Megavolt had been entirely wrong- it had not been promising at all.

Well, that hadn't been entirely true: it at least didn't start out completely terrible. While the electrical villain could admit to remembering enjoying himself- though if you interrogated him and asked exactly what had occurred he would have been left in the dark- the appeal had completely been lost by the smell of rotting garbage just feet away from his sensitive nose. Megavolt growled, sticking his cleaning-issued pole into what looked to be a moldy newspaper- secretly imagining it was the beaming face of the troublemaker that put him back in his orange jumpsuit.

"'Let's zap everyone in the city,' you said." Another stab. " 'Let's dress up like pirates,' you said."

Quackerjack wasn't pleased with being stuck back in the no-fun zone, either, but his anger tended to be less explosive, and more passive-aggressive.

"Hey, why don't you just relax... Sparky." Quackerjack sneered, over his shoulder. He knew that would do nothing to cool his former cellmate off, and he didn't care. Megavolt had the nerve to act like it was all his fault they had ended up back here!

"Don't call me Sparky! And I am relaxed! I! Am! Relaxed!"

Whoa, okay, Quackerjack hadn't expected that level of anger. The electrical nutjob screamed wordlessly once, before stomping off toward the other side of their designated cleaning area.

"Megavolt, where-"

"And don't talk to me!"

Well THAT certainly was rude! Quackerjack scoffed at his partner-in-crime as the toymaker was left to deal with his own little pile of trash. He was beginning to think it was the city's cleaning crew that had poured all the garbage out on the park lawn, just to give him and his fellow criminals the menial busy-work. Normal people don't miss the trash-can when it's just inches away.

'And they call ME crazy.' Quackerjack mused to himself, a smile on his face as he closed his eyes and thrust his spear into the ground- just narrowly missing his foot. He re-opened them in startlement when he heard something squishy, looking down at the newspaper pile and putting what he captured to his face.

"Well hello, what do we have HERE?"

The crazed villain couldn't help but laugh at the irony of what he saw- a half eaten banana stuck to the paper like an unwanted shishkabob. Quackerjack held onto his head as he tried to control his mirth.

"OH, oh, now THIS is just icing on my smelly garbage cake!" His laughter turned to giggles as he tried to sober up- giving a false glare to the trash as he went on to accuse it. "You know, you're what put me here in the first place. We wouldn't be down in the dumps if you hadn't given Megavolt his spark back."

Quackerjack sighed, momentarily throwing a look over his shoulder as he saw said villain keeping as far away as their jailers would allow. He turned back to his banana friend, vaguely thinking he would look better with little shoes on.

"He doesn't really mean it, ya know." He whispered to the trash. "Megsy is just a little charged up right now. Heh." Quackerjack waved off his joke. This was serious, after all. " He'll forget all about it later, like always, and then we'll go back to having all SORTS of fun again. TRUST me!"

The rotten banana didn't reply, and that was just as well. Into the garbage bag it went. Soon after that, the small crew of baddies were gathered up, and herded back inside, to their cells.

Unfortunately, the little guy in charge of the place had learned their lesson, and Megavolt and Quackerjack were no longer cellmates. Fortunately, Waddlesworth wasn't so great with logic, and now the villainous duo were in cells across from each other, instead.

Megavolt sat on his bottom bunk, slumped over, glaring at the floor and mumbling to himself. Across the narrow walkway, Quackerjack stood, pressed against the door, hands curled around the metal bars.

"Pssst! Megavolt!" Quackerjack hissed. He frowned when his partner-in-crime didn't even look up, or pause in his mutterings. Was he being ignored? Still?

"Megavolt? Really, now. You act like this whole thing is entirely my fault! When you were the one who-"

Megavolt swung his feet up onto the bed, laying down and rolling over. Quackerjack glared and huffed- at least now he knew the old fizzled out spark plug hadn't gone deaf.

"And they say I'M childish!"

Still nothing. Alright, maybe aggravating the guy wasn't the way to go. While it most certainly wasn't HIS fault Megavolt was so sensitive, the toymaker was never going to get what he wanted unless he played by different rules. With the REAL Banana Brains back in his possession, Quackerjack pulled him out of his pocket as he decided to have a thing with his TRUE best buddy.

