The Dirty Near Dozen
Author's notes: The unfinished story that DND is based on, The Dirty Half Dozen, was written by Auburn Red, who has graciously allowed me to adopt the plot. There are some major differences between the original story and DND, in part because new characters will always alter a pre-existing plot.
Episode One: Alliances, Part One
Wake up. Eat. One hour of exercise out in the exercise yard. Stare at four gray walls. This was the daily routine that now made up Dawn Bellwether's existence. She heaved a despondent sigh as she lay on her side on her cot at Alpacatraz Correctional Center, located on the small island that the prison was named for. She supposed it was better than being out among the general population. She didn't fit in with these vulgar females, hardened by years of prison life, and for the ones who were predators, the diminutive sheep was a walking target. Dawn had heard that one of the herbivore prison gangs was so impressed by her scheme to smear predators using the Night Howlers that they were more than willing to offer her their protection. With the entire prison threatening to explode into a violent gang war and her life on the line, she'd been quickly moved to solitary confinement.
Thirty more years of this until she went before a parole board to plea for her freedom. She didn't know how long she was going to last in here. She even missed the cramped little broom closet Mayor Lionheart had made her use as an office.
Not feeling up to reading the new book she'd gotten from the prison library, Dawn tried to shut her eyes and sleep. That was when a bright light began shining through her eyelids, prompting her to reopen her eyes. A strange white light was filling her cell. Puzzled as to its source, she sat up, growing increasingly alarmed as the light steadily grew brighter and brighter before appearing to consume everything in sight.
Warp Darkmatter surveyed the destruction of the city. Pungent trails of smoke drifted into the air from the barrels of the Hornets' blasters, causing him to gag even through his helmet. Buildings swayed before crumbling into rubble from the power of the robots' attacks. Red-hot flames from the fires had caused the sky to turn blood-red, and people were running in all directions. It was complete and utter chaos. Evil Emperor Zurg wasn't going to like it.
Not the destruction, no. Rather, Warp had failed to catch Team Lightyear earlier that morning on Ryklon, the planet Zurg had ordered him to and which he was now witnessing the razing of. Team Lightyear had foiled Zurg's plans yet again. Warp had barely managed to escape with his life during that little escapade – a secret weapon Zurg had been working on, a giant laser cannon, was sabotaged by Team Lightyear and imploded as a result, taking out the entire base with it. Not that Zurg actually cared about any of his agents' lives. The former Space Ranger regretted returning to Zurg empty-handed, and swallowed heavily at what the evil tyrant would say, or rather, what he'd do. He wondered if it wasn't too late to leave Zurg's employ.
Warp laughed at the idea. How? In the first place, no one just left Zurg's forces and lived. Besides, where would he go? Back to Star Command, where he wouldn't be welcomed back anyways and was already branded a traitor at best, and be thought of as second to Mr. Buzz "Wonderful" Lightyear at worst? Back to his home planet? No way! No, he had too much pride for any of those. 'Best get back to work.' the Saphiran/human thought.
A low, faint moan from nearby caught his attention. Warp glanced over at an alien woman crouched among the remains of a bombed-out shop, cradling a baby. She had obviously fallen trying to protect it. She raised her head to look at Warp, her dusty face smudged with tears.
"Let me help you." Warp sneered, changing his cybernetic left arm into its blaster mode and setting it to "Kill."
The woman only glared back with an exhausted fury as he aimed the weapon at her. The baby moaned a little.
Warp faltered. Something about this woman reminded him of himself when he was young, wandering aimlessly and unwanted with no family to look out for him. "Sorry lady." He softly said. "We've all suffered."
He lowered his blaster and didn't look at the woman and baby again. He was about to give the Hornets the signal to fall back when a strange light hit him. Spinning around, he could see the light, which didn't appear to have any visible source as far as he could tell, forming a portal. Deciding that he didn't want to stick around to find out what was happening, Warp started to run the other way, but suddenly found himself unable to move.
"Craters!" Warp cursed as the portal sucked him in.
