The Mighty Ducks

Written by Zelda

 

                The Ducks were finishing up a practice at the rink, while their manager Phil sat high in the seats, yelling into his cel-phone. Nearby, Zelda perched on the rink's rim, noting how the Ducks each played. Suddenly, an alarm went off on their wrist communicators. The Ducks quickly removed their gear and ran down to the Ready Room, where Nosedive immediately started checking the equipment.

                "There's a video transmission coming in!" He said.

                "Let's see it then." replied Wildwing. After a short stint of button pushing and switch throwing, a clear image came up on the giant screen. In a large, vast, green field, there was water spewing out of a huge pipe.

                "That looks like the Anaheim water supply plant." noted Grin. Suddenly, a huge red hunter drone loomed into the picture, with others marching up to the pipe in the distance.

                "Yikes!" cried Tanya, glancing off at another screen. "Look at the news!" The group quickly turned to the smaller screen to watch. A news reporter, obviously live, was blubbering about the same situation.

                "Reports are coming in from all over about the invasion of the water plant."

                "But what would Dragaunus want with a water plant?" asked Nosedive.

                "I think I know." said Zelda thoughtfully. "The pumps that send the water throughout the city are powered by a huge generator. Perhaps he could rewire it to power his engines." They had done enough waiting.                    

"Come on!" said Wildwing "Let's take the Migrator."

 

                It was only a matter of a minute before the whole crew had piled into the Migrator, leaving Phil behind, and sped off to the water plant downtown. Inside, Drake One had sent schematic maps of the plant to the Migrator's computer.

                "Look, here was where we saw the transmission." said Mallory, pointing to a large pipe.

                "Then that's where we should go first." decided Wildwing. By the time they had finished strategizing, they had arrived at the plant.

 

                Lord Dragaunus watched the monitoring transmission as the Ducks trooped out onto the field.                         "Yessss, this is what I had been waiting for. The water plant is the perfect setting. Now, we shall see who gets the best of who!" he cackled.

                "Can I go smash them now boss?" snarled Siege.                        

"No! I told you Siege, I will give the commands here. If all goes according to plan..."

                "Which it most likely won't." muttered Wraith.                             

"I'll be rid of those meddling mallards, and that foolish lizard by the end of the day!" Lord Dragaunus threw his head back and laughed maliciously.

 

                Wildwing led the charge against the defensive line of hunter drones. The team gathered in a circle for protection as Zelda leapt about, picking off any drones she could. The drones closed in on the already tightly packed team, and it seemed the Ducks were outnumbered, until Grin broke free from a grapple and plowed through a part of the circle like a rhinoceros. The team ran through the gap, nearing the pipe, which was no longer gushing water. Finally, they all leapt into the large, square pipe, and ran for dear life until they felt they had lost the drones for sure. As she leaned against the pipe wall to catch her breath, Zelda noted it's appearance. Puddles of water were strewn about, and the pipe was square-shaped, not round, like most were. The walls of the pipe were not solid either, but rather made of several pieces of metal that were fastened together. It was not rusted at all, and looked quite new.

                "This is weird." noted Mallory.

                "This pipe doesn't curve, but it has angled corners."

                "These wet, dull walls remind me of a hospital corridor." said Grin.

                "Or a police jail hall." shuddered Duke.

                "Well, we have no time to lose. Let's get going." said Wildwing, and they began to run once again down the sheen pipe. Once or twice, they passed some grating in the walls, which were rusted and seemed old. Finally, the team stopped again to rest and listen.

                "How much farther to go?" panted Nosedive.               

"About 1\4 of a mile." reported Tanya. Duke groaned. As they started to leave, Zelda heard something.

                "Wait!" she cried. The team skidded to a stop, and turned to her in question. "Don't you hear something?" The team listened silently. There was something: a deep rumbling noise, growing louder by the second.

                "The generator?" asked Mallory. Zelda leaned her head to the floor, to feel the metal panels beneath her feet vibrating.

 

                Back in his ship, Lord Dragaunus grinned savagely.

                "These creatures are half duck, so let's see them swim! Chameleon! Siege! Go in now and steal that generator!"

