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Endings shall become beginnings as the cycle begins anew. Teachers shall become students and children shall become warriors. - excerpt from Cycles of Power
"It's really very simple," Tremaine encouraged. "You just have to keep your mind blank."
"Yeah, Dive," Wildwing chimed in. "It shouldn't be a problem for you."
Nosedive diverted just enough attention from what he was doing to give his brother a scathing glare. "If you want to live long enough for your turn at this, I suggest you cork it. I do remember how to make those mystic bolts."
Tremaine rolled her eyes. "If you two are going to spend the entire time arguing I may as well go home now."
"Why haven't you?" Nosedive asked. He wasn't paying full attention to the others; the majority of his concentration was on the single ball of light hovering in the air before him. "Go home, I mean. Haven't you accomplished what you set out to do?"
"Not entirely," Tremaine replied thoughtfully. "At least that's what Canard thinks. He believes that because Dragaunus came back in time and taught himself a few extra tricks, we need to even the score. Personally, I'm not about to argue with him." She smiled sadly. "The future's bad enough without Dragaunus having an even greater advantage." She shook herself slightly, as if trying to throw off whatever memories had come to her. "Drake agrees too, so I guess we're here until we finish training you two."
"How long will that take?" Wildwing asked.
"Depends. There are a lot of things to learn. Telepathy, telekinesis, pyrokinesis, and I want to see if Nosedive can't manage a teleport vortex. I bet he's got the strength for it. There's a lot more, too. Molecular reconstruction, weather control, astral projections, empathy, healing... You see? And as long as I'm teaching you this stuff, I might as well go the whole nine yards." She shrugged. "If you want an estimate? Well, considering how fast you two have been learning so far, I'd say another couple of weeks and I can leave with a clear conscience."
Dive nodded thoughtfully. Another couple weeks may very well be all they would need. Tremaine had taught them the basics already, from there they could pretty much figure this stuff out on their own.
The last two weeks since Tremaine had first began to teach them in using the power had gone quickly. Dragaunus had been out of sight - nursing his wounds and preparing for his next strike, most likely - and the rest of Anaheim's criminal element had been pretty quiet. Considering the circumstances, the Ducks had left most of the disturbances to the authorities, only dealing with the truly serious crimes. And when they weren't doing that, or asleep, Tremaine had Nosedive and Wildwing jumping through hoops.
Okay, so it wasn't really like that, Nosedive admitted grudgingly, but it sure felt like it. The lessons were anything but easy, and while he hadn't suffered the same exhaustion and collapse he had the first time, after the battle with Dragaunus, he was still tired after each lesson. Wildwing, having less power, was even more affected. It had been several days before the power stopped knocking him out completely.
Oddly enough, under the circumstances, Wildwing was taking this a lot better than Dive was. The concept of the power had startled him, as had the news of their ancestry, but he showed no more surprise than he had at any other time during the past year. As if the giant energy monsters, crazed megalomaniacs, homicidal lizards and psychotic cyborgs had simply accustomed him to the unusual.
When you put it in that light, Dive reflected sourly, the power wasn't all that strange after all.
Right now they were in the middle of one of Tremaine's training lessons. Twice a day, every day, she dragged them down to the gym, usually at an ungodly early hour of the morning. Once there they worked until midmorning, only to return late that afternoon for another several hours. It was worse than school, complete with homework.
Dive abandoned his train of thought - griping about it wouldn't get it over with any sooner, even if it did make him feel better. Instead he returned his full attention to the glowing sphere of energy before him. That was all it was - a big ball of light. According to Tremaine this particular skill came in handy for when you had to navigate in the dark. Nosedive had picked up on the basic skill fast enough; it was really just a different kind of pyrokinesis, like the fireballs he'd thrown at Dragaunus; but the fine tuning had given him a bit of trouble. Tremaine wanted the light to be contained in a perfect sphere, and Dive's control over the energy was proving less than perfect. In fact, he mused, it looks an awful lot like a sun about to go nova. All full of solar flares... Yeah, his technique could definitely stand a little work.
Already that was beginning to be the pattern: Nosedive had the raw power to get it done, but Wildwing was the one with the finesse. For all that, according to Tremaine, Wildwing's power was only a fraction of Dive's - only slightly more than what Tremaine herself possessed - he could get the power to do exactly as he wanted, while Dive had to struggle to get the finishing touches just right.
