Good Intentions

Written by Zelda

 

                The back of his neck itched terribly, right by the hairline. Dive thought that Ducks couldn't get fleas! Now he was nearly crazy trying to find some mode of relief. He paused in the empty hall, and slunk up to the wall. Creeping along, he came up to the door of Mallory's bunk. Using the access code he had spied out of her, he opened the door and held his breath. If she was inside, he'd be toast. But there were no yells of anger for about five seconds, so Dive sighed with relief and peeked in. He was right: totally empty! Dive grinned and sprung for her dresser. Opening every drawer, he finally found one full of brushes and hair accessories. He pulled out the stiffest wire brush he could find and began raking through his hair. Ooooh did that feel good! Dive relished for a few moments, and then the itch came back! Dive growled and stared into Mallory's mirror, when he suddenly heard footsteps down the hall! Dive pocketed the brush and raced out of her room, shutting the door behind him. With only seconds to spare, he flung himself against the opposite wall, put his hands in his pockets, and started whistling innocently. He was almost disappointed as Duke came around the corner.

                Duke was about to say hello when he stopped and gave Dive a once-over. "Well well, Fabio." he chuckled. "What's with the new doo?"

                Dive cocked his head, not understanding, until he ran his hand through his hair and found that he had brushed it with such frenzy, it was full of static! "AAAKKK!" Dive got shocked by the electricity.                 Duke doubled over laughing. "Put on glasses and you'd look just like Tanya!" he slapped a knee and stood up as Dive frowned and began scratching again.

                "Hey it's not my fault, my head itches!" he whined.

                Duke grinned devilishly. "Well you'd better go talk to Tanya then."

                "Why?"

                "Could be an early symptom of baldness!" he sneered.

                Dive panicked for a second before he got the joke, then cuffed Duke on the shoulder. "Hardy har har." he snorted, walking away. "I'm not hanging around you, might give ya fleas."

                Duke shook his head and kept walking towards his bunk, in the opposite direction.

 

                Mallory actually yawned as she pedaled away on the cycle, watching the news on a small TV in the corner.

                "Sorry the workout hasn't been more amusing Mal." Zelda said sarcastically, over the whirring of the fans in the cycle's wheels.

                Mallory blinked to see her smiling kindly. "Yeah well you'd be sleeping too, if you didn't get to nap during practice today like you did." she retorted.

                Zelda nodded understandingly. "What time did we get back last night?" she asked.

                Mallory thought.

                "Two thirty." Wildwing answered her, creaking along on the rowing machine. He stopped to put a towel over the back of his neck, and take a swig from his water bottle. "Those guys pick a heck of a time for an all-nighter."

                "Surprising how a villain as fat as Siege may hide in a space so small as a bus depot." Grin mused, eyes closed as he was meditating by the door.

                "Or as big as Dragaunus, or as loud as Chameleon..." Zelda continued with a nod.

                "Yeah, we never did come to a real conclusion as to why Big Red decided to hit there last night..." Mallory started.

                "Klegghorn and I were discussing that this morning." Wildwing shook his head, as if he regretted ever having the conversation. "It might have been an attempt to shut down mass transportation."

                "But why would he do that?" Zelda thought hard.

                "Could be he wants to get into the subway tunnels... but why hit a bus depot then?" Mallory added.

                Dive walked in, straightening his hair carefully. "Maybe he just wanted to get outta town! Can't blame the guy." he joked.

                Wildwing ignored him and continued to think to himself. After a few moments, he came up empty and went back to rowing.

                "Maybe he wanted to plant a bomb..." Mallory kept trying to reason with the idea.

                "On a bus?" Dive asked. "Like that hasn't been done before!"

                Mallory watched as he sat down, then frowned at him. "What's that in your pocket?" she asked suspiciously.

                Dive froze. "What's what in my pocket?" he asked right back.

                "That." she said, pointing to the handle of her brush as it stuck out.

                "Oh.... nothing." he said, turning his eyes to the ceiling.

                In the corner, still not having opened his eyes, Grin clicked his tongue and smiled slightly.                 Mallory got off of the bike and came towards him menacingly. "Let me see what's in your pocket..." she began.

                Dive got up and backed away, trying to piece and excuse together.

                "Nosediiiiive." Wildwing growled, stopping his workout to watch.

