Drake 1 screamed through the complex, announcing trouble. Tanya was the
first one in, typing away as Grin, Mallory, Duke, Nose Dive, and Wild Wing
came rushing in, fully prepped.
Tanya said over the alarm, "Teleportation energy, detected at the old M.A.Z.E. in the city!"
M.A.Z.E. stood for, Maze Adapted: Zach Elerrs. Some kid named that had adapted the place as a home after he'd gotten lost in the labyrinth like bushes.
Wing shouted, "Let's go!" They all headed for the Migrator and were soon on their way.
They reached the outer ring within twenty minutes. Wing took charge. "Alright, we'll split up. Tanya and Mal, you guys are together. Grin, Dive, you guys are together. Duke and me will go together. If there's any trouble, contact each other through communicators."
Everyone nodded his or her head in agreement. Except Dive. "Aw, man! I want to go with you!" Dive had been having nightmares and had constantly wanted to stay close to his big brother.
Wing shook his head. "No, Dive. Go with Grin. If Tanya's right, there should be four Saurians here. We need to have you somewhere safe."
Wing put his hand on his younger brother's shoulder. Dive looked worried. Wing had been acting different lately. So had Duke. And Wing's next act proved something was up.
Wing took the Mask off and looked at it with a little bit of every emotion known to man. He finally held it out to Dive. "If anything happens, you're going to need this to lead the team."
Dive looked bewildered. Why was Wing acting like this? He slowly reached out and felt the smooth gold of the Mask. Then, he was forced to grab it so it wouldn't fall to the ground. By the time he looked up, Duke and Wing were already in the M.A.Z.E.
Duke looked at Wing, who looked back at him. He knew what was up. He was part of it. Duke read his friend's eyes. They showed pain, guilt, dread, and anger. Duke realized he probably looked the same to his friend.
It was simple. The four Saurians were Dragonus, Wraith, Siege, and Chameleon. And two ducks had a deal with them.
Mal, Tanya, Dive, and Grin followed silently after their two comrades. Who were, in short, scaring them. They followed with skills that Duke would have been proud of, driven on by curiosity, worry, and fear.
They stopped at a corner and looked around. They seemed to be in the middle of the M.A.Z.E. There was a large circle around them, clear of any bushes. Wing and Duke were standing in the middle. They looked full of fear and dread. They didn't notice their friends.
Mal asked, "Okay, something weird is going on. Any ideas?" Grin said in his maddening clam voice, "Something is not right." Dive couldn't resist whispering, "No shit! How long did it take you to figure that out?"
Tanya urged them to be quiet as she noticed movement. Suddenly, Chameleon emerged from a hiding spot, followed by Wraith. Dive snickered, still holding the Mask, "Two against two? Now, those are good odds!" He was about to say some more when Wraith spoke, "Your weapons?"
Mal said, "Aw, that has got to be the lamest try to get someone's gun in all time!" Tanya said in a worried voice, "Maybe, but it worked."
They watched as Duke pulled off his sword, grappler hook, COM watch, and puck launcher. Wing pulled off his ice shield, glove launcher, puck launcher, and COM watch. They laid them on the ground.
Dive's jaw dropped. "What are they doing? They could have beaten them, easy! What the hell is going on!?!?" The others seemed just as speechless.
Siege teleported in and stood in front of the ducks with an evil grin. Wraith said, "Check them." Siege did, first by ordering the mallards at blaster point to drop to their knees, then searched their pockets and clothing. After a few minutes he said, "They're clean."
Wraith said, "Good ducks. I don't know how we would have reacted to concealed weapons. Now, I assume you have the Mask?"
Wing gritted his teeth before saying, "No, I don't." Siege growled out, "That was part of the deal!" Wing said, "There was an explosion at the Pond, and it was damaged. I couldn't take it. The other ducks would have known something was up."
Siege bit out, "You should have snuck it, then!" Without warning, he brought his tail around to Wing's right side. The club at the end bashed against his armor, shattering it. Wing flew a couple of feet before skidding to a halt.
Duke was about to take a step to help him when Siege pointed his blaster at him and said, "You stay right there, unless you want to join him."
Duke spat out, "Beating us senseless was not part of the deal!" Siege answered, "Neither was lying! We'd have known if there was a blast at the Pond! Unless our inside ducks didn't tell us about it."
Wing painfully got to his feet. Blood was dripping from his side. He winced as he moved one of his ribs. Duke didn't care about Siege's warning and ran to his side. Wing gratefully accepted his help.
Wraith scolded Siege, "We are not to spoil the merchandise! Dragonus wants his slaves back in pristine shape!" Siege grunted, "Well, one of his new ducky slaves is going to have a few broken ribs!"
Dive watched with horror at Wing's wound. Blood was flowing from it freely. Suddenly, he felt anger like never before. He was about to attack when he heard something else.
Duke said, "Listen, I want to reconfirm our deal. Our part is: we're your slaves. Our lives are yours. Your part is: You leave the rest of the ducks and the world alone and you blow up your dimension generator."
Siege nodded. Suddenly, Dragonus walked to the center of the ring. He glared at the two ducks. He noticed Wing's wound and asked, "Why did you attack him?" Siege answered, "My lord, he didn't bring the Mask."
Dragonus sighed and put up a hand to rub his temples while saying, "Wild Wing, you know that the Mask was part of the deal." Wing gritted his teeth as he nodded. Dragonus said, "Well, then, I guess we'll have to make this a little more interesting."
Suddenly, Drones teleported in around Wing and Duke. For a brief instant, Wing thought that they were going to attack him. But then, Dragonus received his full attention. "Get the ducks hiding behind the hedge! You hear me ducks? If you do not come quietly I'll kill these two mallards!"
Dive didn't waste anytime. He made a gesture toward Tanya, who took out a short-range teleporter. With a sigh, Dive put the teleporter to the Mask and pressed the button. The Mask disappeared in a flash of green light. With that, he motioned to the rest of the team, who followed him out. Wing looked on in horror as his brother and teammates were surrounded. Dive stood firm and looked at his brother coldly. Without any warning, he sprang and tackled him to the ground. They rolled a few times and Dive managed to land a few punches. Wig didn't even try to fight him. Suddenly, Dive punched his hurt side. Wing screamed. Dive grabbed him by the throat and was strangling him when Duke rammed into him, pushing him off of him.
Wing was unconscious, either from the lack of air or from the pain. Dive stood up and stood over him, yelling, "Why'd you betray us, huh? You're our leader! You're my brother! Your not supposed to do this! Leaders aren't supposed to do this!" Wing regained consciousness just as him brother kicked him in the side. He no longer had the strength or energy to scream. He just sat there, tired eyes looked up at Dive.
Wing sat up and said, "Dive, I did this for you." Without warning, Siege injected something into Dive's arm from behind. A few seconds later, he fell to the ground. His last view of the world before darkness claimed him was a tear rolling down his brother's bill.
Dive slowly woke up. He couldn't remember anything. Nor how he got in the ICU unit of the Anaheim hospital. In a rush, it all came back to him. Wing…traitor…the Mask. Dive squeezed his eyes shut, tears flowing from them. With the salty liquid flowing down his cheeks, he also remembered how Wing said he did it all for him. Humph, some gift. Suddenly, Klegghorn walked into the room. Dive looked away, but then Klegghorn's behavior whipped his head around. He was dancing around, screaming, "THE LAST DUCK LIVES! HE"S AWAKE! IT"S A MIRACLE!" Dive sat up, feeling the itchy hospital gown. Suddenly, the rest of the team, minus Wing and Duke, rushed in. They all had hospital gowns on as well, except for Grin, who had three or four sheets taped around him.
Dive asked Klegghorn, "What happened? How long have we been out?" Klegghorn stopped dancing long enough to say," We found you guys in the M.A.Z.E. We brought you here A.S.A.P. We got you settled in and D.N.J.C. Then, you guys came to today!" Dive shook his head, saying, "You didn't answer my last question. How long have we been out?" Klegghorn looked around at everybody before saying, "All right. No use hiding it. You'll find out anyway." He took a deep breath, then said, "You guys have been in a coma for the last two years."
Dive couldn't believe his ears. Those words rang through his head as they checked out of the hospital. They wouldn't go away, even after he got home. The Pond and everything looked as good as usual. There was a five-hour lecture from Phil on how they cost him every dollar he had in the hospital. It ended when everyone got up and walked away. Dive slowly realized something. Even after what his brother had done, he was still his brother. He was still thinking this when Drake 1 brought the team to the Ready Room. Dive involuntarily shuddered at the sound. Tanya said, "Incoming message." Suddenly, Dragonus' ugly mug appeared on the screen.
He snarled at the group, "Well, it seems the ducks have finally hatched from their sleep. I assume that you heard of our deal before you were drugged." Deal? Oh, right, the deal that Duke confirmed. "Well, I have honored my part. As you can see, your precious world is still the same." Dive couldn't stand it. He yelled, "Where's my brother?" Dragonus smiled and stepped away from the screen. Behind him, Duke and Wing were lying on the ground. They looked terrible. Their feathers were dirty and not as shiny. Their clothes were tattered and worn out. Worse of all was their physical state. There were scars, bruises, cuts, and whip marks all along their bodies. Dive's face contorted in anger as several drones walked over and started to beat them. Dive cried out in horror as each hit caused Wing to grimace or scream. Suddenly, Dragonus stepped forward again.
"For the last two years, these ducks have done the work that ten ducks would take 5 years to do, therefore you can assume I've been working them too hard. " Dive yelled, "Why are you telling us this?" Dragonus said, "Because they're happy here! They don't want you to come and save them. Why save them from a world they like to bring them to a free prison?" Dive didn't even bother to ask what he meant by that. Instead, he said, "Prove to me that they're happy." Dragonus smiled even more. "Of course!" Suddenly, two drones dragged Wing to his feet and to the screen. Dragonus said, "Wild Wing, tell your brother here that your happy and don't want to leave." Wing managed to look into the screen. His eyes were dull and glossy. He said, "I'm…I'm..." Due to his hesitation, Wing was dropped to the ground and beaten relentlessly. The next time he was brought to the screen, a new gash had appeared on his cheek. He looked straight into Dive's eyes before yelling, "I'm happy here! I don't have to worry about you guys getting hurt because I gave a wrong order! I don't have to waste myself every time one of you gets hurt! Most of all, I don't have to worry about turning traitor to my team…or brother! All I have to worry about is mining and waiting on Dragonus! Lastly, I'm too busy to worry about what I would do to Canard if I ever saw him again!"
The transmission ended. Dive's head drooped. There was an uncomfortable silence for a minute before Grin walked over to Dive and said, "Little friend, I'm sure he didn't mean it. He's just spiritually-" He never got a chance to finish his statement, as Dive's clenched fist connected with his jaw. The blow was enough to bring him to his knees. He looked up to see Dive standing over him, trembling. He screamed, "WING IS FINE! THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH HIM! I DON'T CARE WHAT HE SAYS, HE'S NOT HAPPY! AND I'M GONNA DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO SAVE HIM!" With that, Dive stormed out of the room. The group shuddered as they heard one of the Duck Cycles revving up. They heard the tires squeal as they carried Dive away from his pain.
