Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The odd attribute had run in the family for generations now, It was something all the Claw’s had. Sharp, pointy fangs like a cat’s, resting neatly against his bottom row of teeth. Talon’s parents had had them, same with his uncle and grandma.

When he was growing up with M.A.D., he was told to be proud of them. “All the best agents in your family display them with pride. I’ll scare off the enemy, just trust us!” They jokingly pushed him, insisting he was a ‘scardy cat’ for disliking them.

His fellow M.A.D. agents sure did love their puns.
But despite their infrequent, positive words, Talon just couldn't find it in himself to like his fangs. He’d always been proud of his family lineage, of course, that's why he had joined M.A.D., and he'd do anything to live up to his relatives' reputations, but he couldn't bring himself to show his teeth with pride.

Maybe it was the constant teasing and jibes from his uncle that made him dislike them, or maybe it was because he thought he wasn't a good enough agent and was putting down his family's reputation. Either way, he’d look in the mirror, perfecting his hairstyle and picking the best clothes in hopes that it would distract from the oddly pointed canines in his mouth.

On this particular night, he was sitting on his bed, fixing a hole in his right glove from his last fight with Penny. She had grabbed the gum gun from his hand, and the metal handle had snagged on the fabric, ripping a hole down the palm of his hand. He had lost his gum gun AND ruined his glove. Not to mention the solid punch she got on him, his jaw still a fading purple. He finished tying the knot in the thread before he heard his uncle call down to him.

“TALON.” Dr. Claw shouted, startling Talon from his thoughts as he walked to his bedroom door and stuck his head out to listen. “COME DOWN HERE, I HAVE A MISSION FOR YOU.”

Walking down the stairs of the M.A.D. lair, Talon groaned as he heard his uncle muttering his newest evil plan to the cat on his lap.

“What is it this time, uncle?” Talon came to stand next to Dr. Claw’s chair, resting his elbow on the headrest as he examined the new stitching on his glove. “What are we going to do, bake MAD cat into a cake and feed it to Gadget? Or, let me guess, build a giant catapult and launch molten hot lava at the police department!” he exclaimed sarcastically.

“No. While those do sound like somewhat good ideas,” Talon rolled his eyes, “I’ve come up with something far smarter, as per usual. I demand that you sneak into HQ and steal their newest piece of technological advancement. A teleporter! An agent on the inside reported testing of the machine and its incredible ability to transport items from one area to another.” He explained M.A.D. 's findings and the development of the Teleporter, how the lead scientist had presented it not even a week ago, and recent studies and tests have shown the machine’s ability to now transport humans.

Granted, Talon was impressed. As his uncle spoke, he couldn't help but grow bored with the constant droning about the HQ’s achievements.

“Ok!” Talon interrupted abruptly. “I’ll go grab the Teleporter or the blueprints for it or whatever first thing tomorrow morning and report back here ASAP,” he shortened his uncle’s explanation of the plan, turning to the exit as Dr. Claw shouted behind him.

“And DON’T fail me this time, Talon! Or else it's the sharks!” A shiver ran up his spide at the looming threat of his uncle’s punishment. Sharks certainly weren't the worst, but they were far from something he’d prefer. He’d take a punch to the face from his uncle’s metal claw over the shark tank, and trust him, the spikes on that claw are NO joke.

Talon marched out the door to the M.A.D. lair with determination as he set for HQ.

____________________________

Penny’s Day has started like any other. She hopped from her bed to turn off her alarm, set to one of her favorite pop songs, of course, and brushed her hair before putting it in two matching fluffy pigtails. She wore her agent uniform, something she personally had a hand in designing, before putting on her codex and marching out to the HQ dining hall for breakfast.

As she was filling her tray with French toast, she was greeted by Professor von Slicksiten. He blocked her path, eagerly starting to talk as she poured herself a glass of water.

“The teleporter is almost done! I think we can start using it for missions this time next week! Can you imagine how great it’ll be?” He adjusted his glasses as he walked backwards, following Penny to her usual eating spot. “You won't have to drive or fly out to the mission site! Just one click and poof! You're there!”

“I know!” she smiled as she spoke, excitement evident in her voice. After all, she had stayed after a few nights to help finalize some blueprints and work out some problems. She really wanted to prove herself as a junior agent, and studying science was a great way to start. “I put the remaining blueprints I finished in your office last night. Have you gotten the chance to look over them?”

