Hi everyone!

I hope everyone is okay, sorry to have disappeared again, this whole applying to university is stressing me out, while doing twenty hours of overtime a week and moving from China back to Scotland has killed me a little.

Hopefully, I can be a little regular, but I'm not sure.

TFG

Chapter Six

The Central Hub didn't take that long to get up and running as a major Resistance Base, now that it was under real leadership. Baucane got everyone working together quickly, telling everyone to leave past prejudices or issues outside on the surface. He told them all that they needed to work together to defeat the invading forces. If not, then there might not be a world left to defend.

"Where do you think you're going?" Baucane asked the day after they ominous message from the Saurians.

"Topside, to gather information," Ella responded as she pulled on her gloves and adjusted her equipment laden belt. She was wearing her jumpsuit again, that had been repaired overnight. The suit once again fitting her like a second skin, showing every curve she had. She had also tied her usually free-flowing mane up in a high pony tail. It was a look that caused every duck who knew her to do a double-take. She definitely did not look like the hen they were used to seeing.

"You're not going alone," Baucane said firmly. Since he had found out that this girl was a once notorious thief who had stolen the Mallar Emerald he had been trying to figure out what to do with her. He realised that her expertise might be of some use fighting aliens, but he had no idea how to utilise it. And he didn't want to let the General know that he had someone like her in the base, in case it appeared to pose a security risk. He might not be that comfortable with her yet, but he felt like he owed it to both Soarin, and his son, Wildwing, to make sure this girl was safe.

"I'll go with her," Cal said as he fastened his holster across his chest. He was dressed in the military fatigues that he had been provided with, which were a dull blue and grey colour. He also grabbed a military belt that held another side-arm, as well as pouches full of useful equipment.

This idea did not go over well with Baucane though. He didn't like the thought of his best police officer going out there without back-up. As he didn't want to lose someone that he knew that he was going to be depending on so heavily.

In the end Baucane agreed to let the team of two go out. But, he also made a few more teams go out as well. Each was to go in pairs and travel in one direction. They were to take photos, search for survivors or any information that might be useful. They were, under no circumstances, to engage the enemy. This was going to be a purely reconnaissance mission.

All of the military drakes volunteered to go up, as well as Wayne and Tackle, they all seemed to be getting as claustrophobic as Ella, being stuck underground and not know what was going on. But, if they all went up it would leave the base shorthanded on combat trained ducks, should they ever be attacked. Abacot then stepped in and started to organise the small squads. He also grabbed a few of the other staff members of the Hub, since this was an information gathering mission and not a combat mission. The teams would be greatly helped by having ducks who knew how to get into electrical systems, or understood how different alloys or chemicals worked, or understood some of what they were going to be seeing.

The older law drake gave each of the teams their assignments and directions. He then organised them with Lex, who had become the communications expert in the base. They were now working with some repurposed radios that ran through a coded system. It would be a private channel that was passcode protected with a twelve-digit code. It was the safest form of communication that Lex had managed to find in the base. But only had a five-mile range, and Lex didn't want to ramp up the system in case it was intercepted.

Each of the team had to exit through a different tunnel, so as not to arouse suspicion. They were also to stagger their exits in case they were being watched. And, surprising, no one complained about any of these measures or restrictions. The terrifying sights and broadcasts from yesterday were obviously still playing on their minds, giving them complete clarity to how dangerous the situation truly was and what the stakes were. If they did something wrong, they would die, plain and simple.

The teams of two rode up in the elevators together in silence. This was the first time some of them had been up to the surface since the attack happened and they were not eager to see what the invading forces had done to their once beautiful city. The photos that were still being shown across the screens in the command room. Some of the ducks were trying to gather as much information from them, while others were just desperate for them to be taken down.

When they got up to the tunnel through the heavy metal doorway, the groups of twos stayed close together until they came to different forks in the tunnel. With each fork the groups split, until they were left in their teams of two.

"You know you really shouldn't be heading out in your condition," Cal said after they had been walking in silence for ten minutes.

"You know I really need to be heading out," Ella replied without looking at the older drake.

"Ella, what if something happened to you? How would I be able to look Wildwing, or Magda in the eye again, knowing that I had let you walk into danger? Knowing that I let something happen to the, to the, the, well, you know, the baby?" Cal said, grabbing hold of Ella and making her stop and look at him.