The clerk looked up as a young teenage duck walked into his shop. After showing his I.D., which confirmed he was over 18, he said in a low voice, "I want all the sub-machine guns this credit card can handle." When Dive left, he was carrying two large duffel bags, brimmed to the top with guns, grenades, and other disastrous material. He left one happy clerk and a cut up credit card behind. After strapping them to his bike, and checking his other equipment, Dive headed out of the city to a place where he and Wing used to go. A few minutes after leaving town, Dive gunned the engine to full throttle and rocketed towards the coast. In less then ten minutes, he arrived at their spot. It was a cove that they found while exploring one day. Beautiful white sand with pure blue waves made the scene perfect. Dive closed his eyes and inhaled, thinking about how his brother and him had first discovered the place.
"Race you to the next point, bro!" Wing followed happily after his brother. Dragonus hadn't attacked in ages, and the ducks were all goofing off. Wing ran around a tree and almost ran over his stopped brother. He skid to a halt beside him and said, "What's up?" Dive pointed and said, "Heaven." Wing looked to where his sibling was pointing. A beautiful beach with seashells littering the sand was being washed over by clear blue water. Crabs skittered along happily in the mid-day sun. Birds called joyously through the trees. As the two ducks walked down to the water, Dive pointed out to sea. Several dolphins were playing and splashing in the water. A few of them were making huge leaps into the air, looking as if they were trying to fly, almost succeeding, only to find themselves plummeting to the water again. Wing and Dive sat down, allowing the cool water to splash over their feet. For a few moments, they sat there in silence, until Dive said, "Let's not tell the others about his place. Let's keep it to ourselves. Let's let it be our spot." Wing ruffled the younger duck's feathers in affection, saying, "'Kay, Dive. It's our spot. And so is this, and this, and this…" He trailed off as he started to tickle Dive, who was yelling, "No tickle! Tickle bad! Ahh, stop it!" The seagulls screeched above them, drowning out his cries.
Dive finished loading himself up. He had hidden guns, weapons, ammo, and other things in every spot he could find. He had also hidden a lock picking kit in his chest armor. He folded up the two empty bags and placed them in the saddlebags of the Duck Cycle. He sat down and stared at the sun setting over the water. The dolphins were closer in the cove and playing again. Dive smiled slightly at the sight. On a second thought, he took off his com and used the video option to record a few minutes of the scene. After he was done, he climbed up onto the Duck Cycle and started off. He knew where Dragonus was. And that slimy, red, bad breathed, scaly, lizard, creep was going to pay when Dive got a hold of him.
Duke looked at Wing. He was sitting on the other side of their cell. Dragonus had put them there after they had given up escape. Wing was lying with his eyes open. He looked dazed. He finally asked, "Duke, what did I say to Dive?" Duke sighed. "You told him you were happy. You told him that you didn't want to be rescued and that you didn't want to have to worry about the team, or waste yourself whenever they got hurt. You also said that you didn't mind not having to worry about what you would do to Canard if you ever saw him again." Wing looked at him in shock, saying, "I said that?" Duke nodded. Wing lowered his head, saying, "I'm sorry, Duke. I wasn't thinking. I guess we'll never get out of here." A deeper voice said, "Of course you'll never get out of here! You don't want to get out of here! You like it here." Wing looked wearily at Dragonus. Why did it always have to be Dragonus? Dragonus grinned and said, "Now that your duck team is out of the way, I want to get back to finding the Mask. Tell me where it is." Wing stood up and faced Dragonus. He walked forward and grabbed Dragonus through the bars. He said in a menacing voice, "I will never tell you where the Mask is." Dragonus merely smiled and nodded, saying, "Of course you won't, but maybe Duke will." Wing looked at Duke, who was standing up against the wall. Duke looked at Dragonus before saying, "You ain't getting it from me."
Dragonus' grin disappeared. He said, "If neither of you give me the location of the Mask, maybe I'll just have to capture one of the other ducks and ask them." Wing shook his head, saying, "You can't. Saurians are bound to deals. One part of the deal is that you'll leave the other ducks alone." Dragonus gritted his teeth when he realized that he'd been caught in his own trap. He yanked back, causing Wing to lose his hold on him. He snarled, "Fine! Siege! Chameleon! Come take care of these two." Instantly, the two henchmen appeared. Dragonus thought a minute before saying, "Release them."
Wing didn't think he would ever get tired of it, Dragonus, he meant. For the first few weeks, he had always said 'release them'. Except when he did, it always meant 'beat them to a near death state'. Unfortunately for the two ducks, Dragonus' henchmen were very good at following that order. He hung his head, and the awful beating began again.
Two hours later, Wing decided to stay down. Every time he got up, he was hit down again. However, a distant explosion caused him to sit up quickly. He ignored the sharp pains all over his body. Seconds later, another explosion came, closer this time. Dragonus ran over to a view screen and clicked it on. His huge bulk blocked the screen, but it was clear from his body language that he wasn't happy. "Send in all of our reserve drones! Kill him!" Siege nodded and teleported away. Chameleon cracked some sort of Saurian joke before doing the same. The explosions were coming closer and closer, and Dragonus was getting more and more nervous. Suddenly, an explosion blasted through the wall. Black smoke clogged Wing's lungs as he inhaled it. Duke crawled over and pulled him away from the billowing cloud.
Instead another explosion, a red laser floated through the haze. It settled on Dragonus' face. Clomping was heard, and another duck emerged from the smoke. His body was covered with laser burns, but none seemed too serious. A portable rocket launcher was propped up on his shoulder. The red laser shot away from the mouth of the launcher. Dive's face was contorted in a mixture of hate and vengeful feelings. He said, "Not so happy now, are ya, Saurian scum bag. You little..." Wing gawked at the words coming out of his little brother's mouth. After insulting the red creep, Dive said, "Let me tell you something. When you mess with the team, you mess with Grin. But when you mess with Wing and Duke, you mess with me." With that, he squeezed the trigger of the massive gun. A white plume of smoke from the launcher mixed with the black smoke of the explosive entrance. A mini warhead flew out of the mouth of the launcher and flew at Dragonus. He didn't even have time to act.
The explosion took Wing and Duke by surprise. Obviously those rockets packed a punch. And if Dragonus was caught head on by one…
As the smoke cleared, Wing saw the black and charred body of Dragonus. He was lying in the middle of a large black hole. He was breathing slightly. Dive dropped the smoldering launcher and pulled out a Luger pistol from some pocket of his outfit. He strode up to Dragonus and said, "For five years you've terrorized this planet and this team. You've killed people I knew. You've led an attack on Puckworld. Even without a judge, it's pretty clear you're guilty." He took aim at Dragonus' head as the lizard tried to sit up. The last thing he got out before the laser dot appeared was, "This was just a game to me. Just a game." Dive squeezed the trigger and the entire chamber resounded with the bang from the gun. Dragonus didn't make a sound as the bullet lodged itself in his skull. As the young duck lowered the pistol, he said, "Game over."
Duke said, "Kid's got more colorful language than most people I've met." Wing nodded in agreement as he leaned against the bars of his cell. Dive dropped the pistol to the ground and said, "It's finally over. No more lizards. No more Raptors." He hung his head in sadness as he whispered, "No more dimensional gateway to get home." Another voice drifted through the ship. "Not quite." Dive quickly flipped on his COM and asked, "Tanya?" Tanya's voice came over the speakers and she said, "We followed you, sorry. But I found the schematics to the ship. Including the plans for a dimensional gateway. All of the materials are easy to get, and I think I can have one built within a week in two." Dive grinned as Tanya said, "Good job, Dive. You just single handedly ended this war."
Dive's joy was short lived as Duke coughed. Dive looked over at them, noticing them for the first time. By this time, Wing had passed out, and Duke's cough was the last of his energy as he fell to the metal floor, unconscious. Dive's face paled. He quickly jabbed his COM while walking over to the cell. "Tanya, Mal, Grin, get down to the detention level. I've found Duke and Wing, and," Upon nearing them and seeing their condition, whispered, "it may be too late." He flipped off his COM and took out his lock pick, took another look at his brother, and took out his puck launcher and blasted the thing just as Mal and Grin ran in. Opening the smoldering door, he shuffled in and knelt next to Wing. He felt something warm next to his fingers and looked down. Blood was seeping through his fingers. Wing's blood. Dive looked up, frightened. He quickly turned Wing over and saw that there was blood flowing from dozens of places. He didn't notice Mal kneel next to him.
Suddenly, Wing's hand gripped Dive's hand. Dive's eyes flew toward his brother's face. Wing was looking at him with tired and pain-filled eyes. He spoke in a whisper. "Dive… you came for me." Dive nodded and whispered, "I'll always come for you." Wing's eyes seemed to drift in and out of focus. He gripped Dive's hand harder and said, "It hurts, Dive." Dive spoke in a soothing voice, "I know, Wing, I know. Just hang in there, alright?" Wing's gaze drifted out again. "I'm cold, Dive. I'm really cold." Dive quickly gestured to Mal, who was tending to Duke. She took off her jacket. Dive wrapped it around Wing. Wing shivered even with the flight jacket of Mallory's. He clenched his eyes shut. Dive picked up Wing and laid him against his shoulder. He rocked both of them as he hummed a song from Puckworld. Mal's eyes brimmed with tears as Dive wrapped his arms around his brother's body. She tore her eyes away as Tanya came rushing in. Behind her was a medic team. They ran over to the cell and ushered Mal out. It took more than a little persuasion to get Dive to leave. In the end, Mal pinched a nerve on his neck, and Grin carried him out of the cell. Tanya asked a medic, "Will they be okay?" The medic said, "Hard to say. Depends on if you ducks have an anatomy similar to ours. I'll do my best, but I'm not making any promises here."
Hours later, Dive was back in the familiar surroundings of the ICU unit of the Anaheim hospital. He nestled further into the embrace of Mal. He had just been informed that Wing was in a critical state, and that he wasn't responding to any of their tests. "Mal… what if he doesn't wake up?" Mal looked down at the blonde hair of the teenage duck. She tried to think of the right words. "Dive, you went and saved him. You ended the war. You're brothers, and nothing can change that. Not even death." Dive shuddered under her arms. She spoke softly. "Wing never let you down, Dive. Everyone on the team knows about your abusive parents, and what Wing did to get you out. He was doing that for you, just as you killed Dragonus for him." Dive said in a confused voice, "But I didn't do it for just him, I did-" Mal broke in and said, "Quit trying to lie to yourself. You did it for him, and him alone. And it's alright. You're brothers. You do things like this for one another." Dive shifted into a more comfortable position and yawned, saying, "If anything happens, wake me up." Then, he drifted off to sleep.
Tanya came up and said, "You'd be a good mother, ya know." Mal didn't answer. Instead, tears dripped down he face as she said, "What if Wing doesn't wake up? What's gonna happen to us? To Dive?" Tanya sat next to Mal in one of the chairs. "Mallory, you know that Wing had a will. With this profession, you have to have one. Here, let me read you it." With that, she pulled out a paper from her pocket. She opened it, cleared her throat, and read.
I, Wild Wing Flashblade, present my last will and testament, on this day of May the second, in the year nineteen hundred and ninety six.
I will my stock portfolio to Phil Palmfeather.
