There was no moon. That was good. Odette preferred breaking into

places under the cover of darkness. She sighed as the locks clicked. Youd

think a high-tech joint like this would have better security, she thought.

Odette tensed as she entered the dark building. True she had disarmed the

silent alarms and motion detectors, but only the main lines. Where she was

headed, High-Level Security Block D, Experimental Technology, would have

much more sophisticated alarms. If I did it before I can do it again, she

thought for the millionth time. She had done it before, many times, but

the codes in Block D were changed daily, unlike the outer doors which had

been the same for the past 8 months.

	Odette brushed a wisp of golden hair out of her eyes as she made

her way down the the dim corridor to Block D, silently cursing the fact

that in her rush, she had forgotten to tie her hair back and now it was in

her face. Dammit! she thought as she tried to control the unruly locks,

its always the little things, isnt it! Looking to her outfit in the hopes

of improvising something, she found nothing. All she had was a black tank

top, black cargo pants, black boots, a puck-blaster in its holster and her

military watch. She shoved her hair out of her eyes, no time for that now.

	Odette examined the keypad beside the door to Block D. Piece of

cake. The door swung open. She moved stealthily down the hall to room 4A,

Experimental Technology. After punching in a few numbers, Odette frowned.

She was about to try again when she heard a noise. She pressed herself

against the wall and had her blaster ready in the blink of an eye. She

held her breath. A minute passed.
      Nothing. Turning back to the keypad, Odette thought for a minute.

She smiled then typed quickly. Bingo! Odette stepped into the room and

shut the door quietly behind her. She got out her mini-flashlight and

looked carefully around. 

	She moved to the back of the room and looked at what seemed to be

a  large metal cage covered in wires and attached to a souped-up computer

system. On the table next to the machine was a binder labeled Dimensional

Teleporter model 437AXY (tracking). Leaving our work lying around, Dr.

Pond? Thats not good procedure, Odette smirked. She knew the teleporter

better than he did. Even so she flipped to the last pages to see what the

good doctor had been up to. Odette hadnt been there for the last week. She

had been preparing for tonight.

	She saw something unexpected on the last page. The teleporter was

due to be shipped out of Experimental and into Development by the end of

the week!  Odette was surprised. She had thought she had more time than

that. No matter, Im going tonight. She put the binder down and switched

the teleporter on. 

	Until now Odette's thoughts had been focused on getting in and

accomplishing the first part of her mission. Now, as she programmed the

coordinates, her thoughts strayed to the reasoning behind eight months of

break-ins at Interna Tech. Ill find you, Dragonus, if it kills me, she

thought vheminently. Tears threatened as Odette thought of her dead

parents. On the first day of the Saurian attack, they had been killed when

the office building where they worked was demolished by laser fire. She

and her brother, Dax, had managed to avoid capture for a few weeks, but

were finally caught and sent to a labor camp. Dax...a small cry escaped

her lips. No! Pull yourself together! She shook off her thoughts and

finished setting the tracker to find the Raptor, and Dragonus. She set the

safety to drop her within 1 mile of her target. She would find him then

plan her attack.

	As the teleporter processed the coordinates Odette went to a

corner of the lab. Under a file cabinet was a loose tile which she

removed. Underneath she had stored a black nylon backpack. She checked the

contents. Extra puck blaster, ammunition, emergency rations, first aid

kit, boots, extra clothes, and  a silver ring on a chain. She stared at

the necklace in the palm of her hand. She had hated being without it, but

the metal could have set off alarms she couldnt  disarm. Dax, she thought

as she put it on. 

	Odette picked up her backpack and stepped into the teleporter. She

took one last look out the window at the world she was leaving behind,

possibly forever. She felt no regrets, there was nothing left for her on

Puckworld. She pressed the execute button.

	

	A blinding light flashed, followed by a rush of air. Odette closed

her eyes. She felt weightless for a few seconds, then felt herself

falling. "What?" she opened her eyes in surprise and was greeted by fading

sunlight. "Ooof" the wind as knocked out of her as she landed flat on her

back. "When they say drop point they really mean drop point", she

muttered.

	As she rose and dusted herself off, Odette looked around. She had

landed in some kind of park across from a busy street.  Nice place you got

here, Dragonus, too bad you wont be enjoying it much longer. Odette made

her way out of the bushes. She froze as she heard someone approaching. Two

figures appeared. Odette ducked behind a tree and put a hand on her

blaster.  Her eyes widened as they neared. They definitely werent ducks.

As she got a better look she decided they were the native inhabitants of

the planet. Theyre not so different, she decided.

	Focus! she reminded herself as they passed. Another sound made her

stop. An all-too familiar sound, the sound of puck-blaster fire. She moved

toward it cautiously.

	"Eat puck Saurian slimeball!"

	Odette peered around the corner into the alleyway, blaster poised

and ready.

	"You ducks are gonna be pate when I'm done with you!"

