Note: Last chapter was a bit of an eye-opener, wasn't it? We pretty much got another moment of a member of the new team revealing something about themselves. During the last chapter, it was Diane who did so. Who wants to hope that she finds the truth on what happened to her adoptive father? More importantly, who's hoping that he's still alive and not the villain she and Jack had faced?
Now that I've said that, it's time for chapter twenty-one.
Chapter 21: Soldier
Within Blanc, Ace was standing in front of the star map, tracking the passage that Slam would be taking to arrive back. The Tasmanian devil's turn to watch over the Mighty Loonatics had ended, meaning that someone else would be selected to head to Acmetropolis. As his teammates had already been with the new recruits, Ace wondered if he was going to go next. He wanted to see how each of them had been doing with his own eyes, despite having been told about their progress by Zadavia. Seeing as they seemed to be more powerful than the original Loonatics, the hare hoped that they wouldn't lose control of their powers. If that were to happen, then the old team probably wouldn't have been enough to stop them.
Hearing the door open, Ace turned around and saw Tech walking in. The coyote had a stack of papers on hand, seemingly intent on giving them to Zadavia. It didn't seem to stop him from stopping to talk with his leader. Seeing his teammate, Ace smiled, hoping to speak to him for a little bit. Responding with a smirk of his own, Tech sat his papers down and closed the door behind him.
"So, Chief, how's Slam doing?" Tech asked.
"Well, he's on his way back." Ace spoke. "Once he returns, Zadavia will have us decide who gets to work with the new recruits next."
"Who do you think will go next?" The coyote asked.
"Probably you and Rev again." The hare said.
"Or Lexi." The canine stated.
"It could be any of us." The lepus said. "But, if you got sent down to Acmetropolis again, you could keep an eye out on the rookies."
"Technically speaking, we've all been doing that."
"Yeah, but you seem to be the most careful around them. Then again, Lexi was willing to help John out."
"If only his goal didn't turn out to be bloody revenge."
"Yeah, then we would let him come to Blanc with us."
In the distance, an electric noise began to crackle and surge. Knowing what that meant, Ace and Tech left the room. Before leaving, Tech picked up the papers he had carried, intent on giving them to their recipient. The two went down the hallway, approaching the main room of their HQ. Once they got there, the hare and the coyote were joined by Lexi, Duck, and Rev. The five watched as electricity surged, forming into a familiar, muscular shape.
After a minute, the Loonatics saw that Slam had managed to teleport back to HQ. Upon being greeted by their teammate, they welcomed him back to Blanc. Duck was, of course, not as welcoming, but Lexi pushed him into acting happy. Tech walked out of the room, knowing that someone was waiting to take the papers from him. Rev followed the coyote, hoping to help him out. Slam decided to stay in the main room with Ace, wanting to rest a little after such a long trip. Watching Lexi and Duck leave the room next, Ace figured that he would talk with the Tasmanian devil for a bit.
"So, Slam, how was your time with the new recruits?" Ace asked.
Being unable to speak as well as the others, Slam grumbled what had happened during his time with the Mighty Loonatics. To begin with, he mentioned that they had encountered a werewolf-like creature that fell in love with Diane. Ace had already heard about this encounter, but he wanted to hear his teammate's take on it. What the buck didn't expect was that the creature was at the old HQ with the new recruits. Slam explained that it wasn't dangerous, just lonely and desperate for a home that accepted it. Needless to say, the Tasmanian Devil was as surprised as Ace was when they made their decision.
Once they had completed their talk, Ace and Slam went to the lab. Ever since the Tasmanian Devil had been gone, the Loonatics were intent on showing him what they had found on Neptune. As he led his teammate into the lab, Ace turned on the light, hoping that the team's discovery would be visible. Sure enough, Slam saw the data collected about the Neptune Kraken. He couldn't read all of it, considering how some of it was written in code. Despite that, the Tasmanian Devil understood what a dangerous mission his comrades had been on.
Slam grumbled out a question, asking who was going to work with the Mighty Loonatics next.
"That's what we're trying to figure out as well, big guy." Ace spoke. "Everyone's had a turn, except for me. I think Zadavia might be sending Tech or Lexi again."
Knowing that Zadavia was the one who decided on the Loonatic that would be watching after the new recruits, Slam didn't argue that it was her decision. He decided to head to the kitchen and find something to eat, feeling hungry after a long trip. Ace didn't mind, as this allowed him to head to the communications hub. The room was what the Loonatics used to answer calls at their new HQ, having been implemented by both Tech and Zadavia. It was something that would help make the team's job easier, even if they received distress calls from different galaxies. Then again, they had access to portals that would help them reach said galaxies.