I will all of my possessions to my brother Nose Dive Flashblade.
I will Nose Dive Flashblade's care and custody rights to Mallory McMallard.
I will the Mask of DuCaine and my position as team leader to Duke L'Orange.
I will my plot of land in the Sangre De Cristo mountains to Grin Draco.
I will the Private Duck Account to Tanya Webber.
Witnessed by yada, yada, yada… signed Duke and Grin.
At that moment, Phil walked in and heard the last few seconds of the will. He asked, "Why would Tanya get the Private Duck Account!?!? There's gotta be a lot of money in that thing!" Tanya teardropped and said, "Maybe because it's a 'duck' account. Don't complain! You'd get to have his stock portfolio!" Phil stopped and said, "Good point. See ya." With that, he walked out. There was silence in the room after the greedy manager left. His abrupt entrance and exit woke up Dive. Dive crawled out of Mal's arms and plopped down in a seat. From his corner of the room, barely audible sobs echoed eerily. Mal asked, "Tanya, what are you doing with Wing's will? Why did you read it to me?" Tanya shrugged, saying, "Well, I got to go to Harvard for awhile and I got to get a degree. Wing asked me, when I got back, if I would write up his will with him. SO I did. I read it to you to make you feel better."
While that was going on, a candy striper walked in. She was wearing a red and white striped dress with white Mary Janes and white knee socks. Her hair was curled and held back by a white chiffon bow, which matched the chiffon covering her entire outfit. Little red hoops dangled from her ears. She glided into the room carrying a stack of magazines. She was humming 'Zip-e-dee-doo-da'. Unaware of what the emotions were in each of the three ducks, she walked over to them. "Would you like a magazine?" Her voice was sweet. She picked up a magazine titled 'Ballet Today'. Opening to a page, she said, "Oh, this month's focus is titled, 'Men getting in touch with their feminine side'. Doesn't that sound interesting?" Pulling the magazine away from her face, she found herself staring into the black barrel of a puck launcher. She cried, "Yipe!" Dive's face was seen over the sight. He was trembling with fury, and it was evident that he was barely controlling it. His voice trembled as he said, "Get out." She hurriedly gathered her magazines. She then abandoned the idea and dropped them altogether. She scurried out of the room. Dive lowered his puck launcher. Quietly returning it to its proper place, he sat back down as the tears started coming.
Mal looked at Tanya in distress. Tanya gave her a helpless look. Suddenly, a nurse rushed in. "Which of you is Mallory McMallard?" Mal stood up and asked, "Why?" The nurse smiled. "The dark feathered one is awake and asked for you by name." Mal smiled and headed off with her. While passing Dive, she whispered, "Don't give up hope, Dive. He'll make it."
Upon entering the room, Mal was caught by surprise at how many monitors there were in there. Then, she walked up to the bed. She took Duke's hand and squeezed it gently. "Hey," she whispered. Duke opened his eyes, well, the one he could, anyway. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "How ya doing, sweetheart? Haven't seen ya in a while." Mal smiled and said, "That's because your dear Saurian friends drugged me and the rest of the team for two years.' Duke smiled slightly and said, "I always told them that you needed your beauty sleep." Mal squeezed his hand again. Duke looked away, then looked back, asking, "How's the kid?" Mal sighed. "Not good. He didn't get hurt getting you guys out, but Wing…" Duke asked cautiously, "What about Wing?" Mal's eyes were teary. She whispered, "He's not doing well, Duke. No responses to any of Dr. Kett's tests. Critical state. He hasn't woken up since you last saw him. It's hitting Dive pretty hard." Duke murmured, "I bet Dragonus is happy 'bout that." Mal's eyes shined and he asked, "What?" Mal said, "Dragonus is dead. Dive shot him after blowing him up with a portable rocket launcher. We don't know about the other creeps." Duke smiled and said, "So, the kid really had it in him." He looked at Mal and stayed silent. She leaned in, slowly, closer to Duke. He did the same to her. The two ducks shared a long passionate kiss.
Dive let his tears fall. He didn't think of stopping them. He didn't think of how that candy striper might be committed to a mental institute. All he could think about was his brother. Suddenly remembering something, he took off his com and pressed a button. An image of dolphins playing in the water greeted him. He laughed as some of the dolphins played a game similar to 'tag'. Tanya looked over at the duck who had tears and was laughing at the same time. She was about to walk over when another nurse entered the area. She looked uncomfortable. Tanya quickly asked, "Nothing's wrong, right?" The nurse shook her head. "I heard about the last candy striper that came in here. My boss just told me to come in here and tell you that you're welcome to stay for as long as you like." Tanya settled back in her chair. Nodding her thanks to the nurse, she looked over at Dive. He wasn't laughing anymore, but he was smiling. Tanya settled in for a long wait.
Two days later, in the waiting room, Dive sat in the same chair. He'd eaten nothing and gotten very little sleep. He'd long since deleted the file of dolphins playing on his COM. His eyes were dull and he didn't talk to anyone. Word had gotten out about the candy striper incident, and the hospital staff left him alone. Until now.
A doctor cautiously walked into the room. He glanced around and walked to the only occupant. "Nose Dive Flashblade?" His response was a puck launcher staring him in the face. Dr. Kett cleared his throat as Dive whispered, "Unless it's about Wing, go away." Dr. Kett smiled nervously. "Well, uh, it is about your brother." The puck launcher disappeared as quickly as it came. Dive's eyes were hopeful. He asked, "Is he awake?" Dr. Kett took him by the shoulders and plopped him down on a chair. He sat down next to him. "Nose Dive, I'm going to give this to you straight. Alright? He's in a critical condition. Sometimes it's stable, sometimes not. He's not responding to any of the tests." Dive gave him a warning glare and said, "You're getting on my bad side, doc." Dr. Kett frowned as he said, "Look, Nose Dive, I'm not going to lie to you. This is the truth, and right now, we've done all we can for him. Everything we've done has been semi- experimental. We're not quite sure how close you're anatomy is to ours. I'll keep you updated, but since Wild Wing doesn't seem to be giving up, then neither should you." With that, he walked out of the room. Seconds passed, then crying was heard once more throughout the room.
The team waited long into the night and into the early morning. Grin was found meditating on the rooftop. Dive stayed where he was, and Mal stayed in Duke's room. Tanya kept close tabs on all of them. The wait went on to include the afternoon. Several times, Tanya came in to try and persuade Dive to eat something, but Dive wouldn't hear about it. Dive visited Duke a few times, and Wing's condition didn't get any better. However, it didn't get any worse, either. Dive's feathers were constantly damp from crying, and his eyes were bloodshot and dull. The only time they brightened was when Dr. Kett came to give him an update.
Dive looked up as Dr. Kett walked in. He was walking slower than normal. Dive sat up and asked, "What now?" Dr. Kett broke into a huge grin. "He responded to one of our tests!" Dive asked, "And that's good?" Dr. Kett nodded eagerly. "You see, when we used one of the machines to do a test, he responded by having irregular brainwave patterns. In other words, he's getting better!" Dive smiled. "So… when can I see him?" Dr. Kett's face fell as he said, "Well, you can't see him yet. Even though he's getting better, Nose Dive, that doesn't mean that he's perfectly healthy. He could drop out at any moment, or he could wake up, or he could go into a coma. It's up in the air." Dive's attitude turned in a u-turn. Slouching down in the chair, he said in a concerned voice, "Tell me when something happens." Dr. Kett nodded and was about to walk off when he asked, "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" Dive sat up again. "Whatever," he replied unenthusiastically. Dr. Kett sat down. "Well, I'm very interested in this relationship you and your brother have. Out of all of my thirty years here, you're the only two I've seen who seemed to be so connected. My first question is, why do you two seem so close?" Dive smiled. "Because we are. We've always been there for each other. Through thick and thin. We never quit on each other." Dr. Kett considered this and asked. "So, obviously, there must have been something that brought you two together. I know that this relationship hasn't been this way ever since you were born. What did this?" Dive looked at the ground as he suddenly became interested in the design of the carpet. He answered without looking at the other. "Our parents were alcoholics and abusive. One day, they shot me, and Wing couldn't do anything. I blamed it all on him. For an entire year, I didn't trust him, until that last day at the house…"
--Flashback--
Dive slowly trudged up the sidewalk toward his house. Prison's more like it. He sat down on the porch and pulled out a few aspirin and swallowed them. He grimaced as he thought of what was ahead that night, which was more than likely beating, yelling, and more awful stuff. He pulled his backpack on his shoulders and stood up. He walked to the door, hesitated, then opened it. A trashed entry hall awaited him. Beer bottles, cans, and cigarette packs littered the floor. Dive pointed his beak down and tried to walk up the staircase as quietly as possible. However, as he shifted his backpack around, he hit one of the beer bottles. It fell to the floor with a crash. Dive froze. Strangely enough, his parents must have been too drunk or asleep to hear it. He made his way up the stairs without any more noise. He slipped over to his and Wing's bedroom. Sure, he didn't trust him, but there was safety in numbers. He pulled out his key to the bolt Wing had installed three years earlier. He gently eased the key into the lock, heard it click as he turned, and quickly entered his room. He dropped his backpack on the floor and flopped down on his bed. He was about to turn on some music when he heard the downstairs door open. He opened his door a crack and crept to the bars beside the stairs. He had a perfect view. Wing and Canard had come in. They ignored the beer bottles and boxes. They didn't even look at each other. Finally, Canard said, "Good luck, buddy. This may be your last chance. Take care of Dive, all right? I'll meet you at the corner of 5th and 8th at midnight. That gives you five hours." He went to walk out the door, hesitated, and shot a look at Dive. It was filled with fear. He said, "Dive, if anything happens to Wing tonight, you take care. If you don't meet me at 5th and 8th, then I'll know Wing's dead." Dive's mouth gaped open and he asked, "What's going on tonight?" Canard simply sighed and said as he exited, "Wing's gonna take them on. Good luck." With that, there was silence in the house again. Wing slowly walked upstairs. He brushed past Dive and entered their room. He looked at Dive as he put his backpack down, "This is it, Dive. I know you don't trust me, but I need you to do what I say. When I go out there in ten minutes, shut this door and lock it. Don't keep any lights on. Under no circumstances are you to open this door, no matter what you hear. Got it?" Dive barely managed to nod as he asked, "You don't plan on living, do you?" Wing turned away and went to their bathroom. Dive got up and went to him. Wing was in the bathroom, leaning over the sink. He seemed to not notice Dive's presence. Dive asked his question again. Wing sighed and said, "Dive, you were born to people who loved you. They were killed by some robbers. You and I survived. The robbers dropped us off here. The only reasons these people kept us is because they can use us as insurance. The robbers, who were from the Brotherhood of the Blade, pay them about 5,000 dollars every three months if they keep quiet. They aren't your real parents, Dive." Dive sat on the floor. He fearfully asked, "How do I know that you're my real brother?" Wing quickly turned to Dive. Wing sighed and said, "Dive, whatever happens tonight, I'll always be there for you." With that, he walked to the door. He flipped off the lights and said, "Remember, Dive, what I said. Don't open this door. I have a key, alright? I'll get in. If you hear something, plug your ears." Dive suddenly asked, "You told the authorities, didn't you? That's