Loonatics Unleashed:

"Trust" part 3.

(This story is post "Loonatics on Ice")

Rated T for reading level.

Disclaimer: Loonatics Unleashed and related Characters and Elements are trademarks of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Green Triangle.

Rev and Tech followed Ace back to the living room, Once there, Tech flopped down in one of the beanbag chairs in the main living area of Loonatic Tower. The evening promised to stretch out uncomfortably before him, and he already had run out of things to say. The coyote genus pulled out his palmtop computer and proceeded to bring up multiple holographic screens, but was surprised when Ace reached over, snapped the little device shut, and tucked it into his own pocket. Ace even confiscated his palmtop computer?! Tech folded his arms across his chest. When he couldn't be in his lab, Tech invented stuff in his head. But without his computer, how could he keep track of his ideas? He needed alone time for his thoughts to formulate, it was just the way his mind worked. The coyote grumped a bit. He'd spent more time socializing the past week than he had in the last two years of college!

Lexi sat in another beanbag chair near the coyote, rubbing her aching feet. After the explosion in Tech's room, she'd tuned in her hearing to make sure that both roadrunner and coyote were okay. After the meteor hit, Lexi's hearing became very sensitive even in normal, everyday use. But if she really wanted to listen, she could augment her hearing with her powers. It was obvious when the she bunny power listened as pink 'energy rings' ran up her ears. Luckily, this meant that she didn't HAVE to hear everything. But also luckily it meant that she COULD. She hadn't exactly meant to eavesdrop, but the two's subsequent reconciliation proved most illuminating, as well as humorous. Her super hearing also picked up Tech and Rev's conversation about the shoe store. Lexi felt terrible when she realized that she really hurt Tech's feelings . . . and the coyote was right. Those silly new shoes were killing her feet. She had spent much of the subsequent time trying to find a way to apologize to the scientist.

"Uh! I am such a freak. You were right, Tech. These aren't shoes, they're torture devises." Lexi moaned still rubbing her aching feet. "Next time, I'm getting you to design them for me."

Tech perked up at the thought of developing some ergonomic dress shoes, but wasn't so sure about successfully combining fashion with the design. That was Lexi's department. Hmm, even though fashion was outside of his areas of expertise, he could at least paint everyone's zoomatrix with their signature color. Lexi had commented about their lack of color.

Seeing the difference in the genius' genuine smile now as compared to the grimace he'd worn at the mall, Lexi realized how hollow the other was. Now that the bunny knew what to look for, she would make sure not to hurt his feelings again. Tech was fine just the way he was; though driven, he was considerate and was always making his inventions for the benefit of others.

Tech's momentary cheer lapsed when he reached for his palmtop computer that wasn't there. He sank back down into his beanbag chair, his eyes dulling and his ears drooping again as he realized that this was just another project he had to put on hold until he was off restrictions.

"Dat's it! enough moping." Ace ordered. The Loonatic leader grabbed Tech's arm to drag him down to a room that he had claimed for his own use. Stopping outside the door, the bunny dropped Tech's arm and faced the coyote. "Alright, Tech. Drop 'em."

"What?"

"You heard hoid me. Inventions, gizmos, tools, all of it. Drop every scrap of metal on ya den follow me." Ace programmed in his dojo routine as a green glow spread from Tech's hands to envelope him. A vast array of paraphernalia fell to the floor at his feet as he powered down his magnetism—including his green, triangular breast shield—and Ace wondered what 'toys' the coyote genius had installed in it. Tech had more gizmos on him than the rest of the team combined. When done, the coyote's Loonatic uniform was completely black, even down to the soles of his boots. He'd even removed his wrist communicator. Ace gave a curt nod of approval, turned, and entered his personal training room not looking back.

