Note: I probably won't get done with this story for quite some time, but I hope to attract more followers on it. With their support, I would be able to come up with ideas for it faster. Anyway, I don't want to ramble, so here's chapter twenty-four.
Chapter 24: Carry That Weight
A day after they went on the fishing trip, the Mighty Loonatics were watching Acmetropolis through surveillance cameras, intent on looking for some crime they needed to fight. In addition to that, they were still looking at the blueprints that Diane's father had left. Progress on the armor and gadgets had not yet begun, but that was because the new recruits wanted to send them to Tech and Rev on Blanc. Both of them had better knowledge on technology than anyone on the team, and that included Ace. In fact, the Mighty Loonatics did not have an inventor of their own. If only Tech would be the next member of the original team to pay a visit.
While watching the city, the Mighty Loonatics didn't see a single soul in distress. Ace walked into the room, unnoticed by everyone aside from Diane and Teagan. He joined the new recruits in searching for crimes, hoping for a mission where he would be able to teach them something. The buck knew that each of them were powerful in their own right, but he wanted to be sure if they could do something great with teamwork. Of course, he had to keep Jack and Klara in check, knowing that they were members of an ancient race of demons. The same could be said for John, as his powers involved the manipulation of dark energy.
"So, nothings goin' on?" Ace spoke.
"Not at the moment." Lori said.
"And we haven't started working on that cybernetic samurai armor." Jack said. "Would it be better for the blueprints to go to Blanc?"
"Tech does have better knowledge in electric stuff than we do, after all." Klara said.
"I guess I could take them with me when I head back to Blanc." Ace said. "For now, let's just look for some crooks."
The Mighty Loonatics continued to watch the streets of Acmetropolis, hoping that something would come up. Eventually, one of the cameras showed a limousine parking near city hall. Instead of a rich family or a political party, a group of masked men carrying armed weapons came out. Putting one and two together, the Mighty Loonatics decided to head out and stop them before anyone could get hurt or killed. They didn't figure that they would need gadgets, considering how they had powers. However, on Ace's insistence, they took a device known as the Automatic Rope.
Once they got to city hall, the Mighty Loonatics heard gunfire. The masked men had begun shooting up the place, whether to kill everyone inside or to take hostages. With little time to spare, the new recruits entered through the back of the building, intent on doing a sneak attack. Before they could go after the attackers, they had Diane use her telepathy to detect if there had been any casualties. If there were, then the team agreed to not hold anything back.
"Can you detect anyone?" Lori asked.
"Yes, the terrorists are upstairs." Diane said. "They're on the top floor."
"What about the city council?" Jack asked. "And the receptionist?"
"Still alive." The Arctic vixen said. "They're all still alive, only hiding. Two are injured, though."
"Then let's not waste time!" Ace said.
Opening the door, Ace had the Mighty Loonatics enter city hall. With their powers, the team was intent on stopping the terrorists in no time. If they didn't, then the city council, let alone everyone in the building, could've been killed. That was something they couldn't let happen, even if they died during the mission. As they walked through the first floor, the new recruits made their way to the elevator. Once they got to the top floor, they agreed to take down the terrorists as soon as they saw them.
Exiting the elevator, Diane had her teammates keep their eyes open. Knowing what she had in mind, Ace used his Optical Enhancement to search where the terrorists could have been hiding, waiting to ambush the Mighty Loonatics. The rest of the team agreed to disarm their enemies as quickly as they could. Jack would use his pyrokinesis to make the masked men drop their weapons, while Teagan would knock them out with an electric shock. As for John, he would use his powers to destroy the weapons, or even bind his enemies. Lori, Simon, and Klara were intent on engaging their foes in hand-to-hand combat, but only after they were disarmed.
All of a sudden, one of the masked men jumped out towards the Mighty Loonatics. That was his undoing, when the team turned his strategy against him. His gun was yanked out of his hands by his unseen force, presumably from Jack's psychokinesis or by an invisible Lori. Before the terrorist could try to get his weapon back, Teagan hit him with an electric shock. Once that happened, he went down hard. With him incapacitated, the Mighty Loonatics were able to continue on with their mission.
Upon reaching the mayor's office, Ace had the Mighty Loonatics get behind him. He then listened through the door, trying to see if anything was going on in the room. Admittedly, it was hard to hear what was happening. If the buck had Lexi's Sonic Hearing, then it would've been easier to know what was going down. That was until he heard something being smashed, as well as someone screaming in anger. From there, Ace could hear a commotion.
"Dammit!" A man was heard screaming. "I want all of you to go look for the Mayor! I'll be here, waiting for the fuzz, and having my gun on hand! The rest of you, get out of here!"
Knowing they had no other option, the Mighty Loonatics decided to stop the terrorists where they stood. John was the first to act, kicking open the door. Before the masked men could act, Ace threw a smoke bomb, then told the new recruits to put on their Night Vision Gas Masks. Listening to him, the team was not only protected from the smoke, but also able to see the criminals in the room. With that in mind, they took down the group while they were disoriented. By hitting each terrorist in the back of the neck, the Mighty Loonatics knocked them out, leaving them able to handcuff the criminals.
