Three long hours later, the group found themselves northeast of the capital. The area was a mix between suburban and metro; it was a part of the city that had been relatively new but growing rapidly over a year ago.

Now the dusty remains of townhomes, domestic houses, and half-constructed buildings littered the deserted area.

"So where are we meeting this big dude?" Nosedive asked, the mostly silent walk nearly infuriating him. He had been the only one to try and start conversations throughout the trek and, like the sewers, he was mostly talking to himself.

Canard did not respond to him, probably a dig at their earlier confrontation that got cut short. Nosedive sighed and elbowed Wildwing in front of him.

Wildwing glanced back. "What?"

Nosedive nodded toward the captain. "Ask him my question."

Wildwing sighed and looked ahead. "Where are we meeting the, uh, last recruit, Canard?"

Canard, keeping his eyes on the road ahead, only slightly turned his head so his voice would be heard. "He's meeting us, actually."

Nosedive rolled his eyes at Canard's instant answer.

Wildwing frowned. "At your hideout?"

Canard shook his head. "Near it. The guy is a bit of a nomad, helping others where he can. I had heard through the grapevine about him and had to ask around to finally meet up with him."

"What exactly does he do?" Mallory asked.

Canard smiled lightly before answering: "He's a meditation specialist."

The rest of the group exchanged glances with one another, no one quite knowing how to respond to that.

"So we got two military brats, a genius, a thief—"

"Ex-thief," Duke corrected.

"—Ex-thief; a PEACEMAKER, and two (very awesome and skilled) brothers to take down the most notorious Saurian of all time?" Nosedive paused for a beat. "This has got to be the most awesome dream I've ever had."

Wildwing could not help but smirk at his brother despite the situation.

Canard turned down a driveway leading to what appeared to be half-constructed townhomes. He walked up to the courtyard area and took a seat on one of the benches.

The rest of the group took the hint and also made themselves comfortable. Wildwing found a seat on the concrete perch of what appeared to have been a rather large fountain. Had this place been finished, he imagined it would have been one of the ritzier neighborhoods to live in.

Duke took a seat next to him, adjusting his coat so he wouldn't be sitting on it. He pulled out his saber from his shoulder holster and waited patiently as the blade began to materialize.

Wildwing watched him as he pulled out a cloth from his coat and began polishing it.

Before Wildwing could open his beak, Duke stated, "I don' have any idea how it works. It was passed down to me by my men'or."

Wildwing, at a loss for words, simply nodded. "It's pretty impressive," he commented.

"Has a grappling hook, too," Duke added, pulling on its end to show the cable woven inside. "One-time use o'course before you gotta replace it."

Wildwing nodded, not really knowing how that'd come in handy. But then again, he wasn't a thief.

Or an ex-thief, for that matter.

Curiosity getting the better of him, he probed: "So when did you become a former thief?"

Duke smiled without looking at Wildwing, continuing his ritual of cleaning his saber. "According to da DuCaine Police, I've ne'er officially been one."

Mallory was standing nearby and couldn't help but smirk. "You mean they couldn't ever convict you."

"Innocen' til proven guilty, right Swee'heart?" Duke winked at her, knowing full well she'd been eavesdropping.

Mallory rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, turning towards the two. "So, off the record, when did you become a former thief?" she re-asked the question, her own curiosity getting the better of her.

Duke's smile turned slightly bitter as the two ducks watched him. "The day I saw the Saurians attack, like anyone else wit' a sense of pride.

"I started by helpin' my clan, gettin' 'em to safety and providin' supplies. As the Blade dispersed I realized I could do more … so I did."

"Seems like the military handled your reformation well," Mallory commented while glancing at Canard.

Duke shrugged. "D'ey were wary at first, but after a few good missions d'ey came around. Gave me a full pardon for my continued efforts, even."

Wildwing's eyebrows rose. "I thought you'd never been convicted?"

"I haven't. Doesn't mean d'ey wouldn'a kept tryin' though."

Mallory cocked her head slightly at the gray duck. "So, when this is all said and done, then what?"

Duke eyed her a few moments before shrugging again. "The Blade is no more. Would it get back toge'er? Meybe, pro'ly. But I doubt wit' my actions I'd ever be considered for lead again.

"I'd be a snitch, no matter the reasonin'. But I made my choice."

Wildwing glanced at Mallory and saw her features almost soften at his admission. When she realized he was looking at her it disappeared quickly.