Mozenrath and Aladdin faced each other from across the cavern, their handsome faces twisted in fury. Then Mozenrath was rushing forward, his right arm out and ready to snatch up a handful of the numerous magical scrolls off one of the bookshelves there in the cavern with them. Any one of these ancient writings would help restore him to full power, and he wasn't about to let some street rat stand in his way. He'd spent countless weeks traveling the Seven Deserts just to reach this underground cave.
But moving with his superior speed and agility, Aladdin darted by, yanking the scrolls out of Mozenrath's grasp as he did. Stopping, he glanced back at his longtime nemesis. "You're not getting any of them, Mozenrath!"
"You're so predictable, hero -" Mozenrath shot back, voice dripping with sarcasm. Raising his gauntleted left hand in the air, he unleashed a blast of magical energy powerful enough to knock over the heavy shelf. "But I'm not!" The wizard finished just as the shelf fell on Aladdin with a titanic crash.
Striding over, Mozenrath examined the mess. Aladdin was out cold on the cave floor, the scrolls scattered around him. Leaning over, Mozenrath felt for the younger man's pulse. Still alive, damn!
"I'll deal with you later." Mozenrath told him. "Now, let's take a look at my prize." He picked up one of the yellowed scrolls, and unrolling it, began to read. "One tablespoon of flour, one teaspoon of brown sugar, one cup of butter... Bake until golden brown?!" He threw the parchment aside in disgust. Aladdin and his accursed Genie had tricked him! He raised his gauntlet once more, ready to kill the man lying at his feet.
Suddenly though, all anger and hatred drained from him, and Mozenrath began to think more rationally. He had never killed anyone before - not like this anyways, helpless and unable to fight. It would be so pointless when all he had to do was hold Aladdin prisoner. Princess Jasmine and the street rat's little band of friends would do anything to get him back alive and unharmed.
"Hey Al, where are you?" The voice of the Genie suddenly echoed through the tunnel.
Mozenrath prepared to attack. He was momentarily taken by surprise though when a brilliant white light blinded him. The wizard mentally called his magic to him, trying to fight against this strange magic that he could feel devouring him…
Large ears canted back, Lil' Lightning glared sullenly down at the bowl of unidentifiable brown goop an employee had just shoved into his cage before moving onto the next cage. At one time he ate only the best dog foods available on the market, to say nothing of the heavenly gourmet dog treats. Once, Lightning had been a real movie star – well okay, a co-star, but still!
The Pembroke Welsh corgi had long since given up any hope that Royalty Studios, who produced "The Thunderbolt Action Hour" would ever come to claim him. He didn't understand why he'd been shipped off to the London pound so abruptly after that whole crazy debacle with Thunderbolt and that Patch kid. With their star missing after Lightning had seen to it that he'd be "indisposed" for awhile, the studio had used Lightning in Thunderbolt's place with no complaints. It wasn't as if Thunderbolt could have told them what Lightning had done, and neither Thunderbolt or Patch and the other dalmatians had been hurt or anything after their run-in with that crazy woman… Devil or whatever her name was. So no harm no foul, right?
Well if they didn't want him, fine. He rejected them in kind. Let them keep their precious Thunderbolt. What person didn't want a cute, well-trained little corgi like him to take home?
Only... that hadn't happened yet. And even if it did, what if the person who adopted him was mean? Or lived someplace horrible, like the desert, or a dangerous crime-ridden city? Or the frozen North?
He'd been keeping track of how long he'd been there. A whole week had passed by. It was hard to ignore the fact that there was only so much space in the pound. Overcrowding meant that they needed to get rid of dogs in order to make room for more dogs that were coming in. And Lightning knew perfectly well how they disposed of dogs. The very thought caused his heart to catch in his chest. Was he going to die here in this nasty, cramped little building, unloved and unmourned by anybody?
So consumed was Lightning by his worries and fears that he failed to pay any attention to the white light behind him until it was too late. An alarmed whimper escaped him, only to be quickly cut off as the light pulled him into nothingness.