why you're taking them on. You don't want us to go to a orphanage or something." Wing smiled slightly and said, "For a little brother, you're pretty intuitive, you know that?" With those words, he left and shut the door. Dive heard the key turn as Wing locked the door from the outside. For a few minutes, there wasn't any noise. Dive stood up and walked over to the door and pressed his ear to it. Still nothing. Dive sat on the bed and paused as he heard footsteps. Then, all heck broke loose. There were screams and shouts and glass breaking. The house seemed to shake. Plug your ears, Dive. Wing's voice seemed to sound through Dive's head. Dive dove under the covers and pulled his pillow around his head. Crying and hiccupping, he fell into a fitful, fearful sleep. A few hours later, Dive woke up to a gunshot. He pulled the pillow tighter over his ears. However, three more gunshots buried their way into his pillow. The last shot seemed right outside his door. Crying and shaking, he covered his head even more with the pillow. Ten minutes later, he heard someone at the door. He forced himself to stop shaking as a key turned in the lock. Dive's heart leapt. Wing had won. He quickly untangled himself from his covers and stood up. The door opened and a figure was silhouetted in the dark. A hand flicked the light on. Dive froze, then screamed. His father, Gulezy, was standing there, looking as though a train had run him over. Cuts, bruises, and a gunshot wound in his chest were all mementos of the last fight. He spoke in a gravelly, drunken voice. "Your stupid brother thought that he could take on me and Alika." He glanced over his shoulder, then said, "Well, he killed her, but he didn't get me. Nope, I shot him, and now, you're gonna pay for his mistake." The duck started to advance towards Dive. Dive began to back up. Gulezy matched each step. Dive finally hit the wall. His father was only steps from him. Dive looked around, desperate for a way to defeat him. His father walked closer. Dive's face was inches from Gulezy. He could smell the alcohol on his breath. Dive looked down towards the floor, looking for an escape to this situation. Suddenly, his head pounded with pain and he fell to the floor. Looking up, he realized that his father had just hit him. The huge duck began to kick Dive merciless. The pain was immense and Dive wanted to scream, but he wouldn't give his father the satisfaction. As the foot came in for another kick, Dive grabbed it, realizing that he had the advantage because his father was drunk. Dive pulled on Gulezy's leg, dragging him to the ground. The duck landed with a thud. Dive brought his own leg down on top of Gulezy's head. He heard a loud crunch. Terrified, Dive got up. His foster dad wasn't moving, and Dive began to cry. What had he done? He was turning into his foster parents. Dive turned to walk towards the door, but a scratching noise made him stop. He turned around to see Gulezy standing with a gun in his hand. He must have had it hidden in his pants, Dive thought to himself. "Say hi to your brother," snapped Gulezy. He pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. Dive, realizing he had been given another chance, charged his father. The force of Dive's hit knocked the foster parent right up to the wall and out the window. Gulezy fell to his death. Dive stood and waited for his foster dad to stand up. It seemed that whenever he thought his dad was down, he really wasn't. Not waiting to see if he would get up, Dive caught his breath and quickly moved to the door. The place looked worse than it had only a few hours before. Dive stepped into the hall, his shoes crunching on glass. Moving to the bedroom, he saw the dead figure of his foster mother. One less scum bag to terrorize this world. Dive turned away and kept looking for Wing. Not finding him of the top floor, he walked back the way he came and noticed something he hadn't seen before. The banister next to the stairs was missing. Quickly walked over, Dive leaned over the edge and almost had a heart attack. Wing was lying face down on the first floor. Apparently, the last shot he'd heard was Gulezy shooting his brother over the edge of the balcony. Dive didn't hesitate. He ran down the stairs and dashed to his brother's still form. Dive tried not to notice the cuts and bruises along his body. Rolling him over, Dive almost gagged when he saw blood leaking out of his brothers stomach, mouth, and nose. However, Wing was still breathing, if ever so slightly. Dive glanced at his watch. 11:02. Dive quickly got his hidden roll of money and went back to Wing. Dive gently shook his brother. It took a few minutes, but Dive woke him up. Wing looked at him with pain and asked, "You… okay?" Dive nodded, tears falling from his cheeks. Wing's gaze averted to the mess around him. He whispered, "What about…" Dive shook his head, saying, "The story the cops will get is that they had a fight. After he killed her, he jumped to his death out of our window." Dive checked his watch again and said, "C'mon, Wing. We have to go meet Canard." Wing groaned and cried out as Dive helped him to his feet. Dive let his brother lean on him as they both staggered out of the house. Heading down a side street, Dive took Wing's directions on how to get to the meeting spot. At 11:40, they made it. It was in a backwater area of the town, and there weren't any people there. Dive helped Wing lean up against one of the buildings. Wing said, "Dive… I'm so sorry." Dive looked at him weird and asked, "For what?" Wing smiled softly and said, "For letting you get shot. I know you hate me, but I'm still sorry." Dive's eyes brimmed with tears as he said, "Wing, I forgave you a long time ago. I could never hate you." Wing embraced his brother as he lost the strength to stand. Sliding down along the wall, he passed out. Dive collapsed to his knees and whispered into the darkness, "I could never hate you Wing. I'm sorry." Leaning up against his brother, Dive waited for Canard. Fifteen minutes later, a few cars pulled up. Dive jumped to his feet. Several ducks jumped out. All of them were less than 18 years old. One of them, a dark feathered duck, walked up and asked, "You Dive or Wing?" Dive stated his name while keeping himself between his brother and the huge fellow. The duck smiled, extended his hand, and said, "Canard sent us. We're part of his private hockey team. Name's Donovan." Dive took it and they shook hands. Donovan's gaze drifted over his shoulder and his mouth gaped open when he saw Wing. He took a step towards him, but was blocked by Dive, who said in a dangerous tone, "No one goes near him but me and Canard. Of which, where is he?" Donovan said, "Listen, kid, anyone can see he needs help. Canard couldn't make it, that's all." Dive didn't back down as he said, "Listen, when are you going to tell me the truth? Canard said he'd be here. Now, you better get him or else…" Donovan showed his true colors as he laughed and asked, "Or else what? A little pipsqueak is gonna pound me into the ground?" A strong voice came from behind Dive. "Leave him alone." Dive turned around to see Wing standing behind him. Despite his wounds, Wing stood tall and straight. Donovan said, "Ah, isn't that cute? Big brother's gotta fend off the big mean guys so that his brother will be all right. Aw, how sweet." The six other guys laughed along with him. Wing gritted his teeth and said, "Canard doesn't have a private hockey team. I know who you are. You're that Donovan guy from the gang Condors. The cops have been trying to catch you for ages." Donovan smiled smugly and said, "My reputation precedes me." Wing shook his head hard, and Dive saw that it was hard for him to stand up at all, let alone talk. Wing fell to his knees and Dive was at his side in a flash. Dive let Wing lean up against him. Suddenly, Donovan was knocked off his feet. The others stared around in shock. Abruptly several dozen ducks were surrounding the group. One came forward and said, "We'll let you live if you leave." Donovan was on his feet and yelled, "Who hit me?" A blonde duck came forward and said, "That would be me." Donovan yelled, "You're gonna pay!" Before he even started forward, ten ducks were surrounding him. Each one had a silver, gold, or copper beam sword at his throat. Donovan nervously gulped. One asked the first duck to speak, "How did they find out about Canard, sir?" Tori, the duck who spoke first, said, "They must of heard of his plan. We've got to keep a better eye on them." Canard, who had come to Tori's side, nodded. Then he hurriedly pushed his way through the group. He ran over to Wing and said, "Stars, Wing. What did they do to you?" Wing smiled weakly and said, "You can go ask them at the city morgue." Canard gestured to the duck that had first spoken. "Tori, he's hurt bad." Tori and a few others moved over to them as the rest surrounded the gang. Tori, obviously the leader, said, "We just got here. Did the gang do this or your parents?" Wing managed, "The latter." Tori nodded and gestured to the other ducks. They helped Wing to his feet and Tori then saw the gunshot wound in Wing's stomach. "Jeez! What did they shoot you with?" Wing grimaced and said, "8-17 model shotgun." Tori said feelingly, "Ouch." Dive whispered to Canard, "Who are these guys?" Canard smiled and said, "Kid, they are the Brotherhood of the Blade."
--End Flashback--
Dr. Kett sat silent for a moment and then asked, "Was the Brotherhood nice?" Dive smiled. "Yeah. They were really cool. They let us live with them until Wing was okay. Then, they let us stay at an apartment they owned. In fact, the other duck here, Duke, was the leader of the Brotherhood. He wasn't there that night because he was getting his eye fixed. That night he had gotten his eye stabbed when a rival thief attacked him. Tori was his second in command." Dr. Kett said quietly, "You two have been through a lot, haven't you?" Dive nodded. "The very next month, the Saurian invasion happened. Wing was barely healed, and then he had to go and work in the camps." Dr. Kett asked, "Camps?" Dive explained, "Work camps. Those creeps were too lazy to do their own work, so they enslaved an entire race, our entire race, to do it for them." Dr. Kett nodded to himself. Then, he asked, "What happened to this Canard fellow?" Dive fought the inexplicable tears as he said, "Sacrificed himself to save the Aerowing from a electroworm. Probably stuck in Limbo still." Dr. Kett asked, "You two didn't get along too well, did you?" Dive laughed as the tears came. "Nope. He always thought I was a kid who couldn't do anything. I always thought he had an ego that rivaled the size of the universe. We both had our differences, but Wing always help sort them out." For the next two and a half hours, Dive proceeded to tell Dr. Kett all about Puckworld. In the end, Dr. Kett stood up and said, "Nose Dive, I know this sounds crazy, but from what you've told me, your world was far more civilized than ours is today."
The next afternoon, Dr. Kett was back. He walked up to Dive and ignored the rest of the team. Everyone watched him fearfully except for Dive, who broke out in a grin and said, "What's up, Doc?" Dr. Kett spoke in a clear, calm voice. "We've moved Wild Wing to the Special Care unit. We think he's doing okay; we're not sure. Like I've said before, we're not sure on your anatomy. However, we feel you can see him safely. One duck allowed in for ten minutes. No more. If something happens, you're to leave without resistance. Understood?" Dive stood up and nodded eagerly. Without another look back at the team, he followed the doctor down the hall. They stopped in front of room 710. Dr. Kett said, "Remember what I said, Nose Dive. Ten minutes." Dive nodded and took a deep breath before heading into the room. He paused in the doorway. He didn't know that Dr. Kett was watching him. Dive let his eyes roam over the bandages and tubes on his brother's body. His beak was scarred in several places. Two chip marks were on the side of his beak, right next to each other. Two I.V.'s were attached to his right arm. His left wrist was in a cast. Wires from several places on his chest and head recorded brainwaves and heartbeat. Dive walked slowly to the chair next to the bed, tears welling up in his eyes. He sat down slowly and took his brother's left hand in his, saying, "This is all my fault. I know you're the big brother, but for as many times as you've watched my back, I couldn't watch yours just once? I'm sorry, Wing, it's my fault." He let the tears fall as he whispered, "Please don't hate me, Wing. Not like I hated you. It's awful, Wing, pure torture. I had to keep telling myself that I hated you, and after awhile, I believed the lies. But you're strong, Wing. You're gonna make it. And you're not gonna hate me."
