Negaduck was training them, and Megavolt was ashamed of just how long it took him to realize what was going on. It wasn't just about their powers like he'd originally thought. This whole thing was about control. That was why they'd been separated from each other, so that Negaduck could use their isolation to break them down. And they had let it happen.

Megavolt was infuriated with himself. Quackerjack had been the only one physically kept away from them, but all of them had been isolated. During the night, Liquidator worked with Negaduck. During the day, Megavolt and Bushroot had the grown-up's attention, and when they were given relief they both hid in their own corners, too tense and angry around each other to try to get along and get support.

Megavolt would sometimes forget why he was mad at Bushroot, but then he'd hear Quackerjack laughing or crying in his room, or he'd look at the scar on his hand, and he'd remember enough. He had felt justified in his anger, and a part of him still did, but Quackerjack was breaking down, Bushroot was crying and looking more horrified than he had when his arm had been chopped off, and Megavolt realized that his anger had just been another way that he had fallen into Negaduck's trap.

He'd tried to break them, and it looked like he had succeeded. From the times that Megavolt had talked to Liquidator, he knew what Negaduck had done to him. All of those nightly excursions weren't for the sake of measly riches, they were to show Liquidator that he was far more powerful than he thought, but more than that he was completely powerless.

Liquidator was never given a break. The one time he was allowed to rest, after he'd been completely broken down, Megavolt had pulled him out of it before he was ready, just because he and Quackerjack needed food. That part couldn't be helped, but it wasn't fair that Liquidator had to be the one to do it. It wasn't fair that he was the only one that had the ability to help them, and he was helpless to just take care of himself.

Megavolt had been avoiding talking to Quackerjack, but he'd kept an eye on him still. He would peek out of his closet and watch Negaduck let himself into the room when it was silent, presumably when Quackerjack was sleeping. He entered with something in his arms, and a few minutes later he would leave holding something else. When Megavolt heard Quackerjack wake up he could hear the panicked shouting and desparate cries.

Listening to him, Megavolt knew that Quackerjack felt like he was losing his mind. He thought he was just imagining all of these changes happening in the room. It killed him to listen to, because Megavolt knew that he'd been the one to set this whole thing off. He'd talked to Quackerjack, and then he'd backed off and let the other boy fall into the darkness of his doubt.

As for Bushroot, it was clear now that Negaduck had been pushing him to be ruthless and cruel, like him. The other kid wasn't there yet, if his crying was anything to go off of, but he was scared. Bushroot was terrified of himself, because they could all see where this was going.

Bushroot had been confused by Quackerjack, because he hadn't been paying attention to him the way that Megavolt had. He hadn't understood that Quackerjack was being hurt just as much as the rest of them, just in a different way. Bushroot had been feeling helpless, and scared, and he didn't understand why Quackerjack wasn't being hurt and why he was laughing.

Bushroot's confusion festered into annoyance and frustration, and after weeks of Negaduck pushing him, he snapped. He lashed out. He let his frustration become fury, and he'd taken it out on Quackerjack and almost did something absolutely horrible.

Megavolt couldn't help but wonder if Bushroot would have gotten this far if he hadn't felt so alone. If Megavolt hadn't let his own fury get the best of him.

They had all been broken down, and Megavolt thought it was all his fault. He should have been able to do something. The only reason he hadn't is because of what Negaduck had done to him on that second day. He couldn't remember the details. He just remembered the feeling of electricity, the sound of broken glass, and the scar on his palm. Compared to the others, what he'd been through, or at least what he remembered, had been nothing at all, and yet he'd broken down first.

He didn't want to fail the others again. He didn't want to feel so useless. He still felt conflicted about Bushroot, but over the next several days he tried hard to not let it show. He'd stood to the side and let them all be broken. The least he could do was pick up the pieces.

It didn't matter that now that Negaduck had broken them down he wanted to build them up so they, as a group, could be of use to him. Megavolt knew that by clinging to each other now they would just be playing right into his hands all over again. He didn't care. They were all tired of being alone.

