I don't own Loonatics Unleashed
A/N: First thing's first, I want to thank you all for the lovely reviews. This chapter was inspired by the episode 'Family Business' and a song by Metallica 'Sad but True' (I do not own it). I resisted the urge to add lyrics from the song into they chapter, but I fell into the temptation and did so and thought that there would be appropriate sentences to use for this particular chapter.
Enjoy!
Duck hadn't meant to act the way that he did to Miranda. No matter how much he tried to discipline himself from his ego, he found himself slipping back to his usual ways. It wasn't that he had tried hard enough. It was a personality that had helped him survive. If he didn't have that confidence, he didn't want to think where he would be. His team may have seen him as being dismissive when they pointed out his attitude, but he understood what they meant. They simply had enough of the way that he acted. He wondered that if they did, why did they bother to save him from Optimatus or any other situations that he had been in? Why did Miranda even bother to stay with him?
His mind traveled back to that surprised meeting that she had with an 'old friend.' A part of Duck's mind screamed at him that it was a silly thing to be upset about. If she still liked the guy, why would she bother to be engaged to him? Then the other part of his mind, the majority of it, prodded him saying that it was out of pity. Duck despised that! He didn't need anyone's pity, no matter whom it was from. He turned around and looked back at the club where the muffled music came out from. He couldn't believe that he had been standing out here for fifteen minutes and no one bothered to get him. He could just waltz inside and pretend like nothing happened, but he felt his feet glued to the ground. He couldn't find it in himself to face Miranda after their little argument. He knew that being in each other's presence would result in a fight, hurting Miranda's feelings and ruining Lexi's birthday…and Duck couldn't do that to either of them.
Taking a deep breath, he felt the need to calm himself down. A couple of minutes of self-talk would help him clear his mind of the issue that happened and he could walk in there and swoon Miranda and put the issue behind them. Just then, he heard metallic feet making its way towards him.
"What the…?" Duck said as he turned his head to the left and noticed a small metallic object crawling on the wall of the building beside him. Duck was caught off guard but when he took a closer look, it was square in shape with a blue lens in front of it. He was relieved that it was a tick like they had defeated almost a year and a half ago. He had never seen a little device like this before. Tech would have a better understanding of these things, not that Duck was going to admit that he didn't.
Concluding that he had been outside long enough, Duck pulled away from the wall and was about to head back into the building. It wasn't until he felt something sharp grab him around the side of his head and pull him towards the wall. Duck was caught off guard and he panicked at who had grabbed him. He managed to teleport to another section of the back alley and saw the metallic object falling to the ground where he had disappeared. Duck blinked at what he had witnessed. Did that thing just jump at him? He opened the palms of his hand and attacked the device with his power orbs, trying to keep it glued to the ground but no matter where he threw the orbs, the device had the speed that was close to Rev's.
It was as if the little device had disappeared right in front of his eyes. Duck looked from one section of the alley to the next but that piece was nowhere to be seen. As he turned around he felt the same sharp sensation grab him by the head and pull him to the ground. He felt his body crashing on the pavement and before he could stop it, the device wrapped its metallic legs around his head and implemented itself on Duck's head. Duck tried his best to pry off the device from his head but to no avail. He attempted to teleport but the device remained glued to his head.
You are not what I needed, but you'll do.
A voice seeped into his brain.
What is this? Duck thought as he tried to push away the voice that had taken over his mind. Not only did he feel himself getting a headache, but he lost control of his body. It was as if he had been caught into Massive's gravity manipulation, only he couldn't move his limbs a single inch. What are you? Duck thought when he fell into submission and allowed the device to take over his mind.
Hey!
The felt that he was going to go deaf when that voice screamed into his head. He placed his hands over his head and onto his ears, as if that was going to block away the screams that overcame into his mind.
I'm your life
I'm the one who takes you there
Hey!