The two sat down at the cafeteria booth near the back of the room, chattering on about the ins and outs of the newest breakthrough in technology. As they spoke, a cafeteria worker came up to the pair and lingered by the trash can beside their table. He seemed to be clearing a neighboring table’s trays, scraping the remaining French toast into the bin at an unusually slow pace.

The more they spoke, the more uneasy Penny felt about the worker. Why was he still here? It had been a good three minutes of him staring straight at the trash can or wiping dust off the tables next to them.

“Excuse me?” she asked, standing up and walking over to the worker. “Do you need help with something? You seem lost.”

“Hm?” he turned around, his large black mustache moving as he spoke. “Oh, no ma’am, but thank you.” His glasses raised as his eyes crinkled with a smile. His voice was oddly younger than it seemed it should've been, but opted down as if the user was attempting to sound older. He pulled a rag from his apron and waved it in front of Penny. “Jus’ doin’ my job.”

“Yeah…” She wasn’t buying it. Years of being and training as a junior agent weren't for nothing. She rested her hands on her hips, confidently staring down the cafeteria worker as she spoke. “What do you want, Talon?”

Slickstien, who had come up to join her shortly after she stood up, looked over at the man in shock. “Talon!” he exclaimed, stepping back as the MAD agent sputtered excuses.

“Wh-who? Uh, I don't know who… who you, um, think I am, but I'm just an average food worker! Although this Talon” does sound like an incredibly handsome and skilled agent…!” toward the end of his spiel, his voice returned to his usual higher-pitched tone.

The three stared at each other. Penny’s disapproving yet entertained glare pinned Talon for just a moment before he turned tail and ran.

_____________________________

Talon tore off the apron he had stolen and the glasses mustache combo costume piece as he sprinted down the halls of HQ, panting as he slid around corner after corner of the tile floors. He shoved past stray agents and workers as he ran and ran, searching for the professor's science lab he had heard the two mention as he eavesdropped on their conversation about the teleporter.

“Talon!” He heard Penny shout his name as she chased after him, the sound of their shoes thudding against the floor and other agents’ shouts of shock and anger filling the halls as they ran. “Get back here!”

“Sorry, Penny!” He yelled over his shoulder, “Not gonna happen! I’ve gotta nab your Telepromper or whatever so Dr. Claw’s can take anything anywhere, hope you don't mind too much!” he smiled back at her, careful to hide his sharp teeth.

He inwardly groaned at his idiocy for not grabbing his rocket boots with his disguise. He has assumed this would be a simple in-and-out mission. Sneak in, grab the blueprints, sneak out. It's not like he hadn't done this before! Contrary to popular belief, Talon had been able to complete his fair share of assigned missions.

As he turned back to face the hallway in front of him, the dog that tagged along with Gadget and Penny slid around the upcoming left hallway corner and stood in front of his path. Talon didn't have time to react before he crashed into the animal and fell face-first to the hard, cold floor.

He quickly got up, groaning and raising a hand to his face to ease the oncoming headache. Tripping over his feet, he hoped that if he tried hard enough to run forward, he would get away and find the science lab before Penny caught up.

Sadly, today was not his day.

“Stop there, Talon!” she said between deep breaths, exhaustion evident in her voice from the fast-paced chase. She grabbed his arm and hauled him up to his feet, pushing him against the wall on their right as she took care of handcuffs from the dog, who had stood and dusted himself off as if Talon hadn’t crashed into him full force.

Talon sighed in defeat as the cold metal cuffs snapped against his wrists, though he was too tired to fight back. Although the chase had only lasted a few minutes, the two opposing agents were equally worn out.

“Listen, Penny, you and I both know I’ll just find a way to slip out before we even reach the HQ holding cells, so let's just save us both the trouble and let me go.” he glared up at her, scowling as she smirked in response.

“Maybe so,” she grabbed his left arm and started dragging him back down the hall they just came from, “But for now, you’re in my custody, and it wouldn't look too hot on my record if I let a leading MAD agent go.”

“Fine, but don’t say I didn't warn you!”

Chapter Text

Walking down the hall, Talon couldn’t help but feel a bit panicked. Sure, he had been captured by Penny before, but he could always make it out before they even reached headquarters. This time, he had no rocket boots, no gum gun, and his arms were bound behind his back so he couldn't reach for his communicator.

