Tomorrow Comes Today

Part Two

Written by Zelda

 

                “So lemme get this straight.” the drummer ran a hand across his shaved scalp and leaned heavily on an amp. “We’re being hunted down by an eight foot tall iguana?”

                “Well, it’s a little more complicated than that…” Wildwing started in reply.

                “For starters, this iguana has henchmen that would probably eat you for breakfast.” Nosedive piped up.

                “Sounds like fun.” Murdoc croaked from a distance, still tuning his bass. “Let’s feed ‘em 2-D, mebbe it’s ‘im they want.”

                “I assure you, you’ll get no chance.” Wildwing looked over to the bandleader. “If Dragaunus really is after you, then this is the safest place you can be.”

                “So…” 2-D started. “Do we ‘aveta worry about the concert tonight? Mebbe we should cancel…”

                “Not a chance, Stu-Pot.” Murdoc growled. “This is my band, I say we don’t stop for nothin’. We play come ‘ell or ‘igh water, hail Satan.”

                “Wonderfully put Muds.” Russel grumbled, flopping back on the amp.

                “We’re confident that you’ll still be able to do the show.” Tanya started. “Our security system has been designed to keep Saurians out of the building. With all of us on full alert, it’ll be safe, despite the crowd.”

                “Yeah, well, we’re ‘olding ya to that love.” Murdoc turned his glare in her direction. “We don’t need bad press about Godzilla interrupting our show.”

                Meanwhile, Noodle was pouring over the contents of her half-smashed suitcase, ranting angrily in Japanese. Although nobody else could understand her, Zelda was nearby, replying in a conciliatory tone.

                “More importantly than the show.” Wildwing turned the conversation. “Is the issue of why the Saurians are after you in the first place. If we don’t solve that here and now, they’ll follow you for the rest of your tour, possibly longer.”

                “Lovely.” 2-D sighed. “What did we do ta get ‘em mad at us?”

                “You mean, you can’t think of a reason?” Mallory asked.

                “Dee’s right.” Russel shrugged. “We’ve never heard of ‘dese Saurians before, dunno why they’re givin’ us trouble.”

                Wildwing glanced at the four band members, sighed, and shook his head. “Well, if they make their move tonight, we’ll find out, that’s for sure.”

 

                Night descended on Anaheim, and as the sun set, the parking lot to the Pond clogged with cars, trails of fans streaming into the building. With security cranked up to its maximum, each of the Ducks had been assigned particular jobs for the night. Tanya and Duke watched security camera feeds vigilantly from the helm of Drake 1. Mallory was helping the tour and security staff at the Pond’s entrances, with the metal detectors. Zelda slunk around the Pond’s upper rafters and catwalks, keeping a birds-eye view out for anything suspicious in the balcony level. Nosedive was happy to accept his task of mingling with the crowd in the floor seats. Not only would it give him a direct reaction from the crowd around him if anything went awry, but a front-row view for the show. Grin was stationed backstage like the ultimate bouncer, sticking very close to the band itself as the four readied themselves to go onstage. Wildwing was backstage too, but constantly patrolling the area with his Mask, checking everyone to make sure they were allowed to be there. Despite their level of organization, the concert scene itself was still a mess. With so many people, all in the building to have a good time, there was no way to keep track of them all.

                At his post outside a main warm-up room, Grin unfolded his arms and looked back as the door creaked open, to find Murdoc sticking his head out.

                “Wot time is it?” he asked.

                Grin checked his com. “Seven twenty-five, when did you plan to go onstage?”

                “Seven thirty.” Murdoc frowned a little. He opened the door wider to turn around, and Grin could hear 2-D’s voice croaking from some distant corner. “All of ya get a move on!” he growled. “We’re up in five, roight?”

                “We’re ready already Muds.” Russel gestured to himself and Noodle, rapping his drumsticks together lightly, a slight grin on his face.

                “Oi, me too.” 2-D quickly cleared his throat and slugged down a gulp from a water bottle. “We goin’?”