	So there were ducks on this planet, and they were fighting

Saurians, maybe even Dragonus. Her pulse quickened. On closer inspection

she saw only two Saurians, neither of which were Dragonus. One was a big

red dinosaur, the other a small green lizard. The smaller one was fiddling

with something as the larger dinosaur kept firing at the ducks. 

	"It's set,"  the lizard said.
    "We're outta here!" the two reached for their teleporters.

	"Not so fast you overgrown lizards!" the voice sounded oddly

familiar, but Odette couldnt place it. A barrage of pucks followed.  She

hadn't paid any attention to the other ducks. Her only concern was finding

Dragonus, not fellow ducks. Even so, as Siege aimed a laser cannon, Odette

stepped into the alley and shot the cannon out of his hand before he could

fire it.  

	"Who the-? Ducks take cover!" Wildwing didnt get a chance to get a

good look at the new duck who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Siege

and Chamelian had teleported out just as the bomb they had set up went

off. Wing and the five other ducks dived behind a dumpster as the

shockwave from the blast shook the alley. 

	Odette was not so lucky. She was only a few feet from the bomb,

and even farther from cover. She turned to run as the shockwave slammed

into her and sent her flying down the alley. She landed, slid a few

feet, then lay in a crumpled heap.

	"Is everyone okay?" Wildwing asked as he dusted himself off. They

ducks stood up and came out from behind the dumpster.

	"Yeah, sure. Nothing like a nice dust bath to end a busy day."

Nosedive quipped, shaking off clouds of dirt.

	"Who shot the cannon out of Siege's hands?" Mallory asked, "I

thought everyone was out of pucks."

	"We were. I thought I saw someone else, just before the bomb went

off." Wildwing replied. The ducks looked down the alley. Duke was the

first to see Odette. He ran the length of the alley and knelt beside her.

The other ducks quickly followed. Duke gently turned her over and stared

at her in open-mouthed shock. Even dirty and blood-soaked, he recognized

her in an instant. "Odette." he whispered.

	"Wait a minute. You know her?" Dive asked.

	"Yeah, a long time ago."

	 "No time for reminiscing. We need to get her to a hospital." Wing

said as he viewed blood oozing from a gash in her forehead, as well as

from various other parts of her battered body.

	"No." Duke stared him straight in the eyes.

	"What?! Look at her! You got some kinda grudge against her?" Tanya

asked, shocked.

	"No. She was a friend. I know she hates hospitals. Take her to the

Pond." 

	Wing surveyed the situation for a minute." Fine. We have to get

her out of here at any rate. Grin, carry her to the Migrator."

	

	They sat in silence on the way back. They were all burning with

questions, but Duke sat mute in the back, staring into space. The silence

continued as they brought Odette into the infirmary. Tanya and Mallory set

to work organizing supplies.

	"Duke, I want to talk to you." Wing said.

	"Yeah, but wait until she's taken care of - then I'll tell you all

at once." with that he left the room. Wildwing and Grin followed. Nosedive

hung in the doorway, unwilling to leave before he got a better look at the

new duck. Even covered in blood he thought she looked pretty good.

	"Don't you have some comics to read?" Mallory snapped.

	Dive looked hurt. "I want to help. What can I do?" 

	"Yeah right. You just want a good look at the new girl." Mallory

muttered.

	"Here soak these in antiseptic." Tanya interrupted as she handed

Dive a bottle and some gauze. She then began to ease Odette out of her

blood-soaked clothes.  Dive paused to see Odette lying on the Medi-bed now

wearing only underwear. Wow, he thought. He looked away before Mallory

could notice him staring and start yelling that this was no time for that.

He arranged the gauze in neat rows, then spied her backpack which Wing had

left on one of the spare beds. He was about to dump it out when Mallory

saw him. "What are you doing? she exclaimed, You cant go through her

stuff!"

	"I just wanted to see what she brought! Maybe learn a little about

her, find her some clothes.." Dive looked at Tanya attending to the

scantily-clad Odette. The thought of her in a permanent state of

semi-nakedness was definitely appealing, but he doubted the other ducks

would go for it. 

	"Cool it, loverboy. And hand me that blanket." Tanya's voice

snapped him out of his fantasy." Wildwing said he was going to lock up her

stuff until she woke up, so go bring her back pack to him and tell them

well be there soon." Dive left reluctantly with Odette's unopened

backpack. 

	"He's right. She needs some clothes. I'll go find some." Mallory

said as she headed towards Nosedive's room, since it was the closest.  

Since hes so concerned, I'm sure he won't mind if she borrows something

from him, she thought as she entered his room. 

	Tanya hooked Odette up to a monitor and made some last minute

adjustments.  Then she left to join the others in finding out about

Odette's connection with Duke.

	

	Six ducks sat in the TV room, five pairs of eyes stared at Duke.