They spent the next week doing whatever Negaduck wanted, getting to know each other's strengths and every single potential weakness they had. Negaduck wanted them to compliment each other and pick up any potential slack.

Quackerjack, who was weirdly observant after all this time of looking for miniscule differences, was in charge of watching Liquidator's back, to warn him of potential sponges or jars or whatever might stop him in his tracks.

Liquidator was supposed to help Bushroot focus if he started to either panic and try to hide from a threat, or if he started to go too far. That last part wasn't something that Negaduck taught them, but it was what they agreed on, because none of them wanted Bushroot to cross the line.

Bushroot volunteered to be the one to make sure that Megavolt remembered anything important, and the rat saw the gesture for what it was. This was Bushroot's way of telling Megavolt that he didn't want him to get hurt. If Megavolt forgot what Negaduck wanted him to do, he would be punished. Despite the tension between them, Bushroot didn't want him to be hurt, so he was stepping in in this way to prevent it from happening.

Megavolt's job, which he insisted on, was to ground Quackerjack and not let him spiral too deep. Negaduck wanted him to be insane, but he didn't want him to be incapacitated. Megavolt was supposed to focus Quackerjack's attention on the job at hand, whatever that might be. He insisted on being the one to do this, because it was the only thing he could do to even begin to make up for where he had failed before.

Finally Negaduck deemed them ready for whatever he wanted them for. He started to talk about a plan that none of them completely understood. He kept on talking about S.H.U.S.H, and spies, and somebody called Darkwing Duck. One night he pulled Quackerjack and Megavolt aside.

"You two are going in first." Negaduck said.

"Going in where?" Quackerjack asked around his thumb, which he had stuck in his mouth the second that Negaduck had started focusing on them. Megavolt didn't know when Quackerjack had started this new habit, but he'd been doing it more and more. Half the time Negaduck ignored it, and the other half of the time he ignored it. Tonight he ignored it.

"S.H.U.S.H headquarters." Negaduck said. "Think of them as a spy group. They have all kinds of crazy inventions that can be of use to me. I can get in and out of there on my own, but Darkwing Duck always catches up to me, and I don't want him to know quite yet what I'm up to, so you two are going instead."

"Why us?" Megavolt asked. He didn't know who Darkwing Duck was, but the name felt familiar, like it was something he was supposed to know but had forgotten about.

"Because you don't look like freaks." Negaduck growled. "Nobody's going to give you a second look, and because you're brats nobody's going to think you're up to anything."

"Why would kids be anywhere near spy headquarters?" Megavolt asked. Quackerjack snorted and bit at his thumb. With his free hand he gripped at the remaining feathers on his head. He already looked like he'd gone through a really bad molting. Megavolt didn't know enough about birds to know when, or if, his feathers would grow back.

"They have a front as a regular science lab." Negaduck rolled his eyes. "To keep up appearances they give occasional fake tours of the more normal parts of headquarters. Tomorrow it's a school group touring them. Kids will be all over the place. Nobody's going to notice two more."

Megavolt hated to admit it, but the plan wasn't bad, at least as far as getting in. "What are we supposed to do?" Megavolt asked.

"When you're in, try to sneak into the back rooms and find something of interest." Negaduck said. "I want to know what S.H.U.S.H. is getting up to.'' He leaned closer to them, a dangerous look in his eyes. "And I don't want them to know that I'm involved, so not a word about me. Don't even tell them your names."

"What about Jack and Megs?" Quackerjack asked.

"I couldn't care less what you call yourselves as long as nobody knows who you are." Negaduck said. Megavolt didn't know how any of those spies could possibly know who they were. It made sense they would know about Negaduck. He was clearly a villain. If they were spies, that would be right up their alley. But what would spies possibly know about a bunch of children? Unless they knew that Negaduck had kidnapped them or something.

Megavolt wondered if this was their chance to get away from Negaduck, or at least find out where they had been before. Could S.H.U.S.H. help them? Would they even care?

Megavolt would keep an eye out for any opportunity, but he wasn't going to jump unless he knew that there was something there to catch him. It would be too dangerous, both for him, and for the other boys.