Morgana McCawber stared down at her feet, unable to look at the ducks and the humanoid stegosaurus and fish whose eyes bored into her. She hated this, but she knew what the charge was: an old friend of hers' from Transylvania had called on an old debt Morgana owed her. This was someone she'd known from her days at Eldritch Academy. The other witch needed a suitcase of drug money smuggled out of the States. Morgana had a nice clean record. Stupidly enough she'd agreed to do it, and been caught.
"Morgana McCawber, in light of these events, we have voted to place you on a ten month probation from the Justice Ducks." Gizmoduck tried to keep his voice even, but it was tinged with apology.
Lowering her head, Morgana walked out of the building.
On the way out she heard Neptunia whisper to Stegmutt, "I knew she was trouble the moment I met her. Why doesn't she join the Fearsome Five? She belongs with them!"
The witch had made it to the parking lot when she heard a voice call to her. "Morg! Hey honeywumpus, wait up!"
Morgana stopped as Darkwing ran to her side. "Boy, this parking garage could be smaller. Morg, I'm sorry for what happened in there."
"Don't be Dark. Neptunia's right. I don't belong with you guys." Morgana said wearily.
"I don't believe that Morgana." Darkwing tried to reassure her.
Morgana looked straight at him. "Then why didn't you stand up for me?"
Darkwing faltered, realizing his girlfriend had caught onto his true feelings.
"It's all right, Dark. You were right before when you said that people never really change. It doesn't matter now. You'd better go." She turned away as Darkwing started walking back to the building, speechless.
Now all by herself, Morgana fished around in her purse for her car keys. She pulled it out, but then the key chain fell out of her hand and underneath the car.
"Damn!" Morgana swore as she bent down and reached under the car to grab it. Her mind went back to the hearing and she started to cry. Caught up in her own problems, she ignored the white light which was surrounding her.
Lucretia DeCoy hid inside the abandoned house, waiting for her pursuers to give up their search for her. Outside, she could hear Wraith and Siege's voices grow louder and more frustrated.
"I thought I saw her over here!" Siege rumbled in his deep voice. The two Saurons growled and mumbled between themselves for several more minutes as they prowled around the house. Lucretia sat where she was, rigid as a statue, not even daring to breathe for fear they might find her. She felt something crawling across her ankle –some kind of insect most likely, but all she did was bite her lip to hold in a started scream.
After what seemed like hours, Wraith called Siege over. "I no longer sense her. Come, we'd better report back to Dragaunus. I warned him that dimensional limbo couldn't hold prisoners forever!"
Lucretia waited until the voices of the two reptilian aliens died away before she jumped up and began frantically stomping, dislodging a cockroach from her pants leg which she then crushed under the heel of her boot. Earth was crawling with these gross things. She missed Puckworld. Ever since that breach in limbo had opened and she and the other prisoners there had escaped, this was how she'd been living: moving from place to place, stealing for money, sleeping on the streets, and just barely hiding from the Saurons. 'Just like everyone else on Puckworld.' She thought bitterly.
Glancing over at her reflection in a broken mirror nearby, Lucretia considered herself. Her figure was still slender and attractive, but a lack of food and hard living was beginning to make her appear emaciated. Her wavy violet hair hung in tangles. Turning away, she slipped out the back and walked out into the alleyway. Maybe someone around here had a TV or something else valuable she could steal. She avoided going out in broad daylight if possible, not wanting her enemies to notice her, and would buy food and other important items off of gang members and other criminals in exchange for the goods she bought them.
'This is what I've been reduced to,' Lucretia thought in disgust, 'Stealing other peoples' junk to survive. But,' she wondered, 'what else could I do?'
Going back to the Saurons would be suicide. She wasn't that despondent about her life - yet. 'Maybe I could join the Mighty Ducks.' She had to laugh at that idea. The Ducks would never welcome her back. She'd be lucky if they didn't have her executed too.
Lucretia decided to find another spot to hang out at, and began walking away, trying to keep to the shadows. The former spy was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the person in front of her until she bumped him.
"Hey!" The man grumbled and turned around.
Lucretia found herself looking up into the orange, ugly face of Siege.
