A/N: The characters of the Mighty Ducks are property of Disney and its affiliates. Nightbloom is my character as well as all other minor characters that have never been seen in the show. And since I started writing these as a continuation of Mighty Ducks and keeping it as close to a Grating as possible… I hope you all realize how hard it is to write a clean story with no curse words! Appreciate it! Lol.
Previously on The Mighty Ducks: SCP
"Guys!" Phil said, full of enthusiasm. "We have been invited to the biggest, best party for people like us! It's the Anaheim Annual Charity Event!"
"Charity?" asked Duke. "Since when do you care about charity?"
"Hey, I'm a good guy at heart!"
"Yeah, but usually your events involve us giving our time. Not money."
X
Jarrod straightened up. "I've worked with Sawyer for years. The only time I ended up in jail was to test someone else and he used his resources to break me free. After this job, if you guys don't want to stay on board, it'll be your choice to walk away with your earnings. We won't demand anything else of you. Unless you betray us, of course. Go your own way or follow us. Take this opportunity to decide whether to trust each other or not."
"What is it you want us to do?" asked one of the smaller framed men.
Richard grinned.
X
Sawyer looked around one more time before turning to Dragaunus.
"Do you mind if I ask why you need so many cameras?"
"Just using a technique that's been used by all great teams."
X
Putting on a smile, Wing headed towards the nearest group of human females that looked like they wanted to dance and were just waiting to be asked.
A split second later, three faint consecutive explosions could be heard from below, followed by three more from the level they were in.
X
Hinks smirked at Nosedive.
"I really would like to put a bullet in you right now… but I'm suppose to keep you alive for some unknown reason."
Hinks reached down and grabbed Dive by the collar and hauled him up. "Someone tie him up. Securely! The little punk seems to have the devil's luck."
Duke switched to battle mode. "Oh man… Wing's gonna have my hide for this one."
X
"Okay. If you're so insistent, at least borrow the mask for this." Canard held out the mask.
Wildwing warily reached down for it, but when he went to pull it away, Canard held on tight.
"Don't take this the wrong way, Wing… but that brother of yours better need our help. Because if we go in there and he turns out to be okay and us in trouble, I'm gonna beat you down myself. And if we're both fine, I'll do worse. I'll rat you out to your brother that you had no confidence in him and let you deal with the tantrum he'll be bound to throw." Canard let go of the mask and Wildwing nodded, taking Canard's words seriously.
"Then lead the way, Wing."
X
"You have something else to add?" he asked her.
"Duke said Jarrod Hinks was involved."
"Hinks? Then that means…" Wing's voice came out hoarse. "Dragaunus may have something to do with this."
Leadership Part 2: Resignation
Dragaunus watched the screens with avid interest. A cruel smile crossed his face as he could see the blasted ducks were all separated.
He felt a dark presence behind him, and he turned to face it.
Nightbloom stood behind him, cloaked in her dark robes, face partially hidden.
"You requested my presence?"
"Just showing you my plan," Dragaunus responded.
Nightbloom stepped forward and looked at the screen. "What is the purpose of so many cameras?"
"Just taking an example from them. How can I possibly stand a chance to beat them if I don't study their every move and learn their weaknesses and strengths?"
Nightbloom took a step back. "I see. 'Learn thy enemy' is probably one of the best techniques that can be used. I will acknowledge the ingenuity of this plan."
"So will you help me now?"
Nightbloom shook her head. "It won't be a complete victory for you if I do, Sir Dragaunus. This is your plan. Execute it as you will and enjoy the success that may come to pass. My involvement will only taint your stories in years to come as the Saurian Overlord that had to rely on a female to help."
Dragaunus snorted. "I suppose you're right. I never realized you really did know your place, woman."
Nightbloom gave a simple nod. "But I will mention it one last time… I heavily caution against retrieving Nosedive. There is no way for me to help in bringing Darkflame back. And I doubt your mage has the power to do so as well."
Dragaunus snarled. "We'll see about that!"
Nightbloom turned and walked out of the room.
X
Grin almost tripped over a human as he cautiously opened the door the gunmen and kids had gone through.
"Agent Stone!" hissed Mendoza, as he made his way to the prone figure dressed up as a security guard.