I'm your life
I'm the one who cares
After what felt like hours of dancing, Ace was ready to give his feet a break. He held Lexi close to him as he escorted her back to the table where Tech and Amber were having a deep conversation about different uses of technologies.
Nerds was the word that crossed Ace's mind but he didn't say it out loud to them. He knew that he would probably get a laughter out of them. He looked at the table next to theirs and noticed Rev and Michelle just about finishing their dance. "Be right back," Ace said to Lexi as he walked over to the two roadrunners. He didn't waste any time but went right to the topic, "I think it's about time we bought out that cake."
"Whew," Rev said, "I-should-hope-so-we-are-starving-after-all-that-dancing!"
"Come-and-help-me-out!" Michelle said to Rev as they headed to the back of the room to get the cake from the refrigerator.
Just then Slam and Miranda joined the group. Something was off. Ace accounted the members of the team once more but there was one specific duck that was missing. "Hey Miranda," Ace said to her, "have you seen the Duck-mister around?"
Miranda rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe how immature Duck was being. It was fine that he was angry with her, she'd get over it, but to act like this when it was Lexi's birthday. "I'll go find him," she said.
She pulled away from the group and headed out the door of the club. She felt herself getting irritated by the second as she walked around the building and into the alley. The moment she got there; she noticed Duck crouched to the ground breathing heavily. Such a drama queen Miranda thought as she placed her hands over her hips and glared at him. "Alright Duck," Miranda sternly said, "this has gone long enough. Just because you're mad at me over something so stupid, doesn't mean that you have to take it out on the team. It's Lexi's birthday and the least you can do is be there."
There was no response coming from him.
Miranda shook her head and rolled her eyes at him, thinking that he was giving her the silent treatment. "You're being immature, you know. Get up and get in there right now."
Duck heard her, loud and clear but he just wasn't able to move. That voice screamed into his mind once more and suddenly, he felt himself getting up from the floor.
They!
They betray
I'm your only true friend now
They!
They'll betray
I'm forever there
Slowly, he turned around and saw Miranda standing in front of him. She looked livid but her expression slowly changed when she looked at him.
This was something that Miranda didn't expect. The blue color of his eyes had changed into a deep blood red color and she took a step back when he approached her. "Duck?" Miranda asked when she felt her back making contact with the wall. "What's wrong?" she asked him.
I'm your dream, make you real
I'm your eyes when you must steal
I'm your pain when you can't feel
Sad but true
She had been cornered and that's exactly what he wanted. Before she could react, Duck reached out and grabbed her by the neck, pulling her forward and squeezing her throat as tightly as he could. A look of shock crossed her face and instinctively, she grabbed onto his hands and tried to pull him off her. "DUCK!" she hoarsely yelled, "stop it!" She used as much strength as she could and managed to pull his hands off her throat.
At that moment, Duck pulled his arms away from her and delivered a strong blow to her face, causing her to stagger backwards. Before she could recover, Duck pushed her towards the wall and delivered a punch to her face.
I'm your dream, mind astray
I'm your eyes while you're away
I'm your pain while you repay
You know it's sad but true
She was resilient. He thought that punch was enough to knock her to the ground. Duck pulled back and was about to deliver another blow when he felt a hand wrapping around his arm and pulled him back.
"Hey Duck!" Ace's voice yelled as he got between him and Miranda. "What do you think you're doing? What's the matter with you?"
Thank God for Lexi's super hearing otherwise none of the team would have heard of the crash that had happened outside of the building. At first, the team had thought that it was a villain that had decided to crash their party. The moment that Ace saw Duck punching Miranda, him and the team didn't hesitate to jump in. There was no moment for them to feel their shock in seeing Duck act that way, but it was an action that had to be stopped.
This is who I needed
The voice whispered.
Duck to look at the rabbit up and down as if he was surveying him. Just then, he looked around and noticed that he was gathered by the group. His teammates. And he was going to take them out one by one no matter how much it took out of him.
No! Duck's mind managed to make his way through the voice. I can't do this, just get out!
