Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone but Terysa, so don't sue me.
Yada, yada, yada, yada…
Drake 1 brought the ducks to the Ready Room. Wild Wing asked, "Tanya, what's going on this time?" He waited for Tanya to tell him something like 'teleportation energy detected' or 'explosion at the police station'.
Instead, she said something that brought shivers to his spine. "The Pond has been infiltrated!" Nose Dive asked, "How!?!? Our shields were up! No one couldn't have gotten by our cameras! No one can get in this place without our knowledge or okay!"
Tanya spat out while she was typing, "I know that! I built the place, remember! Just give me a second!" Suddenly, Grin said, "I sense another presence within this room." Duke drew his saber while Mallory and the others brandished their puck launchers.
The alarms suddenly went off. Tanya's head whirled in confusion. "I don't get it! There wasn't a glitch. What could've hap-" Her sentence was cut off as Wing flew forward. Dive was at his side in an instant. "Wing! What happened?" Wing sat up and rubbed his back. He shook his head, saying, "I haven't the slightest idea."
Suddenly, his dropped puck launcher floated in midair. Everyone heard the distinct sound of a new weapon setting. The weapon hovered for a few more seconds before shooting six times. When it was finished, all six ducks were lying on the ground. Energy bands from their wrap pucks bound them.
The weapon dropped to the floor. A soft sound approached Duke. He looked around, but couldn't see anything. Abruptly, blue light shone around his body. Instantly, he was reverted to his Puckworld clothing. He realized that something had hit his com.
In quick succession, the same thing happened to each of the other ducks. Their coms were taken as well. Wing was last. After his clothes were changed, the Mask hovered off his face. Wing asked in a shaky voice, "Dive, please tell me this is just an elaborate prank." Dive said, "Are you kidding! The last time I pulled a prank I put worms in Mal's boots!"
Unexpectedly, the Mask vanished. Wing looked on in horror as a door on the far side of the room opened, and in stepped Dragonus. He sneered at them along with Siege, Wraith, and Chameleon. "Well, it seems the ducks have been trapped in their own pond!"
He motioned to his three henchmen, who went over to the ducks. They guarded them as dozens of drones poured into the room. Only when Siege had crushed all their weapons did he remove their bindings.
Dragonus sighed almost happily. "Finally, things are going my way!" He then smiled. The ducks stayed in a defensive position and Dive said to Wing, "It's a very bad thing when bad guys smile."
Dragonus then made a slicing movement along his throat. Dive swallowed. "It's even worse when they do that." His comment was drowned out as Siege, Wraith, a transformed-into-Arnold-Swarzenegger (S?) Chameleon, and five- dozen drones moved forward.
30 minutes later, Wing finally fell to the floor. He managed to struggle to his knees as the drones backed off. His entire body was covered with bruises. He knew he had at least five broken ribs. He also knew that one of them was poking through his skin.
He struggled to breath as he looked towards his team. They were all lying on the ground. All but Duke were unconscious. He was looking straight at his leader, silently voicing his opinion. We're all going to die. Suddenly, Dragonus walked the crowd. He laughed when he saw the team.
He managed to stop laughing and he said, "Alright. Before I give the order to kill you, I want the Mask. Where is it?" Wing looked at him blankly and said, "I thought you had it." Dragonus suddenly lost his sense of humor. He glared at the mallard before viciously kicking Wing in the side, causing him to scream in pain.
Dragonus snarled, "I'm not kidding! I want the Mask, and I want it now!" Wing managed to lock his glare despite his pain. "And I'm telling you that I don't have it! Whatever you have that shot us with out own weapons, changed our clothing, and took our coms, took the Mask!"
Dragonus suddenly got angry, but not at Wing. He clenched his fists and yelled, "Terysa Jernia Zea! Show yourself!" A girl's voice came after a few seconds and asked, "Why?" Dragonus said, "You have to give me the Mask!" Again the reply came from no one, "Why?" Dragonus got even madder. He smiled slightly and said, "Because, if you don't, I'll kill your crew!" A sharp inhalation was heard.
