Author's Notes 7/30/02:
Woo, bet ya'll are all going "Who IS that Stranger??" Yeah yeah, it's me, back from Computer death. I'm almost out of practice writing stories, what between Fanfiction caving in and my computer going to computer heaven. Hopefully now, I can get some work done *whew!* Anyway, Enjoy Yon Story!

~Windresss

When Nobody Wins.

Chapter 4: Bridge out (Forever?)

'We're all going to Die.'

Duke angrily told his mind to shut up, the phrase repeating in his head with increasing intensity. He tried to concentrate, instead, to gripping his seat as tightly as he could while WildWing recklessly piloted the Migrator through the pouring rain.

The team was all shooting the retired theif pleading looks, their eyes wide at the team leader's behavior. 'Why are they looking at -me-!? Just because I'm the eldest doesn't mean I can talk sense to a crazed duck!' Besides, he learned long ago not to come between two brothers.

The ducks cringed into their seats as the Migrator fishtailed around another turn, Wing skillfully regaining control and pushing its speed up another notch. 'At least he knows what he's doing...' Duke thought, 'The only one better at driving than WildWing is Dive.'

The only team member that wasn't disturbed by the daredevil driving was Grin. Like usual, he was folded into a position of meditation, expression relaxed in concentration. But even as Duke watched, his expression darkened, the duck's brow furrowing and his eyes snapping open. Grin's deep bass captured all of the team's attention, even WildWing.

"Our little friend's aura has...changed. I sense he is in danger."

After that, no one cared that Wing was driving like a bat out of hell. They just held on and tried not to think about the implications of Grin's words.

Tanya broke the silence, her eyes on the control panel in the Migrator. "We've reached the site of teleportation!"

Brakes Squealed as the vehicle slide to a stop on the wet pavement. The parting clouds illuminated the area, but revealed nothing to the anxious ducks. They all leapt from the armored car, prepared for a trap. The empty road that met them had each duck glancing at the other in confusion.

There was an edge to WildWing's voice when he spoke, "Tanya, I thought you said this was the place..."

"..uh.." The female sientist looked beweildered, searching for something to deflect Wing's hysterical anger from herself, "..it is...look around a bit..I know this is where the computer indicated."

The duck's fanned out, using the fading light to look for any signs of the saurian's presence. Mallory was the first to find Dive's cycle at the bottom of the ditch,

"...oh no..."

Duke heard her soft breath of despair and strode to her side to peer into the gulch. He stared, open-beaked, at the mangled remains of the motorcycle the teenaged duck had roared off on before the storm hit.

"...well, shit."

"What?" Both ducks turned to see WildWing moving towards them, his strained expression only intensifying when he saw their pale faces, "What is it?!?"

Duke knew he couldn't stop Wing, so he spun around, hastily searching for signs of a body...-any- body. There was nothing. Only the rushing water and... 'oh, Stars...'

A long red stain ran down the incline of the ditch, ending inches from the water.

The older duck heard the sharp intake of breath behind him, and turned in time to see WildWing's visage contort into one of grief, his eyes shining with terror. It took the combined efforts of Duke, Grin and Mallory to keep the estranged duck from leaping off the edge of the ravine and falling to his own death.

Tanya, looking stricken, opened the Migrator and the team drug a struggling Wing into the vehicle, his eyes screaming the denial of what he saw. A single hoarse cry broke from his beak, echoing the in the fast approaching darkness...

"NOSEDIVE!!"

~~~~~

"..Did you hear something?"

Chameleon started, freed from his shocked paralysis. "..uh, What?"

NoseDive only shrugged, seeming slightly troubled, "I thought I heard something.."

The saurian only shrugged, eyeing the duck with trepidation. He couldn't believe Dive could have amnesia, but the blonde teen seemed genuinely puzzled. An insistant beeping again jerked him from his thoughts, and the green lizard looked down at his wrist. '..oh, geez, what else could go wrong?'

"Um..dude?..Your watch is beeping..." Chameleon only rolled his eyes and pressed a button on his wrist com. Lord Dragaunus's face appeared, broken only by te fuzzy green line that never seemed to clear from the comm's screen.

"Chameleon!!" The red dragon smirked when his minion winced. Without waiting for a reply, he continued, "Have you captured the duck yet? ...or should I say, at all?"

Chameleon quickly glanced to the blonde teen, who was staring in fascination at the little hovering screen rising above his comm watch. He seemed oblivious to the telltale words that would alert him that the lizard before him was an enemy. Chameleon breathed a sigh of relief, then hastily stood.

NoseDive blinked, then looked up at the green creature quizically.

"I...uh, I'll be right back...don't leave...or anything." Dragaunus's henchman stood there a moment longer, shifting his weight nervously from foot to foot. His communicator was oddly silent, and he knew that his lord had spotted the Docile duck.

Finally, Chameleon slowly starts backing away, unwilling to remove his eyes from the reclining duck, who only witnessed his unusual behavior with quizzical interest. When he felt at a safe distance, the Saurian again turned to his Comm unit, voice hushed, "...Uh, I got 'em, Lord Dragaunus..."

"Hmmm....So I see that, Chameleon. Good Job." A flash of pride swelled in the minion's chest, and he abruptly stood up straighter, "But tell me, my faithful follower....Why is he not trying to escape?"

Dragaunus sounded truly intrigued, and the green lizard bounced up and down in an effort to mute his gleeful laughter. He knew how it got on his Lord's nerves, "He's got Amnesia, Sir! He fell down a ditch on his DuckCycle and hit his head!"

Slowly, Chameleon's humor faded as the silence from the other end of his communication unit stretched into an eerie length. The expression on Dragaunus's face was...unreadable, at best, and that made the olive skinned saurian uneasy. Suddenly a soft chuckling drifted from the his small comm speakers, growing louder, into the bellowing, maniacal laughter that alone was Dragaunus's. Chameleon breathed a sigh of relief...

"Chameleon, Dear boy!" The shapeshifter's eyes widened at the endearment, and he once again felt a spike of proud adoration, "Why don't you bring our little friend....'home'."

The small wisps of smoke drifting from the overlord's nostrils thickened dangerously, reflecting upon the evil grin that slowly curled his snout into a grotesque expression. 'Oh yes...' He snorted as he clicked off the Raptor's Communication screen, '...I've got the ducks by their Tailfeathers this time...'


***Another Day, Another chapter! Actually, this entry was a long time in coming, it seems! First we had FanFiction blow up in all our faces! And just when it looks like it's back to working, my Computer kicks the bucket! All is well now though, so no worries. Bet ya'll can't wait for the next installment huh? Well, buckle your seatbelts, cause it's about to get Bumpy!***