelters are probably already set up all over the city since hours had gone by after I was knocked unconscious.
I kept calling out for Tech while searching the rubble for any signs of him, though I felt awful since everything hurt and I wouldn't be surprised if my ribs and leg were broken from being thrown into that department store by the shockwave.
I kept growing more and more desperate the longer I couldn't find him when I heard a faint groan nearby and I quickly limped over to where it was coming from, seeing someone buried under a bunch of rubble but I couldn't quite tell who it is.
"Tech, is that you under there?" I questioned and I only heard another groan in response, though I decided to help anyway so I went to lift up a large piece of debris covering the person's face and saw that it was Tech as he grimaced in pain.
I began moving rubble out of the way as Tech tried to get free when I removed the piece of concrete pinning his legs and reached down for him to take my hand, helping him up before I felt a strange tingle rush through my body as I shivered from that, though it went away when I let go of Tech's hand and I checked to see how bad his injuries were.
He looked terrible as his fur was messy and one of his eyes had a nasty bruise, showing a black eye as his clothes were torn in some places with one of the lenses of his goggles being cracked while I saw his body had a bunch of cuts and bruises.
"Tech, you look awful," I groaned and the male coyote grimaced.
"You don't look so good yourself, Alex," Tech replied just as I heard the sound of a helicopter approaching our location and a searchlight shined down at us.
"You two, look up and wave if you can hear me!" a male voice called down at us through a megaphone, causing me and Tech to look up at the helicopter and we held our hands up to shield our eyes from the bright light.
"Good, emergency services and the army has set up an emergency shelter at the world dome stadium not far from here so if you two can walk, then head there immediately," the man instructed before turning to our left and flying away, heading to a nearby parking garage where someone was waving up at him.
"You heard the man, let's get to that emergency shelter," I said before Tech went to wrap my arm around his shoulders and he grabbed my belt before helping me walk.
We went down the street without saying anything to each other, just trying to get to safety as I was hurt and shaken up. Still, it was the dead bodies everywhere that horrified me. I felt like throwing up when I saw that some of them were either torn to bloody shreds or missing limbs as I could sometimes hear the screams of the dying or people loudly begging for help out of pure desperation or terror while I felt like crying at the senseless loss of life.
"Are you okay, Alex?" Tech asked and while I knew it was hard for him to socialize at times, that didn't mean he didn't care about others since it was hard for him to express it sometimes.
"I think my leg is broken, not to mention my ribs aren't doing too well either so I think I need to go to the hospital, if there are any hospitals still functioning," I stated with a pained grimace as my leg and ribs hurt a lot.
"Don't worry, we'll make it...just hang in there," Tech reassured as we continued to make our way to the world dome stadium, though we had to take a couple of detours since some streets were blocked by debris when a power cable snapped and was heading right for us, the sparks coming from it greatly alarming me when Tech threw me aside to save me and he got hit by the electric current.
My side hit the ground and I let out a grunt of pain from the impact as my ribs and leg flared up, but it was Tech's screams of pure agony that got my attention and I watched in pure horror as I saw his body convulsing from the electric current rushing into him until he was thrown to the ground and laid there motionless.
"Tech!" I screamed in a complete panic as I quickly got up, letting out a cry of agony because of my broken leg and ribs as I frantically limped over to him and covered my mouth with my hand when I saw the state of him.
Tech's body was covered in nasty third-degree burns and he wasn't moving, terrifying me since I knew that no one would survive something like that and it became too much for me to deal with as tears ran down my cheeks and I broke out sobbing from the trauma of losing someone I had grown to care for these past two years.
I sniffled as I eventually stopped crying and looked at the body of my dead friend and was about to leave when I heard a faint groan coming from the body, making me pause and I started wondering if I was hearing things when I saw Tech's body twitch and my eyes widened as something impossible happened.
Tech's body started glowing green and my jaw dropped open as I saw his third-degree burns and other injuries fading away as skin and fur regrew until there were no signs that he had been fatally injured in the first place, completely stunning me as Tech groaned and went to stand up while clutching his head.
"God, that hurt," Tech said with a pained grimace and he noticed that I was gaping at him.
"Tech...how did you do that?" I questioned in shock.
"Do what?" Tech inquired.
"I thought you were dead...you should be dead right now because no one can survive something like that and you had third-degree burns all over your body, which can be fatal but you had rapidly healed up from it without leaving any scars and I know you couldn't do that before," I explained in disbelief and Tech widened his eyes at that.
"Alex, what you're telling me isn't possible because no one can heal that quickly, and while I know there are emergency medical procedures that can help speed up the healing process, a person regenerating from their injuries on their own like some kind of reptile isn't physically possible," Tech pointed out and I nodded.
"I agree, which is why you shouldn't have regenerated like that so something's wrong," I said as I saw that the sparking cable had landed in a puddle of oil that caused a fire to break out and my pant leg was caught by it.