The huge Sauron grinned menacingly at her. "Hello gorgeous!"
For a moment, Lucretia was too shocked to do anything but stammer helplessly. "Uh - I've, uh – bye!" She turned and took off running until her legs finally gave way. Her foot hit the pavement, and she fell to the hard, cold sidewalk. The ex-spy lay there gasping in pain and fear, waiting for the Saurons to catch up to her. She trembled as a white light shone down on her...
Dijon Moustard strolled down the sidewalk of the Barks City Park in Duckburg, whistling as he tried to appear totally innocuous and innocent. Occasionally he was able to get close to a target, but the person would always either walk away or see him. The scrawny little dog's stomach rumbled with hunger. He hadn't eaten in a few days, but he had no money. Dijon felt a little disappointed with himself for still having to steal to get by.
'The first step to change is to acknowledge that you have done wrong.' Dijon recalled his older brother saying.
'Easy for Poupon to say.' Dijon thought, kicking at the grass in anger. He didn't have to live on the streets of Baghdad with all the bombs and death nearby. Mama had sent him to the university to become an imam, he was lucky.
The thief could see the tall, white, red-roofed form of Scrooge McDuck's Money Bin in the distance, and his mouth began watering with delight. 'I wonder if I could find that genie?' He remembered how good it made him feel to have all that money and the power that came with it, even if only for a short time. 'Keep dreaming Dij and get back to work.' He told himself, sighing.
Dijon walked past some children who were playing baseball on the grass, a hot dog vendor, and three boys who reminded him of Mr. McDuck's nephews skateboarding, until he finally spotted a good target. Up ahead, around a bend in the sidewalk, a kangaroo couple was kissing on a park bench. The boomer had his back to Dijon, who's searching eyes picked out the edge of a brown leather wallet in the back pocket of his pants.
Dijon moved in. He acted as though he was just walking casually by them, but as he did, quickly and lightly pulled out the wallet. Wild joy welled up inside him. He couldn't believe his good fortune!
Out of the corner of her eye, the girl spotted Dijon. "Harold, that man has your wallet!" She cried, pointing at Dijon.
Her boyfriend sprang to his feet and whirled around to face Dijon. "Stop thief!"
Terrified, Dijon dropped the wallet and ran. He sprinted across the lawn and through the trees, not wanting to turn around for fear of seeing the kangaroo right behind him, or worse yet, a cop. "Allah," he prayed, "Please help me hide!" Suddenly, a white light enveloped him. Not caring what it was or where it came from, Dijon allowed it to take him.
"How are you feeling today, Robert?"
"I'm alright, doctor."
Robert Callaghan regarded the well-dressed middle-aged woman sitting across from him, his rugged face set in a mask of impassive calm. The public defender who'd been assigned to him had told him right off the bat that it'd be in his best interest to go for an insanity defense at trial. So here the former professor was, being interviewed by a forensic psychiatrist. Months ago it would've rankled him to be thought of as insane, but now he did find himself questioning his own sanity. Rational men didn't fake their deaths and run around wearing kabuki masks trying to kill children.
As the doctor continued to ask him questions, Robert knew he should be giving her his focus, but found his mind wandering instead. What was Abigail doing just then? He'd caught a glimpse of her from the back of the police car he'd been put in as the EMTs wheeled her into the back of the ambulance. He wanted so badly to see his darling girl again, hug her, hear her voice, but knew there was no hope of that happening now, not after everything he'd done. Even if the jury did accept his insanity plea, Robert was still probably going away for a very long time. That's what happened to murderers after all.
And yet… a part of him had to wonder. If he hadn't started that fire in the first place, then would he have ever discovered that Abigail had survived after all that time? That terrible question was like a Mobius strip, endlessly going around and around in his mind.
After about an hour, the interview was over with.
"Let's go." The guard commanded. Robert was escorted back to the tiny jail cell he'd been confined to for several weeks now. No bail had been set for him. The shackles restraining his wrists and ankles made movement difficult. He was relieved when the guard removed them.