                Dive looked helpless, and Mallory grabbed the brush and yanked it back.

                "I thought so!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing with my brush! Did you go into my bunk?"

                "Ummmm...." Dive again sought help from the ceiling.

                "Dive, why did you go into her room?" Wildwing asked sternly.

                "Yeah, this is something I'd expect from Duke." Mallory added.

                "Hey!" Duke interjected, poking his head into the room.

                "Sorry." Mallory grinned.

                "Jeez Mal, I was gonna ask you..." Dive started, withering under her gaze. "But I have this itch on the back of my head, and I couldn't wait!"

                Mallory snorted and turned away, grudgingly accepting his apology.  "Well now I'm gonna have to disinfect this thing... and change my access code to my bunk."

                Wildwing shot his brother a glare before he went back to rowing.

                Nosedive sat again and began to scratch the back of his head, yawning a few moments later.

                "Not you too!" Zelda shook her head.

                "Hey, I betcha I could take on a whole pack of drones, asleep just as well as awake." he sneered back.

                The dragon's eyes blazed playfully.

                Duke whistled the universal tune for trouble.

                "Care to back that up?" she asked.

                "Well we don't have drones here or anything." Dive yawned again and stretched.

                "I think I can substitute." she grinned.

                Dive snapped awake and looked at her seriously, wondering what he had gotten himself into. "Fine!" he grinned. "Let's go." He and Zelda raced for a long mat in the center of the room, and took up a position at each end.

                The team gathered around, perfectly eager for a little amusement.

                "Care to make a wager?" Duke joked to Grin.

                The big Duck shook his head and smiled back. "I already know who'll win." he tapped his head.      Dive scooped up a pair of practice launchers, loaded with rubber pucks, and spun them on his fingers.

                "Your move first Nosedive." Zelda bowed gracefully.

                "Why how generous!" he spun a launcher into his hand and started firing to the dragon far across the mat.

                Zelda shoved up and spread her wings, darting to the ceiling and avoiding the shots. As Dive changed his angle, she fell back to the mat and charged him. As she leapt up, Dive hit the mat and rolled forward, and she jumped over him. As she landed, the dragon spun around, and caught Dive across the back with her tail, sprawling him before her.

                "Aha!" Mallory threw her arm up. "One hit for Zel!"

                Nosedive leapt quickly, intending to tie it up. He jumped into the air, hoping to take away her lane of escape, but Zelda slipped easily between his legs. Scrambling low, Dive saw a perfect opportunity. He whipped out a launcher and struck her on the back of the leg.

                Zelda tumbled to the floor.

                "What was that?!" he asked with a comedic rhetorical air. "What just happened there huh?"     Zelda sprung up and turned to face him. "A hit." she admitted airily, rubbing her leg. "A very tangible hit."

                "Not lookin' so easy now is it Zel?" he teased.

                The dragon's eyes grew vicious and narrow. "You may think it so." she hissed. "Because I reserve from you, all of you, the kind of fight I'd give my enemies."

                "Don't go easy on me!" Dive laughed. "I've seen you fight, I can handle it girl."

                "You may think it so." she repeated, eyes narrowing further, scales bristling. With her puffed figure and her spread wings, she looked eight feet wider and two feet taller. With a howl, she leapt up into the air, spinning herself into a whirling ball of scales.

                Dive fired and hit her again, but it didn't stop her.

                She barreled towards him and uncoiled just in time to lay the thick of her tail across his right shoulder. The force threw him to the floor, and she landed on top of him.

                Dive easily shoved her off, knowing he was well out of danger from her claws. He picked her up with both arms and slammed her to the ground, registering another shot in her midsection.

                Zelda whipped her wings up around his head, confusing him, and slipped out of his grip.

                As Dive got up, he saw Zelda withdraw and suddenly spin around.

                Zelda smashed her tail into Dive's chest armor, knocking the wind out of him.

                Stunned, Dive stumbled back and the dragon pounced on him, using her full weight to nail him to the floor.

                Curling up and poising her jaws for his exposed neck, she let out a roar that rattled Nosedive's eardrums, inches from snapping her jaws down on his bill. And then, she paused... and started to laugh! Backing gently off, Zelda pulled Dive up to his knees.

                "Whoa." Duke was impressed.