The man groaned as Mendoza flipped him over. "What happened?"
"The money… they took the money."
"What?"
"With the explosion, the elevator stopped. We got off but… it was an inside job. Harley attacked me. I tried to follow but he got the drop on me here."
Mendoza swore. "I can't get a hold of Agent Belle to alert her. C'mon. Seems more is at stake here than the money. He saw a group of kids being led away." The agent reached down to help Stone up while motioning to Grin with his head.
A moment later, Mendoza was pushed to the floor as Grin's hand wrapped around Stone's hand, holding a gun in place.
"Cripes! Let go!" shouted Stone, in pain.
Mendoza's eyes widened. "Barney! What…"
The "injured" man looked very much able as he flailed around, trying to get Grin to let go. The quiet duck removed the gun and then delivered a punch that knocked the agent out cold.
"It seems he was only telling half truths," said Grin. "I'll bet the Stanley cup he was the inside man."
"Unbelievable…"
X
Dive slowly worked at the ropes that bound his wrists together. So far he had been lucky that the most Hinks had done was just point his gun at him and dragged him through the tunnels. The way the man was holding him also kept his wrists out of Hinks's sight.
He kept twisting his wrists, hoping to loosen them enough to be able to activate the tracker on his wrist watch.
While they were going down the stairs, his mind was filled with possible escape plans for himself and his fellow hostages. His concern grew when they went into the basement and entered a tunnel that was supported with very familiar structures.
It almost reminded him of the Raptor, and with Hinks being involved, it was certain Dragaunus was also involved.
Nosedive knew his limitations, and while he felt confident in confronting the gunmen, he was very much afraid of the thought of meeting Dragaunus face to face all alone.
He felt the rope give way and Dive quickly pressed a button on his communicator watch. He could only hope that one of his team mates would receive the signal.
X
Canard boarded the Migrator while Tanya was outside, waiting for the Aerowing to arrive. He turned on the communicator and the panels, trying to locate all of the team. He had to admit that Wildwing wasn't a military leader, but he was a team leader nonetheless, and a capable one at that. Canard sighed as he realized he should have never retaken control like he did. The team was working like a well oiled machine and his reintroduction threw a wrench in the plans. Sure he was able to make the team work again, but it would have been easier if he had allowed Wing to keep control.
At least that's what he thought.
He reached over to try to hail Wing when he felt as if someone was staring at him from behind.
"It's almost time," he heard a whisper.
"Y-yea." Canard didn't turn around, his body tense, and his pupils contracting as he recalled something.
"You know what to do."
Canard's hands curled into fists.
"Yeah."
"This meeting never happened. Forget about my involvement until I say otherwise."
The presence was gone and Canard was able to breathe again. He shook his head, feeling as if he had fallen asleep and woke up suddenly. What was he thinking again?
That's right. He was thinking of what he was going to do with the team's dynamics. It was time to make some changes, because he couldn't help but feel that it would make things easier later on. After all, he had disappeared once from the picture. If something should happen again…
A sudden bleep caught his attention and he looked at one of the screens. Nosedive's ID number was flashing, and he could see a small dot moving. Canard gave a start when he realized that the dot passed right through where the Migrator was parked at. He leapt out and looked around, seeing no one. Then he looked down.
"What's wrong?" asked Tanya, having been startled by his abrupt appearance.
"They're underground!"
Canard leapt back onto the Migrator and hailed all at once, hoping that they all would be able to hear him.
"The kid is underground! We need everyone on the bottom level ASAP!"
"Grin here. I'm already attempting to tail them. The entrance is in the basement."
"I'm close by," came Duke's voice. "I just released a bunch of other kids on the first floor."
"Grin, Duke, meet up and go after Dive. We'll catch up!" ordered Wing.
"Wing, we can probably access the sewers and try to locate them."
"Tanya, cancel the Aerowing and go with Canard."
Canard stepped out of the Migrator.
"You've got some explosive pucks, right?"
Tanya nodded.
X
Agent Belle sneered as Agent Stone was brought to her.
"Are you going to tell me what is going on?"
Stone just gave her a steady look.
"Take this filth away."
Klegghorn came up to her.