"Not much for words is he, Lee?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Quackerjack peeked from the corner of his eye to see if the rodent was paying attention to their meeting- that would have been a big fat 'no'. "But, I don't suppose I blame him. It's not REALLY his fault this happened, you know."

"It's not?" Mr. Banana Brain's high pitched voiced mimicked the confusion Quackerjack wanted as he carried on. "Then who's t'blame?"

"It was that no good DARKWING DUCK that took the last cookie from the cookie jar!" A finger was thrust in the air as he walked around his cell, pretending he was making his case in front of a judge- not the first time he had made the speech, either. "Really, we were just innocently having fun, your honor. Just poor souls that were locked up and needing a little breather. A night to paint the town red and blue- was that too much to ask?"

He peeked over at the other cell again, smiling as he caught movement- hopefully the old light bulb was at least listening now.

"Why, it was *I* who noticed Megavolt was looking a little runned down- like a sad non-recycled battery in need of a little TLC: teeters, laughs, and chortles. It was my job, no, DUTY to take out my new pal for some fun!"

Banana Brains sobbed.

"Oooooh that's so SAD, Brad!"

Quackerjack sighed back just as dramatically.

"Darkwing's spoiled-sportiness shouldn't be what ruins a good thing. Now I ask you, the people of the jury, the protectors of friendship… Don't you think I, practically a good Samaritan, deserve to at LEAST be heard out. Huh? Even a little? What say you?"

The defense's hopes were raised as Megavolt flipped himself over, and actually managed to sit back up. Quackerjack was on his toes from anticipation as he bounced, waiting to hear what the rodent had to say.

He instantly deflated when all he got was a 'GUILTY'.

When Megavolt reclined again, and turned back over, rage boiled up within the crazed toymaker.

"OH the cold shoulder, is it? Well, TWO can play THAT game!"

Megavolt scoffed and rolled his eyes; boy, this guy threw more tantrums than a spoiled little kid.

"I INVENTED THE SILENT TREATMENT GAME, MEGAVOLT! You hear me? I INVENTED IT!" Quackerjack bellowed, and the sound of tearing fabric actually had Megavolt curious enough to peek over his shoulder.

The wacko-whom he was glad he no longer shared a cell with- had his pillow in his big teeth, shaking it from side to side like a dog might do to its favorite toy. Megavolt quickly turned back away before he was noticed, and the sounds of ripping fabric gave way to banging and clanging, and the brain-fried rodent shuddered as he listened to the sound of a true maniac tearing apart his own bed with his bare hands.

Quackerjack had a way of making him feel sane, which, if Megavolt admitted it, truly scared him.

Days in solitary confinement seemed to be enough to give the clown a new outlook as he was introduced back to the prisoners- just as happy as normal and acting as if nothing had ever happened. Time locked up had given him the opportunity to entertain himself, as he was always up for guessing who had been in there before him just from the stench of body odour. (It had been Jambalaya Jake, if anybody else had been curious and in need to know. It was hard to hide away from feet that smelled like gator stew, after all.)

Back on the outside Quackerjack was escorted back to his cell, given crayons and paper on the promise of good behavior, as he scrawled out a sign with childish glee.

It didn't even bother him when his fuddy-duddy neighbor ignored his paper airplane of 'iM sOrRy'.

It was a Tuesday when the disturbed duck was allowed into the courtyard- just almost a week since being thrown back into jail. A new day, bright and sunny- just teeming with hope and possibilities. Quackerjack smiled when he spotted his favorite chum sitting on the bleachers, grumpy and glaring as a certain Dr. Bushroot sat next to the rodent almost as glum. Mischief sparkled in the jester's eyes as an idea came to mind.

Quickly, silently, and almost gracefully, Quackerjack sidled up to Bushroot on the bleachers. The plant-duck squeaked quietly and leaned away from him out of reflex when he noticed, but Megavolt didn't even acknowledge his presence.