I started panicking as I was set on fire and started patting my leg frantically while Tech looked seriously alarmed as I was yelping and shouting in pain when Tech ran over and he tried to get my torn lab coat off when he managed to succeed and frantically used it to try and put the fire out as I felt pure agony from my flesh getting charred by the flames and I collapsed since I couldn't stand anymore.
I started rolling around to put the fire out before it spread to the rest of me while Tech was trying to help and we managed to put the fire out, though now both of my legs were useless as I screamed in agony from the intense pain I felt now.
"Oh fuck...what do I do, what do I do?" Tech babbled as he started pacing with his hands clutching his head when I started feeling better and I gasped from seeing myself glowing blue, which had caught Tech's attention and he stared in bewilderment as my injuries were healing up and the pain I was feeling was going away until I had completely healed up, though half of my pant leg and my shoe was gone because of the fire.
"Alex, you just..." Tech trailed off and I nodded.
"What's happening to us?" I wondered as I felt really scared now and my mind started running through the many possibilities of how this might've happened when Tech frowned.
"When that meteor crashed into the city bay, it must've had some kind of cosmic radiation that's causing strange side-effects after we got exposed to it so we'll have to run some tests later," Tech theorized as I stood up, noticing that my other leg and my ribs were no longer broken so I was astonished that I was no longer hurt.
"Before we do that, we should head to the emergency shelter first since it's not safe out here," I stated and we continued making our way to the stadium, helping anyone who was still alive along the way.
I was relieved that we were almost to the stadium when a building near us began to collapse and a giant anvil fell out of the top floor before plummeting directly at our heads, scaring the hell out of me as Tech and I raised our hands to shield ourselves.
Suddenly, the same green glow appeared around Tech's raised hands while the same blue glow appeared on my raised hands until the two colors shot out like beams of energy towards the falling anvil and debris, covering them all and stopping them in mid-air as Tech and I stared up at the floating anvil in shock.
"Incredible, I can't believe we're doing this," Tech gasped and I nodded in agreement.
"I agree, though let's just put this anvil down and make it to the stadium before something else falls on us," I stated and we slowly lowered our hands, the anvil doing the same thing until it touched the ground and the two glowing colors disappeared when I saw the name Acme was engraved on the anvil and I made a face at that.
'You've gotta be kidding me...who keeps a sixteen-ton anvil on the top floor of a building and with the name of Acme engraved on it? It's like I'm in a Looney Tunes episode or something,' I thought as Tech and I continued walking to the stadium.
Thankfully, we had finally arrived and I could see a line at the front gate where volunteers were going up and down the line, checking for people who were injured and bringing them inside first as emergency services such as police officers and EMTs were helping anyone who needed assistance, then Tech and I soon made it to the front of the line where volunteers were at a desk and handing out a form for each person until telling them where to go inside the stadium after each person filled the form out.
"Are you two hurt or need any kind of medical assistance?" one of the volunteers asked me and Tech before we shook our heads.
"We're fine, just shaken up more than anything so is there anywhere we can lie down? I'm exhausted and I'm sure my friend is as well," I pointed out as I felt the adrenaline going away and was completely exhausted by the traumatic events of today.
"There are plenty of cots still available and we have them numbered in the tents down in the field so fill out these forms and a volunteer will help you find your spot," the woman said as she handed us a number and two intake forms, which Tech and I filled out a few minutes later and handed them back to her.
"Thank you, miss," I said before another volunteer gestured for us to follow him.
We stayed behind him as we entered the stadium and I could see rows of tents with cots that had been set up as so many people were here with most of them looking scared as some muttered to each other, some sobbed from the loss of loved ones, and some were praying for those who died in this horrible tragedy as military personnel was lending assistance to any survivors when the volunteer showed me and Tech the right tent and pointed out our cots until I sat down on mine and let out a tired sigh as Tech sat down on his cot.
"Alex, I just remembered that my parents lived near the city bay so I hope to god they're okay," Tech told me as he trembled, looking afraid for his parents' well-being and I softened my eyes.
"I'm sure they're just fine so we have to hold out hope that they made it here or at one of the other shelters," I assured him and Tech relaxed slightly.
"I pray to god you're right because I wouldn't be able to take it if I were to lose them," Tech told me and I just simply laid down on my cot, staring up at the ceiling of the tent and I knew that nothing will ever be the same again.
Weeks had gone by after what is now known as The Event and during that time, a vigil had been set up and people were silent as we mourned for those who lost their lives after the meteor crashed into the city bay, then the city started being rebuilt and everyone did their part to assist in the restoration project.
Once the power was restored in some sectors, Tech had managed to get in touch with his father and was relieved to hear that he and his mother were okay as he told me that they had been out getting groceries when the meteor hit and are staying in another shelter for the time being.