The voice cut through the air, filled with venom and contempt. "You wouldn't dare!" Dragonus pressed a button on his com and a small vibration shook the Pond. He grinned evilly, "It's already been done. Now, give it to me or I'll destroy your ship! Poor little duck. Stranded on a pathetic mud ball with no way to get home. Maybe you'll feel like these mallards here."
Dragonus lifted Wing by the throat and said, "Now, show yourself or I'll kill these ducks, one by one! You'll be the only one left of your race. Just one woman. No way to get the duck population up then, huh?" Again the voice came. "I never even thought that when I decided to help you! I just wanted my crew and ship back!"
Dragonus gritted his teeth as he squeezed Wing's throat hard with a clawed hand. Wing's already labored breathing came out in short gasps. Pretty soon, the girl yelled, "All right! All right! Stop it! You can have the Mask!"
A clanking sound echoed through the silent room, and a few drones were pushed over. A shadow was seen. It's owner soon showed herself. It was a beautiful duck. She had a black trench coat on. She had various weapons strapped to her body. One of them included a saber with a blue diamond handle. It looked suspiciously like Duke's. She had black cargo pants on with black boots. She also had black fingertip gloves on. But what enchanted Wing the most were her eyes. They were silver. They seemed to pierce his soul. She also had a few scars on her face. When Wing looked closer, he could also see scars on any other piece of exposed skin.
The girl also had a pouch on. She reached inside it and pulled out the Mask. Wing felt terrible. The Mask would go into the lizard's possession, and then they would be destroyed. He looked up at the duck's face again, silently pleading and begging for help. She locked stares. The second they did felt like a lifetime. He felt like he had plunged into her silver eyes. He felt something different about her. She saw her eyes soften, then they agreed to help him.
She looked back at Dragonus. She silently gave him the Mask. Wing croaked out, "No…" The girl looked at him. Something in her face told him to trust her. He gladly obliged. She turned her attention back to the red creature. "You will give the duck's lives to me." Dragonus shook his head. "No. We have what we wanted. Now, we will kill them and go back to Sauria. Back to our home planet.
The girl shrugged. "Whatever." Then, with lightning fast reflexes, she reached to she side and drew a deadly looking gun. She pointed it to Dragonus, then shifted her aim to Wing. She eyed him hesitantly, then shot him. Wing instantly fell limp in the Saurian's grasp. He dropped him to the floor after checking his pulse.
Without further pauses, she went on to shoot the other members of the team. Then, she returned to gun to its holster. She glared at Dragonus, who was watching her angrily. He pressed another button on his com. Another vibration was felt. "You took away the pleasure of killing these ducks! Now I have taken away your passage home! Good-bye! You have just made a powerful enemy!" Before he teleported away, the girl calmly stated, "So have you."
The girl checked Duke's vitals again. She had managed to destroy every drone, but had also managed to get herself wounded badly in the process. She looked around the infirmary. It seemed just like back on Puckworld. She sighed. Suddenly, movement across the room caught her attention. It was Wing.
She made her way over to his bed. He had shifted slightly, almost too slight for anyone to notice. However, she was a trained soldier, mercenary, and spy. She was taught to notice things others didn't.
Sudden pains in her abdomen caused her to fall to her knees. She looked in disgust at the bloody hand she pulled away from her wound. She managed to say one thing. "I was sent here to protect the sons of DuCaine. I have not completed that mission. I must…complete…" Her words broke off as she passed out, falling gently on top of Wing's still body.
Wing felt the slight vibration on the floor. He managed to get his hearing back. He caught a voice saying something about protecting the sons of DuCaine. He had no clue what was going on. Suddenly, a slight pressure against his ribs caused him so much pain he blacked out before he was able to scream.