"I know, but do we really have the luxury of letting me stay safe in the base? If I can help, I should be helping, and you know that's the truth Cal. We can't afford to let anyone who could be of any use sit back idly, not if we want our planet back. Not if I ever want to see, to see Wildwing again," Ella said with a sad sigh, looking down, as if she feared that saying anymore would cause the worst to happen.

He didn't want to admit that she was right. All that he had been thinking about since the first hit yesterday, was how his son was in one of the military bases that had likely been hit first, while Wildwing and Nosedive were together in another part of the city. So, all Cal did was nod and let go of Ella's arm. They continued the rest of the way down the tunnel in silence.

The two ducks came to their exit pretty quickly. It was a hatch that would open up onto one of the subway tracks. One of the technicians had assured them that the subway trains had all stopped running, since they were the ones who controlled them. The hatch was easy to open and Cal held it open to allow Ella to walk through. After checking it was safe.

The tunnel was a mess. Like something from a nightmare. There were bodies blown apart and strewn over the tunnel, which had been one of the busiest commuter changeovers, where two subway lines met. And, with the attack happening so early in the morning, the place would have been filled with ducks just going to work. There was blood splattered across the walls, like some horrid mural, while some of the walls were just crumbling.

The worst they saw though, was the arms and hands that jutted out from under the rubble. They could see deep scratch marks in the concrete, showing that the people had still been alive when they were buried. They had obviously tried to claw their way out, but had succumbed before they could.

The two ducks stood in shock at the sheer level of death and destruction before them. They had almost convinced themselves that it wasn't going to be as bad as it was. And they were only just in the subway tunnel. They dreaded what they would see once they got up to the surface.

As the two ducks walked up the subway tunnel they took note of what they saw, so they could report it back to Baucane. The subway train was off its tracks, looking like it had been blown off the track. They followed the twisted metal around the corner, trying to ignore the blood stains on the brick walls. Once they had gotten to the platform Cal climbed up, then pulled Ella up after him.

The platform was just as bad, if not worse.

There were laser burns all over the platform walls. As well as several bodies lying dead on the ground. It seemed that many people had had the same idea as they had the day before. They had all rushed down into the subway station, out of the line of fire of the invading ships, hoping to find safety underground. The invaders had obviously anticipated this and sent the killer robots down there as well.

But for the amount of destruction and blood around there should be more bodies. There were a few destroyed droids here and there. And pieces of other machines that were a whole lot bigger than the robots that attacked them yesterday.

"How bad do you think it'll be?" Ella asked, placing her hand on her stomach again. Subconsciously protecting her baby from all that could harm them.

The unconscious action caused Cal to smile warmly, despite the circumstances. If the world hadn't ended it would have been the sweetest thing, the undying love a mother already had for her own child. He wanted to say something, to make the girl feel better, but he had no words. Instead he just shrugged his shoulders and urged them to push forward.

The two cautiously made their way up the stairs towards the subway stations exit. There were bodies there too, where they had been shot and just fallen on the spot. They kept on taking photos and calling in what they were seeing. They felt that these images, disturbing as they were, were something that the ducks in the base needed to see.

Once they reached the surface they were both too shocked to move. The once beautiful, modern downtown metropolis of Central City was completely in ruins.

The buildings had been hit hard. Most of them were tumbling down, pieces of concrete and steel exposed or lying on the streets below. The roads were blocked with blasted cars, some that were still smouldering from the fires. There was an overturned bus just a few minutes from where they were standing.

"They really got us, didn't they," Cal said, not really asking a question or expecting an answer. It took all of his power of self-restraint not to suddenly break down right in the middle of the destroyed street. All he could think about was Canard. He had gone to talk to someone about entering the Special Forces after college, but it looked like there would not be a future to think of now.

It was Ella's turn to shrug and urge Cal to move forward. They still had a job to do. Which was trying to find out where the three million residents of Central City had disappeared to. So far all they had both seen were bodies, lying mangled on the streets. But there definitely weren't enough bodies to account for everyone who should be in that city. And the broadcast yesterday had said something about enslavement. Did that mean that the people had been taken somewhere, or maybe some were forced to stay inside and hide, hoping to avoid detection?

