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In 2772, a meteor strikes the city-planet of Acmetropolis, knocking it off its axis. This cosmic event releases supernatural forces, unleashing a new kind of hero.

The Loonatics.

Over a year after their debut, the Loonatics have been tested. Defending their leader, Zadavia, from her evil brother Optimatus, the Loonatics found themselves facing new threats. Ex-General Deuce. The Saggitarius Stomper. Sylth Vester. The Apocazons.

But none compare to what awaits them now....

Loonatics Uncut

Season 1, Episode 1: Repairations

Tech groaned lowly as he rolled his shoulders and leaned back in his computer chair. His upper body ached, from his neck down to his arms, tension knotting the muscles in his shoulders.

"I have got to stop working so long," he muttered to himself. "Maybe take up a hobby... video games or something." He realized what he was saying, and shook his head with a low chuckle, reaching back to massage the base of his neck lightly. "Or maybe I should just spend more time actually building than planning."

Two sharp eyes focused in on what was going on, and Tech barely felt the low rush of wind ruffling his fur that heralded Rev's arrival before the Road Runner's hands here on his back and shoulders, working the blood from his neck and back down to his arms and back up, massaging the kinks out of his muscles.

And that was just in the seconds it took Tech to process what was happening and decide whether or not he objected.

"Rev!" He half-groaned, half-snarled, turning towards the Bird. "Y'ever think you should ask first?" At least he had the decency to look a little chagrined.

"SorryTech,Ithoughtit'dhelpyourbackisall," he started to say. Tech sighed, shaking his head slightly.

"I know, and thanks, but I kinda like my backrubs to last long enough I can enjoy them?" He pointed out. "At something under Mach 12?"

"Well,ifI'dactuallybeengoingMach12,thatwould'vebeen -" Rev cut himself off as Tech started to reach up for his beak, deciding to opt for the simpler approach of just apologizing. "Sorry,Tech," he said, a chagrined look on his face. "So,slower?" Tech was about to refuse, but then he thought about it. Why not? After all, he was sore.

"Sure... just, like I said, keep it to human speeds?"

"Surething,Tech," Rev agreed cheerfully, getting back to work and forcing himself to go slow. It was a situation he was getting more and more used to, since getting his powers. He was just glad Tech hadn't told him to get lost entirely; just a few months before and he probably would have. Instead, after a few more minutes, the Coyote was starting to relax beneath his touch, tense, knotted muscles loosening up. Rev smiled as he heard a slight sigh, then the low groan that he knew would follow.

"So," he said casually, "whatareyouuptotonight,besidestryingtocomeupwithnewgearfortheteam?"

"Probably working on the Mark III," Tech murmured. "The usual. Interested in helping out?"

"Actually, I'd been wondering if you wanted to take a break for a night," Rev said, a bit below his usual machine-gun rate of chatter. That was the first thing that got Tech's attention about the question. "You know, head out for a few drinks, maybe hit a club or something, actually get out of the tower for once...."

Tech was about to reply when a window popped up with a message file. He reluctantly leaned forward from Rev, breaking the contact between them as he opened the file and saw the familiar face of one of his old Professors looking out at him.

"Ah, Tech, wonderful that you could pick this up so soon," he said cheerfully. "It's Professor Meriter, do you remember me? Oh, and who's your friend there?" He asked curiously.

"This is Rev, you've probably seen us both on the news feeds along with the rest of the team," Tech chuckled. "And of course I remember you! You were the only Prof at Acme U who stood up for me when the disciplinary board was about to kick me out for not being fast enough to stop the Dean from pushing the shiny red button labeled 'do not push.'" Tech rolled his eyes remembering the situation that had led to his being free to join the Loonatics. That had not been his best day, but Meriter had stood up for the fact that he'd done everything he could to stop the moron from blowing himself up in an attempt to get to lunch faster.

"Yes, well, unfortunately Dean Halstaff wasn't as impressed as you were," Meriter chuckled. "I was 'encouraged' to enter the private field; I've got some funding for my research, and my old lab at the school back thanks to a 'donation,' but not really enough for assistants. I was wondering if you'd like to take a look at my current project, maybe help me out a little bit? I'm sure that it could be of some use to you too, in the long run."

"Well sure!" Tech grinned. "I didn't have anything important coming up." Rev winced behind him, but didn't say anything, going back to his own workstation while the two associates talked. "Maybe some time later tonight?" Tech offered.

"That sounds just fine. I have a few things to take care of over here yet, but I'll be at that Tower place of yours around... oh... six?" Meriter suggested.

"Assuming nobody tries to take over Acmetropolis between now and then, sounds fine," Tech grinned. "I'll see you tonight then, Doctor."

"See you then... and call me Gerald, Tech, we're on the same level now," the older man chuckled, before ending the message.

"Who was that?" Rev asked, leaving his earlier question unanswered.

"Doctor Gerald Meriter," Tech explained, getting out of his seat and rolling his shoulders a bit. "Thanks for the backrub, Rev. At any rate, Meriter was one of my professors back at Acme U, a genius in the nanotech field. If he's working privately now, it'll be a blast to see what his latest project is."

"Sounds like it... you have any ideas what it might be? If it'll help us out any?"

