It could probably be argued that Maria Pulido Vega, as was her full name, was kind of lucky that she was totally oblivious to the danger she found herself in, that with one single push of a button, she could implode. If she had known, she probably wouldn't have looked half as lazed as she did leaning up against a wall with crossed arms standing side by side with her best friend and sidekick while dully observing the Duck in front of her whom was looking over a mechanic device.

"Well, this is differently one of the force field generators." Drake commented.

"Can you turn it off?" Maria asked.

Drake gave her a look, clearly indicating that he found that question rather stupid.

"What?" Maria asked.

"I would assume your Captain is not stupid, in either case, Negaduck is not, so what would the point be of putting them off if any-one could turn them off?" Drake asked furrowing his brow as he looked it over. "Now, I am not exactly a force field expert." He looked at Maria as to see if she was going to object. "But it seems to me these thing would have to be turned on at the same time, and you would need to turn them off at the same time as well, otherwise the field itself could explode and well, the catastrophes that could happen around if that happened." He nervously tugged in his blue sweater.

"Well, if you got friends in town, why not just gather them and bring them out to all the generators?" Maria asked.

Again Drake was left to send her a look. "First of, we would need to find every single generator, we don't even know how many there are, secondly, we would need to figure out how exactly to turn them off right, without having an accident that involves people hurt, and thirdly." Annoyed he kept pulling in the sweater. "Call it a wild guess, but I would think the main source is guarded, perhaps by the entire fearsome five plus a few pirates, and everything would need to be turned off at the exact same moment."

Maria pouted. "Darn it." She muttered. "And it first sounded like it would be so simple."

Bernadette rolled her eyes as she shook her head.

"Hey!" Maria looked at Bernadette. "It's not like technology of a Derek Blunts arch nemesis is usually any problem back home." She muttered. "Curses, thief's, and fending masters I can handle with my hands tied together, this is a bit new and I personally think I have done exceptionally well, so don't role your eyes of me."

Bernadette merely gave her a better knowing look.

"Oh stuff it." Maria pouted.

It was Drakes turn to shake his head.

"Your all right?" Maria asked.

"I'm fine.. It's just." Drake murmered.

"What?"

"This fells weird!" Drake exclaimed. "Doing detective work without the costume! It's just wrong!"

"Really?" Maria asked. "I usually do most of my snooping around out of costume, only using it if I know there is going to be a confrontation" she shrugged. "Your secret identity can easily be used as a tool as well, if the situation is right and they find me in a room I was not supposed to be in, I'll just say I was looking for the bathroom, easy as pie."

"Not when you actually happen to value your secret identity." Drake murmured. "I don't know about you, but I have a home to protect."

Maria smiled slightly. "Kids whose game you need to catch huh?" she asked.

"I don't see how that is any of your business." Drake murmured raising up brushing himself off the dirt.

"Oh come on, you clearly slipped that.. auw!" Maria's head turned to the side and she looked at Bernadette who had just pinched her. "All right All right." She murmured her eyes turning to Darkwing. "Bernadette has made it her mission in life to tell me when I am to curious or just in general getting in over my head."

"Not doing the best job is she?" Darkwing asked.

Bernadette's annoyed face told the entire story, that Maria simply didn't make that particular job easy in any aspect, and that Bernadette had probably done way better than what could be expected.

"Oh she's doing a good job all right." Maria rubbed her neck. "Of being a turn off when things are getting real exciting."

And Bernadette's albove suddenly found its way into Maria's stomach making Maria loose all of her air. Leaving Bernadette with a rather smuck impression on her face.

"Thanks." Darkwing nodded at the little sidekick, whom gave him a smile and a thumbs up in return.

"Why is the entire world always ganging up on me?" Maria muttered.

"You want the long or short answer?" Drake returned.

"No answer at all please." Maria managed to say in a very pouting tone.. One thing that Drake had concluded thus far, Maria was young and childish. He was seriously starting to regret this arrangement. Only plus side was that it seemed like it had fell into the natural order of things that he was the senior and she treated him with a somewhat respect, taking his words for good measure in the least. "So what do we do know?" Maria bursted out.

"First." Darkwing started . "We'll find the main source." He stated. "Then we round up the criminals protecting the main source and put them away, and at last we call in SHUSH and let them turn it all off."

Maria blinked. "That actually sounds like a very sensible plan." She acknowledged.

"You sound surprised." Drake lifted an eyebrow.

"Well urh, something tells me I should just stop talking." Maria at last sighed scratching her neck. "So how do we find that main source?" she asked.

