Klegghorn pulled his car into the station and issued Wildwing to follow him. As they got inside, Klegghorn opened his office door to reveal Canard there. Canard looked human as well, but his hair was the dark tan his feathers were and the scruffy stubble around his mouth made him look a bit like a ruffian, but Wildwing ignored it.

"Okay Canard, I got Wildwing here.", Klegghorn said trying to keep calm.

Canard smiled.

"Nice to see you buddy."

Wildwing was a bit surprised, but got over it quick.

"So,when did you get here?", he asked changing the subject.

"I got here a while ago.", Canard answered, "Grin and I were somewhere in the middle east and then out of the blue, a rift opened up and we split again."

Wildwing looked concerned.

"Where is everyone?",he wondered.

Canard shrugged.

"Beats me, but right now we need to find out what we need to do here."

Klegghorn nodded and got out a folded piece of paper from his desk and laid it out on the top.

"I found this shortly after I got here.", he reported, "Bet it has something to do with why we're here."

Wildwing observed the note and read what was on it.

"Mirrors reflect and worlds can too. But where is work you must do?"

Klegghorn smacked himself in the forehead.

"Great, now we got more riddles in our lives.", he griped.

Canard looked thoughtful.

"Well this reality is like our lives back on Anaheim."

Wildwing nodded.

"I know. I woke up in a bedroom where Nosedive and I live and saw some photos that look like my past only I was human along with a high school diploma."

Klegghorn tapped his fingers and looked up at the ceiling.

"So now what?", he asked, "Where do we start?"

At that moment, a call came in on Klegghorn's radio.

"Chief Klegghorn, this is Officer Falcon. We got visual of a robbery in progress. Permission to intercept?"

Klegghorn pressed the receiver button.

"Permission granted. Hold them there. Back up is on the way."

He reached into his desk and pulled out a couple puck blasters and handed hem over.

"Nice to know these are there.", Wildwing said placing the blaster on his belt.

Canard smiled.

"Feels like the time I got our team together."

"Before you went to Limbo?", Wildwing guessed.

Klegghorn looked concerned.

"Save memory lane for later. We got crime in progress."

/

Derek held the motor of the boat as Rosie and Snowdrop watched the radar. Timmy was seated next to his dad and looking nervous.

"Dad, I think we should go back.", he said as he noticed storm clouds forming overhead.

Derek didn't turn.

"We need to find your brother and we're going to be in for some rough weather. Any luck over there?"

Rosie turned looking a bit unsure.

"It's too dark to see clearly.", she informed.

Snowdrop sighed and grabbed the bottle of "Insta-Fishy" potion they had gotten while they took the antidote and the boat out into the sea.

"Guess there is other choice.", she muttered.

Derek could see the look in his daughter's eyes and got worked up fast.

"No Snowdrop! I can't allow you to be a fish also and with the time frame on your brother-"

"Dad!", Snowdrop snapped cutting her father off, "There's no other option!"

Derek's expression ebbed away and he slowly hung his head accepting her option.

"You got two days to find your brother.", he said calmer this time.

Snowdrop quickly took a sip of the stuff and jumped into the sea. Timmy by now had gotten up the courage to get up and take a sip himself diving in after his sister. Rosie observed through the scope and saw her children become fish themselves. Below the waves, Snowdrop and Timmy swam a couple feet before finally getting the hang of being fish. Son they heard laughter and swam to what looked like a coral reef where Benny shot out.

"Hey guys. When did you get here?"

Snowdrop frowned.

"We came down here to look for you."

Timmy noticed something far off closing in and got scared.

"Guys...something's coming...and it doesn't look nice."

Snowdrop pulled her brothers under a leafy coral as a large shark swam over them with mean looking eyes and showing it's sharp teeth. It was only for a moment before it swam away, but the kids all were unnerved by it.

"Sure feels different up close than in an aquarium.", Timmy said.

Benny quickly got over his anxiety and was out before his sister even stopped him.

"Can we just find out how we get back to the lab so we can get fixed?", Timmy asked clearly not showing he wanted to be a fish.

Benny didn't look convinced.

"What's the rush?", he asked swimming a circle a few times, "Let's have some fun while we're here."

/

Inside the haul of the Titanic, Wraith and Siege lay hidden behind a bunch of cargo.

"Tell me why we're bothering to be here again?", Siege asked harshly, "I hate the sea."

He gripped his mouth and gulped looking sick.

"I get nauseous.", he finished.