As soon as he reached the communications hub, Ace noticed that there was an unanswered call. Worried that the Loonatics could've missed a call for help, the rabbit pressed a button that displayed what the message was. To his surprise, the call wasn't a distress signal, but rather a message from the Frelengian Army. Said message featured the Army's commander thanking someone for sending an application to join. The anonymous sender would be expected to be drafted by the next week, with a ship coming to where they lived. If they bailed on it, they would be charged with a fine or jailed.
Turning off the call, Ace wondered who could've sent an application to the Frelengian Army. He ruled out Lexi, seeing as she didn't seem interested in becoming a soldier. Neither Tech nor Rev thought highly of joining the Army, seeing as they were already superheroes. Slam would've been perfect material for them, but it was unlikely that he would be accepted, given how the Frelengian Army was notably hard to join. With them ruled out, Ace had no doubts that Duck was the one who submitted an application for the Army, as he was known for wanting to get into action when he had the chance. The mallard was also prone to doing reckless things, so joining them was something that he might've done on impulse, not thinking about the drawbacks.
Leaving the communications hub, Ace decided to speak to his teammates about the call. He called them into the main room, telling them that it was urgent. Once they had approached him, the rabbit played the call from the Frelengian Army, deciding to see if they reacted to it. Each of them were surprised to hear it, looking like they hadn't expected it. Ace was surprised to see their reactions, but this made it more difficult for him to determine who had sent an application. The buck knew that he would have to ask who had sent it. While he hated having to be the bad guy, he knew that simply playing the call wasn't going to work.
"Guys," Ace spoke, "look, I just want to know who sent that application. I'm not happy to hear that one of you did this without telling me, though!"
"Newsflash, Ace: we don't have to tell you everything we're going to do!" Duck scoffed.
"I kind of figured that you would react like that, Duck." The rabbit said.
"What do you mean?" The mallard asked.
"Come-on-Duck!" Rev said. "You're-clearly-the-one-who-sent-the-application! I-mean-who-else-would-apply-for-something-that-involves-a-LOT-of-action-and-violence?!"
"Being a soldier does sound tempting, but I never sent an application to the Frelengian Army." The waterfowl said.
"Me neither." Tech said.
"None of us sent an application to Freleng, Ace." Lexi spoke.
"Then why did we get a message from their Army?" Ace asked.
"That's what I'd like to know." Zadavia's voice came into the room.
The Loonatics watched as Zadavia walked into the room. She was holding a piece of technology that none of them could recognize. However, the team didn't ask what it was, seeing as they had more important matters to discuss with their boss.
"So, you heard the message, too?" Ace asked.
"I checked the database shortly after you left the communications hub." Zadavia said. "With all honesty, I'm just as surprised as the rest of you."
"You didn't send an application?" Duck asked.
"From what I can tell, there wasn't an application from anyone here." The mystical woman said. "Most of the mail that comes from Freleng is usually letters from those who live on the planet, so the idea of the Army thanking us for sending a nonexistent application is puzzling."
"It's not possible that someone could've committed forgery and sent an application with one of our names on it, is it?" Lexi asked.
"That's a possibility, for sure." The Frelengian said. "I'll have to contact the Frelengian Army and try to clear up what has happened."
"But, wait, who's going to watch after the rookies?" Duck asked.
"Yeah, they do need some extra guidance every now and then." Tech stated.
"Ace will be the one to go to Acmetropolis." Zadavia said. "In the meantime, the rest of you will keep an eye out for any additional messages from the Frelengian Army, or even a transport vehicle that they use for drafting civilians."
"Sounds like a plan!" Lexi said.
"We'll keep our eyes open, Zadavia!" Tech stated.
"If they think they're going to draft Danger Duck, then they're surely mistaking!" Duck said, cracking his knuckles.
Slam let out a grumble as he rolled his eyes. The Tasmanian Devil wasn't particularly smart, but it didn't take a genius to get annoyed with a narcissist. Rev only let out a chuckle, finding Duck's desire to be the best funny, albeit without trying to be mean. Shortly after, Zadavia walked out of the room, leaving the Loonatics by themselves. The team knew that they had a new objective, one that they figured would be easy. As they split up, each member went to a different room, wanting to do something personal before the new mission.
An hour later, Ace was in the lab, overlooking the blueprints for the teleportation device. Knowing that it was his turn to head back to Acmetropolis, the buck figured that he would be the one to teach the Mighty Loonatics some skills. He was told that they were improving by his teammates, but he wanted to see their heroic efforts with his own two eyes. When it reached midnight, the lepus would use one of the teleportation devices to travel to Acmetropolis. The other Loonatics left at earlier times when it was their respective turns, primarily during the morning. However, Ace chose midnight because he wanted for his arrival to be more of a surprise.
