Season One: Episode One: Pilot

Chapter 3: Act Two

"Bad boy, Spike!" A familiar baritone squawked. "Get off her! Spike!"

Gosalyn sat up, pushing the mutated Venus Flytrap off her torso, petting his orange tuft of 'hair'. "Yeah, yeah, it's good to see you too, boy."

Once Spike had backed up, Gosalyn stood and sent a death glare towards the four in front of her, crossing her arms. "Care to explain?"

"It was Bushbrain's fault!" Megavolt defended, pointing at said mutant plant duck.

"Me?!" Bushroot said indignantly. "You knocked me over, I had a perfect hold on him before that!"

"Um, guys..." Goz started, but was interrupted.

"You're the one that brought that monster in the first place!" Megavolt argued. "It shouldn't be around crowds, really, if it's going to be this misbehaved."

"He only ran off because you scared him with that lightning of yours!" Bushroot growled.

"Hey! I was trying to avoid Liquidator. He nearly shorted me out." Megavolt whined, crossing his arms.

"That's horrible, but-" Again, Goz was interrupted.

"Hey, d-d-don't bring me into this!" Liquidator stuttered. "Besides, Quackerjack Toys is responsible due to increased pollution and possibly intentional sabotage."

"I wouldn't have spilled my milkshake if you'd just let me drink it in the car." Quackerjack countered.

"Guys!" Still nothing.

"W-we just stol- bought that c-c-car!"

Honker held up his phone, a recording of a chainsaw playing loudly over the speaker. The Four went silent instantly, forming a straight line before they had time to think.

"That's not fair..." Quackerjack complained, pulling on his hat.

"Thank you, Honk." Goz turned to the Four, breathing deeply. "I meant, care to explain what you're doing here in the first place? I have to board a train in, like, ten minutes -- I can't have it getting canceled just 'cause four sorta-maybe-reformed but-still-notorious supervillains showed up causing trouble on the tracks!"

"But we're not here to cause trouble!" Quackerjack insisted.

"Then why are you here?" Honker asked.

"To say goodbye!" The Four yelled, embracing Goz in a giant hug. More than one of them were crying. "We're gonna miss you so much, kid!"

"Oh, guys..." Goz chuckled, hugging them back. "Despite everything, I think I'll miss you too. But, still, you couldn't have worn civilian disguises?"

"This has more emotional weight!" Quackerjack explained, breaking the hug. "More gravitas, more-"

"Drama." Bushroot helpfully supplied, smirking.

"Looks like someone's cruisin' for a bruisin', Susan." Mr Banana Brain squeaked.

"No bruisin', please." Goz sighed. "Listen, guys, this is sweet and all, but... You really are going to cause a panic."

"Alright, we know when we aren't wanted, kiddo." Bushroot smiled. "We'll head out, there's just a few more people who want to say goodbye first."

"Who-?" Goz started, but got interrupted by an orange ball of fur tackle-hugging her.

"We're gonna miss ya' so much, goosey!" The orange hifkitten purred. Goz lifted her up to look into her mismatched blue-green eyes. She was wearing a red beanie and a matching red turtleneck dress, covered in buttons and patches and pockets. A wild tuft of orange-blonde fur stuck out from under the hat.

"Buttons!" Goz chuckled, then looked around to spot the kitten's other half. A blue-grey furred kitten with mismatched eyes and glasses stood nearby, waving. He had a blue hoodie and black pants, a long with techie gloves and boots. His blue-black head fur was messy. "Phyx! Come here, lemme hug you."

"Will you write, Gosalyn?" Phyx asked, nuzzling her.

"It might be a little difficult, considering that your dads' don't really have an official address." She playfully glared at Quackerjack and Megavolt. "But I promise I'll try."

"Rewwy?" A timid voice asked. Goz smiled and put the kittens down, turning to look at the small duckling that had snuck up behind her.

She had green skin, with large colorful thorns traveling down her head in a parody of a mohawk. Purple fuzz grew around her neck and chest, and her beak was made of birch wood. Her watery arms dragged along the ground, mixing with the puddle that was her lower half. Large orange eyes blinked hopefully.

"Of course, May." Goz lifted her up. "A hero never breaks a promise to their friends."

Goz knelt and scooped the two young teens and the little girl into a hug. "I'm really glad we get to say goodbye. I didn't think we'd get to."

It was weird, Goz thought as she got on the train, how much could change in eleven years. She waved goodbye to the strange little group as she entered the train car. If someone has told her back then- hell, if someone had told her eight years ago that she'd be fond of the adopted kids of Megavolt and Quackerjack? She call them crazy.