Wraith rolled his eyes.

"Oh why did I get stuck here with you is a mystery even to myself."

Siege got over his seasickness and looked firm.

"So far all we know is that this boat is ment to sink causing a lot of death to happen."

Wraith looked thoughtful.

"Conjuring large slabs of ice is a specialty of mine if given enough time."

Siege rolled his eyes.

"Don't push yourself. I can build us an enlarging ray to make it so you don't have to use so much mental capacity and it'll show up as if out of nowhere before anyone knows it's there."

Wraith looked less glum. Maybe being stuck with Siege wasn't so bad. However their little plan was halted cause a bauble showed up revealing Zeral's face.

"Greetings boys."

Siege and Wraith both looked attentive right away.

"This is an honor your majesty.", Wraith said in a humble tone.

Zeral looked annoyed.

"Don't flatter yourself. I just got the greatest spell our race has ever known on cool down and I don't need intrudes or Frazzak finding out I have it. I'm warping you back to Sauria immediately."

Siege looked annoyed himself.

"Man, we were just starting to have-"

"Silence!", Zeral snapped sharply, "Your excuse was so degrading, I almost had the urge to incinerate you for speaking out of term!"

As Wraith and Siege felt the magic coming on, Zeral looked amused.

"Still, it wouldn't hurt to leave a little something to cause massive death and on one of the greatest structures these...vermin constructed."

As Siege and Wraith warped away, a large sphere of magic formed and flew over to the wall and slipped through as if it were a ghost leaving no sign of anything out of the ordinary.

/

Adam pulled himself off the ground still cringing from the pain. Ever since he got to this reality it was nonstop fighting and his magic was nearly out. His healing factor helped through most of the experience, but it did little to soothe his spirit.

"If I make it out, I'm going to ask Wildwing for a month's worth of rest.", he muttered to himself.

Just as he got to a sitting position, a large shadow fell over him. He turned fast, but cooled off when he saw it was only Grin.

"Oh, hi Grin.", he said.

Grin helped Adam to his feet.

"One mustn't be so quick to rush one's talent.", he said sagely.

Adam smiled weakly.

"Nice to know you..haven't lost your touch.", he said.

Grin carried Adam into an abandoned hospital and got Adam to a bed while he got a fire going. It was getting late and light was scarce. Grin made a wall around the fire blocking out most of the light. Adam by now had restored himself enough so he wasn't in much pain and some of his magic had recovered also enough for him to conjure some refreshments for Grin and himself.

"Any idea where the others are?", he asked.

Grin shook his head.

"Canard and I broke up by another rift as we traveled a jungle of evil. As for the rest, I'm afraid I'm not sure."

Adam looked out to see the stars form in the inky darkness and couldn't help but smile as one set of stars came to focus.

"Hi Harjuk.", he said talking mostly to himself, "Don't know if you can hear me, but I want you to know I'm honored to carry on your heritage even to my dying breath."

Grin got into a meditative posture and stayed there, but Adam could tell he was awake. He rested his head on his pillow and watched the stars.

"See the sun's last glimmering ray. Fading fast to end our day. Though I long for you to stay, spirits call and you obey. You'll fly far from me, though in truth, you're still home. Sail across the sea. Nature blooms where you roam. When trees grow, the leaves show, my heart goes with you."

Grin opened an eye and looked Adam's way.

"That's a beautiful song.", he said.

"Thanks.", Adam said, "Nosedive introduced me to a film where a dragon shared his heart with a human and this song is sung over the end credits of it's sequel."

(A/N: It's the song "My Heart Goes with You" played over the end credits from "Dragonheart: A New Beginning". I claim nothing.)

/

Duke dusted off some dust from the shelf of the abandoned food court of the mall the group had found. Danielle and Tanya kept watch as Mallory and BRAWN helped out Duke scout.

"Still can't get that rhyme out of my head.", Duke muttered.

Tanya nodded.

"What do you suppose it means?"

BRAWN looked thoughtful as he placed the bench he had lifted back into it's original place.

"Honestly, I have no idea. And I'm supposed to have a computer for a brain."

As they looked around some more, a shadow shifted across the back near Danielle and she tensed.

"Um Duke, I think something's here.", she radioed.

Duke clutched his saber on his shoulder. Something was a miss, but what? Then he heard a break of glass and the whole team got back to the food court.

"Something's here.", Julia said.

Mallory frowned.

"And it doesn't sound friendly."

