Chapter 11

The Stakes Rise

As the newly risen sun settled over Pond, Duke left his bunk, massaging his neck with a groan. Attempts to sleep only proved to be an exhausting struggle. He moved slowly down the passage to the galley and found some coffee waiting. After drinking half a mug, Duke took the rest with him and met up with Wildwing and Tanya standing by Drake One.

"Found anything?" he asked, still sounding tired.

"No, but Tanya's had an idea."

"Well, I think I can make a scanner based on our DNA signatures that is programmed to search for ducks. It'll only have a limited range, but we can drive around with it in the Migrator and look for our missing passengers from the transport."

"'Kay, that sounds pretty good," Duke agreed. "How soon can we use it?"

"I've got a few more things to do in my lab to get it working, but we should be able to take it out in a couple of hours."

She walked off down the hall to return to her work. And Wildwing put his hand on Duke's shoulder.

"You want to try to get some more rest?"

Duke shook his head and held up his coffee.

"Me and sleep haven't been gettin' on so well lately."

Their coms beeped, and Wildwing patched the message through on Drake One as Nosedive and Mallory walked into the room.

"The manager of the Green Palm Hotel would like to know when he can start charging for rooms again," Captain Klegghorn said angrily as his voice was transmitted over their supercomputer. "Right now, all of their staff have been giving free services to these aliens that destroyed part of our city!"

Wildwing sighed.

"It wasn't their fault. And just where are they supposed to go?"

"I don't know, but they can't live in that hotel forever. Aren't you supposed to be finding a way to send them home?"

"We don't even how to get ourselves home," Mallory protested. "Dragaunus is the one with the dimensional gateway generator. Why don't you ask him?"

Captain Klegghorn huffed.

"Don't think I wouldn't if I could find him."

"We'll go and check on our guests at the hotel," Wildwing said. "But that's all I can promise right now. It's not like we can move them into the Pond. There's not enough room."

"Well, if you can't figure out another solution, you'd better start cleaning out storage space and make room!"

The communication ended, and the ducks groaned. Wildwing glanced at his teammates.

"Tanya's busy for a few hours. And I think Grin's meditating. You three up for going out to the hotel with me?"

"Sure," Duke sighed. "It's better than sitting around here."


Four duckcycles pulled up to the Green Palm Hotel, but as the ducks approached, they noticed that the alien transport ship had been moved to the parking lot. It looked like a lot of progress had been made with the repairs.

When Wildwing walked up to the doors of the hotel, Narot, one of the crew of the ship, came out to greet the ducks. The captain of the transport also stepped outside.

"You've come a long way from that wreck we found," Wildwing said, gesturing to the ship.

"Yes, it's just about fixed. And we want to thank you for helping us, but now that the ship is mostly repaired, we're going to be taking off soon," the captain said.

"Taking off?" Mallory repeated. "But this isn't even the right dimension."

"No, but there are other planets in this dimension with intelligent life," Narot said. "One of them might have a way for us to get back, even if this one doesn't."

"Dragaunus has a way," Wildwing said.

"This battle with a Saurian overlord is your business," the captain replied. "Not ours. And you've already done enough for us."

"And we get the sense that hoo-mins wants us to leave," Narot added.

"It just takes them time to get used to strangers from other worlds," Duke said. "Don't take it personally."

"We're not," the captain assured them with a smile. "We understand the trouble we've caused. And we're eager to leave now that the ship is repaired. I am hopeful about what we'll find when we return to space."

Wildwing nodded.

"If you're sure. But if things don't work out, then come back to Earth."

"Hey, why don't you come with us?" Narot asked. "You don't have to be stuck here."

Wildwing glanced at his teammates, but they all seemed to share his decision.

"Thank you, but we've learned how important it is for us to finish our mission. Dragaunus will continue to be a threat unless we're here to stand against him."

Nosedive and Mallory nodded, and Duke stood in silence with his own thoughts.

"We will be missing a passenger though it seems," the captain said. "We've not seen that strange drake since the crash. And he's never appeared to you either?"

"No," Wildwing sighed. "But if you see any ducks… any at all, near the ship, you will contact us?"

He gave the captain a spare communicator.

"Of course. And thank you again, Mighty Ducks."

They said farewell to the two blue Gorbucs before returning to their duckcycles. Their coms beeped, and Tanya appeared when Mallory activated hers.

"Hey guys, I'm almost ready here. Grin's helping me attach the scanner to the Migrator. And then we're ready to go."

"Go where?" Mallory asked.

"Tanya has a way for us to search for our missing ducks," Wildwing explained.

"Cool! But hey, can we grab some lunch first?" Nosedive said putting his hand to his stomach.