Tanya's first thought was wondering where her Omnitool was. She realized with a start that she was in the infirmary and that she had an oxygen mask on. She quickly tested her limbs. One of her hands was splinted. She unwillingly recalled the painful moment when the drone she was fighting had grabbed her fist and crushed it. The drones.
That thought brought terror to her throat. But she realized there were none anywhere. She slowly sat up. She was slightly dizzy, but that went away after awhile. She looked around. All of her teammates were lying in beds as well. They were also cared for. Her gaze settled on Wing. With one look, she realized two things. One was that he was the most badly hurt of all. The second was that there was something black on him.
As her vision cleared, Tanya could see a female duck. Tanya took off her oxygen mask and disconnected her I.V. She slowly walked over to Wing. He wasn't moving, and neither was the female duck. Tanya gently nudged her. Without resistance, the duck slid to the floor in a heap.
Tanya gave a startled cry when she saw a huge pool of blood at the duck's feet. Without hesitation, Tanya pulled the girl over to a med-table, then laid her on top of it. After a few minutes, she diagnosed the problem, and got to work.
Duke opened his eyes. He had expected to see clouds and a huge hockey rink from his mother's description of heaven. Instead, he saw the steel ceiling of the Pond. He looked around. He saw all the other ducks lying on separate beds except for Tanya. She was leaning over a seventh figure. Seven? Duke quickly counted inside his head. Mal, Wing, Dive, Grin, Tanya, and himself. Phil wasn't supposed to be back in Anaheim for two weeks. Who the heck was it, then?
He sat up and unsteadily made his way over t Tanya. When he got to her side, he breathed, "Who the hell is that?" Tanya looked at him and suddenly hugged him tight around the neck. Startled, Duke hugged her back. After a few seconds, she pulled away and said, "Duke, I thought everyone was going to die."
Dive's voice broke the moment. "Wing? Wing, please wake up! Wing!" Duke turned around to see Dive leaning over his brother's body, shaking. Duke was about to comfort him when Mal made her way over to him. She tried to reason with him to lie down, for her had blood dripping from several wounds. When that didn't work, she reached to his neck and pinched a nerve. He instantly fell unconscious in her arms. With Grin's help, she put him back on his bed and attached his oxygen mask and I.V. again. She then made her way over to Tanya. "What's going on?" Tanya shrugged
An hour or two later, Wing stirred. Tanya and the others, except for Dive, were at his side in a flash. He looked at each of their faces before asking, "Why aren't we dead?" Tanya was about to explain something when he suddenly sat upright, saying, "She shot us! All of us! Why aren't we dead?" Tanya gently pushed him back down, saying, "Wing, take it easy! You've got internal bleeding and more broken bones than Carters' got liver pills!"
Wing didn't give up. "Where is she?" Tanya said, "If you're referring to the girl duck, she's-" Her voice was cut off by another voice saying, "Right here." The ducks turned around. The girl duck was standing in front of them. One hand was wrapped around her abdomen. The other was holding a silver saber at them. She looked scared. "I'm thankful for your medical help, but I'm the one who's supposed to be helping you."
Wing coughed. The girl looked at him and immediately dropped her saber. She then dropped to her knees and held her head down and began chanting something. Wing sat up and swung his legs off the bed. The girl didn't move. Wing asked, "Why did you give them the Mask?" She answered, "My lord, I did not give them the Mask of DuCaine. It is your rightful property. I merely gave them a duplicate." Wing looked at her and said, "Stop! Back up! What you mean 'my lord'?"
The girl risked a small movement. She said in a confused voice, "My lord, you are the ancestor of Drake DuCaine. Were you not aware of this fact?" Wing said, "No, I wasn't. And I'm not. My name is Wild Wing Flashblade. My brother is Nose Dive Flashblade." At this, the girl looked up. Wing could see the blood dripping from her wound. However, it happened again. Those silver eyes mesmerized him.