 

                Zelda squinted in confusion, still close to the floor, listening to the rumbling coming closer. They all stood nervously, waiting. Slowly, Zelda raised her head in recognition. From the end of the corridor, a vast, bluish-gray, blobish form came rushing towards them. Frothing and tumbling over itself, it was a flood! Zelda raised her head in terror, paralyzed. Finally, she turned and yelled

                "Run! Run now!" By this time, the team had also come back to senses, and turned on their heels and ran for dear life.

 

                Zelda spread her wings in preparation to fly as the rumbling became deafening behind her. But she was too late. The water slammed down on her like a giant brick, smashing her to the ground, then picking her up, and throwing her powerfully forth. Zelda felt a sudden surge of cold, and slipped into the flood. She tried to break the surface, but the water pushed her down, swirling her about helplessly, clouding her vision. Suddenly, Zelda's back was thrown forcefully against the bending wall of the pipe, as the water spat and clawed all around her. She felt a great spurt of pain run through her body, and then was pulled back underwater, stunned and helpless.

 

                Zelda awoke once again with a sickening snap. She was thrown to the surface, as the water tumbled down a long corridor. Staring in panic at the ceiling, Zelda saw a small, round loop of pipe that protruded from it. This was her one chance for escape. Aided by sheer instinct, Zelda raised her wings, and shot out of the water, catching the pipe, and letting the flood gush itself out below her.

 

                In seconds, it was over. The flood had ended. Now, all that was left was a still pool of water knee-deep on the floor of the pipe, up to Zelda's neck. Exhausted, Zelda let go of the pipe and fell to the ground with a loud splash. Slowly, she raised herself up, feeling her back ache. As she recovered, she noticed the uncanny silence about her. Not even a sound. Nervously, Zelda moaned into the long, gray corridor. After a few seconds of silence, Zelda thought she heard movement far down the pipe. Fearing for her comrades, Zelda started to plow through the water as fast as she could. Running for what seemed like forever, Zelda became almost unconscious of what she was doing, and fell to thinking of where the rest of the team was. Suddenly, the floor dropped beneath Zelda's feet, and she plunged into the water. The pipe floor had dipped down, widening out. Quickly resurfacing, Zelda started swimming, flapping her wings powerfully. Another eternity passed, and Zelda swam slower, weak with exhaustion. Approaching a corner, Zelda heard distinct movement around the bend. Rounding the corner, she found Mallory trying to paddle with one arm while grasping tightly to her puck bazooka, that kept her afloat.                  

                "Zelda!" she panted.

                "Mallory! What happened to you?" Mallory groaned.

                "I think I sprained my arm."

                "Thank your feathers you didn't get worse." sighed Zelda, grabbing the launcher.

                "Where are the others?"

                "Don't know." sighed Mallory, distressed.

                "Well, we have to find them. Hold onto my tail." panted Zelda. They knew time was a matter of life and death now, and so they both started to swim as fast as they could, calling out for the rest of the team.

 

                Yet another eternity of endless paddling passed before they found Grin, who was desperately trying to swim along with Nosedive. Grin was relatively unhurt, but Nosedive had spent all his energy trying to surface during the flood, and so was having a hard time keeping afloat. Mallory shifted to holding Zelda's ankle, while Zelda could pump her tail back and forth, hoping not to tire too fast. From down the pipe, they could hear Duke calling out to them, and they spent the time swimming trying to comfort him. When he was reached, he declared himself also unhurt. But Tanya and Wildwing were still missing. As they continued down the pipe, they could hear Tanya muttering. When they came upon her, they found her swimming with all her might, but slowed by towing the unconscious Wildwing.

                "Now that we've found everyone, we have to get outta here before another flood comes." panted Duke. Zelda stared at the water, and then noticed something.                       

                "Look! There seems to be some sort of current forming!" And there was. Thinking it was another pipe opening, the team swam toward it, and the current became swifter and stronger. They had to swim less and float more. It was in this frame of time that Wildwing awoke, bruised and dazed, but okay overall. Suddenly, a loud whirring noise broke the silence, and the current snapped into a frothy, faster pace.

                "What is it?" yelled Mallory, over the whirring. Suddenly, the team swirled around the corner, to reveal a huge, gaping machine in front of them. This was the end of the line.

                "It's a PUMP!" cried Tanya. "One trip through that and we'll be turned into cat food!" Grin suddenly grabbed a large metal panel on the wall, holding his ground just above the water line. The rest of the team grabbed onto him, forming a chain, with Wildwing in the rear, next to Zelda.

