Blotted Truth

[Cold Shadow]

Detective Maui Mallard had taken his first day off in a few weeks (at Chief O'Hara's demand), though 'day off' was a loose term in his case because at that moment his kitchen tables was cluttered with case files he was reviewing and picking through. He had already eaten a hardy breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast, and was going through a file on Taurus Bulba, slowly working on his coffee as the news on a small, portable television he had propped up on his kitchen counter droned in the background.

"Our top story today; a new criminal mastermind has been running amok in Epcot City. Though views were initially positive to mixed on the ninja, who has come to be revealed as 'Cold Shadow,' sources now indicate that the masked man is a villain, rather than the initial suspicions that he was a vigilante trying to clean up our streets."

The drinking Maui nearly choked on a mouthful of coffee, and wound up spraying it out of his beak in a way that would seem comical were the conditions not so bleak. Jumping from his table he rushed over to the television, adjusting the knob to increase the volume.

"Eye witness reports state that during last night's robbery of the North Epcot City Treasury was at the hands of a mallard dressed in a ninja costume who could have been none other than Cold Shadow. The city laments at this turn of events, and what seemed like a savior was truly just another wrongdoer all al--"

Maui turned the dial and the image and volume went dead, a single white line appearing across the screen before it went completely dark. Eye witness reports? Impossible. I was at the station all of last night. I couldn't have been spotted near there, or anywhere for that matter. I'm being set up. Maui thought to himself, his brow furrowing. He supposed this was a downside to being Epcot City's most obscure and mysterious hero: his position as a hero was not fully solidified, as the majority of his heroics were done from the shadows, where few other than the criminals he dispensed ever got to see him. Somebody was now using this against him, but who? An 'eye witness' report? Was the witness a fraud, or was the witness telling the truth and someone had actually dressed as Cold Shadow to frame him? Neither scenario was far-fetched at this point, but one thing was for sure: Cold Shadow had to get to the truth of the matter.

He would wait until sunset, then Maui Mallard would 'go to bed early' and Cold Shadow would begin his investigation.

[Dreamchild]

The exact same news bulletin that Maui Mallard watched was also watched at the exact same time by another masked vigilante, somewhere else in Epcot City. Actually, Dreamchild didn't watch the newsflash with her eyes at first. She was reading a large book, and by reading it was really going through every page of the photography book. Despite her intellect, Alice Liddell (and by extension Dreamchild) always favored books with pictures over text-only books.

"Our top story today; a new criminal mastermind has been running amok in Epcot City."

That was enough to snatch Dreamchild's attention. The superheroine looked up from the mansion's sofa she sat on and watched the large TV intently. Any sort of crime activity in Epcot City deserved her complete and undivided attention.

[Duck Avenger]

Duck Avenger heard the news bulletin, too. Dreamchild could hear his booted footsteps as he approached the back of the couch, rested his white, feathered hands on the topmost surface, and watched the TV screen intently.

"Eye witness reports state that during last night's robbery of the North Epcot City Treasury was at the hands of a mallard dressed in a ninja costume who could have been none other than Cold Shadow."

Duck Avenger's eyes narrowed, though his bill remained the same. When the news reporter stopped talking about the topic, Duck Avenger slapped the couch's surface with his hands.

"Looks like we got a job tonight, boys!" said the Avenger. He could see the sitting Dreamchild from the corner of his eye, and he flashed a grin to her. "And girls."

[Bongo]

Meanwhile, another vigilant member of the Dream League, Bongo... was not quite so vigilant, at the moment. The little bear was taking a midday nap, of all things, on the other end of the lusciously comfortable mansion couch, as Alice read her photography book and the sounds of the TV droned on. A soothed smile on his muzzle, he lay in as lazy as was possible, one arm dangling over the side of the couch. How could a crime-fighter do such a thing as take an afternoon snooze, even when not on the job? Well, if said crime-fighter so happened to be an easygoing bear with access to a particularly comfortable couch...

SLAP! The, er, ever alert bear leaped up with a start at a sudden noise. Whirling his head around as he came to his senses, he looked up to see Duck Avenger. Wondering just what the duck was talking about, he glanced over to the television, which was displaying a news segment on the supposed ninja waterfowl criminal. And people thought a bear on a unicycle as a superhero was odd...? Regardless, excited to be a part of another mission, Bongo shined a grin up to the Duck Avenger and gave a salute of affirmation.