                Zelda backed away from Dive with a playful growl. "You alright there Dive?" she asked.

                "You knocked the wind outta me!" he got up.

                "Only returning the favor." she pointed to her own stomach, rubbing it.

                "Eye for an eye." Grin rubbed his beak.

                "Yeah well." Dive started, dusting himself off in a dignified way. "If I had real pucks and you were a real hunter drone, you'd have been scrap on the first shot."

                "I agree." Zelda nodded. "But I'm not a real hunter drone and you had only rubber pucks to rely on." She looked at him with clever eyes. "Think of it as a lesson."

                "Anyhow, I'm just glad she's fighting on our side!" Mallory laughed.

                "I'll challenge you to a rematch once I get this darn itch outta my head!" Dive nodded, still scratching.

                The party broke up to go back to their separate workouts, with more joking.

 

                It was all raw data to him, useless and unclear. He holstered his laser and waited impatiently, looking at the wavy lines and racing numbers across the screen. Behind him, rumbling footfalls resounded as Dragaunus stalked past, towering over him, to tear a sheet from the console's printer.

                He leaned back and read the information over carefully, a talon on his chin and his brows furrowed thoughtfully.

                Siege waited for another few moments, then couldn't stand it anymore. "Well?" he growled.

                "Well what?" Dragaunus didn't take his eyes off the paper.

                "Well I went through a lot of trouble to get that thing placed right." he huffed. "Now all it does is give us numbers?"

                Dragaunus rolled his eyes and looked down. "Your trouble was worth it Siege. These numbers paint a picture... if you're patient enough to look at them right."

                Siege growled and took out his laser again.

                Dragaunus "hmmmed" slowly, looking over the data. "Curious..." he muttered.

                "What is it?" Siege asked.

                "The way the data fed out during this fight of his." Dragaunus said slowly. "That energy... I wonder..." He suddenly put the paper down and opened up a com link. "Wraith!" he ordered in his usual tone.

                "Yes M'Lord?" the rather startled old henchman replied.

                "Meet me in the cockpit now! I have a job for you." Dragaunus closed the link and leaned back. Now he was the impatient one.

 

                With his usual swaying gait, Wraith half hobbled and half floated into the cockpit, wrought with nervousness over what Dragaunus wanted.

                He and Siege were waiting for him with impatient looks.

                "As you commanded, my Lord." Wraith bowed stiffly.

                "Enough of your sniveling Wraith." Dragaunus growled. "I need you to answer a few questions for me."

                "As well as I can, I will." he bowed again.

                Dragaunus walked back to his high throne and climbed up into it. "The attack a few days ago, at the depot?" Dragaunus started. "That was no simple attack. While you and Chameleon were busy holding off those fowl, Siege had the opportunity to place a biomonitor on one of them, the young one."

                Wraith nodded in familiarity.

                "So far the monitor has only been taking data, but I've got big plans, much bigger than this mere chip." He narrowed his eyes and began to get a brooding look about him, lips curling into a sneer. "Go get your spellbook Wraith, you'll be taking this project over from here."

 

                The alarm never ceased to jolt him so fully. Grin snapped up so quickly that he nearly smashed one of his meditation crystals at his feet. Calming himself, he got up and looked around to find that Drake One's alarm really was going off. He ran out of his bunk and dashed for the Ready Room.

                Mallory joined him on the way. "What's going on?" she asked.

                Grin shrugged and kept running.

                The door to the Ready Room opened to reveal the rest of the team already huddled around Tanya at the console. They were filled in as they joined them.

                "Not the bus depot again!?" Dive smacked his forehead. "Ya never can teach those lizards a lesson."

                "Looks like they've gone to finish whatever they started there. Let's head 'em off Ducks!" Wildwing said decisively.

                The team turned and ran together, not stopping until they had skidded onto the Migrator, and revved out onto the street.

                "We've gotta keep them from doing damage to that building." Duke started.

                "You're right." Wildwing nodded. "That's the city's main depot. Transport would be shut down for days... Klegghorn would have our beaks for it." he shook his head.

                "Almost there." Tanya noted as Wildwing turned a corner, and suddenly the depot was before them, the Saurians filling the low building with laser blasts, and distraught commuters fleeing for their lives.

                "You know the drill!" Wildwing coached them as the hatch opened. "Let's rock Ducks!"