Once the smoke had dissipated, the Mighty Loonatics were ready to call the cops and have them get the terrorists. However, they also had to get the one who was still in the hallway, as he was not in handcuffs. Before they could, Ace and the new recruits heard a gun being cocked. Looking behind them, the team saw the only masked man left, standing and pointing a gun at Simon. His eyes burned with fury, angry that he and his fellow terrorists had been defeated so easily. Even if it meant that he got a harsher sentence, he was going to take a member of the team with him.
"Try to move, and guts will fly!" The masked man sneered.
"Guys will fly, alright, but they will be yours." John spoke.
The Mighty Loonatics were about to reason with the sole terrorist who was up, until they noticed one thing: John was not with them. Rather, the stag materialized behind the masked man, which frightened him. He had teleported moments before, presumably intent on putting fear into his enemy. That soon changed when the buck's hands began to glow. From there, the team could see that he was going to kill the masked man. He even grabbed him by the throat, with his free hand glowing darker.
Before John could kill the only terrorist who was still on his feet, Ace went to him. The rabbit was quick to stop him, even using gestures to signal that it wasn't worth it. Once he was let go, the masked man was handcuffed and joined the others on the ground. With that out of the way, the police were called, as was an ambulance. The cops got the terrorists, while the ambulance took those who were injured. No one else had been hurt or killed, so the mission was, for the most part, a success.
With the mission done, the Mighty Loonatics got ready to head back to HQ. However, Simon was looking down, having an ashamed look on his face. The greyhound followed his teammates back home, albeit while still looking down. Jack noticed this, so he tried to speak to his teammate. Upon getting no response, the young man grew concerned, wondering what could have been eating away at the canine. He hoped that Ace would be the one to talk him out of his funk.
Once they were at HQ, the Mighty Loonatics were ready to go in and recharge their batteries for the next mission. However, Jack had Ace go speak with Simon. The greyhound still had that guilty look on his face, causing Ace to head over to him. Something was eating away at him, and the leader of the original Loonatics wanted to know why.
"Everything alright, pal?" Ace asked.
"I froze up when I saw that gun!" Simon spoke. "What is wrong with me?! I'm a superhero, and I freeze when a gun is pointed at me?! I guess I'm just not as brave as the others."
"You froze up because a gun was pointed at you?" The rabbit said. "Buddy, that's nothing to be ashamed of."
"That's not the only thing I'm ashamed of." The greyhound said. "I've always froze up when it comes to certain things, even when I have to make a decision. In a world of brave people, I'm just another coward."
"Fear and peer pressure are a part of life." The lepus said. "Simon, you might think you're a coward, but you're capable of doing stuff a coward wouldn't do."
"Yeah, what would that be?" The canine asked.
"Well, you have taken on bad guys and helped your teammates save Diane."
"That might be so, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm shy about stuff. Even if I wasn't, that probably wouldn't give me better powers than the ones I got. All I can do is manipulate my bone marrow into spikes and armor."
"I have always wondered why you had that power. Did you break your bones very badly as a kid?"
"No. People have always told me that I'm spineless, and I think that's why I gained that ability."
"Well, I guess I can have you train that power in order to make it more efficient for combat. As for your attitude, you should try to use your social skills, and maybe speak up more."
Knowing that Ace had a point, Simon nodded and followed him into HQ. Upon reaching the training room, they took a step inside. Ace selected a simulation for the new recruit to practice in. Given how the greyhound's powers were limited to bone marrow manipulation, the rabbit wanted to find one that wouldn't force him to use his powers. Upon finding one that would work, the leader of the original Loonatics had the computer generate it. The training room began to shift, with holographic projections soon appearing.
"Simulation activated!" The computer spoke.
As soon as the simulation was done loading, several holographic projections of ninjas surrounded Ace and Simon. They rushed towards the two, having katanas and tonfa on hand. With little time to act, Ace used his Laser Vision to blow some of them back. Simon didn't know what to do, as he was up against holograms instead of real people. He threw a punch, hitting one of the fake ninjas in the face. While the projection dissipated, there were still several more coming the greyhound's way.
The moment he was surrounded, Simon did not know what to do next. He saw that Ace was tangling with a few ninja projections, so he had no help. When one of the holograms threw a punch, the greyhound ducked, then tried to escape. One of the holographic attackers grabbed him and threw him aside. The canine tried to get up, but a ninja stepped on his back. As a result, he was stuck on the ground.
Seeing as he had to get free, even if there was nothing lethal in the simulation, Simon jerked and shook beneath the holographic ninja's foot. Upon getting loose, the greyhound tried his hardest to take down his enemies. He threw punches and kicks, hitting each of the holograms. As he did that, they dissipated, allowing him to be faced with new ones. While that happened, Ace smiled, knowing that Simon was making progress. The canine was doing what he could to defeat his foes, even if they weren't real.