[Dreamchild]

Dreamchild her head left as far as she comfortably could. She smiled to Duck Avenger as cutely as any child masked vigilante could, as she closed her book. "Yes, it would seem that way."

She looked down at her book so she could see it safely back on the table. "I just hope this 'ninja' will be easier to subdue than the Liquidator."

Dreamchild then looked to the eager Bongo. The sight of such a cute and innocent bear with his unflappable determination was too much for Dreamchild; she covered her lips and giggled, her white eyes half closed as she laughed. After her display of femininity, she cleared her throat and stood on her feet.

"Shall we?"

---

Night had fallen, and our heroes sneaked into the violated North Epcot City Treasury to look for clues that might have been overlooked by the Epcot City Police Department. As the Dream League entered the quiet--eerily quiet--treasury, Dreamchild whispered back to Bongo and Duck Avenger.

"I don't mean to be rude, but seeing how we entered this easily I'm not surprised this treasury was burglarized."

She kept close to the bear and duck.

[Duck Avenger]

The Duck Avenger carried a small yet bright flashlight, and used it carefully to examine the details inside the treasury. He didn't look to Dreamchild, but he nodded in agreement. "Yeah. It's ridiculous."

The Avenger was curious to find clues related to this ninja, or just the crime in general. "It's a long way from Japan," said Duck Avenger with a smirk on his bill. "Why would a ninja be all the way out here? And where's honor in stealing cash?"

The Avenger looked at the flashlight in his hand, and stopped in his tracks. He spoke to Dreamchild and Bongo to get there attention. "Hey, wait." He fastened his flashlight to his belt, and pulled out two additional flashlights from his pocket, one blue and one red. (His flashlight was black.) The Avenger handed Dreamchild the blue torch, and to Bongo the red. "Take these, in case we split up. Okay?"

[Bongo]

Bongo kept close to the human girl and the duck, as the trio crept through the dim, dark and deserted treasury - all the while, the bear looked all around him in curiosity, and in hopes of finding some sort of clue to further the mission. To be honest, though, this place gave him the creeps, what with being so... dim, dark and deserted. Dreamchild might take notice to the bear inching gradually closer to her as they pressed on.

When they stopped, and Duck Avenger handed color-coded flashlights to the other two members, Bongo smiled and happily took the red flashlight from the duck's hand. Feeling much less vulnerable now - and just excited to have his own flashlight - Bongo immediately switched it on and shined it onto every nook and cranny he could. Whether he was supposed to do so yet or not, he was unaware.

[Dreamchild]

As Dreamchild faced Duck Avenger, she noticed that Bongo was closer to her, but she didn't recognize the fear he had because he was now happily playing with his flashlight. The only female Dream League member that night took the blue flashlight from Duck Avenger and smiled politely. "Thank you." Duck Avenger released his grip on the light after he heard Dreamchild's gratitude.

The young superheroine from England pressed the power button on the touch twice to make sure it worked properly, and it did. Unlike Bongo, she was more careful where she aimed the light. "I'll see if I can find anything the ninja left behind. Cold Shadow, was his name?"

[Cold Shadow]

When night had blanketed Epcot City Maui Mallard vanished like a specter giving way to Cold Shadow. He took the back streets and less traversed paths as he made his way to the treasury, a tactic he always employed to help reduce the chance of being spotted. Even the stealthiest of ninja would have their luck run out jumping over building along busy street corners.

He jumped from rooftop to rooftop, using his wooden staff to pole-vault himself over the larger gaps. He did so swiftly and quietly, and even if someone below were to see him they would likely only catch a quick glimpse of a blur disappearing as quickly as it appeared as he reached the safety of the next shadowy roof. He was so proficient at his trade that he could even do it blindfolded. In fact, he did do it blindfolded, as the red bandanna masking his eyes also concealed his sight, with no eye holes to speak of. During his ninja training he had been taught not to rely on sight, as your eyes could deceive you, and he had learned to focus his inner chi to aid his other senses so acutely that he could 'see' better without his eyesight than most could with.