"You can take your duckcycle and do that," Wildwing said. "The rest of us will go back to the Pond, and we can pick you up when we leave."

"Oh no," Mallory protested. "There's no way I'm leaving Nosedive in charge of selecting my food. I'd better go with him or some of us will be spending the night on the toilet. You can't have forgotten those greasy tacos he picked up from that junky gas station."

Wildwing's eyes widened, and Duke put his hand to his beak.

"So I made a mistake one time!" Nosedive protested.

Mallory let out a scornful laugh as she climbed on her own duckcycle.

"One time? Don't get me started on your bad choices when it comes to food."

They rode off as Wildwing and Duke started back to the Pond.

"You really think we've got a chance of finding her this way?" Duke asked as they sped down the street.

"It's the best idea we've had yet," Wildwing answered. "Let's see what happens."


But after a few hours of driving around Anaheim and scanning the city, the ducks had still not come up with any sign of Gwendolyn Fairfeather or the other duck. It was then that Grin suggested they search outside the city. "If she has run out of food, perhaps we should consider where hunger would drive her." Tanya found some land outside of Anaheim with orchards around the Santa Ana River, and they decided to head that direction.

Mallory turned her seat around and glanced at Duke. His weary gaze stared out the window, not seeming to look at anything in particular. His right hand held the chain of the Fairfeather locket, which dangled in the air.

Tanya began checking some readings on her omnitool before she said, "I've got something. It's faint, but it's definitely a reading."

"Where?" Wildwing asked.

"Pull over here. We'll have to go into the orchard on foot," she said.

Duke was the first one off the Migrator, but Tanya had to help direct him. Mallory and Wildwing followed, leaving Grin and Nosedive with the Migrator. Once he understood where he was going, Duke rushed ahead of Tanya. And dodging around trees, he finally came to a glade with a small pond.

He halted and drew in a heavy breath as the other ducks arrived. At Duke's feet was a single feather in the grass. Wildwing scanned the area with the Mask, but there were no ducks here now.

Duke bent down and picked up the feather. Its color was a brilliant kind of white.

"Is it hers?" Mallory asked.

"Right color," Duke answered as he stood back up. "Her family didn't the name Fairfeather for nothin'."

"We're going the right direction then," Wildwing said. "Let's get back to the Migrator and keep going." Then he pointed to some apple cores on the ground. "At least we know she's had something to eat."

Duke started to go, but then he hesitated, and the other ducks stopped too. He walked over to an edge of the pond where the grass gave way to mud. One clear boot mark could be seen in the mud, and some of the grass had been trampled. Crouching down, Duke traced the print.

"What is it?" Mallory asked.

"Gwen's feet aren't this big," Duke said, seeming more agitated. "This is someone else."

"Our missing drake," Wildwing suggested.

Duke rose and clenched his fist.

"Come on," Tanya urged. "We should keep driving east. She's been staying close to the Santa Ana River."

They returned to the Migrator and continued to drive east as Tanya focused on the readings of her scanner. As they approached a hydroelectric power plant on the Santa Ana River, a different alert began sounding from the Migrator's controls.

"Is that the scanner?" Duke asked.

"No," Tanya said, lowering her omnitool. "This is an alert from Drake One. There's a strange surge of power just outside this plant."

Wildwing turned the Migrator towards the source of the surge, and as the ducks reached the hydroelectric power plant, they all filed out of the Migrator to get a closer look.

"Why is there a nail salon next to this plant?" Mallory asked, pointing to an odd-looking building.

Wildwing activated the Mask.

"Because it's the Raptor."

Just as he spoke, the cloaking mechanism on the Raptor ceased, and the Saurian ship was revealed with a strange addition near its base. Some panels suddenly opened up, and a wave of energy burst out towards the ducks.

The team were knocked off their feet as a powerful burst of heat seemed to almost take their breath away. The Saurians teleported into view, and Dragaunus laughed as he stepped forward.

"At last, the time has come when I will crush you pests! And this planet will fall before me!"

Wildwing gripped the ground as he got up on his knees and struggled closer to Tanya.

"What… what is this?" he asked.

"Saurians are cold-blooded like snakes," Tanya said, struggling to sit up on her knees. "But we're warm-blooded. This heat is weakening us, slowing us down. But it's just the kind of temperature a Saurian would enjoy."

Dragaunus gloated over them as smoke rose from his nostrils.

"You and those pathetic humans will all bow before me with my new heat-generator. This is only a taste of what is to come. Once it's finished, I'll bring this whole world to its knees. But for now, testing it upon you is enough."

Wraith walked forward with his staff and a grin.

"No more hockey…no more ice. Just fire and heat."

Siege and Chameleon also came closer.