You!
You're my mask
You're my cover, my shelter
That voice took over his mind once again and was in full control of Duck.
You!
You're my mask
You're the one who's blamed
Do!
Do my work
Do my dirty work, scapegoat
Do!
Do my deeds
For you're the one who's shamed
"Duck!" Lexi yelled, "I knew that there was something wrong with you, but have you gone nuts?!"
You see that? She thinks that you're crazy. They all do. You want to stay with a team like that? Don't resist but do it because…
I'm your dream, make you real
I'm your eyes when you must steal
I'm your pain when you can't feel
Sad but true
The palms of his hands became inflamed as he unleashed a series of power orbs towards Lexi. Lexi quickly jumped out of the way and destroyed the power orbs with her brain blast. She couldn't believe that Duck would dare to attack her. It was as if he wanted to see her get hurt. She jumped away from another power orb until she felt herself getting hit with one of them at the back. The force of the power orb was just hard enough to push her to the ground and keep her glued on the pavement.
I'm your dream, mind astray
I'm your eyes while you're away
I'm your pain while you repay
You know it's sad but true
Ace jumped behind Duck and grabbed his arms and held them in a hammerlock. "Whatever is goin' through your head, Duck, get out of it now!" Ace felt a force hit him on the mouth and he staggered back from Duck. He tasted blood in his mouth but that didn't subdue him from stopping Duck. What is going on with him? Ace thought. As Duck attempted to throw another power orb at him, Ace attacked with his laser vision. The laser cut through the power orbs and hit Duck directly on the chest, pushing his feet of the ground. Ace hated when he did that but he knew that it was the only way that he could subdue Duck.
"Tech!" Ace said to the coyote, "get around and grab his arm. I don't want him attacking anybody."
The two teammates ran towards Duck and knelt towards him to grab his arms. The moment that they did, Duck reached out and grabbed the front of their shirts and flung both Ace and Tech towards the wall. The impact of their bodies to the wall was powerful enough to create a large crack to the building.
Rev was trying to free Lexi from the tar that had trapped her to the ground but the moment that he saw Ace and Tech being thrown at the wall, it was evident that Duck had lost it. He looked at his fellow teammate and sped over to him.
Seeing the ball of fire that ran towards him, Duck teleported out of the way and Rev immediately stopped before he crashed into another section of the wall. He kept his senses on high alert and when he saw Duck appearing to his left, he ran to another direction before he was attacked. "Missed-me!" he said to Duck, but he didn't have that same playful nature that he did with the other villains.
Come on, get rid of the bird
Duck teleported from Rev's sight and appeared on top of the building. He noticed Rev frantically looking for him and before he knew it, he found himself drenched with the power orbs.
Slam couldn't believe what he was seeing. He understood that Duck would get angry but this was pure violence. He watched as each of his teammates were attacked by Duck and when they tried to get free away from him, they would be brutally attacked. He watched when Duck teleported out of the building and was about to attack a helpless Rev. He formed into a mini cyclone and made his way towards Duck. The cyclone made contact with Duck's body and sent him flying towards the wall.
"Thanks-Slam," Rev breathed out, "but-whatever-you-do-don't-hurt-him-too-much-watch-out!"
Slam looked up when Duck attempted to pick up an empty car and threw it towards him. Where had all that strength come from? There was no way that Duck was able to pick up something as heavy as a car! Slam gasped when the car was flung towards their direction and he pulled Rev away from the ground and jumped out of the way before they were crushed by the vehicle.
Duck heaved. It was unbelievable at how resilient his teammates were. It was going to be a lot harder than he thought to get rid of them but at least he was able to temporarily subdue them before they all attacked him at once. He clenched his hands into fists and felt the power orbs in the palm of his hands once more, feeling that this time, he was going to put an end to all of them. Before he knew it, he felt a trashcan hitting him at the back of his head and he fell to the ground.
