Mighty Ducks-The Second Line
D.U.C.K.S.
"We're almost there." Sara said. The AeroWings and the SilverWing had
slowed a little as they were approaching the landing sight. Stivz and the Second Line
peered out the windsheild. They could see the supply complex. There were about six
to seven buildings surrounded by fence, barbed wires, and Authority soldiers. At
every corner of the complex was a tall column. On top of these columns, were a set
of artillery guns aimed outward. Stivz zoomed in with his mask and saw the guns.
Nothing seemed to be happening at the time. Nobody was at the guns or looking out
for any invasion.
"Something's wrong." Stivz frowned. Sara looked at him as she lowered the
AeroWing. She looked down and saw a few bodies of Ducks who had died in the
previous battle. She almost lost control when she saw them, but then straightened
herself and continued her decent towards the ground.
"I don't like this." Ice said over the radio. "Last time we were here they
attacked us when we were in sight." The AeroWings still made their way to the
ground.
Suddenly, Sara began to feel gunfire under the AeroWing. Stivz looked down
and saw dozens of Authority soldiers coming out of hiding from behind rocks and
firing on both of the AeroWings. Stivz pulled out the weapons controls and looked
for a useful weapon. He found the buttons for front puck launchers. He was about to
hit it and send out dozens of pucks when there was an explosion up front. Sara was
almost knocked out of her seat, but she managed to keep the jet under control.
"What was that?" asked Chance. Stivz's eyes turned red in the mask.
"They hit our front weapons." Stivz said. "I can't fire on them."
Stivz then got an idea. He called Betsy on his WristCom.
"We need a little help here, girl." Stivz said. "Clear out the rocky area in
front of us."
Betsy and the SilverWing suddenly came around out of nowhere and lined up
her weapons fire at the attacking soldiers. She fire a few rounds of pucks at them.
The soldiers ducked and fell to the ground for cover, while others ran back for
shelter under the rocks.
"Let's blow them out of that hole, Betsy!" Stivz hollered. Betsy swung the jet
around and locked her sights on the group of large rocks the Authority soldiers were
hiding in. When she got the go-ahead beeps for the missiles, she pressed the trigger.
"Rockets away!" she cried. The missiles cruised through the air and streaked
towards the rocks. Some soldiers saw the rockets and jumped for their lives. The
missiles struck their target with deadeye accuracy. A huge explosion threw sand and
fire high into the air. Soldiers were sent flying, landing hard on the ground.
"I'll run them off." Stivz said as the eyes in his mask got blood red. He
grabbed his hockey stick and puck rifle and stood by the door of the AeroWing. Sara
landed the jet and opened the door for him. James, Dusty, Blade, and Nylessa
followed Stivz out onto the flaming battlefield. Stivz looked around to see if there
were any soldiers still around. He jumped onto a rock and looked behind it. There
were about ten soldiers huddled in a circle, hiding from their attackers. Stivz
clenched his hockey stick and jumped off the rock in front of the crowd. He shouted
a battle cry as he landed. The startled soldiers all jumped to their feet and drew
swords and metal rods. They were specially trained for this kind of combat. Two of
them lunged at Stivz yelling. Stivz fell to his knees quickly and swept the two off
their feet with the stick. Other soldiers came in and joined the fight. Stivz fought
bravely, holding all of them back, giving some swats across the face or jabbing them
in the ribs. James and the other Ducks heard the commotion and went to help Stivz.
Blade and Nylessa drew their DuckSabres and held off a few soldiers
together. Dusty and James chased off a group with their puck launchers. Stivz gave
one soldier a grinding jab in the stomach, almost driving the stick and its blade all
the way through the body. The Authority soldiers had had enough. They all ran out
of the area with all the energy they had left.
"Ha ha!!" Erin cried as she saw the soldiers take off over the clear. "You
gave their asses a beatin'!"
Stivz smiled as he clenched the hockey stick. It suddenly retracted to just a
stick blade! Ice stared wide-eyed. He had never seen this kind of technology.