The secondary trainer that Ace claimed for his personal workouts was square and smaller than the team virtual training room. Currently it holographically depicted a Japanese style dojo complete with various Samurai and Ninja hand weapons and shields as well as a wall mural of Mount Fuji, and even a bonsai and a vase of cherry blossoms. He breathed a silent sigh of relief as Tech hesitantly followed him in. Ace didn't want to be a tyrant, but as leader of the Loonatics it was his duty to see that all in the team was in top form. And moping definitely dulled one's preparedness. The two Loonatics faced off in the center of the bamboo practice mat on the floor. Ace kicked Tech's foot out farther, correcting the coyote's stance and pushed his shoulders further down, adjusting his balance to account for his tail. Ace walked around the coyote then resumed his fighting stance. A slow smile inched its way onto his face. The bunny beckoned for Tech to come at him with his hand as the dojo door slid shut.

Purple Triangle.

"Kkrrngblaagblaa, Tech?" Slam, in the middle of his tall stack of plate-sized pancakes, asked as the green tinged coyote gingerly made his way into the Loonatics' main living area.

"No thanks, Slam, I'll get breakfast later. I'm not hungry now." Tech stiffly walked over to the couch, but he couldn't stand the thought of actually sitting down. Between Ace's stringent workout the evening before and his broken bed, he'd spent a miserable night and now he was so sore he could hardly move. Stifling a groan, Tech leaned against the frame of the wall-sized window and looked out over the city sprawling below Loonatic Tower. He briefly closed his olive green eyes against his protesting muscles. Without any metal to use his magnetic powers on or any of his inventions, he hadn't stood a chance against his leader. His sigh morphed into another groan. Face it, even with his inventions the martial arts expert would likely have thoroughly trounced him. "Ace totally owns me."

"Not too bad a workout yesterday dere, Tech old buddy." Ace cheerfully clapped his hand on Tech's shoulder, eliciting a wince from the stiff coyote. "We'll have a rematch later taday."

Tech groaned, but there was a slight whimper to it. "You're the chief."

"Of-course,-there-are-all-kinds-of-chiefs. There's-a-fire-chief-and-a-chief-of-police-and-a-chief-of-staff,-then-of-course-there's-'Hail-to-the-Chief,'-but-that-was-a-long-time-ago-in-the-twentieth-and-twenty-first-century," Rev piped up from over in the kitchen area. "But-when-Tech-says-'chief'-I-suspect-it's-really-a-coyote-thing. Back-in-the-day-when-coyotes-were-still-pretty-much-feral,-though-often-solitary,-they-had-small,-loose-knit-packs,-sometimes-called-routs,-consisting-of-only-six-or-so-members,-more-of-a-family-unit-really-than-anything-else,-the-leader-of-which-was-the-chief."

Rev's babbling caught Ace's attention. Tech was the only Loonatic that called him chief. It surprised the bunny that his 'chief' designate was the coyote considering the Loonatics as his family. He glanced over at Tech.

The coyote genius scowled, but didn't dispute Rev's claim. He was a private person and he found the roadrunner rambling on about his 'pack mentality' uncomfortable. No matter how advanced people became, they were still in some measure products of their heredity. Certain members of his birth rout would definitely not approve of an Alpha Male bunny.

Tech's eyes suddenly flew wide open as he caught sight of Slam's reflection in the wall-sized window. The Tasmanian devil was sneaking up behind him. The devil sure could move silently for such a large guy . . . and quickly as well.

"Aaaaaaaaaa!"

Before Tech could even pretend to dodge out of the way, Slam snatched the coyote up above his head in a flamboyant wrestling move and slammed him belly down on the couch. The ex-wrestler pinned him there while he kneaded out the tight knots of muscles . . . as well as small yips of pain and protest from the Loonatics' resident genius. Slam grinned, thoroughly pleased that he could actually provide a much needed service for the coyote. Tech was one of the few truly smart people that the Tasmanian devil had ever met that seemed not to even notice his lack of grace with the spoken language. To Slam, such respect meant brawn and brain worked perfectly well together. Tech used his skills to help the team, and so did he.