As for the crash site, it had been cordoned off by the military and they prevented anyone from getting in to take a look at the very thing that caused so much devastation and I was glad about that since who knows what kind of radiation was coming off that thing and I just knew it was responsible for Tech and I displaying abnormal abilities since we didn't before.
Once the city was fully rebuilt, a memorial was erected in central park as a tribute to those who had died during The Event and I noticed that something was off about the sky ever since the meteor crashed into the city bay, seeing that the sky looked a muggy blue or brown in some cases and I knew that the meteor hitting the planet must be responsible for that.
After a month had gone by since The Event and that people were informed by city officials that it was safe for them to return to their homes, Tech and I had discussed that we had no place to stay and Acme-Tech was out of the question since we had been kicked out so I had no idea what to do until Tech decided to ask his parents if we could stay at their place for the time being until we could get back on our feet.
Tech's parents were happy to take us in and I got to meet them in person for the first time, Tech's father having darker brown fur while his mother had lighter brown fur as they were pretty decent people while I learned that Tech's father Fred stayed at home and his mother Laura worked as a biologist, the older female coyote having a high IQ just like Tech did.
Once we had a place to stay and had gotten the supplies we needed for what we had planned next, we took a few blood tests and were fascinated to learn that our DNA had been altered if the anomalies we discovered told us anything and we were amazed by what was possibly the discovery of the century but we did a few more tests to make sure that there wouldn't be any further mutations.
As for our new abilities, we decided to test them out so what we've discovered while practicing our abilities is that Tech had not only the power of magnetic kinesis, but he also had the power of molecular regeneration so he can levitate and destroy any kind of metal while also healing and reforming from any kind of injury or disintegration.
Tech wasn't all that keen to test his power of molecular regeneration since he still feels pain whenever he gets hurt but he was confused as to why I had an exact replica of his powers and I thought about that too when I recalled the tingling sensation I had felt when Tech grabbed my hand and I theorized that I might have some form of power mimicry and shared my theory with him, which he agreed since it does make sense.
Now, we were in Laura's lab and working on a project as Tech and I was using our magnetic abilities to move different components around, and I was fascinated by it so I didn't think I would ever stop being astonished by what we can do while Tech was currently putting two parts of our project together.
"Alex, can you pass me the wrench?" Tech asked as he was completely focused on holding the two components together.
I nodded and handed him the wrench before getting back to work, checking the calibrations and marking them down on my clipboard as I held a focused frown on my face when my wrist computer started beeping and I looked annoyed while Tech was forced to stop working and he sent me a look of irritation.
"Alex, I'm trying to work on putting these components together so can you please shut that off?" Tech suggested, making me sigh as I placed the clipboard down and went to turn off my wrist computer when I started appearing puzzled.
"Tech, I'm receiving a call from someone...looks like somebody is trying to contact me specifically," I said in confusion and Tech made a face at that.
"It's probably one of those people who will try and scam you so don't answer it," Tech pointed out and I nodded before hitting decline on my wrist computer and the beeping stopped.
I was about to get back to work when my wrist computer started beeping again, causing me to scowl and Tech glared at my arm computer as I hit decline again but then the computer beeped a third time and I had enough so I hit accept.
"Hello?" I questioned, sounding beyond irritated and restraining myself from shouting at who was trying to contact me when a hologram of a person appeared above the screen of my wrist computer as the person was glowing in shades of pink, yellow, orange, and more.
I could see that the person was a woman as she had long platinum blonde hair that floated behind her, as well as the loose sleeves on her otherwise tight long white dress while she had pronounced cheekbones, pale skin, and green eyes as something about her commanded respect like she was a higher being and she possibly could be since something about her appearance gave me the impression that she might not be human.
"Hello Alex, I am glad that I am able to reach you and I see that you have Tech with you," the woman greeted, her voice soothing yet imposing as I tensed up from this woman knowing my name while Tech stopped what he was doing once he heard her say his name.
"Who are you and how do you know our names?" Tech questioned in confusion and with a slight bit of unease in his voice.
"You and Alex may call me Zadavia, and as for how I know about you two, I've been monitoring you both this past month so that I could determine the best way to approach you," Zadavia replied and I felt uncomfortable at the thought of how Tech and I were being monitored by this woman.
"Okay...and why are you contacting us?" I inquired hesitantly as Tech and I shared uncomfortable expressions.
"That shall be explained in time but for now, there are five others that had been altered by the meteor like you two have and I had contacted them as well so they shall arrive at central park and I'll explain everything once you meet them there," Zadavia said but Tech and I looked at her skeptically.
"We don't know you so why should we do this?" Tech asked while looking at Zadavia suspiciously.
"I understand you two have every right to be suspicious and wary of me so it is your choice if you wish not to do this, though you must make a decision soon because time is of the essence," Zadavia stated and I frowned at that.