Duke only glanced at her after the silence reigned longer than necessary. "Nothin' like bein' an outcast, eh Sweetheart?"

Mallory's eyes widened at his dig towards her and she glared at him before walking away.

Duke snickered to himself and resumed cleaning his saber.

Wildwing sighed and leaned back on his concrete seat, wondering not for the first time how the hell all these mismatched ducks were going to take down the biggest enemy Puckworld had ever faced.

On the other side of the makeshift encampment, Nosedive had taken a seat next to Tanya on an old metal picnic table. Tanya had put her portable computer down and instead flipped a small panel on the computer attached to her forearm, pressing buttons and causing a small screen inside to show a multitude of commands.

Nosedive watched the genius work, perplexed. "What is that?" he finally asked, motioning toward the forearm device.

Tanya did not glance up. "This? This is my Omnitool, a—uh—a combo state-of-the-art processor and tool kit equipped with PSF laser tech—technology." Tanya beamed as she admired it. "With my own customizations, of course," she added.

"Of course," Nosedive repeated incredulously. He grimaced at his feet as he stretched them out. "It sounds like you had it pretty sweet in the gov' biz. Why join the ragtag team o' crazies?"

Tanya looked up at the younger blonde duck. "We aren't doing enough. With every, y'know, mission, we're still two steps behind them. We have to get them at their s-source."

Tanya looked away, her eyes clouding slightly. "So much has been lost—we have to do something."

Nosedive's humor dissipated as he watched her. "You lost your family?"

Tanya shook her head. "Not my parents or sister, thank Drake. I was able to get them on the base with me when—uh—when the war began. But all my aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, friends…" Tanya's voice was soft. "Who knows where any of them are? If they, y'know, survived? Our lives before are gone now, forever changed."

"Big family," Nosedive commented, unable to really say much else.

Tanya nodded in affirmation.

"Younger sister?"

Tanya nodded again.

"Cute?"

Tanya almost nodded before realizing Nosedive's question. Once it registered she instead opted to glare at him.

Nosedive grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

Tanya, still glaring, opened her beak to say something but stopped abruptly when her portable computer beeped quietly. She picked it up and pressed a couple buttons. "We got company again," she announced, standing up along with Nosedive.

Everyone else that was seated stood, and those with weapons had them out in a blink of an eye. The courtyard of the half-built complex was quiet, with only the slightest breeze moving trash slowly along the ground.

"Tanya, are you sure?" Mallory finally whispered, her eyes glancing about. "I don't hear anything."

Tanya's hologram was up and she pointed with her finger. "See here? There's a bunch of dots—" she stopped mid-sentence, however, as those dots disappeared. "Wha-?"

Canard was next to her and looked at the map carefully. "They couldn't just disappear like that."

"Some sort of glitch?" Mallory suggested, her eyes never wavering off their surroundings.

"No, not pos—possible. My scanner can see anything within a mile ra—radius," Tanya insisted.

Duke stiffened suddenly next to Wildwing, causing the latter duck to look at him warily. Before he could ask, however, Duke answered:

"Not unless d'ey're comin' from above! INCOMIN'!"

As soon as he said it the rumbling could be heard. The ducks scattered as four Raptors—in their animal-like conformations—landed roughly on the ground. They had most likely took to the air, transformed up there out of scanner reach, and then allowed themselves to fall into their area.

With the courtyard the way it was there were few places to hide. Wildwing and Nosedive scrambled to a partially-constructed building, dodging the laser fire that seemed to rain down on them.

Reaching the safety of a wall, the brothers took mental note of their lack of wounds and peered around the corner.

Each of the Raptors seemed to have cornered each of the remaining ducks. What unfolded next was a testament to the team Canard had handpicked:

Tanya, though seemingly not a fighter, still managed to deftly dodge and circle the large robot pummeling laser fire at her. As she made her way around the large machine, she pressed some buttons on her Omnitool, pulling something small out of it and attaching it to the Raptor's back leg. Instead of continuing to circle it, she darted towards a building. The Raptor turned and aimed its weapons at her, but suddenly exploded.

The blast knocked the scientist off her feet, but she easily got up to survey her damage and looked rather proud of the results.