"Ooh, my turn next, Slam!" Lexi thought a massage sounded like heaven.

"So genius," Danger smirked at the trapped and quietly whimpering coyote as he preened, posing in front of his holographic mirror. "What's with the pity party? I thought you had molecular regeneration along with that 'magnetic' personality of yours. Why not just regenerate those sore muscles away?"

Tech sighed as he felt his muscles finally relax under Slam's determined ministration. It always took him twice as long to learn physical things as anyone he knew. He had to learn the techniques once with his mind and then again with his body. "Muscle memory. If I regenerate, mentally I will still remember how to do the techniques that Ace is pounding into me, but they'll never come naturally. I have to actually practice the moves for them to come smoothly."

"Whatever." Danger executed a few flips and punch kick sequences showing off his own physical prowess. Feeling warmed up and ready for daring-do, the mallard straightened. "So whose up for a little workout in the old virtual trainer?"

"I'll come, Duck." Still a bit achy, but feeling much better, Tech patted Slam's leg, the only part of the Tasmanian devil that he could reach in his current position, signaling the ex-wrestler to let him up. Ignoring his teammates' surprise at him volunteering, the coyote joined the mallard. At least the virtual trainer was interesting, he having designed and programmed it himself; and spotting Danger in it shouldn't prove too vigorous for his still sore muscles. Besides, if he didn't engage in a 'socially acceptable' activity on his own, another teammate was sure to recruit him.

Orange Triangle.

Danger Duck quacked on top of an attacking holographic saucer before kicking off into a flip and firing up a couple of fire eggs to launch at the virtual enemies. The Loonatics' main virtual trainer took up nearly the entire floor. The outer walls thereof were curved to match the curve of the glowing blue sphere here it was housed. Currently it was flickering between its normal, metal walls and a holographic replica of downtown Acmetropolis. Danger had to admit, with all his deficiencies in non-technical action heroics, Tech was programming a pretty mean hologram. "Do you have to work on the background while I'm training? It's all very distracting."

"Oh? Surely a little building isn't too much for an action hero like you," Tech replied. He had plans for the virtual trainer, but most of them weren't implemented yet. Once he got the settings right, he'd have to add complexity to the enemies as well.

"Of course not!" Then the mallard continued his previous discussion with the scientist, finding it too difficult to keep tract of two distinct conversation topics and the plethora of attack saucers the coyote was throwing at him. It was odd for both of them to discover that some people lived inside their own heads as Tech did while others lived outside theirs as did Danger.

"Yes sir-ee. These deadly moves come instinctual for me. I never think about what I'm doing. I just go and do!" Danger struck a noble pose, but in so doing made himself a target. He lost a few tail feathers to virtual enemy fire.

"You're lucky, Duck," Tech told the mallard. "I have to work the moves out in my mind first. Then I can attempt them out on the floor."

"Oh ho, not me!" Danger boasted. "I'm always out of my mind."

Tech snickered. He'd wondered what most people did in their heads all day instead of creating as he did. Apparently some spent little or no time in their own thoughts. "You said it, not me."

"Hey!" Annoyance played over Danger's face at being caught in his words, but an attacking fighter saucer pulled his attention back to the training exercise. The mallard formed a double handful of tar eggs and plastered the attacker, sticking it to the one coming up behind it. "You know, Tech, you really should get out on the virtual trainer floor more. With powers like your magnetism, you could seriously lay down a whole mess of whoop butt. Not as good as me, of course, but then who could?"

"Duck, while I did program the trainer's solid holograms to respond realistically to the trainer, they still are basically just holograms," Tech replied. "My magnetism really can't get a grip on them."

"So?" Danger, swung out with a kick to knock back the two stuck up holographic attackers. "Reprogram them so that they will. Surely that isn't too much for a genius like you."

