Loonatics: United
Episode 67: Commotion
Tech was in the lab along with the rest of the Loonatics, he had gathered them there to show them the invention he had built to confront Ray. The sun of the early morning illuminated the lab through the large window behind him. "Behold…the Overcharge Turret!" Tech presented the invention with both arms extended at it. He had previously explained his teammates that the jetpack had been stolen.
Ace nodded while scratching his chin with a smirk of approval. "Not bad, Doc." He said. "Enlighten us."
"Thanks, boss. It's a fair simple yet powerful weapon that will neutralize the symbiotic shield this guy stole back at AMRI." Tech got behind the turret and lifted the long wire that came from its backside. "Unfortunately, as the turret needs a huge amount of energy to work, it has to be connected to a source of great power." He lowered down the wire. "The jet will surely provide more than enough energy to make the turret work."
"Alright." Ace walked towards the turret and observed it. "You say the turret and the jet must stay connected."
"That's right." Tech said.
Ace was thoughtful, scratching his chin. "Okay." He nodded and walked away from the turret, getting between Tech and his other teammates, looking at them with determination. "Alright, Loonatics, this is the plan. Rev, locate this guy again." He received a quick nod from Rev. "We'll go wherever he is now and land the jet there, I'll fire the turret. It's important to maintain him the closest possible to the turret and the jet, am I right?" He looked at Tech briefly.
"Yes, boss. The turret won't work if it gets disconnected." Tech replied.
Duck rolled up his eyes. "Like, even me understands that."
"What about the jetpacks?" Lexi asked.
"Oh, I'm glad you asked." Tech walked towards the central table where he had arranged the jetpacks horizontally. He took Lexi's first. "They are fully rebooted and coated." He approached Lexi and placed the jetpack over her suit, then it made a beeping noise and stored itself in the suit's cloth, getting out of sight.
"Good job, Tech." Ace smirked at him with a thumbs up. "There you go, team. Put on your jetpacks and get ready."
After obeying Ace's command, the team headed to the hangar hurriedly, Tech carried the turret with his magnetic ability. Ace placed his hand on the recognition pad and the automatic doors of the hangar opened, letting the team enter and head to the jet. Tech lowered down the turret and hopped in the cockpit, activating the jet then opening the backdoors to let the rest enter the vehicle. Duck approached the turret and placed a hand over its dark gray surface, teleporting himself along with it to the ship's inside. "Where to, Rev?" Tech asked looking over his shoulder.
Rev closed his eyes and began to geolocate Ray. "Alright…I think he is in some kind of office maybe? Wait, there's a bed there. I think he lives there or something…whatever, it's nearby the Wellix District…in, uhm, an alleyway, between an abandoned building and a warehouse."
"Wellix District, then." Tech put some coordinates in the jet's console. "Seatbelts?" Tech asked while making the jet to hover already.
Ace put on his seatbelt along with the others. "Ready, Doc!"
"Of course I was going to put on my seatbelt I mean who would forget something that important?" Duck said while adjusting his seatbelt. "Not that I mind being reminded, though."
"Very well." Tech said, accelerating and flying towards the hangar's big main doors, which began to open when sensing the jet approaching. They opened fully when the jet was close enough, letting the Loonatics to exit the HQ.
On the meantime, Ray was walking in circles in front of the computer, impatient, constantly looking at the 'dialing' icon on the video call window. "Come on, come on why don't you answer?" Ray said quite upset, sighing and sitting down on the floor with his legs crossed, still looking at the monitor, yawning and resting his hands on the floor. "If you need the suit so badly then y…" After speaking with a yawn, the video call was finally answered, the snow leopard appeared on the screen, this time inside a cockpit, with his hands over a steering wheel.
"Mr. Robson." The snow leopard said. "Did you acquire the jetpack?"
Ray gasped and stood up quickly, rapidly heading to the computer, sitting down over the chair. "Yes, yes I got it. The suit is already equipped with it." He nodded a couple of times.
The snow leopard grinned and let out a chuckle of success. "Good job, Mr. Robson. We'll go get the suit soon, get it ready for us."
"Oh, and about, uhm, Alumia?" Ray asked.
The snow leopard delayed a bit to answer. "Right. You'll come with us and we'll take you there, with all the facilities, understand?"
Ray laughed a bit by the emotion. "Yes, yes I'll be ready."
"Great." The snow leopard said. "We'll reach you out in brief." He ended the call. Ray sighed with relief then began to look at the suit, smiling at it as it was his chance to get a better life. His ear twitched when hearing the noise of turbines and propellers over the roof, it was the Loonatic's jet, which then landed there.