                "My inner senses tell me rest lies beyond these walls!" he yelled. Duke unsheathed his Duck Saber and stabbed it into the seam of the panel, helping to pry it open. Finally, The panel was rolled back like the lid of a sardine can, and the team hauled themselves out of the water, and into the black space beyond.

 

                Zelda landed on the concrete ground with a loud thud, followed by Wildwing a second later. Groggily, she looked up and shook the water off of her head.

                "Everyone okay?" asked Wildwing, picking himself up in the murky darkness. They all got up and stared at him in an affirmative reply. "Where to next?" he asked Tanya.

                "Well, umm... if I remember right, the hallway to the main generator should be over there." Tanya pointed a feathered finger to a small, dim light at the end of the long hallway.

                "Well, then let's go!" said Nosedive, and they all started off.

 

                The team was exhausted, and walked in weary silence. They reached the dimly lit, cinder block-walled corridor, and continued down it as well. Suddenly, the lights flickered overhead.

                "What was that?" asked Duke.

                "Might have been a power surge..." suggested Nosedive.

                "Or a shortage!" said Tanya.

                "Dragaunus may have gotten to the generator! Come on!" cried Wildwing, and the team ran headlong down the damp tunnel once again.

 

                The team ran rhythmically until they burst into a brightly lit room. In the center, four or five small patches of twisted metal and live, sparking wires lay in heaps on the floor.

                "Yep, this was the generator room." sighed Tanya.

                "Which means Dragaunus has the generator." growled Zelda.

                "We can't let Dragaunus leave this dimension, or this earth. As long as his ship remains crippled on the ground, he has the disadvantage. We can't let him have that generator!" snarled Wildwing.

                "So what do you suggest?" asked Mallory.

                "Follow him!" cried Nosedive.

                "Onto the Raptor?" asked Grin.

                "Dive's right. We can't let Dragaunus have that generator!" Wildwing started running along a trail of scrap metal and wires the drones must have left behind, and the rest of the team followed behind him.

 

                The team ran as a bright doorway leading to a parking lot beyond became larger and closer through the black tunnel. Finally, the team bounded out of the doorway, and onto the parking lot on the other side of the building from where they had entered. Just outside the building, the drones were running away with the hulking generator in their arms. "Come on!" cried Wildwing. The drones scurried into a deserted fast-food restaurant.

                "Why in there?" asked Duke. Wildwing activated his Mask, revealing that they were actually standing in front of Dragaunus's giant ship!

                "They're cloaking the ship! After them!" he yelled. The team leapt through the old doorway, just as the ship's doors slammed shut behind them.

 

                Inside of the ship, the red and metallic walls shone out at them. The drones, and all the evidence of them, were gone. Zelda circled the group nervously, sniffing the ground.

                "Stay close, guys." advised Duke. Slowly, the group proceeded through the hallway, until they came to a fork.

                "Great, now what?" muttered Mallory.

                "Please, Ducks. Allow me to offer you directions!" sneered a voice in front of them. Out of a great green shadow, Wraith appeared, and Siege and the Chameleon loomed on his flanks. The Ducks backed off warily.

                "Give us the generator, Wraith." demanded Wildwing.

                "You mean you really expect us to go through all the trouble of stealing it, just to give it back to you!" cried the Chameleon, exploding in laughter.             

                "Indeed Ducks, you are a foolish flock. But not too foolish, for Dragunus waits to mount your feathered heads on his throne!" cried Wraith, and he pointed a deadly flash of fireballs at the group, splitting the Ducks in half as they dodged to the sides. When they looked up, a hoard of drones were leaping down upon them, and Siege, Wraith, and the Chameleon were not far behind.