Tanya said over the alarm, "Teleportation energy, detected at the old M.A.Z.E. in the city!"
M.A.Z.E. stood for, Maze Adapted: Zach Elerrs. Some kid named that had adapted the place as a home after he'd gotten lost in the labyrinth like bushes.
Wing shouted, "Let's go!" They all headed for the Migrator and were soon on their way.
They reached the outer ring within twenty minutes. Wing took charge. "Alright, we'll split up. Tanya and Mal, you guys are together. Grin, Dive, you guys are together. Duke and me will go together. If there's any trouble, contact each other through communicators."
Everyone nodded his or her head in agreement. Except Dive. "Aw, man! I want to go with you!" Dive had been having nightmares and had constantly wanted to stay close to his big brother.
Wing shook his head. "No, Dive. Go with Grin. If Tanya's right, there should be four Saurians here. We need to have you somewhere safe."
Wing put his hand on his younger brother's shoulder. Dive looked worried. Wing had been acting different lately. So had Duke. And Wing's next act proved something was up.
Wing took the Mask off and looked at it with a little bit of every emotion known to man. He finally held it out to Dive. "If anything happens, you're going to need this to lead the team."
Dive looked bewildered. Why was Wing acting like this? He slowly reached out and felt the smooth gold of the Mask. Then, he was forced to grab it so it wouldn't fall to the ground. By the time he looked up, Duke and Wing were already in the M.A.Z.E.
Duke looked at Wing, who looked back at him. He knew what was up. He was part of it. Duke read his friend's eyes. They showed pain, guilt, dread, and anger. Duke realized he probably looked the same to his friend.
It was simple. The four Saurians were Dragonus, Wraith, Siege, and Chameleon. And two ducks had a deal with them.
Mal, Tanya, Dive, and Grin followed silently after their two comrades. Who were, in short, scaring them. They followed with skills that Duke would have been proud of, driven on by curiosity, worry, and fear.
They stopped at a corner and looked around. They seemed to be in the middle of the M.A.Z.E. There was a large circle around them, clear of any bushes. Wing and Duke were standing in the middle. They looked full of fear and dread. They didn't notice their friends.
Mal asked, "Okay, something weird is going on. Any ideas?" Grin said in his maddening clam voice, "Something is not right." Dive couldn't resist whispering, "No shit! How long did it take you to figure that out?"
Tanya urged them to be quiet as she noticed movement. Suddenly, Chameleon emerged from a hiding spot, followed by Wraith. Dive snickered, still holding the Mask, "Two against two? Now, those are good odds!" He was about to say some more when Wraith spoke, "Your weapons?"
Mal said, "Aw, that has got to be the lamest try to get someone's gun in all time!" Tanya said in a worried voice, "Maybe, but it worked."
They watched as Duke pulled off his sword, grappler hook, COM watch, and puck launcher. Wing pulled off his ice shield, glove launcher, puck launcher, and COM watch. They laid them on the ground.
Dive's jaw dropped. "What are they doing? They could have beaten them, easy! What the hell is going on!?!?" The others seemed just as speechless.
Siege teleported in and stood in front of the ducks with an evil grin. Wraith said, "Check them." Siege did, first by ordering the mallards at blaster point to drop to their knees, then searched their pockets and clothing. After a few minutes he said, "They're clean."
Wraith said, "Good ducks. I don't know how we would have reacted to concealed weapons. Now, I assume you have the Mask?"
Wing gritted his teeth before saying, "No, I don't." Siege growled out, "That was part of the deal!" Wing said, "There was an explosion at the Pond, and it was damaged. I couldn't take it. The other ducks would have known something was up."
Siege bit out, "You should have snuck it, then!" Without warning, he brought his tail around to Wing's right side. The club at the end bashed against his armor, shattering it. Wing flew a couple of feet before skidding to a halt.
Duke was about to take a step to help him when Siege pointed his blaster at him and said, "You stay right there, unless you want to join him."
Duke spat out, "Beating us senseless was not part of the deal!" Siege answered, "Neither was lying! We'd have known if there was a blast at the Pond! Unless our inside ducks didn't tell us about it."
Wing painfully got to his feet. Blood was dripping from his side. He winced as he moved one of his ribs. Duke didn't care about Siege's warning and ran to his side. Wing gratefully accepted his help.
Wraith scolded Siege, "We are not to spoil the merchandise! Dragonus wants his slaves back in pristine shape!" Siege grunted, "Well, one of his new ducky slaves is going to have a few broken ribs!"
Dive watched with horror at Wing's wound. Blood was flowing from it freely. Suddenly, he felt anger like never before. He was about to attack when he heard something else.
Duke said, "Listen, I want to reconfirm our deal. Our part is: we're your slaves. Our lives are yours. Your part is: You leave the rest of the ducks and the world alone and you blow up your dimension generator."
Siege nodded. Suddenly, Dragonus walked to the center of the ring. He glared at the two ducks. He noticed Wing's wound and asked, "Why did you attack him?" Siege answered, "My lord, he didn't bring the Mask."
Dragonus sighed and put up a hand to rub his temples while saying, "Wild Wing, you know that the Mask was part of the deal." Wing gritted his teeth as he nodded. Dragonus said, "Well, then, I guess we'll have to make this a little more interesting."
Suddenly, Drones teleported in around Wing and Duke. For a brief instant, Wing thought that they were going to attack him. But then, Dragonus received his full attention. "Get the ducks hiding behind the hedge! You hear me ducks? If you do not come quietly I'll kill these two mallards!"
Dive didn't waste anytime. He made a gesture toward Tanya, who took out a short-range teleporter. With a sigh, Dive put the teleporter to the Mask and pressed the button. The Mask disappeared in a flash of green light. With that, he motioned to the rest of the team, who followed him out. Wing looked on in horror as his brother and teammates were surrounded. Dive stood firm and looked at his brother coldly. Without any warning, he sprang and tackled him to the ground. They rolled a few times and Dive managed to land a few punches. Wig didn't even try to fight him. Suddenly, Dive punched his hurt side. Wing screamed. Dive grabbed him by the throat and was strangling him when Duke rammed into him, pushing him off of him.
Wing was unconscious, either from the lack of air or from the pain. Dive stood up and stood over him, yelling, "Why'd you betray us, huh? You're our leader! You're my brother! Your not supposed to do this! Leaders aren't supposed to do this!" Wing regained consciousness just as him brother kicked him in the side. He no longer had the strength or energy to scream. He just sat there, tired eyes looked up at Dive.
Wing sat up and said, "Dive, I did this for you." Without warning, Siege injected something into Dive's arm from behind. A few seconds later, he fell to the ground. His last view of the world before darkness claimed him was a tear rolling down his brother's bill.
Dive slowly woke up. He couldn't remember anything. Nor how he got in the ICU unit of the Anaheim hospital. In a rush, it all came back to him. Wing…traitor…the Mask. Dive squeezed his eyes shut, tears flowing from them. With the salty liquid flowing down his cheeks, he also remembered how Wing said he did it all for him. Humph, some gift. Suddenly, Klegghorn walked into the room. Dive looked away, but then Klegghorn's behavior whipped his head around. He was dancing around, screaming, "THE LAST DUCK LIVES! HE"S AWAKE! IT"S A MIRACLE!" Dive sat up, feeling the itchy hospital gown. Suddenly, the rest of the team, minus Wing and Duke, rushed in. They all had hospital gowns on as well, except for Grin, who had three or four sheets taped around him.
Dive asked Klegghorn, "What happened? How long have we been out?" Klegghorn stopped dancing long enough to say," We found you guys in the M.A.Z.E. We brought you here A.S.A.P. We got you settled in and D.N.J.C. Then, you guys came to today!" Dive shook his head, saying, "You didn't answer my last question. How long have we been out?" Klegghorn looked around at everybody before saying, "All right. No use hiding it. You'll find out anyway." He took a deep breath, then said, "You guys have been in a coma for the last two years."
Dive couldn't believe his ears. Those words rang through his head as they checked out of the hospital. They wouldn't go away, even after he got home. The Pond and everything looked as good as usual. There was a five-hour lecture from Phil on how they cost him every dollar he had in the hospital. It ended when everyone got up and walked away. Dive slowly realized something. Even after what his brother had done, he was still his brother. He was still thinking this when Drake 1 brought the team to the Ready Room. Dive involuntarily shuddered at the sound. Tanya said, "Incoming message." Suddenly, Dragonus' ugly mug appeared on the screen.
He snarled at the group, "Well, it seems the ducks have finally hatched from their sleep. I assume that you heard of our deal before you were drugged." Deal? Oh, right, the deal that Duke confirmed. "Well, I have honored my part. As you can see, your precious world is still the same." Dive couldn't stand it. He yelled, "Where's my brother?" Dragonus smiled and stepped away from the screen. Behind him, Duke and Wing were lying on the ground. They looked terrible. Their feathers were dirty and not as shiny. Their clothes were tattered and worn out. Worse of all was their physical state. There were scars, bruises, cuts, and whip marks all along their bodies. Dive's face contorted in anger as several drones walked over and started to beat them. Dive cried out in horror as each hit caused Wing to grimace or scream. Suddenly, Dragonus stepped forward again.
"For the last two years, these ducks have done the work that ten ducks would take 5 years to do, therefore you can assume I've been working them too hard. " Dive yelled, "Why are you telling us this?" Dragonus said, "Because they're happy here! They don't want you to come and save them. Why save them from a world they like to bring them to a free prison?" Dive didn't even bother to ask what he meant by that. Instead, he said, "Prove to me that they're happy." Dragonus smiled even more. "Of course!" Suddenly, two drones dragged Wing to his feet and to the screen. Dragonus said, "Wild Wing, tell your brother here that your happy and don't want to leave." Wing managed to look into the screen. His eyes were dull and glossy. He said, "I'm…I'm..." Due to his hesitation, Wing was dropped to the ground and beaten relentlessly. The next time he was brought to the screen, a new gash had appeared on his cheek. He looked straight into Dive's eyes before yelling, "I'm happy here! I don't have to worry about you guys getting hurt because I gave a wrong order! I don't have to waste myself every time one of you gets hurt! Most of all, I don't have to worry about turning traitor to my team…or brother! All I have to worry about is mining and waiting on Dragonus! Lastly, I'm too busy to worry about what I would do to Canard if I ever saw him again!"
The transmission ended. Dive's head drooped. There was an uncomfortable silence for a minute before Grin walked over to Dive and said, "Little friend, I'm sure he didn't mean it. He's just spiritually-" He never got a chance to finish his statement, as Dive's clenched fist connected with his jaw. The blow was enough to bring him to his knees. He looked up to see Dive standing over him, trembling. He screamed, "WING IS FINE! THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH HIM! I DON'T CARE WHAT HE SAYS, HE'S NOT HAPPY! AND I'M GONNA DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO SAVE HIM!" With that, Dive stormed out of the room. The group shuddered as they heard one of the Duck Cycles revving up. They heard the tires squeal as they carried Dive away from his pain.