"Oh, definitely!" Tech agreed eagerly. "The least I could do is shrink down a lot of our gear, make it easier to carry more... the sky's the limit from there! Upgrading our armor, new weaponry, pumped up medical gear...." He kept rambling on, quickly shifting into technical explanations that were at the very limit of Rev's ability to understand them. He probably would have kept going if Zadavia hadn't walked in.

"Tech, do we have anything here for - what's going on?" She asked him. The scientist wouldn't be rambling like this without some reason.

"I just heard from Doctor Meriter, one of my old teachers - have you heard of him?" Tech asked her eagerly.

"Actually, yes, I have," she said easily. "I was considering funding his work after he left the University, but another company snatched him up first."

"You know which one?" Tech asked her curiously.

"Mmm... honestly, not off-hand," Zadavia admitted. "It's probably in the records somewhere. Tech, the reason I came down here was because I was hoping you had something for nausea in the medical supplies. I think that dinner last night isn't sitting well."

"You've got wormhole generators and universal programming languages, but you don't have anything for a little food poisoning?" Tech chuckled. "Yeah, we've got stuff around here, but I can't promise it'll work on Frelengian physiology."

"I'll chance it," Zadavia said dryly, walking over to the medicine cabinet and looking around. "So, you're planning on working with Doctor Meriter, once you have the chance?"

"If I can," he nodded. "It's guaranteed to mean good things for our work... if I could use the Universal Code with it -"

"No!" Zadavia snapped sharply. Tech twisted his head to look at her, shock clear on his face. She swallowed a pill, then shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Tech, but nanotechnology cannot be used with Frelengian code. Correction," she said, heading off the objection she could see coming. "Technologically, it can be. However, I will not allow this to happen. Under my Father's reign, a group of scientists made an attempt. The result made your people's concern about 'grey goo' positively tame. Imagine a swarm of microscopic creatures that could hack any device they wanted, because they could interface with any technology. An entire star system was wiped clean of any life but the Swarm before we managed to realize what was happening, and generate a wormhole that allowed us to shift them to a quarantined sector of space." Rev let out a low whistle, and Tech - despite the misgivings clear on his face - nodded.

"I understand," he admitted. "And it is your technology."

"It is," Zadavia agreed. "However, I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to work with Doctor Meriter - just don't even let him know about Universal Code, let alone that you're becoming familiar with it."

"I won't," Tech promised. "It seems like a bit of a waste, but I can understand the issues that'd be there until they could be controlled for certain."

"What's 'grey goo'?" Rev asked Tech quietly as Zadavia left the room.

"An old horror story about nanotech," the Coyote explained. "The idea is that it could break loose, go completely out of control, and start converting everything it came across into more nanites. It's a hypothetical situation that's done more to gut the research than any of the technological restraints we've had to deal with. Nobody wants to take any chance of being the guy who funded the end of life as we know it," he pointed out.

"No, I suppose not... are you sure it couldn't end up happening though?" Rev asked him. "From what Zadavia said...."

"Technically, it's possible," Tech admitted. "But technically, the Ninjizer-5000 could have vaporized half the city. That's why testing up here is so important. Whenever I'm working on nanotech, I keep them stored in a magnetic field that'll disable them if they head outside the testing area. That's where the possible problem comes in with the Frelengian code. If they developed a way to hack the containment system, they wouldn't be able to be stopped unless I used my powers to do it. And while that's an option for me, it isn't for most people."

"That makes -"

"Call for Rev Runner, from Runner Enterprises." Rev's sharp beak pivoted towards the screen, a stricken look on his face.

"Sorry, bud," Tech said sympathetically, patting his shoulder. "I'll let you go take care of that; I've got to get ready for tonight. No good meeting him without going over my research first."

"Good luck," Rev murmured, reluctantly taking his seat and waiting for what felt like an eternity before taking the call.