Ray gasped when the building trembled a bit by the heaviness of the jet. "No…" Ray guessed quickly who could they be, so he rapidly stood up and approached the suit, activating it. He entered the suit and when it adapted to his complexion he got in the middle of the room, adopting a combat position, cooking a pair of electric orbs while glaring at the principal door attentively. His focus didn't deviate from it, a green light surrounded the door, he stepped backwards instinctively, the door then began to make cracking noises and all of a sudden it got unattached from the wall, taking some concrete with it. Tech was behind it, manipulating it with his powers, he lowered the door over the alleyway's ground and entered Ray's place with a frown, with his hands facing upwards, ready to fight. The other five Loonatics entered afterwards, Rev having used his superspeed to get among his comrades, Duck his teleportation and Slam got in with his tornado. Ace and Lexi entered while holding the turret, which was connected to the jet's backside with the long wire. They lowered down the turret and Ace got behind it, starting to rub the trigger.
"What do you think about that entrance, thief?" Duck said cockingly while cooking two orbs.
Ray growled. "Loonatics…" He said angrily. "Leave me alone!" He exclaimed.
"No can do." Tech took a few steps frontwards. "You crossed the line, lemur." He pointed at him. "You took one of my babies, and I want it back."
"Babies?" Ray got more upset but also confused.
Ace sighed. "The jetpack you stole." He readied his laser vision. "If there's something Doc. hates, that's people messing with his inventions."
Ray let out a growl. "Please!" He backed his arm. "Just let me do this! I don't want any trouble!"
Slam growled at him while thundering his fingers.
Tech chuckled. "I wouldn't have said it better, big guy!" He activated his jetpack and began to fly around Ray, trying to distract him by using his magnetic ability, getting him surrounded by the distinctive green glow of the power.
"Can't you see it? You can't beat m..!" Ray was approached by Lexi from behind, she cuffed his arms with hers. He grunted. "Let…go!" Ray activated the jetpack and hovered up for a moment, Lexi reacted soon enough to do the same with hers, letting him go quickly while floating. Ray hovered down and deactivated the jetpack when landing over the floor.
"Hey, bud, need a hug?" Duck appeared suddenly before him, dazzling him a bit by the glow of the teleport. He suddenly hugged him and teleported himself and Ray to another area of the place. Duck did so constantly, from a corner to another, then finally took him to the middle of the room, a few meters ahead of Ace, who was pointing the turret directly at him.
Ray was feeling dizzy, he blinked a couple of times then his eyes widened when noticing the turret's muzzle pointing at him. "What the h..?!"
"Ace!" Tech landed over the floor. "Now!"
"Wait!" Ray exclaimed and extended his open hand frontwards. Ace pulled the trigger. Orange, energy circles traveled all the way from the jet over the ceiling to the turret's backside through the long wire that connected them. A thick, bright beam of the same color came from the turret, starting to hit Ray directly on the chest. "N…No!" He clenched his fists, he was unable to move because of the amount of energy the suit was receiving, subtle yet continuous noises began to come from the symbiotic shield that covered the suit. After several seconds, a brief, golden glow illuminated the place, then the shield exploded, throwing Ray to the floor strongly, with a quick high pitched noise of explosion, followed by a brief cloud of black smoke. Ray was groaning, slowly opening his eyes, he lifted his back with a couple of gasps. Ray selected the damage report option with a glance. The suit hadn't been damaged at all. He gasped and put a hand over the suit's chest, grasping the deteriorated, torn apart mat that used to be the symbiotic shield. He slowly began to take it off the suit, dropping the remains over the floor until taking it off completely.
The six Loonatics surrounded him one by one, standing on circle, each one of them having their powers ready and glaring at him with warning. "Now." Ace said. "You come with us."
Ray stood silent for a moment. "You…" His voice was rather broken. "You don't understand…what you've done." He looked at Ace with rage and sadness. "It was my only chance!"
"Chance for what?" Ace said with a straight tone.
"Fo.." Ray was interrupted by a sudden voice that appeared to come from the outside.
"Ray Robson!" A male voice said, it sounded like if it was coming from a huge speaker. "The Chaos Warriors are here to retrieve their weapon!"
Ray was feeling very anxious, knowing that he wouldn't be able to deliver the suit exactly as he was told to. He sighed and rapidly activated the jetpack, flying towards a hidden hatch that was placed on a corner of the ceiling, opening it rapidly and exiting to the roof. The hatch then closed automatically.
"Hey!" Duck activated his jetpack to follow him but was stopped by Ace, who had put his hand over his shoulder.
Ace gestured at the entrance. "We must get to the bottom of this." He glared at his comrades. "Follow me."