She looked at Dive, who had woken up and was watching the whole thing. Again, she dropped her gaze. "My lord. I'm sorry. Please forgive me for not noticing you. Any punishment you give me will be accepted willingly." Dive also saw her blood and walked up to her. He took her shoulders and led her to her feet. Her gaze darted around wildly. "My lord! It is forbidden that you touch your servant! More to the point, you should not dirty your hands with my clothing!" She quickly took out a silk rag from one of her many cargo pockets. She began to wipe his hands feverishly.
When she was done, she took out a lighter and lit the rag on fire. She dropped it to the ground. She placed her hand on top of it. With a shriek, Dive pulled her blistering hand away from the fire saying, "Are you crazy!? What did you do that for?" The girl looked confused. "My lord, it is the punishment your servants give to themselves when you touch them. It is a required practice."
Dive looked around and grabbed some ointment and bandages from a nearby cart. While she watched unbelievingly, he bandaged up her hand. When he was done, she once again began to chant. Wing was starting to figure a few things out. He decided to go along with her. He stood, and she immediately dropped to her knees. He said in a commanding voice, "Tell me your mission."
The girl began to recite, "My mission: Travel to the Planet Earth. Seek out and protect the sons of DuCaine. Destroy the Saurian Overlord Dragonus. And at all costs, do not let anything happen to the sons of DuCaine." She bowed her head even lower, ignoring the blood that was flowing freely from her many wounds.
Wing said, "Very well. Tell me your name, age, origin, and occupation." The girl answered without hesitation. "My full name is Terysa Jernia Zea, may it please you, my lord." Wing sighed, saying, "Well, it doesn't exactly displease me, but how about something shorter, say, Ty?" The girl nodded, saying, "Whatever makes you joyous, my lord."
She continued with her description of herself. "I have seen 21 winters. I am from a moon of Puckworld called Ice and Fire." Wing asked, "Why is it called that?" Ty replied, "The land is on fire during the days. At night, the flames freeze." Wing nodded, saying, "Continue." She did. "I am a spy, mercenary, soldier, and your personal bodyguard." She stopped speaking.
Ty hesitated, then said, "My lord, I'm am not here to be your leader. However, I feel that you should not hold any anger against me for shooting you, or your team, my lord. I shot you with darts that make your pulse impossible to detect. It also speeds up the healing process, my lord. Another thing is…I'm sorry for allowing you to be hurt, my lord. Death would be the only acceptable punishment for such behavior."
Wing asked in a cold voice, "Why did you not help us?" Ty answered slowly, "My lord, my brother and sister were part of my crew. I thought that I would be able to save them. However, it seems I have only brought pain to you in losing them." Wing's eyes softened. He asked, "What were their names?" Ty replied, "My sister's name was Kelsey Icesword. My brother's name was Canard Icesword." Wing drew in air sharply. He asked, "What was this 'Canard' like?" Ty answered, "We rescued him 5 years ago from a electro-worm in Limbo. He barely survived, but kept saying your name, my lord. Whenever he tried to talk about it, he would stop and say things like 'they aren't dead' and 'I didn't mean in when I said Dive was worthless'."
She suddenly clamped her beak shut. She looked up towards Dive, saying, "My lord! I did not mean to say your name aloud! Please forgive me!" Her attention was suddenly drawn by Wing stepping towards her dropped weapon. She lowered her gaze then raised it as he picked up her weapon and said, "You said that you did not help us. You allowed us to be beaten. I had enough of that when I was in the camps." He pointed her weapon at her. He held it there for a few seconds until she said, "My punishment is death." Wing looked at her hard. She closed her eyes and waited. However, Wing threw her saber down in front of her, saying, "Canard was my best friend. I know how you feel. I almost lost my brother several times." He bent down to her level and said, "You are no longer a body guard. You can live her with us. You can be a sub on our team. You don't have to wander around."
Her silver eyes brimmed with tears as she said, "My lord, I would be honored to accept your offer."