That was when the sound of moaning came out and louder as the group got a bit nervous.

"Tell me it's not what I think it is.", Tanya said hopefully.

That was when a horde of creatures came forward from the shadows looking like a zombie and a cross of aquatic life and reptilian limbs.

"Great, now we have zombie abominations looking like Pretorius' work.", Duke said getting his saber out.

"And he infused them with undeath.", Tanya added.

Danielle looked enlightened.

"Life found death.", she said before looking a bit embarrassed, "Although I admit it's probably not the right time to bring it up?"

BRAWN frowned and lifted his huge arms and his hands became four barreled guns.

"Get to the door.", he said, "I got a bunch of dead things to put down."

The ducks got down as BRAWN opened fire aiming for the heads.

"Dance you living corpses!", BRAWN called out.

Mallory looked thoughtful.

"Dance eh?", she asked.

She then conjured Dance and started playing. Soon Mallory was dancing towards the door where more zombie things were seen closing in, but by then the group had gotten to the door and BRAWN met up with them before shifting into a hover platform and took off as his team jumped on.

"Okay, we solved the first half of our riddle.", Duke said, "Now where does an act of kindness...wait, BRAWN helped us get away from them."

"All without us asking.", Danielle said smiling, "We solved our riddle."

Tanya looked ahead to reveal a rift opening.

"Oh great not again."

BRAWN turned around, but they were too close and the rift pulled them inside. The same turning and spinning experience came again. The ducks held on, but Tanya felt her grip start to slip.

"I'm...losing my..grip.", she strained to say.

She then slipped and Danielle made a grab for her, but missed barely.

"Tanya, we'll find you!", Danielle called out as she watched her friend vanish through another rift.

/

Darcel strained against his bindings, but Geoff's expression told him it was pointless.

"These were conjured by powerful magic.", Geoff stated, "Brute force won't work."

Darcel's face darkened.

"I didn't see you trying to cut the connection when Zeral showed up."

"Did I mention how I love seeing you fight the way you do?"

Darcel, Geoff, Harzep, and Gerazi turned to see Zeral walk in with Charyus at his side and a hand on the new enchantium choker around his neck.

"I've waited an eternity to wear this again.", Zeral grinned, "Ever since Drake banished me to that infernal Dimensional Limbo. But all in all, if he hadn't, I wouldn't be where I am today."

"Your evil will be stopped.", Harzep said defiantly.

Zeral raised an eyebrow.

"And who pray tell is going to do so? The ducks? They sealed their fate already. You? I seriously doubt you're in a position to cause harm."

"Frazzak will fight tooth and nail with you if he must.", Gerazi put in.

Zeral's smile got bigger.

"I know. I'm counting on it. Unfortunately Charyus here informs me the spell is still...setting. A demonstration."

A large rock nearby levitated off the ground as Zeral snapped his fingers. The choker around his neck flared as the rock lit up and shifted into a serpent like demon with large bird wings, a mouth with shark teeth, and a flowing mane.

"Did you believe the human civilization of the Aztecs revered these beasts as a symbol of goodness when they were actually my favorite form of interrogation to my enemies?"

The demon's stone gray color turned gold and shiny while it's eyes turned blood red as the creature came to life and knelt before Zeral.

"Your imagination doesn't disappoint your excellency.", Charyus commented.

Zeral turned his way.

"This was merely a show.", he stated, "You proved your usefulness Charyus and for that, I reward you."

Zeral waved a hand and a violet crystal appeared on Charyus' medallion earning a surprised look from the four captives.

"My Prophecy enchantium.", Charyus said bringing his medallion to his face and eying the spell greedily, "Thank you master."

Zeral turned to his creation.

"Q, have fun."

Q hoisted itself up, opened it's great wings and flew off.

"Where's it going?", Geoff asked.

Zeral's smile didn't flinch.

"Just sending my new pet out on it's first killing assignment."

Harzep's eyes went wide.

"You wouldn't."

"I would.", Zeral answered, "But don't feel too left out. Your tormentor will arrive shortly. Come Charyus, we have an empire to reclaim."

Charyus tapped his staff twice and the two warped away leaving the four alone. A few minutes after they did, footsteps were heard. Faint ones at first, but slowly they got louder. Geoff strained and managed to get his hand free.

"Hang on.", Geoff muttered as he started focusing on his staff nearby.

Gerazi and Harzep both looked unsure, but Darcel didn't.

"Make it fast Geoff. Cause it's getting closer."

To be continued...