"Simulation ended!" The computer called out.
The ninjas and the buildings in the simulation soon dissipated, leaving Ace and Simon alone in the room. Once that was out of the way, Ace saw that Simon was standing confidently, even cracking his knuckles. While going through a simulation wouldn't help him improve his bravery, the greyhound felt a bit more experienced in combat. He was in combat before, but he was the last one to throw a punch. Now, the canine was eager to use his fighting skills against anyone who threatened him and his friends. As long as they attacked first, Simon's desire to fight would be justified.
Upon seeing the look in Simon's eyes, Ace decided to head into the city, taking him along for the ride. He was never one to drink, but he decided to take the new recruit into a bar. If a patron was rude, then the two Loonatics would have to get him/her to stop. Of course, given that Simon was intent on improving himself and showing how brave he was, he would have to be the one to do it. However, Ace was still willing to help him out. Even if the greyhound would be able to handle it, it would've been necessary to call an ambulance if anyone got hurt.
Entering a bar, Ace had Simon sit at a table, so that he could wait and see if there would be a conflict he could stop. So far, there was none, but one could've broken out at any minute. As they were both heroes, the rabbit and the greyhound had the responsibility of getting involved whenever something happened. From a stick up to a terrorist attack, it was their job to fight the criminals who were causing trouble and to protect the innocent. Ace was used to it, and had much more to deal with now that he was a guardian of the universe. Simon had been through less than Ace, but he was aware of what came with the role of a superhero.
All of a sudden, Simon's ear picked up a sound. He might not have had Lexi's Sonic Hearing, but the sound was loud enough for a normal person to hear. It was a screaming woman, compounded with someone punching something. Turning his head, Simon saw a woman fall to the floor, with two men standing around her. From what the greyhound could tell, those men had clear malicious intent, given how the woman's clothes were ripped up. No one was doing anything, but that was about to change.
Heading over to the two men, Simon spoke up.
"Hey, leave her alone!" The greyhound shouted.
Turning around, the men glared at Simon and knocked him to the floor. He was about to go back to the table, until he saw how distressed the woman was. Ace looked over to the greyhound, and signaled for him to do something. Standing up, the canine then tapped one of the men on his shoulder. Once he looked behind him, he was greeted by a punch. After that, he received a sweep kick to his abdomen, which knocked the wind out of him.
Now that he was in a fight, Simon decided not to run until the woman who was being attacked was safe. With one man down, he had to deal with the other one. The greyhound dodged a punch, only to receive another one in the chest. This did not stop him from kicking his opponent in the groin. Soon after, the canine followed up with a punch to the face, which was hard enough to give the man a bloody nose and knock some of his teeth out. With both of the perverted men down, Simon offered his hand to the woman, helping her to her feet.
Once that was out of the way, the patrons applauded Simon for his actions. Two had even called the police, telling them what had happened, and that the situation had been dealt with. After the police loaded the two perverts into a cruiser, Ace and Simon decided to head back to HQ for the night. While walking back to base, they talked.
"So, how do you feel?" Ace asked.
"I feel the same as I did before." Simon spoke. "I might be better at fighting now, but I still have some hang ups about my social skills."
"Don't worry, I'll have you head somewhere and talk to someone later." The rabbit said. "For now, let's head home."
Ace and Simon entered HQ, intent on speaking to their fellow Loonatics. While they both knew that Simon would need more time to overcome his shyness and prove that he was brave, they knew that he could do so. The greyhound hoped that the others would support him, given how they were teammates. It wasn't a pipe dream to say that the Mighty Loonatics would look out for each other, no matter how big the problem was. After all, they had helped Diane look for her father, and went on that fishing trip with Jack. If Simon needed to show how brave he was, then the team would definitely help him.
On Blanc, the remaining Loonatics were studying the message from the Frelengian Army. It was meant for someone, but it didn't specify who had sent the application. With no clues on the sender's identity, the team was unable to come to a conclusion. Even with Tech's smarts, it was impossible to decipher the message and see who sent an application to Freleng. It was entirely possible that the message was redirected to Blanc, or was entirely fake, but something told that Loonatics that neither outcome was correct. They continued searching through the message, trying to figure out the true reason as to why it was sent.
After a bit more searching, the Loonatics found something interesting. Tech printed it out on a piece of paper, intent on showing Ace. Knowing that the yellow rabbit was still on Acmetropolis, watching after the Mighty Loonatics, he decided to wait. The rest of the team followed tandem, agreeing to show their leader what they had found. It was something that would show the reason as to why the Frelengian Army had said someone had sent an application, when it was clear no one had. Hopefully, it was enough for the original team to have the new recruits accompany them.
Note: What could be the real reason behind the supposed "application"? Who could have sent it, and what does it mean for the original Loonatics? Is someone trying to separate them, or did someone on the team actually apply? Will the Mighty Loonatics have to get involved? If so, can they prove themselves to their successors? What all will they have to do?
Until next time, guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!