                They ran out together and stormed the building, launchers drawn. Inside was chaos, with the walls shot full of laser holes. The Ducks ran in and caught the Saurians red handed.

                "Lookie who decided to join the party!" Chameleon clicked his heels. "Now I'll be able to hit something worthy." He stalked the whole team alone and started shooting, missing everyone by a mile.

                "Nail that little snake!" Duke snarled, annoyed, and ran forward, sword out and head low. In one graceful swat, Chameleon's laser lay in two pieces on the floor.

                The lizard panicked and backed away. "Mommmiiiieeee!" he sobbed. "De big bad Duckie bwoke my toy!"

                "You'll have more broken than that, come here you little slug!" Duke charged after the lizard as he fled, flailing his arms in panic and running in circles around the terminal.

                Grin pulled on Wildwing's shoulder to get his attention.

                "Something here is wrong." he said ominously. "Where are the other henchmen?"

                "Right here bucko!" Siege yelled, and the two Ducks spun around to see the orange lizard slide in behind them.

                Wildwing raised his shield just in time to deflect the shots from his laser.

                Grin whipped a cannon to his shoulder and fired over the shield, pinning the lizard in place. One shot connected with Siege's wrist and sent the laser gun flying.

                Seizing the moment, Wing lowered his shield and charged the cringing lizard, landing a punch right in the top of his skull.

                Siege went rolling back like a beach ball, getting up slowly.

                Wildwing drew his launcher and nailed him in the knee, causing him to howl.

                "Love to make you pay for that, you little creep." Siege snarled. "But I've got bigger birds to fry." With a signature move, Siege spun around and smacked Wing right in the stomach with his tail, throwing the Duck back some ten feet before he rolled to a stop.

                The wind knocked out of him, Wing struggled to his knees, to find Siege actually limping off! Trying to shoot after him, Wildwing slowly began to recover himself.

 

                Wraith nearly had gotten the jump on him! Kicking himself mentally, Nosedive scrambled up behind a counter to find the frail old lizard floating about ten feet away.

                "Where did you go, you little chicken?" he snapped, looking around him.

                "Right here ya old bag!" Nosedive leapt up on the counter and started firing. One of his shots snapped the staff right out of Wraith's hands!

                The Saurian panicked and snatched it back up. "If that's the way you wish to play." he shrugged, grinning. Raising his staff, the room was suddenly illuminated in red light, projecting from the eyes of the Duck skull that was lanced onto it.

                Nosedive jumped back as he felt wind swirl around him. The Duck cringed, preparing for the worst, but nothing happened! Hesitating, Dive opened his eyes to see everything as it should be, and he himself felt completely normal. With renewed zeal, he leapt back up on the counter to find Wraith surprised at himself.

                "Looks like you gotta go back and read your spellbook Wraithy-boy!" he whipped out his launcher again. "It must have a typo!" He let loose a hail of pucks that slammed Wraith to the ground, howling. Dive leapt down to finish him off, when suddenly something slammed into him. He heard Zelda yelp as they both went crashing to the ground. "Yeeeooow!" he cried, shoving her off. "What gives girl?"      Zelda hauled him up and pointed down the hallway from which she had ran. "That!" she yelled.                 Footfalls making the walls shake, Siege came thundering into the small ticket office, fists ready to do some bruising. He helped Wraith up and suddenly winked and gave him a thumbs-up.

                Before the Duck and dragon could react, Wraith raised his staff again and bathed them in the same red light.

                "Hey, if it didn't work once..." Dive ignored the spell and charged the two head on. Ramming them both with his shoulders, he threw them against opposite walls.

                Zelda joined him, clamping her jaws onto each side of Siege's face.

                The Saurian ran from the room howling, Zelda still attached, which left Wraith and Dive.

                "Alone at last." he grinned, socking the old lizard right in the jaw.

                Wraith tumbled to the floor, losing himself in a cloud of his own vapors.

                "Not this time Duck...." he coughed, leaning up. He pressed his teleporter, and disappeared just in time to miss a kick to the face.

                Frustrated, Dive pounded on a wall. He'd gotten away again! "Man, I'm gonna have to nail his tail to the floor." he shook his head. Suddenly, his com went off.

                "Nosedive, you okay over there?" Wildwing asked.

                "Doing A-1 here bro!" Dive responded.

