Advanced Robotics

Written by Zelda

 

Author’s note: This story was named after a song called Ignition (Advanced Robotics), done by Joe Boyd Vigil. Any of you who have Cartoon Network know his work well, it’s the soundtrack to all things Toonami, and the video timed to this song is often featured during that programming block. Give it a listen during some of the fight scenes to come, if you can!

 

 

 

                “Incredible…” Duke breathed, wide-eyed as an eight foot tall Saurian Overlord stalked powerfully towards him. He backed up towards a wall in the Rec. Room, still in awe, not even thinking of reaching for his sabre. “Just incredible.”

                “Heh, I’m still busy wondering how this guy got past the security systems!” Mallory chuckled lightheartedly, shaking her head and leaning against a rack of weights.

                Duke couldn’t help a nervous giggle as the approaching Saurian pressed him back up against the wall.

                “Don’t tell me you’re scared!” Nosedive snickered.

                “You wanna trade places?” Duke quipped.

                “Looks like you’re doin’ just fine!” the teen’s grin widened.

                “Technically speaking.” Grin observed. “Fear is a valid part of the true inner meaning of this trial.”

                “Yeah, well no offense Tanya.” Duke started. “But I’ve had quite enough!”

                Tanya giggled, tossing a remote control lightly in one hand. “Alright, guess you get a little mercy this time!” With the push of a button, Dragaunus’s hulking image suddenly flickered and vanished, fading to reveal a thin, lithe, metal plated robot.

                “Phew.” Duke wiped his forehead, and slid away from the wall, watching as the robot slumped over in deactivation.

                “Very impressive Tanya.” Wildwing spoke up, for the first time since the blonde tech’s little ‘demonstration’ had started. “So this is what you were doing holed up in the lab for so long.”

                “I never said it was simple.” she shrugged, smiling. “But it’s accurate.”

                “Very accurate!” Zelda hopped up on her shoulder. “I’d hardly be able to tell that from the real McCoy! Fortunately, the robot doesn’t smell half as bad.”

                Tanya laughed. “I’ve got programs designed for Dragaunus, the henchmen, and your standard-issue hunter drones. Thanks to all of the data we’ve gathered on them from our fights, I’ve gotten a great AI simulation program in the robot, something that’ll accurately reproduce their individual combat styles.”

                “Way cool!” Nosedive was busy poking the robot with the butt end of a spare hockey stick. “But can it play DVDs?”

                Tanya rolled her eyes. “Impossible. Well this thing’s going back to my lab for now. Anyone wanna try it out for its first training session run tomorrow?”

                “I’ll bite.” Zelda nodded. “See just how accurate this thing is.”

                “At any rate, it’s a big step up from the holotarget generator.” Mallory nodded. “I’ll try it out too!”

                “Good!” Tanya tapped a few buttons on her remote, and the robot snapped back to life again, following her out into the hallway. “Then you two better rest up, hah!”

 

                “Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” Mallory asked, buckling her cycle helmet behind her head.

                “Because neither of us trust machines.” Zelda grinned back, stretching a little and giving herself a thorough shake, like a dog. “But machine or no, I’m ready for a good workout.” The two were stationed in the middle of a large room with rubber mat floors, one that branched off from the Rec. Room, and had always been used as a place for sparring or gymnastics.

                “Alright, heads up you two!” Tanya called, standing with the rest of the team behind a wall of plexiglass windows to one side of the room. Remote in hand, she guided the robot through an entrance door. “Any preferences for a target?”

                “Surprise us!” Mallory nodded, clicking the last of a few foam rubber pucks into her training launcher.

                “You asked for it!” Tanya nodded, and punched a series of code buttons into her remote. Suddenly, the thin robot had an image flash all around it. The mechanical droid suddenly grew taller, with a sloped back and a wispy blue cloak.

                “Hah, you got Wraith!” Nosedive pointed and giggled.

                “Easy for someone behind the glass!” Mallory retorted.

                “Come on Mal, no time to dawdle!” A quick wave of Zelda’s tail brought the Duck back to the present, and the fact that Wraith had already vanished in a puff of smoke!

