Future Split: Another Point of View

Disclaimer: I do not own Disney's Mighty Ducks the Animated Series or any of the characters from it, but I do own the character Lis.

Duke:

We had all been so eager to return home. As we approached the portal Dragonus's henchmen backed away, signaling the arrangement. It was all legitament. All we wanted was to return home after being away so long. Yet as we approached the gateway nothing else registered with any of us. We didn't look around us to see if there were any warning signs. I didn't turn to her to make sure she was with me. Instead we just stepped through, blinded by our wish to return home.

Dragonus had kept his word, for we soon found ourselves breathing in the familiar cold air we had all grown up with. We all looked to one another overwhelmed for a bit. My remaining eye misted with relief as I stepped back to reach for her hand. Yet her hand wasn't there. I turned around bewildered as I looked only to find her missing. Relief instantly turned to panic.

"Lis?!"

"She's not with us?" Nosedive asked, looking around.

"Lis!" I called again as I spun around to face the now closing portal.

"No!" I yelled angrily as I punched the wall as the opening sealed up before me.

"What happened?" Mallory questioned.

"I don't know, she was right beside me!"

"Do you think they grabbed her?" Tanya asked worriedly.

I tried to use my com to reach her out of desperation only to be answered with static.

"Why didn't I make sure she went through first?" I asked as I grew angry with myself.

"Duke, none of us were thinking, we were just so eager to get home," Tanya told me.

"She's trapped bac there!" I snapped, "An' she's trapped with that tyrant!"

"Duke! Have more faith in her!" Wildwing assured calmly, "She'll get away from him, and hopefully she can use the gateway to return here."

"Or maybe she can find us like she did when we first met her," Nosedive reminded us.

My heart still burned, but I hoped they were right.

For now we looked for a place to stay for the night, as we didn't want to head to our seperate homes just yet. We thought it would be best to stay together so Lis could find us easier when she came through. That, and it was also quite late. We needed to take everything in before returning to our families. With that said there weren't many options for us. However, I was able to bring us to a quiet street I used to visit from time to time. This brought us to an abandoned building where we could stay for the night.

A few of my teammates drifted off to sleep reluctantly while we waited in vain. Though it seemed like the two brothers were as anxious as I was.

"This shouldn't feel this way!" Nosedive grumbled restlessly.

"She was right there wasn't she?" Wildwing tried to recall.

"We were so eager to come home," I breathed quietly.

"She'll find us again, just like she did before?" Nosedive clung to a bit of hope, "Won't she?"

"All we can do for now is wait," Wildwing sighed.

The two of them eventually drifted off to sleep. Wile I remained awake through the night waiting hopelessly to hear her calling for me. As the sun rose over the city I looked out from the windowsill I was sitting in. What should have been a breath taking sight, seeing the sunrise over my home planet once again, paled in comparison to the sites I had watched with her sitting on the roof of the Pond back in Anaheim. The sunlight gradually peered through the open window, awakening my teammates.

"Any sign of her?" Mallory asked.

I silently shook my head with a hopeless sigh.

Grin must have noticed the troubled expression on my face. For he soon was next to me, resting a hand of comfort on my shoulder as I leaned against the windowsill.

"She'll find us," he assured.

However their words of kindness only added to the guilt that I felt.

Eventually we decided to head to the Flashblade household to see Wildwing and Nosedive's parents. I hoped perhaps she had gone there, and just maybe she was waiting for us to get there too.

"This feels so weird," Nosedive commented as Wildwing knocked on their own front door.

Yet instead of our teammate, their mother was the one to greet us at the door. Tears immediately of shock and happiness welled up in her blue eyes when she saw her two sons standing before her, "Is it...is it really you?!"

"We're home mom," Wildwing assured her, opening his arms as she threw hers around him and Nosedive.

Even my worries fluttered away briefly as we all watched this moment. I often forgot how young our leader actually was, and Nosedive really was just a kid compared to most of us. They had both risked a lot joining the resistance. Yet now as I watched them I could understand why.