"If I could, I would send in the mutt and the weed." Negaduck said. He glared at them. "They at least know how to act normal. I'm trusting you two, and I'm sure you know better than to let me down. "No Freak outs. No flying sparks. For once in your miserable little lives, just pretend that you're normal for five minutes. Can you handle it?"

Megavolt could feel his fingers sparking. He gripped at his tail to try to hide it. "Do we have a choice?"

Negaduck smirked darkly. "No." He left, leaving Megavolt to wonder what he was supposed to do about tomorrow. The young rat sighed and grabbed Quackerjack's wrist, gently encouraging him to release his thumb. He pulled him into the kitchen, where Bushroot and Liquidator were waiting for them.

What's going on?" Bushroot asked.

"We have an assignment, I guess." Quackerjack said. "I don't really get it."

"I do." Megavolt said. He hunched his shoulders. "But who knows how long that will last." It wouldn't be long before he forgot.

"I have an idea." Bushroot said. He went to a cupboard and pulled out a water-stained notebook and a pen. "Liqui was able to grab this last time he went out. Maybe if you write down important things, you won't forget them. Just write down keywords to spark your memory."

It was worth a try. Megavolt and Bushroot spent the next hour taking notes and figuring out ways that Megavolt could remember what he was supposed to do, as well as figure out strategies for what to do when they were inside of S.H.U.S.H., just based on what limited information they had.

Quackerjack added information when he could, but he quickly lost interest and instead started poking his hand inside of Liquidator, giggling when the dog would play along and either make a gap in his form so Quackerjack didn't touch the water at all, or he would solidify the water in the area, trapping his hand. It was a game for them. Quackerjack liked games, and he never had more focus than when he was playing.

Megavolt watched them for a bit before he turned back to Bushroot. "Negaduck said these guys are spies. If he hates them, they have to be good."

"Not necessarily." Bushroot fiddled with his leaves. "They can be bad and just be rivals."

"Even if they are, they can't be as bad as Negaduck." Megavolt pointed out. Bushroot didn't have an argument against that. "What if S.H.U.S.H. can help us?"

"What if they can't, and trying just makes Negaduck mad?" Bushroot asked.

"He can't get mad if he doesn't know." Megavolt said. Bushroot shifted slightly. "I want to get out of here, and I know you do too. I won't do anything unless I think the risk is worth it. If I find a chance, can I trust you?" It was risky to be telling this to Bushroot, as he knew how possible it was that he could just run to Negaduck to tell on them, but Megavolt needed to do this.

He wanted to truly trust Bushroot, but he couldn't if he didn't know that he could keep quiet. He also needed Bushroot to trust him and know that he wasn't going to go out of his way to do something that would hurt them. They all needed to get away from Negaduck, which meant they all needed to be ready to run if the chance was given to them. No hesitating and lingering with Negaduck because they were scared of what he could do.

Bushroot was quiet for a long time before he sighed and nodded. "Just be careful tomorrow. Negaduck will be watching you."

"I'll try." Megavolt said. He pawed at his eyes. He was feeling sleepy. He needed some rest before their adventure tomorrow, and not just him. Quackerjack needed to sleep, and Megavolt knew that part was where the challenge would be.

"Jackie," Megavolt grabbed his friend's hand. "It's time for sleep." Quackerjack's eyes widened in alarm, just like Megavolt knew he would. Quackerjack was afraid of sleeping. He said that his dreams were scary, showing him everything he tried so hard to ignore when he was awake. More than that though, Quackerjack was afraid of waking up to find the world around him completely different.

Megavolt looked at his notebook. He passed it to Quackerjack. "Write your surroundings down before sleeping. When you wake up, if you feel like something has changed, you can look at the notebook to see if your memory's just playing with you, or if you're right."

Quackerjack was still for a long moment before he grinned broadly. "You're so smart!"

