TANYA

When we reached the site where Drake had been taken, we quickly disembarked from the Migrator and darted into the alley.

"It was on the other side of those crates!" Xena barked pointing.

Nodding I looked over at Wildwing as he touched both sides of his mask. "Nothing obvious, Tanya!" he said, giving me a pointed look. I nodded.

'Break out the gear! We're going to need everything we've got to search for the smallest trace on the ones who took him," Wildwing ordered.

Mallory and I hurried back to the Migrator. Inside we went to the lockers and pulled out all the equipment we'd need.

"No Mallory! We need the Matter Dynastic and the Air Filterer, not the Aquavaporer or Munitions Renderizor,' I said when I saw her pick up the wrong gear.

"What's the dif?" she demanded.

"How about no shots were fired and it hasn't rained in about a week," I said, tossing her some gear. She shrugged and we both headed back to the team.

NOSEDIVE

We searched the area for over an hour while Tanya used her gizmos to find anything we couldn't see with our eyes or noses.

We found nothing in the manual search and I felt we were wasting valuable time hanging around here. Even Tanya came up with only air fragments and a tranq dart she found. She needed to take the samples to some whatzit to see if there were any clues to the kid's whereabouts.

Wildwing split us up into search teams to check the area further out from the alley... talk to people to see if anyone had seen our perps hanging about before the snatch.

Xena ended up coming with me on one of the Duckcycles. Emily was left behind in the Migrator for her safety.

As we climbed aboard my cycle, Xena asked from behind me, "Nosedive, do you think we'll find him?"

"Totally dudet, me and my posse will turn this haystack upside down looking for him. And when we do, the only person you'll have to worry about is the person who took him," I said then sent the cycle roaring off down the road and taking the next turn that came up

"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself more than me," she said as we halted at a stop sign.

I turned to look at her. "Hey sister, if there's one thing I know about my posse especially my bro, it's, when it comes to things they care about, nothing will stop them! Nothing!" I snapped then turned facing forward again.

"Nosedive you got anything yet?" Wildwing demanded over the com.

"That's a big zippidy do da bro."

"Keep looking, we're not stopping until we find him."

"Don't worry bro this feathered hound is on the scent!"

"Just find him!" Wildwing barked again, then the com went dead.

'Hold on there little bro, we'll find you! And when we do, were gonna give those creeps some major payback,' I thought.

DUKE

Me and Mallory flew in the Aerowing using the sensors to search the city for any sign of the elements Tanya had found with her gizmos. Unfortunately, so far the sensors were picking up absolutely nothing.

"Anything yet?" Mallory asked from the pilot seat.

I looked over at her from the sensor station and shook my head. "Argh! This is getting us nowhere! Those elements could be found just as readily in a restaurant or a hot dog stand than where Drake's being held," she snarled at me in frustration as she turned the Aerowing to a different heading.

"We can't give up!" I snapped back.

"What do you care? You've wanted to dump him at the first opportunity!"

My ears ringing in the truth but I whipped around to face her. "Mallory! I care about that boy as much as you and Wildwing do! We're going to find him and bring him home. That is, after I give those creations a piece of my mind and my Ducksaber," I snapped at her meaning every word.

"Not before I beat them black and blue," she assured me in a low growl.

WILDWING

Hours and many interviews later, I was on the second Duckcycle while Grin and Tanya were still tearing down the streets in the Migrator still searching as the sun slowly sank from view.

Activating my com, I barked, "Anything yet, Tanya?"

"Nothing since the last time you asked, five minutes ago," she snapped testily. "Look, Wildwing, we were lucky to find those fumes and the dart but its just not enough to locate these creeps."

I turned down a side street, anger and fear racing through me as I answered her more sharply than I intended. "Luck or not, we are not giving up while there is still some daylight so keep looking," I snapped, switching frequencies. "Mallory!"

"Wildwing we're running on fumes here. We need to return to the pond and regroup," Mallory urged, through the speakers.

"We still have daylight. Keep looking! I don't care if you crash...keep searching," I snarled, unreasonably.

Dive responded, "Wildwing we've done all we can out here and came up with zilch. We need fresh leads to go on!"

"They're right, Wildwing! We've done all we can for today. We need rest, fuel, and new leads if we're to find him at all," Duke chimed in urgently.

"Listen to us! I could use DRAKE 1 to narrow the search so we won't be scouring the entire city to no good purpose," Tanya begged, trying to get me to heed her.

"NO! We keep looking!" I shouted, mad with worry and no longer caring what they all thought.