"leave that to me." Darkwing smirked. "I got some stuff at my place that should help to pinpoint it."

"awesome!" Maria at ones brightened up. "You got a secret hideout! I can't wait to see that!"

Darkwing lifted an eyebrow. "You are not going to see anything." He told. "You are going to lay low."

"But." Maria looked at him. "What if you need me?" she asked.

"Then I'll find you." Drake shrugged.

Maria bit her lip, clearly her temper was rising. "What do you take me for, an idiot?" she asked. "I have been doing this for years, and before that, I did some pretty amazing things around the world! By myself! I am capable!" he whiskers was vibrating from her anger as her tail stood up straight. "I am a hero, just as you are! I can't just sit back while stuff is happening around me! You simply can't ask that of me!"

"And no tracking devices this time." Drake smirked slightly. "You all ready admitted, your out of water here, I need to resolve this and quick."

Maria looked positively mad at him, her very head was turning almost as red as her costume. "If you think I am just going to sit here and drink coffee!" she hissed. "Your dead wrong! I'm not afraid of anything."

"Shows how long you have been in the hero business." Drake glanced at her one last time before he started walking away. "In this business, you don't last long if your not afraid of anything."

Maria was feeling very humiliated at those words, and very angry, she looked at her best friend, but Bernadette's eyes told her that she thought Darkwing had had a point, after some moments thought, Maria also got an assuring clap on the shoulder and a slight smile.

"Thanks." Maria muttered, before looking up, from one moment to the next her face changed from humiliated to triumphing. "Well, it just so happens we have our own way to track down crooks." She grinned. "Come on Bernadette! Time to play dress up!" she grinned anticipation all ready linger in her voice. "That Negaduck fellow wont sit on the power for long. And I'll drag Monstrasio home so the towns people can see her being put to justice at last."

Amused Bernadette shook her head

"You don't think this is the day she'll finally be taken in?" Maria asked her sidekick.

Again Bernadette just shook her head a smile playing on her lips.

"Well, all right, that would kind of be to easy wouldn't it." Maria muttered. "And not right at all, but well, if I don't say it every time there is an opening, I have failed." She told sincerely, to Bernadette's clear agreement of that answer.

AN;

Sorry for the short chapter :/

Bernadette is the younger of these two but only very little, both is only in their twenties, and well, Scarlet's sense of reality isn't always that great so Bernadette has to beat her over the head some-times. It helps Bernadette was a street kid and a thief ones, so she is more aware, Maria is an adventurer of own free will and had a privileged childhood, she differently needs Bernadette, she would have died like a thousand times if she didn't have her. And well, they both enjoy an adventure.

I don't know why, but I also liked it very much when the hero in a story did stuff out of costume, the Scarlet Pimpernel is very interesting to me in the aspect as he is.. well, never in any costume nor mask, he dressed up as an old lady at some point to trick some guards, but normally he is just him playing an alter ego character while tricking the enemies. I also just liked the little sequence in the Dark Knight where Bruce Wayne races out on a red motorbike just as himself to stop the joker, I love things like that.

Edit; consider this a personal note to my future self, hallo future self!, and trivia to any-one who cares, I can't help but work on the Scarlet concept quiet a lot, and well, if I ever go so far I can start making a web-comic, I think this is it.

For time-line and age, Maria kind of ran away from her privileged home to discover the world in age 16, she travelled the world and met Bernadette aged 16 a year after that, so Bernadette is two years younger than Maria, Maria returned home to Rodent city in the age of 22 after having travelled andbeen into more trouble than what is good for six years, she married Alejandro one and a half year after that aged 24 and in this fic she would be 25 but not all that wiser.

Monstrasio is possible in her late thirties in this fic, but as far as any-one is concerned she is differently in her best age and not to be taken for granted.

The reason why the pirates were so keen on Rodent city in particular is because the city lives on a Diamond mind, and the pirates found it to be quite a profit just to make the citizies work in it till it's empty, incidently the mind is actually owned by Maria's dad. Thing just is, Monstrasio can't take being outbested, so as if it was Captain Hook and Peter pan we are talking about, Monstrasio is completely obsessed by the thought of getting back at Scarlet for what-ever cost, making a feud that started being pretty simple, becoming very complicating, and it doesn't help that Scarlet not only beat Monstrasio, but downright humiliated Monstrasio as well, which the Captain isn't going to stand for. Yet, they do have a sort of strange mutual respect thing and even appreciation going on.

So future self, take your material, it's filling up your old fic!