Chapter 8
Grace directed them to where they needed to go, but Wildwing mostly knew which streets to follow. When they were only a few miles from the city limits, Grace had them stop, and she rushed out of the Migrator to the far side of the road ahead of them. The other ducks followed her, and they saw two duckcycles collapsed by some palm trees. Nosedive and Mallory were sprawled on the ground.
Without hesitating, Grace spread her hands over them and closed her eyes. Her healing power stretched out to them and wrapped them in light. After a minute or so, she stopped and stepped back. Nosedive and Mallory opened their eyes and sat up as the others hurried to them.
"Those humans stopped on the edge of town, just before leaving the dome, and I think they attacked us," Mallory said. "We were hit before we could do anything about it."
"It was so strong," Nosedive said. "It was like I couldn't move or even breathe."
Grace leaned against the nearest tree and put her head in her hands.
"You could have been killed out here. They wanted revenge, so they didn't hold back and drew as much energy from you as they could," she said. "I was distracted, or I would have seen the danger sooner."
"We're okay. Thanks to you," Mallory said, reassuringly as Tanya helped her up. "Thankfully, we were already slowing down on our duckcyles, so we didn't crash."
"Just collapsed," Nosedive said as he got up and dusted himself off.
"I shouldn't have sent you out here," Wildwing sighed. "I underestimated them."
"Yeah, it looked like Grace's lightning bolt had them pretty scared," Duke said. "That was good work by the way."
Grace smiled.
"Well, I was tired of that brute hitting my dome with his pitiful blasts."
Wildwing looked around warily.
"Let's get you back to the Pond, Grace. We've had you out in the open a lot tonight."
Grace had kept the hood of her jacket up around her head, and she pulled at it again nervously as she followed them back to the Migrator. But she could feel that the other humans had gone.
At a hotel several hours from Anaheim, Chase and Vivian finally stopped. Golott had just started to regain consciousness, but he had a bad headache and wanted to rest. They chose a few connected rooms and met in one of them with drinks as Golott lay on the couch.
"We still don't know enough," Vivian said bitterly.
"There's another one of our race in that city," Chase said confidently. "That's the only explanation."
"One that has too much power," Vivian protested, pointing to Golott. "This wasn't supposed to happen. No defender would be any good to us against we what saw."
"Well, at least we got a little of our own back before we left," Chase said with a smug expression as he flexed his arm. "Maybe put a few ducks in the hospital as well."
Vivian didn't appear convinced.
"As I said, this solves nothing."
Chase fell silent in thought for a few moments before asking,
"What would one of us fear if we had that kind of power?"
"Discovery by the Agency."
"Exactly. We'll persuade them to send an investigator out there and see what comes of that."
"We don't have proof," Vivan said.
"I have some sway with the president of the Off-World Agency," Chase assured her. "Now is the time to use those powerful friends we've been collecting. Just a hint from me that laws are being broken and there is some threat, and they'll be combing that city for fugitives."
Vivan raised her glass to him and took a drink.
"It's a shame that we couldn't have met this gifted person though," Chase said. "I wouldn't mind putting that kind of power to use within our own circles. It could be quite helpful."
"Tell that to Golott," Vivan sneered. "I don't think whoever it is wants to work with us."
"Then the only option is elimination," Chase said with a shrug. "We can't have someone disrupting our operations and sharing our secrets."
"When the problem is eliminated, I want those ducks to pay," Vivian said. "I don't care if draws attention and questions. We'll find a way to put the blame on something else."
"They will," Chase assured her. "As we proved tonight, they can't stand against us without protection."
When Grace awoke the next morning, it was already 10 a.m. I must have been more tired than I thought. She sat up in her bunk and looked around the room the ducks had given her. Hmm, pretty bare, she thought, looking around at the mostly empty quarters. Grace had only brought a bag of clothes and a few belongings from New Haven. But then she had never had much to make any place a home here in this world.
Can't stay any place too long or get weighed down in my situation, Grace reminded herself. Being able to move quickly and travel light had been a necessity to avoid detection by the Off-World Agency. She rose, got dressed, and brushed her hair before leaving her room in search of a late breakfast.
