Bushroot woke on New Years Day feeling optimistic. These last few weeks with his new friends had been the best of his life. He didn't dare call them his friends out loud yet, though. He was afraid it was too soon, especially for Darkwing. The trial period was nowhere near over yet and Darkwing was still skeptical.

Bushroot never thought he would like Darkwing and Launchpad, but he didn't like anything much before. He'd been bitter and angry. His loneliness had made him hate everything and everyone. The plants and trees had been his only friends because they never hurt him.

An image of Heather popped into his head and his optimism dimmed a little. He wished things could have been different with her. But this was a new year. Maybe somehow he would make things right with her. He only hoped he would eventually be able to convince her to give him a chance.

Negaduck and the Liquidator had arranged for Bushroot and Heather to become friends when they'd had psychic powers a few weeks ago. Heather's X-husband was in jail. She didn't want to get mixed up with another criminal. She had a son to think about and she couldn't do that to him. Max had been taken to jail while Heather watched. She didn't want to go through that again herself, never mind making Marvin go through it again.

As far as Bushroot knew, he was the only one who knew their meeting was rigged and that Negaduck had planned to use Heather to get Bushroot to do what he wanted. Bushroot never wanted to be evil in the first place. Now, thanks to Launchpad and Darkwing, he was getting a second chance. He wondered if Heather would ever give him one, too. He had helped her get the divorce that her husband had been fighting. He hoped that would work in his favor once he was able to prove himself. But even if he never saw Heather again, he would never go back to being evil. He liked himself better this way. He was much happier and he had people that could be true friends.

Bushroot was amazed at what a difference a few weeks made. He had learned a lot since the day of his arraignment, not only about friendship and goodness, but about himself. He talked for hours about his childhood and his adult life before he became a plant. Launchpad was a good listener. Bushroot felt more comfortable talking to him than to Darkwing because Darkwing still had his doubts about Bushroot. When Bushroot asked certain questions, Darkwing would give him strange looks. One or both of his eyebrows would go up and he would sometimes accompany the look with a sarcastic remark under his breath. Launchpad would answer patiently, while Darkwing was clearly thinking "I can't believe you have to ask."

Even Christmas hadn't been lonely for Bushroot this year. Launchpad and Gosalyn had come over for a few hours, and Gosalyn had even brought her father, Drake. He was a nice guy.

They had a snowball fight, Launchpad and Bushroot against Drake and Gosalyn. The four of them had laughed and teased each other, and Drake and Gos won the fight.

Bushroot smiled, thinking that since Christmas, Darkwing had been friendlier and seemed to finally be warming up to him. He hadn't made a wisecrack about villainous vegetables once in the past week. He had even stopped doing that thing with his eyebrows. Maybe he had talked with Drake, Launchpad and Gosalyn about Bushroot's good behavior on Christmas Day. Bushroot thought it wouldn't be long before Darkwing would start to trust him, even if only a little.

"Escape alert!" The alarms went off at the same time the urgent call came over the loudspeaker. "Escape alert! Max Aubrey and the Fearsome Four have escaped! Call out the dogs and put the prison in lockdown mode!"

"Call out the dogs?" Max asked from their hiding place behind a huge bush just outside the prison gates. "Why do they think a pack of dogs can stop you guys, especially since one of you is one?"

"They don't have a clue," Negaduck scoffed. "I've lost count of how many times they've locked us up, only to have us escape again. No jail can hold the Fearsome-" he paused, about to say "five," but the pause was barely noticeable. "Four."

"When are you gonna tell us who you're thinking about getting to replace Bushroot, Negaduck?" Quackerjack asked. His whiny voice set Max's teeth on edge, but he was an OK guy. They all were, for hardened criminals. Max liked hardened criminals; he was one himself, and he planned to get harder.

"Shut up!" Negaduck said sharply. "Do you want any of the cops to hear us? We need to find a hideout first, then I'm going to talk to them alone. If they want in, I'll bring them back to the hideout and introduce you."

Max had come to like these guys since he'd befriended them a week ago. After Bushroot, was released into Darkwing Duck's custody, Max had heard them talking about how they were going to get back at him for turning traitor. He liked guys who wanted revenge; he wanted to get even with a few people himself, including Bushroot.

These four were ruthless, especially Negaduck. Max thought Negaduck was the most dangerous of all of them, which also made him the most useful. They were also very creative. "Of course," Max thought, "I'd probably be creative, too, if I had their powers. Bushroot was a fool. Why in the world would he want to be good when he could get anything he wanted just by teaming up with these guys? They were one of the most powerful evil teams in Saint Canard, and Bushroot had been a member, but he'd thrown it away.