We were invited in their home with warm hugs, sweet smiles, and firm handshakes. Both of their parents wanted to know in detail what had happened to us. All of us helped weave our tale from when we had left Dragonus's master tower, to arriving on Earth, to our missions and life there as crime fighters and hockey players, and finally returning home.

"What about Lis?" Their mother interrupted towards the end.

None of us could answer. Uneasieness swept through each of us. I noticed as Nosedive got up and walked down the hall of the house, disappearing behind a door to what I figured was his room.

Finally I broke the silence, "Somehow she got left behind. I thought she was right behind me, but I was so eager to return home I didn't make sure."

"So she's still on Earth with that monster?" Their mother asked fearfully.

I shuddered.

"No," Grin stated firmly, "She is on Earth, but I am certain she got away from him. She'll find us, I know it."

I hoped Grin was right.

Their father was on the phone at the moment, and I overheard him talking to a journalist or news caster telling them that we had at last come home.

While the others talked Nosedive returned and nudged my arm, "Come back here Duke."

I shrugged as I got up and followed him down the hallway. We paused at the same door.

"What's up Dive?" I asked half heartedly.

"There's something I thought you should see," he answered as he opened the door.

We stepped inside and I found myself standing in what was once Lis's bedroom. The walls were a very soft cherry blossom pink, accented with burgundy and white line and furniture. On the dresser were photos of her and her two brothers. Leaning against the bed was the hockey stick she had used to defend herself when Dragonus first attacked the planet. It was now held together with strong adhesive tape. On the nightstand were a sketchbook and a few pencils.

Nosedive walked over and picked up the book gently. Then he handed it to me, "I thought you should have this until she comes home."

I opened the book to find drawings of dragons, pirates, fantastical creatures, adventurers, and some just of her brothers and herself. A slight smile broke free as I turned the pages; until I noticed some drawings. A few sketches depicted shadowy figures and clawed hands reaching out from the pages.

"She could never tell us what those were," Wildwing said from the doorway.

"She said she remembered something chasing her," I recalled as I closed the book gently, "What if it finds her?"

"She found us once before Duke, all we can do right now is hope she can find us again," Wildwing tried to sound convincing,

I looked around the room that was once hers.

"Our mom welcomed her with open wings," Nosedive told me, "she was the daughter she never had. So when she came to live with us she kind of went all out making her feel at home."

"I guess I chose the right house then," I slipped.

"What are you talking about Duke?" Nosedive asked.

I sighed, "I brought Lis to your doorstep that night. I had saved her from a couple of thugs. She had been injured and had hit her head. That must have been when she lost her memories. At the time I was a wanted criminal, so I couldn't keep her with me or bring her anywhere public without being caught. So I hoped she would be safe here."

"I was pardoned when I joined the resistance, and when she comes back I plan to be able to take care of her this time," I promised.

Not long after the press showed up with a lot of reporters and cameras. We were welcomed home with joy and gratitude for our mission. Driving Dragonus off Puck World had brought back a time of peace. Before we could really react we were paraded off through the city. Banners were flown, confetti thrown, and cheers of our team name were cried out.

Yet what should have felt rewarding now felt empty. We were all given homes of our own and offered positions as the heroic sports team to carry on our name. Then that very night a party was to be thrown in our honor. We all reluctantly got dressed and ready. I myself was now wearing a dashing black tux, but I just didn't care for any of this attention.

Once we were there we gave speeches as well as heard them from others. Our adventures were shared. Yet when Lis's name was mentioned no one seemed to recall who she was. She had really only been known by the Flashblade family and their friends, and their peers at school in passing. It bothered me to hear her become a lost hero to everyone in front of us. Especially knowing that she was now stuck facing our fight still on Earth.

Before I knew it music had begun to play throughout the dance hall. I noticed a few of my teammates getting offers for dances, some accepted, some didn't. I couldn't fault them for trying to have a good time, they had all earned the titles they were given when they joined the fight against the Saurians. Yet I could tell that everyone felt a little out of place none the less.