                “That’s what I was askin’ you, face-ache.” Murdoc shook his head. “Alright ‘en, let’s get this one over with.” He led the way out of the room, and started off for the path to the stage. Grin took up the rear of the procession, behind 2-D, and would accompany them all the way to the stage. His job was to stay offstage, his post opposite of Wildwing’s for the concert. They’d both leave to do patrols every once and a while. Grin was just hoping that this music wasn’t going to give him a headache. The stage neared, he could hear the excited buzz of the crowd just beyond the temporary walls. It was almost a tangible feeling of anticipation, and the buzz rose to a roar as the band emerged before them. With a blinding uproar of lights, they marched out, took up their positions on the stage, and the music began. Grin leaned against a metal support pole and folded his arms, looking out at the crowd and then at the stage before him. Directly across the way, leaning against the opposite pole, he saw Wildwing wave a gloved hand, then give him a thumbs-up. Grin returned the gesture, indicating that everything was going well so far. It was a good sign, but they had hours left to go before the music was over with and the crowd had left the building. It would  be a long, and tense wait.

 

                The performance was going on just as planned, and their stage act seemed undeterred by the threat that hung over the heads of the band. Zelda had heard much about the Gorillaz’ concerts, a band this eclectic usually had a reputation that preceeded itself. Unlike many other groups that opted for elaborate mock-ups, dazzling sets, and complicated choreography, the four musicians let their sound speak for them; their varying and even clashing onstage behavior came naturally. His head buzzing with phantom migraines and the numbing painkillers designed to suppress them, 2D slouched over his microphone stand, looking lonely but uncaring as he stood face-to-face with the screaming crowd. Flanked to his right was the bass demon Murdoc, who busied himself with stalking around the stage, gnashing his green teeth and leering at women in the audience. He flipped his black Fender about in true rock-n’-roll fashion, reveling in being onstage and the insidious power he held over all in attendance. On the opposite side of the stage, little Noodle jumped about like a pogo stick, her broad grinning and headbanging slowing for only a few more contemplative numbers. Every once and a while, the two guitarists would switch places with each other, or step to a mic upstage to add some backup vocals in. Keeping a steady post behind the trio was Russel, seated at his drum set. Though his brow was slightly furrowed as he tapped down his most intricate licks, his white eyes shifted calmly between his bandmates upstage, making sure he kept the three in time through the blur of noise from the crowd. He left a little room for a flip or spin of his drumsticks every now and then. Zelda couldn’t help but smile at them, from her perch up in the Pond’s rafters. The more she thought about it, the more the band’s onstage chemistry seemed very similar to that of a certain hockey team she was a part of. They too had an attentive guard keeping watch over his team from the back of the action. They too had an energetic young prodigy that could barely contain himself with the crowd in his ears. They had a brooding playmaker who liked to do things his way, and keep this secrets to himself. And there was definitely a Duck who followed the principles of Zen and meditation, who looked very simple on the outside but had much more beneath the surface. As quirky a bunch as they were, the band made beautiful music, the likes of which nobody had heard before or had even seen coming! As broad a set of personalities as the Ducks had, they played the best hockey on the planet, and off of it as well. What an unlikely correlation. Zelda’s thoughtful reverie had almost caused her to forget about her job for the evening. Almost.  She had to give them an immense amount of credit, going through with the show despite the threat that they were facing just by being here tonight. Zelda knew their music well, and they were performing to the best of their standards, looking carefree as ever and loving the attention from the crowd. Maybe, she thought, they just didn’t understand what they were facing. They just didn’t know how dangerous Dragaunus was, and she hoped they never would know. If he was really targeting the band, he’d pursue them beyond Anaheim’s borders. What were they going to do about that? Shaking her head for a moment to clear her mind, she turned around on the catwalk and doubled back, eyes scanning the opposite flank of the stadium’s balcony. Unlike the setting for a normal game, only three-fourths of the seating was being used, so that everyone could see the stage. The ice and boards were gone, and people crowded in mosh pits across the cement floor. The huge florescent lights that hung from the ceiling around her were all turned off, the whole stadium dark save for the explosion of colored lights focused on the stage itself. Her ability to see well in the dark was certainly coming in handy now. And so far, there had been nothing to see. Mallory and the security crew had done a great job at the door, nothing had caught  her suspicion as of yet. But this was merely the beginning, they weren’t even through the first set yet. The team had a long night ahead of them, that was for sure. At least the music was good!

