Loonatics Extreme 2

Chapter 2: The First Recruit

Planet Blanc was known as the center of the Universe, but it was also well known for its complicated labyrinths and secret passages. The entire planet was a massive labyrinth, and there were very few who knew where each of the corridors led.

It was in one of these corridors that Zadavia found the first of her six new recruits. It was where prisoners were kept. The place looked deserted, and a little spooky, because no one, with the exception of the Royal Guards, ever passed through here. Inside a small, dark and smelly jail cell was none other than Sylth Vester, a criminal and a hunter who’s life purpose was to catch the Royal Tweetums, ruler of Blanc.

He had caught up to ‘His Feathered Highness’ and was jailed for capturing him. He was freed by the Loonatics, so he could help them search for Tweetums when he’d been taken. Vester ended up becoming involved with preventing Zadavia’s former General Deuce from succeeding in his plan to conquer the universe. But his heroics didn’t prevent him from being jailed for accidentally telling Deuce how the Royal Scepter worked and now he was once again, inside the same jail cell. The black and white cat with a red nose paced back and forth in his jail cell floor wondering how he ended up here again. The only light in the cell was provided by a small lamp, which reflected off Sylth’s sunglasses, the ones attached to his helmet.

“Just great… I risk one of my nine lives to save the Universe, not to mention the planet of that “yellow canary face”, and he locks me up again!” –He growled angrily.

“Maybe he had a reason for doing that, Sylth Vester… or don’t you remember that you told my ex-general how to use the Royal Scepter and where the Royal Jewel could be found?” –Zadavia said quietly as she appeared from out of the shadows, surprising Sylth Vester.

“Sufferin’ succotash, why do people always do that to me?! People appear from out of nowhere, scaring the life out of me!” –Sylth said still shaking and panting with fright

Zadavia was wearing her usual red and light purple suit. But this time, unlike when she appeared, she had her face hidden by her hood, making her look like an outlaw from the old western movies. When Sylth looked at the figure of his visitor, he immediately recognized her, as the benefactor of the Loonatics, and he was a little bit curious, if not puzzled by her visit.

“I’m sorry if I scared you, but I needed to talk to you, Sylth. Do you think you can spare me a minute of your precious time?” –She said mildly.

“Sure! As you can see, I’m not going anywhere, so be my guest. And by the way, I didn’t forget what happened, and I know I almost screwed up everything, when I told that guy about the scepter, but you got to admit that being surrounded by giant robots makes you do stupid things, even if you don’t want to do them.” –He said in a sorrowful voice, as he moved to stand at the cell bars.

“Look, I know how you feel, locked up in that cell because I was exiled from my home planet. This must be very difficult for you especially after what happened a few days ago. Tell me Sylth, why did you help “my” Loonatics in their battle against Deuce in Wormhole Central?” –She asked softly.

“Well, first I helped them because I saw that as an opportunity of getting out of this cell and also because I had plans to disappear without a trace when I had the first opportunity, but then we found “canary face” and that guy wanted to conquer the galaxy, not to mention the entire Universe…Well... I just saw that as a way to prove that I could be a good guy. You know… I never wanted to be a bad guy, but I was raised like that, and there are some things you can’t fight against.” –He sighed.

“But tell me… when the battle was over and you told my brother and me that you had also changed, were you telling the truth? Before you answer that, let me tell you, I can sense when someone is hiding or lying about something.” –Zadavia warned him while she watched the huge black and white cat through the cell bars closely.

Silence hung heavy over them both for a few minutes. The only thing that both of them could hear was each other’s breathing. Zadavia waited patiently for Sylth Vester to think carefully about his answer. She could tell he was taking her seriously when she demanded an honest response.

Finally, he took a breath and said seriously: “Well, I think yes. You see, when I started to fight by the Loonatics side, I felt like I was a part of something special, if you know what I mean. It may sound a little strange coming from a guy who has had an arm injured from getting stuck in a particle accelerator, all his back teeth pulled out, a lack of fur on his belly from being dipped in molecular acid and finally, a severely disfigured face from being sucked into a black hole and on top of all that being given a contract to eliminate a bird that he would suddenly get a chance to do good. But when you finally have the opportunity of proving that you’re not as bad as you look or people think you are and you’re treated like part of a team, which feels really good. That’s why I said I had changed too… Unfortunately for me, that “bird brain” didn’t believe me.” –Sylth said in irritation, as he contemplated one of his many injuries.

Zadavia was hoping to hear something that proved to her that Sylth Vester wasn’t such a bad cat, but she never thought that he would be sincere to the point, of telling her what he felt when he was fighting on the good guys’ side. When she heard that confession from him, Zadavia knew that she was right from the beginning about Slyth, and that he would make a fine addition to the team.

She pushed her hood back and revealed her blonde hair and sparkling eyes. Her eyes and warm expression told Sylth that she believed he was sincere and had told the truth. She moved closer to the bars and a small smile appeared.

“I do believe in you, Sylth, and I have a proposition for you…” –She began softly.

“What kind of a proposition, are we talking about?” –He interrupted nervously, suspicious of her.

“You said you felt like you were a part of something special when you fought with the Loonatics. So let me explain what my plans are and your part in them if you choose to be. I don’t know if you aware of it, but I’m going back to my home planet to rule as the new queen, but before I go, I want to give a special gift to the Loonatics, to show that they really are very dear to me. That gift will be the addition of some new members for their team. They will help them fight against evil in the galaxy. The proposition I’m making is this... would you like to be the first recruit?” –Zadavia asked him seriously.

“What do I get out of this if I accept your offer? It’s nothing personal, but last time I accepted something, I ended up inside the belly of a huge Gossamerian, and it took me a whole week to get out of there.” –He said shuddering from the memory.

“First of all, I’ll make sure that you get out of this prison and that your criminal record is completely erased… permanently. You’ll work with Ace and the rest of the Loonatics, as well as the other new members that I’m going to recruit and of course, you’ll receive a set of powers. But you have to behave yourself, because if you don’t, I can always find someone who’s willing to accept your place. So… are you interested?” –She asked.

“Of course I’m interested! I’ll do anything to get out of this place. Tell me, when do I get my set of powers?” –Sylth asked anxiously like a kid with a brand new toy.

Not until I find the other members. Until then, you must honor your part of the deal. You have to be a good cat, stay out of trouble and learn to work with the rest of the team. Remember, I chose you because I sense that you have a good heart and that you have the spirit of a noble warrior inside you. Prove my faith in you!” –She warned him. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I still have to find a few more recruits… and don’t worry, I gave instructions to the guards to come and release you. They will escort to my lodgings at the palace.” –Zadavia said, as she put her hood over her head and disappeared in the shadows.