Note: So far, May hasn't been anything to write home about in the area where I live. In fact, the first week alone was cold, with only one day above 59 degrees. There isn't much to do in cold weather, unless you can handle it. I have done stuff in cold weather, but it's mainly chores and personal stuff, such as putting out bird seed in the front yard. Hopefully, the rest of the month is better. If not, then I'll have to wear long-sleeve shirts and jackets until June.
Anyway, back to the story, I think that I'm doing alright. I'm twenty-one chapters in, but I don't know how much longer it will last. It just depends on how much ideas I have left, and how much farther I can go with them. I hope that all of you stay tuned for newer chapters in the future. You are all my audience, and I wouldn't want to disappoint you. I know that I have done bad stuff in the past, but I just want to share my work with everyone.
Now that I've gotten that out of the way, it's time for chapter twenty-two.
Chapter 22: Samurai
It was a sunny morning on Acmetropolis. Children were out playing, birds were chirping, and the mailmen and mailwomen were delivering mail to everyone. For those who were still in bed, they either had to go to work, or they could sleep for as long as they wanted. Breakfast was being made in a majority of the households in Acmetropolis, with the families inside getting their bellies full. The news was being spread through the internet and television, with the headlines showing the biggest stories out there. Everything seemed alright in the morning, but not for the Mighty Loonatics.
From inside HQ, the Mighty Loonatics were overlooking a map of Acmetropolis. Surveillance cameras were set up all throughout town, but the team felt it was necessary to read the map. They were trying to figure out where Diane's adoptive father could've gone after disappearing. If he was still alive, then the new recruits would have to find the man before something bad happened to him. However, if he was dead, then there was no reason to find him.
Turning away from the map for a moment, John thought about what would happen if the Mighty Loonatics were able to find Diane's adoptive father. If the man was still in one piece, then the team would help him reunite with the Arctic vixen. But, if they were unable to find him, or found him dead, then the new recruits would have to comfort their teammate. John hoped that it would be enough to help the vulpine move on. If it wasn't, the the Mighty Loonatics would have to do something else, so that Diane didn't become inconsolable.
As Diane wasn't in the room with them, the Mighty Loonatics wondered what she was doing. None of them doubted that the Arctic vixen was probably overhearing what they were doing, via her telepathy. However, not seeing her in the same room as them was something that surprised the new recruits. It was possible that she was still asleep, but it didn't seem like her to sleep for much longer. The vulpine was always the first one among the team to wake up before anyone else. In addition to that, she was often the first to show up at a team meeting.
Stepping out of the room, the Mighty Loonatics decided to check on Diane. Upon not finding her in her room, the team agreed to look all throughout HQ. That was until they heard a familiar voice from down the hallway. From what the new recruits could tell, it was Diane's voice, much to their relief. However, they heard another voice along with hers, meaning that she was talking with someone. Hearing it puzzled the Mighty Loonatics, as they hadn't had a visitor outside of the veteran team.
"I just don't know how you could help us out with the search." Diane's voice rang out.
"Well," the other voice spoke, "considering the circumstances, I figured that help wasn't just necessary, but a requirement. After all, it's been almost a year since you've last seen him, and no one has been able to find him."
Hearing the second voice, the Mighty Loonatics recognized it. One by one, they went down the hallway, but were quiet enough for Diane and her guest not to hear them. The moment they arrived in the living room, the team saw the Arctic vixen sitting on the couch, drinking some coffee. Sitting across from her was none other than the leader of the original Loonatics: Ace Bunny. The yellow buck sat cross-legged, drinking coffee along with Diane. He saw the rest of the team come in, but continued on with the conversation with the vulpine.
"So, anyways, I hope that we're able to find your dad, Diane." Ace spoke. "If we can't, then there's nothing else I can do."
"If he's dead, then I won't be able to talk to him after all this time." Diane said. "Silly as it may seem, but I just want him to be alive."
"Don't worry, we'll find him." The rabbit said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Even if we don't, your teammates will be there to help you move on."
"Speaking of my teammates, I think they just came in here." The Arctic vixen stated.
Hearing that, Ace turned his head and looked at the rest of the Mighty Loonatics.
"Well," Ace spoke, "look what the cat dragged in!"
"Save the old-fashioned phrases for later." John said. "The only reason we came here was to find out who Diane was talking to."
"Now that we know that you're here, what do you want to do?" Jack asked.
"I was planning on helping you out with your current mission." Ace said. "Mind if I see what you have so far?"