"Touché," Tech mumbled. He stopped work on the background and started calculations for adjusting the sensor areas of the room to include magnetic distortion recognition for the hologram saucers. "You know, that just might work. Good idea, Duck!"

"You sound surprised," Danger replied with a laugh. "When are you going to learn that all my ideas are good?"

"When they actually are." Tech returned as his fingers busily flew over the holo-trainer's control panel with a practiced familiarity with technology that made the console seem an extension of himself. The coyote paused long enough in his programming to try his magnetic power against a virtual attack saucer. He frowned slightly and readjusted his program.

"Very funny. Remind me to laugh later." Danger quacked over to watch Tech work. He was secretly impressed that Tech could go so fast and do such cool stuff with his geeky-ness. "While you're at it, why not put in a level where the enemies multiply so that as I heroically strike one down, two more appear! Oh, and after I defeat so many of them, how about a new super cool secret level is opened up!" Danger demonstrated his super cool action hero moves against an imaginary enemy while he talked.

Tech chuckled. "I'll work on that."

"Te-ech, what're ya doing?" Ace entered the virtual trainer in time to hear the word 'work.'

"N-nothing." Tech stammered and snatched his hands away from the console before Ace was temped to blast them with his laser vision.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Danger quacked in between the two. "He's programming a battle routine in there for me."

"Okay den," Ace popped open the simulator's armory cupboard and tossed a holster belt with two laser pistols to Tech. "Youse two, show me what'cha got."

"Oh, uh no!" Tech protested. The fight routines in the main training room had no safety checks and a person could be seriously injured if sparring without a controller. "The virtual trainer's programs are all highly dangerous and must be run interactively."

"No worries," Ace assured him, pointing briefly at the coyote with both hands as if wielding pistols. "Gotcha covered."

Tech bit down on an involuntary whimper, not at all sure he wanted Ace to spot for them. Then his features firmed. If he was going to be part of this team, he had to be able to pull his own weight out in the field as well as in the lab. Determination set his features as the first holographic enemies appeared.

Danger's eyes glowed orange as power eggs appeared in his hands and Tech magnetized invaders in close for the duck to take out, while keeping others at bay until the mallard could get to them. Ace cranked up the levels. When the number of enemies escalated, Tech quickly drew his pistols, twirling them like an old time gun slinger. Standing in the middle of the field while Danger quacked rapidly between targets, Tech fired double fisted into the attackers. In very short order, the two leveled the playing field.

"Not bad, guys." Ace congratulated his two teammates. "And nice sharp shooting dere, Tech."

Yellow Triangle.

Ace wandered into the control room, pausing when he saw Tech sitting morosely at the briefing table, his chin in his hands and his elbows on the table. The scientist stared at the lab door. The yellow tinted bunny sighed and leaned up against the table next to his teammate. "Eh, da door's unlocked, ya know."

"I know."

"Den how come you're out here?" Ace sneaked a sideways glance at the genius.

"You haven't lifted restriction yet." Tech shrugged, then he glanced over at the yellow bunny from the corner of his eye. "So, uh, chief, . . . am I reinstated to full status . . . please?"

Ace cocked an eyebrow at the coyote. "Yeah, I suppose so."

Tech jumped up and impulsively started to hug Ace as Rev had him earlier, but stopped himself just in time. Seeing the coyote hesitate, Ace grabbed his teammate in a quick hug, thumping him on the back. "Just don't bury yourself so deeply in da lab dat you become a stranger. It was nice having you around."

Tech grinned. "Sure thing, chief."

The inventor stepped through the lab doors, feeling like he'd finally come home. Tools lined some of the walls while large monitors and workstations lined the rest. He stepped onto the raised circular platform the center of the lab. His multi-armed robotic central work tower was currently docked, tucked into its shaft in the floor waiting to be raised and used to construct his larger inventions. The genius had so many projects to work on he didn't know where to start. But there was one thing he needed to attend to first. Grateful to be off restrictions, the scientist bent to his knee in the center of the floor.