As the cell door was shut and the guard left him without another word, Robert stood there staring blankly out into the corridor for a moment before turning slowly towards his cot. Before, he had had thoughts of vengeance to preoccupy his mind, but lately he'd felt so tired. These days, most of his time was dedicated to either thinking about what he had done or sleeping.
That's when it happened. It was like somebody suddenly aimed a spotlight right at his face. Robert's first instinct was to shield his eyes and back away. Where was all this light coming from all of a sudden? Wait - was it actually pulling him towards it? "What -!"
He made a desperate grab for the leg of his cot, but his hands were ripped away as the white light sucked him on in.
With no moon to light anything, the African savannah was pitch black - a perfect time to steal into the Pridelands for a hunt. Pickings in the Outlands were lean, and the hyenas had been forced to roam further and further from their home turf in search of suitable prey. Shenzi wasn't having it anymore. Why should they have to wander so far when there was a thriving green territory with plenty of tasty animals right next door?
She, Banzai, and Ed were tearing voraciously into a zebra they'd just brought down. Shenzi relished the taste of fresh meat. She glanced over at Banzai and Ed, who were also chewing in satisfaction. None of them wanted to waste time talking as they wolfed down their kill. 'Sometimes it's worth braving the lions to get this kind of meal.' The female hyena thought.
Ed suddenly looked up from the haunch he'd been chewing on and started chattering in alarm.
"What Ed?" Shenzi demanded, spearing her younger brother with an annoyed frown.
Banzai looked up in the direction Ed was pointing. "Shenz, lions!"
Turning, Shenzi saw Simba and his cubs - daughter Kiara and son Kion – charging straight for them. Kiara and Kion, while still not yet fully grown, were big enough now to give the hyenas a good fight.
"Run!" Shenzi commanded. Desperately the three hyenas sped off, the lions in hot pursuit. Shenzi dashed on ahead of her brothers until she felt a stitch in her side. She slowed her pace in front of a mound of grass. To her horror, she suddenly felt the ground give way underneath her, and with a bloodcurdling scream, found herself falling.
She landed with a thud. Letting out a gasp as the wind was knocked out of her, Shenzi lay there on the hard bare earth for a moment, dazed. Pain coursed through her frame. After a moment, she finally struggled to her feet. Looking around at the unnaturally steep sides of the hole – no - no, it was more like a pit - her head drooped low as she gritted her teeth, cursing her luck under her breath. How could she have allowed herself to fall into a hunter's trap?
Looking up, Shenzi saw Banzai poking his head over the edge of the pit, watching her. "You okay?"
"I'd be a lot more okay if you idiots would get me out of here!"
Banzai threw a quick look over his shoulder, in the direction of the lions. Then he did something Shenzi thought he'd never do under any circumstance. "Sorry, sis." With one last apologetic look down at her, Banzai motioned for Ed to follow him.
Ed frowned unhappily, upset at the prospect of having to leave Shenzi behind, but reluctantly joined Banzai.
"Wait - Banzai, Ed, don't leave me here!" Shenzi pleaded, hopping up on her hind legs and placing her forepaws against the pit's sides. When neither of them answered, she growled, "When I get my claws on you, I'll -!" But nobody was there to hear her angry threats.
Feeling tears sting at her eyes, the young hyena lay down and curled into a ball. She couldn't believe that Banzai and Ed had just deserted her. That Scar's insanity and arrogance would end up killing them all someday? Yes. That Scar's equally nutty widow Zira would hunt them down and slaughter them as payback for what the hyenas had done to Scar? Oh yeah. That the royal family would have them for lunch? Sure. Her own brothers abandon her? Never.
'Shows how much loyalty we have for each other.' She thought bitterly. For the first time in her life, she felt ashamed to be a hyena. Shenzi's body began to shake with sobs.
A blinding light hit her, momentarily startling her. It was the dead of night. Was it the humans returning to see what they'd trapped? As the light blotted out everything in sight, her only thought was that hopefully the humans would take her out of the Pridelands and away from the furious lions that were going to find her sooner or later.