I had no idea who this woman was or why she wanted us to head to central park to meet a group of strangers so I was a bit leery of trusting her since I know next to nothing about her apart from her name, and I was uncertain about her saying that the group of five people had abilities as we do since she could be lying about that to lure us into a trap.
On the other hand, there was a good chance other people had been altered by the meteor and had abilities as well so I was curious about it but was still hesitant since Zadavia telling me and Tech that she had been monitoring our movements wasn't exactly a good way to convince us that she didn't intend to hurt us as I saw Tech looking thoughtful and he stared right at Zadavia.
"Okay, let's say we decide to do this so how do we know we can trust you? No offense, but you haven't given a reason to convince us that you're trustworthy since you told us that you had been watching us for the past month and you've been cryptic ever since you contacted us," Tech pointed out and Zadavia nodded.
"Yes, I believe I haven't given you and Alex a reason to trust me but I would rather explain when you two and the other five I had contacted are all in one place since I don't exactly wish to repeat my reasons for gathering you all together," Zadavia stated and I couldn't argue with that since I hate repeating myself or dumbing things down whenever someone has trouble understanding my explanations on a project.
"In that case, we'll go but don't expect us to let our guard down once we get to central park," I said firmly and Zidavia nodded.
"Of course, I shall await your arrival then," Zadavia replied until the call disconnected.
"Alex, do you think this is a good idea?" Tech inquired and I sighed.
"Probably not, but she would've gone after us if she has bad intentions since she told us that she had been watching us for the past month and could've attacked us at any time, so I think we should at least hear her out first," I answered and Tech frowned thoughtfully.
"I see your point, though we should be cautious either way just in case this does turn out to be a trap," Tech pointed out and I nodded in agreement before we made sure to secure our project that was still incomplete and Tech informed his parents that we would be going out for some fresh air until we left the house.
We had taken the bus to central park and were now making our way through it, not knowing where we should meet these people Zadavia talked about since she wasn't being all that specific so we decided to head to the center of the park since there was a clearing there.
We soon made it to the clearing and I could see a few stone paths nearby as the crisp spring breeze felt nice today, Tech and I standing around as we waited until I could hear more than one person approaching and I saw five anthros coming into the clearing from different directions.
The first anthro was a gray male rabbit who had blue eyes and was dressed in a hoodie and jeans, the second anthro was a yellow female rabbit with blonde hair and green eyes as her ears were tied together with a green ribbon while she wore a green long-sleeved shirt and gray cargo pants.
The third anthro was a male duck with blue eyes as he wore a blue jeans jacket, orange t-shirt, and tan khakis, the fourth anthro was a male roadrunner with turquoise eyes as he wore a red hoodie and black sweat pants, and the final anthro was a large Tasmanian devil with red eyes as he wore a black t-shirt and brown pants as the five anthros spotted us and the male rabbit stared at me and Tech with an arched brow.
"So...I'm guessing you two are also here because some strange lady contacted you both?" he asked as the male rabbit had some kind of Brooklyn accent that reminded me of Bug Bunny and I nodded as I noticed that the female rabbit and the Tasmanian devil looked nervous, the duck looked mostly irritated, and the roadrunner looked curious.
"Yes, we were asked to come here by a woman who's named Zadavia, though we are unsure of why she wanted us to come here or what her intentions are," I replied and the female rabbit looked pensive.
"Yeah, you're not the only one who isn't sure about this since she contacted me on my phone and didn't tell me much except to come here and that six strangers would be meeting me here at the park," she said uneasily as the duck scowled.
"Well, I'm pissed because some lady called me while I was busy making myself look good and wouldn't take no for an answer so I have a lot of questions to ask her if she decides to show her damn face," the duck retorted and I frowned at how rude he was being but I suppose that I couldn't blame him since I would feel the same way in his shoes.
"Well, seeing as how we are all here, we might as well introduce ourselves," the male rabbit pointed out and I nodded as we stepped forward.
"Um, yeah...I'm Alex Williams and this is Tech Eon Coyote," I replied hesitantly as I slowly held my hand out and the male rabbit shook it.
"Ace Bunny, nice to meet you and your friend," Ace said and that caused the female rabbit to relax slightly before she cleared her throat.
"I'm Lexi Bunny, no relation to Ace here so I guess it's nice to meet you guys," Lexi spoke up and then the duck sighed.
"Just call me Duck, everyone does," Duck said with an annoyed frown before the Tasmanian devil started speaking gibberish and I made a face at that since I didn't understand a word of what he was saying.
"Sorry, what did you say? I didn't understand a word of that," Tech spoke up and the Tasmanian devil frowned before Ace cleared his throat.
"He said his name was Slam and that it was nice to meet you two," Ace translated and I was surprised that he understood what Slam was saying when the male roadrunner literally zoomed over to me and Tech before smiling.