 

                “Alright boys, that’s it, show started half an hour ago, nobody else gets in!” Mallory commanded the security crew with a wave to shut the doors to newcomers for the evening. Behind her on a table sat a pile of contraband, sniffed out by the metal detectors and the experienced crew. Packs of cigarettes, lighters, and a few pocketknives were part of the intake. Someone had even been so foolish as to bring a six-pack of beer. Mallory frowned at that one in particular and turned away from the table, picking up a box to put all of the stuff in.

                “Doors are all locked Ms. McMallard.” one of the men started, coming up behind her. “People can leave whenever they want, they won’t get back in.”

                “Great job, all of you. Go ahead and take a break, I’ll need you back in an hour though.” she nodded.

                The man waved and turned, starting off for some of the food vendors in their respective area of the concourse.

                Mallory filled the box and taped it shut, locking it and the now-folded table in a utility closet. She leaned back against one of the doors, and was thinking about getting a bite to eat herself, when her com beeped. She flipped it up to hear a scratchy onslaught of noise, and grimaced. “Wildwing?”

                “It’s me.” he answered, barely audible. “Everything going okay?”

                “Just finished closing up.” she nodded. “Netted a lot of stuff.”

                “Good.” Wildwing nodded. “Better to catch it at the door than in here. I’ll need you to watch over the main stadium entrances on the floor level now, Duke’s coming up to join you.”

                “I’ll meet him there.” Mallory paused for a moment and grinned, listening. “Enjoying the show?”

                “A little loud for my taste.” he admitted with a smile.

                “Yeah, well somebody who does like this music better appreciate the fact that he’s on the floor tonight.” Mallory joked. “Over and out.”

 

                The last guitar chords and bass reverberations died slowly as the stage darkened for the final time that night. With a roar of appreciation for the encore, the audience started to organize themselves and head for the stadium exits in just as chaotic a mass as they came. T-shirt and food vendors readied themselves for the rush, and Duke and Mallory had taken up positions by the two main archway exits.

                “Here they come, sweetheart.” Duke smirked to Mallory over his com.

                “Why do I have the feeling like I’m standing in front of a herd of stampeding cattle?” she sighed in return.

                “Probably because you are, metaphorically speaking.” Zelda joined in the conversation. “I’ll be out to circle the parking lot as soon as everyone’s off the balcony level.”

                “Good idea.” Wildwing chimed in as well. “I’m keeping Grin with the band, and I’ll stay backstage. Tanya’s still with Drake 1, she’ll give us a heads-up if something goes wrong. Dive’s gonna clear out the floor level.”

                “Sounds good to me.” Mallory nodded, watching as the first wave of spectators were noisily heading for her. “Let’s move ‘em out.”

 

                “Whew, well, that wasn’t so bad, wos it Muds?” 2-D asked, his voice scratchy and raw from the night’s singing.

                “Not at all, actually.” Murdoc carefully stowed his bass in a protective shell case. “Nice ta know America’s got a decent taste for rock, eh?”

                Noodle chattered something happily in reply, hugging her own guitar.

                “Well, I think she had a good night.” Russel smirked, sitting back in a dressing room chair.

                “So wot now, go out and celebrate? We had a blasted good show tonight.” Murdoc nodded.

                “I would advise against that.” Grin broke in, from where he was standing by the door. “It would be quite risky to go out late at night, like this.”

                “Wot, we gotta be ‘ostages because that… thing is still out ‘unting us?”

                “It is best to be cautious in a situation like this.” Grin nodded.

                “To ‘ell with caution.” Murdoc narrowed his eyes slightly. “Wot do you want, us to stay in this hockey rink all night?”

                Here, Grin hesitated. He knew that the band simply didn’t understand what it meant to be the target of someone like Dragaunus. But it was unreasonable to hold them here, they really didn’t have a place for them to stay anyway. “I believe we must calm ourselves.” Grin concluded. “We cannot think clearly at the moment, and I believe we must help pack up your equipment before you could leave anyway.”

