Prologue

She faced him without flinching, even though he towered above her, smoke billowing from his nostrils. His eyes were cold as he explained exactly what he wanted from her, in bone-chilling detail.

Morgalla DeGuile's smile was almost as chilling as she replied, in a tone of twisted anticipation, "I understand, Lord Dragaunus."

***

The ring of steel on steel was becoming a familiar sound in the gym below the Anaheim Pond. Wildwing set down the handweights he'd been using and went to join his brother by the sparring mat.

"They're still at it?" he asked, nodding to the two combatants.

"Yup. It's been almost an hour now," Nosedive said. "And they're still on the first round."

"You're kidding."

"Uh-uh."

"I didn't realize they were so evenly matched," Wildwing said in surprise. "Think Duke's holding back?"

"No way, bro. Jen Lai beats him as often as not. I don't think his pride could handle it," Dive chuckled. "Seriously, though, I think if she were anyone else, he probably would hold back. Duke doesn't seem like the type to enjoy fighting a woman, you know?" Wildwing nodded, his eyes still riveted to the combat. "And he is definitely enjoying this," Nosedive added, as with a triumphant 'Ha ha!' Duke nearly managed to disarm his opponent. Jen Lai danced out of the way, however, smiling almost smugly at the disappointed look on his face when she evaded his 'surefire' attack.

"He's not the only one," Wildwing observed.

"Yeah. That's the closest thing to a real smile Jenny-girl's had since she got here." Nosedive grinned up at his brother and started to add something, but was cut off by Wildwing's beeping com just as Jen Lai's sword clattered to the ground nearby.

"Wildwing here." His eyes widened slightly at the image on his screen. "Captain Klegghorn?"

"Bring your team to the jewel shop downtown," the human police captain ordered. "I got something here I want you guys to check out."

Wildwing exchanged a wary glance with his teammates before answering, "We're on our way."

"Oh, great," Nosedive moaned as Jen Lai retrieved her blade and offered Duke a sardonic salute. "Not again. We don't have *room* for anymore teammates." He shot an accusing look at Jen Lai. Duke grinned; the last time they'd gotten a call like this one, it had heralded Jen Lai's arrival.

The smile faded as he got a sudden feeling that this wasn't going to be quite so easily dealt with.

***

"So it was robbed," Wildwing shrugged, looking across at the jewelry store surrounded by yellow police tape. "Why call us? Looks like your average thug to me."

"You're average thug with feathers?" Klegghorn asked pointedly, handing him a plastic evidence bag containing two yellow-gold feathers. Wildwing frowned as he took the bag, then passed it to his teammates and turned back to Klegghorn.

"What else have you got?"

Klegghorn handed him a Polaroid. "That was carved into the back wall." Wing took the picture and examined it. The design was unfamiliar. Again, he passed it back as Klegghorn continued. "A small fortune in sapphires, topaz, rubies, and garnets was stolen; the rest of the store was smashed for no apparent reason. Crook left all the other jewels, even the diamonds."

"That's odd," Wildwing muttered, his forehead creasing. He looked down as his brother tapped his arm, then followed Nosedive's gaze to Jen Lai and Duke. Jen Lai stood, as still and grave as ever, but her sharp blue eyes were watching Duke intently as he looked over the evidence. In the older duck's face Wildwing found what had disturbed Nosedive. Duke's expression was completely guarded; the look was as unusual on Duke as it was commonplace on Jen Lai.

"Captain," Jen Lai stepped forward, shifting her gaze from Duke to the trashed jewelry store, "May we take a look, please?" Klegghorn frowned but he waved them forward, calling to his subordinates to let them through. Duke followed Jen Lai, silent and stone-faced across the police line to the crime scene.

He entered the jewelry store while Jen Lai paused to examine the door, swinging freely on its hinges. The latch lay scattered in pieces on the ground. She knelt and examined the door frame, running her fingers along the wood until she found the mark she was looking for. Only someone who knew her very well might have noticed the slight deepening of frown lines on her face as she rose and moved inside. One by one, Duke checked the display cases, carefully avoiding the broken glass still clinging to the frames. "Curved blade..." he muttered to Jen Lai as she moved past him. "Aniston?"

"No," Jen Lai called back as she scrutinized the symbol carved on the wall, "The sweeping style is right, but look at the length of this cut, here." She traced the indentation with the tip of her index finger. "That's not a dagger; Aniston's curved blades were all short." Jen Lai straightened and looked him in the eye. "This was done with a scimitar. And it couldn't have been Shardra, before you ask; her blade had a serrated edge." Duke's expression grew visibly darker, and he turned away to lean against a ruined display case.

"Sapphires. Topaz. Rubies. Garnets." He recited the list of stolen jewels as he stared into what was left of the crushed velvet lining of the case. "Her favorites," he muttered, lowering his head. He turned and marched towards the door. "Let's go tell the others," he tossed over his shoulder as he stalked out.

***

"Well?" Wildwing was waiting when the two former thieves emerged from the crime scene.

"The mark on the wall is the symbol of the Brotherhood," Jen Lai told him calmly. "Between the blade that was used and the feathers that the police found," she nodded at Klegghorn,"we're pretty sure we know who did this. There are several fighters that we know of with that type of coloring, and only three used curved blades. One of them uses short knives; the cuts were two long for it to have been him. The second uses a longer blade, but with a serrated edge. The marks left on the wall are smooth."

"That leaves the third," Wildwing stated. "Unless it's someone you don't know?"