                “Wha? Where did he go?” Mallory’s launcher was out and ready, trying to lock on anything that moved.

                “Hmph.” Zelda snorted, galloping out over the broad floor. “This thing may not smell like Wraith, but it does have a smell…” As she was sniffing at the mat, there was a soft whishing noise overhead, and the next thing she knew, she hit the floor hard, seeing stars, her head throbbing thanks to a crack from Wraith’s wooden staff.

                “Whoa!” Duke commented, surprised. “Did you do that, Tanya?”

                “Nope.” she shook her head, holding the controller at her side. “That’s entirely the A.I. chip working. Actually, they’re lucky they didn’t get Chameleon, he’s the most unpredictable one of them all!”

                “Come on, on your feet girl!” Mallory was urging Zelda up, giving her a little cover fire just in case. But Wraith still had yet to emerge from his shadowy hiding, and she hadn’t hit him when she started shooting!

                With a growl, Zelda shook off the blow and rolled back to her feet, darting quickly away and retreating towards a wall of the room. And as suddenly as he had disappeared, Wraith reappeared, some distance from her. Zelda roared a signal of alarm, pointing him out with a wing.

                Mallory had already spotted the Saurian, and had started firing away, pattering Wraith across the back. The rubber pucks had been programmed to affect the robot like a normal puck would, but even so, Wraith shrugged them off as if they were merely annoying. Swirling around to face the duck, he raised his staff and with a muttered phrase, constructed a green semi-circular shield to defend himself. Sneering at Mallory, he raised his free hand, and drew up a fireball in it, targeting her as she backed up against the nearest wall. But as Wraith poised himself to fire, something scrambled up his right side, and locked around his wrist. Howling and nearly collapsing with the surprise and extra weight, the robotic Wraith found Zelda shearing into his arm, flapping her wings to pull him backwards and towards the ground. In response, the Saurian brought his other arm, and his staff around, using his shield as a weapon by slamming it into her! Unwilling to be shaken off, Zelda let out a defiant snarl and held on tighter. Support came in the form of a flurry of foam pucks, well-targeted enough to shatter Wraith’s shield. Disoriented for a moment, the Saurian recoiled slightly. Only then did Zelda let go and jump clear, darting around to the lizard’s other side and kicking him like a mule with both hind feet. The force rolled Wraith over twice, and then up onto his hands and knees.

                “Hah, got your back, girl!” Mallory chimed in, holstering her launcher and charging to join Zelda in a more close-quartered fight. She scurried to take up an opposite position across from the dragon, chopping her arm down across Wraith’s back and sending him to the mat again.

                “Time for endgame.” Zelda sneered, nodding to the duck. As Mallory stomped a foot down firmly on Wraith’s lower back, Zelda jumped between his shoulderblades, poised to snap his exposed neck in her jaws. But suddenly, a field of electricity erupted around them, so strong that the reaction threw the two back a clean ten feet, both of them awkwardly hitting the ground. Shocked through, as if she’d gotten a giant charge of static electricity, Zelda was thrown off, struggling to regain her feet as if her body wasn’t working right. Mallory was disoriented as well, but staggered up faster, and had her launcher out to reign the resisting Saurian back in. She sighed in disappointment as she watched Wraith disappear in a green shadow, a synthetic teleportation, before the hologram faded and the robot slumped into a standby mode.

                Tanya clicked her tongue behind the plexiglass windows. “Sorry you two, he got away.”

                “After all of that?” Mallory’s posture fell in disappointment. “And what the heck was the giant joy buzzer at the end there? Wraith can’t do that!”

                “Should have remembered that one---“ Zelda coughed, still trying to get her limbs to lock so that she could stand straight. “---he’s conjured an electricity shield on me once before… Kinda a desperate last move.”

                “But a powerful one, nonetheless.” Grin commented. “You’ve certainly got a thorough program in that robot, Tanya.”

                “Gotta be prepared.” she shrugged.