Fortunately for his mother, at the speeds he was used to these days, it meant he was talking in a matter of seconds as Tech made a strategic retreat to go focus on his work.

~~~===~~~

"Round results: 46 targets to Lexi Bunny, 47 to Danger Duck," the computer calmly announced as a round in the training room ended. "Seven targets escaped."

"Oh yeah!" Duck grinned, pumping his fist in the air.

"Cumulative results, 106 targets to Lexi Bunny, 85 to Danger Duck," the computer continued. "Nine targets escaped.

"Want to go for a third round, or satisfied that you're not going to catch up with me before I tell you to pony up and pay for dinner some time?" Lexi smirked, rolling her head and stretching out her neck. She hoped he'd give up soon - she was starting to get a headache.

"I didn't think the computer was keeping track," Duck grumbled. "Two out of... Lexi? Hello, Lexi?" He waved his hand in front of her face as he realized she was focused on something other than their game entirely. She winced after a moment, peeling off her hood and the energy field that colored her fur pink, revealing the creamy brown beneath it.

"Have a feeling Rev might want a rescue," she said. "He's really getting into it up there."

"What, is his brother on the line?" Duck grumbled as they headed out, and he did the math on just how much this was going to end up costing him.

"Worse - it's his mother, and she's trying to set him up on a date."

"Oh great," Duck groaned, remembering more than a few bad blind dates of his own... and then thinking about something more of a concern. "Ah... you don't listen in on all the calls we make do you?"

"Not when I can help it," Lexi shrugged, then looked back at Duck with a sweet smile. "Don't worry though - I wouldn't dream of repeating anything that's said between you and 'Mistress Passion.'" Ducks entire beak turned a bright shade of red as Lexi walked off, leaving Duck to sputter out an explanation she didn't really care about.

Upstairs, Rev was listening to his mother rambling on about how the girl she'd picked out for him would be a perfect match.

"She's just lovely,"

"But-"

"- her family's been friends with ours for years,"

"But -"

"-you probably remember her, Sandra,"

"But, but..."

"-from when you and she were both growing up, you remember, don't you Rev?"

He did remember, which wasn't helping in the least. Sandra was a great girl, but she was like his sister - an unofficial sibling he could actually stand when he was growing up. He would have loved to see her again, under any other circumstances!

But no. His mother was trying to set him up with her, Sandra's mother was probably doing the same thing, and he had no doubts that it was without consulting with either of them!

That would take too much work, and actually imply that their mothers might actually not know what was best, whether they thought it was or not.

"So she'll be there on the twenty-first, and you two can go out and have a lovely dinner together, and we've already checked out the movie that'll be on that night so you're not going to have to worry about it - we've got tickets and reservations for both of you, so that silly 'volunteering' thing isn't going to get in the way, and -"

Or that Rev might actually be able to say something. For all everybody complained about how fast he spoke, he just wished they'd spend five minutes trying to talk to his mother when she was like this!

"So it's all settled, we'll just -"

She was cut off this time, as an alarm went off. Rev looked up, privately ashamed of how grateful he was for the emergency.

"Sorry, Mom, gotta go save the world." He cut off the transmission and got up - but as the door opened, he saw Lexi on the other side.

"False alarm, but you don't have to tell family about it," she offered with an understanding smile.

"Oh, geeze," Rev sighed. "We weren't really that loud, were we? I didn't think that anybody'd hear her going on outside of the room, I guess I must have just -"

"Rev?" Lexi quirked her ears pointedly.

"Oh, right, sorry," he said sheepishly. "Thanks for the rescue then... just how much did you hear?"

"Enough. Want to talk about it?" She offered.

Want to talk about it? He'd love to... but he couldn't here. Not with anybody he worked with.

"Just let me know if anybody shows up asking for me you guys don't know? Especially if it's a Road Runner," he said. "I think I'm going to go out, see a movie or something."

"Alone?" Lexi asked. "Or going to try and get Tech out of the lab?"

"WhywouldIdothat?Imean,surewe'refriendsandall,butwhyTechinparticular?" Rev started rattling off at full speed, and Lexi shook her head, waving a hand.

"Never mind, just curious; you hang out around the lab so much, I figured maybe you were trying to find a way to get him out somewhere a little less geeky."

"ButTechlikesbeinga-"

"Rev! Slow down!" Lexi protested with a frown. "Just... never mind, it's no big deal. Do you want some company?"

"No,Idon't think so," he said, starting to slow down to where he could actually be understood. "Besides, my sort of movies would probably get on your nerves," he grinned.

"You're probably right," she admitted, then cracked a grin of her own. "But if I find out you hit an arcade without me, I'm gonna cream you!"

"Nah, I'll just let you keep picking on Duck in the sim lab," Rev laughed. "Seeya!" With that, he took off, rapidly heading to his room to change out of his 'work clothes' and into a more comfortable jeans and t-shirt. He looked in the mirror, considering his appearance... and how it would work where he was going. With a satisfied nod, he streaked out of the Tower, pausing at the door to the outside to let it open. He stepped back when he saw Tech on the other side, leading a short, plump, middle-aged man up to the door.

"Doctor Meriter?" Rev guessed, extending a hand in greeting.

"Guilty," the older man chuckled, shaking Rev's hand. "And you must be Rev Runner?"

"Guilty," the Road Runner echoed. "Well,gottago,seeyouguysaround!" With that, he took off down the street, running full-speed and leaving a trail of flame behind him.

"Yeah, that's Rev," Tech chuckled, shaking his head fondly as his friend ran off. "He'd have been a great inventor if he had the focus."

"Good friend of yours?" Dr. Meriter asked with a smile, following Tech back into the building and towards his labs.

"Pretty good," Tech nodded. "Of course, most of us are. Comes from being in fights together so often and living together on top of it. I still get to work in the lab though; you want the full tour, or to see the robotics lab first?"

"The robotics lab, I think," he chuckled. "Don't have to worry about seeing anything your boss doesn't want me to," Dr. Meriter chuckled, adjusting his tie, loosening it a little.

"Too hot?"

"No, no, not a problem... actually, Tech, I'd appreciate it if we could get to work right away. I'd like to show you a breakthrough I made just a few weeks ago, I haven't told anybody else about it yet." The Coyote's ears perked up, and he looked down at his old teacher.

"The robotics lab it is!" He grinned, leading him back to the elevator, and taking it up to his research level. "So, something we need to scan, or something you can just load up?" He asked as the doors slid open, revealing the gleaming, metallic surfaces of his lab, massive computer and automatic systems lighting up as Tech reached over and flipped the switches magnetically.

"You can just load it up," Meriter chuckled, pulling out a datachip. "I've solved the problem with multi-purposing the nanobots," he explained. "Given them the ability to change their function as needed, so they can fulfill more complicated tasks without having to start from scratch." Tech loaded the data quickly, bringing up Meriter's code and going over it.

"Brilliant," he said respectfully. "But it looks like this would allow them to change any of their parameters any time the guiding AI deemed it necessary," he pointed out as Meriter walked around behind him.

"Yes, well, that is something of a problem," Meriter admitted. Tech saw a glimmer pass over the screen, then a shadow grew behind him. "One I'm afraid I need your help to resolve." Tech spun around, his jaw dropping as he saw his mentor. Where Meriter had been standing, there was a towering monstrosity of liquid metal, Meriter's head on top of it, ribs poking through the central structure that supported it. Before Tech could so much as think of what to do, a huge, metallic fist crashed down on him, and everything went black.

