"You said your parents' names were Carson and Merinda?" Astrid asked as she opened up OWCA's supercomputer.

Penny nodded, although fully aware Astrid couldn't actually see her (since she was behind the white platypus). "Yeah."

"Alright, then..." Astrid typed furiously on the abnormal keyboard. "Let's see what OWCA's database says about them."

As Astrid continued to enter information and type, Penny found herself pacing the floor behind Astrid. "What if the database doesn't have any information about them?" she asked worriedly. "Or their deaths? Or what if something goes wrong? Or what if I do find out how they died? Then-"

Astrid held her paw up, pausing from her work at the computer to look at Penny. "Your anxiety spiking almost as much as Mabel's does before she has a big exam," the white platypus said dryly. "Calm down."

Penny stopped and inhaled deeply, doing her best to slow her pounding heart and racing adrenaline. "Sorry. I'm just nervous."

Astrid raised an eyebrow. "You don't say?"

"Just... Maybe there's a reason Perry tried to hide the truth from me. Maybe he was trying to protect me?"

Astrid rolled her eyes before turning back to the computer. "Well, based on what you told me, it sounded like he was trying more to protect himself."

Penny sighed. "But that must mean there was something really bad about their deaths, if four years later he still can't even bring himself to talk about it."

Astrid just shrugged, not even turning around. "Whatever. If that's the reasoning you want to use, go ahead."

"It's just..." Penny hesitated. "I also... I'm scared that he'll learn that I'm doing this and get upset with me."

"Penny, there's no reason for him to keep this large a secret from you. You're, what, five years old now? That's certainly old enough to deserve to know the truth about your own parents. Your brother's just a baby who can't seem to accept that they're gone."

Penny couldn't help a scowl from coming to her face. "Seriously? Then what happened with your own family, if you're able to be this cold about it?"

"We've all gone through a lot, okay?" Astrid's voice was nearly monotone, giving nothing away. "But that's no reason for him to be a dick to everyone else. He needs to grow up and accept that bad things happened to him and move on."

"Well... I guess."

"Either way," the white platypus continued, "there's just no reason for you to feel nervous about this. I'm sure the database says something about what happened to them, at least enough to build a lead on. I already pointed out why there's no reason for you to be worried about Perry's reaction to your search. And-"

"And there's no reason to be worried if I do learn the truth?" Penny crossed her arms.

"You're an agent, Penny. And you never really got to know your parents. It shouldn't impact you that much. Right?"

"Depends how bad it is," Penny mumbled. Astrid was definitely a bit out of touch with empathy. She glanced up at the screen. It seemed to be loading something.

"There you go, then," the white platypus said. As Penny looked away from the screen, she heard Astrid continue, "Finally, a file's finished loading. Penny, this one looks like your fath..." Her voice broke off.

Penny turned to the screen. There was an image on the screen, one that was vaguely familiar. Carson, her father. He had blue fur, like her, although while her fur was a lighter shade of blue, his appeared to have been darker, almost cerulean. Under his standard agent fedora, he had green eyes that almost seemed to shimmer in the light reflecting onto the computer monitor. However, once she pulled her eyes away from the almost hypnotizing image of her parent, she realized why Astrid had fallen silent. Carson's picture was on the far right side of his file, with his name and code name underneath: Carson. Agent C. And then, underneath that... Deceased.

But that's all that the file said. To the left of his image, the screen was entirely blank, like there was no information about him in the system whatsoever. "W-What?" Penny turned to Astrid, her heart beginning to pound again. "That's...not supposed to happen, is it?"

Astrid was scowling at the screen. "Absolutely not. Somehow every bit of information about him was removed from the system."

"Could it...be a glitch?"

Astrid sighed. "It's unlikely- this is government property. But maybe it is; the file did take a while to load, I suppose. Let me try loading Merinda's."

Penny rocked back and forth anxiously on her feet while waiting for Astrid to finish pulling up her mother's file. Unfortunately, once it loaded, it was the same as what they had seen with Carson's: her image, with her name and code name underneath (Merinda, Agent M) alongside the scarily bolded word: Deceased. Again, there was no information to the left of Merinda's picture, instead left completely blank. "And that's where the information about her is supposed to be?"

