AUTHOR'S NOTE: I apologize that this next installment took longer than I had intended to finish. Classes are getting ready to start up again so I've been preparing for college. So please enjoy this next chapter!

DISCLAIMER: Jake Mallard, Ava Blackfeather, Agent Holsclaw, and Derek Anderson are © me. The Darkwing Duck universe and it's canon characters are © Disney. There's no way I'm making any profit off of this story, so please don't sue.

CHAPTER 8

I never attempted to return to my old life. Not only would SHUSH kill me if I tried to escape, but I had nothing to left to go back to. I had no purpose in the past. But at SHUSH, I did.

My first year of training at SHUSH as a recruit was a non-stop cycle of physical and verbal abuse. Routines were strict and constantly monitored by supervising agents. Just before dawn, the shrill sound of the alarm would sound through the recruit barracks, beginning the day with a five mile run. Anyone who showed up seconds late would have extra miles added onto their grueling morning workout.

After the run, the recruits practiced the strict SHUSH physical regime until noon. After the hour-long lunch period, the remainder of the day was spent in instruction on SHUSH protocol, forensic sciences, and other knowledge we would put to use over the years.

That first year was constant torment and discipline. I noticed myself changing in more ways than one. My physique was chiseled and toned to an attractive perfection. My voice developed into a low, resentful growl. My brows were always narrowed over my eyes in an angry glare and my temper was hotter than ever. I had become a different person.

It only took that first year for me to progress from a recruit to a cadet and gain the slightest bit of respect from the agents above me. I was no longer reprimanded for the tiniest wrinkle in my attire or standing at the slightest angle. I could now speak to the other cadets around me without being assigned latrine duty.

In my past experience with my enterprise, I knew how to work hard to get what I wanted. And I wanted to become an agent. Fast. I despised taking orders from anyone, especially those who I believed to be less competent than myself.

Every recruit and cadet at SHUSH had been acquired in ways similar to my own recruitment. Most had suffered a devastating loss in their lives or were criminals on the run. I was both. We were filled with regret, sorrow, and hate. And we were being trained to become SHUSH's devious soldiers to prey on the innocent society.

I quickly became the talk of SHUSH due to my successful progress and rebellious nature against my superiors. Director J. Gander Hooter, who was still fairly new to his position as Director, was keeping his eyes on me with the anticipation on what I would accomplish next.

But I had my eyes on the position of Chief Agent. Currently, the position was held by a young bull named Taurus Bulba. From what I'd seen, he was a surprisingly timid for his massive size. He was a slave to the rules and regulations of SHUSH procedure, which was no doubt why he held his position. I was determined to give SHUSH a new chief agent that they, not to mention myself, could benefit from.

Night after night, while I slept in my bunk in the barracks, my dreams were plagued by horrendous nightmares. Nightmares of the night I lost my family, my stepfather, my early childhood. Each time I woke up in a cold sweat, my eyes darting around nervously to find myself in the dark, silent room with the other cadets sleeping silently in their own beds.

SHUSH gave me another chance at having a purpose, even if it wasn't a legitimate purpose on the right side of the law. But after my crime, I had become a felon. There were very few options left for me and SHUSH was the best choice. As far as they were concerned, I belonged to them. I was dedicating my life to their organization. And I was late.

A missing pair of socks from my cadet uniform delayed me by two minutes that morning. Everyone else was already lined up outside while I tried to pull on a spare pair of socks and stumbled out the door.

Agent Holsclaw, the agent in charge of training the cadets, was already barking out his orders to the line of men standing at attention before him. A medium-height eagle with a strong build, he was notorious for being the most merciless trainer at SHUSH. His fierce golden eyes glinted whenever he recognized the opportunity to torment any of his cadets. While he walked his way down the line, I took the opportunity to inconspicuously slip into rank at the opposite end.

"Wow, the one and only Jake Mallard actually late for roll call? Hell must've frozen over," the taller mallard cadet to my left muttered quietly in my direction.