	"Okay, start talking." Wildwing said as he leaned back on the

couch. "How do you know her?"

	"And is she single?" Dive piped up and was quickly silenced by an

elbow to the ribs from Mallory. 

	"We met on Puckworld after Dragonus attacked." Duke stopped,

hoping they would leave it at that, but knowing Wildwing would question

him until he was sure he had told everything. He sighed.

	"Well, come on! We want the whole story!" Tanya prompted.

	Duke leaned forward and put his head in his hands. He didn't want

to remember, much less talk about that night. He took a deep breath. "Her

full name is Odette Cygnet. During Dragonus first attack her parents were

killed. She and her brother, Dax managed to avoid the hunter drones for a

few weeks, but were eventually caught and sent to a Saurian labor camp.

Thats where we met. We worked together every day. They were so young, I

felt sorry for them. Dax would've been fine but Odette...she would never

have made it on her own. She worshipped her brother. In the time we were

there we became friends. I helped them learn to survive. They were quick

learners." He stopped at a memory of Odette learning the basics of being a

master thief. She was a natural. 

	He smiled briefly and continued, "After a while Odette had become

quite strong, physically as well as mentally. She didnt depend on others

so much. It was the only good thing that happened to her at that camp. One

day I got a message that Canard was looking for me to help with the

Resistance. I knew Dax would be an asset, he was a computer genius, so I

told Canard that if he wanted me, hed have to take Dax and Odette, too. I

couldn't leave them. Odette had a multitude of talents as well. Canard

wasnt happy but he agreed. Finally, Canard sent word to be ready to leave.

We made it to the outside wall where Canard was supposed to meet us.

Someone must have found out, because the guards were ready. There were too

many of them. Canard and I managed to get away but we couldnt save Odette

and Dax." he stopped. He could still hear Odette's screams as they dragged

her and Dax away. He had wanted to go back, to save them, but Canard

wouldnt let him. "You cant help them now! Well find them after we take

care of Dragonus. I promise!" Duke had finally given in and left with 

Canard.

	"You just left them?" Nosedive asked, wide-eyed.

	"That's bad karma." Grin said quietly.

	"What was I supposed to do? I wanted to go back but Canard was

right, I couldn't save them on my own. Their only chance was that the

Resistance would win soon and end the labor camps." Duke was practically

yelling. He had fought guilt over deserting them ever since that night. He

still had nightmares. "I went back. Canard said it was pointless, but I

had to try once more. I was too late. By the time I got there, they had

been sent to Szilard." 

	The room went dead silent. Every duck in the room had heard the

horror stories about Szilard. It was the cruelest camp on Puckworld, the

equivalent of Auschwitz on Earth. More ducks had died there than in all

the fighting combined. It was a miracle Odette had survived. 

	"I'm sorry, Duke." Wildwing laid a hand on Duke's shoulder.

	"She survived, right? I mean she's okay, now. Right?" Dive said

hopefully, but even as he said it, he knew that even though she had

survived, there was a good chance she would never be all right.

	It was obvious that Duke wasn't going to say any more and wanted

to be alone. The ducks got up and left in silence. None of them had

expected the horror story they had just heard. It left an impact on all of

them.

	Dive turned to go to the infirmary, but stopped when he saw Duke

head in that direction. He figured Duke needed time alone with Odette. He

went to his room to read comics instead, but he couldn't concentrate on

them. He kept thinking about Odette. She had suffered more than he could

comprehend, and yet she survived. He was amazed. He couldn't wait any

longer, he had to see her. He hoped she was going to be okay. He really

wanted to talk to her. Dive headed for the infirmary.

	Duke crept into the dimly lit room, not making a sound. He needed

to see Odette, but not awake. He needed to think of what to say to her. He

sat on the chair next to the Medi-bed and watched her slow steady

breathing. He noticed her necklace. It was so familiar...with a start he

realized why. That was Dax's ring! Dax had told him how on his eighteenth

birthday his father had given it to him. It had been passed down from

father to son for generations. They only way Odette could have ended up

with it was if...Duke tried to push the thought away, but the evidence was

so clear. Dax was dead. 

	Duke blinked back tears as he continued to watch her sleep. She

looked so peaceful. She deserved peace. He realized she must be searching

for revenge against Dragonus, or maybe even him. 

	"I'm sorry, Odette. I tried to save you, both of you, but..." he

didn't finish. The words sounded so empty. "I'm so sorry." he whispered as

he left.

	Nosedive was slowly making his way to the infirmary. He wanted to

give Duke time alone with Odette, but was impatient to see her himself. On

his way he passed Duke in the hallway. Duke didnt seem to notice him. 

	Dive sat next to Odette and watched her. She was beautiful, even

with all the cuts and bruises. For the first time he noticed how thin she

was. He was reminded of how Duke had said she would never had made it on

her own. Looking at her, he could understand why he had thought that. Even

so, she had made it. Dive was wondering how strong she was when she

started to mumble something and shake her head. Suddenly she started to

thrash violently. She knocked over numerous items and smacked him in the

head a few times before Dive finally got a grip on her arms. "TANYA!!!!!"

he yelled as loud as he could.