After a while of traveling the familiar rooftops of Epcot City he found himself in front of his destination: the treasury. He would poke around for clues (how he would uncover clues without seeing them was a mystery Cold Shadow would keep to himself) as to the identity of the true culprit. Since he had had no involvement in the case as Maui Mallard he didn't get an opportunity to investigate the crime scene as his alter-ego, which was a shame.

He quietly slipped down to the entrance of the building, sliding beneath the yellow police tape as he crept along like a phantom, not making a sound. He paused when he heard sound coming from within. There were three of them; a young girl, a duck, and a small being he couldn't identify. He could deduce a lot based on their footsteps, such as their size and, in one case, species due to the familiar sound of duck footprints, despite the fact that said duck was wearing boots of some sort.

The Dream League. Dreamchild, Duck Avenger, and most likely Bongo. He thought to himself. A good mix of his detective self and his ninja senses gave an accurate identity to the individuals he couldn't see. The sound of boots over webbed feet clued him in that the duck was not the Masked Mallard, who only wore spats, the small form was likely Bongo, due to his footprints and small size, and Dreamchild was the easiest to deduce for various reasons.

The last thing he needed was an encounter with a band of vigilantes who had obviously heard that he was a 'villain,' and so he slowly backed away with the intention of leaving.

[Duck Avenger]

Duck Avenger stepped away from his teammates, leaving Dreamchild with Bongo. But even though the waterfowl hero stepped away from Bongo and Dreamchild, he answered the English psychic's question without looking back.

"Yeah, that's it. Cold Shadow. I knew there was somethin' up with him." The Avenger, his flashlight in his right hand, turned a corner and entered another room in the treasury. He illuminated various points of interests in the treasury, skimming the light across desks (which made the desk's shadow appear very large on the wall behind it, potted plants, clipboards, Cold Shadow, a window, gaudy portraits, COLD SHADOW?!

"HEY!"

Duck Avenger's light had revealed Cold Shadow. The Avenger wasted a second to be shocked, but his face hardened and he made his voice sound even harsher than it was before. "The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime, but that's your downfall!" Duck Avenger tossed up the flashlight, quickly retrieved a nonfatal energy handgun from his utility belt, and caught the flashlight with his left hand, continuing to shine on Cold Shadow.

"You put ducks to shame, thief!" The Avenger's normally whimsical eyes narrowed. (Not that it mattered to the blindfolded Cold Shadow.)

[Bongo]

Bongo was so caught up in the fun of shining his flashlight everywhere he could that he didn't even notice the avian ninja hidden in the shadows. When the Duck Avenger suddenly hollered, however, Bongo jumped up and immediately shined his flashlight in the direction that the duck was facing, to find... Cold Shadow! What a sneak! He'd been here this whole time (or so Bongo thought) and none of them even knew...

Overcoming his shock, Bongo put on a serious a grimace as he could as he leered at Cold Shadow, clenching one of his paws into a fist to show that he was ready to fight if need be - it didn't even occur to the bear that none of these visual indications would be seen by the blindfolded ninja, however.

[Dreamchild]

Dreamchild heard Duck Avenger's surprised discovery of the allegedly wicked ninja. The English superheroine wasted no time; she ran as fast as her noticeably thick legs could muster. She skid to a hasty yet dignified stop between Bongo and the Avenger.

If Duck Avenger played bad cop, Dreamchild voluntarily played the good one.

"We don't want to hurt you. Please, just return what you stole and--hopefully--you will get a reduced sentence."

[Cold Shadow]

Cold Shadow froze in his tracks (no pun intended) when he was discovered by Duck Avenger. He had been hoping to avoid any confrontations with other vigilantes, but it now seemed that such a luxury was robbed from him.

He ignored Duck Avenger's rather rude accusations, though inwardly cringed at that old saying about thieves returning to the scene of the crime. Any gumshoe worth his salt knew that that was true as often as it was not; it really depended on the crime and the criminal.

He remained poised and nearly motionless, almost statuesque, his staff clenched in his right hand. "I'm afraid that's not an option. I have nothing to return." He responded in a voice which was deeper and more intimidating than Maui Mallard's, though not over-the-top dramatic or gravelly. "For that you'd have to uncover the identity of the true culprit in this crime, which is what I came here to do." He knew full well how many criminals pleaded their innocence, and he doubted they would take his word for it, especially when he held no evidence to prove his innocence. But being turned in to the police was not an option for him, as they would, of course, remove his costume and learn his identity, and that was in no way going to happen.