Meanwhile I watched from a corner of the room, trying in vain to go unnoticed. In the corner of sights I saw girls approaching me, looking quite dolled up and excited. Before our adventures I might have swept them off their feet, a dashing heart breaker in and out of their lives within moments. Yet now I couldn't even try to pretend. My usual charm was replaced with frustration. These girls felt fake to me. All they knew was that I was a hero. They didn't know who I once was, nor did they care to know who I actually was. I was a hero to the world, but not to any of them specifically. Not like I had been for her.

May I dance with you?" One of the girls asked, her cheeks blushing.

"Why?" I asked uninterested.

She couldn't really give me much of an answer, and I found myself walking away from them.

"Sorry, but I already have a sweetheart that I'm waitin' for," I finally answered as I stepped out of the room.

I then found myself on a balcony overlooking the main city. As I leaned over the rail I tried in vain to see if I noticed her down below. Even a glimpse of her burgundy red hair.

"What have I done?" I asked myself, remembering my vote to return home to this planet.

"Man, I hate this!" Nosedive said exasperated as he joined me, "This should be awesome, but it just isn't!"

"Take it easy Dive," Wildwing said from the doorway.

"I can't! Our little sister should be here with us, but she's stuck on Earth with the creep we gave the planet to!"

I then remembered the fine print of Dragonus's deal. We had given in! We had given up our mission to capture him and put a stop to his terror. Now the Earth was in his claws, and so was she. Anger boiled to the surface as I punched the wall near me.

"We're getting all this praise for giving up!" Nosedive snapped.

Wildwing could not calm his younger brother down. It was as though he didn't want to see what he had already known would happen.

Soon the others had joined us, all of us feeling out of place or angry. We didn't have a teleporter or anyway to change our mistake. For a little while we went in circles, blaming our votes, trying to accept things for now, and back to being upset. All while the party for us went on without us even there.

"Tanya," Mallory ventured after a while, "Could you build a teleporter?"

"I'm not sure; even if I could it would take time, possibly years," she said.

Then there was silence again for a while.

"But it's worth a try," Tanya then told us shakily, "if it means a chance at getting our friend back."

After a while I decided I was done with an unwanted party. As the others talked I slipped away quietly. I decided to head to my new home for now. Perhaps exploring it would give my mind some ease.

I was walking along a quiet street when I heard footsteps behind me. I paused, knowing they weren't hers or any other teammate's.

"We're glad you're back Duke," a voice said from the shadows of the late night, "we've been at loss without our leader. Falcone tried to replace you, but he had a selfish streak as you know very well."

"I'm not goin' back ta the Brotherhood of the Blade," I stated quietly, but clear enough for the visitor to hear.

"What?!"

"I'm disbanning the Brotherhood from this day forth," I established, "an' I will not go back ta that kind of life."

"Duke we've been waiting a year for you to come back! And now you're turning your back on us just like that?"

"Look, I'm sorry, but I have ta do this. I have a chance at a different life, an' I can't give that up this time," I told them as I started to walk away.

"Why?" They demanded, "We deserve to know that much!"

I looked into the shadows to see we weren't alone. Half of my old gang was on the street, wanting answers for my strange decision. Yet I wasn't afraid of any of them.

"You all should look at this as a way to clear your names, seek out better lives!" I insisted.

"What changed?" One of them asked.

I paused, as though I was pouring over memories in my mind. I recalled the night I had first seen her, when I had saved her life. I remembered how much I wanted to be someone different, just so I could meet her if only once. Back then I knew it was too late, the price on my head was too high. Yet then came the attack, and I put my skills to better use. I was pardoned for my crimes as a thank you for joining the resistance. Then at last I met her.

"Just over a year ago you came back to the hideout seeming off. Something happened that night didn't it?" One of them demanded.

"Say and do what ya want, but I'm not goin' back," I repeated calmly.

"Coward!" An all too familiar voice spat.

I turned quickly, drawing my saber I had tucked away just in time to block his.

"You want to just walk away from what you started! Abandon those that held you in higher regard than I?! Maybe now you'll all accept me as your new leader when this boy is out of the way!"