But then, that's pretty much the way it's always been between me and Wing, Dive thought. Me with the skill - him with the talent. He didn't begrudge his older brother that control though. After all, all the control in the world wouldn't do Wing any good if he didn't have the raw power to back it up. And Nosedive did.
Wildwing and Tremaine were no longer paying him any attention, they'd wandered away a bit and were deep in conversation about something. Dive refused to eavesdrop, he'd learned the hard way how hard telepathy was to control. He fought back a grin at the memory - Mallory was still giving him dirty looks. Ah, it had been worth it.
Well, if Tremaine was going to take a break so was he. With luck Tremaine and Wildwing would keep talking for another ten minutes or so and by then it would be the time when they usually broke it off for the night. Dive wasn't sure about his brother, but he was starving.
With an absent wave of his hand and a mental command he dispelled the energy that formed the small glowing sphere - he'd finally gotten it right, too, he noted with a satisfied smile.
The gym was empty except for the three of them. Dive gave a moment's thought to busying himself with one of the many weight lifting or aerobic exercise machines but discarded the idea; he wasn't in the mood for a workout. While practice with Tremaine was becoming steadily less exhausting by the day he was still a bit tired at the end of almost four hours. More work was most definitely not what he was looking for.
Something soft rubbed up against his ankle. Dive glanced down and smiled. "Hey, Shadow." He lifted the kitten easily and absently stroked the soft grey fur. The small kitten was a stray Mallory had found and adopted a couple weeks ago and in the time since the entire team had become used to having her around. Duke especially. For some reason Shadowcat seemed to adore Duke, following him everywhere and even sleeping at the foot of his bed. Duke, for his part seemed to return the affection - somewhat. Dive gave up all pretenses of looking for something to do and leaned against the wall.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Dive barely glanced up long enough to affirm that yes - it had been Tremaine screaming and no - it wasn't anything important.
"It's pointless, isn't it?" Tremaine's voice carried across the gym easily. "Wildwing's giving me a run-around and Nosedive's playing with a kitten. I give up." She threw her hands up in the air in a gesture of defeat. "Go. Get out of here. Go do whatever it is you do." She adopted a forlorn expression. "I think I finally understand what all my teachers felt like when I was a kid."
"Really makes you think, doesn't it?" Nosedive said thoughtfully. The kitten clawed its way up the front of his shirt and perched on his shoulder while swatting at his hair with one paw. He moved carefully so as not to disturb it. Tremaine cast him a questioning glance. "Think about what?" she asked.
"You know the old saying," Nosedive said, " 'What goes around comes around...' "
He just made it out the door before she lunged at him.
"Jessica called."
Nosedive carefully removed the kitten from his shoulder and dropped it in Duke's lap before heading for the refrigerator. "I'm not in the mood, Duke."
"Actually," Duke continued, ignoring both the kitten and Nosedive's words, "she called three times. In as many hours."
"I don't care, Duke."
"The third time, Mallory took the call."
"Oh, stars." Dive grabbed a soda and a microwave burrito. "Is anybody dead?"
Duke chuckled. "Not quite. I think Mallory was tempted though."
"I don't know why Mallory hates Jessica so much," Dive said. He threw the burrito in the microwave and popped the top of the soda.
"Because Jessica hates Mallory." Duke waved a finger at his younger teammate. "Don't even dare tell me you don't know why."
"Well, I don't!"
Duke shook his head, apparently enjoying a private joke as he finished his coffee. By that time of the evening it would probably be his third or fourth pot. Apparently Duke had never heard about the detrimental effects of caffeine. "Ah, to be young and naïve again."
"You were never naïve," Canard Calex snorted as he walked into the room. "And I sincerely doubt you were ever young." He gave the soda in Dive's hands a disdainful glance. "That's hardly healthy, you know."
Dive lifted an eyebrow at the young man. Only a few years older than Dive, Tremaine's cousin tended to be the most casual, easy-going member of the time-traveling trio. He was the last person Dive expected to hear lecturing on proper nutrition.