	"Easy! The Divester is here to help." Nosedive tried to calm her

down. He was amazed at how strong she was. He was having trouble holding

her down. He was relieved when Tanya rushed in.

	"What took you so long?" he demanded as Tanya took stock of the

situation.

	She ignored his tone. "Hold her while I give her this shot."

Odette immediately calmed down. Dive relaxed his grip. "That should make

her sleep for a few hours. What happened, anyway?" 

	"I don't know. One minute she's sleeping and the next it's like

she's fighting World War Three."

	"Well she should be okay now. You can let go." Dive hadn't

realized he was still holding her arms. He let go reluctantly,"You're sure

she'll be all right?"

	"She'll be fine. Now let her sleep. She needs rest." They turned

to leave as Wildwing and Grin walked in the door. 

	"Is she okay?" Wildwing asked.

	"She was thrashing around so I gave her a sedative. She'll be

fine." Tanya said as she and Dive left. 

	Wildwing and Grin stared at the figure lying on the bed. Wing had

figured she was out for revenge, as well. He understood how she felt. He

had lost his best friend in the fight against Dragonus, and wanted to make

him pay, but even so he still had a hope that Canard was alive somewhere.

Odette didn't even have that. 

	Grin thought about how venerable she looked, then reminded himself

that sometimes the  most fragile-looking flower is the one with the most

will to live. He could sense that she was a survivor. He only hoped that

someone could teach her to do more than just survive. They turned as they

heard Mallory enter. She was carrying clothes for when Odette woke up.

They left as she put the clothes down on the counter.

	Mallory was pretty sure Nosedive's shorts and shirt would fit

well enough, although she was so skinny she doubted anything she could

find would fit well. 

	Mallory looked hard at Odette, trying not to pity her. She knew if

it was her on that bed, pity was the last thing she would want. Mallory

respected and admired Odette's courage. She looked up to see Tanya coming

back.

	"I'm just going to adjust the monitors and then go to bed. It's 

been a long day." Tanya said. Mallory nodded. The Pond was silent as she

turned off the lights. 

	

	A shrill scream pierced the night's stillness, jolting everyone

awake.

	"DUUUKE!!! NOOOO!!!"

Odette was screaming and thrashing in her

sleep, obviously having a nightmare. Nosedive was the first to reach her.

He had never, in all his life heard anyone scream like that. It made his

feathers stand on end. He grabbed her arms from behind, trying to keep her

from hurting herself, and taking several smacks to the head in the

process. He kept repeating "Dive's here its okay." in the hope that she

would stop screaming at least. It seemed to work. She stopped fighting

just as Tanya rushed in. Odette lay limp in his arms, crying and repeating

Dax, Dax, no dont take him away... Dax... 

	The other ducks soon followed, in various states of awareness.

Duke looked stricken. Dive looked at them helplessly. "What do I do now?"

he whispered. 

	"I don't want to give her anything else, that dose before was

pretty strong." Tanya said.

	"Not strong enough." Mallory grumbled. She was annoyed at being

dragged out of bed at 2 am. She stopped when she saw Duke's expression.

"Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

	Duke shook his head. "That's exactly how she sounded that night.

"It was like living it again."

	Wildwing tried to take charge of the situation, which wasn't easy

considering he was practically falling asleep on his feet. "She seems to

calm down if someone is here. Why don't you stay with her for tonight,

Dive." He looked at Duke. "I'm sure you'll work everything out when she

wakes up. But for now, she needs rest. We all do." He turned to leave.

	"Here, Nosedive, you can sleep on this bed." Tanya indicated the

one closest to Odette's. "If she starts thrashing again, just keep her

from hurting herself. Don't try to wake her up." Tanya yawned. The ducks

left the room. 

	"So its just you and me." Dive looked at the practically naked

form lying in his arms. "Somehow I pictured it differently." he said as he

laid her gently back on the bed and rearranged the blankets. 

	

	Odette dreamed. Horrible nightmares. Dreams of the night they

tried to escape, dreams of being beaten at Szilard for trying to run away,

but worst of all, dreams of the night they took Dax away, forever. 

	"Take it." Dax pressed the ring into Odette's hand.

	"Dax, no! Keep it! We can still get away! When the guards come we

can..." Dax silenced her.

	"You know it won't work, Little One." she almost started to cry

when he used his pet name for her. "You have to be strong now. I love you,

don't forget that. I'll always be with you. Now take it. Don't let those

Saurian bastards get it."

	She clutched the ring to her chest, then hugged Dax. She held on

as tight as she could, as if, if she held on tight enough they couldn't

take him away. The metal cell door clinked as two guards opened it. They

tore Dax from her arms. 