"I just got word from the Ducks. The money being collected was the target, as well as hostages for ransom. The Ducks are attempting to follow them as we speak."
"What? How many hostages?"
"The number is unknown. But one of them is from their team."
"Curses!"
X
"We got trouble," said Gene, as they were packing up their supplies to make their getaway.
"What is it?" asked Sawyer.
"Seems those Ducks are trying to play heroes. We got at least two entering the entrance. The other two seem to be heading down that way as well."
"Tell the team to stand ready to engage. And don't forget Lord Dragaunus will offer an award for any duck we take out… barring our hostage of course."
X
Grin and Duke paused as they reached a fork in the tunnels.
"Wing, Canard, we got a problem," Duke said. "Tunnels have been constructed here and we don't know which way to head."
"I'm uploading the map and Dive's position," said Tanya. "We won't have a map of the tunnel system, but it should give you a general direction of which way to go."
"Guys, be careful," added Wing. "We don't know how many people are involved, and when Dragaunus might show up."
"There are also a lot of cameras. They may already know we're here."
Canard's voice came in through next. "Tanya and I are going to try to cut them off using the sewer system itself. Assuming they are onto us, we two might be the only element of surprise left."
X
Sawyer's men gathered at the entrance.
"I've already alerted Hinks to the situation. Director, Arms, Smokey, and Mole are already at our rendezvous point, waiting for them. Hinks will be sending the hostages further up ahead while he and some of his men stay behind to ambush those ducks. I want you Brothers to stay here and wait for the other two ducks to come through and then follow. We'll go in and attack the first group from behind. Signal us so we know when to expect the others."
X
Nosedive felt apprehensive as he could hear the communications between Hinks and his boss. His brother and team mates were going to walk into a trap. He had to find a way to alert them. And then he got his break. Hinks and a couple others were going to stay behind, leaving him not as well guarded. Only Hinks had personally been in combat against him, so the others wouldn't know what to expect.
As Hinks spoke with the others, Nosedive leaned over and whispered to a few of the teens.
"I need you to do me a favor. When we move again, block me from both sides. I'm gonna get loose and as soon as I do, I need you guys to do what I say."
"What if they shoot us?" asked one of the teens.
"Trust me. I'll protect you guys. Just stay in front and behind me and form a wall."
"My family will sue if you end up getting us killed."
Nosedive bit back the urge to sigh.
"Well then if I get us killed I won't have to worry now, will I."
Hinks then spoke to the two that were remaining behind. "Make sure the duck remains alive. Otherwise Dragon man might eat you guys or something."
"Yeah, yeah."
Nosedive felt a cold sweat form, getting the confirmation of his worst fears. Dragon man could be no one other than Dragaunus. He had to get out before they reached the end of the path.
Hinks and his men began to move back from the direction they came from as the group of hostages was prodded on ahead. The teens moved closer together, forming a wall and blocking the gunmen's view of Nosedive.
Nosedive managed to free his wrist from his binds, and moving his hands upwards, he activated his battle suit.
"Down!" shouted Dive as he pulled out his puck blaster and shot at the one ahead while he used his shield to block the shots fired from the man behind. The teens had all ducked and scrambled to the sides of the tunnel as Dive knocked out one man and then turned the blaster on the other, knocking him out as well.
Dive shook his hand that held shield. "Whew, gotta remember to thank Tanya for the upgrades," he muttered.
"That was… wicked cool," said one of the kids as he stood up.
"Aren't the other guys gonna come back?" asked another one.
Dive nodded. "Most likely. Everyone get back."
Dive had everyone move to one side as he set his blaster's setting to an explosive puck. He looked around and noticed some condensation on the wall about six inches above him. He aimed at it and fired.
A hole formed and the group was hit with a blast of rancid smells as they were sprayed with foul smelling liquid.
Dive did his best not to gag unlike the others. "Guys, we're gonna have to get dirty."
"You want us to go into the sewer?"
"It's that or face those other guys."
"I hope my mom replaces my shoes."
Dive motioned for the teens to move closer as he began to help them up into the opening. He couldn't help but wonder how Dragaunus managed to build the tunnels alongside the sewer system without getting caught. It had to have taken some skill.