Canard met his gaze and smiled. "Tre put me up to it," he admitted. "She says it's a miracle you're still alive if you eat like that."
"Like she's so much better."
Canard shrugged. "For someone who spends so much of her time complaining about Drake being strict, she sure is good at it herself. Got any more soda?"
"In the fridge."
Dive stifled a yawn as Canard joined them at the table. "No complaining allowed," Canard grumbled good-naturedly. "At least you can still stand at the end of a practice session. Try being one of us poor shmucks without even enough power to shake a stick at."
Duke was paying more attention to his two companions than his coffee - something Dive was certain signaled the coming of the Apocalypse - and he took the opportunity to question Canard. "You keep saying that they have so much more power, yet it looks like you're all on the same level."
"Their training hasn't even started yet," Canard said. "Trust me. The stuff Tre's been showing them in peanuts. Once they get into the heavy duty stuff - teleporting, healing - then you'll see the difference."
The timer on the microwave went off and Dive stood. Tremaine had encouraged him to use the power as often as possible in every day life to help adjust to it, but Dive was resisting the suggestion so far. The Pond saw enough weirdness without floating food.
"Speaking of weirdness..." Wildwing stood in the doorway and grinned at his brother's annoyed glare. "Something's up. Ready Room. Now."
They didn't quite make it to the Ready Room.
Halfway there Drake's voice had reached them. <Hangar Bay. We have to move fast.>
Duke could tell Wildwing was annoyed by Drake's presumptuousness even without the benefit of telepathy. <Care to elucidate?> the team captain had asked icily.
<I'm sorry, Wildwing, but Dragaunus is making his move and we need to be there.>
<What's the problem?>
<Draggy number two, the good ol' High Lord of Earth himself, is causing a ruckus downtown. Your friend, Klegghorn and a bunch of cops tried to stop him and he - ahem - dealt with them.>
<Casualties?>
<Not many.>
<Great.>
<Could be worse, Wildwing,> Drake's voice was filled with a dark humor. <Dragaunus has long since lost what little respect he may have once had for life. He could easily have killed them all.>
<So why didn't he?> Wildwing demanded. <He's toying with us, showing us what he could do if he wanted to. Does he still have the cops or were they removed?>
There was a moment of silence, filled only by the sound of footsteps as the four ducks raced for the Hangar Bay and the Aerowing. Nosedive, not being one for seriousness under even the most dire circumstances, grinned. <Looks like Drake's checking with his phone psychic.>
Duke snorted and Canard sighed. <Irreverent little pup, isn't he?> he asked Wildwing.
"Under the circumstances," Wildwing said wryly, "I have to agree with him."
"What do you think Draggy's up to?" Dive asked.
"I don't know," Canard said. "History changes more every second we and Dragaunus remain in the past. I'm as clueless as you are."
"Well damn," Nosedive muttered. "There goes our only hope."
"That's it, kiddo," Duke laughed. "Keep the faith."
"Don't call me kiddo," Dive spared Duke an exasperated glower.
<He's still got the cops,> Drake reported as they reached the hangar. <He's holding off the backup and the paramedics. Some of those guys aren't going to make it forever.> The Aerowing was powered up and ready when they arrived. Wildwing climbed aboard, pausing long enough to give Duke a hand up, then moving forward to where Mallory and Grin sat at the controls. Duke turned to give Dive a hand up - no point in lowering the stairs. It would only take time they didn't have - but when he did there was no one there. He blinked and turned back to the interior of the Aerowing. Dive and Canard were both taking seats at the back of the plane. Dive tossed him a grin. "The power," he intoned sarcastically. "Fun at parties and practical for everyday use!"
Tremaine sighed. "Someday I will get you to take the power seriously."
"Don't count on it," Wildwing called back. "I've spent eighteen years trying to get him to take anything seriously."
Dive grinned at them both and dropped to a sitting position on the floor. With Drake, Canard and Tremaine there just weren't enough seats for everyone. Duke took a seat on the floor beside him, sighing when he saw that instead of actually sitting on the floor, Dive hovered a few inches above it. "Admit it," he accused, "You're loving every minute of this, aren't you?"
Dive shrugged, smiled and closed his eyes. "Keepin' the faith, my friend," he said. "Besides," he added, "it's a hell of lot more comfortable than the floor."