Drake 1 brought the ducks to the Ready Room. Wild Wing asked, "Tanya, what's going on this time?" He waited for Tanya to tell him something like 'teleportation energy detected' or 'explosion at the police station'.
Instead, she said something that brought shivers to his spine. "The Pond has been infiltrated!" Nose Dive asked, "How!?!? Our shields were up! No one couldn't have gotten by our cameras! No one can get in this place without our knowledge or okay!"
Tanya spat out while she was typing, "I know that! I built the place, remember! Just give me a second!" Suddenly, Grin said, "I sense another presence within this room." Duke drew his saber while Mallory and the others brandished their puck launchers.
The alarms suddenly went off. Tanya's head whirled in confusion. "I don't get it! There wasn't a glitch. What could've hap-" Her sentence was cut off as Wing flew forward. Dive was at his side in an instant. "Wing! What happened?" Wing sat up and rubbed his back. He shook his head, saying, "I haven't the slightest idea."
Suddenly, his dropped puck launcher floated in midair. Everyone heard the distinct sound of a new weapon setting. The weapon hovered for a few more seconds before shooting six times. When it was finished, all six ducks were lying on the ground. Energy bands from their wrap pucks bound them.
The weapon dropped to the floor. A soft sound approached Duke. He looked around, but couldn't see anything. Abruptly, blue light shone around his body. Instantly, he was reverted to his Puckworld clothing. He realized that something had hit his com.
In quick succession, the same thing happened to each of the other ducks. Their coms were taken as well. Wing was last. After his clothes were changed, the Mask hovered off his face. Wing asked in a shaky voice, "Dive, please tell me this is just an elaborate prank." Dive said, "Are you kidding! The last time I pulled a prank I put worms in Mal's boots!"
Unexpectedly, the Mask vanished. Wing looked on in horror as a door on the far side of the room opened, and in stepped Dragonus. He sneered at them along with Siege, Wraith, and Chameleon. "Well, it seems the ducks have been trapped in their own pond!"
He motioned to his three henchmen, who went over to the ducks. They guarded them as dozens of drones poured into the room. Only when Siege had crushed all their weapons did he remove their bindings.
Dragonus sighed almost happily. "Finally, things are going my way!" He then smiled. The ducks stayed in a defensive position and Dive said to Wing, "It's a very bad thing when bad guys smile."
Dragonus then made a slicing movement along his throat. Dive swallowed. "It's even worse when they do that." His comment was drowned out as Siege, Wraith, a transformed-into-Arnold-Swarzenegger (S?) Chameleon, and five- dozen drones moved forward.
30 minutes later, Wing finally fell to the floor. He managed to struggle to his knees as the drones backed off. His entire body was covered with bruises. He knew he had at least five broken ribs. He also knew that one of them was poking through his skin.
He struggled to breath as he looked towards his team. They were all lying on the ground. All but Duke were unconscious. He was looking straight at his leader, silently voicing his opinion. We're all going to die. Suddenly, Dragonus walked the crowd. He laughed when he saw the team.
He managed to stop laughing and he said, "Alright. Before I give the order to kill you, I want the Mask. Where is it?" Wing looked at him blankly and said, "I thought you had it." Dragonus suddenly lost his sense of humor. He glared at the mallard before viciously kicking Wing in the side, causing him to scream in pain.
Dragonus snarled, "I'm not kidding! I want the Mask, and I want it now!" Wing managed to lock his glare despite his pain. "And I'm telling you that I don't have it! Whatever you have that shot us with out own weapons, changed our clothing, and took our coms, took the Mask!"
Dragonus suddenly got angry, but not at Wing. He clenched his fists and yelled, "Terysa Jernia Zea! Show yourself!" A girl's voice came after a few seconds and asked, "Why?" Dragonus said, "You have to give me the Mask!" Again the reply came from no one, "Why?" Dragonus got even madder. He smiled slightly and said, "Because, if you don't, I'll kill your crew!" A sharp inhalation was heard.