"Soooo, buddy-ol'-pal of mine..." Quackerjack began. Megavolt grunted.

"I'm still not speaking to you."

"And I wasn't speaking to you, bulb brain. I was talking to my new pal, Bushroot!"

Suddenly feeling less like he was in the way than he had a second ago, Bushroot gaped at Quackerjack, pointing a leafy hand at himself.

"Me?"

"Him?" Megavolt exclaimed, incredulously, finally giving in and looking at Quackerjack. The jester couldn't help but smirk; it was working already!

"Of course him!" Quackerjack spoke more to the electrical villain than the plant-duck next to him, patting the mutant doctor on the back. "Why, we met just this morning, didn't we Bushy?"

Bushroot looked hesitant.

"Uh, well, sorta. I DID accidentally bump into you at breakfast and said 'sorry'."

"SEE," the toymaker exclaimed, "we're already speaking the same language!"

Bushroot fumbled, looking uncomfortable as he threw glances between the two villains- trying to explain the situation as Megavolt stared at the two.

"But, I, he… but didn't you get mad and-"

"Now DOCTOR- M.D or PhD, by the way?" The plant-duck didn't get to answer as Quackerjack went on- talking faster than the mutant could piece together. "Nevermind, we're cutting hedges here- are you REALLY going to argue with your NEWEST best friend? And just when I thought we were getting along so well!"

Bushroot's jaw hung low in astonishment as he tried to understand what was going on- the demented toymaker next to him playing with his purple petals and getting dangerously close to his filaments. A green blush of discomfort tinting his face, Bushroot went on.

"I… I… did you just say 'best friend'?"

"I did say that!" Quackerjack chuckled, giddily, and threw another arm around his new green pal, and pulling him in close. The grin that Bushroot wore looked mildly forced, and didn't quite match the rest of his expression, which read as uncomfortable.

"So, whaddya say, Bushroot, buddy, pal, compadre? In the market for a new best friend, hmmm?"

Bushroot stuttered.

"Oh, uh, heh heh, the affectionate type, huh? Well uh, I don't know! I mean, that is to say, I, I've never had a best friend before, so I um, I mean, this isn't a no! Oh geez," he had to look away as he forced a breath, " can I have some time to think about this? It's just so sudden!"

About half way through Bushroot's awkward stuttering and fumbling, his voice receded into the background of Quackerjack's world; becoming nothing more than the distant buzzing of a fly. Quackerjack's attention was on Megavolt, as the electrical villain stood up from the bleachers and left. The duck gritted his teeth as the one he really wanted to notice him didn't even act spurned in the slightest. He let go of the lyceum nycanthropus as he jumped to his feet, pulling on the dangling edges of his jester hat as Bushroot shrunk away in fear- falling off the benches as Quackerjack had his tantrum.

"How could he- AND HE JUST UPED AND EVERYTHING! He's not playing faaaaaaair!" Quackerjack whipped his head towards Bushroot as he pointed at him threateningly. "This is all YOUR fault, melonhead. He was nearly silly putty in my hands until YOU went and RUINED it!"

Before Bushroot could apologize, the crazed toymaker stomped away- deciding he was chatting-up the wrong kind of filaments for his plan to work. The plant-duck blinked his blue eyes in bewilderment as he crawled out from his hiding place, staring at the friendship that came and went too fast for him to even comprehend it.

"Oh, uh, gee… was it something I said?"

Being stuck in prison was pretty bad, but being stuck in prison while staying angry the whole time was downright exhausting. Especially when that anger had a tendency of flip-flopping back and forth to mild hurt and sadness every now and then.

Megavolt sat on the cold floor, his back up against the bars of his cell. He could feel Quackerjack staring at him, and it wasn't helping the situation at all. Neither did the unnatural silence, heavy and foreboding. He was actually relieved when Quackerjack broke it.

"Megavolt, I'm sorry." He mumbled.

"Yeah, I know." Megavolt mumbled back, tossing a crumpled up paper ball over his shoulder. It sailed across the hall, and bounced off of Quackerjack's bill. He didn't need to pick it up to know it was his apology note from the day before.

