Bonded By Crime
By Robina
Chapter Seven
Duke followed Tanya to the duckcycles. “Tanya Vanderflock, you’re surprising me tonight.”
“Yeah, well, you surprised me first, Duke L’Orange. You opened up me.” Tanya tried to forget what the alarm had interrupted. Avoid it for now. Until you know that it wasn’t just his way of….I don’t know what. He’s never shown an interest in me before…. "And, uh, besides, you know as well as I do that Mal would put you right back at square one if Dutchess went to a life of crime after you vouching for her. None of us want to hear those arguments again.”
“Me least of all.” Duke sighed. “But lying to Wing? Taking the cycles out in the middle of the night to find my runaway sister? Tanya, it ain’t you’re style.”
“Well, uh, I don’t see why we shouldn’t. I mean, it wasn’t a complete lie I told. I do have the system a bit more sensitive that it needs to be, ya know? And it’s not as if we’re stealing the bikes, just using them. They belong to the team, and I designed them, so what would be the, er, problem. Any idea where she would go?” Stop thinking about before already Tanya! You’ll make a fool of yourself.
“I know where. My wrist grappling hook doubles as a tracer, and I slipped the bug on her backpack. She’d never leave it behind. It lets her carry her laptop and disks.”
“You slipped a bug on your sister?”
Duke shrugged. “We did it all the time on Puckworld. I’d bet ya she’s had one on me for awhile now.”
Tanya slipped onto a cycle. “You’d figure two thieves would be untraceable.”
“For anyone else we are.” Duke said, copying her and slipping on a helmet. “We just know each other too well. She’s got better bugs, but she has to have her laptop on to be able to track someone. So, if we hurry, we’ll get the drop on her.”
“Let’s go then.” Tanya took off out of the Pond. Duke grinned as he followed.
Neither noticed a figure step out of the shadows, watching them leave. That was… interesting… Maybe I should find Dutchess first.
The figure hesitated, lingering on his choices. He finally decided and moved out into the night himself.
----****----
Dutchess hadn’t stopped running yet. She ignored the tears sliding down her cheeks, ignored the pain in her chest. He yells at me because he’s afraid his team’ll get mad at him for my actions, then tells her about my past? Why does she deserve to know? As many times as I hacked her system…I told Duke I had. What was he thinking? How could he do this to me? She climbed to a rooftop and started going across the buildings as fast as she could, purposely going to the taller buildings so she could climb them. Her wrist grappling hook (which she had designed based off Duke’s) helped her climb until it went through one of the buildings. What the-?
She pulled the grappling hook in and used it to repel off the building she was on. She landed on the ground and went to investigate, while the rope recoiled inside its launcher. She approached the building cautiously.
----****----
“Lord Draguanus! A duck is outside, alone. What do we do?” Seige asked. Draguanus smiled.
“A duck, ay? Send the Drones out to catch that ducky.”
“Right away Lord Draguanus.”
----****----
Duke and Tanya zipped through the streets. Duke glanced at his wrist, relieved to see that Dutchess was staying in one place. Gotta get her to forgive me. Why did I tell Tanya about Dutchess?
He pointed to a street. “Just a block down.”
----****----
Dutchess gasped as Drones poured out of the buildings wall. Great. Must’ve been a holographic building. Probably hiding the Raptor. Perfect!
One of the Drones reached for her. Her blade sliced through the air, cutting the robot in half neatly. She smirked.
“I wasn’t that easy last time and I don’t plan to be this time.”
She leaped into the air as the Drones attacked.
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