                "Then get your tailfeathers out here!" Wing ordered. "Dragaunus just decided to show up!"

                "Oooh! And wouldn't I love to give him a piece of my mind!" Dive grinned. "Color me there Wing!" He snapped his com shut and dashed out of the little room.

 

                The ground was already scarred with laser holes by the time Mallory regrouped with the others. Wing and Dragaunus were engaged in a firefight, each one taking up shelter behind benches, bus stops, trees, anything. Leaping and darting between blasts, Mallory rolled up at her leader's side.

                "So much for no collateral damage!" she yelled.

                "Don't remind me." Wildwing sighed. A laser sheared inches from his Mask, searing his hair. "Right now we've got bigger problems!"

                As the firefight raged on, Siege suddenly came running in-between the two sides, arms flailing, and with Zelda still clamped on his head!

                "Mallory!" Wildwing yelled. "Nail Siege before Dragaunus hits Zelda!"

                Mallory slung her cannon onto her shoulder and fired, hitting Siege right in the back of the knee.                 He tumbled to the ground and stayed there, Zelda rolling off of him and landing on her feet.

                She leapt agilely back to where Wing and Mallory were sheltered behind a concrete plant pot, laughing all the way.

                "Nice way to bring 'em down Mal!" she credited.

                "Not too bad yerself Zel." Mallory smiled between shots.

                "Certainly gets points for originality." Wildwing added. "The others are all just about here..."

                "I think Big Red's the only one left here Wing." Duke called in over his com.

                Wildwing nodded with a frown, ducking to avoid another blast. "Then let's finish him off! Everyone fire 'em if you got 'em!" Suddenly, Dragaunus's perch behind a bench lit up with the blue fire of pucks.

                Crushed by the impact and pinned in place, Dragaunus found himself surrounded by a wall of Ducks, edging closer by the moment. He managed to reach up and activate a teleporter, his last sight was of Wildwing diving for him.

 

                "Where were you!?" he roared, slamming his thick tail down to the metal floor for emphasis.                 Chameleon jumped a few feet into the air, and the others trembled visibly beneath the Overlord.

                He began to stomp back and forth in front of them, glaring the whole time. "I gave you specific instructions, and you ran like cowards!!"

                "It's hard to follow orders when you have a dragon stuck on your  head." Siege muttered under his breath.

                Suddenly, the Overlord seized the lizard and hefted him strait up off the ground as if he were as light as a feather. "You had your orders!" he bellowed, right in his face. "I don't care how you follow them, just follow them!" He tossed Siege to the floor, trying to contain himself.

                Siege stumbled up and nearly huddled behind Wraith.

                Dragaunus paused, closing his eyes. "Thanks to you." he snarled bitterly. "We're all going to have to sit on our hands until we've got enough energy to work with."

                "How.... how much is that?" Chameleon stammered.

                For an answer, Dragaunus glared at Wraith.

                The old Saurian drew back a bit. "I'll... have to go check with the computer...." he muttered, shuffling off.

                Dragaunus cast a long, toothy scowl to his remaining henchmen, before he turned his back and started to walk away.

                Siege and Chameleon breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief, and scrambled off for the nearest corridor before their Overlord could give reproach.

                Dragaunus stormed off to his throne and sunk down in it with fading, weary frustration. "It is sooo hard to find good help." he lamented to himself. He languished in his throne and watched Wraith as he flew at the console, trying to fulfill his Overlord's wishes.

                In a few minutes, he hesitantly turned around and approached the throne.

                "Well?" Dragaunus glared at him.

                Wraith shrank. "Well M'Lord... things aren't that badly off...."

                "Not that bad eh!?" Dragaunus repeated, mockingly, sitting up. "It's not going according to plan, that's bad enough for me. What did you find out?"

                "Well, the chips sir... the energy capacity has nearly been filled...just one more fight should do it."

                "One more fight?" he asked, faking amazement. "And who's going to start that? Why don't you Wraith. I'll set you down right in front of the Pond and teleport you back out when you're so full of holes that you look like Swiss cheese!!!" He was rubbing his aching side and yelling, when sudden noises from the computer made them both turn around.

                Wraith hobbled back to the console and started typing. Slowly, a grin spread across his face. "You know that fight?" he asked. "I think the Ducks just helped us out a bit."