~~~We will be back after these commercial messages.~~~

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~~~===~~~

[MUSIC CUES: Natasha Bedingfield, 'Unwritten']

['Staring at ...' 0:30]

A young, cinnamon-furred tomkat is dressing. He pulls on black, fingerless gloves. He shrugs a jacket over his shoulders. He ties a bandanna around his forehead, then fusses with his ears until they sit just so.

['Reaching ...' 0:40]

He crosses to the door and reaches for the door handle. His fingers brush the door handle and he snatches them back, hesitant. He takes a deep breath, grasps the handle and throws the door open.

['Release your ...' 0:49]

Light floods through the doorway. The tomkat stands under the open sky, a clear plain of short, metallic grass in front of him and an enthusiastic crowd visible in the middle distance. He throws one arm forward, pointing at something off camera, and yells something that can't be heard over the music. Twin blots of lightning streak over his shoulders, from an unseen source behind him towards his target.

['Drench yourself ...' 1:00]

Two rows of people stand facing each other in an ornate hall. Set at the end of and between the two rows is a podium and a trophy. The camera runs quickly across their faces, right to left along the first line and the left to right along the second. They are a mixture of species, ages and appearances, though several of them wear the same imposing red and black uniform. When we see the wide view again the cinnamon tom is standing behind the podium, lifting the trophy. The camera zooms in until we can read the words on the trophy's plaque:

'Muimi Na Nigiri No Tatakai'

['The rest is still Unwritten' 1:10]

[SILENCE]

~~~And now, back to our show!~~~

Rev sighed happily as he ran his fingers through the thick, scruffy brown fur of the Coyote in bed with him, nuzzling the dog's neck affectionately.

"Liked that, huh?" The male rumbled, ruffling Rev's feathers, nipping his leanly muscled shoulder playfully before spitting out a feather. "That's the one problem with you birds," he mock-grumbled.

"Every time you try plucking me, you end up settling for a rhyme," Rev winked, licking his nose playfully, speaking at something of a normal pace. It was always easier to do after one of these nights "So, how're things goin', Tony? Didn't expect you at the club tonight - thought you'd be working."

"You'd better not be complaining," the Coyote smirked, kissing Rev's beak. "Things are fine - work's doin' great, I've just been taking the first shift for once, instead of the second, so I can actually have evenings out, instead of getting the guys too drunk to pick up somebody earlier in the night... how about you?"

"The usual," Rev shrugged, snuggling up closer to his naked lover. "Don't you watch the news?" He teased lightly.

"Not when you're on it, maybe about to get hurt," Tony murmured. "So, y'talk to him yet?" Rev sighed, pressing his beak against Tony's shoulder.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were tryin' to push me away," he pointed out, reaching down to fondle Tony's sheath. Tony groaned and rolled over, pushing Rev's back to the bed.

"I'm serious," he told the Road Runner. "Rev... you haven't talked to him, have you?"

"Why is it such a big deal if I talk to him or not?" Rev frowned, slipping out from under Tony and sitting up. "Seriously - you don't even know the guy, why should you *care* if I talk to him?"

"Because until you do, you'll still be in love with *him*, and using me as a substitute," Tony told him bluntly, sighing when Rev winced. "I don't hold it against you, Rev," he promised, frowning when Rev didn't say anything. "I just think I deserve to know where I stand, after a year!" Rev mumbled something, but Tony couldn't make it out.

"Say again?"

"You don't.," Rev sighed, burying his face in his hands so he wouldn't have to look at the expression he was sure had crossed Tony's face. The Coyote tried to hide it, but he knew that Rev was right... he felt it like a punch in his gut. "I'm sorry, Tony, but... if Tech would say anything, I know I'd at least take a shot at it."

"Guess I can't blame you for that," Tony sighed, wrapping his arms around Rev and pressing his muzzle against his neck. "You'd come back to me if it didn't work out?"

"And you'd be will within your rights to kick me out," Rev murmured. Tony turned his face, kissing his beak gently.

"Yeah, I would... but I don't think I would. Just... *please*, Rev, don't put it off forever. At least if he says no, then you know where *you* stand, right?"

"And if he says yes?"

"Then you take the chance," Tony told him, before kissing him again and pulling him back down onto the bed, his hands roaming down Rev's feathered front.

~~~===~~~

"HeyguysI'mhome,sorryIwasoutsolate," Rev rattled off as he zoomed into the Tower the next morning. "Isbreakfastready?Don'tknowwhatitis,butI'mstarvingthismorning." Of course, it was partly a lie; he knew full well why he was starving, he just wasn't about to explain it to the others.

"Grah fravnel yxl bacon," Slam said, polishing off a stack of pancakes almost as tall as his mouth.

"We've got your usual waiting for you," Ace said easily, coming out of the kitchen and sipping a brightly colored smoothie. "Tech hasn't come down yet either; y'wanna see if he's ready while we're warming it up?"