The clerk looked up as a young teenage duck walked into his shop. After showing his I.D., which confirmed he was over 18, he said in a low voice, "I want all the sub-machine guns this credit card can handle." When Dive left, he was carrying two large duffel bags, brimmed to the top with guns, grenades, and other disastrous material. He left one happy clerk and a cut up credit card behind. After strapping them to his bike, and checking his other equipment, Dive headed out of the city to a place where he and Wing used to go. A few minutes after leaving town, Dive gunned the engine to full throttle and rocketed towards the coast. In less then ten minutes, he arrived at their spot. It was a cove that they found while exploring one day. Beautiful white sand with pure blue waves made the scene perfect. Dive closed his eyes and inhaled, thinking about how his brother and him had first discovered the place.
"Race you to the next point, bro!" Wing followed happily after his brother. Dragonus hadn't attacked in ages, and the ducks were all goofing off. Wing ran around a tree and almost ran over his stopped brother. He skid to a halt beside him and said, "What's up?" Dive pointed and said, "Heaven." Wing looked to where his sibling was pointing. A beautiful beach with seashells littering the sand was being washed over by clear blue water. Crabs skittered along happily in the mid-day sun. Birds called joyously through the trees. As the two ducks walked down to the water, Dive pointed out to sea. Several dolphins were playing and splashing in the water. A few of them were making huge leaps into the air, looking as if they were trying to fly, almost succeeding, only to find themselves plummeting to the water again. Wing and Dive sat down, allowing the cool water to splash over their feet. For a few moments, they sat there in silence, until Dive said, "Let's not tell the others about his place. Let's keep it to ourselves. Let's let it be our spot." Wing ruffled the younger duck's feathers in affection, saying, "'Kay, Dive. It's our spot. And so is this, and this, and this…" He trailed off as he started to tickle Dive, who was yelling, "No tickle! Tickle bad! Ahh, stop it!" The seagulls screeched above them, drowning out his cries.
Dive finished loading himself up. He had hidden guns, weapons, ammo, and other things in every spot he could find. He had also hidden a lock picking kit in his chest armor. He folded up the two empty bags and placed them in the saddlebags of the Duck Cycle. He sat down and stared at the sun setting over the water. The dolphins were closer in the cove and playing again. Dive smiled slightly at the sight. On a second thought, he took off his com and used the video option to record a few minutes of the scene. After he was done, he climbed up onto the Duck Cycle and started off. He knew where Dragonus was. And that slimy, red, bad breathed, scaly, lizard, creep was going to pay when Dive got a hold of him.
Duke looked at Wing. He was sitting on the other side of their cell. Dragonus had put them there after they had given up escape. Wing was lying with his eyes open. He looked dazed. He finally asked, "Duke, what did I say to Dive?" Duke sighed. "You told him you were happy. You told him that you didn't want to be rescued and that you didn't want to have to worry about the team, or waste yourself whenever they got hurt. You also said that you didn't mind not having to worry about what you would do to Canard if you ever saw him again." Wing looked at him in shock, saying, "I said that?" Duke nodded. Wing lowered his head, saying, "I'm sorry, Duke. I wasn't thinking. I guess we'll never get out of here." A deeper voice said, "Of course you'll never get out of here! You don't want to get out of here! You like it here." Wing looked wearily at Dragonus. Why did it always have to be Dragonus? Dragonus grinned and said, "Now that your duck team is out of the way, I want to get back to finding the Mask. Tell me where it is." Wing stood up and faced Dragonus. He walked forward and grabbed Dragonus through the bars. He said in a menacing voice, "I will never tell you where the Mask is." Dragonus merely smiled and nodded, saying, "Of course you won't, but maybe Duke will." Wing looked at Duke, who was standing up against the wall. Duke looked at Dragonus before saying, "You ain't getting it from me."
Dragonus' grin disappeared. He said, "If neither of you give me the location of the Mask, maybe I'll just have to capture one of the other ducks and ask them." Wing shook his head, saying, "You can't. Saurians are bound to deals. One part of the deal is that you'll leave the other ducks alone." Dragonus gritted his teeth when he realized that he'd been caught in his own trap. He yanked back, causing Wing to lose his hold on him. He snarled, "Fine! Siege! Chameleon! Come take care of these two." Instantly, the two henchmen appeared. Dragonus thought a minute before saying, "Release them."
Wing didn't think he would ever get tired of it, Dragonus, he meant. For the first few weeks, he had always said 'release them'. Except when he did, it always meant 'beat them to a near death state'. Unfortunately for the two ducks, Dragonus' henchmen were very good at following that order. He hung his head, and the awful beating began again.
Two hours later, Wing decided to stay down. Every time he got up, he was hit down again. However, a distant explosion caused him to sit up quickly. He ignored the sharp pains all over his body. Seconds later, another explosion came, closer this time. Dragonus ran over to a view screen and clicked it on. His huge bulk blocked the screen, but it was clear from his body language that he wasn't happy. "Send in all of our reserve drones! Kill him!" Siege nodded and teleported away. Chameleon cracked some sort of Saurian joke before doing the same. The explosions were coming closer and closer, and Dragonus was getting more and more nervous. Suddenly, an explosion blasted through the wall. Black smoke clogged Wing's lungs as he inhaled it. Duke crawled over and pulled him away from the billowing cloud.
Instead another explosion, a red laser floated through the haze. It settled on Dragonus' face. Clomping was heard, and another duck emerged from the smoke. His body was covered with laser burns, but none seemed too serious. A portable rocket launcher was propped up on his shoulder. The red laser shot away from the mouth of the launcher. Dive's face was contorted in a mixture of hate and vengeful feelings. He said, "Not so happy now, are ya, Saurian scum bag. You little..." Wing gawked at the words coming out of his little brother's mouth. After insulting the red creep, Dive said, "Let me tell you something. When you mess with the team, you mess with Grin. But when you mess with Wing and Duke, you mess with me." With that, he squeezed the trigger of the massive gun. A white plume of smoke from the launcher mixed with the black smoke of the explosive entrance. A mini warhead flew out of the mouth of the launcher and flew at Dragonus. He didn't even have time to act.
The explosion took Wing and Duke by surprise. Obviously those rockets packed a punch. And if Dragonus was caught head on by one…
As the smoke cleared, Wing saw the black and charred body of Dragonus. He was lying in the middle of a large black hole. He was breathing slightly. Dive dropped the smoldering launcher and pulled out a Luger pistol from some pocket of his outfit. He strode up to Dragonus and said, "For five years you've terrorized this planet and this team. You've killed people I knew. You've led an attack on Puckworld. Even without a judge, it's pretty clear you're guilty." He took aim at Dragonus' head as the lizard tried to sit up. The last thing he got out before the laser dot appeared was, "This was just a game to me. Just a game." Dive squeezed the trigger and the entire chamber resounded with the bang from the gun. Dragonus didn't make a sound as the bullet lodged itself in his skull. As the young duck lowered the pistol, he said, "Game over."
Duke said, "Kid's got more colorful language than most people I've met." Wing nodded in agreement as he leaned against the bars of his cell. Dive dropped the pistol to the ground and said, "It's finally over. No more lizards. No more Raptors." He hung his head in sadness as he whispered, "No more dimensional gateway to get home." Another voice drifted through the ship. "Not quite." Dive quickly flipped on his COM and asked, "Tanya?" Tanya's voice came over the speakers and she said, "We followed you, sorry. But I found the schematics to the ship. Including the plans for a dimensional gateway. All of the materials are easy to get, and I think I can have one built within a week in two." Dive grinned as Tanya said, "Good job, Dive. You just single handedly ended this war."
Dive's joy was short lived as Duke coughed. Dive looked over at them, noticing them for the first time. By this time, Wing had passed out, and Duke's cough was the last of his energy as he fell to the metal floor, unconscious. Dive's face paled. He quickly jabbed his COM while walking over to the cell. "Tanya, Mal, Grin, get down to the detention level. I've found Duke and Wing, and," Upon nearing them and seeing their condition, whispered, "it may be too late." He flipped off his COM and took out his lock pick, took another look at his brother, and took out his puck launcher and blasted the thing just as Mal and Grin ran in. Opening the smoldering door, he shuffled in and knelt next to Wing. He felt something warm next to his fingers and looked down. Blood was seeping through his fingers. Wing's blood. Dive looked up, frightened. He quickly turned Wing over and saw that there was blood flowing from dozens of places. He didn't notice Mal kneel next to him.
Suddenly, Wing's hand gripped Dive's hand. Dive's eyes flew toward his brother's face. Wing was looking at him with tired and pain-filled eyes. He spoke in a whisper. "Dive… you came for me." Dive nodded and whispered, "I'll always come for you." Wing's eyes seemed to drift in and out of focus. He gripped Dive's hand harder and said, "It hurts, Dive." Dive spoke in a soothing voice, "I know, Wing, I know. Just hang in there, alright?" Wing's gaze drifted out again. "I'm cold, Dive. I'm really cold." Dive quickly gestured to Mal, who was tending to Duke. She took off her jacket. Dive wrapped it around Wing. Wing shivered even with the flight jacket of Mallory's. He clenched his eyes shut. Dive picked up Wing and laid him against his shoulder. He rocked both of them as he hummed a song from Puckworld. Mal's eyes brimmed with tears as Dive wrapped his arms around his brother's body. She tore her eyes away as Tanya came rushing in. Behind her was a medic team. They ran over to the cell and ushered Mal out. It took more than a little persuasion to get Dive to leave. In the end, Mal pinched a nerve on his neck, and Grin carried him out of the cell. Tanya asked a medic, "Will they be okay?" The medic said, "Hard to say. Depends on if you ducks have an anatomy similar to ours. I'll do my best, but I'm not making any promises here."
Hours later, Dive was back in the familiar surroundings of the ICU unit of the Anaheim hospital. He nestled further into the embrace of Mal. He had just been informed that Wing was in a critical state, and that he wasn't responding to any of their tests. "Mal… what if he doesn't wake up?" Mal looked down at the blonde hair of the teenage duck. She tried to think of the right words. "Dive, you went and saved him. You ended the war. You're brothers, and nothing can change that. Not even death." Dive shuddered under her arms. She spoke softly. "Wing never let you down, Dive. Everyone on the team knows about your abusive parents, and what Wing did to get you out. He was doing that for you, just as you killed Dragonus for him." Dive said in a confused voice, "But I didn't do it for just him, I did-" Mal broke in and said, "Quit trying to lie to yourself. You did it for him, and him alone. And it's alright. You're brothers. You do things like this for one another." Dive shifted into a more comfortable position and yawned, saying, "If anything happens, wake me up." Then, he drifted off to sleep.
Tanya came up and said, "You'd be a good mother, ya know." Mal didn't answer. Instead, tears dripped down he face as she said, "What if Wing doesn't wake up? What's gonna happen to us? To Dive?" Tanya sat next to Mal in one of the chairs. "Mallory, you know that Wing had a will. With this profession, you have to have one. Here, let me read you it." With that, she pulled out a paper from her pocket. She opened it, cleared her throat, and read.
I, Wild Wing Flashblade, present my last will and testament, on this day of May the second, in the year nineteen hundred and ninety six.
I will my stock portfolio to Phil Palmfeather.
I will all of my possessions to my brother Nose Dive Flashblade.
I will Nose Dive Flashblade's care and custody rights to Mallory McMallard.