Max's mood darkened. Bushroot had thrown away his association with Negaduck and the others because of Max's wife, heather. That guy had a lot to answer for. Max couldn't wait to meet up with him again.

They had had to escape today in particular because the Four's trial was tomorrow. It had taken time for Max to convince them that he could be trusted. His main reason for liking them was that he could be himself around them. They knew they could trust him, but they also knew he'd betray them in a second if something better came along.

He had arranged for the Beagle Boys to help them escape. They would come to Saint Canard and commit a minor crime that would land them in jail for only a few hours. The distraction of new criminals would get the cops off their backs long enough for them to pull off the escape. Ma Beagle was waiting with a getaway car. In return for their help, Max and his new friends would help the Beagles rob Scrooge McDuck's money bin. The Beagles weren't sure they could depend on Max; his plan to rob Glomgold had failed. But they had heard of the Fearsome Five, and even though they were short a member now, they were still a formidable team. Max managed to convince Ma Beagle that with the Fearsome Four, five if the person Negaduck wanted to recruit would agree to join, on their side, Scrooge McDuck didn't have a chance.

After his last failed job, Max had promised himself he would stick to the small fries, but he was used to breaking promises. Breaking a promise to himself, though, would be a new experience. He only hoped it wouldn't come back to haunt him.

Negaduck didn't tell anyone what he was planning because he didn't want anyone messing things up. Max would be a good ally, but he would never be a member of the Fearsome Five because he had no super powers. Negaduck actually had two people in mind. He was impatient to get things started, and one of his potential team members was easier to reach than the other, so he would talk to her first. Besides being more accessible, Negaduck thought she would be easier to control than his other potential recruit. He might eventually replace her with his other prospect, but she would do for now.

Negaduck hated to admit it, even to himself, but he was more than a little afraid to meet the other criminal. He was even more dangerous than Negaduck, and that was saying a lot! But Negaduck also admired him and wanted to be more like him. If villains could have heroes, this person would be Negaduck's. He would even be willing to let him take over as leader if he joined the Fearsome Five. Realistically, though, Negaduck had to admit that his chances of getting this particular villain to join the Fearsome Five were slim to none. He would most likely refuse, unless he felt he didn't have a choice, or the Five suited his purposes for a very compelling reason. Negaduck thought he could offer him that incentive, and it would benefit all of them, including Max. If Negaduck could ever meet this guy and get him on their side, he could have the ultimate revenge on Darkwing and the Justice Ducks. He could also have his revenge on Bushroot by getting rid of Darkwing and Launchpad. Those two do-gooders had agreed to help Bushroot betray Negaduck. They were all going to have to learn that betraying Negaduck was never acceptable.

He grinned evilly to himself as the getaway car pulled up and they all ran for it. Fortunately for all of them, the cops hadn't thought to look here yet. "Saint Canard cops," Negaduck thought sarcastically. "How did they ever pass the Police Academy? Well, that'll just make it easier for us to pull this off." He had promised Max and the rest of his team members that this would be a year filled with victories for all of them. Whatever it took, he intended to keep that promise.

Heather wasn't sure what woke her, but something didn't feel right. She went to check on Marvin. He was fine. He should be waking up in about half an hour.

She went downstairs, where her mother was making breakfast.

"Good morning, Dear," Elizabeth said cheerfully. ""The coffee's done and I have-" she broke off, registering the worried look on Heather's face. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure. I just have this feeling something bad is going to happen."

"Well, you've had a very stressful time lately. You're probably just reacting to everything that happened with Max and Reggie. But this is a new year; things are bound to get better now."

Heather hoped so. She didn't need anymore trouble. Max had finally given her the divorce she'd been fighting for and she had narrowly avoided getting involved with another criminal. But Reggie was different from Max; he had helped get her the divorce. Max claimed Reggie had only talked to him, but Heather couldn't shake the feeling that he'd done something more drastic to get Max to divorce her. But she also couldn't shake the feeling that Reggie was more a victim of circumstance than a truly evil person. The mental argument had been raging for weeks.

"Mom's probably right," she thought. "I can't go looking for trouble. I'm probably just stressed out."

She decided this was going to be a good year for her and Marvin. She was going to get on with her life and forget that Max Aubrey and Reggie Bushroot ever existed. Marvin had been the only good thing to come out of her marriage. She still had him, and she was going to give him the best life possible.

The Flashquack landed beside Drake, startling him awake.