[Dreamchild]

Dreamchild's white eyes expanded in surprise. She wasn't expecting that kind of answer, but later she would understand in retrospect. After all, why else would a wanted (alleged) criminal return to where the crime happened? Realistically speaking, the scene of the crime was the last place on earth such a duck on the lam would want to be. But in that moment with the Dream League and Cold Shadow, the English psychic wasn't convinced that Cold Shadow was guiltless, but she certainly sounded much more hesitant to fight than Duck Avenger.

"You mean you were set up, or framed? Curious." The last word was soft and more to herself than the others. She then exchanged looks to Duck Avenger and Bongo. "But who would--"

[Duck Avenger]

Duck Avenger replied to Dreamchild, but his narrowed eyes remained on the ninja. He refused to blink unless his eyes absolutely needed it, but of course Cold Shadow wouldn't see this detail.

"Don't listen to him, DC!" exclaimed the Avenger. "He's tryin' to trick you, but that's not gonna work!" He whispered to Bongo before addressing Cold Shadow again. "Bongo, get ready. Cold Shadow, I'm giving you five seconds to surrender! I saw the news report, so I know you're the culprit! One! Two! Three...!"

His white finger slowly began to pull the trigger.

[Bongo]

Bongo was quite taken aback when the supposed culprit, himself, mentioned something about "the true culprit." The bear shook his head and blinked in confusion... what did he mean by that? Maybe, perhaps, this duck wasn't the bad guy they were after? Bongo momentarily exchanged a glance of uncertainty with Dreamchild, as these thoughts ran through his head.

Duck Avenger urged Bongo to prepare for battle, as he aimed his pistol at Cold Shadow. Bongo wasn't so sure about this - somehow, he got the feeling that things weren't what they seemed. Unsure of just what to do, Bongo simply watched for the ninja duck's reaction to all this.

[Cold Shadow]

Dreamchild seemed to be stirred by his words, Bongo's reaction he couldn't gauge, and Duck Avenger seemed too hard-headed to listen to anything he had to say. It seemed apparent that he wouldn't be able to talk his way out of this once Duck Avenger began a countdown. He didn't intend to take a stun-bolt, but nor did he feel confident about fighting off these vigilantes, even if he didn't fully trust the 'Dream League' yet.

Though blindfolded, upon being spotted by Duck Avenger he had noticed that a small trace of light shone through his blindfold, though very minute since the cloth was reasonably thick. It intensified slightly when the other two joined. Flashlights, he thought to himself. The power to the treasury must have been shut off, forcing them to resort to torches to see their way. Cold Shadow didn't need to see, but he wagered his now-adversaries did.

"You watch too much TV." He retorted to the counting Duck Avenger before quickly rolling out of the line of the opposing mallard's intended blast range, his movement so swift that if any of them had blinked, they'd have missed it. With equal agility he swung outward with his staff; not aiming at the Duck Avenger himself, but rather, at his flashlight. If he could disable their vision, even temporarily, he could make an escape without having to fight them.

[Duck Avenger]

Duck Avenger jolted when the ninja suddenly blurred away. More surprising was the sudden attack on his flashlight, which snapped apart on contact. The batteries sprang out and clattered on the floor, but Duck Avenger didn't notice this because in his shock he dropped his gun. Thankfully, the gun shooting after dropping to the floor was one cliche that didn't happen, but Duck Avenger was far from pleased.

"Doggone it!" he cursed through clenched teeth. He dropped to the floor and rang his hands and fingers along the floor, searching for his gun which he just couldn't find. "That was unfair!"

[Dreamchild]

Dreamchild gasped after she blinked. Amazingly, one nanosecond of temporary blackness resulted in the girl hero losing trace of Cold Shadow. She looked left and right, her feminine hair flicked the air as her head moved swiftly. But then she heard Duck Avenger's flashlight attacked. She gasped and saw that the Dream League duck searched for his gun, which was hidden in the darkness. Dreamchild brought up her light to assist him, but then she brought it back down when she realized something.

"Duck Avenger, if he intended to hurt us, wouldn't he have already, instead of breaking your light?" By now it was clear that Dreamchild believed Cold Shadow far more than Duck Avenger, but unfortunately she still needed proof. "Still..."