X
Wing and Mallory nodded to one another and made their way into the tunnel's entrance, the feathers on the back of their necks rising. They had arrived in time to hear Sawyer's plan and watched as the others hid to wait for them.
The two pulled back and had communicated with the others. Duke and Grin were already sandwiched between the two groups and Wing knew they would have to time it so that they ended up backing each other up instead of being ambushed.
Canard and Tanya were fast approaching the hostages according to their sensors. He could only hope that Canard would do his best to make sure Nosedive was unharmed.
Wildwing eyed the cameras warily.
He couldn't help but wonder who was watching. Was it Sawyer or some of his men? Or Dragaunus?
X
Dragaunus clenched his jaw when he saw Nosedive disappear from view. The blonde duck was resourceful; he had to admit that much. But he was close to being back in his grasp and he wasn't about to let the chance slip.
He whirled around, intent on heading over to retrieve the duck personally. As he walked out of the monitoring room, he encountered Wraith.
"My lord?" Wraith asked.
"Out of my way," growled Dragaunus, leaving behind a confused henchman.
X
Hinks swore as he stepped out into the sewer.
"Hinks," came Sawyer's voice over his radio. "You get back to your position and get ready to engage the others. We'll catch up to the hostages later, you hear me?"
"Sorry, boss man, but I have had it with that blonde brat! I just know he's responsible for this! I'm gonna find him and shoot his kneecaps!"
"Curse you, Hinks! The lizard man said minimum damage! Leave the kid alone and let's take care of the others first!"
"Minimum damage to me means as long as he's alive. The duck is mine!"
"Hinks! Hinks!"
Jarrod Hinks ripped off his earpiece and threw it to the ground. He no longer cared what the others wanted. The brat was a menace that needed to be taken down.
X
"Wing! Dive is moving fast. He must have broken free or something!"
"How far ahead?"
"I think on the other side of this wall about fifteen meters and moving."
"Is there place we can run into him?
"About forty meters ahead there's a tunnel that should intercept the tunnel he's using. If we're lucky, he'll turn into it and run into us. That or he'll continue ten more meters and go up one of the access ways."
"Let's go!"
X
Captain Klegghorn watched as Agent Belle ordered her remaining men to gather witnesses and get statements, all while taking calls from her men under fire. Klegghorn also took a couple calls letting him know that the SWAT team had arrived and the situation was slowly coming under control.
And then he got a message from Wildwing.
"We're getting ready to engage the enemy. Canard and Tanya are moving to intercept Nosedive and the hostages. It seems that they got away. I'm sending you the link to Dive's unit so you can see his location. They're travelling through the sewer system."
Klegghorn acknowledged Wildwing, a bit surprised to see him taking charge again.
He saw the blip appear on his communicator and began to step away.
"Where do you think you're going?" asked Agent Belle, giving him a hard look.
Klegghorn raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"I heard what was said. You are not going alone. I have no more men to spare so I'm coming with you."
"Okay," Klegghorn responded with a smirk. "Are you sure? Your dainty feet might get a tad bit dirty."
"I've got a crowbar in my car, Captain. Don't make me use it on something other than prying something open."
A woman of action, he thought. Perfect.
X
Dive kept glancing back to make sure none of the teens were left behind. "First ladder we find that leads upwards we go for it," he shouted.
"I think I see something!" shouted one girl, pointing ahead.
Dive stopped and motioned for the others to continue up ahead.
Two of the hostages were slowing down.
"Keep moving," Dive urged.
"We're not being followed," one of them said, gasping for air.
"Yeah. So we can take our time."
Nosedive gritted his teeth. "Never presume we're not being followed, man. That's how they get you."
The two groaned and continued trotting forward.
"This place reeks," they complained.
Nosedive rolled his eyes. He wondered if Wing would take it badly if he left all of them behind. Then he shook his head. Wing might forgive him, since he was on the overprotective kick. Canard on the other hand… No, either way he wasn't going to risk leaving anyone behind.
As he started moving forward, very familiar forms began to appear around them.
X
Duke glanced at Grin and nodded, finger poised over the shield button. Chances were very high that they would be ambushed with projectile weapons. But after tapping against the tunnel built, they realized that bullets would most likely ricochet off of the walls.