Duke, already uncomfortable on the hard metal floor of the Aerowing, glowered at him.
Dive grinned even wider.
"This just can't be good."
Mallory's statement was far too accurate as far as the others were concerned. Grin had brought the Aerowing down a few blocks away from the commotion and they had footed it to the site of the disturbance.
Site of the disturbance, Duke thought scornfully, doesn't even come close.
Chaos was a bit more accurate.
The middle of the street looked as if a bomb had gone off; a large crater scarred the center of the street and the sidewalks, buildings, cars, everything nearby was covered with scorch marks. There had been one hell of a fire fight here that night. And since Duke didn't see many bullet holes scoring the buildings and cars, it was obvious that Dragaunus had been the definitive victor.
Dragaunus himself didn't seem overly concerned by their arrival. Hovering several feet above them, surrounded by a telekinetic field, Dragaunus, High Lord of Earth and Overlord of the Saurian Empire merely gave them an unconcerned glance as they approached.
We are sunk, Duke decided.
Wildwing gave the order to spread out, making sure that Dragaunus couldn't take them all out with one lucky shot. Duke followed the command on instinct, never taking his eyes off this future vision of Dragaunus. He'd give him this much - he certainly played the part of a High Lord well enough.
Instead of the grey armor and purple robes worn by the Dragaunus of his time, the High Lord wore armor that seemed to be made of pure gold. Purple gems - amethysts, perhaps - decorated the collar of the armor and he wore a cape made of what appeared to be purple colored silk that fell over his shoulders and down around his ankles. There was no crown, no scepter, but there was no doubt that this man took himself for royalty.
Most of Earth probably did.
The idea sickened Duke. He'd never really given any consideration to what Tremaine and the others had told them about their time. It was too far away, too intangible, too frightening to consider. But now, faced with the reality of what would one day be...
It would all be pointless! The last year had been nothing but one battle after another trying to stop Dragaunus from conquering the world and now they were being told that they had failed! Miserably! Had they really only freed Puckworld to doom this world? And Earth had no idea what was coming. They were so... primitive, as much as he hated to use that word. Could they even hope to overthrow this tyrant once he seized power?
Duke firmly shook the fatalistic thoughts from his mind. Such pessimism would only work against him in battle. He had to face Dragaunus with a clear head and the belief that they would win this - no matter how strong Dragaunus had become. Giving up to fear and uncertainty would only get him killed, and worse, it would get the others killed. They needed to win this battle. They had to win this battle. No matter what.
Damn. He hated being a good guy sometimes. The responsibilities were so heavy.
Drake and Wildwing stood just before the High Lord. Duke scanned the area for Dive, even though he knew exactly where the boy was. It had been Tremaine's insistence that they not let on about Dive and Wildwing's ancestry. The High Lord didn't know and she'd rather like to keep it that way. There hadn't been any opposition to that, any advantage they had over the High Lord was going to come in handy. Drake had then added to it, insisting that Dive and Wildwing stay separated during the battle. "Not to be overly pessimistic," he'd said, "but if one of you falls we're gonna need the other." Now that had been a pleasant thought.
Dive was where he was supposed to be, where Duke had known he was, a few feet away covering Duke's back. Wildwing had broken the team up into pairs and he'd grouped Duke and Nosedive together. Duke was grateful for that. Dragaunus had surely told the High Lord about Dive's abilities, and Dive was bound to become one of his main targets. Duke wanted to be there in case The High Lord got too close. And he knew Wildwing knew, which was why Wildwing had teamed them together.
One of these days me and Wildwing are gonna have to have a little chat about the kid, Duke thought. Before one of us starts taking it personally. He worried sometimes about intruding on the obvious closeness that existed between the two brothers, and he worried that Wildwing wouldn't appreciate Duke's growing friendship with his little brother.
But right now the everyday problems of their personal lives paled in comparison to the problem before them.
How, Duke mused morbidly, do you defeat a man who thinks he's a god and has the power to back up his claim?
If there was a way they would find it.
The High Lord was studying Wildwing and Drake like a scientist might study a particularly interesting type of fungus. The team captain and the time traveler did nothing and said nothing as the Saurian hovered above them. They were waiting for him to make the first move.