Miranda, who had managed to levitate a trashcan towards him stood on her feet as she looked at Duck. After recovering from her attack, Miranda's telepathy was able to penetrate Duck's mind and she picked up an unfamiliar voice that was within. A voice that had the power to shed Duck of his heroic status and turn him into someone that she didn't recognize. She had a feeling that something was off with him, right at the moment when she noticed that red color in his eyes, but deep down, the duck that she was knew and loved was still there.
Duck slowly looked up from the ground and saw Miranda standing right in front of him. Whatever she did, it was a feeble attempt stop him. He slowly stood up from the ground and delivered another attack towards her. Miranda was on high alert and she dodged whatever attack he threw her way. The moment he moved his arm out of the way, Miranda took the opportunity to attack him but he grabbed her wrist.
Hate!
I'm your hate
I'm your hate when you want love
She had been correct. That was not Duck's voice that she heard in his head. She felt him putting a lot of his strength into her wrist, to the point where she felt that he was going to break them.
Pay!
Pay the price
Pay, for nothing's fair
Duck reached over and grabbed her hair from the back and pulled her head down for her to look up at him. Pain rushed through her body but not as much as it pained her to see Duck in such a condition. Whatever he was going to do to her, she hoped that the team was quick enough to stop him. She could see him looking back at her with eyes that indicated pleasure at seeing her in such pain. Whatever this entity was that had control of Duck, she was willing to get it off him no matter how much she got hurt in the process.
Duck wrapped his arms around her and they both teleported away from the group and to the roof of the building. Miranda tried to keep herself calm, though she had a terrible feeling at what was about to happen next. He was still holding onto her and before she knew it, they were both falling off the building.
Hey!
I'm your life
I'm the one who took you there
Hey!
I'm your life
And I no longer care
The speed which they fell was so quick, that Miranda shut her eyes. She couldn't bear to look at what was about to happen to them.
I'm your dream, make you real
I'm your eyes when you must steal
I'm your pain when you can't feel
Sad but true
I'm your truth, telling lies
I'm your reason, alibis
I'm inside, open your eyes
I'm you
Sad but true
Tech looked up from the building and immediately, he thrusted the palm of his hands towards both ducks. When his magnekenesis hit them, Miranda fell right through but Duck levitated in the air. Rev quickly flew towards Miranda and grabbed her before she made contact the pavement.
After managing to free Lexi from the tar, Ace looked up when he saw Duck levitating regarding Tech's powers. Normally, Tech would be able to levitate anything that was metal. "Hey Tech," he said to the coyote, "what's going on here?"
Tech was just as baffled as Ace was. Just like Ace's sentiments, Tech felt that there was something in Duck that would cause him to be that way. It was then when he noticed something pulling out of Duck's head and hovering next to him. When the device was removed, Duck fell through Tech's magnekenesis and into Slam's arms, who caught him just in time before he fell on the ground.
The amount of exhaustion that his body had suffered through, Duck wasn't able to move a muscle, let alone hear anything that was going on.
Tech squinted over at the device. It wasn't like anything that he had ever seen before, but he didn't know whether he ought to consider it extraterrestrial or a brand-new product. "Considering what had happened to Duck," Tech said, "I wouldn't go near this thing at all."
"You're thinking to destroy it?" Ace asked him.
"Not quite," Tech said. There had to be something in the device that would temporarily cause it to work like all other devices, but he didn't have the right tools for that. Keeping one hand towards the device, he used his other hand to levitate the lid of the trashcan and turn into a small box to keep the device inside. "I'm going to investigate it," he said to him, "and to what I find, I will make sure that it's destroyed after."
There was no reason for them to keep something so dangerous. It had almost cost their lives as well as Duck's. Ace turned his attention towards Duck who was passed out and in Slam's arms. He couldn't believe what had just happened. After weeks of having a villain free 'vacation' something like this had to happen.
Something was going on, and Ace was going to make sure that they put a stop to it.