Jen Lai opened her mouth to reply, but Duke spoke first. "It's her," he spat bitterly. "This was a challenge. If she'd really wanted to rob the place for the sake of the robbery, the only sign that she'd been here would have been the missing jewels. This was too obvious, you know?" He turned back to the building. "She's trying to send me a message."

"*Who's* trying to send you a message?" Mallory demanded.

Duke turned without a word and walked back into the Migrator. Dive watched him go, then looked at Jen Lai, his youthful face serious and worried.

"Morgalla DeGuile," Jen Lai's voice was soft but strong. "She and Duke were...very close, once." She looked toward the Migrator, speaking almost to herself. "If Dragaunus has brought her here to do the job which I abandoned, she will not hesitate. I fear..." Jen Lai's eyes grew distant and she looked up to the grey clouds covering the sky overhead. She didn't finish the thought. Nosedive looked at her sharply, afraid of what he saw in her face. Suddenly she seemed to become aware of the five pairs of eyes fixed on her, and she started after her former foe. The other ducks trooped into the Migrator as well, solemnly, without all the comments and jokes that usually punctuated their adventures.

The ride back to the Pond was silent and foreboding.

***

Duke attacked with the ferocity of a lion, with eyes just as wild. His blood pounded in his ears as his muscles screamed in protest, but his mind was beyond the ability to hear him. His speed was blinding, the blade in his hand merely a golden blur as he thrust and pivoted to block his imaginary opponent.

It was late; or early, depending on how one chose to look at it, but Duke didn't care. Sleep held no rest for him, not when old memories came back to haunt him. He dueled with the shadows as if the fervor in his strikes could sever the ties to his dark past and free him of the guilt and regret that still haunted him, after all this time.

Unseen and unsensed, a single figure watched him from shadows of her own. She knew his burden and she knew his pain, and she also knew she could help with neither. So she watched, and she waited, knowing what had been, what was, and what might yet be, and unable ease the pain of any of it.

Duke's strength finally failed him, and he sank to the ground, breathing heavily. The shadows and their guarded friend watched as he lifted a hand to touch his eye patch before struggling back to his feet and deactivating his saber. More than shadows followed him as he returned to his room, his weariness now complete enough that he could escape the evil dreams of his past.

***

Duke L'Orange gazed out over the roofs of Anaheim, his eyes turned inward. Since joining the resistance and coming to Earth, he'd found so much, gained more than he'd ever imagined. He was able to enjoy the comforts of a real home, without having to be ready to pack up and disappear if he were discovered. He had a sense of purpose that filled him with a passion for living like nothing he'd ever experienced before. He had excitement, adventure--and at the same time, he had honor, and the trust and respect of five other ducks, each of whom he knew cared for him in their own way.

He'd never felt so alone in his life as he did at this moment.

This moment, and every other moment when his dark and less than sparkling past returned to haunt him. Duke hated this feeling, the tightening in his throat and chest, the restless sense that he didn't belong with these people. They were all so...good. None of them understood where he had been. They didn't know what had made him a thief; to them, it didn't matter. Part of him was relieved that the only thing that mattered to them was that he was on their side now. The other part of him longed to explain his past, wanted so badly for them to understand...and knew they never could.

With a sigh Duke lowered his head to his elbows where they rested on the ledge of the roof, the cool breeze ruffling his hair slightly. Memories came back to him. He remembered the time he'd spent with Morgalla, how much he'd truly cared for her. He remembered the feeling of completeness he'd felt when they worked together, a perfect, seamless team. He remembered her conspiratorial smile, the laughter that often escaped her when they got away clean, having completely baffled the authorities. He remembered the feel of her hand, the scent of her hair, the sense that he would never be alone...

He remembered.

He remembered the pain of her betrayal. He remembered hearing the self-satisfied laughter as her scimitar blade sliced into him. He remembered his capture when she left him, wounded, at the scene of the robbery she'd committed without him. He remembered his eventual escape, once he'd overcome the shock and apathy that had consumed him with the loss of his love.

Duke didn't want to remember anymore.

He wanted it to be over, he wanted it to be gone, he wanted his past wiped completely away, where not one trace would be left to remind him of what he'd once been. A deep longing filled him, edged with sorrow for the life he could have had. He didn't want to be alone for the rest of his life. He hated the part of himself that kept him apart from his teammates. He wanted...

'What,' he asked the clouded night, raising his head and standing straight again. 'What do I want?' The stars brought him no answer, and he lowered his eyes back to the flashing headlights of the cars whizzing by in the streets.

A sudden rustle of cloth behind him snapped him away from his musings and he whirled, saber in hand. Jen Lai turned her eyes from the night sky long enough to nod an acknowledgement at him, then she went to the corner of the roof and sat down on the ledge, her cape billowing around her slightly with the warm breeze. Surprised and a little suspicious, Duke replaced his saber and watched her.

She was quiet for a moment, searching the misty sky with her hand on her sword. The hilt glinted silver as she absently traced the designs surrounding the midnight blue starstone with the tip of one finger. After a minute she looked back to him, her eyes as intense as ever, but different, somehow. Softer. It was almost unsettling, and he looked back to the streets.

"Everything seems so different here." Quiet and unusually gentle sounding, Duke almost didn't realize she had spoken. "Even the stars. I look up and expect to see my old friends, but the constellations here are so different I can't even find any."