	"NO!! I won't let you take him!" Odette was crying now, trying to

fight the second guard. He shoved her to the ground. She got up to try

again. Dax's voice stopped her.

	"Don't, Little One. Don't make it worse for yourself. Be strong

for me now."

	"Dax!" she cried as they dragged him out the door.

	"I love you, Odette!"

	"I love you, Dax!" The door slammed shut. Odette sank to her knees

with a sob. She pressed her forehead to the floor, curling her body around

Dax's ring. She vowed they would never get it. The door opened again. She

knew they had come to take her away. She didn't care. The punishment she

received every day was nothing now. No physical pain could compare with

the anguish in her heart.

	

	Odette opened her eyes slowly. Her whole body hurt. For a second

she thought she was back at Szilard, then remembered her mission. She

tried to recall the events of the previous day, but the images were fuzzy.

She struggled to remember. The teleport...arriving...something about a

bomb? The memory came rushing back. After arriving she had heard

puck-blasters and gone to check it out. There had been two Saurians

fighting ducks. Just as she turned to see who it was, the bomb had gone

off. No wonder she hurt so much. 

	Odette looked around cautiously. She appeared to be in some kind

of medical facility. Too small for a hospital. Good, she hated hospitals.

The bed next to hers was empty but looked as though someone had slept in

it. 

	She sat up, her head pounding. She was about to get up and try to

leave when she noticed her state of undress. She looked around for her

backpack and some clothes. She didnt find her backpack, but did see a pile

of clothing. The t-shirt and shorts were way too big, but they would do

until she could find her stuff and get out of there. Odette stood up to

leave. Her vision swam. She was about to keel over when someone grabbed

her from behind to steady her.

	Odette's first reaction was to fight, to no avail. She was too

weak and the person behind her was more than twice her size. "Easy, young

friend. We are here to help.' Grin said as he picked Odette up and put her

back on the bed.

	"Who are you?" Odette asked warily. She wasnt one to trust easily,

even if these people had helped her.

	Before Grin could answer, Tanya walked in the door. "Oh! You're

awake. Fabulous! How do you feel?"

	"Like I was run over by a freight train. Who are you and what am I

doing here?" Odette demanded. She should be the one asking questions. She

didnt like not knowing what was going on, it made her nervous.

	"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Tanya and that's Grin." she indicated the huge

duck leaning against the wall. "I would ask you what you're doing here. We

were fighting Siege and the Chamelian when you came out of nowhere. Then a

bomb went off and blasted you clear down the alley. We brought you here."

	"Where's here?"

	"The Pond. Our headquarters in Anaheim, California." Tanya could

see she was just getting more confused and apprehensive. "Why dont we go

see the rest of the guys, we can all get answers to our questions. But

first we need to check you out." Tanya moved toward Odette to have a look

at her injuries. Odette instinctively backed up. "I'm not going to hurt

you. Jeeze!"

	After a moment of indecision,Odette decided to let her check her injuries.

After a few minutes Tanya declared she was fit to leave the infirmary.

Odette wasnt sure she wanted to go.

	"Wait. Where are you taking me? Thanks for your help, but I'd just

like to leave if its all the same." Odette wanted to get out of there and

back to her mission.

	"You can't just leave! We need to talk to you. Don't you think you

owe us that much? Besides, youre not well enough to go too far." Tanya

said.

	"No one will hurt you here. I promise. We are only here to help."

Grin tried to be comforting.

	Something about Grin's tone made Odette stop. She could sense he

wasn't lying. Odette decided she could spare a little time to thank them

and answer a few questions. Besides, she had to get her backpack back.

"All right. I'll go." Odette said reluctantly as she stood up, pleased

that this time she didnt feel so dizzy. Tanya walked with her, making sure

she wasnt going to pass out.

	Grin went ahead to tell everyone she was awake and coming to meet them,

however reluctantly. 

	Odette looked around as they made their way to the TV room, trying

to get a sense of where she was. She was looking behind her as they

entered the TV room. She turned slowly, aware that everyone was staring at

her.

	

	The ducks were seated on three couches forming a U-shape. Tanya

sat next to Wildwing who was sitting directly in front of her. She turned

to her right and saw Nosedive sitting by himself. She saw his expression

and smiled. Everyone else was so serious. Nosedive smiled back, then

frowned, "Are those my shorts?" She shrugged.

	Wildwing watched as Odette regarded them. He could see how tense

she was and decided to let her get accustomed to them before he asked her

anything. He felt like she would bolt if he did anything too suddenly. He

wondered what she would do when she saw Duke. He was glad to see her smile

at Dive.

	She turned to the remaining ducks, wondering why no one was saying

anything. There were three ducks sitting on the remaining couch, but

Odette only saw one.

	"Duke." she whispered. Her knees felt weak. She couldn't believe

it. After all this time, she hadn't expected... 