 

                She had to stretch her leg all the way up to scratch well enough. Her whole neck seemed to be aflame with irritation, right along the back. She scratched irritably, like a dog with fleas.

                Across from her, standing on the blue mat again, Dive grew impatient and spun his launchers on his fingers. "Earth to Zeldaaaa!" he called. "You got fleas or something?"

                Zelda snapped back to reality. "The only pests around here are those Saurians." she sniffed, and went back to scratching.

                Wildwing sat musing, arms dangling over one of the weight machines. "You know, I still can't put my finger on why the Saurians would mess so much with the depot in the first place."

                "There's gotta be something there... something that's worth their trouble." Mallory nodded.

                "Why haven't we checked that out yet?" Duke asked from his spot in the corner.

                Wildwing rolled his eyes. "Klegghorn's nearly got the whole block sealed off and under his own investigation. Won't let us near the place." he shook his head.

                "Helloooo?" Dive interrupted. "Can we take our heads outta the ice for a minute here? We're trying to have a spar!"

                "That makes one of you anyway." Tanya joked, pointing to the still-distracted dragon across the mat.

                Dive stomped his foot. "That's it Zelly, this time I have no mercy!" he whipped up a launcher and fired without warning, striking the dragon in the shoulder. She rolled back on the ground with a yelp, and Dive ran for her. He lunged and landed a punch right in her gut, Zelda howling in surprise.

                The dragon latched her claws onto his shoulder armor, and as Dive stood up, he pulled her up with him. "Don't wanna mess up your armor." she started, and instead of clawing him wrapped her tail around his neck like a boa snake, sealing his face in her wings.

                Unable to see or to pull her off, Dive stumbled about blindly. As he brought up a launcher to shoot her off, Zelda uncoiled her tail and struck the back of his knees with it, toppling him to the ground. He hit the mat with a thud, and Zelda leapt away from him before he had a chance to roll over and crush her. He somersaulted up with surprising agility, and spun to face her again, grinning.

                Zelda slowly began to back away, scratching the back of her neck again. "Time out Dive... this is getting to be distracting..." she muttered.

                Nosedive sneered. "You backing out Zel? No faking time outs!" he taunted.

                Zelda shook her head and backed off of the mat. "No... Something feels weird... like static or something." She sat and began to scratch again.

                Dive paused as well.

                Curious, Tanya got up and squatted beside the dragon, peering underneath the larger scales on the back of her neck.

 

                He snapped up as the numbers began to flash rapidly across the main console's screen. Now was the time!

                "Energy capacitors at full." Siege reported.

                "Both of them?" Dragaunus checked. Siege nodded, and a sickening grin spread across the Overlord's muzzle. "Then cast the spell now Wraith, before they know that anything is wrong!"

                The mage stood ready, his spellbook on a small table before him as he stood just a little ways from the screen. In the reddish glow of the control room, he spread his arms and raised his staff, never taking his eyes off the pages. Winds seemed to blow from nowhere, fluttering his robes. From the eyes of the skull impaled on his staff, there came a soft red light, that seemed to fill the entire room and fade slowly. Wraith gently stood down, once again feeling the weight of gravity pull down his weak frame.                 Dragaunus looked at him oddly. "That's it?" he asked.

                Wraith nodded. "My Lord, during our last battle in the depot I took the opportunity of casting the first half of the spell over those two. The process is now complete."

                "'Scuse me." Siege interrupted. "But what did we just do? I'd be happy to find out what I've been fighting my hide off for." He put his hands on his hips and glanced at his Overlord expectantly.                 Dragaunus simply smiled and pointed to the numbers on the screen. "The chips we've installed were originally designed to take simple data on their wearers. They were originally used on the Puckworldian slaves, to find out just how much stamina they had. It was to use them to their maximum efficiency, without killing them with burnout. But they only were used for a very short time, because it turned out that the chips actually drained most of the slaves' energy in order to make them work. They run completely off of the subject's bioenergy." He turned back to Wraith as he closed up his musty old spellbook. "Wraith's spell has taken advantage of the chips' energy capacities. They are so high that we can now actually control their bioenergies!"

                "Which means?!?" Siege tapped his foot.

                Dragaunus rolled his eyes. "You like video games?" he asked. "Grab a controller."

 

 

To be continued...