"I know it was you who swiped my socks again, Anderson," I sneered back, keeping my strict gaze forward. "I'll compliment you for it in The Ring later."

The Ring was the boxing ring in SHUSH's sports complex. Cadets were granted the privilege of a two hour recreational period before lunch. Derek Anderson was the closet thing to a 'friend' I had at SHUSH. He was originally in prison for, believe it or not, larceny and motor vehicle theft. That is, until SHUSH bailed him out and recruited him for his useful skills. We actively socialized, even though it was discouraged at the organization. But I didn't pass up the opportunity to pummel him, either.

"What makes you think it was me?" he asked with a guilty smirk on his bill.

My eyes panned down to where 'his' socks were barely visible between his shoes and slacks. Getting my answer, I turned my head to glare accusingly at him. "You're a moron."

"Mallard! Anderson!"

We inhaled sharply and straightened our posture. I could see the broad figure of Holsclaw approaching from the left. He stopped directly in front of me, and I could see that glint in his eyes.

"Well, well. I never thought we'd see the day when Mallard would be late," he said, his voice loud enough for every cadet in ranks could hear. But he looked more amused than angry and took his time prodding at my unexpected tardiness. "You obviously have some work to do before you can become that 'perfect agent.' That's going to be an extra mile for you today, Mallard."

As Holsclaw began to retreat back down the line, I scoffed and rolled my eyes in my rebellious demeanor. "Oh, anything but exercise, Agent Dullclaw…" I muttered sarcastically.

The few cadets around me within hearing distance struggled to contain their snickers. But Holsclaw's keen hearing had caught my insult. He spun around, his fierce eyes narrowed to shoot a glare in my direction.

"Make that two miles, Cadet!"

I wouldn't be disciplined so easily. "Is that the best you can do, 'Agent?'"

Holsclaw approached me again. He stood with his sharp, pointed beak just inches from my bill while I glared defiantly into his eyes.

Forty-five minutes later, I was finishing the final lap of my accumulated eight miles. I was determined to hold up my defiant reputation at SHUSH, even if it meant a few extra miles.

Shortly after, I was in in the recreational gym with Anderson in the boxing ring as promised, clad in a pair of shorts and a tank top.

"Man, Jake. That was quite a show," he commented as he threw a punch at my head with his gloved hands and missed. "Holsclaw really showed you out there!"

"HE showed ME? I showed him!" I corrected and dodged another one of Anderson's blows. "I wasn't about to be submissive because of his threats of discipline!"

Anderson lowered his arms and stepped back from me. A smug smile appeared on his bill. "So that's why you finally stopped arguing at only eight miles?"

I snarled and jabbed one of my fists forward, which he ducked away from with a laugh. Before he could recover, I struck at him again, missing him by only centimeters.

"Whoa! Jake, it was only a joke!" he pleaded, ducking another one of my aggressive jabs.

Then Anderson's attention was suddenly focused behind me instead of on me, and finally, one of my punches slammed him directly in the jaw. He went somersaulting backwards and came to a landing on his back with a painful groan.

"Ha! Well, I'm laughing now," I said triumphantly.

Anderson slowly sat up, rubbing his sore jaw. "Hey, that was a cheap shot! I was distracted!" he argued with an accusing scowl.

I scoffed and folded my arms over my chest. "Oh yeah? By what?"

"By HER," he answered and pointed behind me.

I turned around and followed the direction he was indicating. Not far across the gym was a lean, female mallard aggressively attacking a punching back with her fists and legs. She had white feathers and her medium-length black hair was pulled back in a ponytail to show off her attractive profile. She appeared to be in her early 30's, although her age could be questionable from such a distance across the gym.

Like most 'career fields,' women were not common at SHUSH during the 70's. Not only were there very few women who had nothing to lose with SHUSH, but most who were sought out by the organization wouldn't pass the torturous initiation. And the very few that were recruited were noticed everywhere they went in the facility.