Megavolt smiled, pleased with himself. He led Quackerjack into the living room, where they had all taken to sleeping and resting. Megavolt settled in the pile of blankets as Quackerjack spent half an hour walking around the room, taking note of his surroundings. He marked and noted every cushion, tile, and color that he saw. Finally, clutching the notebook tight, he joined Megavolt in the pile. He clutched tightly to him and soon started to doze off.

Megavolt was tired, but he didn't let himself try to go to sleep until he knew that Quackerjack was settled himself. He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep himself.

It wasn't the best night's sleep he ever had, but it was far from the worst. When Negaduck woke them up, Megavolt didn't have to spend several minutes trying to figure out why, and Quackerjack only needed to take a glance at the notebook before he relaxed, convinced that nothing was different.

"It's time to go." Negaduck said. He tossed some things at them. "Something to help you fit in."

Megavolt caught a pair of gloves that seemed to be made of rubber. He put them on and, for the first time, didn't feel like electricity was going to come out of his fingers uncontrollably. Curious, he reached for his powers and found that he was able to consciously bring out his powers. It just took a little more effort.

There was a hat at his feet, and Megavolt didn't have to ask what it was for. He held it out to Quackerjack. "To hide your missing feathers."

Quackerjack frowned slightly and put the hat on. "Is it really that bad?" Megavolt was sure that Quackerjack had seen his reflection. Did the other boy just not understand how bad it really was?

"It'll draw attention." Megavolt said. Attentive and concerned adults would ask questions, and that wasn't what they needed right now.

"Don't let me down." Negaduck warned them. He gave Quackerjack a paper. Megavolt looked over his shoulder to see an address and time written on it. "Get going."

Quackerjack and Megavolt looked at each other. "We're going alone?"

Negaduck crossed his arms. "What part of I don't want to be found by S.H.U.S.H. do you not understand?"

"You only let me out of the room a week ago." Quackerjack said. "Now we're just being let out?"

"Don't go thinking you're free." Negaduck said. "If you think you can leave, you'll be dead wrong." Megavolt shuddered and Quackerjack gave him a concerned look. They both knew that it very possibly might not be a figure of speech. If they ran off, Negaduck would find them, and he would not be merciful."

"We'll do the job." Quackerjack said.

"I know you will." Negaduck said. "Remember, all you need to do is recon. Find something, anything, that can be of use to me. An invention, a secret way in, I don't care. Just make it worth my time."

Megavolt took Quackerjack's hand and, for the first time since he could remember, they left the house. It felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders, only for a different weight to be slammed on so suddenly that he was left out of breath. Quackerjack wasn't carrying that same weight. He just looked excited and eager.

"Come on." Quackerjack pulled Megavolt along. He was beaming broadly and chuckling, and Megavolt knew that this wasn't his nervous laughter.

"You're excited." Megavolt said. He marveled at it. "Aren't you scared?"

"Scared?" Quackerjack tilted his head at him. "We're finally starting the game that we've been learning the rules for this whole time. It's going to be fun."

"We're going to be hurt if we mess this up." Megavolt said.

"Thinking like that makes you nervous." Quackerjack waved off his concern. "Being nervous makes you mess up. Just have fun. Let's pretend we're spies on a super secret mission. It's like a game of hide-and-seek, except we're in plain sight, and the others don't know we're playing."

Megavolt didn't know if he could do that, but he wished he had Quackerjack's confidence and enjoyment. He didn't know how to play pretend, but maybe he could pretend that he could play this game.

S.H.U.S.H. headquarters wasn't too far from the house, which Megavolt was really confused about at first. If he was a villain he wouldn't want his hideout to be anywhere near his enemies. It would be his last choice, and maybe that was what made it a decent place. If that would be the last place he would want to be, maybe it would be S.H.U.S.H.'s last place to look.

It was still early when they got there. Quackerjack and Megavolt hid in an alley and watched the building, waiting. Quackerjack kept an eye on the time and the school bus that would bring the children's tour group that they would be joining. Megavolt looked at his notebook, reminding himself of everything that he and Bushroot had gone through earlier.

Quackerjack nudged Megavolt's arm and tilted his head towards headquarters. There was the bus. It was time to go.