"Can we pound some duckies now, boss?" Chameleon asked gleefully.

"Teach them their place beneath our claws," Dragaunus growled. "But leave some survivors. Let's not make this too quick for these miserable rebels."

Chameleon had turned around to face Lord Dragaunus, but now he backed up and pointed towards the Raptor.

"What about that one, boss? When did we get more than six ducks?"

Duke forced his head up as he crawled to one side of his teammates. A light-colored figure was climbing up the side of the Raptor, behind the heat panels facing the ducks. He caught sight of golden blonde hair as the figure leapt from a ledge on the Raptor with a metal rod in its hands.

Dragaunus roared and cried out in protest as the stranger thrust the rod down into the core of the device just behind the panels. The rod pierced the device sending bolts of electricity into the air, and Duke lost sight of Gwendolyn as an explosion blew the panels apart. And smoke poured out into the air.

But the intense, paralyzing heat ceased, and Duke found himself able to rise and start to run into the smoke. He heard sounds of his teammates engaging the Saurians as they regained their strength.

The smoke became so thick that Duke had trouble figuring out which direction he was headed or seeing what was ahead. But he could hear the sound of churning water as he drew closer to the river and the hydropower plant.

"Gwen! Where are you?" he called, trying to wave the smoke away.

A bright light cut through the smoke and struck Duke's arm. With a cry, he stumbled and grabbed his arm. A dark shape appeared on a platform above the smoke, revealing a disheveled drake with dark hair and yellow feathers carrying a blaster.

Although he recognized the drake at once, it took Duke a moment to speak the name of this duck who seemed so out of place in his ragged, filthy clothes.

"Royce?"

"When I learned you were on this miserable planet, I knew you would come for her," the drake said as he watched Duke with a cold gaze filled with loathing and fury. "And just when I thought we were rid of you at last."

Duke slowly rose to his feet, taking his saber in one hand. But Royce had the better position. He was standing upon a metal platform near the water. He held his blaster ready with the advantage of the high ground. Duke's gaze swept out to the smoke before he faced Royce again.

"Look, none of this matters right now. I have to find Gwen. She could be hurt!"

"She's not your concern! You pathetic gutter fowl, how could she ever belong to you?! I blamed her at first for my ruin, but you had a share in that too."

Royce tightened his grip on the blaster.

"What do I care if you both die?"

But as he prepared to fire, another shape appeared out of the smoke and seized him. The shot went wide of its target, and Duke started to run towards the platform.

Gwendolyn struggled with Royce for the blaster, but he managed to get one of his hands on her throat. Yet, despite his attempts to throttle her, Gwendolyn was holding onto him with desperate strength.

Just as Duke reached the steps to the platform, he heard Royce cry out as they fell over the side and into the water.

"No!" Duke cried as he leapt up the steps and leaned over the edge. "Gwen!"

His frantic gaze searched the churning water below. And seeing a ledge beneath the platform that was closer to the water, he climbed down and continued to search for any sign of her.

Duke caught sight of a rope attached to one of the railings that was being pulled taunt in the water. Despite the pain in his wounded arm, he seized it and began to draw it towards him.

Gwendolyn's beak and head surfaced as she gasped for air while holding onto the rope. But the force of the water kept trying to sweep her away, and Duke feared she would lose her grip before he could pull her out.

Suddenly, Royce also appeared, still holding onto Gwen with a look of determination and rage. Duke kept pulling, but watched in amazement as Royce appeared to be trying to drag Gwen from the line.

"You can never be his!" Royce shouted. "You belong to me!"

Gwendolyn kept her focus on clinging to the rope as she tried to catch her breath.

"This is madness, Royce!" Duke called. "No one has to die!"

But even as Duke pulled the rope in, trying to draw Gwendolyn closer to safety, Royce clearly kept trying to sabotage her chance at survival. Duke held onto the rope and leaned over the water, reaching a hand out to Gwen.

Royce drew her back, preventing Gwen from taking Duke's hand, and Duke felt a terrible stab of fear that he would lose her. But there was a noise overhead, and a then puck slammed into Royce, knocking him back into the water. Duke stretched out and caught Gwen's hand with a final desperate effort.

But his balance started to slip, even as he held onto the rope, and Duke felt the force of the water on Gwen pulling him off the ledge. His wounded arm on the rope might not be able to sustain them.

Then a strong grip caught his legs and drew him back onto the ledge. Duke devoted all of his focus to holding onto Gwendolyn. And finally, the water had to release its grip her as she was drawn out.

Duke clasped her wet form to him with the metal ledge beneath them. And to his relief, he felt her eagerly cling to him. But remembering that someone else had helped to save them, Duke turned to look behind him and gave a weary laugh.