She was completely oblivious to the dozens of male eyes watching her; or she just didn't care. Either way, she was the current center of attention to almost every cadet in the gym.

"Is that the best excuse you can come up with for getting your tail kicked?" I smirked at Anderson as he got to his feet and came up beside me. "Give me a break."

"I wonder who she is," he asked aloud, ignoring my insult. "I haven't seen her before."

I shrugged carelessly as I pulled the boxing gloves from my hands. "She must've been in a different rank as a recruit."

"Uh huh," Anderson absently agreed. His stared was still fixated forward at the young woman.

Noticing his sudden change of behavior, I raised an eyebrow at him and tossed my gloves aside. I gave him a hard slap on the back to snap him out of whatever disgusting daydream he'd might be having. "Give it up, Derek. You both have more important things to worry about. Not to mention she's a woman and will give you nothing but trouble."

I began to walk away and Anderson spun around. "But she's not just any woman, Jake! She's beautiful, and strong, and…"

"Only been known to you for two minutes," I finished matter-of-factly. "You don't even know her name so just forget it! Besides, you wouldn't stand a chance with her, anyway," I added insultingly and continued to walk away.

I heard Anderson growl loudly from behind me before he lunged forward and slammed into me. With a yelp, we both went tumbling to the floor of the ring. Our grunts and growls could be heard throughout the gym as he fought one another to get the upper hand like a pair of schoolboys on the playground.

Just as I was pressing my knee into Anderson's back and yanking his arms behind him, forcing his face into the hard floor, the female agent walked past. She stopped and turned her head to stare at us with wondering hazel eyes. We both froze and stared back at her with surprised expressions. Several seconds passed before she turned and continued on her way as if she hadn't seen anything.

Once she was gone, I let go of Anderson. He thanked forward to the ground with a painful grunt. I didn't say a word as I stood up and literally walked over him to leave.

"Ouch…" he muttered into the floor.

That wouldn't be the last I saw of her. In fact, we crossed paths just a week later in the same place. Anderson and I were making our way to the locker room to shower after our recreational period.

"Her name is Ava," he randomly informed me.

I gave him a questionable expression. "Who?"

Anderson scowled, believing that I was being coy. "You know, HER. I found out her name is Ava, Ava Blackfeather," he continued and swooned listlessly.

"Oh, brother," I groaned and slapped my forehead. "Knock it off, you're embarrassing me."

"Come on, Jake. Loosen up a bit!" he urged me with a playful shove to my shoulder. "How often do we see actual WOMEN here, huh?"

My sarcasm was smooth and hard to detect. "I dunno. Some of you saps have me wondering."

Either the insult flew right over Anderson's head, or he ignored me. "I think I'm going to do it. I'm going to ask her out on a date."

"Have you even said one word to her yet?" I asked to intentionally burst his bubble.

"Well, no. But I…! I mean, no," he said and his shoulders slumped as we continued across the gym.

I just chuckled and shook my head. "Give it up, my friend! You'd be wasting your time, anyway. She's a woman; therefore she won't last here much longer."

"Is that so?" a strong but feminine voice chimed in from the right.

We both stopped and turned our heads. The female cadet now known as 'Ava' stood with her arms folded over her chest and a dark scowl on her face. She was dressed in a pair of yoga slacks and a tight, flattering tank top, prepared for her daily routine in the gym.

"Are all men around here so shallow and arrogant as you?" Ava asked as she shot me a look that could split nails.

With a smug smirk, I turned to fully face her. "Are you women always so quick to criticize a man for speaking the truth?"

She scoffed at me, unimpressed. "Nice. Arrogant AND an asshole. I can't wait to prove guys like you wrong."

"Give me a break, sweetheart," I said and stepped towards her. Anderson stayed where he was standing, his eyes locked onto Ava. "You really think you can make it at SHUSH? You're running with a crowd of hardened criminals. What was your crime? Operating a hairdryer without a license?"