"It's not so different here," Duke replied morosely, glaring down at the honking, roaring cars. "I almost wish it was," he sighed. He had not intended the addition and was a little surprised at it. He turned away from the glaring lights and leaned against the ledge of the roof, staring down at the stark grey concrete beneath his feet.

"Someone once told me, 'We cannot forget our past, but we can forgive it, and leave it behind.'"

"Someone once said to me that the past is not dead. It's a living, breathing thing that defines who we are. I'm tired of being a thief, Jen Lai."

"Are you still a thief, then? A living thing cannot remain the same, Duke, it must change. All the good that you have done since you came here, that is a part of your past now too. A part of who you are."

"Then why does the rest of my past keep trying to convince me that I'm something different?" He raised his head to look at her. Jen Lai stood and moved over next to him, gazing down at the scene he had so recently abandoned.

"My people believe," she began slowly, her voice soft, as if with regret, but steady, "that for a person to truly know who she--or he--is, he must first face and accept his past. All of it." She turned to face him directly. Her eyes captured his; leaning as he was, their faces were level. "You must come to terms with every aspect of your past, and examine it to see what it has made you. Or what you have made of it, or what you have let it make you...There are a thousand ways to put it, but the result is the same. I will never be--proud--of my time in the Brotherhood. There are things about myself that I don't like, that I know are a direct result of my membership. But I have also gained strength and skills that I would not otherwise have had. Because of that I'm better able to shape my future here--and therefore my past as well. Facing you and making our peace was, for me, a great step in that process. Perhaps you should use this encounter to do the same." Duke sighed again and looked away.

"I thought I had reconciled my new world with the old when I defeated Falcone," he said softly.

"You cannot leave a burden behind if the ties still bind it to you. Love is a very strong tie, Duke. So are pain and betrayal. You were destined to face Morgalla again the day she left you. Because you will not be ruled. She has too much power over you for you to leave her behind. You must break that hold." Jen Lai moved away again, moving back to her corner. "Or she will one day break you."

"Which of us will prove the stronger," Duke wondered. Jen Lai glanced back to him, an almost amused smile on her face.

"I've no doubt in that contest, Duke L'Orange," was all she said. Duke gazed at her for a moment, but she said nothing more. He looked up, and stared into the shining silver face of the moon as it emerged from behind a dark cloud.

***

Days passed with no further sign of Morgalla. Duke was growing weary of watching shadows. He'd had enough of looking over his shoulder. He longed to have this confrontation over and done with.

He poked at the food on his plate, lost in morose thoughts that were becoming all too common. Depression gave way to anger and he bit off a piece of cold meat and chewed it viscously. 'She knows how much I hate waiting,' he thought darkly, 'She's doing this on purpose.'

"Duke." He glanced up. Jen Lai's impassive eyes pierced through him. "Pass the salad, please." Duke did as she asked, watching her. Patience was written in her face and he knew she wanted him to wait until Morgalla came to him. Dragaunus wasn't any more patient than Duke; he had to want results--fast. Morgalla, Duke knew, could not wait forever.

Unfortunately, neither could he.

He let his eyes travel over his chattering teammates. They had no idea how this waiting tortured him. They didn't understand the weight of this confrontation. They didn't understand what this meant for him.

They didn't understand how good Morgalla was.

Or how bad.

He met Jen Lai's gaze again. She was still watching him, safe behind her mask of calm indifference. Duke wondered if she understood how hard it was for him. He had thought so before, that night she'd followed him to the roof, but...Duke looked away and picked up his plate. How could she understand, and still expect him to wait? Wordlessly he dumped his food, put his plate in the sink, and went back to his room.

Jen Lai watched him go.

***

Duke left the Pond that night cloaked in silence, masked with cold dread and filled with a burning need to settle the questions in his heart once and for all. His skill brought him no pleasure as he stalked the Anaheim rooftops, feeling more like the hunted than the hunter. He felt watched, he felt followed. Somewhere in the back of his mind he conjured up the absurd notion that Morgalla was following him, waiting for him to pause on a battleground to her liking.

The image was dispelled as he swung across to land on the Anaheim Museum of Natural History. A figure stood there on the rooftop, hooded and caped. Duke landed as softly as a cat, and straightened. He wore the black and red suit that he'd donned to track Falcone, the unofficial uniform of the Brotherhood. Across from him, Morgalla lowered her hood. Her amber hair played around her face in the warm breeze, brushing her cheek just above her smug smile. Beneath her cape she wore a bodysuit identical to his, but sleeveless, and the fabric was just a shade darker than her champagne-colored feathers. Her feet were encased soft, pale brown leather boots.

"I knew you'd come," she said softly, letting a hand fall to caress the ruby-adorned golden hilt of the sheathed scimitar at her waist. "Dragaunus was beginning to get impatient, but I knew."

Duke stood rigid. His tongue had turned to stone in his mouth. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. She tilted her head to one side, blinking her wide blue eyes as she regarded him sympathetically. "Poor Duke," she all but purred, taking a couple of steps towards him. "Does it still hurt?" Still Duke couldn't answer, and her smile grew wider as she moved nearer.

Duke activated his saber and lifted it. Morgalla gave him a reproachful look. "And you used to be such a gentleman," she sighed. "I almost believed you'd give up without a fight." She stepped closer, still making no move to draw her weapon.

'I can't.' Panic overwhelmed Duke. He wished for something, anything else to happen. He wanted her to attack, he wanted to see a creature filled with hate and greed bent on destruction. 'I can't fight her like this--I can't do it--’ He knew in his heart that this was what she had planned from the beginning, that if she didn't draw against him, he wouldn't be able to fight her. Morgalla laughed softly.