I will the Mask of DuCaine and my position as team leader to Duke L'Orange.
I will my plot of land in the Sangre De Cristo mountains to Grin Draco.
I will the Private Duck Account to Tanya Webber.
Witnessed by yada, yada, yada… signed Duke and Grin.
At that moment, Phil walked in and heard the last few seconds of the will. He asked, "Why would Tanya get the Private Duck Account!?!? There's gotta be a lot of money in that thing!" Tanya teardropped and said, "Maybe because it's a 'duck' account. Don't complain! You'd get to have his stock portfolio!" Phil stopped and said, "Good point. See ya." With that, he walked out. There was silence in the room after the greedy manager left. His abrupt entrance and exit woke up Dive. Dive crawled out of Mal's arms and plopped down in a seat. From his corner of the room, barely audible sobs echoed eerily. Mal asked, "Tanya, what are you doing with Wing's will? Why did you read it to me?" Tanya shrugged, saying, "Well, I got to go to Harvard for awhile and I got to get a degree. Wing asked me, when I got back, if I would write up his will with him. SO I did. I read it to you to make you feel better."
While that was going on, a candy striper walked in. She was wearing a red and white striped dress with white Mary Janes and white knee socks. Her hair was curled and held back by a white chiffon bow, which matched the chiffon covering her entire outfit. Little red hoops dangled from her ears. She glided into the room carrying a stack of magazines. She was humming 'Zip-e-dee-doo-da'. Unaware of what the emotions were in each of the three ducks, she walked over to them. "Would you like a magazine?" Her voice was sweet. She picked up a magazine titled 'Ballet Today'. Opening to a page, she said, "Oh, this month's focus is titled, 'Men getting in touch with their feminine side'. Doesn't that sound interesting?" Pulling the magazine away from her face, she found herself staring into the black barrel of a puck launcher. She cried, "Yipe!" Dive's face was seen over the sight. He was trembling with fury, and it was evident that he was barely controlling it. His voice trembled as he said, "Get out." She hurriedly gathered her magazines. She then abandoned the idea and dropped them altogether. She scurried out of the room. Dive lowered his puck launcher. Quietly returning it to its proper place, he sat back down as the tears started coming.
Mal looked at Tanya in distress. Tanya gave her a helpless look. Suddenly, a nurse rushed in. "Which of you is Mallory McMallard?" Mal stood up and asked, "Why?" The nurse smiled. "The dark feathered one is awake and asked for you by name." Mal smiled and headed off with her. While passing Dive, she whispered, "Don't give up hope, Dive. He'll make it."
Upon entering the room, Mal was caught by surprise at how many monitors there were in there. Then, she walked up to the bed. She took Duke's hand and squeezed it gently. "Hey," she whispered. Duke opened his eyes, well, the one he could, anyway. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "How ya doing, sweetheart? Haven't seen ya in a while." Mal smiled and said, "That's because your dear Saurian friends drugged me and the rest of the team for two years.' Duke smiled slightly and said, "I always told them that you needed your beauty sleep." Mal squeezed his hand again. Duke looked away, then looked back, asking, "How's the kid?" Mal sighed. "Not good. He didn't get hurt getting you guys out, but Wing…" Duke asked cautiously, "What about Wing?" Mal's eyes were teary. She whispered, "He's not doing well, Duke. No responses to any of Dr. Kett's tests. Critical state. He hasn't woken up since you last saw him. It's hitting Dive pretty hard." Duke murmured, "I bet Dragonus is happy 'bout that." Mal's eyes shined and he asked, "What?" Mal said, "Dragonus is dead. Dive shot him after blowing him up with a portable rocket launcher. We don't know about the other creeps." Duke smiled and said, "So, the kid really had it in him." He looked at Mal and stayed silent. She leaned in, slowly, closer to Duke. He did the same to her. The two ducks shared a long passionate kiss.
Dive let his tears fall. He didn't think of stopping them. He didn't think of how that candy striper might be committed to a mental institute. All he could think about was his brother. Suddenly remembering something, he took off his com and pressed a button. An image of dolphins playing in the water greeted him. He laughed as some of the dolphins played a game similar to 'tag'. Tanya looked over at the duck who had tears and was laughing at the same time. She was about to walk over when another nurse entered the area. She looked uncomfortable. Tanya quickly asked, "Nothing's wrong, right?" The nurse shook her head. "I heard about the last candy striper that came in here. My boss just told me to come in here and tell you that you're welcome to stay for as long as you like." Tanya settled back in her chair. Nodding her thanks to the nurse, she looked over at Dive. He wasn't laughing anymore, but he was smiling. Tanya settled in for a long wait.
Two days later, in the waiting room, Dive sat in the same chair. He'd eaten nothing and gotten very little sleep. He'd long since deleted the file of dolphins playing on his COM. His eyes were dull and he didn't talk to anyone. Word had gotten out about the candy striper incident, and the hospital staff left him alone. Until now.
A doctor cautiously walked into the room. He glanced around and walked to the only occupant. "Nose Dive Flashblade?" His response was a puck launcher staring him in the face. Dr. Kett cleared his throat as Dive whispered, "Unless it's about Wing, go away." Dr. Kett smiled nervously. "Well, uh, it is about your brother." The puck launcher disappeared as quickly as it came. Dive's eyes were hopeful. He asked, "Is he awake?" Dr. Kett took him by the shoulders and plopped him down on a chair. He sat down next to him. "Nose Dive, I'm going to give this to you straight. Alright? He's in a critical condition. Sometimes it's stable, sometimes not. He's not responding to any of the tests." Dive gave him a warning glare and said, "You're getting on my bad side, doc." Dr. Kett frowned as he said, "Look, Nose Dive, I'm not going to lie to you. This is the truth, and right now, we've done all we can for him. Everything we've done has been semi- experimental. We're not quite sure how close you're anatomy is to ours. I'll keep you updated, but since Wild Wing doesn't seem to be giving up, then neither should you." With that, he walked out of the room. Seconds passed, then crying was heard once more throughout the room.
The team waited long into the night and into the early morning. Grin was found meditating on the rooftop. Dive stayed where he was, and Mal stayed in Duke's room. Tanya kept close tabs on all of them. The wait went on to include the afternoon. Several times, Tanya came in to try and persuade Dive to eat something, but Dive wouldn't hear about it. Dive visited Duke a few times, and Wing's condition didn't get any better. However, it didn't get any worse, either. Dive's feathers were constantly damp from crying, and his eyes were bloodshot and dull. The only time they brightened was when Dr. Kett came to give him an update.
Dive looked up as Dr. Kett walked in. He was walking slower than normal. Dive sat up and asked, "What now?" Dr. Kett broke into a huge grin. "He responded to one of our tests!" Dive asked, "And that's good?" Dr. Kett nodded eagerly. "You see, when we used one of the machines to do a test, he responded by having irregular brainwave patterns. In other words, he's getting better!" Dive smiled. "So… when can I see him?" Dr. Kett's face fell as he said, "Well, you can't see him yet. Even though he's getting better, Nose Dive, that doesn't mean that he's perfectly healthy. He could drop out at any moment, or he could wake up, or he could go into a coma. It's up in the air." Dive's attitude turned in a u-turn. Slouching down in the chair, he said in a concerned voice, "Tell me when something happens." Dr. Kett nodded and was about to walk off when he asked, "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" Dive sat up again. "Whatever," he replied unenthusiastically. Dr. Kett sat down. "Well, I'm very interested in this relationship you and your brother have. Out of all of my thirty years here, you're the only two I've seen who seemed to be so connected. My first question is, why do you two seem so close?" Dive smiled. "Because we are. We've always been there for each other. Through thick and thin. We never quit on each other." Dr. Kett considered this and asked. "So, obviously, there must have been something that brought you two together. I know that this relationship hasn't been this way ever since you were born. What did this?" Dive looked at the ground as he suddenly became interested in the design of the carpet. He answered without looking at the other. "Our parents were alcoholics and abusive. One day, they shot me, and Wing couldn't do anything. I blamed it all on him. For an entire year, I didn't trust him, until that last day at the house…"
--Flashback--
Dive slowly trudged up the sidewalk toward his house. Prison's more like it. He sat down on the porch and pulled out a few aspirin and swallowed them. He grimaced as he thought of what was ahead that night, which was more than likely beating, yelling, and more awful stuff. He pulled his backpack on his shoulders and stood up. He walked to the door, hesitated, then opened it. A trashed entry hall awaited him. Beer bottles, cans, and cigarette packs littered the floor. Dive pointed his beak down and tried to walk up the staircase as quietly as possible. However, as he shifted his backpack around, he hit one of the beer bottles. It fell to the floor with a crash. Dive froze. Strangely enough, his parents must have been too drunk or asleep to hear it. He made his way up the stairs without any more noise. He slipped over to his and Wing's bedroom. Sure, he didn't trust him, but there was safety in numbers. He pulled out his key to the bolt Wing had installed three years earlier. He gently eased the key into the lock, heard it click as he turned, and quickly entered his room. He dropped his backpack on the floor and flopped down on his bed. He was about to turn on some music when he heard the downstairs door open. He opened his door a crack and crept to the bars beside the stairs. He had a perfect view. Wing and Canard had come in. They ignored the beer bottles and boxes. They didn't even look at each other. Finally, Canard said, "Good luck, buddy. This may be your last chance. Take care of Dive, all right? I'll meet you at the corner of 5th and 8th at midnight. That gives you five hours." He went to walk out the door, hesitated, and shot a look at Dive. It was filled with fear. He said, "Dive, if anything happens to Wing tonight, you take care. If you don't meet me at 5th and 8th, then I'll know Wing's dead." Dive's mouth gaped open and he asked, "What's going on tonight?" Canard simply sighed and said as he exited, "Wing's gonna take them on. Good luck." With that, there was silence in the house again. Wing slowly walked upstairs. He brushed past Dive and entered their room. He looked at Dive as he put his backpack down, "This is it, Dive. I know you don't trust me, but I need you to do what I say. When I go out there in ten minutes, shut this door and lock it. Don't keep any lights on. Under no circumstances are you to open this door, no matter what you hear. Got it?" Dive barely managed to nod as he asked, "You don't plan on living, do you?" Wing turned away and went to their bathroom. Dive got up and went to him. Wing was in the bathroom, leaning over the sink. He seemed to not notice Dive's presence. Dive asked his question again. Wing sighed and said, "Dive, you were born to people who loved you. They were killed by some robbers. You and I survived. The robbers dropped us off here. The only reasons these people kept us is because they can use us as insurance. The robbers, who were from the Brotherhood of the Blade, pay them about 5,000 dollars every three months if they keep quiet. They aren't your real parents, Dive." Dive sat on the floor. He fearfully asked, "How do I know that you're my real brother?" Wing quickly turned to Dive. Wing sighed and said, "Dive, whatever happens tonight, I'll always be there for you." With that, he walked to the door. He flipped off the lights and said, "Remember, Dive, what I said. Don't open this door. I have a key, alright? I'll get in. If you hear something, plug your ears." Dive suddenly asked, "You told the authorities, didn't you? That's why you're taking them on. You don't want us to go to a orphanage or