And move he did. Without warning, the High Lord suddenly dropped to the ground, in one sudden movement. He strode toward them, the flowing purple robe swirling around his legs as he came. The golden bejeweled armor caught the fading light and glinted back at them. Everything about this man was power and surety. Duke began to think they had made a horrible mistake, trying to stop him. He had so much power, he could destroy them with a thought. Duke remembered the battle two weeks ago, how easily Dragaunus had captured them, how near he had come to killing them all. Only through Tremaine and Nosedive had they managed to escape and The High Lord had thirty years of experience and practice. There was no way they could take him by surprise like they had Dragaunus. And he had so much more power than any of them. Tremaine, Wildwing, the others, they wouldn't be able to touch the High Lord and the rest of them, the ones without the power, wouldn't stand a chance armed with only puck launchers and sabres. This was a man who had conquered a world. They were just a bunch of would-be rebels and-
And where the hell did that come from?
Duke blinked and shook his head, feeling as if a cloud were lifting from his mind. There was a hand on his arm and he saw that Dive had stepped in front of him, effectively separating him from the High Lord. He glanced around him and saw that Mallory, Grin and Tanya looked just as confused as he felt, while Wildwing, Nosedive and the three travelers looked annoyed.
"Really, Dragaunus," Tremaine's voice rang out through the still night air. "If you're going to play mind games you could at least pretend to give us your full concentration."
The High Lord smiled a wide, feral grin, like some wild animal. "Child, you are not worthy of my full attention."
Duke scowled. Mind games. The High Lord had been controlling them. Oh, he really didn't like that. He hated being controlled.
"You all right?" Dive asked under his breath. "No more overwhelming urge to run home and hide under the bed?"
Duke gave him an exasperated glare. "I wasn't that far gone."
"Wanna bet on it?"
"I hate telepathy."
Dive smiled sadly. "You hate it?"
"You guys stopped him?" Duke asked.
"Yeah. Apparently he was looking for the easy way out. Send us home like scared little puppies and there's no one to mess with him. I don't think he expected us to break his control so easily."
Duke studied the tyrant. "Or maybe," he said softly, "he just wanted to find out how strong you guys are. Tremaine did say they've never gone up against him face-to-face. And Drake and Canard weren't with us when we faced off with Dragaunus two weeks go. He's probably just trying to get a feel for the competition."
Dive nodded slowly. "He wasn't putting a lot of effort into it, that's for sure. It was almost too easy to break."
Duke glanced around him, apprehensive, although there was no sign that there was anyone here besides the High Lord. "Is it wise to be talking like this? Can he hear us?"
"No. Drake's been shielding us since we left the Pond. And after the High Lord's attack Tremaine and Canard added to it. Not to mention the fact that my own shields have been up since day one. He won't hear our thoughts, and we're making sure he doesn't overhear our words, either."
I hate the power, Duke thought wearily. I don't care who uses it, I hate it all. "So he can't be that powerful, then, right?"
Dive snorted. "Think of it this way: A guy three times your weight and half a foot taller than you - all muscle - comes at you. There's no way you can defeat him in a regular fight. But you can hide from him, or outrun him, or wear him out. The High Lord is the big guy, and we are trying to avoid a fight."
"I'm guessing we can't hide from him."
"You guess correctly."
"So are we out running him, or wearing him out?"
"A little of the former, a lot of the latter."
Duke was skeptical. "And just how are we going to do that?"
Dive tossed him a grin that was way too cheerful considering everything at stake. "We dodge whatever he throws at us, and make sure he doesn't dodge what we throw at him."
"Ah. Now I see. Kid?"
"Yeah?"
"Cremation."
"What?"
"Cremation," Duke repeated. "I'd rather be cremated. And scatter my ashes all over Phil's new car."
"Sure. Be cheerful."
"I am," Duke said, half-serious. "I'm assuming one of us will get out of here alive."
Drake was the telepath of the group. Tremaine was the fighter.
But Canard knew things.
Stronger in clairvoyance than any other part of the power, although fully capable of defending himself against an ordinary enemy, Canard was able to sense his surroundings and know what any person or thing was doing at any given moment. He could sense the movement of his teammates and his enemies, always able to distinguish between the two. He could tell if a heavy object was about to fall on his head, if a car was coming from two miles away or if the racket outside at three AM was an assault or a raccoon.