"Falcone you don't know what it means to be a leader, but none the less I will not go back! I have ta wait-"

"For what?" Falcone tempted curiously, "Is there someone that lured you away? You do realized they would never accept you for who you were entirely. You may be a hero to the people here, but if they knew who you were before-"

"She does!" I snapped as I pushed him back with my blade, no longer holding back how angry I was.

I was angry with him. I was angry with people around me. I was angry with myself. And it was a bad moment to catch me so angry. As Falcone went to attack again I quickly deflected his saber and wrenched it out of his hand.

"So there is someone?" He mocked me, "Someone that made you soft?"

"Nah," I shook my head, "She didn't make me soft. She made me want somethin' more in life than some rocks! Mock me all ya want, I couldn't care less; but I wouldn't give up my freedom with her for any other treasure in any universe!"

"Then where is this girl? This treasure of treasures you claim to have?" Falcone pushed, hitting a nerve.

I couldn't answer. I faultered. My free hand covered my eyes as I tried to regain my composure.

"Look out!" I suddenly thought I heard, catching my attention as Falcone went to grab his blaster.

I quickly knocked it out of his hand. Then to my surprise one of the members from my past gang shot out a grappling hook that tangled him in it's ropes. I looked to them bewildered.

"We don't quite understand the change, but we do respect it Duke. If you've found another chance so be it. We will disban as you wish for us to."

I nodded assuringly. Then I watched as one of them picked up Falcone by the ropes as he struggled to break loose, insulting me as he was carried off.

"Good luck to you Duke," was the last thing they said to me as they each disappeared into the night.

I then looked around a bit distraught. Had I heard her? Or was my mind now giving up from fatigue. Yet no one was there. She was not there.

At last I found my new home given to me by the city. It felt so strange entering a home without anyone else there. I had grown accustomed to having my teammates around. The house was so quiet that it actually made me uneasy. Structure wise it was a nice place, and would have been perfect for a small family. With just me it felt lonely. Finally I found what I guessed would be my bedroom, changed my clothes, threw myself onto the bed exhausted, and yet I still didn't fall asleep right away. Instead, as I sat up on the bed, my hand covered my eyes as a part of me broke down. How had I heard her just a little while ago without her being there? Even universes apart were we still connected, or was I falling apart?

Time went on like this for a while. Days, then weeks. I saw my teammates often for games and just in general. Every so often Tanya would give me updates on her research progress on building a teleporter. Each of my friends were frequent visitors, and none of them had set their coms to the side in case she ever tried to contact us. Yet as time went on, those hopes dwindled away.

As months turned into the first year without her I wondered what could have possibly happened to her that night. It tore me apart combing over that day. I remembered how we had all had lunch that very day together with her. I could still see her happy, blushing face clearly in my memories. I could still hear her voice, her words assuring me how much trust she had put in me. Others that had gotten to know me over the first few months back home had tried to nudge me into seeking out new romances, but I just wasn't interested. I still held onto that shred of hope that she may come through some sort of gateway and find us again.

~A Small Exert from Lis on Earth~

It had been a year now since they had left. Phil had finally begun gathering recruits for our little resistance. Our headquarters, though a bit battered, still had held up quite well. Though I had watched as the scientists took up rooms that once belonged to my teammates. At first I felt angry to see this, but I knew it wasn't fair to be. They were simply empty rooms, and this was our only safe place away from the drones that roamed the city. Yet it tore into me seeing their rooms be changed around and and emptied to fit these new comers.

I had become our main resource for acquiring supplies. As in I stole it from our oppressors, much as he had stolen from Dragonus back on Puck World when he joined the resistance there. It bore into my soul knowing I would never beable to break free and forget about any of them no matter how much time marched on without them on Earth. A foolish part of me remained hopeful that they might return and finish the fight they had brought here. That perhaps he would come looking for me. Yet a thorn in my heart made me doubt this as well. Why would they come back now?