The two ducks took some deep, calming breaths before they turned left and continued on their way. They had been told to head back towards the police station that they had escaped from yesterday. One of the major government buildings of their city was right next to the police station. That was their primary destination. They had been told to check other important buildings along the way, and to keep an eye out for survivors. But both couldn't but think that it would be a complete waste of time. There was no way they would be able to find anyone, either in the government building or anywhere else.

The two kept pretty low, and kept tight to the buildings. They couldn't chance being out entirely in the open. Luckily, there was a lot of debris to hide behind and shadows everywhere as even the sun didn't dare peek out.

"Do, do you think they made it out alright?" Ella asked rather quietly and uncertainly. Ever flash of white or yellow feathers had caused her heart to stop and her breath to quicken. Looking down though, she didn't know if she was relieved or not to see that the dead ducks on the street weren't her boyfriend or his brother.

"Don't do that. You can't do that. It'll drive you nuts. Canard is resourceful, Wildwing is resilient, and no one should ever underestimate Nosedive. They're going to be fine," Cal said firmly, grabbing hold of the girl's shoulder. He may have lots of evidence to the contrary in front of him, but right now they both needed to hear those words.

He watched as she nodded, the words sinking in so that she could believe them. Cal opened his arms up and allowed Ella to lean into his embrace so that she could cry. She needed that moment to break down so that she could be stronger for what they were about to do next.

The tears were gone in less than a minute and the two continued on their way, towards the police and government buildings.

They kept pretty close to each other, and kept each other in sight at all times. The two ducks didn't know if there were still robots around looking to pick off anyone who was out on the street. They checked in most of the buildings they past, calling out just loud enough to be heard.

After checking twelve buildings and only finding eleven terrified ducks, four of which were children who had hidden alone and three more were senior citizens crouching in tiny spaces. Their parents or guardians nowhere to be seen. Both Cal and Ella decided to press on towards the station. Looking in the buildings were depressing them too much. And now they had several new ducks to keep track of. The senior citizens took charge of the children quickly though, as Magda did yesterday with the injured and upset ducks. It seemed that having a job to fulfil were giving them the strength to keep moving.

Once they arrived at the completely obliterated government building and police station they all stopped and took stock of what they now found themselves in.

"How did we even get out?" Ella asked to no one in particular.

It was amazing how bad all the buildings on the streets looked. They were now in the heart of the business district of the city. What should have been a bustling hub of activity was now a desolate waste. These buildings were hit worse than the others that they had seen. It was like they had been specifically targeted by the invaders. And they probably had.

The government building contained everyone who ran the city, and some who helped to run the district of Mallar, as Central City, as the name implied, was the central city for the area. It was where everything important was happening and was located. Thus, with its destruction, it would throw this area into chaos. There was also the huge probability that every government building, in every major city, in every district had suffered a very similar fate yesterday.

Cal instructed the youngest members of their group to stay put, while he directed the older ones to help him search the rubble. Ella was still taking photos and communicating with Lex. She was the best person for it as she noticed a lot of things that other ducks wouldn't take stock of.

Most of the building was completely destroyed. There was a huge hole that took down the front of the building, exposing all the floors of the six-floor building. There was no point in going higher in the building, as the entire top three floors had been burned to a crisp by an unchecked fire.

It was slow going, trying to look for survivors. The group had to move the larger pieces of rubble carefully, so as not to bring down the rest of the building. One of the older ducks managed to find one of the computer terminals that had been a secretary's desk. This allowed Ella to hack into their system to get as much information as she could from the destroyed building.

Every once in a while, one of the ducks would yell out, positive that they had found another survivor. The rest of the group would rush forward to help uncover the trapped duck. But each time they were faced with another body that had either been killed by the attack or crushed trying to escape. And every so often they were met with a body they had once been someone that they had known.

There was one of the public defenders who had been there to work on a plea bargain who Cal had only spoken to the day before. There were a few reporters who would often come to the station between meetings at the government building, looking for hot exclusives.

And there was the wife of Officer Crosscut, who was one of the secretaries in that building. That was the reason why Cal had volunteered to take that area. He had seen a lot of death and destruction, and knew that he could handle seeing the death in that area more than the young officers.

"How are we going to tell him?" Ella asked, covering up the young, pretty duck with a coat that had been hung close by.