"Well, what more do you want me to say, then! That it was my fault?"

Megavolt shrugged his shoulders against the cell door.

"It's a start. Honestly I don't remember what you did, but it must have been something big!"

"You don't-" This had Quackerjack laughing, but what didn't? "You don't even remember! Oh! Oh that's rich! Well, Megsy, let me clue you in."

Megavolt jolted- thankfully not in the literal sense- when a hand slipped through the bars to set on his shoulder. He spun around and stared at Quackerjack, who was crouched on the other side of the bars. Quackerjack's own cell door stood ajar behind him.

"What... how did... huh?"

"Oh, that?" The duck waved behind him, then stuck his hand in his pocket and took out a rectangular pack.

"Quackerjack brand exploding gum. Does wonders on those pesky locks and the fight against germs, haha! Want one?"

Megavolt, feeling more angry than tired for the first time in at least a day, sprang to his feet.

"You mean you had that stuff this whole time, AND YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING?!"

"You weren't speaking to me, remember?" Quackerjack's cool gaze brightened as he smiled again- knowing he got what he wanted out of his buddy. He certainly wasn't playing dumb now. "But that's another story! Booooring, you don't want THOSE details. You wanted to know what happened!"

Megavolt raised a brow.

"Yeeeah… I think?"

"You did! WELL, let your old Uncle Quacky give ya the abridged version."

The rodent grew antsy, fearing somebody could be coming any moment to see the two of them together- and close to breaking loose. Quackerjack acted like he had no care in the world, and it was most likely true.

"You forgot the name of the game, Megsy! You keep focusing on the fact 'he that flaps in the night' came and spoiled our fun. But he ALWAYS does that! That's the rule of the game, ya dolt. You've been playing for ages, you should KNOW better!"

Before Megavolt could get offended, the toymaker carried on.

"You enjoyed yourself, didn't you? You can at least remember THAT, right?"

He did. He remembered fear, he remembered physical pain, but above all else, he remembered enjoying himself. He also remembered a feeling of kinship; one that differed from the one he felt for his electronic brethren. He remembered friendship, and before his inner monologue could turn into some sappy after school special, Megavolt nodded slowly.

"Yeah... we did make a pretty good team." Alright, he was convinced. "Truce?"

Quackerjack ignored the hand that was offered for shaking, and instead shoved his arms through the bars to give Megavolt a big hug.

"Ouch." Megavolt complained, as his nose was squished against the bars; but he didn't struggle away from the embrace. Quackerjack released him.

"Whoopsie! Let's get you out of here, huh?"

"Yeah, well, you might wanna hurry up with that." Megavolt replied, rubbing his sore nose and eyeing the shadows of the guards about to round the corner. He was surprised when he heard a click of his cell door, and jerked back at how silent the gummy explosion was.

"How-"

"For somebody that doesn't like interrogating," Quackerjack whispered, "you sure like giving the third degree!"

Megavolt's reply would have to be cut off as the jail rattled and shook, a true and big burst came directly from behind the mad mallard's cell. Alarms blared, voices shouted, and Quackerjack just looked at the hole from where his window used to be- moonlight pouring into the now darkened corridor.

Megavolt screamed, more so he could hear himself talk over the buzzing of his skull.

"KINDA CONSPICUOUS, DONCHA THINK?!"

"IT'S OKAY, " Quackerjack yelled back, dragging his pal towards the hole- giddy and just about ready to throw them both out the window. "IT'S THE WAY MR. BANANA BRAINS WOULDA WANTED IT."

The electric villain gasped, despite the urgency.

"YOU MEAN-"

"POOF!" The toymaker mimicked an explosion, hands helping with gestures. "BUT THAT'S OKAY, HE HAS A BROTHER!"

"Well, as long as he had a brother…" Megavolt's mumbling went unnoticed as he smiled, grabbing his large nose before jumping down the small way to freedom.

"GERONIMO!"

Quackerjack couldn't have been happier as he followed suit, happy to have his playmate back. And if you couldn't beat them…. join them.