                “I agree.” Wildwing nodded. “This thing is really impressive. I bet it’ll help us out a ton, when we get to fight the real thing.”

                “You okay out there girl?” Duke asked, keeping an eye on Zelda as she regained her feet, and gave herself a good shake.

                “Tell you one thing.” she shook her head. “That robot bruises just as hard as the real thing. You guys better watch your step with this machine.”

                “Point taken.” Nosedive nodded. “But Tanya, seriously, you’ve gotta put a gamepad on that thing. I could clean up at the arcade with a console like that!”

                “It’s not a toy, Dive!” Tanya rolled her eyes and whacked him on the back of his head. “Maybe I should throw you in that room next, hm?”

                “Whoa, I’m gonna take a raincheck on that one girl, and invest in some better body armor first!” He backed off to the wall of the room.

                “As much as I’d like to see you try and back up your flapping beak Dive…” Wildwing said jokingly. “I think we’ve seen enough combat for today. Remember, we’ve still got an evening practice.”

                “Oh great.” Mallory shook her head as she was reminded. “Come on Zel. I dunno about you, but I’m gonna need an icepack before then!” The dragon was still shaking her limbs out as she joined her, slipping out of the door with the rest of the team behind them, and leaving the robot alone.

 

                He yawned as he strolled the halls. Today’s practice had been a rewarding one, a chance to try some new plays and coordinate the team better. Wildwing noted that the more time they all spent on the ice, the closer they seemed to  become in battle. It was definitely a good thing, everyone knowing what the others were capable of. The more they worked together, the closer they got to becoming a true unit, and the better prepared they were for a big fight. There was a noise further down the hall, and as he approached, he prepared to greet one of his teammates. Hopefully it was Nosedive, he had to have a chat with him about the finer points of his slapshot. But as he rounded a corner, he heard the noise again, and saw that the thudding footsteps were generated by the leathery, orange feet of Siege!

                “Whoa!” he jumped back a good few feet, surprised and suddenly feeling vulnerable because he didn’t have the Mask on. He didn’t have his launcher either! Well, that was remedied easily enough. Dropping his equipment bag and slapping a hand to his chest, he quickchanged into full battle gear, pointing his arm launcher at Siege’s ugly face. “Alright punk.” he snarled. “I don’t know how you managed to get in here, but you’re leaving, now!”

                The Saurian merely responded with a smirk, reaching back and grabbing his launcher from its hip holster aiming it straight at the duck’s head.

                Wildwing backed down more, nearly tripping over his bag, bringing up his com in his other hand. “Red alert, all of you, we’ve got Saurians in the building!” he yelled.

                “Saurians?!” Duke replied first.

                “How’d they get past the security systems?” Mallory asked.

                “Later, right now I’ll need some backup!” Wildwing snapped his com shut as he felt Siege was getting too close, and he charged up some freeze pucks in his launcher. “You stop right there, or I’ll make you stop where you stand.” he warned.

                With a soundless laugh, the Saurian narrowed his eyes, tucked his head between his armored shoulders, and charged. Wildwing was about to fire when suddenly Siege ground himself to a halt, snapping into a straight posture and putting his hands at his sides.

                Wildwing lowered his launcher only slightly, confused. His confusion grew as Siege lurched over with a mechanical hiss, and was suddenly blurred by a shifting outline. His image faded to reveal silvery robot beneath, and Wildwing realized what was going on. “Tanya!” he huffed.

                “Sorry! Sorry!” she yelled back, running up from down the hall. “I was just testing its navigation capabilities, I didn’t know you’d be walking around here.”

                “Well you nearly scared me to death, that’s all.” he wiped his brow.

                “Isn’t that supposed to be Wraith’s job?” Nosedive joked, poking his head in from the hall behind Wildwing. “Man, did you have us all on the jump!”

                “Alright, where are they?!” Mallory yelled, charging in while locking a puck cannon onto her shoulder. She took one glance at the robot, and stopped, sighing. “Lemme guess, one of Dive’s practical jokes?”