"Honestly, I have no idea," Cal answered after observing a moments silence for the departed duck.

"At least he now knows where she is. That's more than some of us are going to have for a while," Ella commented with a sad sigh.

"Hey, we'll find him, don't worry too much. It's bad for the baby, and you want to be able to give Wildwing a nice heart attack when you find him," Cal answered with a mock whisper, causing Ella to burst out in laughter.

"We shouldn't be laughing. It's disrespectful. With everything around us, why are we laughing?" Ella said, with tears in her eyes from both laughter and distress.

"With everything going on around us, we need a laugh more than ever. Come on, we better get back soon, we need to get these guys checked out. Especially the children and elderly, they look like they've gone through the seven circles of the underworld," Cal said, wiping away the tears in his eyes.

The group left the scene, after they had covered most of the bodies as respectfully as they could, suing some of the rubble and discarded clothes to make shrouds and covered graves. Each of the ducks were upset that they couldn't give any of those poor souls a real burial. But there was no way that they could have done more.

Cal led the group through a different path to the subway station than the way they came. He had two reasons for this. The first was to try and find as many survivors as possible by walking a bigger grid. The second was in case they had been spotted on their way to the government buildings. This way they could try and throw off anything that was following them.

"Hey, do you hear that?" asked one of the drakes that had been found hiding in one of the destroyed buildings. There small group of survivors was now up to fifteen ducks that were all mobile, if a terrified.

The group stopped and listened carefully. The sound was faint, but it definitely sounded like talking. A lot of talking.

"Right, stay here and take cover. Don't move until you hear us coming back and calling for you. Big Guy, you're in charge. Keep everyone out of sight," Cal said to one of the drakes dressed in a ruined security guard uniform. He then signalled Ella to follow him, but she was already halfway up the road, keeping to the shadows.

It was impressive how quickly she moved, and how quickly she reacted. Every threatening sound saw her disappear in a blink of eye. And when the threat was over, she was out and next to Cal again, urging the older drake to keep up. She was able to understand what Cal needed and wanted without a single word. In short, she was remarkable in a way that he had never seen before. He couldn't help but laugh to himself that Wildwing sure knew how to pick them. But, then again, his surrogate son had no idea about his girlfriend's past.

After fifteen minutes of careful jogging the two ducks rounded a corner cautiously. They both had their weapons out, Ella had her sabre activated and Cal had his police issue side arm out and aimed. They could hear large metallic feet moving around with thundering steps.

"Now those are scary," Cal said as Ella took photos of the huge, lumbering robots.

These robots seemed more heavily built than the sleek ones they had encountered yesterday. They each had a flat, fairly reptilian face that were constantly scanning the area around them. Monitoring everything that was going on.

Lines of ducks were being led past these huge metallic monstrosities, herded by some smaller robots that looked like the ones that attacked the police station. The ducks were being herded into different groups by these robots that were under the instruction of two large, sickly orange coloured Saurians.

It was the first time they had seen any of the Saurians in person. And they were just as horrible as the big red one that had made the announcement yesterday. They were scaly, with claws and horns, and both were wearing what appeared to be a grey uniform. This probably meant that they were soldiers rather than commanders, like the one from yesterday.

The two ducks watched as the Saurians and robots directed the ducks present into constructing something. By the looks of it, it was makeshift camp. There were large buildings being erected, as well as some high fences. And behind that was one of those large, red spaceships that had initiated the attack yesterday.

"What do you think they're doing?" Ella asked, carefully recording everything that she was seeing.

"Don't know, Ella," replied Cal.

His attention was then caught by one group off to the side. Cal drew Ella's attention in the direction that he was looking at, so that she could see the group of elderly ducks that were being held between five of the smaller droids.

Both Ella and Cal were trying to figure out why these ducks had been separated from the rest of the groups. It contained some very elderly ducks that were huddling into each other. There were a few old drakes that looked at the robots with defiance and contempt, but otherwise the group was still and silent. One of the orange Saurians walked up to that group and said something to the ducks assembled that neither Ella nor Cal could hear. One of the old drakes present answered back angrily, his face twisting in fury.

They watched as the orange Saurian laughed humourlessly at the old drake, before he snapped his neck clean. The Saurian dropped the dead drake into the middle of the now terrified group of old ducks and signalled the robots. Who opened fire and killed every old duck that was kneeling before them.