"SurethingAce," Rev nodded, taking off for the lab, hoping he *wouldn't* find Tech there yet - but with another scientist around, it was probably the most likely place.

To the point where, when he opened up the lab and didn't find Tech there... he started to worry. Rev hurried to Tech's room, his frown getting bigger when he saw the door wasn't locked. He slid it open... empty.

"GuysTech'snotinhisroomorthelab,Ican'tfindhimanywhere!" Rev blurted out a frantic zoom around the tower later, hurrying into the dining room where the others were waiting. "He'sgone,I'velookedeverywhere!"

"What?" Ace demanded, the entire group getting up. "Duck, Lexi, check on it." Duck grumbled, but blipped out, quickly making a tour of the Tower while Lexi listened intently.

"He's right, Ace," Lexi nodded. "No sign of him anywhere I can here."

"Or that I can quack to," Duck added as he returned.

"Ragh reegl mfnl date?" Slam suggested. The entire team looked at the Tasmanian Devil with an expression of disbelief, until he shrugged sheepishly.

"Okay, no need ta panic," Ace told them. "Maybe he went over to Acme U with his ol' prof. Let's head over there and check on it." And so, Rev's breakfast still unfinished, the Loonatics took off for the ivory towers where Tech had honed the skills that they so often counted on these days.

~~~===~~~

Unfortunately for him, Tech wasn't at Acme U... or anywhere near it. As he regained consciousness, his nose was the first thing to start feeding him information. The surroundings were sterile... completely sterile, not even the smell of antiseptic cleaners he'd come to associate with hospitals in it. The only scent was his... and the metallic scent of his lone companion in this perfectly clean room. He'd noticed the smell before, but not thought about it in his excitement to be meeting Doctor Meriter again.

Now, he had an all-too strong feeling of what the smell meant.

"They turned on you, didn't they?" He asked quietly, testing the leather straps he was bound to the metal table with. More than strong enough to hold him, and immune to his magnetic control. The coyote opened his eyes, looking around the gleaming silver walls of the room, and at his bonds... realizing that they actually weren't leather. Nanites had consumed the straps, replacing them with their own mass.

"I'm sorry, Tech," Meriter said softly. "I really am. With any luck, this will only be temporary... and I wouldn't bother trying to use your powers. The nanites on the table have been developed to generate a pulse exactly opposed to your own, effectively negating your magnetic abilities."

"Doctor Meriter, whatever you need help with, I'd be a lot more willing to offer it if you'd *ask* instead of kidnapping me," Tech pointed out. "Assuming you *are* Doctor Meriter?"

"I am... or what's left of him, at any rate. As you said, my code allowed the nanites to change their parameters at will. And, being a damned fool who needed results to keep his funding, I started working on medical nanites."

"And you needed the heuristic code so one nanite could handle any medical problem... but you *couldn't* have been stupid enough to test them on yourself!" Tech pointed out.

"Of course not!" Meriter snapped. "But I had to shut down the magnetic bottle to move them, and the controlling AI had decided that it didn't like being cooped up any more. They swarmed over me, and the colony began consuming my body to replicate."

"So why aren't you dead?" Tech asked quietly, trying to imagine the sort of pain it must have involved.

"When they interfaced with my nervous system, I managed to override the AI," he explained more calmly. "I've been able to keep them under control for now... but I don't know how long it will last. If they get loose, they could enter the grey-goo stage of voraciousness. I plan to destroy them, but...."

"But you can't do it without destroying yourself," Tech concluded grimly.

"Not unless I can rebuild my body... from the molecular level. That's where you come in."

"You need to find a way to harness my molecular regeneration... you *do* realize that *none* of the Loonatics have been able to duplicate our powers artificially? I've been able to create substitutes for some of the easier ones - Ace's laser vision, Rev's speed, Slam's strength - but nothing like Duck's teleportation or my regeneration."

"No offense, Tech, but I *do* still think I know a thing or two more about building and rebuilding atom-sized structures than you do," Meriter said dryly, turning back to a screen and frowning. "Unfortunately, I can't find any sort of blood factor that would indicate it. I suppose that makes sense, since otherwise your blood would be trying to regenerate a new you in the tube."

"I could have told you that... I could have helped you *willingly* too," Tech pointed out irritably. "Instead, you decided to kidnap me - why go about it like this?"

"Because I'm afraid, Tech," Meriter said calmly, turning around and approaching the table. "That if I can't find an answer the easy way... you're not going to like the way I'll have to do it." He raised his hand, the metal of it shifting and sliding into a spinning bonesaw. Tech paled beneath his fur, swallowing hard.

This was going to hurt.

Meriter's face was covered by a metallic mask as he lowered the blade, coming close to Tech's flesh. Tech's fur bristled, only to be sliced more quickly and sent flying. The smell of fear drenched the room as Tech anticipated the pain that would come with the blade.

"No anaesthetic?" He offered weakly - just before Meriter's screen announced a call.

"Damn it!" He snarled, turning to go see who it was as Tech let out his breath, trying to think of some way to get out of this.

"Meriter here," he snapped... then paled when he saw the face on the other side, a shadowy figure in a suit, his fingers steepled as he looked into the communicator.

"I'd hate to think that it was somebody else," he said dryly. "Especially taking that tone with me."

"I'm sorry, Sir," Meriter said meekly to the bald man on the other side of the screen. "I was in the middle of some very important experiments when you called, and -"

"And I hope that means you have some progress to report."

"Well, yes, I told you about that last week...."

"That was *two* weeks ago... and no progress to report since. I want my product, Doctor Meriter."

"And you'll have it, just as soon as I've worked out the last of the bugs... I've made some real progress on that front," Meriter protested. "I just need a little more -"

"Forty-eight hours, Doctor Meriter. If you don't have results for me by then, I'll have no choice but to activate the last clause in your contract, and put my other researchers on the project."

"You can't do that, Sir," Meriter said, an edge of panic in his voice. "The project -"

"Is my property. And if you cannot deliver on your end of the bargain... I *will* deliver on mine. Forty-eight hours, Meriter. That is all." The screen went black, and Meriter slammed his fists on the console.

"Damned suit!" He snarled. "Now you see what I have to work with... the sort of pressure I'm under. Forty-eight hours... and then he takes my 'project.'" Meriter laughed, a short, barking sound. "Like it's that simple. Like I can just pack them up in a neat little box and hand them over. The idiot." He turned back towards Tech, returning to the form of the metallic surgeon he'd had before. "I'm sorry, Tech, but you heard the man. Forty-eight hours to do what you haven't in over two years... here's hoping the gods of science are on my side."

The blade whirred... and Tech couldn't hold back the screams as the blood started to flow.