If they'd told her she'd babysit the mutant spawn of Liquidator and Bushroot? She'd calm them crazier. But it had happened, somehow those three had worked their way into her heart, and she honestly was going to miss the little brats.

"These seats look pretty good, they're right by a window." Honker started storing their bags, making sure to pull out a cat treat for Screech.

Screech was behaving very nicely on his leash, though was not above letting his displeasure be known through overdramatic sulking.

Goz sat down, looking out the window as the train started to pull away. They'd barely made it on in time, but it was worth it to get to say goodbye.

"You excited, Q?" Honker asked, watching the forests go by.

"Yeah." Goz breathed, watching as the last she could see of her home disappeared into the distance, backlit by the first stars appearing in the sky.

It was a lovely train ride. Screech had started to nap the moment his leash was off, Goz and Honker had spent their time chatting, they got a free dinner -- it was peaceful, calm, quiet. Exactly what Goz needed.

As 21:00 rolled around, the seats got transformed into beds, and the entire train car fell into a nice,

Quiet,

Peaceful,

Untroubled sleep.

Goz twisted and turned, a half-remembered something playing in her head. Black and white, sharp and drooling, glowing red and menacing, a cackle and an echo...

"Yah!" Gosalyn shot up, screaming, falling into Honker.

"What's wrong?! What is it?! Who's there?!" Honker shouted, flailing uselessly in the blankets. "Gosalyn? What's the matter?!"

"N-nothing, Honk. Sorry." Goz helped him out of the blankets, finding his glasses -- thankfully not crushed. "Just a bad dream, I guess."

"What time is it?" Honker muttered, tapping the side of his glasses to see 06:03 projected on them. "Sheesh, you never wake up this early. What was the nightmare about, anyways?"

"I don't really remember, just..." She paused, thinking for just a second that she'd heard the tune to Pop Goes The Weasel. She nearly rubbed her eyes but remembered her makeup, then looked around. "Hey, where's Screech?"

"Oh no, the door's open!" Honker pointed to the compartment door, which was indeed opened just wide enough for a small four-legged isker to slip through.

"We've gotta find him, if anyone sees him off the leash..." Goz didn't finish her sentence, slowly sneaking out and down the hall.

They went up and down the train car, whispering Screech's name, peeking into the windows of compartments, all to no avail.

"Is there something I can help you with?" A train employee asked, shining his flashlight into their eyes.

"Oh, um... Just looking for the bathroom." Goz said in her best 'perfectly innocent angel who has never done anything wrong in her life' voice.

"Uh-huh." The employee nodded, a frown on his face. "Well, ma'am, I can assure you that you won't find it in the other passengers' sleeping compartments."

Goz chuckled nervously. "There's no chance you'd be willing to just point out the direction of the bathroom and leave us to own devices, is there?"

They were escorted to the bathroom and back to their own compartment. Right outside it, however...

"Yooooow!" A cat's yowl followed by crashes and screaming.

"My jewels! That stupid beast has made off with my jewels!" An elderly, rich-looking chihuahua lady ran out of her compartment, chasing-

"Screech!" Goz shouted, picking her familiar up. "Where have you been, silly boy? I was worried!"

"So you are the owner of that- that ruffian?!" The lady demanded. "That fleabag is a thief, and I wouldn't be surprised if you taught it such tricks..."

Ignoring the lady's rant, Goz noticed that Screech indeed had a blue diamond necklace clutched in his mouth. "Oh, Screech, what did you do?"

"Mreow?" Screech tilted his head, voice muffled by the necklace.

"Excuse me, but what is that animal doing unrestrained in the middle of the train?" The employee asked.

"Uhhh..." Goz shrugged.

"At least we're only a few miles off from our destination." Honker consoled, watching the train move away.

"Shut up." Goz grumbled, walking the same direction as the train.

At 09:00 on the dot, Goz and Honker entered their new city. They were dirty, thirsty, and hot -- but they were there at last. It was a lot of sand, cacti, palm trees, and flat roofs. Most of the buildings were the same color as the sand and rocks around them, but you couldn't really say the city wasn't colorful. Rock gardens, desert plants, and bundles of cloth added pops of color, along with shocking white buildings here and there. It was beautiful, reflecting the beating sun in a way that truly earned its namesake.

But Goz barely noticed the beauty of the area, far more distracted by what may very well have been a godsend.

"Starduck's!" Goz yelled, pulling Honker along behind her, towards the brown and green building. "Look, Honk, they have Starduck's here!"

"They have Starduck's everywhere." Honker pointed out, but followed her anyways.

"I'm getting a triple mocha with whip cream and a shot of espresso." Goz chattered as they got into line. "And some water, if they have any. Oh, and I'll get some milk for Screech. What about you?"