                "Split up!" cried Mallory, as the group was overwhelmed in battle. Zelda and Tanya were thrown into the wall by three drones, and were grabbed once again as they struggled up. Mallory charged before them, separating the good from the evil, and swiped them away with a single kick. Wildwing was wrestling with the Chameleon, who had turned into a giant lion, and Grin was trying to free Duke from the sharp claws of Siege. Zelda pumped her wings and flew up to the top of the ceiling to get a better view, and give Wildwing a report. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a hunter drone catch Nosedive by surprise, and he was unable to dodge a slew of blasts that fell upon him. As he fell to the floor and struggled to get up, the drone loomed over him. Zelda dove down, and landed on the drone's back. Driven by rage, she bit deep into the exposed wiring of the drone's neck, and tore the drone into deactivation. She landed in front of Nosedive and roared protectively, separating him from the angry fire of the hunter drones. Finally, Nosedive scrambled up, and Zelda followed him in retreat. The room was clearing as the team split up and ran down the two forks, with their enemies in hot pursuit. Looking back, Zelda yelped in fear as she saw Wildwing lying on the floor. She charged up to him, and gave him an enormous cuff on the shoulder, sending him sprawling across the room.

                "Nice try Chameleon, but I can smell a Saurian a mile away!" she snarled, as The Chameleon melded back into his original form.

                "Really?" he sneered. "Then I guess you were expecting that army of hunter drones coming up behind you." Zelda spun around in surprise to be thrown off her feet by a sudden blast of drone fire. She scrambled helplessly, and was caught beneath a hail of yellow laser blasts. When the dust settled, Zelda lay unconscious on the cold, metal floor. Siege marched up and loomed over her.

                "Leave her to me." he laughed. "I have special plans for this ugly duckling."

 

                Wildwing had finally managed to destroy the last of the hunter drones that were pursuing him, and kept running deeper into the heart of the ship. Whatever happened, he had to get to that generator. Suddenly, he skidded to a screeching stop, just in time to avoid him toppling over the sharp ledge and into the heart of the ship's incineration chamber.

                "Great, I'll have to go around now." he muttered, thinking of the fork he had passed earlier.

                "I wouldn't be so hasty, Duck!" snarled Siege from across the room. He leaned on the very edge of the platform opposite Wildwing, with the still unconscious body of Zelda beneath his foot, dangling dangerously over the edge.

                "Zelda!" cried Wildwing. He started to turn back, but Siege called him to a halt.

                "One move, Duck, and they'll be nothing left of this lizard but some singed scales!"

 

                Zelda slowly faded back into consciousness, with her head throbbing painfully. She slowly realized that she was hanging upside-down, and opened her eyes to reveal her real position. Glancing around in panic, she could see Wildwing standing on the opposite platform, and was about to call to him, when she spotted Siege. Enraged, Zelda gathered herself up, and flung her claws at Siege's leg, knocking him of balance. Siege tumbled down, but caught Zelda's ankle, and she slipped down with him. Zelda flung up her right claw, and caught it in the metal panels of the platform edge. She was slipping over, and could not hold Siege's weight much longer. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Wildwing running away.

 

                Duke and Nosedive had been beaten down a separate fork, and were too busy running from the last few drones to contact the others. As the last drones dropped away, they ran into a huge room. The engine room. The huge, bulky engines of the Raptor towered before them, while a few drones were busy installing the generator in a corner. Nosedive and Duke grinned at each other, They had made it. Timing themselves, they leapt forth to take the last five or six drones alone.

 

                Zelda was struggling for a handhold on the brink of the incineration chamber. Siege, realizing what was happening, was trying to climb up her. But Zelda knew it was too late. If she went, she was taking Siege with her. She could only watch and struggle as her last claw slipped from the metal edge.

 

                Suddenly, a great, feathered hand snatched hers from midair. Looking up in surprise, Zelda found Wildwing grinning at her. Zelda yelped in joy, but then realized Siege was climbing up her again.

                "Wildwing, look out!" she whined, as Siege leapt off of the cliff's edge, and butted Wildwing away. Zelda regained her handhold and tried desperately to get up and help Wildwing. Over the ledge, she could hear the battle in full rage, but as she finally hauled herself up, all was quiet. Zelda scampered away from the ledge to behold the result of the battle that had just occurred.

 

                Wildwing lay on his side in the center of the room, with his back to Zelda. Whining, Zelda ran up to him. He lay unconscious, with his eyes squinted shut, his breath coming in thin, whistling pants, and his hands clamped over his stomach. From behind her, Zelda could hear Siege growling. Remaining as calm as possible, Zelda ran around to Wildwing's front side, lifted his arm, and activated his communicator. Glancing around fearfully, Zelda panted loudly into it, hoping someone would hear.