"Yes." Astrid's scowl returned, and she slammed her paw on the desk. "What the hell? Some agent must have blocked the information!" Her angry gaze turned to Penny. "Your brother's stooped lower than I thought he would."

Penny crossed her arms. "There's no way that's Perry. Isn't blocking information like that illegal? He'd never do that."

Astrid crossed her own arms in return and gave Penny a steady- albeit still irritated glare- before sighing and letting her arms fall to her sides. "I'm afraid you're probably right. I just don't know who else it might have been."

"I guess we just need to keep an eye out," Penny said with a shrug, "Probably let Major Monogram know, too."

Astrid began to pace, staring at the floor in thought. "We've had corrupt agents in the agency before, but we've weeded them all out. I wonder if..."

Astrid's voice began to drift into the background as Penny found herself staring at her mother's image. Merinda had dark forest green fur, the same fur she found herself vaguely remembering having snuggled deep into before after hatching. Warm and furry, completely blanketing her and making her feel completely sheltered from a new and scary world, surrounding her with the vague scent of milk.

Her eyes were what Penny found most mesmerizing, though. The instantly recognizable, warm chocolate brown eyes that both she and her brother had inherited. Staring into them wasn't only like staring straight at her mother, but it was as if she were also staring into Perry's eyes, and even her own reflection in the mirror. It was-

"-when your parents died?"

"W-What?" Penny shook her head to clear it, Astrid's voice coming back to her. "Sorry, I didn't catch that."

Astrid crossed her arms. "About how many years ago did your parents die?"

"I... Right. About four years ago."

"Hm..." Astrid fell silent for another moment before suddenly snapping her fingers. "Wait! There is an agent who we learned was corrupted after your parents died. It's possible he's the one who blocked the information."

"Who?" Penny cocked her head before the realization hit her as well. "Oh, wait. Do you mean...?"

"Probably." Astrid nodded. "Dennis the Rabbit, who went rogue last summer. We don't know how long he was in OWCA while working against us, so he's the only option that makes sense right now."

"Do you think he might be a lead?" Penny felt her spirits begin to lift. "Surely he wouldn't have blocked their information without being involved in their deaths in some way, right?"

"Only one way to find out." Astrid smirked. "Thankfully, we have him locked up in the OWCA-Traz downtown. Let's go try and get some information straight from the source."

(...)

Penny worriedly tapped her foot against the floor of Astrid's white and purple hovercar as the older agent flew them toward the OWCA-Traz. They had gotten Major Monogram to schedule an interview with Dennis, and now, a little over an hour after finding their potential lead, they were going to see if they could get anything out of him. Major Monogram had reassured Penny that it was a maximum security prison and she'd be fine, but she knew a fair bit about Dennis. He had been one of OWCA's best agents before he went rogue the previous summer, and although she hadn't seen it herself, she had heard stories from Perry about when he had needed to duel Dennis. It had been a close battle between them. Obviously Penny was an agent, and she could defend herself, but if something happened and Dennis got loose it probably wouldn't take much for her to lose.

"You've been awfully quiet, I'm not used to it."

Penny started as Astrid pulled her out of her thoughts. "O-Oh! Sorry. I just..." She adjusted her hat awkwardly. "I'm a bit nervous about interviewing Dennis. I've never even been on a mission out in the field as an agent yet, and I'm already facing down an enemy that even my brother's had a challenge fighting."

"Not really facing down," Astrid reminded. "He'll be locked up."

"I know." Penny sighed. "I'm still nervous, though."

Astrid fell silent, her face staying completely neutral as she stared ahead. Penny felt her heart drop in her chest. That must have completely been the wrong thing for her to say- now Astrid thought she was a coward who didn't deserve to be an agent. It made sense, though. Not only was she nervous about interrogating someone who was going to be kept completely secure, but she'd barely done anything. Astrid had done all of the heavy lifting so far. Not just in this quest to try and help determine what happened to Carson and Merinda, but in general since Penny had been made an agent on Thursday.