"Huh?" he asked, jumping up. "What ? Where?"

He saw the Flashquack on his pillow and picked it up. It contained an urgent message for Darkwing to call J Gander ASAP.

Launchpad and Gosalyn were still asleep. Drake went to the tower and changed, then called J Gander.

"What's up, J Gander?"

"The Fearsome, uh, four, have escaped police custody. Apparently they have new allies. The Beagle Boys helped them, and another prisoner named Max Aubrey, escape just this morning, about an hour ago."

Darkwing frowned. There was something about the name Max Aubrey that was familiar. He knew who the Beagle Boys were, and LP knew them personally. He had helped his old boss defeat them countless times. But what was it about the name Max Aubrey? He felt like he should know it from somewhere.

"What do you know about this Aubrey character?" Darkwing asked J Gander.

"He's helped the Beagle Boys before. He was sent to prison for helping them try to rob Flintheart-"

"Glomgold!" Darkwing finished, excited. That was where he'd heard the name before. The woman who owned the house before them said Max Aubrey was her daughter's husband. Hadn't she said her daughter's name was Heather? Could that be the same Heather that had rejected Bushroot? Darkwing tried to think back to the night of the psychic war. Had Heather given her last name? No, but hadn't she mentioned the name Max? He would have to talk to Bushroot.

Darkwing suddenly remembered that he'd never removed the homing device from Negaduck's hat. If Negaduck hadn't found it, he could track him and find their hideout.

"Don't worry, J Gander. Darkwing Duck is on the case!"

He disconnected, then checked the homing device. Negaduck's yellow tracker dot was still active. He needed to wake Launchpad immediately, but not until after he put the coffee on. He needed to wake himself up, too.

"LP, wake up!" Darkwing said urgently, shaking Launchpad's shoulder.

"Huh?" Launchpad asked sleepily. His eyes opened a little, just enough to see Darkwing. "DW? Why are yah still in costume?"

"I just changed; the Flashquack woke me up! We need to get going; we have a case! The Fearsome Four have escaped!"

Launchpad's eyes popped the rest of the way open.

"Do you think they'll come after Bushroot?"

"I hadn't thought of that, but it's possible. We'll have to warn him, and I need to ask him about something, too. Come downstairs and help me with breakfast; I've got the coffee on already."

Launchpad had to grin. DW wasn't acting like he needed coffee. He had a case, which automatically excited him more than caffeine could, but like a lot of people, he always needed that first cup of coffee in the morning.

"They've got help this time," DW said as he poured his coffee. "Some guy named Max Aubrey, and the Beagle Boys."

"The Beagle Boys!"

"Yeah, and I'll need to ask you about them; I know you've had a lot of experience with them. But some thing about the name Max Aubrey bothers me. It feels like I should know it. I have a feeling it has to do with that woman Bushroot liked."

"Heather, yeah. She said she and Marvin deserved better than to get involved with another criminal. She said she saw Marvin's father dragged off to jail and didn't want to go through that again."

"Marvin, yeah! I couldn't remember whether she'd actually mentioned the name Max."

"I don't think so, but she definitely said Marvin. Remember the lady who owned this house before us?"

"That's what I was thinking; it's her family, isn't it?"

"Too many coincidences; they have to be the same people."

"Didn't she say they lived on Redwing Road?"

"Yeah."

"I think we should go talk to them."

"Bushroot's gonna wanna help."

"But if they're gonna come after him-"

"All the more reason to let him help. He cares about Heather and Marvin and he'll need to know what he's up against so he can protect himself better. He's got a lot more to deal with now than just the Five. I mean, the Four. I don't know about this Max guy, but the Beagles are mean. They've even kidnapped Huey, Dewey and Louie to get what they want from Mr. McD. They took Doofus once, too, so I wouldn't turn them into the cops."

"They would hurt kids? How old is Marvin?"

"Mrs. Fern said Marvin was born about a week before we came to see the house, so he must be a little over a year now."

"Looks like we've got our work cut out for us," Darkwing said thoughtfully.

Launchpad saw the look in DW's eyes that meant he was up for a challenge. He could almost see the adrenalin rushing through DW's body. Launchpad thought he should be more worried about facing all these enemies without more backup than he was, but his knowledge of the Beagle Boys made him feel more confident. These were not only villains he'd faced and beaten before he knew DW, but they were also not very bright. Also, Darkwing and Launchpad had a former Fearsome Five member on their side now. He was reasonably sure they'd have this business wrapped up and the crooks back in jail before the Five's trial tomorrow. Neither of them had any idea that things were about to get more complicated.