"I'm-Rev-so-nice-to-meet-you-guys, even-though-one-of-you-is-a-coyote," Rev greeted and I barely understood him because of his rapid speech but I was more fascinated at his speed as Tech and I looked over Rev, then we hummed thoughtfully and started to walk around him with looks of curiosity.
"Fascinating...you're talking 10x the speed of a roadrunner and moving at possibly the speed of sound so the meteorite might've enhanced your already capable abilities," I said with a look of interest, and Ace grimaced.
"Well doc, not exactly since I didn't have any powers before The Event and now I can shoot lasers out of my eyes, which was a pain in the ass trying to control at first," Ace said and Lexi sent him a dry look.
"Speak for yourself, I can hear practically everything for miles and I can shoot some kind of...psychic blast of some kind? I don't know, it was like I was losing my fucking mind when I heard everyone at once and not to mention the migraine I got when I accidentally fired that...whatever it was for the first time," Lexi stated with a frown and I looked thoughtful.
"I see...given the strange course of events that occurred after the meteorite crashed into the city bay a month ago, I'm going to assume that it has something to do with our strange new abilities and biological enhancements because I've noticed that I'm far more athletic now," I theorized and I thought that I heard Duck muttering about how I was a geek but I ignored it.
"Yes, I've also noticed that I'm far more athletic than before so all our natural abilities must've been enhanced as well, so what are your powers? I've discovered that I have magnekinesis and molecular regeneration while Alex has a form of power mimicry, and I know Rev has a form of super speed but what about the rest of you?" Tech questioned while he was smiling at our latest discovery of how there were others just like us who were affected by the meteorite.
"Well, as I said before, I can shoot lasers out of my eyes and I almost blew up a gas tank when it first happened, though I was scared shitless after The Event happened and a bunch of lasers coming out of my eyes didn't help either," Ace replied.
"As for me, I had said that I could hear from great distances and I can fire some kind of energy blast from my mind so I suppose it could be called a brain blast if you want to dumb it down," Lexi added when Duck smirked.
"Watch and observe because this duck can do something that'll blow your minds," Duck boasted before he suddenly disappeared in a crackle of energy, astonishing me when he appeared next to Tech and the coyote was startled by that until he looked interested by what Duck can do.
"Incredible, you can achieve a form of teleportation so talk about fascinating," Tech commented and Duck scoffed.
"I usually call it quacking but that's not all so hold your applause because this duck isn't done yet," Duck replied as he held up his hands.
I watched as I saw some kind of flaming energy orbs appear in his hands and I blinked at that, then Duck threw them at a couple of trees and the orbs hit the trees until they turned into some kind of tar that oozed down, much to Duck's dismay.
"Crap, I was hoping they would blow up or something since they did that the first time," Duck grumbled and Lexi frowned at him.
"Dude, wouldn't that be a bit reckless? I mean, we're standing right here so one of us might get hurt if they were explosives," Lexi pointed out and Duck huffed.
"Details, details, now I'm annoyed since I wanted to show some explosions to prove how awesome I am," Duck grumbled and I narrowed my eyes at him since he was starting to irritate me a little bit because of his egotistical and self-centered attitude.
Either way, we all looked at Slam and he babbled something while stretching his arms a little before he hopped into the air and then smashed down onto the floor, the ground cracking and kicking up dirt when Slam began to spin around and was suddenly enveloped in a purple tornado.
There was a huge gust of wind and Ace suddenly took out a collapsible sword before stabbing it into the ground to get a grip on his footing while the rest of us held onto him, though I was amazed by what I was witnessing and so was Tech if his expression told me anything.
"Extraordinary, Slam is able to generate enough wind around the area of his body that he can turn into a miniature tornado, one he's able to control the size and power of so that's amazing!" Tech shouted over the howling wind as he smiled widely, his ears, fur, and jacket blowing in the wind.
"Not to mention super strength, which honestly makes sense!" Lexi added loudly when Slam stopped spinning and the high winds died down, prompting Ace to remove his sword from the ground and the rest of us let go of him as Slam grunted with a smile.
"Windy, so I appreciate the breeze," Ace joked and Slam chuckled as he walked over to us.
"So, what now?" Lexi wondered and I frowned.
"Now we wait for Zadavia to contact us since I imagine that she'll give us answers now that we're all here," I said just as my wrist computer started beeping.
"Speak of the devil, doc," Ace remarked and I went to accept the call, Zadavia's holographic figure appearing above the screen.
"Hello everyone, it's good to see that you've all become acquainted with each other," Zadavia greeted and Ace frowned.
"Zadavia, was it? No offense, but I believe it's time you give us some answers since I think it's fair we have some kind of explanation as to why you've gathered us together," Ace pointed out and Zadavia nodded.