It was less tangible at times, too. Less physical. He could tell if phone lines were working. He could know the weather clear on the other side of the continent. He knew whether the power had failed or if someone had deliberately cut the line. He could know if the team Tanya had sent out four days ago had been captured or was merely lying low.
With this skill honed to a near-perfection: a constant state of awareness that made him conscious of every little thing that went on around him twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year; Canard was an asset to the resistance. No Saurian patrols ever sneaked up on him. He was practically omniscient. The only thing he couldn't know was another person's thoughts.
So with all that skill, it was incredibly easy to sense the fireball coming at him from behind.
He shoved Mallory away from him, hard, and ducked, and rolled, coming up on his feet. By then the fireball had flown passed him, sizzling out into thin air when the High Lord saw that it had missed its intended target.
But it didn't end there.
The spheres of fire erupted from the air around them, hurtling through the space toward them. A few of them targeted Mallory, but most were being aimed at him. He avoided them, knowing where each one was and when it would become a danger to him. But there were so many, sooner or later he'd dodge one, just to step right in front of another. All around him he sensed the others fighting similar fights, although Drake and Tremaine were blocking the fireballs with telekinesis instead of dodging them. Tre and Drake, along with Wildwing and Nosedive, were taking the brunt of the assault.
Doubtless the High Lord wanted to eliminate those with the power.
Damned if they'd make it easy for him. So far the worst damage done was a light burn on Mallory's arm, one that would likely heal without any medical treatment. This entire assault was a waste of time and energy.
But how much of a waste? Canard couldn't have launched an attack this great - the energy necessary to use the power in such quantity would have greatly weakened him. He'd be unconscious or asleep by now. But the High Lord had a lot more power, and he didn't seem to be too greatly affected. It was ruining his optimism.
Canard dodged one last time, rolled, came up on his feet and found the last of the fireballs gone. Wary, but glad for the reprieve, he turned in a circle, checking out each of his teammates before facing the High Lord once more. His eyes confirmed what his power had told him: the assault had been ended.
The High Lord stood as impassive as always. "Very good. I have a test for you."
"Spazz off," Canard said flatly.
The High Lord grimaced and waved a hand in Canard's direction. A telekinetic wave rushed at him, almost too quickly for him to duck. "It's a very simple test really. Care to hear the rules?"
"What's this about, Dragaunus?" Wildwing demanded. "What do you want?"
"Your friends on the Anaheim Police Force attempted to stop me,." The High Lord said calmly. "Unsuccessfully. I was... displeased with them. I was about to eliminate them when it suddenly occurred to me that they may ultimately serve a great purpose." He came even closer and Canard could hear Mallory raise her puck launcher. He didn't have to tell her it would be useless. "The test Wildwing," the High Lord continued, "is this: Find the cops."
"I don't follow you," Wildwing said. "All we have to do is find the police officers? Then what?"
The High Lord shrugged. "Then nothing. Find them and set them free. Kill them. Marry them for all I care."
"What's the catch?" Wildwing asked. "Time limit? Booby traps? Hunter drones guarding the cops?"
The High Lord raised his eye ridges is an expression of surprise. "Very good, Wildwing. Very good. And there is a catch, yes. It's all of the above. A time limit of one hour. Many traps. Several hunter drones. Do enjoy yourselves." He smiled a smile of pure malice and suddenly Wildwing was surrounded by a ring of fire. "And I am High Lord to the likes of you."
The others were moving forward to put the flames out and make sure Wildwing was all right, so only Canard witnessed the High Lord's departure. Only he saw the flash of light that seemed to rip the very air before the Saurian. Only he saw the High Lord step through the light and vanish.
A teleport vortex, he realized, dismayed. He can control a teleport vortex. How powerful is he?
Wildwing was fine. The flames hadn't come anywhere near him. Apparently the High Lord didn't want him dead just yet.
Just yet, he thought to himself. How appropriate. Because I don't think he intends to let us live through this, no matter how well we play his game.
"Let's get a move on," he said to the others. "We only have an hour to find those cops."
Only an hour to live.
To be continued in Chapter Four: The Honor
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