He tried to struggle in Penny’s hold, but the junior agent had an iron-tight grip on him. That, or he was more tired from running than he thought. They walked down the white tiled floors, passing the same agents Talon had shoved out of the way. They had scowls, some angrily whispering words to their coworkers, or turning away as the pair passed by.

Penny was talking to her dog about something, Talon caught a few words, something about getting Gadget and the Chief. He didn't know. He wasn't quite listening, too focused on forming an escape plan.

If he could just get out of Penny’s tight hold on his arm, he could run back to the entrance. And if he happened to pass a certain science lab, he wouldn't be upset. But the chances of him outrunning Penny and her dog again, especially now that his cover was blown, were close to zero. Nonetheless, he kept brainstorming. Maybe once in his cell, he could call his uncle and ask him to send someone to help him, though that would be extremely embarrassing. Failing and asking for help on a mission he said would be easy? And last time they spoke, his Uncle was not in a good mood, and Talon really didn't want to test his temper.

“...We do have a free holding cell, don't we, Brain?” Talon tuned back into the conversation,

“Anywho, Penny, I sure hope my new room is clean, you know I hate nothing more than an untidy workplace,” Talon complained, leaning against the junior agent as she dragged him down the hall.

“Ugh, quiet Talon.” She shook her head with annoyance, but there was a ghost of a smile on her lips as they bantered.

“You know ‘quiet’ isn't in my dictionary. I talk nonstop, you of all people should know this, Pen.”

“Yeah yeah…”

They talked a bit more, mostly Talon rambling about who knows what, and after the short walk across HQ, Penny stopped in front of a row of glass holding cells.

“Alright, Talon,” Penny said, letting go of him in favor of unlocking one of the glass doors with the keypad resting on the wall. “This will be your home until Chief Quimby can decide what to do with you.” The door opened, and Penny lightly pushed him inside. Before closing the door, she grabbed the back of his hands and unlocked the handcuffs.

Bringing his hands to his front and turning to face Penny, Talon sighed and rubbed at his newly freed wrists. He glared at the girl in front of her, moving back in anticipation as she once again reached for his hands, this time taking the communicator off his wrist.

“Hey!” he yelped, twisting in her hold to try and stop her. “Give that back!”

“No can do, Talon. Can't risk you calling for help. I've seen you use this wristband to call Dr. Claw on more than one occasion.” Backing up, she held up the purple and black piece of tech in front of him mockingly. He scowled, glaring at her as she smiled and left the cell.

“I'll be by in a few hours with your dinner, don't cause too much trouble!” she snickered, closing the door as she left.

Sighing, Talon looked around his temporary room. The whole front wall was glass, showing out into the hallway of the HQ. In the back right corner of the room, there was a twin-sized bed and a nightstand next to it. A door to the left led to a small bathroom. Nothing special, but not bad at all. Much better than the old, shabby rooms Claw sends MAD agents to when they betray or tremendously fail him.

Looking in the bathroom mirror, he thought about his day. The confidence he had left the lair, passing by his uncle and explaining his plan to get the blueprints.

…

“How’s my disguise?” he had asked. “I'm rather proud of it, I made the glasses myself,” Talon bragged.

“I thought you left yesterday!” his gravelly voice echoed across the empty room. “What are you waiting for! Go get my teleporter, you brat!” he pointed his hand toward the door, slamming his metal fist against his chair.

“Ok ok, but Uncle Claw, but I was wondering about this teleporter. If I steal the blueprints, does MAD even have the resources to build it? I know our lab has a lot of stuff, but I don't think it's that advanced.” Talon, having spent a lot of time in the MAD lab tinkering on small projects and creating new weapons, knew the layout quite well.

“Just steal the whole thing like I told you to!” he shouted. “Now get a move on! I don't pay you to hang around in stupid costumes like some useless jester! We haven't got all day.”

“We…?” Talon grumbled under his breath as he walked out the door. He had made his way to HQ, sneaking into a back door and snagging an extra cafeteria apron before officially starting his mission.

…

Talon sighed, shaking his head as he looked back up into the mirror. He ran a gloved hand through his hair as he went over his current plan.

Hack the door using his superior intellect and code skills, find the lab, steal the blueprints, and use the teleporter to escape. Penny and her science friend had said it was ok for human use, right?

Nevertheless, it was better than staying cooped up in this cell. He smiled proudly at his ability to create a plan under stress, wincing slightly at the sight of the sharp teeth in the mirror. It soured his mood as he rushed out of the bathroom, going straight to the electrical panel inside his cell by the door and getting straight to work.