"I warned you, Duke," she sighed. "I warned you that damned sense of honor would get you into trouble one day." She reached out and took the saber from him. Every part of Duke was screaming at him to do something, but he couldn't move. Not even when she reversed her grip on his saber and brought the hilt across his temple. Duke fell to the ground, unconscious. Morgalla was still smiling as she reached down, grabbed his wrist, and activated her transporter.

***

Every curse Wildwing had ever heard was screaming through his head as he slammed on the Migrator's brakes. He clicked on his com. "Tanya, any luck with the homing beacon?"

"No," the team tech's congested voice was worried. "I'm trying everything I've got, but I can't find it. I've been looking for Duke's; I'm going to try Jen Lai's."

"Do it." Wildwing switched channels.

"Dive?"

"I got nothing, bro."

"Mallory?"

"Negative, there's no sign of them."

This time Wildwing did swear. "Where could they have gone?" he demanded. The big grey duck next to him said nothing.

***

"Morn-ing."

Duke groaned and tried to sit up. His head throbbed and his wrists ached. He was just wondering why he couldn't seem to get up when he realized that the aching in his wrists was from the energy bands that chained him to the wall. Pulling against them, he managed to work himself up so that he was sitting with his back against the wall. He raised his head and looked around. Watered-down sunlight filtered through dirty windows and trickled across his face. Dust and grime covered every inch of the old warehouse that surrounded him. Abandoned conveyer belts lined one wall, the other was hidden with stacked crates and piled boxes.

Duke had no idea where he was.

And he very much doubted that anyone else did, either.

Movement caught his eye and he turned his head to watch Morgalla warily as she stepped out of the shadows.

"Morning, Duke." She smiled as she came up to him. "Welcome back."

Duke glared up at her, pulling involuntarily at his bonds.

"Still nothing to say to me?" she sighed, looking disappointed. "How boring. Oh well." Duke tensed as her blade left its sheath. "What a waste of time. If I'd known you weren't going to try and convince me to follow the straight and narrow I'd have killed you hours ago."

Duke lifted his chin. "When this is over with, you're going to wish you had."

"I've never known you to make an empty threat before, Duke, so I know you think that's true, but I doubt that enough of your friends will survive Dragaunus's trap to make good on it."

"Perhaps it will only take one." Jen Lai seemed to materialize from nowhere, appearing several yards away from Morgalla and her prisoner. Morgalla whirled, dropping into a ready stance, but Jen Lai's blade had not yet left its sheath. Jen Lai's billowing cape was nowhere in evidence, and she wore a bodysuit of blue and black that matched her opponents. She faced Morgalla in the garb of the Brotherhood, the twilight against the dawn. Her face was as cool and impassive as ever as she removed her sheathed sword from her back. She drew her weapon and tossed the sheath aside, then drew her shield dagger from her belt. In one smooth motion, she sank into a ready crouch, her dagger gripped sideways in her left hand. The blade of her sword rested across her left wristguard and in her right hand she held starstone hilt cocked back near her ear. The points of both weapons faced her opponent.

Morgalla shook her head, still in an en-guarde position. "Another great fighter held back by an overactive sense of honor. You could have been the best, Jen Lai, but you lacked the heart for it."

"That," Jen Lai stated calmly, "is an interesting statement, coming from someone who has yet to prove that she actually *has* a heart."

"Oh, Duke knows my heart well," Morgalla smiled. "I couldn't love as much as I do without a heart. I love power. I love strength. I once believed he had those, but he was flawed. I'm better than he is, because I'm not afraid to go the distance. How could I still love him knowing that?"

"How could you not?" Jen Lai's statement was nearly lost in the speed of her strike. Her blade cut through air as Morgalla avoided it by less than an inch. The attack left Jen Lai on one knee and Morgalla's recovery was quick. The curved blade arced down towards Jen Lai's head. The swordlady flashed her dagger up to deflect the strike, and struck at Morgalla's legs with her sword. Morgalla was forced to jump back and Jen Lai was on her feet and clear before the thief-turned-assassin could attack again.

"We are not as weak as you would make us," Jen Lai observed, flashing her sword out behind her to sever Duke's energy bonds. Morgalla scowled as she realized the older woman's ploy. Jen Lai's attack had switched their positions, so that it was Jen Lai that now stood with her back to Duke and Morgalla who was out of reach. Duke rubbed his wrists and staggered to his feet. He winced as a thousand bruises and minor wounds made themselves known, wondering what exactly Morgalla had done to him while he was unconscious.

His saber was nowhere in sight, and he was too weak to put up much of a fight. All he could do was stay back and let the two face off on their own.

Morgalla came at them with a snarl, furious and out for blood. Jen Lai flowed forward to meet her, parrying the first strike and the second. Morgalla slashed out with a hidden knife, scoring a hit on Jen Lai's side that nearly stopped Duke's heart. But the Gacian merely sucked in her breath and kept her attention on the jeweled flash of Morgalla's scimitar. Morgalla feinted and then came back with the knife again, but Jen Lai was ready this time and her shield dagger sent the smaller blade skittering across the floor. Morgalla used the distraction to try and get a strike on Duke. In his weakened condition the former thief couldn't move fast enough and the tip of the scimitar opened a jagged cut on his chest before Jen Lai caught the curved blade and turned it aside. Wordlessly she tossed her shield dagger to Duke, and renewed her attack on Morgalla. Duke felt better as his fingers closed around the hilt of the weapon, no longer completely defenseless.