After letting Ace into the surveillance room, the Mighty Loonatics had him look over the footage they were studying. The rabbit watched each video, only to find nothing useful. It was as if the villain the new recruits were chasing after was good at manipulating footage. But, if that wasn't the case, then the team hadn't been looking in the right area. There just seemed to be no sign of the mysterious being, not even a shadow. The search for him seemed to be at a dead end.
"So, what do you think?" Lori asked.
"Are you sure that he isn't a ghost or a hallucination?" Ace asked, looking at Diane.
"You have to believe us on this." Diane said. "When Jack and I were taken to the forest, my telepathy was scanning his thoughts. It wouldn't do that to a ghost."
"Let's not forget that ghosts are invisible to the naked eye." Simon added. "Even if this guy was a ghost, none of us could see him!"
"Whatever the case, we need to keep doing research!" Ace said. "If we can't find out anything about this villain, then we're unprepared for an upcoming battle!"
"Do you know where we should start?" Jack spoke. "You ARE the leader of the original team, after all."
"Is your old house still up?" The rabbit asked, looking at Diane.
"Yes," Diane said, "no one has tried to tear it down out of respect for my father's work."
"We'll start there." The buck said. "Let's jet, everyone!"
Leading the Mighty Loonatics out into the city, Ace had Diane give him the address to her old house. It took them a while, but the team managed to locate the building. The house was a three story building with a shed near it. As they saw it, the Mighty Loonatics couldn't help but be reminded of a research institution. However, they had a feeling that it would be different on the inside. Diane, being the one who knew how to unlock the door, was the one to let her teammates into her childhood home, with Ace opening the door.
Once they stepped into the house, Ace and the Mighty Loonatics found themselves in its living room. They began to search through it, trying to find some clues. Ace, Diane, and John handled the first floor, hoping to find something. Jack and Klara went to the second floor, thinking that there would be a clue in the bedrooms it contained. Simon, Lori, and Teagan went to the third floor, which happened to be the attic, with the idea that there would be something that would help the team in their search. Despite their best efforts, no one was able to find anything that would prove useful. However, everything looked intact, as if it had all been recently cleaned.
Calling everyone down to the first floor, Ace had the Mighty Loonatics discuss what they had managed to find. While he, Diane, and John only found trivial stuff, such as pictures and trophies, the others found what amounted to childhood memories and objects that weren't being used anymore. As such, the team hadn't found anything that would help them. Diane sadly hung her head, looking like she was going to cry. John put a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. The others tried to give her a hug, but the stag told them not to.
Before the Mighty Loonatics could leave, Klara got a glimpse of something in her eye. It was a door that was left open, leading to pure darkness on the other side. She nudged Ace, signaling for him to look where she was. Upon seeing the open door, the rabbit had the rest of the team follow him. He pulled it open farther, allowing everyone to get a better look inside. It was still dark inside, but they could see a staircase that led down.
Turning on a light switch, Jack helped his teammates see what the stairs were leading to. Another door awaited the Mighty Loonatics downstairs, but it was closed instead of being left ajar. One by one, the team went down to the door. Diane was the last to go downstairs, pulling the entry shut behind her. When Ace and the new recruits were at the door, they checked to see if the door was locked. Upon seeing that it wasn't, they decided to knock on it, checking to see if anyone was inside the room it led to.
"Hello?" Simon called.
"Anyone in there?" Klara spoke.
"Doesn't seem like it." Teagan said.
"Even if anyone doesn't respond, we still have to go in." Ace said. "This could be where Diane's father is."
John reluctantly pulled the door open, closing his eyes in order to avoid seeing something bad. Diane's telepathy wasn't being triggered by anything, which worried her. Once the door was pulled open, the Mighty Loonatics looked into the room, only to gasp at what they were seeing. Inside the room were boxes of technology and tools that were strewn all through it. On each wall was a blueprint for some kind of machine, which was clearly what all the technology was for.
Stepping into the room, the Mighty Loonatics got a closer look at the blueprints. By doing so, they saw that the blueprints weren't for a single machine, but for multiple ones. The blueprint on the back wall had a design for a cybernetic suit of armor of some kind. On the side walls, there were blueprints for certain weapons, such as a laser sword. As for the front wall, it contained blueprints for a utility belt and different utilities, including a grappling hook.
"What is this?" Lori asked.
"My father never showed me this room before." Diane said.
"So, you don't know what he was doing down here, either?" Simon asked.
"Even if she did, it doesn't make a difference." John said. "There's no sign of the man anywhere."