The shooters would be forced to stop using their weapons and rely on physical strength, assuming Duke and Grin didn't get caught in the crossfire.
They could also only hope that the information would be passed onto their teams so that Wing and Mallory didn't run into the same risk.
He could feel Grin tense up.
"Get ready," the quiet duck mumbled.
Duke turned on his saber and continued moving forward.
A moment later, they were met with a hail of bullets.
X
Wildwing glanced at Mallory, hearing the sound of gunfire up ahead. Mallory donned a gas mask as Wildwing shot out a smoking puck in both directions as he could make out the heat signatures of humans fast approaching as he scanned the tunnels.
X
The kids all screamed in fear as huge metal droids surrounded them.
"Run!" shouted Nosedive as he fired at one droid, creating an opening. He then turned and dove under another one, running in the opposite direction.
Droids meant Dragaunus, and that could only mean that he was interested in Dive. He highly doubted that the kids were worth anything and so he took his chance that the droids would follow him, leaving the kids alone.
The teens took the opportunity and scrambled over the fallen droid as the other machines turned and began to follow the duck.
X
Canard stopped as he noticed Dive's position suddenly change and begin to move fast.
"Something's wrong," he said to Tanya.
"Guys! I think Nosedive is on the run!"
"Busy here!" came Duke's voice.
"Track him!" Wing ordered.
X
Klegghorn looked down and saw that Nosedive was moving away from where he was standing.
"Let's just go in from here," said Agent Belle, inserting the crowbar she held under the manhole cover.
Both of them pushed down and opened it. They slid it to one side in time to see a terrified and dirty face of a teen peering up.
"We're saved!" he said, and they heard the excited cries of several more people.
"What happened to the duck?" Klegghorn asked, reaching for one of them.
"We don't know! These droids just attacked us and they went chasing after him!"
"That blonde duck is gonna be the end of me," Klegghorn muttered, as he got ready to relay the information to the others.
X
Nosedive shot at a couple more droids and continued running forward.
He moved his com unit up, ready to try getting in contact with his brother. A dark form moved in front of him, blocking his path.
Nosedive grunted as he crashed first into the figure, and then onto the floor.
"Going somewhere?" he heard a familiar voice ask.
Nosedive let out a gasp as he stared up at Lord Dragaunus.
Nosedive scrambled up and began to run back in the direction he had come from, just as the Saurian reached down to grab him.
"Stop or I'll shoot!" warned Dragaunus.
"Yeah, right," Nosedive shouted back, aiming his puck blaster over his shoulder and blindly firing two rounds.
Several more droids began to appear as he past them, and what he assumed was a stun blast grazed his shoulder. Nosedive could feel his arm go numb as he struggled to keep a hold of his blaster. As he passed a couple of sewer pipes, Dive decided to take his chances and go through one of them, hoping for better luck in another tunnel.
"Come back here!" he heard Dragaunus shout, as he somehow managed to scrambled into one and began running down it, wading through the ankle deep liquid that was gushing through it.
X
"If we cut through here we should come out into the tunnel Nosedive is in," said Tanya, pointing to one of the sewer pipes.
Canard gave a grim nod as he made his way to one of the pipes and hauled himself into it. He helped Tanya up as well and they began sloshing their way through it.
Canard's unit began to beep faster and he glanced down at it. "He's coming back this way at top speed," he commented.
Looking back up, he spotted a streak of white going past them. He got ready to call out for him when he heard Dragaunus's voice echoing with a "Come back here!"
Tanya and him glanced at one another and gave a quick nod as the both hurried forward to ambush ol' Lizard Lips.
X
Wildwing and Mallory attacked the ones that were supposed to attack them from behind. Although Mallory's sight was limited by the smoke, her breathing was not and she was able to see a bit better than the humans who were coughing and stumbling blindly. The smoke cleared faster than their lungs and between the two of them, they were able to make short work of the humans.
Doing their best to remain silent and not alert the humans to their positions, both Wildwing and Mallory took a flying leap and knocked out the first two with flying kicks. Mallory's military instincts kicked in and she grabbed the next person and threw him over her shoulder and into the wall. She could hear him grunt as Wildwing shot with his puck blaster, knocking the weapons out of the others' hands.
