Chapter 4: Hope in the Storm
The Loonatics often teased Duck by telling him that he sleeps so hard an explosion wouldn't wake him. While he denied this as much as his teammates insisted upon its truth, he knew that they were right. Despite the thunderstorm shaking the high-rise headquarters, Duck was deeply asleep, tossing and turning from what must have been some malevolent dream. He mumbled, rolled, gritted his bill, kicked and then rolled again before crying out and waking himself, sitting bolt upright in bed. Duck sat for a moment to let his head clear and then jumped from his bed, bounding down the hall and knocking on Tech's bedroom door.
"Duck? It's 3:30 in the morning…can't this wait?" Tech muttered.
"No. Listen to me. What if I told you that Rev might not be dead?" Duck sputtered. Tech's expression melted to one of malice.
"Walk away. One more word and the team will be having canard a l'orangefor lunch tomorrow," Tech growled.
"No! Wait! You've got to listen to me! I can feel it—something's not right. Us birdth have a connection, you know? I know it sounds crazy!" Duck gushed.
"Haven't we all been through enough? Go back to bed before I pluck you to within an inch of your life!" Tech snarled. Duck stumbled backward as the rest of the team joined them in the hall.
"What's the deal?" Lexi yawned.
"Yeah—what's got your feathers in a bunch?" Ace asked, scratching behind his right ear.
"You're not gonna believe this just yet, but Rev's alive! You've got to believe me!" Duck pleaded.
"Ssrtjerljg how?" Slam demanded.
"Listen—that laser beam thingy is harsh, but it's not mortal. I was there. Tech aimed high and Madam Egg-head aimed low. Where's the body? If Rev's dead—where's the frakkin' body??" Duck cried. Ace stepped in before their other teammates could assault Duck.
"Look, Duck, old buddy. We've all lost a lot of sleep in the past two days. We were all there. Rev's gone, as much as we don't want it to be that way, we gotta accept it. Go back to bed, everyone," Ace said, sending the others back to their rooms. Duck was alone in the corridor now, sighing dejectedly. He shuffled into the main area and pressed a button on his side of the console. Zadavia's face appeared on the view screen.
"Yes?"
"I didn't wake you up, too, did I?" Duck asked.
"What's wrong, Duck?" Zadavia asked gently, deciding it was best to ignore his question.
"Have you ever had a feeling that you're right that you couldn't explain?" he said, a note of sadness tingeing his voice.
"What feeling is that?" Zadavia asked.
"I have thith really strong gut feeling that Rev is alive and I can't explain to the team that I think Mastermind's hoodwinked uth," Duck explained.
"It has been my experience that, when mourning the loss of a close friend or loved one, there is a sense or feeling that the person is still with us that prevails for a time after they have died," Zadavia said. Duck slumped in his chair.
"So…you're saying you don't believe me, either," Duck sighed.
"I just don't want you to get your hopes up, Duck. What would happen if you pursued this impulse and then discovered that you were wrong?" Zadavia reasoned.
"At least I would know for sure," Duck said softly. "Thanks for listening, Zadavia. Sorry for waking you up," Zadavia smiled sympathetically.
"Good night, Danger Duck," she said. He closed the communicator and stood, preparing to go back to his room. Half way there, he stopped and a look of pure, stubborn determination crossed his face.
"If no one else will help me, I'm going to go find Rev myself," Duck said, tossing his teal colored robe across his bed and tiptoeing out of headquarters, taking his jet pack and cruising out the large hatch. The cool night air was still soaked with the moisture of the storm that was now moving past the city limits.
"Hold on, Rev, buddy, I'm coming!" Duck shouted into the night.