The voice cut through the air, filled with venom and contempt. "You wouldn't dare!" Dragonus pressed a button on his com and a small vibration shook the Pond. He grinned evilly, "It's already been done. Now, give it to me or I'll destroy your ship! Poor little duck. Stranded on a pathetic mud ball with no way to get home. Maybe you'll feel like these mallards here."
Dragonus lifted Wing by the throat and said, "Now, show yourself or I'll kill these ducks, one by one! You'll be the only one left of your race. Just one woman. No way to get the duck population up then, huh?" Again the voice came. "I never even thought that when I decided to help you! I just wanted my crew and ship back!"
Dragonus gritted his teeth as he squeezed Wing's throat hard with a clawed hand. Wing's already labored breathing came out in short gasps. Pretty soon, the girl yelled, "All right! All right! Stop it! You can have the Mask!"
A clanking sound echoed through the silent room, and a few drones were pushed over. A shadow was seen. It's owner soon showed herself. It was a beautiful duck. She had a black trench coat on. She had various weapons strapped to her body. One of them included a saber with a blue diamond handle. It looked suspiciously like Duke's. She had black cargo pants on with black boots. She also had black fingertip gloves on. But what enchanted Wing the most were her eyes. They were silver. They seemed to pierce his soul. She also had a few scars on her face. When Wing looked closer, he could also see scars on any other piece of exposed skin.
The girl also had a pouch on. She reached inside it and pulled out the Mask. Wing felt terrible. The Mask would go into the lizard's possession, and then they would be destroyed. He looked up at the duck's face again, silently pleading and begging for help. She locked stares. The second they did felt like a lifetime. He felt like he had plunged into her silver eyes. He felt something different about her. She saw her eyes soften, then they agreed to help him.
She looked back at Dragonus. She silently gave him the Mask. Wing croaked out, "No…" The girl looked at him. Something in her face told him to trust her. He gladly obliged. She turned her attention back to the red creature. "You will give the duck's lives to me." Dragonus shook his head. "No. We have what we wanted. Now, we will kill them and go back to Sauria. Back to our home planet.
The girl shrugged. "Whatever." Then, with lightning fast reflexes, she reached to she side and drew a deadly looking gun. She pointed it to Dragonus, then shifted her aim to Wing. She eyed him hesitantly, then shot him. Wing instantly fell limp in the Saurian's grasp. He dropped him to the floor after checking his pulse.
Without further pauses, she went on to shoot the other members of the team. Then, she returned to gun to its holster. She glared at Dragonus, who was watching her angrily. He pressed another button on his com. Another vibration was felt. "You took away the pleasure of killing these ducks! Now I have taken away your passage home! Good-bye! You have just made a powerful enemy!" Before he teleported away, the girl calmly stated, "So have you."
The girl checked Duke's vitals again. She had managed to destroy every drone, but had also managed to get herself wounded badly in the process. She looked around the infirmary. It seemed just like back on Puckworld. She sighed. Suddenly, movement across the room caught her attention. It was Wing.
She made her way over to his bed. He had shifted slightly, almost too slight for anyone to notice. However, she was a trained soldier, mercenary, and spy. She was taught to notice things others didn't.
Sudden pains in her abdomen caused her to fall to her knees. She looked in disgust at the bloody hand she pulled away from her wound. She managed to say one thing. "I was sent here to protect the sons of DuCaine. I have not completed that mission. I must…complete…" Her words broke off as she passed out, falling gently on top of Wing's still body.
Wing felt the slight vibration on the floor. He managed to get his hearing back. He caught a voice saying something about protecting the sons of DuCaine. He had no clue what was going on. Suddenly, a slight pressure against his ribs caused him so much pain he blacked out before he was able to scream.