                “As if!” he smirked. “I’m more clever than that.”

                “So it’s just a false alarm?” Duke asked, also arriving on the scene.

                “Yeah, sorry to have you guys all worried for nothing.” Wildwing picked up his bag again. “I guess I know how that thing didn’t trigger security, at least.”

                “Better to err on the side of caution.” Grin replied, approaching.

                “Agreed, just tell us the next time you plan on having that thing run around!” Mallory laughed at Tanya.

                “Will do.” she nodded. “I don’t think I’ll be running any more tests for now, anyway. This robot seems to be in fine working order, all of its simulation programs are running without bugs.”

 

                “Do we really have to do this?” Nosedive pouted.

                “Not so big and tough when it’s YOU on the laser gun’s end!” Mallory pointed at him and laughed. “At least you’re not in some big, blue-padded room! You actually get the chance to run.”

                The team was assembled in the Pond’s empty lower parking lot, just outside the back part of the stadium, where the loading dock was located. With a few dumpsters and wooden stacking platforms for cover, it would prove the perfect place to truly field test Tanya simulation robot.

                “Out in the open, but still perfectly isolated.” Tanya nodded, programming a few final equations into her remote control.

                “I’ll make sure of that.” Zelda called, perched up in a distant palm tree. “Any visitors get in range, I’ll let you know.”

                “Good stuff!” Wildwing called back up to her, giving her an added thumb’s up. “Well then.” he started, turning back to the rest of the team. “Looks like we’re go for the test.”

                Nosedive couldn’t help but gulp audibly as Tanya started hitting buttons on her controller.

                “Heh, don’t worry.” Wildwing stepped up to him and patted him on the shoulder. “You’ve got your crackshot big brother right behind you.”

                Nosedive pulled out his launcher and rolled his eyes. “You can’t tell how relieved I am to hear that.”

                “Quit stalling you two!” Mallory yelled to them, and nudged Tanya. “Come on, start that hunk of junk up, I’ve been waiting for this.”

                “And I brought the popcorn!” Duke shoved a bowl into her hands.

                “Alright!” Mallory celebrated.

                “Guys, what is this?” Nosedive’s jaw dropped. “A field test or a matinee?!”

                “Aww…” Mallory shook her bowl of popcorn in disappointment. “It can’t be the latter, not without some---“

                “Extra salt?” Grin leaned over and handed her a shaker.

                “You’re a lifesaver, Grin.” Mallory smirked, sprinkling some in and munching away.

                “You know Mallory,” Nosedive hissed. “I wasn’t eating while YOU were---“

                “Down, little bro!” Wildwing interrupted him by shoving him to the pavement, as the sound of a laser beam zoomed inches from his ears.

                Purely shocked, Nosedive pushed himself to his elbows, and looked up to find Siege on a tear around the parking lot, shooting after Wildwing as he fled away from the team. The rest of the Ducks were all running for some semblance of cover, Mallory leaving her popcorn bowl upturned on the ground. And Zelda, who was supposed to be watching for any interlopers, was leaning dangerously far out of her perch, intently watching the fight. “Of all the henchmen…” Nosedive grumbled, standing fully and grabbing his other launcher too, for good measure. “Yo sardine-breath! Back over this-a-way!” A few foam pucks pattered off of the Saurian’s scaly hide, causing Siege to spin around and shoot Nosedive a poisonous glare. It was going to be very easy, the duck realized, to forget that this was just a holographic droid. He watched, waiting impatiently as Siege turned and started to storm him. Although he was unmistakably the strongest of the henchman, the fat orange lizard was seriously lacking in speed. But as laser blasts began to hail around him, Nosedive was reminded about how he made up for that weakness with a very accurate shot. Somersaulting behind a palm tree trunk for shelter, he took up position and started blasting, aiming for one of the Saurian’s few weak spots: the eyes. He grumbled as the lightweight foam pucks were missing their mark, far less accurate than their harder and heavier live counterparts. “This ain’t a fair fight, Tanya!” he called out.