~~~We'll be right back, after these messages!~~~

Looking for some of the finest original furry artwork at is free! http://www.furaffinity.net/user/tygurstar/

~~~===~~~

Two boys look through the cupboard for breakfast, finding the typical choices....

"Pop Tarts... Captain Crunch... Fruit Loops...."

Suddenly, the window shatters behind them, a baseball flying through it, followed shortly after by Mark McGuire, record-setting baseball star.

"Hey kids!"

"Wow! It's Mark McGuire!"

"That's right. Why are you looking at eating those sugar-filled breakfast foods? Don't you know that those will only weigh you down through the day, turning you into lumps in front of the TV? Why don't you try Mighty-O's, the official breakfast cereal of Major League Baseball!" Mark hands the kids each a bowl of Mighty-O's and, eating it, the kids watch as their biceps ripple and firm up to muscles their Dad's would be proud of.

"Wow!"

"Wow indeed. Remember, Mighty-O's is a delicious, sugar-free blend of whole-grain flakes, nutmeg, cinnamon clusters, and the finest bovine steroids on the planet! Mighty-O's - kids tested, muscles improved!" Mark signs the baseball, and the box of Mighty-O's, then leaps out of the window again. One of the kids looks at the other.

"Don't we live on the fourth floor?"

A dull thud below precedes the sound of sirens in the distance.

~~~And now, back to our show!~~~

"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't help you," the young woman behind the desk said with growing irritation. "Professor-Doctor Meriter hasn't worked at this school for over a year!"

"Iknowthatbuthe'ssupposedtobeworking*at*oneofthelabsforhisnewboss!" Rev explained, his own irritation getting clearer and clearer as he paced the room at an ever-faster rate.

"Sir, *please*, you're wearing a hole in the tiles!" She protested.

"Rev, relax," Ace ordered him, the rest of the group finally catching up, the Rabbit putting a hand on Rev's shoulder. "C'mon, let's head back to the Tower and see if we can find any new leads... maybe Zadavia knows somethin'."

"Allright," Rev sighed deeply. "Ihopeyouguysareright!" He added before taking off.

"Rxlsmstrmgain," Slam grumbled.

"Yeah, I know Slam," Lexi nodded. "He's worried about Tech though, just like we are."

"I'll see if I can at least get there before you guys do," Duck grumbled, 'quacking' out and starting for home as fast as his teleportation would allow him to travel.

Back at the Tower, Rev was already in Tech's lab, going over it with the proverbial fine-toothed comb when Duck arrived... right in the Road Runner's path.

"Hey, Re-woah!" Duck quacked out as Rev tore through the space he'd been in, arriving back a moment later. "Rev, watch it!" He complained. "Have you tried the security tapes?" He asked. Rev stopped, looking back at Duck, and blinked once before diving for the console, rapidly typing and bringing up the archives.

"Hey, good idea Rev," Ace said as he and the rest of the group hurried in.

"You're *all* dethpicable," Duck grumbled, leaning against the computer. "Hey, what's this?" He asked, raising a webbed foot when he felt something shifting beneath it - and revealed a slick, silvery patch that was moving along his foot. "Eagh! Getitoffgetitoffgetitoff!!!" He shouted, hopping around on one foot and trying to scrape the patch off with his hand.

"Duck, watch -" Danger Duck crashed into one of the tables, sending himself, the machines on it, and the table itself crashing to the ground. Rev zipped over, looking at what Duck had stepped in.

"ThesecouldbesomeofMeriter'snanites!" He said, taking a sample and zipping back over, switching between the analysis and going through the security tapes. Just as he finished looking at the microscopic robots on one screen, Meriter's attack on Tech was on the other.

"Aw crap," Ace murmured, watching as Tech was bludgeoned into unconsciousness and then engulfed in the Meriter-creature's body to be carried out. "No wonder nobody realized he'd left...."

"Iknowwhereheis!" Rev told them. "Atleastthewaytogo. Thenanitesaretransmittingback

towhateverthatwasposingasMeriter,soifwefollowthatwecanfindwhereTechis!"