Sara and Sunrise lined up the AeroWings and came out of the planes, Sara
was clapping.
"I liked the way you handled those soldiers." she said to Stivz. "I can't
remember a Duck who was brave enough to do that kind of fighting."
Stivz blushed a little. "Bravery?" he joked. "It wasn't bravery, it was
insanity!" Sara laughed.
"You are a laugh riot, y'know." she joked also. Her voice then turned
serious. "I like that."
James raised his eyebrows. "I don't believe it." he thought to himself. "She's
hittin' on him."
Ice appeared from out of the AeroWing, he walked down and surveyed the
damage to Sara's jet. He then came over to the Ducks.
"Nice ass-kickin' there, Stivz." he said. "Now let's all set up camp.
Tomorrow, we're going to take that supply bunker."
Betsy walked around the SilverWing, checking its weapons supply. The other
Ducks were rolling out the SuperVehicles from the AeroWings. Stivz drove his
Triton truck and positioned it to where it faced the supply bunker in the open.
James pulled the DuckCruiser up beside the Triton. Betsy, Erin, Blade, and Nylessa
were all setting up the tents and the defensive supplies, and Ice sat on top of the rock
where Stivz fought. He looked all around the area, searching for any Authority
soldiers. Sara and Sunrise sat together playing cards. Sunrise looked up over her
cards at Sara, and noticed that she was 'distracted' by something.
"Are you going to show your cards, or what?" Sunrise snapped at Sara. Sara
jumped back as if she was awakened and glared at her friend.
"Huh?" she mumbled as she tossed down her cards and leaned back onto her
sleeping bag. She saw Stivz as he got out of the Triton, charged his Puck rifle, and
climbed up the rock to join Ice on watch. Sunrise noticed that Sara was looking right
through her, not paying any attention.
She picked up a pebble and tossed it at her young student. The pebble hit
Sara lightly on the beak.
"What's wrong with you, girl?" Sunrise asked. Sara just sighed.
"Oh, nothing." she said. "I was just wondering when and where I would
meet the right man for me."
Sunrise chuckled. "Don't think you'll find any during this war. About 99
percent of the men on this planet are enlisted, and have nothing on their minds but
killing someone."
Sara shrugged. "You don't know, Sunny!" she smiled. "My man may be
closer than you think."
Sunrise took the hint. She looked back over her shoulder and saw the two
backs of Stivz and Ice, guarding the rest of their team like fathers protecting their
daughters. Sunrise saw Stivz in his silver mask, scanning the battlefield with the red
eyes blazing. She then turned back to Sara.
"You really like him alot, don't you?" she asked.
"I honestly don't know, really." Sara replied. "Sometimes I think it's wrong
because it's wartime, and the other times, I think it's something I have to do."
Sunrise shuffled her cards. "If you want my opinion, I think you should go
for it. After this war, you may not see him ever again."
Sara smiled. "Thanks."
"I think you should go for it, too!" said a voice from behind her. Sara turned
around and saw the five girls from the Second Line sitting on a rock, listening to
everything. Sara, embarrassed, laughed and threw her pillow right into Betsy's face.
All the girls laughed hysterically, which sparked the curiosity of the troopers that
were there and attracted Stivz and Ice.
"What's going on back there?!" Stivz called.
The girls stopped laughing. "Nothing." they all said, trying to restrain their
new laughter.
Ice gave them an order. "Let's all have 'lights out' in fifteen minutes.
Tomorrow's a big day."
As the girls dimmed the lights and snuggled into their sleeping bags, they
continued talking about their secrets and their crushes. They had completely put the
war against the Authority in the back of their minds, and enjoyed the good time they
were having.
James and Dusty laid down upon a pad on the ground, admiring the many
stars and the large moon in the dark night. On top of the large rock, Stivz, in his #99
jersey, continued to watch the vast field for any Authority soldiers. He looked over
to his left and saw Ice sipping his cup of coffee.