Tech's ears twitched as he heard the lab door swish open. A brush of air ruffled his fur; a sign of Rev's passing. The coyote remained kneeling on the floor, eyes closed, with his hands gripped together in front of him, concentrating. His new lab partner would have found out sooner or later anyway.

"What'cha doing, Tech?"

Surprised to hear Ace's voice instead of Rev's, his tail flicked, but Tech stayed where he was. The coyote was a private person, but the bunny's warning to be open and honest with his teammates came to mind. Also the faith of his fathers was nothing to be ashamed of. Even Wyle E. Coyote, the progenitor of his clan, prayed. Though admittedly Wyle E. was only seen to when he was free-falling from extreme heights after some invention disaster. But then again, until now, no one had seen the Loonatic scientist pray at all.

For millennia no one knew of the atom, but that didn't mean it didn't exist; and even in the twenty-eighth century scientific advancement was not complete. It was the height of arrogance and foolishness to discrediting something simply because it was not yet observed. Closed minds hampered learning. Tech was smart enough to realize that he didn't know it all. And he was smart enough to figure out who to trust. "Praying."

"Really? I can't hear you."

That sounded like Danger. Had all of his teammates come to welcome him back into the lab? Using sound and scent, he located each of the Loonatics in the lab. Tech smirked, but kept his eyes closed. "That would be because I'm not praying to you."

a/n you can stop reading now; but if you want, here are a few answers to questions asked. I do answer questions personally, but figured some of you others might be interested anyway.

One: Most of my "science" is based in real world knowledge or theory, but 'toonified' to fit cartoon physics – so don't go taking it blindly to any tests or your grades might be less than expected. I generally take something that is established in the cartoon itself or look up a few key words and modify it for my own use. On my Author's sheet is a short list of web sites I commonly use for quick reference. Also, I was asked specifically about Tech's dirty little invention that he made in 'Reasonable Commands' while out of his mind. It was based on a 2005 article on Human Remote Control. As of this posting the article is still there. If interested in looking it over, copy and past the following address into a web browser and it should take you right there. msnbc./id/6448213/did/9816703/

Two: After watching Mastermind run directly from the command center into Tech's lab in 'The Menace of Mastermind,' I realized that my visualization of Loonatic Tower was incorrect. After careful research (i.e. watching the cartoons) I have come up with the following:

The living room, kitchen, and game room are all open and connected together in a studio apartment type arrangement. The command center is through one of the doors connecting to it. Tech's main lab is also connected to the command center. So the command center is centrally located with the living areas off one side and the lab off the other. The living area is lined with doors as seen in some panoramic shots of the area. These likely lead to elevators and possibly the bedrooms, though they might just be storage closets for the air hockey table puck and paddles or something. I assume there is also an elevator shaft in the command center. The specific location of the virtual trainer(s) is not shown. Ace does appear to have a private one that is smaller and rectangular as opposed to the circular main one.

There is an apex garage at the top of the sphere, a peripheral garage in the side of the sphere, and a launch pad on the top of the main tower structure under the sphere. Loonatic Tower has a forcefield that can be activated. Offensively it has 2 disk cannons on the sphere underside that can detach and be remotely controlled. A laser cannon that extends from the topmost spire (channels Ace's laser blasts), a blaster that extends from the top of the sphere (channels Lexi's brain blasts), and a photon rocket mortar that emerges from the lower sphere (Slam operates). Duck's cannon is not seen as he is awol at the time.

The tower also has a mid-shaft docking platform that extends to doc vehicles or extend cannons. There is also a sub garage or plain weapons room in its base. The main power core runs up its shaft. I realize that post season two this all pretty much becomes irrelevant.

The whole upshot of this is; this is what I'm going on in my fanfics, but if anyone knows the 'official' layout of the base, I would be interested.