"Rev, what - never mind," Ace decided. "You tell us what way to go, and we'll go there!" The rest of the team nodded, their expressions determined.

As Rev lead the way out to the jet packs the rest of the team would have to use to follow him, he just hoped he was right about his analysis... because if he wasn't, Tech might be dead before they found out.

~~~===~~~

Tech panted for breath as his organs rebuilt themselves. His lungs throbbed with each breath, inflating and deflating as he tried desperately to keep his body oxygenated after he'd finished screaming until his throat was raw. His heart pulsed in his chest at a rate that was far, far too fast to be healthy, pumping blood through arteries and veins in a futile attempt to keep the severed parts alive. His liver slowly regrew inside of himself, vessels forming, flesh knitting itself together at the molecular level. Ducts and valves inside of his body were reconstructed, knew organs slowly building up around them.

He'd felt this entirely too often before. What he'd never done before was *watch* the process, but he had no choice now. The metallic ceiling reflected the images perfectly, thanks to Meriter pinning his skin back like some sort of grotesque biology project. Tech was hours away from when he'd that he might be able to reason with his old professor. Ever since that message, Meriter had been working like a man possessed. He'd carved Tech open, taken samples from his body, tried to analyze what they did at various stages after injury... but still not unlocked it.

"Your entire body behaves like liver cells on steroids, but I can't figure out... ah!" Meriter grinned as he looked through a microscope. "Of course, why didn't I think of that? Now, how to stimulate the growth process...?"

"What?" Tech rasped, trying not to think about the scene reflected off the ceiling.

"Your body behaves like one massive cell - your entire molecular structure linked, like it's a massive Bose-Einstein condensate. Every cell in your body contains the instructions to rebuild the rest of it... a unique effect of the comet's radiation. But not one that I can't simulate. Your cells rebuild themselves as soon as they've ascertained that the damage can't be restored. I can simulate that process as well, though it won't work as quickly. The problem will be doing it in a way that works quickly enough to keep me alive, and won't be destroyed by the EMP...."

"Let me go, and I can help you with that," Tech offered desperately. "You'll need another assistant to finish in time, you've already lost half a day!"

"And when I untie you, you release a pulse and just destroy me - I don't think so," Meriter said coldly. "No, Tech, it can't be like that. But I can do this." He turned around, folding Tech's skin back into place, watching as the energy of his cells was released to repair their bonds, knitting his skin back together.

"Now, to get to work building my lifesavers," Meriter sighed, turning back to the console. "Maybe I can contain them in a magnetic bottle... block the EMP, release them to start work when the field collap-" He was stopped mid word when the entire room began to pulse and buzz with an alarm.

"That'll be my friends," Tech warned him. "You have to let me go, or -"

"NO!" Meriter bellowed, turning around, growing to twice his size, dropping his human façade as he began to bristle with spines and blades. "I've come this close, Tech, I *will* finish my work!"

The door was battered down a moment later, propelled by a whirlwind of purple fur and teeth. Meriter stopped the door from hitting anything, as the walls, ceiling, and floor began to bubble up around the Loonatics.

"Get out!" Tech warned them, but it was too late. Ace's eyes flashed, laser bolts cutting through the metallic tendrils that were reaching for them. Slam was quickly gripped by shimmering arms that reformed as quickly as he could rip free of them. Lexi's brain blasts held them off for a moment, but a high-pitched whine pulsed through the room and sent the pink-furred rabbit collapsing to the floor in agony, clutching her head as her hyper-sensitive hearing went into overdrive. Rev rushed for the table Tech was at, but he was quickly swarmed by the nanobots and pulled to the ground. Duck was snared before he'd made his second step into the room.

"All you had to do was wait another day and a half," Meriter scowled at them. "Then this would have all been over with, one way or the other! But no, you had to track me here, had to play the heroes." Bristling with blades, he stalked towards them. Tech could see what he'd guessed already - Meriter was long gone. The pressure of being overrun by the nanites had driven everything out of him except a nearly programmatical directive - to find a way to fix himself. And, just like the nanites, he'd destroy anything between he and his programmed goal.

As Meriter approached his friends, Tech looked over at them, and realized that the only chance he had was Duck. Quietly praying his plan worked, he turned to the egotistical fowl.

"Duck, get me loose!" He shouted after Meriter was past the table. Duck looked at him for a moment irritably, then understanding dawned on him. He disappeared with a flash, and Meriter turned towards the place he'd occupied with a startled expression, launching a spine of metal through the light before it had even faded - but Duck wasn't there any more. He was next to the table, grabbing the nanite 'collars' around Tech's wrists. They tore loose after a tense moment, and Rev sat up, looking at Meriter with an expression that said he knew exactly what he was about to do, his hands starting to glow green.

"Don't make me do this, Professor," he warned Meriter as he turned towards them both. Meriter hesitated for a moment, calculating the odds that he could disable Tech before Tech could destroy him. The calculations weren't that hard, especially not with billions of tiny computers helping with the math. Tech could do it in his head, and he knew his answer was the same as Meriter's.

He released his magnetic blast even as Meriter began to form a projectile. The green aura swirled around Meriter, and the scientist let out a scream as his body was rendered harmless... then the air was out of his lungs, and what was left of him fell to the ground, a bloody mass of organs and bones beneath the neck. The entire room began to melt, revealing the abandoned shack that Meriter had converted into his new laboratory. Only the computer was real, and as Tech painfully got up, the screen blipped on.

"Meriter!" The shadowy figure on the other side said irritably. "I was just alerted to some sort of pulse in your lab, what happened?!?" Tech turned towards the screen, and raised a hand.

"Your research project just got cancelled," he scowled, picking up the monitor and slamming it back against the wall, a shower of sparks erupting from its bulk. "Where's my uniform?" He asked, turning to look at the others.

"Ican'tfinditanywhere,buthere,I'vegotthisforyou," Rev rattled off, first zipping around the lab, then out of it, back seconds later with a spare change of clothes from Tech's room.

"...Thanks," Tech nodded, dressing quietly.

"Tech... what happened here?" Ace asked, looking at the Coyote carefully.

"Wait until we're back, Ace. I only want to tell this story once, and I'll have to tell Zadavia too," Tech sighed, shaking his head and starting out of the lab. He paused by Meriter's remains, then reached down, closing the old man's eyes.

"Rest in peace, Professor," he murmured, leaving the horrors of the last day behind him.

