“I’m-reaaaaaal-sorry-Tech, really,” Rev pleaded, huddled in the cage that had fallen down on him. A few feet away, Duck was trapped in another confine, looking as sulky as Rev was apologetic.

“Yeah, about as sorry as Melvin when he nearly turned Acmetropolis into a checkerboard,” Duck muttered, shaking the bars of the cage. “Why am I in here? I didn’t do anything!”

“You were in here at the time that Rev intruded, thus the computer trapped you as well,” Tech said smoothly, typing in the code to release his two avian teammates. Duck scowled.

“Ahh, phooey. I’m innocent, I tells ya, innocent!” he protested, rattling the bars again. “I’ve been framed! Falsely incriminated! Wrongly accused of crimes and misdeeds! Erroneously blamed-”

“All right, all right! We get it,” Tech said as the cages pulled up into trapdoors set in the ceiling. “I didn’t know you even knew what erroneously meant,” he added as Rev jumped up, free at last.

“Well, I do. So there,” Duck replied, blowing a raspberry before quacking out of sight. Tech sighed as he collapsed into a chair, while Rev ran circles around him.

“Wheeeeeeeeeee-I’m-out-again!”

“Please stop touching my stuff,” muttered Tech, turning to his computer.

“Sure-thing, pal! You-have-my-word! I-am-now-totally-honor-bound-to-your-”

“Enough already!” Tech groaned, rubbing his eyes wearily.

“Somethin’-wrong, Tech, ol’-buddy?” Rev asked, noticing his exhaustion. “Didn’t-get-much-sleep?”

“Not for the last three nights – I’ve been having weird dreams…”

“Maybe-you-should-have-a-dream-catcher?” Rev suggested.

“They exist?” Tech barely took notice to Rev’s offer as he slumped in his chair. “Where to find…”

“Need-to-find-something?”

“No, no, never mind…” Tech shook his head, trying to clear the vivid image of the murky Boulevard from his mind.

“If-you-say-so,” Rev said simply before zooming away.

Maybe it was just a weird dream…a really real dream, thought Tech to himself as he reset the security system.

Or maybe it wasn’t a dream? You ever consider that?

And now I’m talking to myself! Tech shook his head as he exited his lab. I seriously need more sleep…

Oh, fine, pretend I’m a side effect of schizophrenia! the voice said, offended. Danny wouldn’t be like this! Well…yes, he would, actually…but that’s not the point!

Tech stopped in his tracks and blinked. Okay, what?

Don’t you remember me? the voice said, sounding disappointed. Don’t you remember the Boulevard?

The...Boulevard?

-

“When I was a young girl, my father took me into the city to see a marching band…”

Tech blinked and turned around. Nobody was behind him.

“Hello?” he called out hesitantly. “Anyone there?”

-

“Do I have a broken dream? Is that why I’m here?” Tech asked curiously. “And what about you? You don’t seem to be broken…”

The girl’s smile faltered for a flicker of a moment, but she merely pulled her black coat around her more tightly. “I’m here to help these people get out,” she answered, looking up at the moon. “And you’re here to help me.”

-

“Well…if we’re working together,” Tech said tentatively, “I’ll need to know your name.”

“My…name?” The girl blinked. “Do I really need one?”

“Don’t you have one?”

-

Tech was jolted out of his reverie as a giant walking sandwich bumped into his arm.

“Oop. Sorry, Tech,” apologized Slam, peeking around his breakfast, which was nearly twice as big as he was. “I not see you.”

“Ah- no, it’s my fault, Slam, I wasn’t…paying attention,” said Tech quickly, stepping out of his large teammate’s path. Those memories…

See, you do remember! said the voice, delighted, as Slam lumbered along. Silly Tech, pretending not to remember.

Wait – you’re the girl with no name, thought Tech. The one who asked me to help…

And I’m here to help you help! The voice sounded pleased. I’m a happy helper, I like helping you-

But where do I start? interrupted Tech. I have no idea who any of those…Residents are!

That’s why I’m here! And with your technology, it won’t be hard to find the Residents at all.

Tech opened the door to his room. Well…I still need some form of information to find them.

As soon as he finished talking – or rather, thinking, his computer sprang to life. The keyboard keys pressed down by themselves – or like an invisible person was typing. Soon, a full profile sprang up. Tech approached the console hesitantly, then carefully moved the mouse, afraid of something stopping him. When no ghost or spirit grabbed his wrist or anything of the sort, he slowly scrolled down the page.