One day I was in the galley, noting what food we would need soon, when one of the scientists approached me. They had all been friendly enough, and quite smart. Yet I could not respond to them much. I would not build a connection with anyone at this point. I had already been forgotten once, hadn't I? I was still caught between wanting to be angry with my former teammates and wanting to understand it had been a mistake. But I was now living that mistake every single day after. So anger often set in.

Before the scientist could speak I started walking towards the hall.

"You really don't talk much do you?" They asked.

I shrugged, "Is there anything we need?"

"Going out again?" Phil questioned as he entered the galley now.

"We need supplies," I said dryly.

"Do we really need enough to warrant you heading out again?" He pushed.

"Then I'm going to do some rounds to make sure drones aren't able to locate us," I said sharply now.

"Lis, you're slipping away more and more," Phil warned.

"I agreed to join your resistance, I never agreed to being social about it," I spat.

Phil walked up to me, resting a hand on my shoulder, "So do you plan on living the rest of your days this way? Shutting out the world while you try to help save it? You faced grim fights with them and it never tore your spirit down. Asteroth? LuCretia?"

"Phil, just leave me be! Okay?!" I snapped as I stormed out down the hall.

Yet I paused when I was out of site to hear in echoes.

"She's a ticking time bomb isn't she?" The scientist asked bewildered.

I looked over from the corner to see Phil shaking his head, "It's not that Larry. If you could have met her just over a year ago you never would have guessed she'd turn out this way."

"So what changed her into the loner we got to meet?"

"Look, the Mighty Ducks were sports heroes to most everyone else. But for Lis, they were her family. And one of them, was the man she loved."

"Her family? Love? Her?"

"Of course!" Phil assured without any doubt in his tone, "Her and Duke were always together. If not for Dragonus I'm sure he would have married her one day. It might seem strange to hear, but I remember seeing them, and it just wasn't that weird. But losing all of them, took a toll on her."

Hearing Phil say that for some reason brought me to the floor as I slid down the wall unnoticed. It was as though a floodgate had opened for the first time in a year as I began sobbing. My heart ached remembering everyone. My heart shattered as I thougt of him. After the first few weeks I had not dared mention their names unless necesary for fear of this very reaction. Now hearing his name I knew I just couldn't bare it any longer. That's when I began to wear the gear I had made on my own from that point on, so I would not constantly be reminded of the broken promises he had given me.

~After a Decade back on Puck World~

Ten years had passed by since we had left Earth that night. Tanya had had no luck in being able to build the teleporter so that we could rescue our teammate. We still worked as a team, and we were hailed as heroes. Yet we all still felt after all these years that things just weren't as we hoped for them to be. They couldn't be. All this praise for an unfullfilled mission. All these years knowing we were missing someone, whose name had long been forgotten by the public though we had told them several times. Though we all still remembered, and we all still missed our teammate.

I never went back to a life of crime as I had promised not to. I never held interest in another romance, though I couldn't blame her if she had ever given up on me after all this time. I often found myself afraid that she possibly had lost her life that night or sometime after. However a small part of me felt that I would have known somehow, as strange as that was.

In my lonely home I every so often would wake from dreams where her voice called to me, sometimes as cheerful as the days we were together, but often times crying out to me.

"Why did I want this?" I asked my empty home on the tenth anniversary of that horrible day, "What did I think would be waiting for me that I didn't have?"

The others had come to visit me, every year we were drawn together on this day. Though our home planet celebrated this day as the time when we finally returned, we always remembered the panic and guilt of when we came through that gateway.

"After all this time it still feels awful," Tanya agreed.

"We should be happy, being celebrated as heroes," an older Nosedive pondered.

"Is there really no way to get to her?" Mallory asked Tanya again.

"I've tried, after all these years it just couldn't be done!" Tanya said tiredly.

"How is it that after all this time we haven't really moved on?" Wildwing pondered, "Why are we still trying to go back to a fight we gave up on ten years ago?"

We had been over this several times before. We all knew the answers.