Upon reaching the galley, Grace was surprised to see the ducks gathered there as well. Wildwing sat reading the paper as he drank his coffee. Tanya toasted bagels as Mallory set out the cream cheese from the refrigerator. Grin sat on the other side of the room meditating in a silent and still pose. Duke was cutting the peel from an orange in one long piece with a small knife. Nosedive grabbed an unopened box of cereal and opened it from the bottom.
"What are you doing?" Grace asked with a laugh as she watched him pull out the plastic bag of cereal inside and shake the box.
"Looking for the prize, girlie girl!"
When the box proved empty, Nosedive tossed it aside and shook the bag of cereal. The sight of a green item inside another little package inside could be seen briefly, and Nosedive tore open the bag and drew it out.
"I think you're supposed to eat the cereal and then get the prize," Grace said as she took the bag of cereal from him before he spilled it all.
"Who wants to wait? Besides, I'm pretty sure Duke stole the prize out of the last cereal box when I didn't go after it first."
"I never confessed to nothin'," Duke said without looking away from his orange.
Nosedive opened the smaller package and pulled out a green octopus-like shape that wobbled and almost appeared sticky. He flung it at the wall, and it stuck before beginning to roll down the wall at a slow speed due to its stickiness.
"Awesome, wall-crawler, right?" Nosedive asked Grace, seeming pleased with his prize.
Grace smiled and nodded as she set the cereal aside.
"Hey, we've got an extra bagel here if you want it," Tanya offered.
"Yes, please," Grace said eagerly as she grabbed a plate. "How come you all are just eating breakfast now? I figured that I overslept."
"I think we were all tired after last night," Wildwing said, handing the paper to Duke. "And the city feels safer now that we've gotten rid of our unwanted guests."
Grace poured herself some milk and carried it with her bagel to the table, sitting across from Wildwing and Duke. But she didn't start eating right away once she was seated.
"I know you said I could stay in Anaheim, but the dome is in place now and I doubt you'll have more outsiders coming in to the city for awhile at least. I can move on if I need to. I'm used to it, and I know it may be weird for you keep me hidden here."
"You keep bringin' this up," Duke said, lowering the paper. "Do you want to leave, sweetheart?"
"No, but…"
"Then stop asking about it," Wildwing said with a smile.
Grace looked down at her bagel as Tanya and Mallory joined them at the table.
"We're not trying to keep you here though if you don't want to stay," Mallory said gently.
"It's not that," Grace said quickly. "I'm just not used to staying in one place very long. I think it's making me nervous to break from my usual pattern, and I just don't want you to feel obligated to give me shelter …and feed me."
Tanya pushed some cream cheese towards Grace.
"Aw, stop worrying about it. It's the least we can do after all the help you've given us."
"I would actually prefer that you remain at the Pond if you don't mind staying," Wildwing said. "You'll have enemies at OtherEarth, Inc. who will be looking for you. I think you're safer here with us."
"Yeah, out there someone from the Off-World Agency could find and seize you," Duke said. "But we wouldn't let them take you."
"I wouldn't want to get you in any trouble," Grace said. "Of course, they'd have to find me first. And I don't see that happening."
Suddenly, Nosedive's green octopus came flying across the room and hit the wall above Mallory's head. Mallory reached up and grabbed it from the wall before flinging it back at him.
Nosedive caught it and was about to throw it back at her when Grace turned and swept her hand towards him. The green octopus suddenly stuck fast to Nosedive's hand and wouldn't come off.
"Hey, what! Not cool, Gracie girl!"
Mallory mouthed thank you, and Grace smiled as she let him try to pull it off for another minute before waving her hand again and causing the octopus to fall to the floor.
"And he wonders why I stole the last prize," Duke said, raising the paper again.
A day after Chase returned to New Haven with Vivian and Golott, he sat in his office at OtherEarth, Inc. and dialed a number on his phone for the Off-World Agency. He waited a few moments, and then he said,
"Mr. Darrit… Chase Farrow here, …yes, thank you for taking my call. How's the family?"
There was a pause as Chase listened and tapped his pen on his desk.
"How wonderful. … OtherEarth, Inc.? Oh, yes, we're doing quite well, but a few of us were on a business trip the other day, and well, we stumbled across something a bit concerning."
Chase paused again.
"Indeed, sir. You know you can always count on our support. That's why I'm calling. We truly believe your agents need to take a closer look at a certain city."
Another pause as more questions came.
"Yes, I think it definitely warrants the Agency's attention. Where? It's a place called Anaheim."
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