The sound of laser fire caused so many reactions.

All the ducks that were being held began to scream or cry. Some tried to run, but were swiftly and violently dealt with. The Saurians made some loud announcements, bringing the distraught ducks back into order. Which was easy considering that fifteen ducks had just been killed for their reactions to the executions. They were then made to march again, or get back to work constructing the slave camp.

It took everything that Ella and Cal had to stay put and to stay quiet. Both wanted nothing more than to run down there and liberate the masses. Yet both knew that such an action would be suicide.

They stayed long enough to gather more information. Such as its size, location, how well it was armed and guarded. They both also took note of every duck that they could see, scrutinising for tan, yellow or white feathers. But, they didn't find any of the drakes they were looking for.

On their way back to the base they were both completely silent. They managed to find all the ducks that they had recovered from the destroyed city. Each of those ducks had asked them what they found out, but neither Ella nor Cal could verbalise what they just saw. They were still both mentally processing the sight of ducks being executed before a firing squad. It was obviously because they were old and couldn't work, they both realised. And both hoped that the children who were too young to work would not be given the same treatment.

It took a little longer than before to make their way back to the Hub, as they now had to deal with nine other scared ducks. And they were very slow and confused. Once they were in the tunnels each began asking a whole host of questions which neither Cal nor Ella could answer. And they didn't want to try.

Eventually Cal ordered the other ducks into silence. And, because he was so commanding, they instantly quietened and continued without another word. They occasionally muttered to each other, under their breaths, but they didn't direct any questions to the two in charge. This allowed Cal and Ella to start processing all they had seen. And, considering this was only the beginning, they needed to get over their shock at what they had seen as they would be seeing worse.

When they reached the Hub, Ella called down to the command centre, so that the door would be opened for them. They had yet to be put into the system to give them access to the door. They didn't have to wait that long for the door to be opened, as someone was stationed there around the clock and he was expecting the scouting teams.

As soon as the door was opened the fifteen new ducks; that consisted of four senior citizens, three younger drakes, two middle-aged hens, and six ducklings of various ages piled in. They were just excited to be somewhere safer, and surrounded by big military drakes with large weapons. It gave them a feeling of relative safety amongst a sea of uncertainty.

There were a few ducks, including Magda that met them when they got off the elevator. These ducks were there to start processing the new arrivals. They would be given a full medical, be put into the system so they could find out what use they could get out of them, then they would be given a hot meal and somewhere to sleep.

Magda explained all this to the group as they made their way to the medical centre. She then hugged Cal tightly, as she had been afraid that he wouldn't come back to the base. She had been very vocal in her protest of the groups going out of the base so early.

She then looked towards Ella, who looked back hopefully. Since their argument in Cal's office yesterday morning Magda had not said a word to Ella. Despite the world ending she was still angry that the younger duck had been lying to her, and to her son, for so long.

At the last-minute Magda put her hand gently on Ella's shoulder. It was a soft touch, almost fleeting. And she didn't offer a smile or any other encouraging gesture. The older duck then turned on her heel and marched into the state-of-art medical facility of the Hub. This is where she had been for the last twenty-four hours, and would likely be where she was going to be for the next twenty-four.

"Don't worry about her, Kid, she'll come around," Cal said reassuringly as they made their way back to the command centre.

"She still looks so hurt," Ella replied, her shoulders slumping.

"She's just mad. She'll get over it, it might take a while, but she will get over it. She loves you after all. I once saw her get mad at Soarin, and stay mad for six days. That's where Nosedive and Wildwing get their broodiness from. And besides, you're carrying her grandchild, there's no way she'll stay mad at you once she knows."

"I don't want to tell her yet. I don't want to think about it at the moment. There's too much else to think about."

"So, what? You're just going to ignore it? I don't know if you realise this, Ella, but babies grow, Great Mother willing. How are you going to hide this in a few months, when you start showing? Or when you need to head down to the medical centre to check that the baby is growing okay? She's basically been put in charge down there. She'll know that you're going there," Cal explained angrily, pulling the girl to a stop so that she would face him and hear what he had to say.

