A/N: A little longer than two weeks, yes, but not nearly as bad as this time. I blame the delay on lost mail with my summer homework in it getting here only two weeks before school starts, and an odd bout of sickness. (Seriously, I hardly ever get sick… Of all the lousy times…) However, I really wanted to get this first chapter out before starting school, so I made sure it happened. (Cutting it kind of close- I go back the day after tomorrow.) I'm particularly excited about this story purely because I'm so happy with how it sounds in the outline, and I'm really happy with the villain I came up with. He's based off of an original Looney Tunes character, and I'll further explain upon his official introduction, but that won't be for a few chapters. You know me; I like to keep you hanging… XD

So, this is a short prologue, purely meant to be a teaser as to what the Loonatics will be facing. Nothing much is revealed, but like I said, I wanted to get something out. (I haven't even completely finished the outline yet, though I do know exactly what happens in what I haven't written down yet, so I figured it was okay to skip to the intro.) I've grown to absolutely love third person after Open Season, so I think I'll be sticking to that for the time being.

I'm going to stop writing now and let everyone reading this get to the good stuff.

It had started as a quiet day. Well, as quiet as any day could be at one of the busiest branches of the Acmetropolis First National Bank. Always full up with people of all ages and walks of life, it ended up being one of the most heavily guarded, having three guards standing in the lobby while six more watched from a back room, ready in case of any danger. The crowds alone were usually enough to deter any criminal activity, let alone the security.

It had happened during the lunch hour, when there were fewest bank-goers in the building and when many of the employees left the building to get their lunch elsewhere, leaving only the guards and a few tellers behind. One of these tellers, a kindly old man probably just short of retiring age, was assisting a college student with a withdrawal at the time.

"…Forty eight, forty nine, and fifty," the teller finished, handing the small wad of cash through the window to the student on the other side. "Here you are, young man. Fifty quazarlinium, as you requested."

"Thanks," the other replied, just beginning to reach out to take his cash.

Before anyone in the bank could make another move, let alone react, the doors suddenly burst open, admitting someone moving far too fast to see as more than a dark blur. He moved in a wide arc, hugging the wall and darting between the tellers and their customers, snatching any loose money along the way before darting over the counters and grabbing everything he could while still moving at his ridiculously fast pace. In that time, the guards had reacted, drawing their weapons, though they couldn't aim without risking hitting anyone. Some people swore at the loss of their money, some screamed in fright of the unknown adversary, and some, catching sight of the three guards, hit the floor.

Suddenly the thief slowed down, sliding to a clean stop underneath the only security camera in the room so he wouldn't be seen in the recording. The civilians could only stare, completely surprised at the appearance of the skilled thief. The guards, on the other hand, after sending out the alert to the others in the back rooms, took aim with their weapons. Before they could even shout a warning, the thief pulled a small laser gun and fired three quick laser blasts, impacting their own weapons and either knocking them from their grasps or damaging them to inoperability. Realizing that their adversary was armed and dangerous (and a damn good shot,) there wasn't much they could do.

Luckily for them, the cavalry arrived in the form of the other six guards suddenly storming in en masse from a back door, weapons already drawn and aimed for the thieves.

"Freeze!" one shouted in a commanding tone before they'd all even filed in, gaining the thief's attention.

"No thanks…" he replied in a slow, monotone voice with a very prominent Spanish accent. "You can, though…" Before any could even process what he said, a green glow enveloped the six guards. Everyone turned to them in worry, having no idea what it was that the thief could do. They were shocked with the results.

All six of the guards, still surrounded by the green light, were moving as though time had slowed to a near standstill. It took maybe ten seconds for them to take a single step, and even longer for any visual sign that they knew what had happened to them to register. They continued moving in slow motion, showing no sign of stopping and even less of covering any substantial ground in the meantime.

Those who were unaffected turned back to the thief, their plain horror and fear evident on their faces. They all flinched as this time a yellow light emanated from the thief, though quickly found themselves unable to look away. "You can all just disregard this," the monotone voice drawled, sounding as though nothing strange had happened there. "Forget about it and carry on with your routine." And without another word, the thief departed through the door as quickly as he came, releasing the six guards from their predicament in the process. They fell into a heap on the floor, and no one, guard or civilian, moved an inch.

Everyone in the building stared off to where they'd exited through for a while, about ten minutes, before anyone made a move. Slowly, the guards picked themselves up on the floor, followed by any customers who had done so for fear of being shot. Everyone looked around blearily for a moment, as though unsure of what had happened.

"What are we doing out here?" one of the six asked, being the first to break the silence. He received equally unsure replies from his partners before they all tiredly shuffled away towards their posts in the back rooms, confused as to what they'd missed.

"Um… I'm sorry, sir, I seem to have lost myself," the old teller said to the puzzled looking student in front of him, sounding as unsure of himself as the guards before returning to his usual chipper self. "How may I help you?"

"Uh…" the student replied unintelligently before also suddenly snapping back to himself. "I need to make a withdrawal. Nothing crazy, just fifty bucks or so."

Meanwhile, the other guards were equally if not more confused than the others. "Where…?" one began, noticing his missing firearm and looking around for it.

"If you lost that thing again, the chief'll put you on desk duty until the end of time," one of his partners drawled, earning a snicker from the third member of his party. "Hang on… Mine's gone, too."

The third guard looked to his belt. "And mine…" Looking around, he quickly spotted the three weapons in various spots on the floor a few yards away. Each walked over and reclaimed his weapon. "If anyone asks, this didn't happen."

"Agreed," the second guard intoned, before getting a look at the first one's weapon. "But that doesn't look like it'll save you from desk duty."

"Huh?" he asked intelligently before seeing the damage his partner had been referring to. He was definitely going to need a new one, seeing as the muzzle of his looked to have been melted. "Aw, man…"

"Hey, relax," the third one said supportively, throwing an arm around the other's shoulders in a show of camaraderie. "We'll tell the chief a laser pack blew up. It happens all the time."

"That's probably what did happen…" the first stated, taking another look at the damage. "You know, unless you've been fighting off someone trying to rob the place while we weren't looking."

"Yeah, right," the first deadpanned, putting his ruined weapon into its holster. "A robber trying to sack this place? It'll never happen."

A/N: If they only knew… XD If anyone suspects they know who the thief is, please keep it to yourself until I reveal it. However, there is a surprise to the thief that you won't see until the reveal unless you're super observant and watch Looney Tunes just as much as I do, which is very hard to do. And as you can guess by the summary, not only will it be hard to catch this criminal, but it is by far the least of their problems.

Like always, this story will be full of suspense, AcexLexi, TechxSive, and many friendship moments between the Loonatics. I'm going to try to stick to my chapter every other week schedule, but until I figure out how this year will pan out homework-wise, I can't promise anything. As it is the next chapter will get up when it gets up, depending on school. (First weeks are always tough where I go, and I'm now a Junior, the hardest year. Fair warning.)

Until then, please review! I've missed hearing from my favorite people in the whole world wide web!