something." Wing smiled slightly and said, "For a little brother, you're pretty intuitive, you know that?" With those words, he left and shut the door. Dive heard the key turn as Wing locked the door from the outside. For a few minutes, there wasn't any noise. Dive stood up and walked over to the door and pressed his ear to it. Still nothing. Dive sat on the bed and paused as he heard footsteps. Then, all heck broke loose. There were screams and shouts and glass breaking. The house seemed to shake. Plug your ears, Dive. Wing's voice seemed to sound through Dive's head. Dive dove under the covers and pulled his pillow around his head. Crying and hiccupping, he fell into a fitful, fearful sleep. A few hours later, Dive woke up to a gunshot. He pulled the pillow tighter over his ears. However, three more gunshots buried their way into his pillow. The last shot seemed right outside his door. Crying and shaking, he covered his head even more with the pillow. Ten minutes later, he heard someone at the door. He forced himself to stop shaking as a key turned in the lock. Dive's heart leapt. Wing had won. He quickly untangled himself from his covers and stood up. The door opened and a figure was silhouetted in the dark. A hand flicked the light on. Dive froze, then screamed. His father, Gulezy, was standing there, looking as though a train had run him over. Cuts, bruises, and a gunshot wound in his chest were all mementos of the last fight. He spoke in a gravelly, drunken voice. "Your stupid brother thought that he could take on me and Alika." He glanced over his shoulder, then said, "Well, he killed her, but he didn't get me. Nope, I shot him, and now, you're gonna pay for his mistake." The duck started to advance towards Dive. Dive began to back up. Gulezy matched each step. Dive finally hit the wall. His father was only steps from him. Dive looked around, desperate for a way to defeat him. His father walked closer. Dive's face was inches from Gulezy. He could smell the alcohol on his breath. Dive looked down towards the floor, looking for an escape to this situation. Suddenly, his head pounded with pain and he fell to the floor. Looking up, he realized that his father had just hit him. The huge duck began to kick Dive merciless. The pain was immense and Dive wanted to scream, but he wouldn't give his father the satisfaction. As the foot came in for another kick, Dive grabbed it, realizing that he had the advantage because his father was drunk. Dive pulled on Gulezy's leg, dragging him to the ground. The duck landed with a thud. Dive brought his own leg down on top of Gulezy's head. He heard a loud crunch. Terrified, Dive got up. His foster dad wasn't moving, and Dive began to cry. What had he done? He was turning into his foster parents. Dive turned to walk towards the door, but a scratching noise made him stop. He turned around to see Gulezy standing with a gun in his hand. He must have had it hidden in his pants, Dive thought to himself. "Say hi to your brother," snapped Gulezy. He pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. Dive, realizing he had been given another chance, charged his father. The force of Dive's hit knocked the foster parent right up to the wall and out the window. Gulezy fell to his death. Dive stood and waited for his foster dad to stand up. It seemed that whenever he thought his dad was down, he really wasn't. Not waiting to see if he would get up, Dive caught his breath and quickly moved to the door. The place looked worse than it had only a few hours before. Dive stepped into the hall, his shoes crunching on glass. Moving to the bedroom, he saw the dead figure of his foster mother. One less scum bag to terrorize this world. Dive turned away and kept looking for Wing. Not finding him of the top floor, he walked back the way he came and noticed something he hadn't seen before. The banister next to the stairs was missing. Quickly walked over, Dive leaned over the edge and almost had a heart attack. Wing was lying face down on the first floor. Apparently, the last shot he'd heard was Gulezy shooting his brother over the edge of the balcony. Dive didn't hesitate. He ran down the stairs and dashed to his brother's still form. Dive tried not to notice the cuts and bruises along his body. Rolling him over, Dive almost gagged when he saw blood leaking out of his brothers stomach, mouth, and nose. However, Wing was still breathing, if ever so slightly. Dive glanced at his watch. 11:02. Dive quickly got his hidden roll of money and went back to Wing. Dive gently shook his brother. It took a few minutes, but Dive woke him up. Wing looked at him with pain and asked, "You… okay?" Dive nodded, tears falling from his cheeks. Wing's gaze averted to the mess around him. He whispered, "What about…" Dive shook his head, saying, "The story the cops will get is that they had a fight. After he killed her, he jumped to his death out of our window." Dive checked his watch again and said, "C'mon, Wing. We have to go meet Canard." Wing groaned and cried out as Dive helped him to his feet. Dive let his brother lean on him as they both staggered out of the house. Heading down a side street, Dive took Wing's directions on how to get to the meeting spot. At 11:40, they made it. It was in a backwater area of the town, and there weren't any people there. Dive helped Wing lean up against one of the buildings. Wing said, "Dive… I'm so sorry." Dive looked at him weird and asked, "For what?" Wing smiled softly and said, "For letting you get shot. I know you hate me, but I'm still sorry." Dive's eyes brimmed with tears as he said, "Wing, I forgave you a long time ago. I could never hate you." Wing embraced his brother as he lost the strength to stand. Sliding down along the wall, he passed out. Dive collapsed to his knees and whispered into the darkness, "I could never hate you Wing. I'm sorry." Leaning up against his brother, Dive waited for Canard. Fifteen minutes later, a few cars pulled up. Dive jumped to his feet. Several ducks jumped out. All of them were less than 18 years old. One of them, a dark feathered duck, walked up and asked, "You Dive or Wing?" Dive stated his name while keeping himself between his brother and the huge fellow. The duck smiled, extended his hand, and said, "Canard sent us. We're part of his private hockey team. Name's Donovan." Dive took it and they shook hands. Donovan's gaze drifted over his shoulder and his mouth gaped open when he saw Wing. He took a step towards him, but was blocked by Dive, who said in a dangerous tone, "No one goes near him but me and Canard. Of which, where is he?" Donovan said, "Listen, kid, anyone can see he needs help. Canard couldn't make it, that's all." Dive didn't back down as he said, "Listen, when are you going to tell me the truth? Canard said he'd be here. Now, you better get him or else…" Donovan showed his true colors as he laughed and asked, "Or else what? A little pipsqueak is gonna pound me into the ground?" A strong voice came from behind Dive. "Leave him alone." Dive turned around to see Wing standing behind him. Despite his wounds, Wing stood tall and straight. Donovan said, "Ah, isn't that cute? Big brother's gotta fend off the big mean guys so that his brother will be all right. Aw, how sweet." The six other guys laughed along with him. Wing gritted his teeth and said, "Canard doesn't have a private hockey team. I know who you are. You're that Donovan guy from the gang Condors. The cops have been trying to catch you for ages." Donovan smiled smugly and said, "My reputation precedes me." Wing shook his head hard, and Dive saw that it was hard for him to stand up at all, let alone talk. Wing fell to his knees and Dive was at his side in a flash. Dive let Wing lean up against him. Suddenly, Donovan was knocked off his feet. The others stared around in shock. Abruptly several dozen ducks were surrounding the group. One came forward and said, "We'll let you live if you leave." Donovan was on his feet and yelled, "Who hit me?" A blonde duck came forward and said, "That would be me." Donovan yelled, "You're gonna pay!" Before he even started forward, ten ducks were surrounding him. Each one had a silver, gold, or copper beam sword at his throat. Donovan nervously gulped. One asked the first duck to speak, "How did they find out about Canard, sir?" Tori, the duck who spoke first, said, "They must of heard of his plan. We've got to keep a better eye on them." Canard, who had come to Tori's side, nodded. Then he hurriedly pushed his way through the group. He ran over to Wing and said, "Stars, Wing. What did they do to you?" Wing smiled weakly and said, "You can go ask them at the city morgue." Canard gestured to the duck that had first spoken. "Tori, he's hurt bad." Tori and a few others moved over to them as the rest surrounded the gang. Tori, obviously the leader, said, "We just got here. Did the gang do this or your parents?" Wing managed, "The latter." Tori nodded and gestured to the other ducks. They helped Wing to his feet and Tori then saw the gunshot wound in Wing's stomach. "Jeez! What did they shoot you with?" Wing grimaced and said, "8-17 model shotgun." Tori said feelingly, "Ouch." Dive whispered to Canard, "Who are these guys?" Canard smiled and said, "Kid, they are the Brotherhood of the Blade."
--End Flashback--
Dr. Kett sat silent for a moment and then asked, "Was the Brotherhood nice?" Dive smiled. "Yeah. They were really cool. They let us live with them until Wing was okay. Then, they let us stay at an apartment they owned. In fact, the other duck here, Duke, was the leader of the Brotherhood. He wasn't there that night because he was getting his eye fixed. That night he had gotten his eye stabbed when a rival thief attacked him. Tori was his second in command." Dr. Kett said quietly, "You two have been through a lot, haven't you?" Dive nodded. "The very next month, the Saurian invasion happened. Wing was barely healed, and then he had to go and work in the camps." Dr. Kett asked, "Camps?" Dive explained, "Work camps. Those creeps were too lazy to do their own work, so they enslaved an entire race, our entire race, to do it for them." Dr. Kett nodded to himself. Then, he asked, "What happened to this Canard fellow?" Dive fought the inexplicable tears as he said, "Sacrificed himself to save the Aerowing from a electroworm. Probably stuck in Limbo still." Dr. Kett asked, "You two didn't get along too well, did you?" Dive laughed as the tears came. "Nope. He always thought I was a kid who couldn't do anything. I always thought he had an ego that rivaled the size of the universe. We both had our differences, but Wing always help sort them out." For the next two and a half hours, Dive proceeded to tell Dr. Kett all about Puckworld. In the end, Dr. Kett stood up and said, "Nose Dive, I know this sounds crazy, but from what you've told me, your world was far more civilized than ours is today."
The next afternoon, Dr. Kett was back. He walked up to Dive and ignored the rest of the team. Everyone watched him fearfully except for Dive, who broke out in a grin and said, "What's up, Doc?" Dr. Kett spoke in a clear, calm voice. "We've moved Wild Wing to the Special Care unit. We think he's doing okay; we're not sure. Like I've said before, we're not sure on your anatomy. However, we feel you can see him safely. One duck allowed in for ten minutes. No more. If something happens, you're to leave without resistance. Understood?" Dive stood up and nodded eagerly. Without another look back at the team, he followed the doctor down the hall. They stopped in front of room 710. Dr. Kett said, "Remember what I said, Nose Dive. Ten minutes." Dive nodded and took a deep breath before heading into the room. He paused in the doorway. He didn't know that Dr. Kett was watching him. Dive let his eyes roam over the bandages and tubes on his brother's body. His beak was scarred in several places. Two chip marks were on the side of his beak, right next to each other. Two I.V.'s were attached to his right arm. His left wrist was in a cast. Wires from several places on his chest and head recorded brainwaves and heartbeat. Dive walked slowly to the chair next to the bed, tears welling up in his eyes. He sat down slowly and took his brother's left hand in his, saying, "This is all my fault. I know you're the big brother, but for as many times as you've watched my back, I couldn't watch yours just once? I'm sorry, Wing, it's my fault." He let the tears fall as he whispered, "Please don't hate me, Wing. Not like I hated you. It's awful, Wing, pure torture. I had to keep telling myself that I hated you, and after awhile, I believed the lies. But you're strong, Wing. You're gonna make it. And you're not gonna hate me."