The REC room

Much to Lucretia's annoyance she wound up next to none other than Tanya. She expected the same flustered attitude as before when she had asked if she wanted to join her on an outing, but something had changed. The female duck refused to look at her and every once in a while shot a look at the grey male seated across from her, an expression Lucretia couldn't begin to decipher. She opted to ignore the two and wait, slightly impatient for the leader and the redhead to appear who seemed to have vanished after leaving the galley.

"Think they're in a closet somewhere?" The teenager stage whispered. Tanya rolled her eyes.

"Can you be serious ever?"

Nosedive seemed to really consider her question. "Nope. Not usually." He flashed her a smile and was saved from her retort by his brother appearing. Mallory brought up the rear with none other than Phil in the middle.

"I got a lotta paperwork guys, can't this wait? Or just fill me in later?"

This buffoon is still alive? She hadn't been impressed with him the first time around and that certainly hadn't changed. Aside from his glowing comment of her when she first met the ducks, she had no use for him.

"We all need to be here." Wildwing half turned to confront the team manager. "And considering you were used against us by Wraith, the 'WE' means you too."

"Oh…oh yeah." The human got a faraway look in his eyes. "You know Wildwing babe, I really am sorry about that. Can't believe it ever hap-"

"Oh sit down." Mallory pushed him into a chair one handed. "We forgive you."

"We would'a fired ya if we thought any less of ya." Duke added.

Phil narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to say something but then closed it. "Alright. Go on."

"Drake 1 has been getting some serious energy readings from near downtown Anaheim. I think we all know by now what readings like those mean…"

"HA! Alrighty then! When we going?" Nosedive went from sober to excited like 0 to 600mph, reminding Lucretia of a jet on Puckworld. Doesn't he have an off switch?

Looking up she met eyes with the red head, who was watching her impassively. Could I really have failed so quickly in my mission? Strangely enough she wasn't scared of the consequences. She had the transporter bracelet. Once her mission was complete she was to beam back aboard the Raptor; that's when Dragaunus would activate the gateway sequence and they: she, her miserable excuse of a twin and the Saurians, would be back on Puckworld. Then a streak of jealousy melted with her anger. These idiots really think they know her so damn well? We're identical for god's sakes, how could they possibly know?

Then it hit her. She wasn't submissive enough. She was putting out strong vibes and of course they'd pick up on it. They'd be absolute morons if they hadn't noticed. Damn it.

"We aren't going anywhere." Wildwing answered his brother's hyped question. "Not until we have a solid plan. Dragaunus is here to complete some sort of plan, one we don't know yet…"

"I thought you knew?" Phil interrupted. "He's here to do what he did to your planet. Well it wasn't his plan at first but now that he's stuck here it is.

"There's something else." Wildwing murmured. "Not Balarium crystals, not just enslaving the planet; we need to figure out what." He looked at her. "Airika."

She had been focused on the floor after being unable to hold her stare with the redhead female. At the name she looked up.

"Would you know anything at all?"

Is he testing me? Seeing how I'm going to respond to such a question… I ought to disintegrate his spine with my saurian blaster… which is in my room. You Idiot. Then she put some thought to it all quickly. It wouldn't hurt to at least give them a hint, might even speed up the chance of squashing them once and for all.

"I heard something about a dark matter concept once."

"Dark matter?" Nosedive asked before anyone else could. "What is that?"

Tanya had abandoned her act of not looking at Lucretia; she was staring at her, her features slightly ashen. "Why? Why dark matter?"

Damn it I shouldn't have said anything... I can pose the answer hypothetically though. "The L-Dragaunus is fed up with not getting anywhere since he has you interrupting him with every time so… He's looking into dark matter." She gave what she hoped was a sheepish smile before making her features blank again. Hope to god I'm acting like her. "But he wouldn't do something like that…It would be stupid since he wouldn't have a chance of escaping once he unleashed it." Lie. Gateway Generator.

"He's planning on turning the planet into a black hole...?" Grin speaking startled them. He usually only observed. The fact he was talking science was even more surprising.

"Planning." Lucretia stressed. "He won't do it. Like I said he won't be able to escape it once it happens."