***

"Wildwing, this is Mallory, come in!"

"Go ahead, Mallory."

"I found Duke's saber in the mud near the abandoned amusement park where Buzz used to play."

Wildwing jerked the wheel of the Migrator, sending the armored vehicle into a wild U-turn. "We're on our way! Grin, get Nosedive and Tanya on the com. If this is a trap, we're gonna need backup."

***

Jen Lai's speed was blinding, but she was unused to Morgalla's sweeping strikes with the curved blade. Both women were breathing heavily. Morgalla's face and arm were bleeding, and Jen Lai's blue suit was rapidly turning purple where she had been hit. Duke was desperate for a solution, but he could do little other than watch and use Jen Lai's dagger to keep Morgalla at bay when she got close enough for a strike at him.

At this point, however, Morgalla seemed to have forgotten him completely, focused entirely on her growing hatred for the unshakably calm figure in front of her. Jen Lai was using Morgalla's anger, baiting the girl and waiting for her to make a mistake.

Frustrated by Jen Lai's cat-and-mouse tactics, Morgalla lunged. Her momentum threw her off balance when Jen Lai's block sent her scimitar wide. Jen Lai used her free hand to grab Morgalla's wrist, then kicked out and knocked Morgalla's feet out from under her. The fall left her momentarily stunned, and when she looked up, Jen Lai's cold steel was against the yellow-gold feathers at her throat.

"Who will come to save you now?" Jen Lai asked her. "Tell me, Morgalla DeGuile, if I chose to kill you now, who would stop me? Who cares for you enough to offer their own life in your place?"

Morgalla's eyes widened in desperation, and for a moment her gaze flitted to Duke. His face was stone as he looked down on her, one hand pressed to the gash across his chest. She had the look of a caged and frightened animal as she looked back at the woman standing over her.

"You have no one," Jen Lai said coldly. "Because you honor no one else's life, there is no one who honors yours. Why save the life of someone who might very well turn on you the moment she sees a profit in it? Perhaps there is weakness in our honor, Morgalla, but that same honor lets us make more than the temporary alliances you call friendships. As a team, we are more than the sum of our parts. All our weakness put together is made meaningless when compared to the strength we find in each other. It is something you will never understand."

Duke disarmed Morgalla, and bound her. He then turned to Jen Lai, who eased herself onto a crate. Now that the intensity of battle was over, she was feeling the pain and blood loss. Duke used her dagger to cut her uniform away from the wound. He found a medical kit in Morgalla's gear, and quickly cleaned and bandaged the gash in her side.

"It's not as deep as it looked at first," he sighed thankfully, sitting back on his heels. "But we're gonna have the medicom take a look at it back at the Pond, sweetheart."

"Stop her," Jen Lai said suddenly, and Duke turned to see Morgalla had worked a small knife free from its hiding place. Duke confiscated it, chiding himself for not checking her more carefully. She kicked out at him, and he jumped aside before her heeled boots could collide with his injured chest. Something whizzed by his shoulder and Morgalla jerked, crying out in pain. Then her eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted. Jen Lai stepped up and removed one of her poisoned chopsticks from Morgalla's shoulder, replacing it in her hair.

"It's a mild sedative, but it should keep her inactive until we're finished. Sit down." Jen Lai shoved him down on the crate and Duke carefully removed his shirt.

"It's not bad," he muttered as Jen Lai knelt in front of him to examine the wound.

"No, but there are bits of feather shaft in it. I'm going to have to clean it out before we can bandage it." Duke suppressed a grimace as Jen Lai retrieved disinfectant and a small pair of tweezers from the medical kit. "This is probably going to hurt."

"No kidding."

The jagged cut started at Duke's shoulder and ended in the middle of his chest. Jen Lai's hands were surprisingly gentle as she removed the loose feathers around the wound, but no matter how soft the touch, removing the broken feather fragments that had worked inside the cut was nothing short of agony. Duke's knuckles whitened as he gripped the edge of the crate.

"Stop that," Jen Lai told him, laying a hand over his. "You're making the bleeding worse, you have to stay relaxed. I know it hurts, but you can't tense up." Duke willed his fingers to relax. Jen Lai raised her eyes to his. "Let go." Duke gritted his teeth and released the crate. "Not much longer, just stay like this." When she was finished, the sting of the disinfectant was almost a welcome relief.

"Why didn't you use the sedative right away?" Duke finally thought to ask as she wound the bandages around him.

"It would have been to easy to miss and hit you. It might not have worked as quickly if she weren't already tired out, and she could have hurt you before it took effect." She allowed a slight smile. "I missed the challenge of a good fight."

"Jen Lai, did you just make a joke?"

"No." She stood and pulled her com out of her belt. "Wildwing, this is Jen Lai, come in." There was no answer. "Wildwing, come in. Mallory, do you copy?" Still no answer. "Nosedive, this is Jen Lai, do you copy?" She looked at Duke and frowned.

"It had to be a trap. Morgalla wanted me out of the way--"

"Not Morgalla. Dragaunus. They must be using your disappearance as bait for something, or a distraction of some kind."

"Wouldn't they be tracking you?"

Jen Lai shook her head. "I deactivated my homing signal." She pulled another unit out of her belt and tossed it to him. "And yours."