"Yes, I believe I should explain myself so I suppose I should start at when the meteor crashed into the city bay, knocking the planet off its axis," Zadavia said and I widened my eyes at that.
"Uh, I'm guessing that's the reason why the sky looks different now," I said and Zadavia nodded.
"Yes, but that's not important right now so after the meteor had crashed into the city bay and caused so much destruction across half of Acmetropolis, I have searched for those who no doubt would've been affected by the effects of the cosmic radiation that spread out from the meteor," Zadavia started to explain and Tech hummed thoughtfully.
"And I suppose that's when you found out about the seven of us," Tech pointed out and Zadavia looked at him.
"Yes, I saw the unique abilities you all had displayed during the aftermath and proceeded to monitor your activities since I didn't believe contacting you all just after the meteor had crashed into the city bay was the best course of action since you all had experienced a highly traumatic event and it would've been improper to contact you all at that time.
So, I watched and waited so that you all would recover from The Event and attempt to continue on with your lives until the time came for me to contact all of you and gather the seven of you together," Zadavia continued.
"So, why did you gather us all together?" Lexi questioned.
"To put it simply, there will be those who are just like the seven of you where they also would've been affected by the cosmic radiation but their intentions will be less than pleasant and will have terrible things planned for Acmetropolis, which is why I have gathered all of you so that you will become a team that will be able to combat against those who will use their powers for evil," Zadavia replied and we all looked taken aback by that.
"So-you-want-us-to-become-superheroes?" Rev inquired and Zadavia nodded.
"Precisely, the city won't be prepared against those who have been altered by the meteor so it's why I have gathered you all together in the hopes of stopping those enhanced criminals once they do appear," Zadavia replied and I frowned at that.
"Isn't that putting a lot on us? You're basically telling us that you want us to become a team of superheroes and have us get involved in highly dangerous situations that could possibly kill some of us so it's kinda unorthodox when you think about it," I pointed out with a look of uncertainty.
"I understand I'm asking a lot and that you all are hesitant so you are free to refuse at any time, though while you would be able to put your powers to good use by protecting Acmetropolis, it's up to you if you wish to decline," Zadavia stated and Duck perked up.
"Say no more because I'll do it," Duck spoke up with a smirk, causing the rest of us to look at him.
"Um, you seemed to have accepted her offer a bit too quickly," Tech said and Duck sent him a look.
"Of course, this is my chance to prove how amazing I am and the perks of having my own fan club wouldn't be too bad either," Duck replied arrogantly and Ace frowned at him.
"Duck, this isn't a game because you could get killed or put other people in danger just by showing off so this is a huge decision that we need to really consider," Ace stated and Duck scoffed.
"Whatever, I'm just happy that I'll be using my powers for something," Duck said snidely and now I was openly glaring at him for not taking this seriously, the others also looking annoyed while even Zadavia appeared irritated by Duck's attitude.
"Very well, it appears Duck wishes to use his powers for a good cause, even if it's for the wrong reasons so has anyone else made a decision?" Zadavia asked and I started thinking about my next course of action as the others appeared to consider Zadavia's offer when I made my decision and looked directly at her.
"Alright, I've thought about it and decided that I'll do it since it's as you say, there will be others who are like us that will use their powers to commit criminal activities across the city so it's better that Acmetropolis has a team of meta-humans to protect it than nothing at all," I said and the others muttered their own agreements before Zadavia smiled.
"I am pleased to hear that and it so happens that I have your first mission ready for you, should you choose to accept it," Zadavia replied, causing us to look surprised.
"Wait, shouldn't we go through training or teamwork exercises first? I don't know if we're ready yet," Ace stated and Zadavia nodded.
"I agree that you all should train first and learn how to work as a team but sadly, the group that's causing trouble must be stopped before they kill someone," Zadavia said and I frowned.
"So-what's-this-group-that's-causing-trouble?" Rev inquired.
"They are robbing banks and are stealing money from those who have survived The Event while taking hostages during each heist so I don't need to tell what might happen if one of the hostages does something to agitate one of the robbers," Zadavia explained and Lexi scowled.
"Are you shitting me? People died during The Event and those assholes are stealing money that belongs to the survivors of the incident so I personally want to kick their asses for that," Lexi stated as she looked pissed and I didn't blame her for that since I was angry that a bunch of lowlifes would disrespect the memory of those who died during that terrible tragedy.
"Do you know when they will strike next?" Ace asked, looking very serious and I know he was just as eager to take down the robbers as Lexi and I were.
"I have been monitoring their activities and they will strike at the Acmetropolis Savings and Loans next, which isn't far from where you are so I suggest you all prepare yourselves because the robbers won't surrender without a fight," Zadavia warned before her hologram disappeared, showing that she had disconnected the call.
"Alright, we need to get ready so we should find some masks to wear since I'm not really keen on getting my privacy invaded by the press if they were to know our identities," Tech admitted and I nodded in agreement before Duck scoffed.