Jack looked at the blueprints, analyzing what Diane's father could've been working on each machine for. Each of the designs reminded him of the stories his mother would occasionally tell him when he was young. Some were about mythical creatures such as the Kitsune, while others were about brave and inspirational warriors. These warriors would have a code known as bushido, which focused on honor, courage, skill, and loyalty above everything. While Jack wasn't interested in such a thing, Klara would often try to become like the warriors. She was never one to show interest in tradition, but she would make exceptions.
"Diane, was your father interested in becoming a samurai?" Jack asked.
"No." Diane said. "No, my father never spoke about samurai. In fact, he rarely brought up his time in the military when I was growing up."
"He didn't even talk about what he did while serving?" Lori spoke. "It seems like your telepathy would've picked up what was on his mind."
"Maybe your dad wanted to show you this when you were old enough." Klara said.
"But, when the meteor struck, he didn't get the chance." Simon said.
"Even if that's true," Diane said, "it doesn't explain why the door to this area was halfway open."
Looking around, the Mighty Loonatics scanned the room for something that would solve this conundrum. There had to be a reason as to why the door leading down to this room was open, and they were going to find it. The team looked through boxes and shelves, searching amidst all the tools and technology. Eventually, Jack found a device with a few odd buttons on it. It was shaped like a caplet, but it split to reveal the buttons. Each one was marked with a different option, with the button in the middle saying "Play".
Handing the device to Diane, Jack had her hit the play button.
"Diane," a soft baritone voice came out, "if you're currently listening to this audio, it means that I've either disappeared, or I have died. There is a room that I've wanted to show you for the longest time, but I felt that you were too young to see it. Now that you're a young adult, I want to show you what I have been working on downstairs. It's a set of cybernetic armor that would allow whoever wears it to become a samurai. If said person wears it for too long, it will have harsh effects on their body. I've been working on improving it with some friends of mine, but I fear that I'm running out of time."
"I figured that he would've left you something behind, but this?" John spoke, putting his hand on Diane's shoulder.
"I have no way to finish the project, so I'm entrusting it to you." The voice continued. "And, to show that this is the last time you hear my voice, I have recorded this message, and one of your favorite songs will play next. Goodbye, Diane. I'm sorry that we couldn't see each other before something happened to me, but don't let it get you down. Carry on for the sake of those around you, sweetie! Daddy loves you, no matter what, even if I had adopted you!"
Once the message had ended, the Mighty Loonatics heard music coming out of the device. It was "Old and Wise", a song by The Alan Parsons Project. Upon hearing it, Diane let out a sniffle, tears rolling down her face. She hugged her teammates, with John sympathetically hugging her back. Ace did so as well, feeling on the verge of tears himself. With that out of the way, the new recruits and the veteran were ready to get out of Diane's old house. Before they could, Jack took down the blueprints.
"Is it really a good idea to bring those with us?" Klara asked.
"Diane's father entrusted it to her, so we have to take it back to HQ." Jack said. "Hopefully, Ace can have Tech work on it."
Stepping out of the house, the Mighty Loonatics got ready to head back to HQ. As they started making their way back to the building, they spoke to Diane.
"Diane, that voice, was that your father?" Simon asked.
"Yes, and it seems that he wants me to carry on." Diane spoke.
"Are you?" Lori asked.
"For the sake of my loved ones, I will." The Arctic vixen said. "My father may be gone, but he doesn't want me to give in to despair, he wants me to keep going."
"Michael Fagen was a good man," Ace said, "and he really did a good job raising you."
"And now, he wants you to inherit those blueprints." Klara said. "Are you going to do something with them?"
"I suppose I should have someone create the armor for us." Diane said.
"Good idea!" Teagan said.
"And we'll be there to help you use it, even if it's difficult to use!" Jack said.
"But, for now, let's get back to base." John said.
Realizing that it was getting late, Ace and the Mighty Loonatics decided to get back to HQ. With the blueprints for Michael Fagen's power armor in their grasp, the team were intent on using them. Once it had been completed, they would have to test it out and work out several aspects of it. But, they figured that it could wait for tomorrow. For now, they wanted to head home and get some rest.
On top of a nearby building, the Mysterious Being was looking down at the Mighty Loonatics.
"So, they have the blueprints for Fagen's gadgets?" He spoke. "And it seems that the leader of the original team is with them. It doesn't matter, because the men and women on my side will destroy them before they even have a chance to make that armor!"
Note: As it turns out, the Mysterious Being isn't Diane's father. But, why does he have memories of Diane? Who is he really? Can the Mighty Loonatics handle whatever he sends at them? Will they be able to create the cybernetic armor on the blueprints left behind by the (supposedly) late Michael Fagen? Will it be powerful enough for the team to use it against a new enemy?
Until next time, guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!