Mallory crossed her arms. "Unless he figured out how to repair that gateway generator he has."

Why are these feathered mongrels so damn smart? All of them… Why? Just why did Canard have to pick these people? He never did anything half-assed that's why.

She shrugged. "I never saw it. Only ever heard of him talk about it once and it was to complain about how the repair wasn't going as fast as he had hoped."

"I thought dark matter was a theory." Phil was surprisingly attentive to the conversation.

"You thought wrong." She realized that was a little too harshly put. She hoped no one picked up on it.

Phil was unperturbed. "Well how you going to go up against that?"

"Seriously." Nosedive had lost his excitement and was staring at his brother like everyone else.

"If you come up with a plan soon, like within a day or so…you'll take him by surprise." Lucretia murmured.

"Would we?" The redhead's reply had a hint of sarcasm.

Lucretia's detection of the sarcasm was only cemented when the leader's eyes flickered in the female's direction. She wanted so badly to retort but knew she shouldn't. I need to stay in character, no matter what they suspect.

There was a moment of silence before Wildwing broke it again. "Phil. I would feel better if you took one of our rooms. Just until this blows over."

"Wha-But…" Lucretia watched curious as the alien stumbled over his words. "I'm not going to fall for those scaly windbags again. Trust me."

"Those scaly windbags have a sorcerer who can make the pope do what ever they want." Mallory crossed her arms.

"Oh fine." Phil grumbled. "I still have to go back to my place and get some stuff."

Wildwing nodded. That's fine. Grin and Duke. Can you go with him?"

Lucretia hadn't realized she was fixated on the leader as he was giving out orders, that was not until she saw the redhead staring at her. The bitch just can't pretend she doesn't know it's me. She had figured it out. She knew they knew it was her not Airika, and yet both sides were ignoring the fact. How strange. I wonder who will acknowledge it first…? A small piece of her hoped they didn't suspect her and it was all paranoia but she wasn't entirely sure she could trust that optimism. She stood up with everyone else. As she was trying to figure out what to do next Wildwing was in front of her.

"There's something you found downstairs a few days ago. You had said you wanted to show me."

"Oh…" It was a slightly odd statement to her but she dismissed it. "Sure."

She followed him to the elevator, the silence deafening between them. She wanted to say something because even to her the silence was getting to her; but Wildwing seemed fine with saying no words. The doors opened and she followed him to a dark wide room. She heard him muttering to himself about the light switch. It wasn't until the lights came on in a flash, blinding her that she saw a bed and dresser. "I don't understand-" She turned and wasn't the least bit angry, surprising to even herself, when she saw she had been duped..

A red haze covered the space between her and the white duck, sealing her inside. The leader watched her for a moment. Then he spoke. "The transporter bracelet on your wrist is useless in this room, so don't bother trying to use it."

Dumbfound she could only blink before she became horrified and looked down. She thought she had left it in her room. She hadn't even thought twice about it. She was a complete idiot. She had failed. She forced herself to recover and give him a glare. "You think you have it all figured out, don't you?"

He didn't answer.

"You're making a huge mistake on your part, thinking you can just waltz in there and succeed in a big rescue attempt of that freak."

"The way I see it," Wildwing said calmly. "It's you who is the freak. What person hands their sibling over to the likes of Dragaunus, willingly I might add?"

The woman's face grew dark and twisted. "She was always the favorite in our household." Lucretia hissed. "Sweet little personality and making little hints about situations that were in the future that always came incredibly true. So I had to make my stand somewhere."

"So you made her life hell both before the invasion and after."

"Wouldn't you?" She whispered, her tone becoming malicious. "Let me tell you a story." She drifted closer to the laser door. "There was a boy once…who I tried my damnedest to get to notice me…but no after about two months, he started getting interested in her. And her with her little teasing games, stayed away…making him crazy and chasing her…" Lucretia took a breath as a faraway look came over her face. Wildwing watched her, a chill running down his spine. He couldn't shake the unease as she continued the story. He shifted his attention to his left as he saw a shadow move. Duke was leaning against the wall in the darkness, listening too.