While a couple of the people were clearly not cut out for physical battle, a couple of them were and Mallory and Wildwing found themselves fighting up close.
Mallory was able to hold her ground, but Wildwing found himself having a bit of trouble. He couldn't help but feel that it was ironic… as a goalie he was able to block shots coming from a distance… but as a fighter he was having trouble keeping up with any punches and kicks coming his way.
The best he could do was to try to defend himself.
"Mallory!" he called out to her.
Mallory glanced over to him and saw his dilemma. "Be there in a moment!" she called back to him.
Mallory swept her last attacker off his feet with a low sweep. He hit the ground hard and didn't get back up, moaning.
Mallory then ran over to Wildwing and leapt into the air. Wildwing ducked and Mallory kicked out, catching Wildwing's opponent on the face.
Wildwing and Mallory panted, trying to catch their breaths.
"Ready?" he asked her, motioning ahead.
X
Duke was able to slice through a few of the guns with his sabers. Grin's size didn't keep the duck from moving fast and Grin was able to quietly move through the cluster of people, chopping at the back of their necks and pulling their weapons out of their hands. One smaller human managed to duck low enough to avoid contact, but Duke was right there to catch the guy.
Duke used his grappling gun's cable to tie up the gunmen. He sighed and wiped his forehead.
"Thought we weren't gonna make it for a moment there," he admitted.
Grin just gave him a small smile. "We were just better prepared."
X
Richard growled as he could hear the fighting going on in the two different directions. From the sounds of it, his people were losing and no matter which way he went, he would probably meet defeat as well.
"Boss?" asked one of the men.
Inwardly he couldn't help but curse Jarrod for being so foolish as to taking off for a stupid reason as revenge.
"I severely miscalculated," he said. "Call those waiting at the rendezvous and tell them to scatter. We'll take the other tunnel to the vacant lot and wait until it's clear before escaping."
"We're leaving the others behind?"
"For now. We'll get them back. We may have lost the hostages, but at least we've got the money."
X
Canard shot a puck towards Dragaunus.
As luck would have it, one of the dumb droids walked right into the path of the puck and went down, alerting Dragaunus to the attack from behind.
"Look out!" shouted Tanya, as she dodged to one side.
Dragaunus had reacted almost instantly, shooting his laser in the direction of the attack.
Canard hissed as the laser actually caught the top of his hand, causing him to drop his puck launcher.
Tanya shot back, giving Canard enough time to recover his weapon as Dragaunus dodged the puck. Diving to the ground, Canard fired several rounds as Dragaunus shouted for his droids to attack.
"To the left!" Canard shouted, noticing that one of the droids seemed to be in a blind spot for Tanya.
Although the droids were now forming a wall between them and Dragaunus, Canard could see the saurian glancing back to the direction Nosedive had run to, as if trying to make up his mind to fight or follow.
While Canard had faith that the kid could handle his own in a battle, he also knew that Nosedive probably wasn't emotionally ready to confront Dragaunus. He couldn't let him go after the young mallard.
Tanya kept glancing behind them. "Where the heck are his goons?" she asked.
Canard shook his head. "Either they're waiting for a moment to strike or they're fighting with one of the others."
"You may be winning this round," they suddenly heard Dragaunus say. "But next time may not be so easy."
Dragaunus's form wavered and then he disappeared as he teleported out of there. Canard and Tanya had to backpedal as a couple of the droids seemed to suddenly self destruct while others continued advancing forward to attack.
"Watch my back, Tanya," Canard commented as he changed direction and charged towards the oncoming droids.
Tanya took careful aim with her blaster.
X
Nosedive heard the echoing sounds of lasers and puck blasters as he ran from Dragaunus. He wanted to head back but his fear of meeting Dragaunus head on kept him from going back.
And from the sounds of it, only part of his team were fighting.
If he was able to get to the top and track the rest of his team mates, he'd be able to bring back up to whoever was currently fighting the saurian. Nosedive ducked back through one of the tunnels, leaning up against the side of the tube, arm still feeling numb.
He made his way and started back to where the kids were suppose to get out when he saw someone moving up ahead.
It was a human figure.
Nosedive squinted his eyes, trying to see better in the dark.
The figure began moving quickly towards him at the exact moment that Nosedive realized who it was.