	"Odette." she just stared at him as he walked towards her. Duke

had spent half the night rehearsing what to say to her, but his mind was a

total blank as he saw her shocked expression. He wished she would yell at

him, accuse him of deserting her, something. 

	Odette couldn't think. Everything had changed in the span of a few

seconds. She had come bent on getting revenge on Dragonus and had found

Duke. She didn't know whether to be happy or to kill him. 

	Duke couldn't bear the silence any longer. "Odette... I'm sorry."

It sounded so lame. He took her hands. "I didn't know, that night. Someone

set us up. I came back for you, but I was too late. You were gone." He

looked down. "Can you ever forgive me?"

	Odette looked at him. The only friend she had had other than Dax.

For a time she had blamed Duke for what had happened, but had long since

realized it wasnt his fault. She blamed herself. dax had sacrificed

himself to save her from a worse punishment. It was no matter

now, it was over and only her mission remained. She squeezed his hands.

"It wasn't your fault." Duke looked up, unbelieving. She couldn't have

forgiven him that easily.  He had expected her to try to kill him, yell at

the very least. He looked in her eyes and saw she had forgiven him, but

not herself. She thinks it was her fault! he thought. His gaze dropped to

her necklace. 

	Odette took a deep breath. "Dax is dead." She ended with a sob.

She couldn't control it. She hadn't cried since that day. She was too

focused on finding a way to get revenge. Now, finally, there was someone

who would understand. Duke held her as she grieved for her dead brother.

The other ducks looked around uncomfortably. They didn't know what to do. 

	As her sobs lessened Duke led her to sit on the couch next to

Dive. She took a minute to compose herself, then looked around,

embarrassed. She didn't like showing weakness in front of total strangers.

She hardened her expression and waited for the questions to start.

	Wildwing cleared his throat. He didnt know how to begin. May as

well start simple, he thought. "Who are you?"

	She looked him straight in the eyes. "I am Odette Cygnet." she

said formally. She wasnt going to give him any more information than he

asked for.

	"Why are you here?' 

	Her expression darkened. "I'm here to kill Dragonus and any of

those Saurian bastards who get in my way." 

	"All by yourself? Are you crazy?" Mallory said.

	Odette bristled. "You think I can't do it? As soon as this little

question and answer session is over, I'm outta here!" she started to get

up, but Duke put a restraining hand on her arm. She definitely wasn't shy

any more. 

	"No one is saying you can't do anything...yet." Wildwing replied,

evenly. "Why do you want to kill Dragonus?" he knew the answer, he only

wanted to hear it from her. 

	Odette looked  at him in astonishment. He couldn't be serious.

"What do you mean, why?" she exclaimed. "He destroyed our planet! What's

more, that son of a bitch took away everything I ever loved! My parents

died the first day! My brother and I were sent to a labor camp." She

looked at Duke, "When we tried to escape, they sent us to Szilard. Do you

know what they do to attempted escapees there? Do you know what it's like

to spend every waking moment wondering if you're going to survive till the

next? What it's like to be beaten every day for wanting to be free? For

trying to help other prisoners? Do you have any idea what its like to

watch as they drag your brother away to his death and being powerless to

stop it? Is that reason enough for you?" Odette's voice had risen steadily

in volume as she worked herself into a self-righteous wrath. 

	Wildwing waited for her to calm down before he answered. "We all

have reasons to hate Dragonus," he said looking around the room, "but you

can't just attack him without a plan. And I don't think anyone could do it

alone."

	"I'll kill him if its the last thing I do." Odette said between

clenched teeth.

	"The way you're going, it'll probably be the last thing you ever

do. You don't know anything about fighting him, look what happened just

fighting the Chamelian and Siege." Mallory indicated the bandage on

Odette's forehead.

	"Why you-" Odette jumped out of her seat intent on beating the

crap out of Mallory. Duke and Nosedive grabbed her arms to hold her back.

Odette struggled against them. 

	"Easy, girly-girl!" Dive exclaimed. Wildwing shook his head. He

knew as soon as Mallory said it that it was definitely the wrong thing to

say.

	Mallory's eyes opened wide. She hadnt expected her to take it that way.

Odette looked ready to kill her. 

	"Mellow out, young friend." Grin was poised to intercept if Duke

and Nosedive lost their grip.

	Duke was surprised at how strong Odette was as he felt her

struggle. She'd been thin and weak when he had first met her. He guessed

life in Szilard had forced her to become strong, in more ways than one.

	Dive had some idea of how strong she was, he had restrained her

thrashings, but she was much stronger awake. He felt himself lose his grip

on her arm. As soon as she saw her chance she wrenched away from him. Grin

jumped up and put a hand up to stop her. Odette saw his movement and

instinctively cringed away from it, dropping to the floor trying to

protect herself. She had automatically assumed he would hit her, the ducks

realized, with some degree of shock. It jogged a final piece into place of

what her life had been like.