Not too far off, Duke danced around his own Raptor, slicing his saber into its gleaming metal and sending sparks flying. After about four slashes, the ex-thief got a strong hit into the back of the Raptor's neck, causing the machine to jolt in its movements before finally shutting down. Not one to take anything for granted, Duke climbed up and finished the job, using his saber to completely slice through and behead the machine.

When he gracefully landed, the head of the machine crashed to the floor and sparked next to him. The gray duck smirked, twirling his saber in his hand before sheathing it.

Near the other end of the courtyard, Mallory had been using her puck-launcher as a decoy, shooting but not really aiming at the Raptor. Once she got close enough, she holstered her weapon, jumping up and sending a strong roundhouse kick to the machine's arm that housed its laser weapon. The metal bent and the next shot that came out got stuck, causing a small explosion in the appendage that completely took out the weapon.

Running behind the machine, the redhead turned and jumped on the tail, running up the back of the Raptor. With two quick and agile jumps she got on the Raptor's head, pulled out her puck-launcher, and aimed straight down. The resulting explosion caused Mallory to leap down and roll away just as the machine—in a fit of fire and smoking debris—came crashing to the ground.

And the team leader himself had no problems dismantling his own Raptor. Canard was not the least bit fazed by the laser fire that was coming at him. After ducking behind a few construction beams and sending a few pot shots himself, the large mallard managed to circle the machine and make his way to its tail. Like Mallory, Canard scaled the back of the Raptor and reached its head. However, he holstered his weapon and used his hands to rip open a panel in the back, pulling out a bunch of wires in the process.

The machine sparked and died down, falling face-first into the barren ground. Canard jumped off just as the machine toppled over, brushing his hands off as if it had been the most simplest of tasks.

With all four Raptors now completely dismantled, Wildwing and Nosedive slowly came out of their hiding spot.

"Dang," was all Nosedive could muster as they watched the other four ducks reconvene.

"Yeah," Wildwing mused. "Why are we here again?"

Nosedive smirked at his older brother but did not respond. He looked up at the four and did a double-take.

"BEHIND YOU!" Nosedive bellowed, pointing past the team.

Wildwing and Nosedive were too far away to do anything else without weapons. The group collectively turned to see about six drones descending on them quietly. Having been spotted, the drones lifted their arms and aimed at the ducks, leaving little time for anyone to react.

Thankfully, they didn't have to. A huge mallard—larger than probably Wildwing and Nosedive combined—came charging through the drones, sending them all into a charred stack. For the two machines that still remained functional, a heavy blow with the stranger's fist sent both of them crumpling into a heap on the ground.

The large mallard had lighter gray feathers than Duke, and shoulder-length black hair that was slicked into a tight ponytail. His shoes were slightly tattered and made with wrapped fabric; the same type of fabric was wrapped around both his hands and wrists as well, similar to how a boxer would prepare his hands before donning gloves. He wore a simple white tank top and dark purple sweatpants that went to his knees, along with a well-worn brown jacket with its sleeves rolled up to the elbows.

Canard broke the shocked silence by walking up to the mallard, who was now standing up out of the debris and brushing his pants off. "Mr. Hardwing, I guess we owe you one."

Mr. Hardwing, as Canard put it, only bowed respectfully to the team leader. Wildwing and Nosedive had caught up to the rest of the group by now and even Wildwing—who was slightly taller than Canard—had to look up to meet the large duck's face.

"I thought we weren't meeting up until tomorrow?" Canard asked, holstering his weapon. Mallory and Duke followed suit, as they had barely had time to pull them out when they realized they had drones about to annihilate them.

"Each duck must prove they are constant with honor and spirit," he responded, bringing his palms together in a typical pacifist's prayer. "A team cannot be one without loyalty, and for that you have all shown the highest regard."

There was silence among them until Duke finally asked: "So, uh … you were followin' us?"

The large mallard nodded.

"Glad we proved to you what you, um, needed to know," Canard answered hesitantly. He cleared his throat and motioned to the rest of the team. "This is—"

"I know your names. Mine is Check Hardwing, but I prefer my chosen name Grin."

"Grin?" Nosedive practically chirped.

The large mallard nodded again, his hands coming to rest at his sides. "It is the name given to me by my sensei, after I learned to control my anger."

Mallory and Tanya glanced at one another with wide eyes but did not say anything. Silence eventually reigned as the team finally looked to Canard for the next order of business.

Canard sighed, his hands coming to rest on his hips. "Well, since we got everyone together, I guess it's time to head to the hideout."