"Don't you think I know that already! I just can't deal with it right now, not with Wildwing still…" Ella started but couldn't finish. She got choked up quickly at the thought of her boyfriend and the sights that she had seen that day.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't think like that. He's going to be fine, because he has to be fine, they all do. Thinking negatively won't help him, and it won't help the baby. You need to keep positive and keep up your strength. You want that baby to be born healthy," Cal said quietly and soothingly, bringing the girl into a tight hug while stroking her mane.

The two stayed like that for a few moments in the corridor. Several other ducks walked past, but they didn't pay much attention. So far, everyone had broken down at least once since the first Saurian hit. They just assumed the rather stoic and serious looking young duck had finally let it all sink in. They just allowed the two ducks their moment of comfort and continued with what they were doing.

"Okay, L'Orange, let's get moving, we have work to do," Cal said with a smile causing Ella to roll her eyes.

"Don't call me that, it's Piedléger, remember," Ella quipped back.

"Not to me, now. Ella L'Orange sounds good, strong, and now I know how much it annoys you. This is where Canard gets that annoying trait from," Cal replied with a great, big smile.

Ella tried to swat Cal's arm, like she often did with Canard after he made a stupid comment like that. But, like his son, Cal was too quick and ducked away quickly. She chased him down the corridor towards the command centre, yelling at him while he cackled loudly.

As soon as Cal burst through the doors of the command centre, followed closely by Ella, everyone turned their heads towards him. the atmosphere there was frosty and depressed. Every other team was already back and they were not as successful as Cal and Ella.

Everywhere the other teams went they saw only death. And destruction.

Everyone then realised that the world as they had known it had now ended.

And it was hard to think about it. Everyone in that room had loved one, friends, family that were in those buildings that were now reduced to rubble. There were very few survivors to be found, and no one else had seen the Saurians leading hordes of ducks into make-shift camps.

"Thunderbeak, L'Orange, at last, what did you two find?" came Chief Baucane's booming voice from his seat at the giant circular desk in the centre of the room.

Since his amputation yesterday, Baucane had refused to sit in the medical centre. He had, instead, sat down in the middle of the command centre at the large desk that had once belonged to Albert, with a morphine IV in his arm. Baucane still looked weak though, and there was a mild discharge from newly formed stump. But the battle-worn police chief would not allow something as trivial as a complete below knee amputation stop him from taking charge in such a time of crisis.

And it was a good thing too. He had already reorganised this base to run smoother. And he had also yelled at four different people to get them to do their job, or to work with other ducks despite former prejudices.

Ella and Cal then explained everything they had seen while they were out. Including the camps. They also told Baucane about the survivors that they had encountered.

"Well, at least that's some good news," Abacot said from his place next to Baucane.

"I'm sorry, but how is enslavement of our entire race 'good news'?" one of the technicians asked from her station.

"They're keeping us alive. Which means some of our relatives and loved ones have survived that initial strike. We'll just need to find them when this is all over," Abacot replied, straight faced to the room in general.

That caused a ripple of hope to pass through the room. It was good news.

"Okay, we have some news. And we know a little of what they are planning. They obviously need us for something, now we have to find out what. Get McMallard on the line again, we should let them know what's going on, so that he can redirect the news to other who are resisting those scale-faced bastards," Baucane said strongly towards Lex, who was sitting at his own station.

"Cal, Ella, I want you two to get checked out again. Just to make sure you're both okay. I think all the other teams, include Wayne and Tackle are down there. I also have the accommodation allocations. You two, and Magda are sharing one of the group blocks. There are apparently three rooms and a common area. I assumed that you would want to be together, through all this," Baucane said, ending softly and gesturing around him.

Hearing the younger officers name made both Ella and Cal remember another job they had to do. And they were not looking forward to it. While everyone else was celebrating the new hope that they had brought to the base, they would need to explain to Tackle that they had found his wife dead.

Though, they were quite happy about staying together through this horrible time. It was a small comfort that they greatly appreciated.

Please, rate and review, I hope I'm getting the bleak, end of the world feel right.

Random Reviewer: thanks for the comprehensive review, and yes I'm doing okay, just immense levels of stress.

Palacegirl: Sorry for the delay, it's been rather crazy. Yep, the war officially started and it's going to be intense.

Crystal-Wolf-Guardian-967: thanks!

TFG