I then got up and walked to the balcony I had overlooking the city. Many nights had been spent on that balcony looking over the city still in vain, hoping I would see her running up the street searching for us. The others didn't follow me for now, knowing I wasn't in the mood to even try and lift my spirits. The sun was setting on that day, and it felt like this time I was about to finally give up. Yet even after ten years I just couldn't. Something deep down inside of me refused to believe that I would never see her again.

"Duke?" My mind teased me.

"I'm so sorry," I said to no one.

"I am too..."

Stunned I turned around, facing the other end of the balcony to see what I knew to be a ghost my mind had created. After ten years I still remembered her so vividly. Her burgundy hair in a ponytail, yet somehow a bit shorter. Her aqua eyes filled with spirit, now looking at me with tears in them. Then I paused as I then noticed the scars I didn't remember, drawn across her face. Bandages wrapped around her in various places beneath her torn up battle gear.

My knees nearly gave in on me as I looked at her in disbelief.

"Lis?" I asked softly as she glistened, seeming to be there yet transparent at the same time. Then finally she stood firmly before me.

"It's been so long..." she said to me, tears falling from her eyes.

"Lis!" I exclaimed, still in disbelief as I ran to her.

Then all I could do was throw my arms around her, embracing her tightly. There was so much I wanted to tell her, so much I wanted her to know. How I had wanted to see her, how I wanted to return home to find her. How I had never gone back to the life I used to have because I wanted to be able to keep her safe.

Meanwhile the others had heard me and had come to check if I was alright.

"It can't be!" Tanya gasped, tearing up now.

"Sis!" Nosedive called to her as he ran over to us.

"What happened to you?" Wildwing asked, his older brother nature kicking in instantly.

"Ten years of fighting," Lis said shakily as she looked up at us.

"We're so sorry," Wildwing told her, realizing what she had meant.

"What happened to you that day? Why didn't you follow us?" Mallory questioned.

"Dragonus had set up a trap in case you changed your minds at the last moment, Wraith would have destroyed you all! I saw him ready to attack and I went to stop him! If I had just stuck with you none of this would have happened..." Lis then trailed off.

"Lis, you tried to save our lives," Grin thanked her gently.

"But why did you stay there afterwards? You came to Puck World somehow before? Why didn't you find us?" Nosedive asked,

"I couldn't. Dragonus destroyed our home, he destroyed everything and left it to a tyrant so he could conquer the galaxy! I had to stand and fight for the home we had on Earth! Phil and I survived and-"

Lis then looked away, as though afraid.

"What's wrong Lis?" I pushed gently.

"Your lives are going to change."

"What do you mean?" Tanya asked.

"Phil found a way to go back to the past, he stopped you from coming back here. Things are going to reset and you'll be back on Earth. I think that's why I'm able to be here with you now, because my past self is still with all of you, the future is changing back to a mystery. He changed our fates! But we didn't know what else to do! As far as he knew you were all destroyed, he doesn't know you went back home," she said, still shaking, "but our world was crumbling! There was no way else for us to fight back alone anymore!"

Yet as she said this, I felt my heart resonating with her. A smile broke through as I heard her say that we were still together in the past, and that things would change back.

"Lis, that's all I've ever wanted; after all this time we can be together."

"What?!" She looked at us bewildered.

I rested my hands against her cheeks, catching her tears gently as I looked at her.

"For the last ten years I have been tryin' ta find a way back ta you. I have regreted comin' home since the second I realized you weren't with us. We all felt like we had failed our mission, despite being heroes to everyone here...I knew I had failed to be a hero to you, an' it has torn me apart."

"Guys?" Lis said in surprise as she looked to each of us.

"We have a mission to complete!" Mallory assured excitedly.

"And a planet to keep safe!" Nosedive agreed as he hugged his sister.

"We're going to shape our future, together as a team," Wildwing promised as he finally gave in and hugged her too.

"To think we have Phil to thank for this, and he'll probably never know," Tanya laughed, whiping her own tears away.

Lis finally laughed, at last sounding like the love I knew all those years ago once again. Her scars also began to fade away and her clothes mended. With this we knew we were all going back. Knowing this we gathered into a group hug. Knowing we had a mission to complete. Knowing we were going back home after all this time.