Tanya's first thought was wondering where her Omnitool was. She realized with a start that she was in the infirmary and that she had an oxygen mask on. She quickly tested her limbs. One of her hands was splinted. She unwillingly recalled the painful moment when the drone she was fighting had grabbed her fist and crushed it. The drones.
That thought brought terror to her throat. But she realized there were none anywhere. She slowly sat up. She was slightly dizzy, but that went away after awhile. She looked around. All of her teammates were lying in beds as well. They were also cared for. Her gaze settled on Wing. With one look, she realized two things. One was that he was the most badly hurt of all. The second was that there was something black on him.
As her vision cleared, Tanya could see a female duck. Tanya took off her oxygen mask and disconnected her I.V. She slowly walked over to Wing. He wasn't moving, and neither was the female duck. Tanya gently nudged her. Without resistance, the duck slid to the floor in a heap.
Tanya gave a startled cry when she saw a huge pool of blood at the duck's feet. Without hesitation, Tanya pulled the girl over to a med-table, then laid her on top of it. After a few minutes, she diagnosed the problem, and got to work.
Duke opened his eyes. He had expected to see clouds and a huge hockey rink from his mother's description of heaven. Instead, he saw the steel ceiling of the Pond. He looked around. He saw all the other ducks lying on separate beds except for Tanya. She was leaning over a seventh figure. Seven? Duke quickly counted inside his head. Mal, Wing, Dive, Grin, Tanya, and himself. Phil wasn't supposed to be back in Anaheim for two weeks. Who the heck was it, then?
He sat up and unsteadily made his way over t Tanya. When he got to her side, he breathed, "Who the hell is that?" Tanya looked at him and suddenly hugged him tight around the neck. Startled, Duke hugged her back. After a few seconds, she pulled away and said, "Duke, I thought everyone was going to die."
Dive's voice broke the moment. "Wing? Wing, please wake up! Wing!" Duke turned around to see Dive leaning over his brother's body, shaking. Duke was about to comfort him when Mal made her way over to him. She tried to reason with him to lie down, for her had blood dripping from several wounds. When that didn't work, she reached to his neck and pinched a nerve. He instantly fell unconscious in her arms. With Grin's help, she put him back on his bed and attached his oxygen mask and I.V. again. She then made her way over to Tanya. "What's going on?" Tanya shrugged
An hour or two later, Wing stirred. Tanya and the others, except for Dive, were at his side in a flash. He looked at each of their faces before asking, "Why aren't we dead?" Tanya was about to explain something when he suddenly sat upright, saying, "She shot us! All of us! Why aren't we dead?" Tanya gently pushed him back down, saying, "Wing, take it easy! You've got internal bleeding and more broken bones than Carters' got liver pills!"
Wing didn't give up. "Where is she?" Tanya said, "If you're referring to the girl duck, she's-" Her voice was cut off by another voice saying, "Right here." The ducks turned around. The girl duck was standing in front of them. One hand was wrapped around her abdomen. The other was holding a silver saber at them. She looked scared. "I'm thankful for your medical help, but I'm the one who's supposed to be helping you."
Wing coughed. The girl looked at him and immediately dropped her saber. She then dropped to her knees and held her head down and began chanting something. Wing sat up and swung his legs off the bed. The girl didn't move. Wing asked, "Why did you give them the Mask?" She answered, "My lord, I did not give them the Mask of DuCaine. It is your rightful property. I merely gave them a duplicate." Wing looked at her and said, "Stop! Back up! What you mean 'my lord'?"
The girl risked a small movement. She said in a confused voice, "My lord, you are the ancestor of Drake DuCaine. Were you not aware of this fact?" Wing said, "No, I wasn't. And I'm not. My name is Wild Wing Flashblade. My brother is Nose Dive Flashblade." At this, the girl looked up. Wing could see the blood dripping from her wound. However, it happened again. Those silver eyes mesmerized him.