"Please, you guys are a bunch of lunatics if you think just wearing masks will help conceal our identities and I personally don't see the point of wearing a mask either way," Duck said and I sent him a glare.
"Maybe you don't give a damn about people knowing your identity but the rest of us do because if any enemies we make were to discover our identities, they'll target our loved ones to get to us so we can't afford to let that happen," I snapped irritably and Lexi nodded.
"He's right, it would destroy me if anything were to happen to my parents so keeping our identities secret is the best way to prevent our friends and families from being targeted," Lexi agreed and Duck groaned.
"Fine, we'll wear stupid masks if that'll make you feel better," Duck grumbled and I scowled at him in response when Tech walked over to me.
"Are you okay, Alex? You're usually a lot more level-headed than that," Tech pointed out in concern while keeping his voice down and I sighed.
"Sorry, Duck's arrogant and self-centered attitude is just pissing me off is all," I muttered and Tech frowned.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Tech agreed before Slam babbled something and Ace nodded.
"Slam's right, we should get going if we want to stop those robbers," Ace said and we all started to leave the park together.
We left the park and Ace had gotten us a bunch of balaclava masks for us to wear as we went to find the bank that Zadavia talked about, though it wasn't long until I heard the sounds of gunfire as we got close to what I assume was our destination and could see the bank up ahead.
We were in an alley and I was peering out to see that the robbery was already happening but the police had cordoned the area off and were being shot at by two robbers, who were holding two plasma rifles and laughing as they shot at the police cars and Swat trucks while they sometimes popped back into cover as the officers and Swat teams were shooting back with their blasters, energy shotguns, and pulse rifles.
'Not good, two of the robbers are thrill junkies so that makes this crew even more dangerous,' I thought as I studied the situation and looked back at the others.
"What do you see, Alex?" Ace asked.
"Two of the robbers are keeping the police at bay for the moment but it's only a matter of time until the police regain control of the situation, but until that happens, we need to rescue the hostages and take care of the other robbers that are inside the bank," I said and Ace nodded in agreement.
"Agreed, so let's see if we can sneak inside without anyone noticing us," Ace replied and we got ready to head to the bank.
Duck perked up and he started looking a little smug as he gestured at himself, then I rolled my eyes since I knew what he was implying and that he would never let us hear the end of it so we all surrounded him and placed our hands on his shoulders or arms, and the next thing I felt was the sensation on moving really quickly until I saw that we were in a broom closet as everyone was squashed together in the cramped space.
"Jesus Duck, did you really have to teleport us into a damn broom closet?" Lexi grunted as Slam's bulk was pressing some of us against the walls, making things very uncomfortable and slightly claustrophobic as Tech was pressed up against me.
"Hey, I haven't quacked six people to another location before so give me a fucking break!" Duck retorted as I started wriggling myself to the door.
"H-Hold on, let me see if I can get the door open," I said as I scooched past Ace and Rev, attempting to make my way to the door when Ace yelped in pain.
"Ow, somebody's stepping on my foot!" Ace hissed and Rev looked sheepish.
"Sorry-that-was-me," Rev said as I made it to the door.
I managed to open it and we all squeezed out, then I let out a sigh of relief and so did a few others as I heard the sounds of gunfire coming from outside the building so that was a sign we were inside the bank as we all put our masks on and started making our way down the hall.
It wasn't long until we made it to the lobby of the bank and I noticed that we were on the second floor as we made our way to the balcony and peered over it, then I saw close to nearly ten robbers as they were either keeping an eye on the hostages or setting up explosives around the vault before we ducked down.
"Okay, that's a lot of bad guys so Alex and I will handle them while Tech will disable the explosives set up around the vault. Lex, the hostages need to be taken to safety so you, Rev, Slam, and Duck will focus on getting them out of here since they are a priority," Ace instructed and Duck scowled.
"Hey, who the hell put you in charge? If anything, I should be the leader," Duck retorted quietly and I glared at him.
"Duck, I don't think it should matter who's in charge right now because we need to stop those criminals before they kill someone either intentionally or by accident," I whispered irritably.
"He's right, now suck it up," Lexi told Duck quietly while looking annoyed.
Duck shut up after that and I studied the robbers, knowing that their guns made them highly dangerous threats so I perked up when I realized that since Tech and I had magnetic abilities, we can disarm the robbers and it would be much easier to deal with them then.
I noticed that Tech had appeared to come to the same conclusion and we both shared a nod as we stood up and held out our hands, the glowing blue and green colors happening before the robbers' guns got covered in the same glowing colors, the weapons getting ripped out of the robbers' hands and they all stared with their mouths gaped open as the guns were being crushed into pieces.
"Dude, what the fuck just happened?!" one of the robbers exclaimed in disbelief just before Ace and the rest of us headed down the nearby staircase and made it to the lobby.