"Wildwing's gonna kill us both." Duke heaved himself off the crate. "Argh. Course, then he'd have to find another center. Did you bring one of the Duckcycles?"

"No, we're going to have to do this the old fashioned way."

"Great."

"We need to get her to a holding cell. If we leave her here and she gets free, Dragaunus will know she failed." Jen Lai went over to Morgalla's prone form and started to drag her towards the door.

"You'll rip that wound open. I'll do it," Duke shoved her aside and hefted Morgalla over his shoulder, thanking whoever was listening that she had stayed so slender. "Where are we?"

"Closer to the police station than the Pond. We'll have to leave her with Klegghorn."

"We're going to have to go back to the Pond anyway, to try and track the rest of the team," Duke pointed out.

"Do you really want to carry her that far?" Jen Lai raised an eyebrow at him. "And then fight afterwards?"

"Good point," Duke grimaced, his many bruises protesting at the very thought.

***

"Here they are." Jen Lai pointed to a spot on the grid glowing bright red. "At that old amusement park."

"I've been there before. Somebody took their coms, eh?"

"Hai. They should be jamming the signal too, but I suppose Dragaunus left orders that you were to be killed immediately, and anybody who found her was to undergo the same. He was overconfident, so he didn’t bother to block the signal."

"Lucky for me Morgalla was never good with authority," Duke observed.

"Hai." Jen Lai's eyes were serious as she stood and turned. "We're going to have to hurry. Whatever Dragaunus has planned for them, he won't wait forever."

Duke nodded. "Let's go."

***

Duke was uncomfortable at the thought of trying to sneak into anything in broad daylight, but thick black clouds obscured the sun, granting them a measure of safety in shadow. They circled the perimeter of the old park, and found the Migrator and two Duckcycles parked out back.

"It’s hard to tell," Jen Lai frowned, "but it looks like there are six sets of prints here. Look there." She pointed to an imprint in the soft mud. It was roughly the shape of Duke’s saber handle. He frowned and motioned her over to a separate set of tracks a short distance away from the abandoned vehicles.

"Look back here," Duke crouched beside the tracks. "Those marks aren’t from our team. These are leather, everyone on our team wears the military issue combat boots."

"Dragaunus’s cronies don’t wear boots, either," Jen Lai frowned. "It can’t be Morgalla, even if she left you, her boots were heeled."

"Falcone," Duke spat, as if the word had a foul taste.

"It is possible," Jen Lai sighed. "Likely, in fact. From the looks of things, I’d say that he jumped them as they arrived. That would have been particularly easy if the Duckcycles arrived first. Even if it was the Migrator, that’s only three." Duke stood. Anger flamed in his deep brown eyes as they met her cold blue orbs.

***

Getting in wasn’t too much of a problem; perimeter security was minimal.

They had covered over half the park in silence and shadow, without finding anything. Then, near the ruins of the carousel that had been destroyed when the Saurians had kidnapped Buzz and Nosedive six months before, they struck gold. Jen Lai knelt by a door marked Maintenance. She pointed to the fresh, heavy boot marks in the still-damp mud, and the dirty tracks on the concrete step before the door. Duke nodded and moved to the side of the door, examining the frame. He motioned Jen Lai to one side, pointing to a camera above the door. She flattened herself against the wall next to the door, and Duke did the same on the opposite side. He crouched, sliding down the wall, and examined the lock. After a moment, he nodded in satisfaction and pulled out his picks, careful to stay out of sight of the camera. Jen Lai scanned the area, watching for trouble. After a moment, the door clicked, and Duke eased it open a crack. Jen Lai waited until he was inside, then she stepped quickly up on the step and across the door, slipping inside and closing the door quietly behind her.

The shed was dark; Jen Lai put a hand on Duke’s shoulder and together they moved cautiously forward. The floor sloped down, going underground, and Duke could see a light at the bottom of the ramp. They moved as quickly as caution would allow, knowing that they were exposed in this corridor and that if one of Dragaunus’s henchmen so much as turned on the light, they would be caught.

When they neared the light, they flattened against the wall again, edging down carefully. Duke peered carefully around the corner. There was no one in sight. The room was well lit, but the equipment filling it offered more cover that the hall that they were currently in. Duke started to step out, but Jen Lai put a hand on his shoulder. He glanced back at her, then back out in the room. She saw something he didn't. She turned so that her stomach was against the wall instead of her back, and edged sideways, sliding across him and into the open room, her eyes focused on whatever had drawn her attention. She pulled a small, flat canister out of the pouch at her waist and unscrewed the top. She knelt and blew across the top of it, and a mist of blue dust revealed electric beam sensors. Jen Lai nodded grimly and motioned Duke forward, pointing out the round fixtures on the wall emitting the beams. They were arranged in a line that reached halfway up the wall. Duke glanced at them for a moment, annoyed that he had missed them. The configuration was unfamiliar; he'd seen them, he just hadn't realized what they were. Jen Lai pointed to a door beyond the wall of sensors, and then to the puckblaster laid on a piece of equipment by it. Duke nodded and backed up, surveying the sensor wall. He chose an area of the floor that didn't have loose equipment covering it, ran, and dove over the wall. He hit the ground and rolled, then he stood and picked his way across the cluttered floor. Jen Lai joined him, somersaulting over the sensors and landing on her feet in a crouch. She went over to the discarded pucklauncher. Duke stopped her from touching it, pulling her down level with the flat metal table it sat on and pointing to a pressure sensor under it. Jen Lai frowned, but the weapon was immediately forgotten as she suddenly tensed, looking out towards the hall. Duke glanced at her and looked around, then he heard it too. His lip curled in a silent snarl at the familiar, smug voice of Ernie Falcone. Jen Lai pressed her dagger into his hand and shoved him toward cover. He crouched behind a half-assembled machine while Jen Lai drew her sword and flattened against the wall, just past the sensors. Falcone appeared, so intent on his self-praise that he didn't even notice her as he deactivated the sensor beam and headed for the back door. Jen Lai stepped away from the wall behind him.