“Mindy Nurse…is this the person I’m looking for?” Tech wondered aloud, grasping a small notebook and a nearby pen and scribbling down information.

Exactly. This is what’s going to happen – I’ll give you the names of the Residents, you go help them.

And how many Residents are there, exactly?

Um…a lot?

Oh, joy, Tech thought sarcastically as he grabbed a black and green jumpsuit. Won’t this be fun.

If you really don’t want to-

Of course I do! I can’t just leave all those people in that…that place!

The voice was silent for a moment as Tech quickly changed into his uniform and headed out.

“Goin’ somewhere, Tech?” Ace asked as the resident genius as he walked toward the elevator.

“I won’t be long…hopefully,” he added to himself.

“Well, make sure you keep your communicator on – never know what or when somethin’ might happen,” reminded the rabbit, leaving the room.

“I’ll do that,” Tech called back as the metal doors closed in front of him. The elevator descended smoothly and came to the bottom floor with a quiet ding.

So…you are helping? asked the voice hesitantly.

If I wasn’t, would I be looking for Mindy Nurse? Tech replied, and the voice fell silent again.

Ding. The elevator doors slid open and Tech stepped out, activating something on his communicator. A few moments later, the holographic equivalent of a laptop screen with six separate running programs emerged from the five-sided control on the side of his wrist protector.

Oooh, what’s that?

Holographic computer screen, touch sensitive, with voice recognizing capabilities, thought Tech, a note of pride in his would-be voice. State-of-the-art, and I designed and built it myself.

Does it run on a nuclear, solar, or chemical cell? the voice asked curiously. Tech grinned.

You know your technology, he thought as he walked towards a bus stop. Nuclear cell, titanium shielding, steel overcoat, solar backup…

I think chemical would work as a better backup, but then solar backup’s always good if you’re traveling outside a lot… The voice trailed off, humming quietly as they waited for the bus.

The backup cell is one of my own invention, Tech thought as the bus arrived. Forty-nine percent efficiency. Of course, he added modestly as he took a seat, it’s still not as efficient as I hoped. Forty-nine percent – well, I could do better…

He was interrupted by giggling coming from behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted a group of girls sitting at the back of the bus laughing and pointing at him.

“You ask him!” a girl with a long chestnut ponytail urged her friend sitting next to her.

“No, you!” the second girl whispered back, nervously pulling a lock of dirty blonde hair, but giggling all the while.

“I’ll do it!” A third girl stood up, getting up and making her way to where Tech was sitting.

Oh, no.

“Acme Asylum,” announced a cool female voice from the ceiling speakers. The bus slowly came to a stop next to a large, white building. Tech quickly got off the bus, glad to have a reason not to talk to what must have been another cluster of fangirls.

Who were they? the voice questioned.

Fangirls, most likely. I seem to be getting a lot of them. Tech sighed as he approached the asylum.

Oh, the voice said simply.

How am I going to help her? Tech asked as he walked through the double doors.

I’ll help you, the voice assured as Tech moved toward the main desk.

“I’m here to see Mindy Nurse?”

A nurse, dressed in a simple white uniform, looked up. “Mindy Nurse? I’ll take you to her. Are you here to…visit her?”

Tech smiled grimly. “More like a business trip…”

“She won’t respond positively,” the nurse warned Tech as they walked down the halls. “We’ve been trying these last six months to cure her, but…”

They reached a door labeled ‘High Ward’. The nurse entered a numerical code into a keypad next to the doorknob, triggering a small camera to pop out of the wall. It extended to her eye level, clicked, whirred, withdrew, and the doorknob hissed and turned itself, opening the door. They walked all the way down the hall to the very last glass-walled cell, where a girl with blonde hair was slumped against the wall.

“Mindy? Someone’s here to see you…business, he says…” The nurse backed away. “Good luck with her,” she muttered to Tech before leaving the hallway.

Mindy fixed Tech with a blank, cold stare. Half her face was covered with her hair. “What do you want? Come to fix my will?”

“Ah…” Tech hesitated.

Ask her why she’s here, the voice hissed.

“I’d just like to know… why are you here?”

“I’m a homicidal maniac. Why else?” Mindy replied shortly. Tech winced.

Okay…so she’s a homicidal maniac. What now?