A small group of cadets that had gathered around us to watch the confrontation erupted into laughter. But Ava didn't even so much as flinch. Her cold eyes just glared back into mine.

"You won't find such immature wordplay so amusing when I rise in rank more swiftly than YOU," she shot back at me.

There was a unison of sarcastic "Oooo's" from the group around us. I raised my eyebrow at her, somewhat impressed by her feisty attitude. "Is that a threat."

"No, it's a promise," Ava corrected confidently. "In fact, I bet I could take you on right now. Right here."

"You've got to be kidding me," I sneered insultingly. "You really think you can fight against me? And WIN?"

A devious smile crept across her bill. "Don't tell me you're scared. Or is your ego as shallow as your arrogance?"

Hollers and whoops arose from the cadets around me, urging me to accept the challenge. The hearty pats they began giving me on the back further boosted my ego and I grinned at Ava.

"Alright, little girl. Show me what you've got."

"I intend to, 'little boy,'" she retaliated as we made our way to a floor mat in the center of the gym with our audience in tow. The group was growing larger with curious onlookers as they circled around the mat to watch.

While she tucked a few stray strands of black hair behind her ear, I intentionally cracked my knuckles to prepare myself. Ava spread her legs and crouched low to the ground, rocking back and forth to ready her movements.

I took my own readied position and narrowed me eyes at her. "Ready when you are, babe."

"Ladies first," Ava sneered back at me.

Several of the cadets guffawed and tried to suppress their snickers. I growled lowly, annoyed by her witty demeanor. Slowly, I began to circled around her to one side. She reacted by moving in the opposite direction, keeping 180 degrees between us.

Finally, she made the first move. Ava lunged at me with a swing of her fist. But I was expecting such a move and snatched her wrist out of the air. I yanked her to the side and pulled her arm behind her back at a restricting angle. She grunted and let out an agitated growl.

"Not off to a good start, eh?" I hissed mockingly into her ear over the chatter of the crowd around us.

"No," she answered calmly. Her foot came up and she slammed her sneaker forcefully down on my right foot.

"YEEOW!" I howled and instinctively let her go.

She leapt away from me and passed me a triumphant smile. "I'm off to a GREAT start."

I cradled my pounding foot before facing her again. We were taught at SHUSH never to underestimate an opponent, and I had already done that within the first ten seconds. I ignored the jeering laughs around me and concentrated of scrutinizing Ava's every move.

We moved closer to one another, every muscle tense with the anticipation of who would move first. Then, she struck. Her foot sliced through the air towards my head so quickly that I almost didn't react. But I retaliated by grabbing her outstretched leg around her ankle and yanked her off balance. Ava flipped around in mid-air and crashed to the mat on her face with a yelp.

"You were saying?" I laughed mockingly. Stepping over her, I made my way to the sidelines where my fellow cadets congratulated me with cheers and pats on the shoulder. "See? What did I tell ya? She's nothing but a dainty little…GACK!"

While I had been distracted, Ava came up behind me and leapt onto my back with a murderous yell. Her slender but strong arms crossed in front of my neck, making me gag and stumble backwards.

"YOU were saying?" Ava snarled into my ear. She may have been petite but she was definitely strong and proving to be a difficult challenge. "Who's the 'dainty little girl' NOW?"

I growled loudly and tried to pry her arms from around my neck before I would pass out. When I felt her feet planted on the mat once more, I jumped into the air and landed one my feet with all my force. I leaned forward with the momentum and ultimately sent Ava sailing over my head. She landed hard on her back but instantly back on her feet again.

"You'll see, dollface! You'll have nothing but a desk job as a paper pusher!" I spat insultingly in her direction between my pants for breath.