"Finally she started reciprocating the interest, pissing me off because it should have been me. So…a guy I was on again, off again with…never leaving me the hell alone. A true blockhead. Helped me out. Did me a tremendous favor." Lucretia sighed. "She was reading one of her stupid books in the kitchen, by our window that faced the road. Suddenly became stiff." She shrugged. "Saw something…and started dialing a number over and over, no answer. And then saw him park across the road and head towards our front door…" She was staring at Wildwing now, unblinking. "Should have looked twice…. such a touching scene. Him taking his last breath in her arms. No one gets one over on me and doesn't suffer for it."

Wildwing took a step back. "You're sick."

"Maybe." She agreed quietly. "You really want to chase after her?" She posed her question louder. "I know you're there."

Duke stayed silent and glanced at Wildwing. Then he straightened and came out so she could see him.

"Bad things happen around her." Lucretia murmured. "I'd be very very careful if I were you."

Duke stared back at her for a long few seconds. "Thanks for the tip." Then he turned and went to the elevator, and waited for Wildwing who joined him.

Wildwing half expected Lucretia to lob more words at them but she didn't as the elevator opened.

Once the doors closed Duked scoffed. "What the hell was that?"

Wildwing shook his head a little, feeling tired and sick as he came down off his adrenaline rush. For some reason the conversation had started his fight or flight response. "I don't know…but it makes sense now why she's the way she is."

"Who, that bitch?"

"No." The doors opened to the REC room. "Airika. Makes sense why she's so aloof." Wildwing paused. "I remember hearing about a hit and run, about two months before the invasion. That would have made her seventeen roughly. Think about it. You finally open up to someone only to watch him get murdered? At least if it had been a surprise, as bad as it sounds, it would have been easier to deal with. She knew it was going to happen and still couldn't stop it."

"Are you alright?"

Wildwing hadn't noticed Tanya come up to them. Briefly he wondered how much she had heard. "Yeah…why?" The rest of the team appeared.

"You look…" Tanya paused. "Shell-shocked. Both of you."

"Did you have to knock her lights out?" Nosedive asked eagerly. "Can I go rewind the camera footage?

"No." Wildwing wanted to act normal but the weight of Lucretia's confession made him feel nauseous. And he had thought she was an evil witch before…no wonder it had been easy for her to leave them all in the containment tank to drown. She had killed before. "Can you two go with Phil before he skips out to avoid us."

Duke and Grin nodded and left to find the human.

Wildwing tried staunchly to avoid Mallory's persistent glances. It was times like these he wished they weren't so in-tune with each other.

"I really need you to look something over for me." Tanya said abruptly. "I'm sorry but its kind of urgent."

He knew it was a cover-up. She was going to grill him the moment they were alone but he was too tired to fight her so he just gave a nod.

...

He waited for them to say something. Mallory and his brother had tagged along to the lab. He hadn't wanted them to. Tanya was going to be bad enough relaying the story to, but they deserved an explanation.

Tanya was first to recover, though he could tell she was as affected as he was. "I can't believe…" She trailed off. "This makes me even more of a asshole for the galley incident."

"No it doesn't." Nosedive interjected. "We didn't know. If anyone's the asshat it's the moron downstairs. I remember him. Devlin Softtail. He was decent. On the school hockey team and surprisingly, not an idiot like the rest of them. She was lucky to have him pursuing her."

"I just…" Mallory was staring off into space. Then she looked at them. "I don't get it. Identical twins and they couldn't be more different in everything. One's a psychopath and the other…. They were raised in the same household, fed the same foods, went to the same schools….I just don't understand-"

"It's genetics." Tanya answered quietly. "The whole nature vs nurture that the humans are studying. Nuture would be they were horribly abused or something and just warped by their upbringing. The nature is the way they are wired in the brain. Airika's the one who turned out alright…." She paused. "Well she's not a psychopathic killer. Lucretia did a phenomenal job destroying everything Airika was."

Nosedive looked around. "So when are we going to get her? We can't let any more time go by."

"We aren't." Wildwing answered shortly. "Tonight."