	Odette huddled on the ground waiting for the blow that didn't

come. She felt a hand on her arm urging her up. She hesitated, fearful to

expose any more of her body than necessary. Duke looked at her, she had

been so abused that she automatically assumed everyone was out to hurt

her. He felt his heart twist. No one should live like that. Grin felt

equally as bad. He had meant no harm, only to protect her and Mallory. 

	Duke and Dive slowly raised her off the floor. She looked

fearfully at Grin. She was surprised at his expression, he looked...sorry.

She didn't understand. Why would he be sorry? She had threatened his

teammate, he should have hit her for daring to attack. Thats the way

things worked, or so she had come to learn. She sat back down on the

couch, confused. Duke put a protective arm around her, as much to reassure

her as to keep her from trying to attack Mallory again. Dive kept his hand

on her arm. A minute of silence followed.

	"I meant no harm, Odette. Please understand no one will hurt you

here, but neither will you be allowed to hurt another." Grin tried to

explain. Odette looked at him disbelievingly. This was against everything

she knew. She looked at Duke.

	"You promise?" she asked, desperately wanting to believe him.

	"I promise. No one will hurt you." Duke vowed. Odette looked

around. They all nodded in agreement. 

	She still looked distrustful. Wing decided maybe if she knew more

about them, it would help, only he didnt know where to begin. "We have no

reason to want to hurt you. We're on the same side." he began. He saw he

had her attention and went on to explain how they had come to be in

Anaheim. He was pleased to see her defenses drop as she realized they

weren't enemies. 

	"So you've been here, fighting Dragonus, all this time?" she

asked after he finished.

	"Well, not all the time." Dive replied. "There's Phil and his

public appearances, and we do still play hockey. To keep our skills sharp,

of course." he added quickly. "Do you play?"

	Odette looked at him and smiled faintly. "No, not really. I used

to, with Dax, but I never played against anyone else. I was always too

small. We tried once, but I got creamed." Odette smiled at the memory. 

	Everyone was glad to see her relax a little, to hear her talk

about something other than Szilard or Dragonus. Wing used the chance to

learn more about her. As much as he hated to turn the conversation back he

asked, "So how did you come to be here?" 

	Odette sighed. She no longer thought of them as a threat, but

still didn't like answering all these questions. "Interna Tech had

acquired a lot of equipment from the Saurians after the Resistance had

finally gotten them out." She began. "One project was modifications on a

teleporter. They developed a tracking system for it. I've been breaking in

to the lab for the past few months, watching the process and learning how

to use it. I even made some improvements of my own, though they'll never

know it wasn't one of them who did it. Last night I discovered it was due

to be shipped to Development. I had already planned to leave so I used it

and it brought me here." 

	"You broke into Interna Tech? More than once?" Tanya was shocked.

Interna Tech was one of the most innovative companies on Puckworld. They

worked on top-secret government projects. Their security system had to be

pretty impressive.

	Odette smiled with pride."I learned from the best." she looked at

Duke.

	Duke smiled back at her. "I always knew you were a natural."

	Wildwing considered his next question carefully. He felt they had

gained a measure of her trust and he didnt want her defenses up again.

"What do you plan to do now?" he decided to wait for her answer before he

suggested anything more.

	Odette closed her eyes and shrugged helplessly, "I don't know. I

didn't expect..." she gestured to the other ducks. "I can't go back. I

hadn't planned it that way. I didn't set the teleporter to do anything

except bring me here." 

	"Why don't you join us? We need all the help we can get, and I'm

sure you'll be an asset." Wing suggested, praying she would accept. It

would make things much easier.

	Odette considered. She really didn't have a choice, she had

nowhere else to go. She looked at each team member in turn. "You really

want me on your team?"

	"Absolutely." Duke was the first to reply. The others chimed in

their approval.

	"New teammate! Big hug!" Dive exclaimed as he grabbed Odette. 

	"Ow!" Odette laughed. It was hard not to. He was so boisterous,

not to mention cute, now that she looked at him. "Easy there, killer!"
"I'm glad youre staying with us." Mallory said, by way of apology

for before.

	"Thank you. I'll do my best." Odette replied. The other ducks

welcomed her to the team. "I only have one question." she looked at Wing.

	"Sure, what?"  

	"Where am I staying and can I take a shower?" 

	"Actually, thats two questions..." Dive interjected.

	"Let me show you." Wing cut him off as he lead Odette away.

	Before they got far Duke stopped them. "We need to talk." he said

to Odette.

	"Later, after she's settled." Wing replied. Duke heard the warning

in his tone. He was a little annoyed, but privately agreed he shouldn't

push it. She'd had a long day, and it wasn't over yet.

	"By the way, what happened to my back pack? I know I had it with

me." she asked. 

	"Oh, yeah.. I was holding it for you. Ill go get it. Tanya, show

Odette where she can stay." he said as he went to retrieve her belongings. 