"Thank you, Grin."

The big duck nodded with a smile, but then he turned his gaze to the platform above them. Duke looked even higher and saw Mallory holding a puck cannon. She gave a nod to them. And Duke shot her a grateful look.

Turning back to Gwendolyn, he felt her shiver in his arms, and Duke brushed her wet hair from her face.

"Hang on, sweetheart. We'll get you warmed up."

"Thank you, Duke," she said softly, still catching her breath. "I thought about letting go, but I could see that you didn't want me to."

"Course I didn't want you to," Duke said in surprise. "Gwen, I've been losin' feathers to find you."

He held her closer despite how cold and wet she was. Gwen nestled her beak near his neck.

"I thought you might not have forgiven me."

Duke started to speak, but the rest of his teammates arrived overhead and cast a line down to them.

"You three okay?" Wildwing asked.

Duke called up an affirmative as Grin helped the weary and wet couple to their feet. Duke wrapped the line around Gwendolyn and gestured to Wildwing. Gwendolyn kept her eyes on Duke until she was drawn onto the platform. Duke climbed up next, and then Grin came up last.

"What about Dragaunus?" Duke asked.

"Teleported with his goons and took off in the Raptor," Tanya scoffed.

"Yeah, he wasn't so tough with his new toy broken," Nosedive jeered. "So is this your lady, Dukester?"

Mallory jabbed him with her elbow.

"Ow, hey!"

"Guys, this is Gwendolyn Fairfeather," Duke said, sounding more than a little pleased at introducing her.

Wildwing bowed his head to her, but Gwendolyn raised her hand and shook her head.

"I'm not an heiress anymore … as you can surely see."

Her bedraggled appearance was not very impressive, but her voice still had the polish and tone of one of Puckworld's elite.

"We'll take you back to our headquarters for some rest," Wildwing said as he led the way back to the Migrator.

Gwendolyn thanked them. As she followed them, Duke's hand slipped down beside hers, and Gwendolyn put her hand in his, and he clasped it. Her gaze met his, and Duke sensed that she wished to speak to him, but she also appeared exhausted.

As they approached the Migrator, a police car with its lights and sirens drove up to them, and Gwendolyn tensed.

"Easy, it's just Klegghorn," Duke said softly. "He's a bit loud, but he's a friend."

The diminutive captain stepped out of his car, slamming the door behind him.

"As you can imagine, I am less than surprised to find you at the scene of an unusual disturbance. Don't tell me we've got any more ships headed our way."

"No, Captain. Dragaunus tried a new weapon on us tonight, but it's been disarmed. He's gone back into hiding."

Klegghorn scoffed.

"You gonna actually catch those lizards some day?"

"Oh, thanks, cappie. Just smash our win into another loss why don't you?" Nosedive answered.

"Well, maybe I do owe you some thanks," Klegghorn said. "Those aliens took off just a few hours ago. I won't pretend that I'm sorry to see 'em leave my city."

"But if we were to leave, you'd miss us, right Captain?" Duke said with a smile.

Captain Klegghorn suddenly noticed the stranger beside him.

"Oh so, you finally found her. I thought maybe the new ducks might have left with the others."

"No, she's staying with us," Wildwing said.

"Can you handle sharing Anaheim with seven of us now?" Tanya asked with a sarcastic tone.

Klegghorn opened his car door and climbed back in as he said,

"So long as you don't forget who represents the law around here."

But he smiled good-naturedly as he drove off.

Gwendolyn leaned on Duke as her balance wavered a bit. He put his arm around her for support.

"Hey Nosedive, we're gonna need some of those snacks you've got stored in the Migrator. And don't pretend you don't know what I'm talkin' about."

"All right," Nosedive conceded as he entered the Migrator and retrieved some from his stash. "But just this once."

Duke helped her to a seat before accepting a few things from Nosedive. As he offered them to Gwen, he said.

"We can talk back at our headquarters."

She nodded. Duke turned to take a seat, but Wildwing drew him aside for a moment.

"Who was the other drake? Mallory said he tried to drown our guest."

Duke sighed.

"Royce Downing. Rich duck that lost his head when things went bad for him. I'm just glad you guys were there to help me keep him from taking her down with him."

"Her and you, I caught a glimpse of what was happening before Grin grabbed your legs. I thought we might lose you both."

Meeting Wildwing's gaze, Duke quietly responded,

"I was gonna do whatever it took to hold onto her this time."

Wildwing nodded as they took their seats. Tanya pulled out a blanket and set it over Gwendolyn's shoulders.

"Let's get back to the Pond, Dive," Wildwing said as he sat down at the wheel with his brother in the seat to his right.

More coming soon! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!