A/N: Hey, I threatened to do it and I am! Enjoy! :)

Dr. Barbara Blight had never been a particularly social person, even during the best of times. However, she understood the importance of social interaction in human beings, which was one reason she created MAL; she didn't want to completely lose her mind because of the lack of a little conversation.

She considered the association with her current 'colleagues' (if she could even call them that) to possess a curiously dichotomic nature; although they worked well together, the goal of the initial alliance rarely manifested itself. Arguably the downfall of their plans were those aggravating Planeteers, but Blight knew that the real reason – their lack of solidarity – got them every single rotten time. None of the Eco-villains were willing or capable of that level of teamwork, and besides her, she suspected that only Plunder had the psychological capacity to develop an actual friendship. (Not that he did that very much, as he had his own reasons for not trusting people.)

With the sole exception of Looten, and to a smaller extent Greedly, she found it almost impossible to develop a rapport with any of them. Even if she managed to overcome the differences that would have isolated her normally, maintaining it wouldn't be worth it in the long run. They all carried emotional baggage, some more severely than others, but all of them found their interpersonal skills severely affected by it. Their problems ranged from Skumm's near sociopathic lack of empathy to Plunder's obsessive and extremely competitive personality, to her own mood instabilities. Although she never actually asked him, she had a strong suspicion that Greedly was chronically depressed.

Duke Nukem she would have considered a friend, as their paths had crossed more than once in scientific circles before their respective accidents. But over the years Blight couldn't help but notice the slow deterioration of his mental faculties and his frequent, sometimes violently changing fixations. Right after his accident, Nukem had worked day and night to find a cure, but for reasons unknown he had gradually abandoned his research and embraced his condition. Ironically, despite the many things they had once shared in common, she now found it difficult to talk to him about anything, let alone science. She could personally appreciate the motivation and energy that a bit of psychosis could give, but the man's actions bordered on incoherent. Occasionally, she would see a spark of the old Dr. Nukem, the world-renowned physics professor, in his neon green eyes. It was often a desperate look, the look of a man trying to escape from a personal, psychological, and physical hell. But as quickly as it surfaced, the crazed expression of the new Duke would dominate yet again. Dr. Blight was not a very empathetic individual, but sometimes thinking about the implications made her blood run cold. But that look didn't surface much nowadays, which somehow disturbed her even more.

She had worked with Hoggish Greedly a few times; however she rarely accompanied him on actual exploits, generally working through contractual obligations. Designing and constructing the various pieces of pig-themed equipment he wanted was something she rather enjoyed, although working directly with him wasn't always enjoyable as she found many of his mannerisms annoying. But at least his equipment orders were a challenge mechanically and visually, and he had never tried to cheat her out of a balance due. Also, he never attempted to hit on her, something she very much appreciated. Nevertheless, she preferred to keep their contacts purely professional, despite being reasonably close friends with his wife.

Sly Sludge barely registered on her radar anymore, as the last time she worked directly with him was a few years ago. In the past she tended to sell him her more experimental machines, or devices that had not been tested at all. She disliked him immensely; his abrasive and incredibly unpolished personality allowed for little polite or cultured conversation. His tendency to blurt out whatever he was thinking really aggravated her and Looten, who had the misfortune of once losing out on a small fortune because of that habit. Sludge still technically owed her a million dollars, but she knew she'd never collect – which was fine with her – as she could use it as an excuse to keep her interactions with him to a minimum. Plunder had jokingly offered to have Sludge's knees broken for lack of payment, which she had declined. Later on she wondered how serious he had actually been as Bleak looked genuinely disappointed at her response. In hindsight, she wished she had agreed, as Sludge's big mouth almost cost Looten more than just money on one particular occasion.

Verminous Skumm was one Eco-villain she would be happy to avoid for the rest of her life. She had only collaborated with him in a group setting, and from what Greedly had told her, that was the best way to work with him. She distrusted anyone with an agenda – and although they all had that to varying degrees, Blight found Skumm's to be the most ambitious and diabolic. During that fiasco with Plunder's water syndicate a few years back she had an unpleasant confrontation with Skumm that might have resulted in her mutating into one of his followers. She had been working late in the building's lab when Skumm had crept into the room, on the pretense of needing chemicals for contaminating some lakes. He had somehow cornered her and, while speaking about his plans for humanity, started to come uncomfortably close. It had appeared to her that he was about to reach for something hidden in his coat when Plunder had suddenly entered, loudly exclaiming annoyance over a misplaced briefcase. Skumm had hissed to himself and glared at Plunder for several seconds, but reluctantly exited the laboratory. The relief on her face must have showed because he cast her a concerned look, but she had shaken her head, not wanting to discuss it.. It hadn't occurred to her until much later that Plunder had never been in the lab prior to the incident, and could not have misplaced anything there. She suspected his sudden entrance had more to do with the surveillance cameras installed in key locations within the building than with chance. She made sure after that to never be alone (or unarmed) around Verminous Skumm or any of his subordinates.

And of course, there was Looten Plunder.