When he was about to grab his gear, Ace couldn't help but think of the message from the Frelengian Army. Not only did it seem like there was something fishy going on, but he couldn't help but think of a memory from his childhood. As a bunny, the buck remembered seeing a man walking by with his daughter. The two would often go for walks together whenever the child got out of school. Ace occasionally spoke to them, but he could never remember their names. However, he remembered one thing that surprised him: the man was a human while his daughter was an Arctic fox pup.
Something else that Ace remembered about the man from his childhood was that he sometimes wore dog tags around his neck. This indicated that he had some sort of tie to the military back on Acmetropolis. Despite that, the man never seemed to be near any soldiers or bureaucrats, only his little Arctic fox. For the longest time, Ace wanted to ask him what he specialized in. That was until the meteor struck Acmetropolis, with the man apparently being one of the many casualties. Ace was crushed when he heard the news, primarily because he wondered how the Arctic vixen would react. Little did he know, he would see the vulpine again.
Because she was one of the Mighty Loonatics.
Gathering everything he needed together, Ace left the lab and decided to go down to the main room of HQ. Before he could do so, he saw a familiar pink rabbit standing nearby. Her green eyes were focused on him, almost as if she were a gorgon who was about to ensnare her victim and petrify them. Knowing that he had plenty of time, Ace spoke with her.
"Hiya, Lex." He greeted.
"Something on your mind?" Lexi asked.
"No, why?" Ace spoke.
"It's just that you look conflicted." The doe said. "Are you worried that the new recruits won't like you?"
"It's not that, sis, it's something else." The buck said.
"Like what?" The lepus asked.
As he had never spoken to Lexi about this before, Ace didn't know how to talk about the man he saw in his childhood. Considering how they were siblings, the two rabbits always kept each other informed on everything. Whenever they didn't, it was a cause for alarm. Considering how the man's adoptive daughter was a member of the Mighty Loonatics, she had probably joined to search for him. Ace wanted to help her, but he hoped that she would be fine with it. But now he needed to tell Lexi about it.
"When we were little," Ace said, "I would occasionally talk to a man and his daughter whenever they walked by. The man was a human, but his daughter wasn't. She happened to be an Arctic fox, with her white fur being the first thing I remember about her."
"You mean like Diane?" Lexi asked.
"That girl is Diane, Lex." The buck said. "She grew up living with that guy, and I always hoped to talk to her when we were alone. Her adoptive dad was protective, though, so I never got the chance."
"Well, why didn't you speak to her after the new team was formed?" The doe asked.
"Because I didn't want to bring up the day that her father died." The yellow rabbit said. "He went missing when the meteor struck, and witnesses said that he was dead. If he died, then I wanted to assume that he was busy helping people. He always wore dog tags, so I figured that someone would've found them if he HAD died."
"So, Diane's adoptive father was a soldier?" The pink rabbit asked.
"Indeed he was."
Ace and Lexi turned their heads when they heard that voice. They saw Zadavia walking down the hallway, holding a piece of paper.
"The man who raised Diane was named Michael Fagen, and he served in the Army for six years. He rose to the rank of Corporal Sargeant, being known for his willingness to keep his fellow soldiers safe. Like Ace said, he's been missing since the meteor struck, with many assuming him to be dead."
"You don't think that he could still be alive, do you?" Ace asked.
"I don't know for sure, but I have a feeling that we'll find out." The Frelengian said.
"What should we do now?" Lexi asked.
"Ace is going to go to Acmetropolis." The mystical woman said. "While he's doing that, you and I are going to be with the other Loonatics. Oh, and Ace?"
"Yes?" Ace asked.
"Try to help Diane find Fagen." She said. "If he's still alive, reunite them. If he's dead, be sure to have his body delivered to the funeral house."
Nodding his head, Ace made sure that he would do what Zadavia told him. He went to the main room, setting up his teleportation device to take him to Acmetropolis. Once the buck got there, he would meet up with the Mighty Loonatics, saying that he would be the one to watch after them. The new recruit he wanted to speak with the most was Diane, given how his objective was to help her out. Even if they found Michael Fagen dead, Ace wondered if it would help give her closure to her past. The man had been missing for years, and they needed to find the truth.
I hope that I can help her. He thought to himself.
Note: It's Ace's turn to be with the Mighty Loonatics now. Will he connect with them, or will he have a hard time? Can he help Diane get some closure over her past? Are the other members of the team willing to help? Who really sent that letter to the Frelengian Army? Are they friend or foe?
Until next time, guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!