Ask her why she’s a homicidal maniac, the voice replied promptly.

“Why…er…why are you a homicidal maniac?” Tech asked uncertainly.

“Killed people looking for the lady who put my mom in the hospital. Never got the right one. I suppose I got punishment enough,” she added as an afterthought. “Even without heading for the electric chair.”

“Punishment?” Despite himself, Tech was curious. “What do you mean?”

Mindy glared at him, then swept away her hair, revealing the rest of her face.

It was not a pretty sight.

All the skin on the left side of her face had been torn away, leaving everything else – blood vessels, eyeball, bones – behind. A crack was clearly visible running across a bone. Despite this, everything was functioning perfectly.

“The same woman who hurt my mother sent a robot after me, to collect my inheritance…I took it out, but it took half my face. That was my punishment for looking for revenge… Lucky Elmyra was there, or I wouldn’t’ve made it.”

“Who’s Elmyra?”

Mindy pointed to the cell behind Tech. Another girl was here, huddled in the corner. A bow decorated with a skull was perched in her hair. She seemed to be sniffling.

By the way, that’s another Resident living here, the voice said, very quietly, as though afraid that people might overhear.

Thanks for telling me, Tech replied sarcastically. How am I supposed to help both at once?

Take your time…if it’s too much, I’ll handle some of it, the voice said reassuringly.

“Back to the point…” Mindy tapped the glass wall, bringing Tech’s attention back to her. “Why are you here? Are you another one of those lawyers?”

“Lawy- of course not!” Tech said, surprised. “Why would I be a lawyer? Truthfully, the law career path doesn’t appeal to me…”

“Weeks and weeks, they’ve been coming in, trying to sort out my ‘business’… I bet she sent them…” muttered Mindy.

“What happened to your mom?” Tech said quickly, not wanting to hear about more lawyers.

“Go find out for yourself! Why are you asking me all this?” said Mindy, clearly irritated.

Because we felt like it, said the voice sarcastically.

“Er…I think I’ve got enough information…thanks for your time,” Tech said, getting up.

That went well, the voice said brightly as they left the building. ,i>I suppose you know what to do?

I’ve already done it. Tech’s holographic laptop was on again, this time displaying a page from the Acme First Hospital. Jane Nurse, in the long-term ward, due to a dose of glutonium in her body, which was suspected to be a murder attempt…

Where are we going? the voice asked sharply. We’re heading back for the tower, that’s not where Acme First Hospital is…

But it is where the only source of glutonium antidote is, Tech replied.

Ohhhhhh.

However, getting to the antidote wasn’t as easy as visiting Mindy. Upon arriving at the top floor, he found a very large group of squealing, giggling fangirls.

Needless to say, Tech was not able to reach the glutonium antidote for a while.

“Heeeeey, Tech, I-know-you-said-not-to-touch-your-stuff, but-I-kinda-did-anyway, but-I-didn’t-get-trapped-this-time, so-is-it-okay-if-I-just-used-your-lab?” Rev said the moment Tech locked the door behind him.

“Yeah…yeah, go ahead,” he panted, leaning against the wall. Outside, he could hear Ace and Lexi shepherding the crowd away, though, by the sound of it, a few had jumped on Ace.

“I’m-just-going-to-replicate-some-glutonium-antidotes-”

“No, wait, I need that!” Tech said suddenly.

Rev blinked. “But-this-is-the-last-sample-left,” he said, holding up the little blue tube. “That’s-why-I-was-going-to-make-more.”

Tech blinked as well. “Oh. Well, hurry up, I need some.”

“But-your-replication-machine-takes-fifteen-hours-to-process, give-or-take.”

Tech slapped his forehead and groaned. “The upgrade! I forgot to upgrade it!”

“Weren’t-you-going-to-do-that-today?” Rev asked, placing the sample in a small, complicated-looking silver machine.

“I was…I had…business to attend to,” Tech muttered.

“Well, it’s-already-replicating, so…kinda-too-late-to-upgrade-it-now,” said Rev, grinning.

Aww…fifteen hours?

Yes, fifteen hours, Tech thought impatiently. How am I going to-

I never said you had a time-limit, you know, the voice said enduringly.

WHRRRRRRRRRRRCSSH.

Tech wheeled around to see Rev, standing slightly hunched over, in a cage.

“Rev!”

“I’m-reaaaaaal-sorry-Tech, really!”