They sat in silence for the rest of the drive, only cementing what Penny had feared in her mind. Oh, well, even if Astrid didn't think she was a worthy agent, she still had a mission right now and she needed to focus on that. As Astrid parked in front of the OWCA-Traz, which was cleverly disguised as just another downtown building in Danville, Penny practiced a couple quick breathing exercises. She was a fellow agent, and Dennis was gonna be under lock-and-key. It would be fine.

"ID please," a guard at the entrance said as the two platypuses walked up to the building. Astrid and Penny both held up their respective Agent IDs, and the guard nodded. "Agents A and P, we've been expecting you. Allow me to escort you to the interrogation room." With that, he opened the door and let them inside.

Penny looked around the prison as they made their way to the interrogation room. The hallway seemed like a rather standard hallway, not the kind of hallway you'd see in a maximum security prison. But it was a large building, so made it became a more standard prison further into the prison. The floor was made of white tiles that felt cold against Penny's feet, and the walls were a light gray, contrasting only slightly with the floor.

The guard stopped in front of one room, opening the door. "Right this way."

Penny shivered. Somehow the air felt cooler as soon as she walked in. It looked just like the types of interrogation rooms she had always seen in movies- the one-way mirror that allows people to look in, while on the other side was the classic table where the interrogator and interrogee rest. No one had settled in that room yet. "Dennis should be here momentarily," the guard said, almost seeming to sense Penny's- and probably Astrid's- thoughts.

"So who's doing the interrogating?" Penny rocked on her feet and glanced over at Astrid, clasping her paws behind her back.

"I assumed I would." Astrid crossed her arms. "You've been an agent for three days. Besides, you're nervous to even face him."

"I...guess. I just thought maybe I'd at least help, since the whole reason we're doing this is because of me. I mean... It is my parents we're investigating."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Fine. Just don't get too involved. He might even refuse to talk just because he sees you, since he doesn't have the best relationship with your brother."

She hadn't thought about that, actually. "He probably won't even know we're related." Penny crossed her own arms, mirroring Astrid's position. "If he did assume I was related to him, it would probably be because of my species. Which, need I remind you, you're a platypus too."

"So you're serious about this?"

Penny nodded. "I want to be able to ask questions if I need to."

"Alright, fine." Astrid shrugged. "As long as you leave most of the interrogating to me."

On the other side of the one-way mirror, Penny saw movement and turned to see two guards escorting Dennis into the interrogation room. He looked exactly like the photos she had seen over the years- a fluffy white rabbit with dark blue eyes, certainly able to pass as an innocent little bunny to any bystander. But his flattened ears and angry glare- a glare directed right out the window and in the general direction of Astrid and Penny, like he knew they were there- gave away his true identity.

Astrid turned to look at Penny. "Well, if you're ready, let's do this."

(...)

"Huh, I must have attracted a specific species today." Dennis smirked as Astrid and Penny entered the room. "Forgot OWCA had so many platypus agents, to be honest. Where's Perry?"

Astrid rolled her eyes and sat in the chair opposite Dennis. "I'll be asking the questions."

"What an original line." The rabbit leaned back in his chair. "Never heard someone say that in this situation before."

Penny leaned against the wall at the corner of the room, noticing that Astrid was already squeezing the table- probably out of frustration. "You're going to answer any and all questions I pose to you, without the sarcasm. Understood?"

The rabbit's smirk just widened. "I'll do my best."

Penny crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. Really? "Good." Astrid's unimpressed tone showed just how little she believed him, either. Astrid cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. "Now, you knew Agents C and M previously to your expulsion from OWCA, correct?"

"Well, there's a lot of agents with those codenames in OWCA." Dennis grinned. "But assuming that this interrogation is based off your species in some way, I'm going to say that you mean Carson and Merinda and say that yes, I did. We were part of the same generation of agents, so it was hard to avoid them if I even wanted to."

Penny straightened from her position against the wall and stared at the rabbit in shock. He was closer in age to her parents than her brother? Well, the more you know, I guess...