…

The Raptor

Airika could feel her upper arm bone crunching under Siege's rock like grip as he half dragged her to the command room. She thought she was ready when he punched her open handed in the shoulder blade, making her stumble.

"Glad you could join us Miss DeCoy." Dragaunus half turned. "I thought I might show you the goal I've been working towards these last few months. Thought maybe it might help you come around a little. I'm still very much open to you joining our cause. Then we can put all that's happened behind us."

She didn't reply, instead opted to stay silent. Next to her Siege growled unintelligibly and grabbed her again, pulling her after the saurian overlord who had disappeared into a side room.

The room was circular and in the middle of it sat a large containment unit with a much small containment inside of it, pillowed by thick light green goo. Inside the small unit there was a heavy black substance trickling up and down lazily not unlike one of Tanya's lava lamps in her office. The blonde female duck had told her once the lamps fascinated her and that she lost track of time a lot, even was almost late to an important home game, because she sat staring at it mesmerized.

"Do you know what it is?" Dragaunus turned to her like a teacher expectant of a student.

She wasn't in the mood for one of his lectures. She was tired. She was hungry. Something had changed in her; ever since the Mighty Ducks had taken her in. I'm not afraid of the Lord anymore. She decided she didn't care if her reply annoyed him.

"A top-of-the-line cosmetic product to help Siege grow hair?" She almost hoped the seething saurian would knock her lights out; then she could sleep and not be bothered.

Where her words had clearly pissed Siege off, they amused Dragaunus. "No." He murmured smoothly, his eyes set glitteringly on his henchman who had balled his hands into fist, blatantly itching to pummel the girl. "But a fantastic suggestion." The Saurian overlord turned to survey the glass. "What do you know of dark matter?"

"It's a theory." She gritted her teeth when she didn't answer fast enough to Siege's liking and his hand roughly closed around the back of her neck. She was going to pay for her earlier comment she just knew it.

"-Was a theory." Dragaunus corrected as he turned to look at her again, his hands clasped behind his back. "Those mangy mallards, whom were ever so gracious to fall right into my plan of you living with them-"

"What?"

He only hesitated for the briefest of moments before continuing like she had never opened her mouth. "-have been making a mess of my plans. Every little thing I try to accomplish on this miserable planet they've been there. Like a blight. Like a cancer." Smoke curled out of his nostrils. "Not anymore." He looked at her, a smug grin lighting up his face. "They're coming aren't they? I mean how can they not when you are so valuable to them…"

He thinks I'm stupid. "If you're suggesting they kept me around to ask information about you-"

"Didn't they?" Dragaunus interrupted. "Isn't that what enemies do to enemies? The first tidbit of information or the first informant they get their hands on, they never let go? To get the home field advantage or triumph in the end?"

"Wildwing is and will always be a better leader to his friends than you are to your sycophants." It was out before she knew it but she had felt unexpected anger at the saurian implying the ducks had simply been using her all along and hadn't cared in the least about her. She didn't get long to worry about how her words would damn her before she found herself dazed on the floor, an explosive pounding pain in her head.

"You useless arrogant piece of-" Siege grabbed her by the throat, squeezing until she could barely breathe; the tunnel began to close in.

"Siege." Dragaunus's voice cut through the cloud of blinding pain, patient and condescending. "Remember…these worms are more fragile then us. We wouldn't want to accidently kill her now would we?"

"We don't need her!" The burly saurian snarled. "She's done nothing but keep that beak of hers sealed anyway. We've got no more information out of her than we got three years ago."

Dragaunus's hand shot out and suddenly Siege found himself gasping for air. "That is for me to decide and for you to deal with…understood?"

Her vision cleared enough for her to see Chameleon and Wraith wilting in the shadows, no doubt hoping their boss's anger only stayed directed on one individual.

"Girl...girl…GIRL." She felt a hard slap to her face before her head was bent backwards forcibly until she was looking at the overlord. "Let's not make any more remarks like that shall we? I may not be able to hold back my sycophant next time." He stood up and oddly dainty, wiped his hands together as if to get grim off. "We'll continue this lesson another time. Siege…get her out of my sight."