She released her grip on her flashlight, and used her psychic powers to keep it in the air. She pressed her right thumb, middle finger and index fingers against the right portion of her temple as she concentrated. With her powers, she levitated the flashlight about eight feet above the floor, and made it rotate and move so it acted as some kind of searchlight, attempting to locate the stealthy ninja whom she knew as Cold Shadow.

[Bongo]

Bongo responded with a double take to the sudden disappearance of Cold Shadow. It was as if he had just vanished, right there, out of thin air... but just then, with a loud THWACK, Duck Avenger's flashlight was sent flying, and the treasury suddenly became quite a bit darker. Just what was going on, here?!

The little bear was quite confused. Something about this ninja gave him the idea that he wasn't really the bad guy they were hunting for... Bongo couldn't place his paw on it, but it was just a strong feeling. Regardless, Bongo knew he couldn't be too sure, and had to stay on the alert no matter what; he quickly whipped out his own flashlight and tried shining it everywhere he could, desperately trying to find the ninja before he tried to pull a fast one on them. Whether he was the culprit or not, Bongo knew they couldn't let him escape!

[Cold Shadow]

Cold Shadow could hear the satisfying shattering sounds from the flashlight in Duck Avenger's hand, as well as the unexpected sound of the masked vigilante dropping his weapon, both sounds echoing through the hollowed halls of the derelict treasury. One down, two to go, he thought to himself as he remained concealed in the shadows.

When Dreamchild's flashlight began to rise and move on its own that became his next major concern. Such powers were impressive, and he didn't fully understand how it was possible, but he wasn't exactly in a position to be awed by the supernatural at this time. All the same, he viewed Dreamchild as the most potent threat to him out of the three, as since he didn't fully understand the scope of her powers, he wasn't sure just what she was capable of.

Springing from a high perch he made a broad leap across the room, over the heads of the heroes (who, ironically, were currently this hero's foes). He lashed out with his staff again in an attempt to take-out the levitating flashlight, in all of its gravity-defying glory.

[Dreamchild]

Dreamchild walked briskly in search for the elusive ninja, and she used her psychic power to make the airborne flashlight follow. But this wouldn't matter, because Dreamchild didn't count on what happened. Cold Shadow leaped from overhead and struck the flashlight with his stafff. Dreamchild gasped and looked up, but didn't see Cold Shadow in time. And because her attention was interferred she lost her connection with the light; it dropped to the ground and, just like with Duck Avenger's own torch, disconnected in two, with the batteries springing out.

"Goodness!" Dreamchild exclaimed, though the tone in her voice was more surprised than angry. She looked down to the floor around her and searched for the necessary pieces that was hidden by darkness. "He's clever!"

[Cold Shadow]

As Dreamchild made her utterances of surprise he had already concealed himself in a new location, waiting for just the right opportunity to strike-down his final target's flashlight. Hopefully they weren't too expensive, but a duck had to do what a duck had to do, and his moment for a stealthy and undetectable retreat was drawing closer.

The smallest in the group, whom he still wasn't entirely certain was Bongo, but that was his best educated guess, was the last source of light in the shadowy building. Fortunately for Cold Shadow the little guy moved around a bit, and though he never said a word for as long as he had been there, we was ironically the easiest to read via hearing to his constant movements and jerking motions of his flashlight, which caused the batteries within to rattle a bit with each motion.

He took another surprising leap from the shadows, bringing down his staff hard (though being exceptionally cautious not to hit the flashlight's wielder) in what would hopefully be his final stroke before being able to make a hasty retreat. It wouldn't buy him a whole lot of time, but with his speed it would be more than enough, he wagered.

[Bongo]

Cold Shadow's final strike certainly was more than enough to finish the job. Nearly scared out of his wits, the normally silent Bongo uttered a yelp and leapt back with a start, tumbling onto his rump; as for the flashlight, it was broken just as his teammates' flashlights were, being neatly split in half as batteries and other assorted parts scattered onto the floor.

The bear was unharmed, although startled and dazed - but he knew his flashlight was done for. Well, it was fun having one while it lasted... now, however, the room had returned to its original near pitch darkness. Although unable to see them clearly, Bongo turned to face his teammates and simply gave a shrug of uncertainty, which seemed to say, "Well, now what?"