Ava backed up several feet. Her threatening eyes pierced mine with a dangerous gleam. I braced myself for what I knew was coming. And then she charged at me with her head low like a tiger. She slammed into my abdomen with enough power to force the air out of my lungs. But I kept my bearings. I wrapped my arms around her waist and lifted her off of her feet into the air. She was now upside-down as I held onto her waist. Feeling gravity beginning to overpower me, I let myself fall backwards and brought Ava crashing down with me. We hit the mat at such an angle that I landed effortlessly. But I had slammed her against the mat at the last second. She gasped loudly as her breath was blown out of her.

Everyone around us cheered in my triumph as I shakily got to my feet. But I was quick to regain myself and grinned smugly. Ava still lay on her back, staring with wide eyes at the ceiling while she struggled to regain her breath in heaving gasps. I stepped in front of her and smirked down at her.

"Nice try, sweetheart. Get used to looking up at others and looking up at ME."

I didn't see it coming. Her leg jolted up from the floor and her foot struck me with all her might in my exposed groin. The stinging tears sprang to my eyes and I wheezed a painful groan. My hands shot downward to cradle between my legs and I squeezed my eyes shut as I collapsed to my knees in pain.

"Ooooo….!" the unified moan of pain came from the crowd.

I toppled over on the mat in pain beside Ava, curled up in a fetal position. I opened my eyes and glared hatefully at her, gritting my teeth. She returned the look, but with a bit of pride.

"I HATE you…" I squeaked weakly.

I would never live that day down. Everyone at SHUSH made sure to go out of their way to remind me of how I got my tail feathers kicked by a woman that I had belittled. Ironically, Ava and I didn't cross paths until weeks later.

My initiation to become an official agent of SHUSH was only a week away. Until then, I was spending every spare moment preparing for the exams and tests I'd be required to pass beforehand.

One afternoon, I was at the firing range in the outdoor SHUSH yard. The sharp sound of rapid gunfire and the smell of discharged smoke filled the air. I stood in the horizontal line of cadets with my firearm clenched tightly in my hands for a steady aim. I emptied my magazine at the target 100 feet away. When I fired my last shot, I lowered my gun to observe the damage on the target. I grinned, satisfied, seeing most of my shots had made it inside the red bulls-eye.

Suddenly, the person beside me fired a shot at my target, directly hitting the center of the bulls-eye. My eyes widened and I snapped my head to the side to see who it was.

"Looks like you'll have no problem with the firearms section of your initiation next week," Ava said. She lowered her gun and passed me a very non-threatening smile.

But I didn't return the gesture. Instead, I glared grudgingly back at her, the event in the gym weeks ago still fresh in my mind.

Ava raised an eyebrow at me, bewildered by my immature behavior. She sighed and shook her head. "You're still upset over out little 'wrestling match?' You shouldn't take it so personally."

"It was humiliating," I shot back, clearly ignoring her last statement. I turned my back on her to re-load my handgun with a new magazine.

"Humiliating?" Ava repeated. She scoffed snidely, "You mean because a woman was actually a CHALLENGE for you?"

I sneered and jammed the clip into place. "No. Because half of the recruits witnessed it! I can't get from one place to another around here without someone giving me some insulting remark!"

She rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Oh, come on, Mallard. If you ask me, you could do with a little humiliation! Besides, it's not as if you always get your tail kicked by women. I'm just extraordinary compared to all the others," he finished with a proud grin.

"Pah. No kidding," I muttered and lifted my gun again to fire off three quick shots at the target.

Again, Ava sighed impatiently. "Look, Mallard. I'm being initiated, too. We're going to be seeing a lot of one another in the near future. I'm trying to suggest a truce and be civil."

I paused my firing to pass her a suspicious glance.

"And I'm sure the other cadets and recruits will stop picking on you," she added playfully and winked.

A light laugh escaped my bill, accompanied by a small smile. "Alright, fine. My reputation can't afford another negative run-in with you….And neither can my groin…"

From that point on, I would surely see a lot more of Ava, in more ways than one.

Thanks for being patient with this update. Please review!