	"We can go shopping later." Mallory said. "The malls here are

great."

	"Thanks. I'd like that." Odette replied with a smile. She had a

feeling she and Mallory could be friends.

	"Can I come? I can show you my favorite comic shop. Youll love

it!" Dive pleaded.

	"Is he always like this"? Odette whispered.

	"You havent seen anything yet. Just wait till he's had sugar."

Mallory replied.

	Odette smiled. She realized how much she missed being around

people with a sense of humor. Wing handed her her back pack. 

	

Later, after a long, hot shower and an all-out shopping spree with Mal and Dive, she sat in her new room and looked around. She decided everything had worked out all right, if not exactly how she had planned. She had found friends and was on her way to completing her mission. A knock sounded on her door. She got up and unlocked it . Duke was waiting outside. Odette had been expecting him. "Come in." He followed her inside. She sat on her bed and he sat in a chair across from her. They said nothing for a time, just watched one another. Duke began first. Even though she had forgiven him, he couldn't let go of his guilt. They spoke of that night in more depth than they ever would to anyone else. Duke told her what they had been up to since arriving in Anaheim. She listened intently, glad to know something more about the people she now lived with. Duke was just as interested in finding out what had happened to her since he had last seen her. "So, what was it like...after we left?" he asked. "What do you mean, we? We as in you and Canard or we as in everyone here?"

"Everyone here." he had heard enough about life in Szilard to last

him a long time.

"Not long after you left the Saurian rule fell apart. Without

Dragonus as a leader, the command chain began to fight itself for power.

The Resistance had no trouble defeating such a disorganized army.. It only

took a few months to clear them out and liberate the camps. After that it

was just getting Puckworld back in order and rebuilding everything."

"What about you?" Duke prompted. Odette still didn't like to

voulunteer information that wasnt asked for, especially if it was

personal.

"Szilard was one of the first camps to be liberated, since

everyone had heard the horror stories. Even so, a lot of ducks didnt make

it. I was put into R and R."

"R and R? Like rest and relaxation?"

Odette laughed, but it was a mirthless sound. "Yeah, right. No, it

was Resisteance Recovery. They sent a check every month to everyone of age

without any other means of support. They also set up therapy for prisoners

who qualified."

"Sounds like a good deal to me."

"You'd like to think that wouldnt you. It wasn't. The checks were

barely enough to get by on. Without certain...skills you taught me I would

not had lived as well as I did. As for the therapy, their idea of help was

to tell you to get over it and move on with your life. After the first

month, I did. I decided to find Dragonus. I never thanked you for all you

taught me. Learning how to be a theif helped more than you can know."

Duke wasn't sure it was a good thing, but if it had made her life

easier, then he could live with it. It was almost midnight when he finally

left.

After he was gone Odette felt the need for some fresh air. So much

had happened, she needed time to sort it all out. She watched the night

sky and relaxed as a warm breeze blew gently.

Dive had seen Odette head outside and followed her. He passed Duke

in the corridor. Duke stopped him. "I know youre interested in Odette."

"Yeah, so? You got a problem?" Dive countered.

"Hey, don't get defensive! Just...just go easy with her, okay?

Don't rush her. She's been through a lot." Dive saw his concern. He

smiled, he never thought of Duke as the fatherly type.

"No worries amigo. You're talking to the Main Mallard o' Love."

Dive grinned as he left.

Duke shook his head. He wasn't really worried about Odette. He was

sure she could handle Nosedive. It was whether Nosedive could handle her

that was the problem.

'What are you doing out here so late, young lady?" Dive demanded,

standing right behind Odette. Odette whirled around, ready to defend

herself. She relaxed when she saw it was only Dive.

"Jeeze! You almost gave me a heart attack! Dont sneak up on me

like that!"

"Sorry. So...whatcha doin out here so late?" Dive tried to sound

casual.

"Just trying to sort everything out, I guess. Why are you out here

so late?" she asked with a smile.

"Me? I...uh...well..." she laughed as he struggled to find some

excuse. Dive regarded her amusement at his discomfort. He was happy to see

her laugh. It seemed as though she didn't do it often enough. She really

is beautiful, he thought as she turned her attention back to the stars,

still smiling. He wanted to put his arm around her, but remembered Duke's

warning. What the hell, he thought as he put his arm around her shoulders.

Odette stiffened. She wasnt used to displays of affection.

Besides, she didn't really know him. Then she reminded herself no one was

going to hurt her. Duke had promised. It was a concept she was still

getting used to. What the hell, she thought as she leaned against Dive,

he's cute.

Dive felt her stiffen up and was about to let go when she relaxed

against him. So much for not rushing it, he thought. They stood like that

for some time.

As much as he hated to say it Dive said,"I think we should go

in."

Odette nodded as they turned to go in, Dive's arm still around

her. "I think Ill be happy here."

"You havent met Phil y

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