[Cold Shadow]

Once all three flashlights had been dismantled and a safety blanket of darkness had crept over the gloomy, empty treasury Cold Shadow had made his stealthy, speedy escape before the three dumbfounded members of the Dream League had any sort of chance to react to what had just happened. It was precisely the result he had wanted, and as Bongo was shrugging to his teammates on what to do next, Cold Shadow was on the roof of the building, rushing toward the most immediate adjacent roof.

While he seemed to have given them the slip, he was far from pleased about the night's events. The Dream League's interference meant that he was unable to unearth any clues in regard to the true culprit. Furthermore, he had gained himself more powerful enemies over the course of the night, and Cold Shadow already had enough trouble in that department from the rogues gallery.

Cold Shadow thought deeply about the evening's events, as well as what he could possibly do next, as he made a jump from the roof of the treasury to the roof of a neighboring building. Ok, so now what do you do, old boy, he thought to himself. He came to the conclusion that he should try and gather information from the reporter who had alerted Epcot City that he was a criminal wrong-doer, though he knew that wouldn't be easy. In fact he figured he'd rather face off against the Dream League than face the paparazzi.

[The Phantom Blot]

KRAKA-THOOM!!!

A rather large and violent explosion came from seven blocks away from the treasury. The explosion was so spontaneous and sudden, that Duck Avenger and Dreamchild both jolted in fright. Unsurprisingly, the windows of many buildings in the proximity lit up one by one, as concerned denizens illuminated their rooms to see their way to the nearest window, to look out at what exploded: inside a bank. This bank was not as impressive as Epcot City's largest, most attended bank.

[Dreamchild]

Dreamchild shrieked as soon as the explosion happened. She was so distracted by the noise and vibrations from the large explosion that she all but forgot about her disconnected flashlight hidden in the blackness of the floor before her. She looked around the room, not that it made a difference because of how dark it was, as she spoke loudly to her fellow Dream League in concern.

"Goodness! Did you hear that, you two?! It sounded like, like..."

[Duck Avenger]

"An explosion!" a likewise shocked Duck Avenger finished. He grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes at the direction he thought he heard the explosion. "Forget the lights, we'll come back for them later! We gotta get to that explosion, and fast! Maybe Cold Shadow is behind all of this!"

Without saying another word, Duck Avenger hopped to his booted feet and ran for the moonlit door from where they came earlier. Out in the open, he ran as fast as he could, after the flames and smoke about seven blocks ahead.

[Dreamchild]

Dreamchild could sense Bongo next to her. When Duck Avenger started off, she gently grabbed him and helped him up. "Come, come, Bongo! We've no time to waste!" Satisfied that Bongo could help himself from then on, she followed Duck Avenger, out the treasury, and toward the wreckage that was once Turteltaub Hot Air Propane.

Dreamchild was actually a faster runner than Duck Avenger, so she easily
and quickly passed him in running. But she still kept in contact with Duck Avenger and Bongo through telepathy.

<<I don't think Cold Shadow could be directly involved with the explosion, Duck Avenger! It's simply too far; Cold Shadow couldn't possibly be there within seconds!>>

She panted as she ran, although her telepathic voice was clear and coherent.

[Bongo]

Leaping into the air and flailing his limbs about, Bongo landed on his rump, startled out of his wits by the sudden, and very loud, explosion. Now what was going on? Just like that, Bongo had forgotten all about the flashlight and ninja-related dilemmas - unless, somehow, the two were related...?

Looking up at his two teammates, he watched as they dashed off towards the source of the commotion, and began to catch up to them - in his own way. Reaching into the pocket of his red circus shirt, he pulled out a tiny blue and white wheel. Making haste, he flung it onto the ground, upon which it suddenly doubled in size and created a mechanical extension - a seat. His trusty unicycle ready for him, Bongo quickly leaped onto it and pedaled away. It wasn't long at all until he caught up to the human girl and the duck; in fact, he could have outpaced them on his unicycle if he so wished, but tried his best to stay at the same speed as his partners.

Arriving just in time to receive Dreamchild's telepathic musings, Bongo nodded seriously towards the girl as he cycled along, sharing her sentiments. He had a strong feeling that there was more to this case than the news report let on...