                “I think two against one evens things out.” Wildwing interjected, running along behind Siege, trying to figure out some kind of tactics to pin the lizard down. Out this far in the open, he’d have some real trouble doing that. Cutting off to more of an angle, he raised his arm launcher and mirrored Dive’s strategy of pummeling Siege’s head. “Keep it up!” Wildwing called. “The armor up there’s weaker than the rest of the body!”

                “Good thing that this droid lets us talk during the fight.” Duke commented from the side, only now emerging with the rest of the team from behind a dumpster.

                “You’re right.” Tanya nodded. “I don’t have the technology to get it to react to speech cues or anything like that, not unless I’m directly connected to it by a more sophisticated controller. This one… well actually this one I retrofitted from the TV in the galley.”

                “Never ceases to amaze.” Mallory smiled and shook her head.

                “Don’t think this is working bro…!” A nervous call sounded from behind the tree. Siege was closing in on Nosedive fast, and his holographic shots were easily hitting the tree. They’d do no real damage, of course, but with the realism of the situation, a minor detail like that was easy to forget.

                “Keep at it!” Wildwing urged him on. He could see, from this angle, that Siege was starting to get distracted. If he could get his shots a little closer… there! The hologram howled and spun, Siege’s head lashing backwards as his hands groped up to cover his eyes. The laser gun went clattering to the pavement, followed shortly by the thunderous weight of the Saurian himself.

                “Good shot Wing!” Zelda called up from in the nearby tree.

                “Tackle him!” Wildwing pointed, and joined his brother as he left his cover, scrambling to reach the droid before Siege recovered himself.

                As Nosedive stormed up, the orange lizard just started to take his hands away from his squinted eyes, fumbling around for his launcher. Nosedive slammed his foot down on the gun, just as Siege’s fingers crept over it, eliciting another loud snarl from the lizard. “Hah! A little too fast for ya, huh buddy?”

                “No chatter Dive!” Wildwing yelled as he ran up. “Finish him!”

                “Jeez, point blank Wing?” Nosedive blinked at him. “Kinda harsh, don’t you think?”

                “Now Dive! Before he---“ Wildwing was silenced with a gasp as his brother’s legs buckled violently beneath him, forced by the whipped club of Siege’s tail as it lashed across the backs of his knees.

                “Ow!” Nosedive yelped and tried to roll away, but felt one of his calves in the vice grip of Siege’s huge hands, pulling him back. “Leggo of me!”

                “Hang on Dive!” By now, Wildwing had reached the pair, and skidded to a stop beside the Saurian’s head, nearly punching him as he pressed his arm launcher right into Siege’s left eye. “Let’s see if this can convince him.” But Siege replied by thwacking the duck away effortlessly with his tail club, sending Wildwing rolling away across the pavement. “Not--- so fast---!” he grumbled as he stopped himself, re-targeting the lizard and firing a puck that thunked dully off of the Saurian’s surprised face.

                “Direct hit!” Tanya yelled. With the foam pucks programmed to react like normal ones when they hit the droid, the hologram suddenly rippled and fuzzed, defusing entirely and leaving a thin steel robot lying limp on the pavement.

                Wildwing waited for a few seconds, just to make sure that everything was really over, before he sunk back to his elbows with a sigh of relief.

                “Intense!” Mallory nodded. “Good shot there Wing!”

                Nosedive rolled back up to his feet, flexing his knees to make sure that they were alright. “Man, that robot doesn’t play around, does it?”

                “Not at all.” Wildwing stood as well, brushing himself off. “And neither will the real thing. You get Siege in a spot like that again, you finish him, got it little bro?”

                “Yeah yeah, I got it.”

                “Cheer up you two!” Zelda called to them as she swooped down, landing on Nosedive’s shoulder. “At least you got him! Wraith got away from Mallory and I.”

                “Guess that means that I did better!” Nosedive turned to blow Mallory a raspberry.

                “Completely different situations.” Tanya shook her head. “I wouldn’t be so quick to compare—“

                “Wow…” a strange voice interrupted. “That… that was awesome! Where did that thing go?”