"Oh, great!" he muttered to himself as he scrambled back into one of the pipes.
"Come back here, duckie boy!" he heard the disgruntled voice of Jarrod Hinks shout.
Nosedive tried to keep his balance going against the flow of the slimy water, refusing to shout out a reply to keep Hinks from guessing how far he was.
He was almost through when he glanced back and saw Hinks hoisting himself up.
"Oh, pucks," Nosedive grunted. He was the proverbial sitting duck. If Hinks fired his gun, there was not much room Dive had to dodge other than throwing himself into the actual sewer water, and that was something he was desperately trying to avoid.
He pushed forward, pocketing his blaster and fumbling with the controls on his wrist.
"Gotcha!" he heard Hinks yell, and he quickly turned around, activating his shield. The bullet ricocheted as Nosedive found himself stumbling back. Hinks pressed his back up against the side and lost his footing, sliding down into the murky water.
Nosedive took the chance to turn and run the rest of the distance, jumping out of the pipe as he heard Hinks yell after him. "I don't care anymore! You're dead!" Another gunshot rang out.
Up ahead, Nosedive could see that there was a ladder. He knew he only had seconds to reach it and start climbing before Hinks made it out of the pipe.
X
Klegghorn stopped. "He should be coming right about here," he said.
"Then let's get this open!"
Agent Belle and Captain Klegghorn knelt and moved the manhole cover, adrenaline giving them the strength they needed to left it high enough to slide it.
"I'll go first," said Klegghorn. He stepped onto the rung and began to quickly climb down the ladder. Agent Belle followed.
As they neared the bottom, they paused when they heard a gunshot and the sound of someone running. Klegghorn took a deep breath and he let himself drop the rest of the way.
Nosedive let out a startled yelp as Klegghorn landed right in front of him. The human then leapt forward and tackled Nosedive to the ground as another bullet shot rang out. A moment later, Agent Belle dropped down as well and fired her own gun in the direction the shot came from.
A pained yelp and a small splash let them know that at the very least, Hinks was now unarmed.
"Freeze!" Belle shouted. "I won't give anymore warnings, dirtbag!"
Nosedive looked at Klegghorn and then at Belle. "Uh, friend of yours?" he couldn't help but ask.
"Hardly," snorted Klegghorn.
X
"Dive!" Wildwing ran to hug his brother but stopped short. "Ugh!"
"Yeah, I know. Smelling really ripe here and in desperate need of a shower, dude."
"There is no way he's riding with us in the Migrator," said Mallory with a small laugh but a serious look on her face.
"Hey, I'm not the only one!" Dive pointed at Canard and Tanya, who at least looked better off than Nosedive.
"That's what the Duckcycles are for," commented Tanya.
"And I call driver's seat!" both Tanya and Canard called, not wanting to be the passenger.
"No fair!" cried out Dive. "Fine!"
Canard couldn't help but grin as he watched the team celebrate their reunion, showing their gratefulness that Nosedive was fine and congratulating Wildwing on managing the rescue.
Wing turned to look at him with a smug look.
Canard just gave him a small salute. He also made a decision that he knew could impact the team. But hopefully it would be for the better.
X
Klegghorn's men were loading up the captured gunmen into the police van. Hinks was cursing up a storm, shouting that he would get his revenge. According to witnesses and the Ducks, they didn't have everyone. It was going to be a long day of interrogations to see if the captured men would accept any deals in exchange for information on the men that got away.
Belle's men were gathering, having gotten the gunfight under control thanks to the Anaheim police team. Word was that several gang members were caught. There were no fatalities, but there were some injured from all sides. Ambulances were already on their way to hospitals to take care of them.
While his chief was calling him and demanding to know all information, Klegghorn could see that Agent Belle's director was most likely calling in. Judging by her face, he was not happy with something. Even though she was bossy and somewhat hard to work with, Klegghorn hoped her director wasn't completely blaming the loss of control on her. It really was an elaborate plan of diversion that the crooks cooked up.
Agent Belle snapped her phone shut as he finished up with his call.
Klegghorn couldn't help but wonder about the expression on her face.
"Anything wrong?" he asked.
Belle just gave him a bitter smile.