                "This is an urgent distress call from Zelda to the team. Please respond." There was no response. Zelda panicked. She could hear Siege coming up behind her. "Listen guys, Wildwing is down. Repeat, Wildwing is down and out! I'm fending off Siege by myself here! Requesting immediate backup!" A few more seconds of dreadful silence finally yielded a response.

 

                "Zelda! Where are you?" Grin asked calmly into his communicator. From behind him, Tanya and Mallory were still fighting a bunch of hunter drones. Zelda's response came quickly and urgently.

                "Grin! Thank goodness. I'm near the incineration chamber. Hurry, I..." The last of the transmission was overcome by Zelda's roar of warning and pain. She was under attack! Grin turned to the others, as Mallory powerfully put away the last drone.

                "Let's go!" he yelled.

 

                Zelda had been punched full in the flank. She stumbled back into a shadowed corner, recovering herself. She flung out once again, charging Siege at the back. Siege easily spun about, caught Zelda in his claws, and hurled her over his head. Zelda smacked full into the near wall, and sank to the floor with a groan. By the time she had propped herself up on her elbows, her head swimming, she could see Siege looming over the still fallen body of Wildwing.

                "I've waited a long time for this, Duck." he snarled, raising his heavy, spiked, club-tail. Suddenly, he was thrown to the side as Zelda slammed into him with a roar. She landed on his stomach, raised her claws, and struck a raking blow across Siege's shoulder. Siege roared in anger and pain, and then rolled up quickly. He kicked her in the side, hard. She skidded across the floor and landed on her side, with her back facing him. She started to roll back over, roaring in fury, but stopped in terror when she saw that Siege had raised his tail club high in the air, preparing to deliver a bone-smashing blow.

 

                Duke and Nosedive had finally defeated all the drones. Exhausted and panting, but victorious, Duke raised his sword, and sheared the generator to pieces. As it started to explode, the two ran out in a cloud of red smoke, into the hallway beyond.

                "All right!" yelled Nosedive. "We did it buddy!" Suddenly, a loud roar-scream tore the air, and the two watched as Grin, Tanya, and Mallory ran past in a far hallway.

                "Du... come on guys! Zelda and Wildwing are in uhh trouble!" cried Tanya as she ran. The two looked at each other in shock, and followed the other three.

 

                Zelda had thrown her head up and screamed in pain as Siege's crushing blow was delivered. She cramped up, threw up her head, and then collapsed on the floor, unconscious. Siege loomed over her, rubbing the deep gashes in his shoulder. He angrily grabbed Wildwing by the collar, and Zelda by the wings, and dragged them away, into the dark halls.

 

                The five charged into the room next to the incineration chamber, to find it empty.

                "Not totally empty." sighed Grin. "I can sense in this place an intense battle, but where Wildwing and Zelda have gone, I do not know."

                "No kidding." said Mallory, as she looked at the deeply furrowed claw marks in the floor.

                "Whoa momma, look at this!" cried Duke. He was leaning on the ledge, looking down into the incineration chamber.

                "They musta been hangin' right off the edge!"             

                "But what if they?" started Tanya in fear. Suddenly, a loud creaking and clashing of metal down the hall turned their heads.

                "Let's go!" cried Nosedive, and the team ran off.

 

                Zelda awoke, groaning in exhaustion and pain. Her head throbbed, and her side felt numb. Slowly, she came to the realization that Wildwing was calling to her. Slowly, she opened her eyes to find that she was lying on her side against the far wall of a room. On the wall next to her, Wildwing hung clamped in shackles.              

                "Wildwing!" she gasped. "Are you okay?"

                "To tell you the truth, no." he sighed. "I don't think you fared any better."

                "Uhhn... I feel like a walking bruise!" snorted Zelda, closing her eyes slowly. Suddenly, Zelda's eyes flew open in realization.

                "Wildwing!" she cried. "Your Mask!" The prized Mask was gone!

                "Looking for this?" snarled a familiar voice. Out of the shadows, Dragaunus came, the Mask in his clawed hands.

                "Dragaunus! Give the Mask back!" roared Zelda, as mightily as she could muster.

                "Oh, how touching!" he laughed. "You have lived by this Mask, and now..." he said, with glowing eyes and raised claws, he pulled his face close to that of Wildwing's and Zelda's, while they flinched and whined. "You shall die by it!" Dragaunus raised his claws, preparing to strike.