"Hey assholes, don't you know crime doesn't pay?" Ace mocked and the robbers quickly looked at us.
"Shit, I thought we checked the entire building!" another robber shouted and a third one scowled behind his mask.
"We did, so how the hell did these bastards get in here?" the third robber questioned.
"Doesn't matter, get them!" the first robber demanded and all ten of them came charging at us.
That prompted Lexi, Rev, Duck, and Slam to separate and quickly head to the hostages to get them to safety while Tech ran to the vault to disable the explosives planted around it, leaving me and Ace to take care of the robbers and I felt scared as I saw the criminals running at us and hoped the martial arts lessons Fred taught me would help.
Ace and I started getting swarmed by the robbers before I found myself dodging and blocking hits, retaliating with fast punches and expert kicks as Ace was holding up well against a few robbers until I knocked a couple out and sent the rest of my attackers to the ground.
I noticed Lexi, Slam, Rev, and Duck were getting the hostages to safety as Rev used his super-speed and Duck used his teleportation to help get them out even faster, Lexi and Slam making sure to cover them so that any of the robbers wouldn't be able to get to the hostages to use them against us while the last two robbers that were outside had come in to investigate the commotion when they saw us and went to aim at us.
Lexi reacted by firing what appeared to be two purple blasts that originated from her ears and it destroyed the plasma rifles, sending the two robbers into the wall and they were knocked unconscious from the impact.
I had dealt with the last two attackers and Ace was finished on his end while a few of the robbers were laying on the ground groaning in pain and the rest were simply unconscious, just before I saw Tech disarming the last explosive on the vault and I let out a sigh of relief since I was glad that was over with, but then I saw someone huddled up against the counter and walked over to see that it was a little boy who looked terrified.
"Hey, it's safe now so you don't have to be scared anymore," I reassured gently and the boy whimpered as he flinched when he saw me.
"No, don't hurt me," the boy cried as he sniffled and I went to remove my mask to make myself less intimidating.
"It's okay, I'm not one of them, see? I'm a good guy who wants to get you back to your parents, okay?" I assured the boy and held out a hand for him to take.
The kid looked up at me warily at first, but soon reached out and took my hand before I put my mask back on and guided him to the entrance of the bank until I led him outside with the others right behind me, prompting the police to aim their weapons at us.
"Freeze, release your hostages and surrender immediately!" an officer ordered as the other hostages came running over to us and waved their arms at the police while shaking their heads.
The hostages started shouting about how we saved their lives and that we were heroes as they started clapping at me and the others, prompting other people in the nearby crowd to do the same thing as they cheered and it felt very strange being praised for our actions as the police and Swat teams slowly lowered their weapons while I saw a black limo pull up to the scene and the driver got out, heading over to the back door and opening it.
I was more than surprised to see the mayor getting out and the boy left my side before they ran to each other, then a man in the crowd squeezed his way through and also ran over to the boy as they called out for him until all three embraced, telling that the boy was their son until the mayor looked at us.
"Thank you for saving him so the city will always be in your debt," the mayor told us tearfully as her husband sent us a nod of gratitude and Ace looked a little taken aback.
"Uh...no problem since we just wanted to do the right thing," Ace replied awkwardly but he still smiled and I felt like doing the same since using my powers to do good was really a nice sensation, just as a Swat officer with the rank of captain on his uniform came over to us.
"Well, I suppose I should thank you all for saving those people so who are you anyway?" the Swat captain inquired and I thought hard about what kind of team name we should have when I recalled Duck calling me and the others lunatics and it gave me an idea for the perfect name.
"You may call us The Loonatics," I replied and it caused a few of the others to stare at me weirdly but I ignored it as the Swat captain looked slightly confused.
"The Loonatics, huh? Well, on behalf of the APD, thank you for stopping them before they could hurt anyone so we'll continue the rest from here," the Swat captain stated before he signaled his team to move in.
After that, the criminals were arrested and the mayor wanted to repay us for saving her son and the other hostages so we told her that we needed a new HQ since we were just starting out and she had us ride in her limo when the driver drove us to a very tall building that had a trident shape to it and I recognized it as that building that used to belong to a company that got sued for negligence and we were led to an elevator that took us up to the 134th floor.
We were given a tour of the place and I noticed that it looked a little bare but some minor adjustments from Tech and I should get this place up and running in no time, but other than that, the place was perfect since it had windows that showed most of the city so I looked around while resting my hands on my hips.
'Huh, maybe being a hero won't be so bad after all,' I thought as I showed another rare smile, knowing that it was only the beginning for us and that things were going to get quite interesting down the road.
A/N Well, The Loonatics have gathered together and were successful in their first mission so only time will tell if their career as a team of superheroes will be a success or a failure so the next chapter will be a time skip and it will follow the first episode so let me know what you think and stay tuned.