"Nothing to concern yourself with." She moved away from him. "Just make sure you keep an eye on those guys." She nodded to the Migrator that was pulling away. "Even though they're helpful, they're still civilians."
Klegghorn snorted. "I'll do my best, but it's easier said than done."
Belle smirked and then turned around and headed to her car.
Klegghorn couldn't help but wonder if he would get a chance to work with her again.
X
Wraith, Siege, and Chameleon watched as Dragaunus reappeared looking like he battled an army. Despite looking beaten, he had a look of victory on his face.
"Uh, boss?" Chameleon asked. "Are you okay?"
"Just fine," said Dragaunus as he made his way to the monitors. He pushed a series of buttons and an image of the battle Duke and Grin were involved in showed up. He may have lost his chance to nab Nosedive, and he may have only gotten four of the ducks' battle techniques recorded, but that was more than half the team. If he studied it long enough to exploit their weakness, the missing information would not matter.
X
Canard watched as his team members made their way into the Pond. They were joking and laughing, cheering each other on at a job well done.
He watched as Wildwing held Nosedive in a one armed embrace, looking happy and proud.
He couldn't help but smirk inwardly at the thought of how Nosedive would react after Canard told him how Wildwing had little faith of him.
But then again, Nosedive had been in trouble. Canard decided to keep the conversation they had earlier quiet. It looked like whatever rift had been occurring was suddenly mending on its own. And he did not want to be responsible to interrupt the healing process they seemed to be starting.
As they piled into the rec room of the Pond, sitting down on the couches in front of the giant screen, Canard made his way to the center and waited.
One by one the ducks noticed him standing there in silence and they began to quiet down.
"Canard?" asked Dive, feeling the sense of something serious before noticing how everyone had gone quiet.
"It's something that's been bothering me for a while now," Canard started off. "But I just didn't know what it was. I mean, back when I first selected you guys as the team, I chose most of you for your strengths. The others do to loyalty, and one as an extra, really. Sorry, Dive."
Nosedive waved his hand, signifying that it no longer bothered him.
"When I disappeared, I handed the mask over to Wildwing. He was no team captain, but he took the challenge and really did wonders with you guys. And I've been realizing how my return really changed some of those dynamics, and I want to apologize."
"Uh, sir?" asked Mallory.
Canard shook his head. "Let me get this out. Today I handed the mask back to Wildwing because he was being stubborn. And considering how long we've been working together, you guys were able to switch gears and follow him without question, and you guys did great. It made me realize that I had no right to step in as captain since I gave up that position long ago. You guys saw Wing as your captain and had a bit of trouble adjusting to accepting me back as one. So I want to fix that."
Canard handed the mask over to Wing. "As of now, I'm resigning as team captain."
"Canard," murmured Wildwing, dumbfounded as he held onto the mask.
Canard gave him a small smile. "Uh, no need to say anything. I'm heading out for a bit. Wing, you're in charge now."
Canard stepped away, leaving behind his team who were all stunned into silence. But they all felt a bit disturbed at Canard's parting words. They were too eerily similar to what they thought were his last words when he went missing.
In the Next Episode of Mighty Ducks:
Klegghorn rubbed his ear several seconds after his ex hung up on him. He then rubbed his face and sighed, already feeling exhausted for the day.
"What more can be thrown at me?" he asked to no one in particular.
His phone rang again.
"Captain Klegghorn," he responded.
"Captain! Just got a phoned threat in about a bomb at The Pond!"
Klegghorn felt his eye twitch. "It was a rhetorical question," he muttered.
X
"Are you trying to make my day worse?" Klegghorn asked Canard through the communicator as he stared at the dozen of patrol cars parked in front of a small shop.
"I'm sorry?" responded the duck, keeping his voice low while sounding utterly confused.
"All your bird buddies are trapped in the Pond which is currently being searched and you find yourself in an armed hostage situation. Why couldn't you all be together or partnered up with someone like you normally are?"
X
"There is no way you can hold us responsible for this," Canard and Wildwing both said as they pressed up against the wall.
Klegghorn glared at them as Grin motioned for several people to run past him into the emergency stairwells. "Oh yes I can," he growled as the grey mallard disappeared, being the escort for the civilians.