___________________

Penny ended the call with Chief Quinby on her codex as she made her way to the cafeteria. It was almost time for dinner, as it took quite a while to sort out Talon’s fate with the chief. They had decided to send him to jail, but as per Penny’s request, they would put him through a rehabilitation program.

“He’s a teenager, like he is! And he's very talented. Who knows, maybe he’d make a great junior agent like me! As much as I hate the guy, you've gotta admit it's worth a shot,” she had pleaded, coming up with excuse after excuse to somewhat save Talon from life in prison.

She didn't like him or anything, and they fought every time they saw each other! She'd just hate to see someone her age, whom she knows, be put in jail, that's all. No other reason, just basic human empathy.

She sighed, knowing it was useless to avoid her feelings in the long run. But she couldn't just–no. She was a professional; what happened to Talon is none of her business. She just catches the bad guys, that's all.

Grabbing two trays from the cafeteria line, she began to load them up with the food that had been prepared by normal, not evil, cafeteria workers. Leaving the room, she started toward Talon’s cell.

“Ok Talon, I'm here with your dinner.” She moved the second tray to balance on her upper left arm as she tapped on the code panel. That is, until it sparked suddenly, causing her to drop both of the trays as she yelped in surprise.

Looking up into the cell, she realized what had happened.

Talon had escaped.

Again.

She sighed in defeat, turning to a slight jog in the direction of the science lab where she knew Talon would be.

Chapter Text

“Brain! Talon’s escaped! I'm on my way to the science lab now. Meet me there ASAP!” Penny yelled into her codex call as she ran down the hall. “He’s after the teleporter! We have to stop him!” As she ended the call, she slid around a corner and opened the door labeled ‘Professor Von Slickstien’s Science Lab’

Swinging open the door, Penny quickly settled into a fighting stance as she scanned the room. She immediately spotted Talon, as he was hunched over a piece of metal he was tinkering with, jabbing a screwdriver into it with a focused look on his face before his head shot up.

“Penny!” he yelped, tossing the screwdriver to the side. “How did you- er- uh- back off!” He jumped to the side, grabbing a stack of papers that were sitting next to his makeshift workbench. “Don’t come any closer, or I'll burn the blueprints!”

“As if! You need those blueprints to complete your mission!” she grinned, putting her arms on her hips as a smug look crossed her face. “Face it, Talon, you don't have anything to fight me with. Give up now, and I might let you stay in HQ’s holding cell tonight instead of prison.”

“Psh, puh-lease! I could beat you without any weapons and with my hands behind my back!”

“Our fight earlier today says otherwise.” She laughed, looking down at her wrist as she felt a buzz from her codex. Brain sent a message, detailing what they found from Talon’s escape and saying he and her uncle were on their way.

“That- that was just a part of my plan to sneak into HQ and steal your tech!” He snickered, holding up the stolen blueprints and grabbing the two pieces of scrap metal he was messing with before Penny had barged in. He kept backing up, inching towards the large machine in the back left corner.

“Sure it was, now hand over those blueprints!”

“In your dreams!” Talon laughed again, walking back to the machine in the corner as he rested a hand on it. “Is this the fabled teleporter? Tell me, how does it work?”

He stepped to the side to observe the teleporter, but to keep Penny in his field of view. The tall cylindrical piece of technology had an obvious metal door in the front and large teal powered tubes at the top and bottom of the tube. The door had a glass window on the front to see into the machine and a brightly colored control panel outside of the teleporter.

“As if I’d tell you!” she started across the room, making her way over to him to keep him in the corner. “Now put the blueprints down before I have to take them from you.”

“Penny, you flatter yourself.” he put a hand behind him, opening the door to the teleporter before clicking a few random buttons on the panel. He took the pieces of technology in his hands and slapped them onto the bottom of his feet, grabbing the side of the teleporter to stabilize himself as he did so.

“Check out what I was able to make before you ruined my fun!” Talon laughed, clicking his heels together as the makeshift rocket boots he created sprang to life, shooting bits of sparks from his heels before launching him off the ground a few feet.

“You made those? But Brain said the CCTV showed you only leaving your cell about an hour ago!”

“What can I say, I'm a fast worker,” he boasted, putting his hands on his hips as he eyed the door.