She looked at Dive, who had woken up and was watching the whole thing. Again, she dropped her gaze. "My lord. I'm sorry. Please forgive me for not noticing you. Any punishment you give me will be accepted willingly." Dive also saw her blood and walked up to her. He took her shoulders and led her to her feet. Her gaze darted around wildly. "My lord! It is forbidden that you touch your servant! More to the point, you should not dirty your hands with my clothing!" She quickly took out a silk rag from one of her many cargo pockets. She began to wipe his hands feverishly.
When she was done, she took out a lighter and lit the rag on fire. She dropped it to the ground. She placed her hand on top of it. With a shriek, Dive pulled her blistering hand away from the fire saying, "Are you crazy!? What did you do that for?" The girl looked confused. "My lord, it is the punishment your servants give to themselves when you touch them. It is a required practice."
Dive looked around and grabbed some ointment and bandages from a nearby cart. While she watched unbelievingly, he bandaged up her hand. When he was done, she once again began to chant. Wing was starting to figure a few things out. He decided to go along with her. He stood, and she immediately dropped to her knees. He said in a commanding voice, "Tell me your mission."
The girl began to recite, "My mission: Travel to the Planet Earth. Seek out and protect the sons of DuCaine. Destroy the Saurian Overlord Dragonus. And at all costs, do not let anything happen to the sons of DuCaine." She bowed her head even lower, ignoring the blood that was flowing freely from her many wounds.
Wing said, "Very well. Tell me your name, age, origin, and occupation." The girl answered without hesitation. "My full name is Terysa Jernia Zea, may it please you, my lord." Wing sighed, saying, "Well, it doesn't exactly displease me, but how about something shorter, say, Ty?" The girl nodded, saying, "Whatever makes you joyous, my lord."
She continued with her description of herself. "I have seen 21 winters. I am from a moon of Puckworld called Ice and Fire." Wing asked, "Why is it called that?" Ty replied, "The land is on fire during the days. At night, the flames freeze." Wing nodded, saying, "Continue." She did. "I am a spy, mercenary, soldier, and your personal bodyguard." She stopped speaking.
Ty hesitated, then said, "My lord, I'm am not here to be your leader. However, I feel that you should not hold any anger against me for shooting you, or your team, my lord. I shot you with darts that make your pulse impossible to detect. It also speeds up the healing process, my lord. Another thing is…I'm sorry for allowing you to be hurt, my lord. Death would be the only acceptable punishment for such behavior."
Wing asked in a cold voice, "Why did you not help us?" Ty answered slowly, "My lord, my brother and sister were part of my crew. I thought that I would be able to save them. However, it seems I have only brought pain to you in losing them." Wing's eyes softened. He asked, "What were their names?" Ty replied, "My sister's name was Kelsey Icesword. My brother's name was Canard Icesword." Wing drew in air sharply. He asked, "What was this 'Canard' like?" Ty answered, "We rescued him 5 years ago from a electro-worm in Limbo. He barely survived, but kept saying your name, my lord. Whenever he tried to talk about it, he would stop and say things like 'they aren't dead' and 'I didn't mean in when I said Dive was worthless'."
She suddenly clamped her beak shut. She looked up towards Dive, saying, "My lord! I did not mean to say your name aloud! Please forgive me!" Her attention was suddenly drawn by Wing stepping towards her dropped weapon. She lowered her gaze then raised it as he picked up her weapon and said, "You said that you did not help us. You allowed us to be beaten. I had enough of that when I was in the camps." He pointed her weapon at her. He held it there for a few seconds until she said, "My punishment is death." Wing looked at her hard. She closed her eyes and waited. However, Wing threw her saber down in front of her, saying, "Canard was my best friend. I know how you feel. I almost lost my brother several times." He bent down to her level and said, "You are no longer a body guard. You can live her with us. You can be a sub on our team. You don't have to wander around."
Her silver eyes brimmed with tears as she said, "My lord, I would be honored to accept your offer."