"Keep me focused." Megavolt said. He took Quackerjack's hand. "If this is a game, it's really important that we win."

"We're partners." Quackerjack squeezed his hand and grinned at him. Together they walked out of the alley and slipped into the back of the group of children as they made their way inside. Nobody spared them a second glance. The other kids were either too excited about the fieldtrip to notice them, or too bored to care.

As worried as he'd been about playing pretend, Megavolt slid easily into the game. Too easily. Being in a scientific environment, even if it was just a front, surrounded by kids his age, Megavolt felt like he was a student himself. Excited and curious about the possibility of learning, where his biggest concern was trying to ignore the ignorant bullies that surrounded him.

He wanted that. He wanted it so badly, and for once he wished that his stupid memory would just erase everything that had been happening with Negaduck. Why couldn't this be his life instead?

They went along with the tour, and though Megavolt knew that he was supposed to be looking for something for Negaduck, he found his interest genuinely captured by the scientific information being given to them. They were given a limited amount of information, and he knew that this was just a mask for what was truly happening here, but that didn't do anything to stop his fascination.

Quackerjack didn't share in his interest.

"There's nothing fun here." Quackerjack whined.

"Tell me about it." The girl in front of them said grumpily. She crossed her arms. "Why can't we see the good stuff?"

The younger boy next to her nudged her arm. "Gosalyn, you know why." The girl scowled.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's a secret." Gosalyn pouted. "That doesn't mean I have to like it."

"A secret?" Quackerjack finally looked interested. "So there's fun stuff here after all?"

The girl looked back at them and smiled. "Oh, you have no idea what kinda of fun gadgets these guys have. If you can imagine it, they can do it."

"I don't know." Quackerjack chuckled. "I can imagine a lot of things." He reached for his head. Megavolt grabbed his other hand to stop him.

"Careful, Jackie." Megavolt muttered. He may be wearing a hat, but that wouldn't stop him from pulling at his feathers.

Quackerjack took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm okay."

Megavolt watched him for a long moment before he looked at Gosalyn. "How do you know there's cool stuff here?"

Gosalyn looked uncomfortable for a long moment before she rubbed the back of her neck, a weird look of pride in her eyes. "Oh, my dad works here sometimes."

"Your dad's a scientist?" Megavolt was interested in the idea.

Gosalyn scoffed. "Are you kidding? He almost blows up my room every time he tries to help me with my science homework."

"So he works at a science lab, but doesn't do science?" Quackerjack tilted his head. "What does he do?"

"I mean, he doesn't really work here." Gosalyn admitted. "He just helps them sometimes. He, uh…" She looked at her friend. "He helps them test out some of their cooler stuff."

Quackerjack looked like he had just heard of his dream job. "Where can I sign up?"

"You're not blowing yourself up, Jackie." Megavolt said. He looked at her. Gosalyn seemed like a really proud girl. Being around Negaduck, he had seen just how easy it was to get somebody to do what you wanted, even if it was against their best interests.

"No way there's anything actually cool here." Megavolt gestured around. "I've seen classrooms more exciting than this."

Gosalyn frowned defensively. "Is too! I'm telling you, the stuff in the back would blow your little minds."

Quackerjack smirked, picking up on Megavolt's game. "Prove it."

"Give me ten bucks and you got a deal." Gosalyn challenged. Quackerjack and Megavolt looked at each other, both of them thinking the same thing. They didn't have any money, and unlike Liquidator they didn't have the experience to steal some.

"We don't have anything." Quackerjack said plainly. Gosalyn frowned.

"Didn't your parents give you money for lunch or something?" She asked. Quackerjack snorted.

"He wouldn't give us anything." Quackerjack was speaking of Negaduck. He wasn't their dad or anything, but right now he was definitely the closest thing they had, which was a terrifying thought.

A strange look came to Gosalyn's eyes. "Do you not have a bag lunch either? What were you going to eat for lunch?"

Megavolt had just assumed that he wouldn't eat anything until tonight, and only if they succeeded in this mission. Quackerjack knew the same thing.