"Slow, as always, Falcone." He whirled at the sound of her voice, his own sword in his hand. Blue electricity crackled along the blade as he lifted his eyebrow and smiled.

"There you are, dear lady. I must say I am disappointed, I thought for sure you would have been the first to discover our little trap. Associating with that underclass of do-gooders must be dulling your skill." His grin was almost a leer. "I am glad that I will be able to deal with you personally. I was quite disappointed that Dragaunus handed Duke over to that crazy female, but you, my dear, will make quite a consolation prize." He was quick, to his credit, his first strike following almost before his words were finished. Jen Lai's blade caught his easily, though, and her answering blow drove him back a step. He laughed. "Perhaps there is some fight left in you after all." Jen Lai's answering smile was enough to chill the blood of Dragaunus himself, and Falcone backpedalled under her assault. One slash severed the belt that held his pouch around his waist, robbing him of his gun in the process. She forced him back further and kicked the belt away, straight to the corner where Duke was hiding. The former thief snagged the bag, finding his own saber with in. He emerged with a feral grin.

"Nice to see you again, Falcone." Duke's blade appeared in a golden flash, and with a satisfied smirk Jen Lai saluted and sheathed her sword. She sat back and waited for the two to finish, and when Duke had Falcone disarmed and cowering at swordpoint, she came to join him.

"What's the deal, Falcone?" Duke demanded, handing Jen Lai her dagger. "Just between us guys," he lowered his voice, "I think you better tell me," he looked back at Jen Lai meaningfully. "My partner's been known to get a little knife happy with guys she don't like, you know what I mean?" Jen Lai punctuated his statement with another cruel smile, running a finger along the blade of her dagger almost lovingly.

"Dragaunus needed your friend to finish a new weapon he's keeping the others alive as hostages for now three are being guarded by Wraith and Chameleon through that door and around the corner the others are one level down with Siege!" Falcone said in one breath, not taking his eyes from the knife in Jen Lai's hand.

"Good boy," Duke patted him on the head, then stepped aside two of Jen Lai's needles flew into the falcon's shoulder. Duke slapped a hand over his mouth to keep him from crying out, then stepped back and fired a bolo puck, immobilizing the would-be master thief. They dragged him, unconscious, back into the entry corridor.

"We should split up," Jen Lai voiced Duke's thoughts. "Tanya may finish whatever they have for her soon, and the moment she does--"

"Dragaunus will finish off her and the rest of the team," he finished. "I don't think either of us could take on Siege alone, though."

"You're right," Jen Lai said thoughtfully, "And we shouldn't rush in there without knowing the situation. Can you handle Wraith and Chameleon on your own? I'll get a feel for what's going on and wait for you below."

"Sounds good," Duke nodded. "The stairs are probably the down that way," he motioned with his sword in the direction that Falcone had come from. "Be careful, Jen Lai," he met her gaze.

"Take care as well, Duke," she nodded and began her silent trek down the corridor.

Duke looked after her for a moment and then headed back to the door Falcone had indicated. 'Partner,' he'd called her, he remembered as he checked for alarms. And he'd meant it, too. Her skills complimented his perfectly, and they each knew each others weaknesses well enough to compensate for them. If they had worked together within the Brotherhood, they'd have been unstoppable. 'But then,' he thought as he slipped into the corridor, watching for cameras and alarm beams, 'I wouldn't know so much about her if we hadn't fought so often. You have to know your enemy's strengths and weakness, or you'll fall prey to them.' He vaulted over another set of electric eyes, and flattened against the wall next to the door.

"Awww, come on Wraith, you've got to listen to my new impressions!!"

"Ha," Duke muttered. "Looks like this is it." The door lock was absurdly simple. Duke took a moment to consider and decided that the direct approach was best.

The Chameleon had his back to the door when Duke charged in, and one well-aimed kick sent him flying into the opposite wall. Wraith recovered from his surprise quickly, and Duke had to pivot quickly to deflect the arcane bolt off of his sword. Chameleon yelled and ducked as the fireball charred the wall just above him. He scrambled away, not realizing as he did so that he had put himself within arms reach of Mallory, Nosedive, and Grin. The massive grey duck reached through the energy bars and grabbed the shapeshifter around the neck. The Chameleon squawked and rapidly began to turn blue. Mallory reached out and snagged the access card hanging on his belt, smiling grimly as she deactivated the energy cage.

Wraith had his fire sword out, and Duke had some fast work to avoid the flaming blade, but once the other ducks were free, the Saurians were quickly subdued.

"Dragaunus has Tanya working on some piece of alien technology he found," Mallory said, "We have to go stop them."

"I know," Duke said, tightening the restraints around Wraith. "Jen Lai's already down there. She'll take care of things if Siege tries to start the party early." Mallory's expression left no doubt as to what she thought of that analysis.

"What about them?" Grin wanted to know, looking down at the two captured lizards.

"I don't like leaving them unguarded," Duke said, "But it doesn't look like we've got a whole lot of choice. Let's go."