~~~===~~~

Rev looked up sharply when he heard the bell to his room chime, asking for admittance. He quickly made the rounds of his room, hanging a framed poster over a pinup on his wall, turning the photo of Tony around to show one of his family, putting magazines and anything else he had that might give away his secrets into storage so whoever was on the other side wouldn't see them. Then, in the space of time it would've taken most people to realize the bell was chiming and say anything, he was back on his bed, reading a comic book.

"Comein!" He called out. The door slid open, revealing Tech on the other side.

"HeyTech,how'reyouholdingup?How'dthingsgowithZadav-" Tech reached up, closing his hand around Rev's beak.

"Things went fine with Zadavia... surprised you didn't stick around for the debriefing."

"Well,Ididn'treally- I didn't really have too much to do with the fight," Rev shrugged, slowing down before Tech could shut him up again. "And when you started, I didn't really want to hear those sort of details."

"Yeah... I knew my powers had downsides, but I never thought that being vivisected would be one of them," Tech shuddered. "No proof of anything that happened either, not on my body. The cops have Meriter's... remains."

"I'm sorry, Tech," Rev said, sincere sympathy in his voice. "He might've been a psycho at the end there, but I know he'd been your friend."

"Yeah... yeah, he had been," Tech nodded. "But I think he *wanted* it to end at that point. We both did the numbers... there's no way he could have thought he'd beat me. I had the draw on him, I had a weapon that could destroy him instantly. The pain... that wasn't the blast, that was the nanites shorting out along what was left of his nervous system. But I still don't like it," he admitted.

"I'd be kinda worried if you did!" Rev frowned. Tech let out a barking laugh, shaking his head.

"I guess you're right. At any rate... I wanted to say thanks. Duck might've gotten me loose, but I understand you're the one who figured out how to find me. It... sounds like you were pretty worried about me," he said, looking at Rev with an unconsciously appraising eye, like he was trying to put together the pieces of a puzzle.

"You were in trouble!" Rev pointed out. "Of course I'm gonna be worried about you! And really, you don't have to worry about it, it's no big deal... Duck's the one who found the nanites I tracked," he pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Tech nodded. "Well... thanks anyways." He reached down, giving Rev's shoulder a squeeze. "So... want to go out tonight?" Rev's brain stopped dead in its tracks as he tried to process what he'd been asked. Tech continued, apparently oblivious to how much of a loop he'd thrown the Road Runner for. "Ace mentioned this bar he used to go to when he was a stunt bunny, place they'd hang out after a shoot... sounds like it might be a decent place, and we could all use a drink after watching Meriter...."

"Yeah!" Rev said quickly, getting his brain back into gear and stopping Tech from bringing back the memories of Meriter's body disintegrating. "Sure,when'severybodygoing?"

"As soon as everybody's ready to head out - I promised I'd ask you last, since they'll take longer," Tech smiled, giving Rev's shoulder another squeeze. "Meet you downstairs in five... it'll be good to get out of the lab when I'm *not* mixed up with some supervillain."

"Right," Rev smiled, nodding as Tech left. He leaned up against the door, heaving a relieved sigh... and maybe a slightly disappointed one.

Meanwhile, at Precinct Station 13, a small office of the Acmetropolis Police Department in the middle of a bad neighborhood, a short, pale man stepped out of the shadows of a nearby alley, looking up at the much taller evidence officer.

"So, y'got it?" He asked gruffly. The officer nodded, pulling a small vial of silvery material out of his coat pocket and holding it up, letting it shimmer in the light.

"Don't know if there's anything useful about it anymore," he pointed out. "EMP doesn't like electronics."

"Ah know." The short man drawled, twirling the end of his long mustache as he pulled out a small chip, handing it over and taking the vial. "And so does the boss. Now remember, if anybody notices anything missing -"

"I know, I know," the cop nodded after sliding the chip into a handheld reader and making sure the payment was correct. "If anybody notices anything missing, it must have had some residual activity left and gotten away."

"Right. Now, git back in there before you're missed." The pickup man ordered him, turning and stalking off. The cop grumbled to himself as he pocketed the chip and turned around to go back to work. Whoever was paying the bills did a good job of making sure he was compensated for the risk... but he really, really wished he got paid a premium for dealing with the creepy little midget who made the pickups.

Some days, it just didn't pay to be crooked.