Deadly Reunion
Saw Boss' latest plan to capture Jayce involved giving him exactly what he was looking for -- his father! From a strand of Audric's hair and the blossom of a Monster Mind, Saw Boss created a physical duplicate of Jayce's father in a cloning chamber. He then staged a Monster Mind raid to make it appear as though he had really captured Audric.
The League fell for the trick, rescuing the clone. "Audric" and Jayce had a touching reunion. Oon was suspicious, as he detected something dark and evil within this "Audric." Flora initially sensed that the clone is really a plant, but the feeling vanished after the clone gave her a special necklace that blocked her powers. Gillian had doubts about "Audric's" authenticity as well.
The clone stated that his half of the Root was hidden on Taxan I. The League journeyed there in order to retrieve it, with "Audric" and Jayce sharing stories along the way. Later, Gillian and Oon told Jayce about their misgivings. He refused to believe them, not wanting to consider the fact that Audric might have changed, or -- worse yet -- that this may not truly be his father.
Meanwhile, Flora had problems of her own -- her powers had totally vanished. None of her plants or animals could understand her!
When the Pride touched down, "Audric," Jayce, and Oon went after the other half of the Root. Jayce's Root was left in Gillian's care. The clone lured Jayce and Oon into a quicksand trap, from which Monster Mind vines plucked them out with ease. The clone reverted to its true form -- a matted tangle of Monster Mind vines.
Saw Boss then created a clone of Jayce, who returned to the Pride to fetch his Root. Meanwhile, the real Jayce called upon the Ring of Light to free Oon and himself. They made a mad dash for the Pride with hundreds of enemy troopers in pursuit. On board the barge, Jayce's clone asked for the return of the Root so that "Audric" could graft the two halves together at a nearby laboratory.
Flora eagerly ran to retrieve it from Gillian's room. While there, one of Gillian's plants squirted a white sap on her necklace. When she took it off to clean it, her senses returned in full force. She took the Root from Gillian's room but refused to hand it over, sensing that Jayce's clone was really a Monster Mind and that the real Jayce was being chased by enemy vehicles.
The clone fled the ship and transformed into a Monster Mind vine that created more troopers. Herc tried to use Spike Trike to defend the ship, but the vehicle was on automatic control awaiting Jayce's commands.
Jayce and Oon appeared just in the nick of time to save their friends. Gillian returned the favor by creating a series of magical purple tornadoes that swept away Jayce and Oon's pursuers.
Triumphant yet again, the Lightning League escaped to continue its quest for the real Audric.