"I don't know." Quackerjack said. Gosalyn looked around before she grabbed their hands.

"Honk, cover for us." Gosalyn said. She didn't give her friend the chance to protest. She snatched a key card from a passing worker and pulled the two of them into a secret entrance.

"But we can't pay you." Quackerjack said.

"Forget the cash." Gosalyn said. "Consider it a favor." These back hallways were completely empty, and she took advantage of it. "Are you guys actually students? 'Cause you seem familiar, but I don't think I've ever seen you before, and I'd remember weirdos like you."

Megavolt's fingers were sparking, and it was a good thing he was wearing gloves. She said they were weird. The whole reason why they'd been sent here was because they were the normal ones. They might not have caught the attention of a S.H.U.S.H. agent, but they'd definitely been noticed by the daughter of a potential agent. What if that brought some of the unwanted attention that Negaduck didn't want?

Quackerjack didn't seem to be worried about the same thing. He just easily answered the question. "I don't think I've ever been to school."

"I don't remember." Megavolt said. Gosalyn nodded like she wasn't surprised

"So what are you doing here?" Gosalyn asked.

"I-I like science." Megavolt said. He'd said the first thing that came to mind, but it felt right and familiar. Maybe he really did like science. "I wanted to see a lab."

"Does your guardian know you're here?" Gosalyn asked. Megavolt didn't fail to notice that she said guardian, even though she'd said parents before.

"He knows." Quackerjack said. After all, Negaduck was the one that had sent them.

Gosalyn rocked on her heels a bit. "You guys didn't bring food with you. Do you have food back home?"

Megavolt frowned. He didn't like all the questions. The more she knew about them, the more she could give up. "What's with the interrogation?"

"I'm not interrogating you." She said defensively. "I just…look, I kinda know what bad homes feel like. I was at an orphanage, for a bit. You guys remind me of the other kids I saw there."

"But we're not from an orphanage." Quackerjack said. Gosalyn frowned, looking more upset.

"That just worries me even more." She said. "When did you guys last eat anything?"

It felt like this was something that he wasn't supposed to talk about, but Megavolt was actually feeling excited about this. He'd been hoping for help. If this girl's dad was a secret agent, maybe that would be the help they could get.

"Two days ago, I think?" Megavolt looked at his friend.

"No, that was when the mutt was able to get stuff for us." Quackerjack said. "I had some fruit snacks leftover yesterday, and I shared it with you."

Gosalyn blinked. "So you had fruit snacks yesterday for breakfast?" Gosalyn shook her head. "Yeah, I'm getting you guys some pizza for lunch. You need some food. You've gotta be hungry."

"I barely notice." Quackerjack said. Megavolt was the same. How could he notice that he was hungry when he was too sore from his latest punishment, and anxious about the next time he would be punished?

"Mutt?"

"Another boy." Megavolt said. "He's the one that gets us food. If he doesn't get it for us, we don't really eat anything."

Gosalyn edged closer to them. "Who's watching you?"

That was one question that Megavolt couldn't answer, because Negaduck had explicitly forbidden it. Saying this other stuff could get them in trouble, but deliberately disobeying him definitely would. Gosalyn could see the hesitance in his eyes.

"I just need a name." Gosalyn said almost desperately. "My dad's a really good detective. He'll be able to get you out. Just tell me what I can do."

"I can't tell you his name." Megavolt said. "I can't."

Gosalyn groaned, frustrated, and it was clear that she was about to push, but Quackerjack cut in. "You said we could see the labs. That's why we're here."

Gosalyn frowned before she sighed and went to a door. She used the keycard to open it, peeked inside, and then went in, pulling them in. This looked much more like what Megavolt had been imagining, like the secret gadget room for spies.

Quackerjack's eyes widened. "Look at all these toys!" He looked like he wanted to run in and start playing, but Megavolt kept a close grip on him.

"This stuff can be dangerous." Gosalyn warned them playfully. She grabbed what looked like a ray gun, pointed it at the wall, and let it off, showing that it really was a ray gun. It blasted a clean hole in the wall. Gosalyn laughed nervously and set the ray gun down. "Yeah, uh, I thought that was like my dad's gas gun. I guess not."