"WILDWING!" A powerful bellow rang in my ear.

Stunned, I couldn't remember a time when Grin had ever yelled before so I shut up and listened as he said, gently, "my friend, even the smallest pebble can divert the mightiest river."

"Say what!" Dive exclaimed, confused.

"We need more information to help us search," Grin explained more simply.

I closed my eyes and took a deep cleansing breath before speaking again. "Alright, everyone back to the Pond. Dive...take Xena home. We start fresh in the morning!" I ordered turning my Duckcycle around, heading reluctantly for the Pond.

NOSEDIVE

Xena told me her address and I drove her to the dreaiest neighborhood I'd ever seen. The apartment I pulled up to matched the area. I wasn't happy at seeing the gang symbols spray painted on many of the buildings including hers.

I kept my eye roving around, not liking the feel nor the many eyes staring at us. I turned my head and asked, "you really live here?"

She climbed off and shrugged her shoulders. "It's not much …" she started to say but was interrupted by a shout from an upper window.

I looked up and saw a nasty looking individual glaring down and shaking an angry finger down at her.

"GIRL WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO START COOKING ME DINNER!"

"Leave her alone," another, weaker voice, begged from somewhere behind the creep.

"WHAT WAS THAT!" the individual disappeared from view and began yelling at the other person.

Frowning I stared at Xena with some concern but her look dared me to say anything. I knew that look, I'd seen it before on the abused, the poor, the suffering. It hurt to see that look in Xena's face but I said nothing about it and left her what pride she had.

"Don't let them get you down dudedet. I'll pick you up in the morning and we'll begin the search again." She nodded and turned away. I waited until she entered the building before driving away back to the Pond.

GRIN

When we got back to the Pond, Wildwing stormed out of the hangar barking, "Tanya get to DRAKE 1 and get those thing analyzed! I want to know everything there is to know about them!"

Then he stalked from the hangar, we followed much more slowly.

"Doesn't he realize we're just as worried as he is about the kid?" Duke asked, angrily.

"His inner peace and tranquility is severely disturbed," I muttered following the others.

"His isn't the only one but what do we do now?" Mallory asked.

"We must turn to our inner stillness for guidance and wisdom," I said calmly.

"Oh come on, Grin! Can't you ever give us a straight answer!" she snarled.

I decided answering would only make things worse. A roar behind us, indicated Dive had returned as well. I didn't look around as I made for my room and disappeared behind its door.

Peace descended on me immediately and I sighed. I flicked my music on and set some incense burning before assuming my lotus position on the carpet I used for meditation. Closing my eyes and breathing deep of the soothing scent filling the air, I worked to regain my inner peace and tranquility. But I had a feeling I wasn't going to find that as long as Drake was in enemy hands.

NOSEDIVE

When I arrived in the hangar, everyone was nearly gone. It appeared no one felt like talking. I could dig that. We were all antsy and angry about not finding the kid.

Since no one seemed to have been interested in refueling the Migrator and Aerowing, I decided to volunteer. It would keep me occupied. I'll be sure to check the Duckcycles as well.

It was hard to see old Wildwing flip out like that. Man, he's really missing the kid but so are the rest of us. I also don't like to think about the bad situation Xena seems to be in but that will have to wait until we get Drake back. I sigh and shove all that crud to the back of my mind and focus on getting us ready for the morning.

I parked the Duckcycle and made for the Migrator.

MALLORY

My fists and feet were blurs as I pounded on the bag, but in my mind I was pounding the people who took Drake. Unable to get to them, I took out all my anger, my frustration, and my thirst for their blood out on the bag until I couldn't stand any longer and simply sagged against it, breathing hard.

"And I thought I was a little out of line and holding back anger."

I turned to look at Wildwing who was staring at me from the door leaning against the frame for a few seconds then stood straight and walked toward me. "I know he's grown on you as much as he has on me," he said putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Because he's become a part of our family Wildwing," I said, heavily.

"It's more than that for you isn't it?"

I lowered my gaze and walked over to a bench, picking up my towel.

"Mallory, I'm going to make you a promise here and now. We're going to get him back," he said, firmly.

"Let's hope for all our sakes that you can keep that promise," I muttered.

"I haven't failed you guys yet," he said then turned to leave.

"But you're wrong about one thing we're all like Drake. Like us he lost everything important in his world. And when that wasn't enough he was beaten down even further like us when were enslaved. So he's like all of us not just me," I said then walked stalked past him out of the gym.

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