 

                Suddenly, Mallory crashed into Dragaunus's left side, sending him flying. The team had found them!

                "Hang on guys!" cried Duke. Nosedive snatched the Mask strait out of Dragaunus's claws, as he lay on the floor, presided over by Mallory. Tanya scooped up the bruised and battered Zelda carefully, while Duke hacked away Wildwing's shackles, and hoisted him up onto his shoulder.

                "Don't worry! We totaled the generator! Let's get out this flyin' death chamber!" yelled Nosedive, and the team ran as fast as they could, out of the cell. It seemed like forever before they approached the hallway where the main doors were, and to Zelda, the run seemed one rushed, bumpy blur. Grin ran in front of the group, wasting no time in smacking any remaining drones out of commission. Tanya and Duke tried to move their fastest, and Mallory and Nosedive came up in the rear. Just as Grin was about to reach and pry open the ship's doors, he was suddenly thrown back. Wildwing pressed his hands to the Mask, which had been given back to him, and saw Dragaunus standing before the doors.

                "Careful!" he yelled. Dragaunus made a sweep strait for the wounded, and Wildwing could only watch as the rest of the team swiped at him and missed. "Duke, let's get closer in!" he yelled, and Duke moved into the center of the room. Suddenly, Wildwing's steady hold was lost as Dragaunus came unseen and struck Duke flat in the back. Duke collapsed, wheezing, on the floor, while Wildwing crouched beside him, still too weak to stand. Zelda yelped and struggled to get out of Tanya's firm grip, but Tanya held her back.

                "Whoa Zelda, I think you've had enough action to last you through the week!" Mallory, Nosedive, and Grin circled protectively around Duke and Wildwing, while Tanya and Zelda stood off to the side.

                "You can't hide from me, Dragaunus!" yelled Wildwing, as Duke staggered up.

                "Maybe not, but I can hide from the rest of your pitiful flock!" Dragaunus made a rush at the unsuspecting Grin, but Wildwing raised his arm and held him off with rapid fire of  his exploding pucks.            "Everyone! Concentrate your fire here! Don't get too close!" he cried. This was it. Wildwing, Tanya, Nosedive, and Mallory all fired upon Dragaunus at once, forcing him to decloak.

                "Now! The rest of you!" Grin fell upon Dragaunus, and snatched him up, slamming him against the ship's doors. Nosedive hoisted up his weary older brother.

                "Tanya!" yelled Wildwing "Get the doors open!"        

                "Du... I'm trying Wildwing!" she cried back. She had forced open a small metal panel in the walls, and was using her Omnitool to try and override the command to keep the doors closed. "Almost got it...... there!" she cried, and the doors slowly parted opened before them. Grin threw Dragaunus on the floor, and ran with the others out of the ship, as the doors closed behind them.

 

                The team ran in blind fear and victory back to the Migrator as fast as they could. Suddenly, Tanya cried and fell to the ground, as a huge red laser exploded near her.

                "The Raptor's firing on us!" yelled Mallory. Zelda tumbled on the ground, and limped quickly back to help Tanya up. As Tanya ran, Zelda tried to fly, but her right wing was injured, and she limped slowly in panic. Just as the laser fire was concentrating around her, Mallory leapt in and snatched Zelda up. "Hey buddy, need a lift?" she asked. The team ran back into the Migrator, and sped away victorious.

 

                Back underneath the rink, in the infirmary, Zelda lay on her stomach, paws draped over a corner, looking intently over at Wildwing.

                "Feeling better?" she asked.

                "Of course!" he laughed.

                "Heh, a good battle is quite tiring." sighed Grin, as he slumped against the wall.

                "We could all use a good night's rest." agreed Mallory.

                "Yeah, it's a good thing we don't have a game tonight." added Duke.

                "Whimps! I just wish I could have another round with that Dragaunus!" cried Nosedive, swiping and punching at the air.

                "I'm sure that will come all too soon, Bro. Until then, let's all just get some rest." grinned Wildwing.

 

 

 

                                                                                The End

 

Mighty Ducks-The Animated Series, and all characters (except mine) are property of Disney. You can copy, paste, print or whatever with this story so long as it is not altered and I (Zelda) am credited.