                “He’s got a point Muds.” 2-D croaked.

                Murdoc grumbled, but hung his head. “Awright, well then let’s git a move on.”

                Noodle trotted over and patted Grin on the hand as a gesture of appreciation. “Arigato, Grin-san!” she smirked, before bouncing back to her own dressing room table and starting to brush her hair out.

                Grin smiled slightly back at the young girl, amazed that such a picture of innocence and spirit could exist among such seemingly grating characters as the rest of the band. But his thoughts were interrupted as Wildwing peeked in through the door, and then walked up behind him.

                “Well, that’s it, everyone’s out of the building, and we didn’t have so much as a false alarm tonight.”

                “Bloody good.” Murdoc nodded. “As it well should be.”

                “We go’ta thank ya.” 2-D started, gulping down a slug from his water bottle. “Who knows what woulda happened if we were in another stadium, left security ta someon’ else?”

                “The danger’s far from over, I’m afraid to say.”

                “Wot’s this?” Murdoc frowned. “Ain’t you guys supposed to fight the bad guys? Yer just gonna wait for the lizard to show up and then do something about it? What kinda crimefighters are you guys?”

                “The kind who do what they can.” Wildwing sighed. “Trust me, we’ve been on Dragaunus’s tail for years, it’s very frustrating. If we could locate him and just take him out, we would have done it a long time ago.”

                “Hey, chill out Muds.” Russel grumbled. “This situation’s outta our hands, dig? I just wanna know what we have to do in order to keep ourselves safe for the rest of the tour.”

                Wildwing nodded understandingly. “I’ve been discussing several options with the rest of my team. Unfortunately, the quickest way out of this situation may be to coax Dragaunus into a battle, to draw him out.”

                “Draw him out?” Russel repeated, raising arching a brow above a milky eye. “What’s that mean?”

                “Well, we essentially use you as bait. You’re safe here in the Pond, but if we take you somewhere else, Dragaunus is likely to attack, especially if he believes that you’re not under our supervision anymore. If we can head him off there, he won’t bother you again.”

                “I still say we should feed ‘em 2-D.” Murdoc commented dryly, throwing his things into a black duffel bag.

                Noodle seemed very excited by the prospect, jabbering in Japanese and striking karate poses in her corner of the room, nearly knocking over a few instruments.

                “You’ll do no such thing!” Zelda chided, her voice wafting in from the hall a few moments before she poked her head into the room, and added something in Japanese, in a stern reply.

                Noodle’s face fell for a few moments, and she was content to sink back against the wall and sulk.

                “None of you really realize the danger that this situation presents us.” Zelda hopped up on Wildwing’s shoulder to address the band in general. “It wouldn’t be as bad if Dragaunus were just after us, that’s the norm. But for some reason, he’s targeted you, and that makes him unpredictable.”

                “… I say we go for it, Muds.” 2-D spoke up, looking back and the preoccupied bassist. “I mean, these guys look like ‘ey know what’s what. Can’t be to bad, eh?”

                Murdoc stood up for a moment and looked at all of them. “Awright, well that’s one karate kid and the Muppet in, whatta you think Russ?”

                Russel nodded. “I agree too, let’s get these guys off our backs. Democracy rules, man.”

                “Democracy my arse.” Murdoc growled, the upside-down cross that hung from his neck shaking a little as he grunted. “This is my band, I call the shots. But in this case, I say we bloody well get this over with.”

                Wildwing gave a decisive nod. “If we have our way and things go according to plan, none of you will be in harm’s way. You won’t even see any of the Saurians for very long. We’ve got some contingency plans already cooked up, ones we use ourselves all the time. So whenever you’re good and ready, we’ll go over them.”

                The band members gave solemn nods, save for Murdoc, who jabbed his singer with an elbow.

                “Git ready to be iguana-chow, Muppet.” he sneered.

 

To be continued…

 

Mighty Ducks-The Animated Series is property of the Walt Disney company. The Gorillaz are property of Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn, thank ya guys! All other characters are copyright of Zelda and The Dragon’s Den.