"Good." This time, the white platypus sounded a bit more genuine than before. "And you're aware that they passed away while you were still an agent at OWCA?"

"Of course, the whole agency was blowing up about it." He morphed his smirk into a frown that was so exaggerated Penny couldn't shake the feeling it was intended to be mocking. "And they had two kids, also. How sad. Not like any other deaths around that time mattered. They got most of the attention."

What? Astrid hadn't mentioned that. Neither had Perry. Or any other agent she had ever known. To her surprise, though, Astrid had fallen silent as well. It took what felt like several minutes before Astrid spoke up again. "I guess that leads perfectly into my next question, then. If their deaths became so infamous throughout OWCA, why is there nothing on their deaths in the database?"

Penny looked at Dennis to see him sitting up straight in his chair. Interesting. "Hey, what OWCA chooses to do with their information after I leave isn't any of my business."

Silence. Then Astrid said, "Unfortunately that's not a good enough answer, Dennis. Getting a bit nervous?"

"No." The rabbit scowled. "I just don't have an answer."

"Funny, because you had an answer for everything else I said," Astrid replied coolly. "Even if it wasn't a question. You're treading on thin ice now, rabbit."

"Okay, then what kind of answer do you want?"

"We think you were responsible for the information blocked on the database." Astrid crossed her arms. "We want a confession and an explanation why."

"Hm, those are some pricey demands." Dennis leaned against the table. "I feel like I can't provide everything."

"You're already in prison for life," Astrid said. "Another confession to add to your already massive stack of crimes really won't do anything."

"You make a good point." Dennis shrugged, the casually smug expression on his face returning. "Alright, fine. I can't meet all those demands, but I can do a bit. You want a confession? I did. I blocked their information. No one can access those files but me."

"No explanation why?"

Dennis just laughed. "Of course not. I'm no idiot." He gestured with his head to Penny. "She's their kid, just like Perry. I can tell by the eyes. You want that information because of her for some reason. Clearly it's important." He grinned. "Even if all I'm doing is inconveniencing you, it's still worth it."

"Alright, then don't explain what caused you to block it." Astrid stood up. "All we need is your pawprint to unlock the information, and you're under governmental custody, so you can't resist. We'll be coming back for that tomorrow, rabbit, and you'd better give it."

The rabbit's blue eyes just shimmered with some kind of smug amusement as his grin morphed back into a smirk. "I hear you, platypus," he sneered. "Loud and clear. I'll be ready bright and early tomorrow morning."

Astrid turned to walk out the door, and Penny was about to follow when she hesitated and glanced back at Dennis. "You recognized me. How did you know I'm Perry's sister?"

Dennis shrugged. "Like I said, it was your eyes. I'd recognize those eyes anywhere. Mirror images of what your mother had."

Penny eyed him suspiciously, but his neutral gaze gave nothing away. "How are you so certain?"

Dennis grinned. "I just saw her all the time and got used to them. When I faced down your brother last summer, I was actually surprised at how similar they were."

"How did you see her all the time?" Penny crossed her arms. "Close enough to get to know her eyes, I mean?"

"Quite frankly, I don't think it's any of your business. It was for no reason related to a crime, unlike what you may be thinking." He picked up his paws, which were resting in handcuffs, and waved her away. "Believe it or not, I had a pretty normal life for an OWCA agent. Now get going. I'll see you tomorrow."

Penny rolled her eyes and left the room, passing the guards who were coming to take the rabbit back to his cell in the process. She met up with Astrid in the hallway. The white platypus crossed her arms. "How are you feeling now?"

Penny couldn't help a grin from coming to her face. "Excited." The grin faded. "And nervous. At least now we'll be able to access the database."

"Yeah. You're welcome." Astrid cleared her throat. "Let's get going. Since we didn't meet today, Jordan will probably want to meet tomorrow," She glanced at her watch. "Let's go our separate ways, relax, and hope our next meeting as a team goes better tomorrow than it did yesterday."

Penny sighed. She had almost forgotten she'd have to face Perry again. Was he angry with her? Did he still trust her?

Oh, well, she'd find out tomorrow. "Yeah, I guess I'll see you then.