“I knew you were good with tech, but that's a whole other level of quick! I mean- ugh! Just hand over the blueprints before things get messy! I never like fighting in a lab, too many variables.”

Talon threw his hand to his mouth to cover his teeth as his shoulders shook with laughter. “Penny Penny Penny, you think I'd waste my time fighting you when I could just leave now?” he gestured to the teleporter behind him.

“You think you're so funny. I’ll have you behind bars before you can even step foot inside HQ’s teleporter!”

“If you think you can beat me, come and prove it!”

With that, she lunged at him, running into him as he dodged out of the way. Penny fell face-first into the teleporter as Talon slammed the machine’s metal door behind her, laughing maddly as he clicked a few more buttons on the outside control panel.

Penny raced to stand, grabbing the door handle as she tried to get out.

“Cya, Pretty Penny! Wherever you decided to land!” he laughed as he flew out of the lab door, leaving Penny alone in the teleporter as the machine whirred to life.

__________________

Talon had flown through the halls of Metro City HQ, dodging agents and average workers alike. He bursted through the front entrance, laughing as he flew up into the sky and towards the forest to the current M.A.D. lair.

His makeshift rocket boots had cut out about halfway through the woods, leaving him to walk the rest of the way on foot. The pieces of metal and wire he had haphazardly thrown together sparked constantly, leaving Talon to abandon them in a nearby creek so as not to start a forest fire.

After a few hours of walking and mindless thinking, he had finally reached the entrance to his Uncle’s evil lair. He sighed, rubbing his brow of sweat with his free hand as he started up to the front door.

He had done it! He finally succeeded! He got the blueprints with minimal issues in the original plan!

Besides, of course, being captured by Penny and losing all his M.A.D. gear.

He’d have to ask his Uncle for a new communicator, or at least a replacement gum gun. If not, he could just make a spare with the scrap tech in the lab.

Talon opened the lair’s front door, calling out to Dr. Claw as he waved the stolen blueprints in the air.

“I got your prints!” he shouted, wandering to his Uncle’s office and making his way to the looming dark chair that sat at the center of a large control panel and several sets of TVs.

The chair swiveled, revealing the leader of the M.A.D. agency.

“Ah, Talon. Back so soon?”

“I was gone for like the whole day!”

“And you retrieved the teleporter’s blueprints?”

“Yeah, yeah, here are your dang prints,” he sighed, handing his uncle the wrinkled papers.
“Wow, Talon! You’ve actually completed a mission assignment. I’d be proud, but this is the bare minimum for a MAD agent.” He swiped the papers out of his nephew's hands, looking them over as he subtly scolded the teenager. “Maybe you have some use after all.”

Talon internal keened at the praise, smiling slightly before scolding his expression into an annoyed frown.

“Ok, whatever, can I go back to my room now?”

“Yes, but be ready for your next assignment tomorrow. I have big plans for this teleporter.”

His uncle’s laugh echoed down the dark corridor as Talon left for his room. For once, he wasn't crawling out of the lair’s basement after being dropped down a trapdoor or pulling cactus pricks from his arms for failing a mission.

It was…. It was nice to have succeeded. Of course, he always tried his best, but today things actually went his way!

For the most part.

____________________________

The teleporter glowed a bright blue color before zapping out of the science lab, Penny trapped inside.

The sensation was odd, like having your foot fall asleep and suddenly trying to walk on it. It was painful, but just for a moment. All the air was ripped out of the small cylindrical room as it traveled to a new point in space.

Penny screamed as the machine sped through atoms, the g-force of such speed pushing her back before the teleporter reassembled in a new area in Metro City.

Was she even in Metro City?

Taking a moment to compose herself, Penny stood up and rested her hand on the wall as she took a few deep breaths.

“Ok Penny, you’ve got this.” She muttered to herself as she went to open the metal door.

Opening the door to the teleporter revealed a dimly lit grey room lined with tables, each containing several pieces of wire and metal. Files were haphazardly spread across the floor and tables alike, and glass tubes full of colorful chemicals were scattered around the tabletops.

She was in a lab of some sort, definitely not one she was familiar with.

Creeping out of the machine, she wearily looked around the room some more. Water leaked from a corner in the ceiling, echoing across the dreary room as she explored. Walking over to one of the tables, she picked up a paper.

Top and center of the scientific report read: M.A.D.

Oh God, Talon had sent her to the M.A.D. lab.