                The team spun to face a teenage boy, approaching through the parking lot with an awed look on his face. “What was that?”

                “Zelda, I thought you said you were keeping an eye out.” Wildwing gave her a slight frown.

                “Where did you come from?” The dragoness tried to save some face by scolding the boy. “I didn’t see you anywhere near here just a few moments ago.”

                “But that was just too cool!” the boy grinned. “How’d you guys do that? Is that some kinda machine?” He pointed to the defunct droid.

                “Little boys who trespass on private property shouldn’t ask such questions.” Zelda left her perch on Nosedive, and approached the boy with a stern posture. “I suggest you leave, before we report this to the authorities. You’re more than welcome to attend when the stadium is open for visitors.”

                “Authorities?” the boy scowled. “You ain’t the boss of me!” And with that, turned tail and ran back across the parking lot.

                “Punk kid.” Duke snorted, once the boy was out of earshot.

                “I could have sworn I didn’t see anything just before I flew down here.” Zelda shook her head. “Sorry guys.”

                “It’s no problem Zel.” Wildwing knelt down to pat her neck. “Just wanted to make sure nobody stumbled into things while we were still practicing.”

                “Safety first.” Grin nodded sagely.

                “Well, this test certainly ended well…” Tanya muttered, standing over the robot. “This thing actually took a little damage. Grin, can you help me take it back to the lab?”

                The big duck walked over to help, while the others headed back inside, chatting about the fight all the way.

Putting his hands in his pockets and sulking as he went, the boy was still storming off through the parking lot, towards the freeway.

                “Stupid Ducks…” he growled. “What were they up to?”

                “What indeed?” A low grumble interrupted him.

                The boy looked up to see a figure towering over him. A big, red, scaly figure. “Hiya boss!” the boy greeted, flashing a grin.

 

                Duke yawned and stretched, refolding his arms as he continued walking.

                “In need of a nap?” Grin quirked an eyebrow, a slight smile on his beak.

                “Aww lay off.” Duke waved him away. “It’s not like we have a game tonight or anything, I an afford to be a little lazy now and then.”

                The two passed by one of the Pond’s massive glass archways, slowing just a little to bask in the warmth of the sun as it striped in through the windows.

                “In fact.” Duke continued. “We don’t have a game for what, three days yet?”

                Grin nodded.

                “Sheesh. Well, what am I complaining about? We’re always talking about how we never get a break.”

                Grin closed his eyes in agreement. “That’s true. We should rest while we can.”

                The big Duck was interrupted as he heard one of the archway’s doors open and close behind him.

                Duke turned. “Hey Dive, that you? Where’s that pizza you ordered for lunch?” The duo were a little more than shocked to find the Chameleon stalking through the door! In an instant, Duke had a pucklauncher trained on the diminutive lizard. “Hands to the sky, Chameleon!” he ordered.

                But the Saurian didn’t seem to hear him, he didn’t even divert his gaze. The creature continued to walk, going on until he bumped right into the corridor wall in front of him. After a few seconds pause, Chameleon turned, and went walking off down the concourse, not breaking pace.

                “Umm… okay…” Duke frowned in confusion.

                Grin suddenly chuckled. “No need to worry. That must be Tanya’s robot, on another test drive.”

                “Which would explain the lack of coordination.” Duke laughed, holstering his launcher again. “That thing is just too accurate. Gives me the creeps!”

                “Well, Tanya must be around here somewhere.” Grin shrugged. “I suggest we leave, and not get in the way of her tests.”

                “Agreed.” Duke smirked. “Besides, wouldn’t wanna be anywhere near that thing if it decided to malfunction!”

                The two headed for the stairwell down, and made a retreat.

                The droid, which had been clunking down the opposite way, suddenly paused, turned its head back to the stairs, and flashed a grin.

 

 

End of Part One

 

Mighty Ducks-The Animated Series, including all logos and characters (except mine) are copyright and property of Disney. You may copy, print, or whatever with this document, so long as it is not altered and I (Zelda) am credited. Thanks!