The team headed for the stairway, but just as they turned the corner, they ran into Wildwing and Tanya. "What--" Duke started, looking down at the unconscious form in Wildwing's arms.

"No time," Wildwing barked. "Move, team." Duke frowned but did as his leader ordered, running for the exit. Grin scooped up the still-unconscious Falcone as they headed up the ramp. Wildwing and Tanya didn't stop running when they were out, and with a grimace, Duke kept going as well. If he knew Tanya...

An explosion ripped the ground behind them, throwing chunks of earth and parts of the maintenance shed skyward. The shock knocked him to his knees, and he saw the others around him stumbling as well. Wildwing almost dropped Jen Lai as he fell, but he managed to shield the unconscious duck from most of the impact. Grin did drop Falcone, and Duke winced as the huge zen duck fell on the thief. 'He's going to feel like hell when he wakes up.'

"Everyone Ok?" Wildwing asked, looking around at his teammates.

"What happened to her," Duke demanded, kneeling down next to her.

"Siege figured out Tanya was just stalling," Wildwing said grimly. "Jen Lai saved our lives. She didn't draw on him, though, and he landed a good one, knocked her into the wall. Tanya managed to set an explosive, and Siege teleported out."

"He probably picked up Wraith and Chameleon on the way," Mallory said in disgust.

"Jen Lai got us free, but she keeled over before we could leave." He looked down at her.

Duke swore as he saw the spreading stain on Jen Lai's side. "She ripped that cut open; we've got to get her back to the infirmary."

***

Duke looked down at the still form on the medicom bed. His Brotherhood uniform was once again packed away in the back of his closet; he stood by her bed in his red and green trenchcoat. Jen Lai's was all but ruined; Tanya had cut it off of her to tend her wound. Her dove gray feathers were a contrast with the white sheet that covered her, and her blue-black hair tumbled artistically down the pillow, pooling under her shoulders. He never could have imagined himself standing here like this, worried about the woman who had been such a nuisance to him in the past. It was odd, how she understood him on a deeper level even than his former lover. How many others had found as much comfort as he had, in the eyes of an enemy?

She stirred and finally woke. She blinked and gazed up at him, confused. Then memory returned to her and she lifted a hand to her side. "The others?" she asked.

"They're all safe."

"My sword?" He picked up the sheathed blade and laid it next to her.

"I kept it for you."

"How long?" she wanted to know, trying to sit up. Duke moved to stop her, but her eyes snapped and he stepped back. Painfully, she sat upright and swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

"All night. It's not quite noon, now."

Jen Lai sighed and slid off the bed, steadying herself against the edge of it until she could stand. She reached over and picked up her sword, slinging the strap across her back. The effect was rather comical, a patient in a knee-length white hospital gown girded with an ancient blade, but Duke new better than to laugh.

"Jen Lai, what are you doing?" He finally asked as she started for the door.

"I am going to walk to my quarters, put on some clothes, and get something to eat," she told him, her tone dangerous.

"That's not necessary."

Jen Lai glared at him. He pointed to the table next to her bed. "Tanya left you clothes." She turned and looked, then without a word she removed her sword and started for the table. Duke turned his back. She dressed in silence, although more than once he could hear her gasp in pain as she tried to avoid aggravating her injury. Duke just stopped himself from turning to see what was wrong. "Are you sure you're all right to be up?" he asked in concern.

"I'm fine." Her tone made it clear that she was not to be questioned. "But," she amended reluctantly, "it appears that I won't be fighting very much for a while. Where’s my dagger?"

"I left it in your room," Duke said, inferring from the question that it was safe to turn around. She picked her sword up again and replaced it across her back, running her fingers through her loose hair.

"Well. You said you were hungry?" She nodded. "Then let's go eat." He offered her his arm. She showed no surprise, at least one indication that she was feeling normal again, but she took his and allowed him to escort her to the kitchen.

"What happened?" she asked, easing into a chair at the table. Duke told her while she ate.

"So Wraith and Chameleon got away." She sighed as they walked back to her quarters.

"Yes. Morgalla and Falcone are in the hands of the authorities. Hopefully, they'll stay there this time."

"After failing so miserably, I doubt Dragaunus will feel inclined to extricate them." Jen Lai commented. Duke snorted.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Wraith, Chameleon, and Siege are currently wishing they had been captured. I'm sure Dragaunus is thrilled with them."

"And how are you?"

The question was unexpected, and Duke smiled sadly, examining his toes. "I've learned. Learned more than one thing, actually. I think--I think she's past. When I remembered her before, I was seeing her through the eyes of the man I was then. Now..." he looked at her. "Now I'm seeing more than one thing in a new light." Jen Lai nodded as they stopped in front of her door.

"You've moved on. Good."

"I couldn't have done it without your help, Jen Lai,” Duke said seriously. "Thank you. Not only for saving me, but for helping me understand. And for not involving the others. As much as I'd like them to understand..."

"It's something that can only truly be comprehended by one who has lived it," Jen Lai said quietly, looking away. Duke nodded slowly. Jen Lai turned toward her room, activating the automatic doors.

"Jen--" She stopped and looked back. Duke stepped forward quickly and touched her face, kissing her softly. "Thank you," he said again, "For everything." Something might have crossed her eyes, but he didn't know if it was real or just a trick of the light. She stepped back, through the doors into her own room. The doors shut between them, and Duke's footsteps echoed in the empty hall.