Quackerjack laughed, and then just kept on laughing, and Megavolt realized with a jolt that this was one of those times where he started to spiral. The laughing itself wasn't too bad, but it wouldn't be too long before it escalated.

"Jackie, calm down." Megavolt said. "You have control."

Quackerjack shook his head and hit his head with his hand. His eyes were wide. He really didn't have any control. He was spiraling. Megavolt didn't even know what had triggered it.

"Jackie, talk to me." Megavolt said. "Get those thoughts out of your head. Tell me what's going on in there." He didn't know how it would help, but Quackerjack had told him that it would.

Quackerjack took in a shuddered breath. "Gas gun…it's familiar. I know it. I know I know it, but I can't figure out why." Quackerjack looked around, his gaze focusing on Gosalyn. "Flipping…flapping."

"A shadow that flaps in the night?" Gosalyn suggested. Megavolt thought that something was trying to spark his memories, but it wasn't anything more than a vague impression. Something he felt like he should know.

"Yes!" Quackerjack said. "Yes, that!

"Darkwing Duck." Gosalyn said proudly. "He's like a superhero. Have you run into him?"

"I can't remember." Quackerjack's excitement dimmed. "I can't remember anything before he got us."

"Neither can I." Megavolt said quietly. He'd thought it was just because of his poor memory. None of them had memories of before Negaduck. There had to be a reason why.

Quackerjack looked at the ground. He was tapping his feet and shaking his hands slightly. "Why do I think I remember somebody that I can't remember meeting? I-it doesn't make any sense!" He growled at himself and tugged on his hat, pulling it over his eyes. "Why can't my stupid head just make sense!"

"Jackie, stop!" Megavolt grabbed Quackerjack's hands to get him to stop, but when he pulled his hands back the hat came with it, exposing the lack of feathers on his head. Megavolt was still holding his hands, so he couldn't pull on his feathers, but now Gosalyn could see, and after everything she had heard and seen, she had to know that it wasn't a normal molting.

"Hey, hey, Jackie, it's okay." Gosalyn said quietly. She looked at Megavolt. "Get him on the ground." He didn't know why, but he wasn't going to ask questions. He pulled Quackerjack to sit on the ground. The other boy leaned against him, growling, huffing, and chuckling.

Gosalyn knelt behind Quackerjack and began to run her fingers through her feathers. He stiffened at first, but as she straightened and brushed his feathers he began to relax.

"My dad brushes my hair after I have a nightmare." Gosalyn said. "And my grandpa used to do the same thing when I had a bad day." She was careful to avoid the sensitive bald patches. "Sometimes all you need is a gentle touch to let you know that someone cares." Her eyes grew sad. "Especially when it feels like the world can hurt so much."

Quackerjack relaxed more and more until Megavolt thought that he was sleeping. He slowly pulled away, laying Quackerjack down and giving Gosalyn more room to work. Megavolt stood up and looked around the room. He was worried about Quackerjack, but he was in good hands. That wouldn't last though. If this safety was going to last, Megavolt needed to find the information that Negaduck had sent them for.

He very quickly glanced around, looking for something small that he could sneak out of here. He didn't know what any of this stuff was, but he didn't think it mattered. Negaduck said that he would be fine with anything. He just had to make sure that he didn't walk away empty-handed.

Megavolt saw a computer chip on a table. There could be nothing on there, or the plans for something incredible. It would have to do. He grabbed it and slipped it into his gloves, hoping that he didn't accidently short it out. He needed to keep the powers under control. He couldn't afford not to.

He had just returned to Quackerjack's side when the door was opened and some angry looking agents came in. Megavolt put himself protectively in front of Quackerjack, but the agents weren't looking towards them. Their gaze was on Gosalyn.

"Miss Mallard." A short duck leading the group crossed his arms and gave her a disappointed look. "Why am I not surprised?"

Gosalyn grimaced. "Busted."