"Water, obviously." Honker tapped his watch, which couldn't actually tell time, and turned it into a fan. "And some bagels, we haven't eaten anything since last night. You should get some food before you have that coffee, Q."

Goz raised a feathery eyebrow, jabbing her thumb towards one of the windows. "Puh-leeze! With this much sun, I won't have to eat for another week at least."

"Hardy-har-har, are you ever gonna quit with that joke, G?" Honker asked, deadpan.

G was their code for I'm speaking in code. But what- oh, right, civilians in earshot. Civilians who, more likely than not, wouldn't take kindly to a mutant in their midst.

"Hi, welcome to Starduck's!" The leopard behind the counter smiled as they approached. "I'm Melody, I'll be your barista today, how may I- ohmygosh, I love your eyeshadow!"

Goz blinked, taking a moment to adjust to sudden change from genuinely-polite-but-professional tone of voice to excited-ball-of-endless-joy-and-energy screech. It sorta made sense -- with the smiley faces sewn onto her apron, and the blue-and-yellow party balloon headband holding back her short chocolate brown headfur -- that the girl would be excitable.

"Um, thanks." Goz smiled. "I like your headband."

"Ohh, aren't you sweet? Thank you!" Melody grinned. "Now, what can I get for you two lovebirds?"

Goz barked out a laugh, while Honker became a spluttering mess, trying to clarify that they weren't together. Though it was interrupted by a good deal more conversation than when they usually went to Starduck's, Goz eventually managed to place their order.

"I like her." Goz said, chewing on a bagel she'd stolen from Honker, as they sat down in an outside eating area. "Really chatty, sorta reminds me of Launchpad."

"Yeah, I guess." Honker nodded, staring at the pilfered bagel with slight annoyance but mostly confusion on how she stole it in the first place. "You know, if I remember the maps correctly (and of course I do), Tank's apartment should only be a few blocks from here."

"Oh, that means we can get coffee from here every morning and chat with Melody!" Goz grinned, liking the idea of cultivating a friendship in the new and unfamiliar city. "See what it's like when you get outside of St Canard, Honker? People are friendlier because it's calmer, peaceful. This is the perfect place for a new start, away from chaos, and trouble free."

"Stop, thief!" A woman shouted.

"Oooor not." Gosalyn sighed, looking up in time to see a hifdeer running off with a purse, a lion lady yelling after him. "Ugh, seriously? That's so cliche."

In one fluid series of movements, Goz handed her coffee to Honker, stood up, pulled out her cellphone, and clicked a special app. A light much brighter than the ambient sunlight, and slightly tinged green, shone directing into the deer's eyes.

The deer froze, allowing a nearby police officer to catch up, baffled. "How'd you do that?"

"Paralyzing light. It usually takes a minute to work," Honker coolly threw away their trash and stood up, carrying both coffees, "but it works faster on those who already are effected by the 'freeze response'. Come on, Q, my brother's expecting us soon."

"Hug hug, kiss kiss, you were a great audience!" Gosalyn waved, following Honker across the street.

"Calmer, more peaceful, huh?" Honker asked, handing Goz her half-forgotten coffee.

"T-that was a fluke!" Goz insisted. "Nothing more than a little bit of St Canard energy following us. You'll see, from now on it will be-"

"Excuse me, have you been to the local Coven yet, dear?" An elderly parakeet with three iskrats on her shoulders and two iskfoxes at her feet asked, positively radiating magical energy.

"No, ma'am, I haven't." Goz answered through gritted teeth, one eye twitching, just barely remembering to keep her responses to an obvious Elder Witch respectful.

"Well here's a flyer, do think of signing up. We do private classes every Tuesday and Saturday, dear." The parakeet winked, handing Goz a piece of paper and beginning to walk off. "Oh, and you may want tp wear sunglasses if you don't have your eye glow under control yet, youngling."

Goz, whose eyes had indeed started glowing solid green, took a few deep breaths. "Thanks, ma'am, I'll keep it in mind."

"It's blank." Honker pointed at the paper.

"That's because you don't have magic." Goz patted Screech, eyes returning to normal. She didn't even have to look at Honker to see his smug face. "Shut up."

"I didn't say anything!" Honker grinned, walking towards his brother's apartment.

"Not. A. Word." Goz followed him. "It's just a fluke."

They arrived at the apartment building, climbing the stairs. Goz stretched as Honker knocked on his brother's door. "It's one last day of chaos before we settle into our new, calm, lives. You'll see, from here on out, it'll be smooth sailin-"

She was interrupted by a pair of strong arms lifting her up in a bear hug.