"Still with me over there?" he asked. Ice looked up with tired eyes.
"I'm alright." he replied. "I just may need a little rest."
"Go ahead then." said Stivz. "I'll be right here. We'll be ready for
tomorrow."
Ice smiled and began to climb down from the rock. He saw the large number
99 on Stivz's back as he turned back towards the field. Ice relaxed and drifted off to
sleep. About 10 minutes later, the girls all fell asleep. Soon, every Duck in the area
except for Stivz was asleep.
Stivz looked behind him and saw all the Ducks either in their tent or out in
the open. He saw Sara sleeping in her sleeping bag surrounded by the other girls. He
smiled as he looked at her. He was very fond of her, and then he felt that it was his
duty to protect her. He then charged his puck rifle and turned back around toward
the supply bunker area, starting over his search.
Slowly, the eyes in the silver mask began to fade from a hot red to a mild
blue, almost disappearing in the darkness of the PuckWorld night.
As light began to appear on the edge of the horizon, Sara woke up and
scooted out of her sleeping bag. She looked around to see if anyone else was awake.
She smelled the fresh scent of coffee in the air. Suddenly, she noticed a silhouette on
top of the rock, sitting alone. She squinted to see the large 99 on the back. It was
Stivz. She then walked quietly to the rock and climbed up a rough side and reached
where Stivz was. She sat down next to Stivz and saw the puck rifle sitting across his
lap. She looked up at his face and saw the cool blue eyes on the mask. She had seen
Stivz's face before, but with the mask on, he seemed like a totally different Duck. He
now seemed more of a fighter, a leader, and a father figure.
"Morning." Sara said, breaking the silence. The blue eyes in Stivz's mask
became brighter, like he was awakened by her voice. He looked over at her, and
replied in a cool, soothing voice.
"Hey there." he said. "Have a nice sleep?"
Sara stretched a little. "Yeah." she said. "I'm awake now."
Stivz looked back out at the field. "I really think that we can take this bunker
today."
Sara nodded. "I hope so. I'll be right behind all of you covering your backs
with the AeroWing."
"Even I need a little protection." Stivz said. "It's good to know you're here."
Sara smiled and blushed a little. She then leaned against Stivz and put her
head on his shoulder. Stivz hesitated a little and put his arm around her shoulder.
For an hour Stivz and Sara held each other while watching the sunrise.
"How can some people out there say that there is no God?" Stivz said
suddenly.
Sara looked at him confused. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Are you
talking about the beauty of this sunrise?"
Stivz gave a large grin underneath his mask. "No." he said. "I'm talking
about how love can survive during a devastating time of war."
Stivz drew his head closer to Sara and lifted her face to his gently with his
hand. She looked up at him with loving eyes and gently kissed him on the lips. She
felt a funny sensation on her lips as she kissed him. She felt the warmth of his lips
the same time she felt the cold silver metal of his mask. Once again, war was the last
thing on their minds.
"All right, men!!" yelled Ice. "Let's get ready to rock!!"
All the troopers strapped on their belts and puck cannons, while others
spread face paint over their faces. They charged their weapons and got ready to
move out toward the Authority supply bunker.
Stivz and the Second Line grouped together. James and Dusty put on their
purple hockey jerseys, as did the girls. Erin opened up her laptop once again and
surveyed the aerial photographs from the satellites. Betsy walked over to the
SilverWing and checked the weapons once more. Stivz walked over to her.
"Remember," he said. "If we're in any serious trouble, we'll give you the
signal. Then, you will fly over and clear out the area."
Betsy nodded. "But how you all not be in my fire?"
Stivz smiled. "Don't worry. We'll be fine!"
Betsy climbed up into the cockpit of the SilverWing and put on her headset.
She flipped a few switches and the jet engines began to hum. Chance and Erin
opened the doors to the Streak and got inside. Before Chance closed her door, James
held it open.
"Take care out there, girls." he said. "Remember, it's just run out there, get
the locations of where the Authority soldiers are, and hurry right back."
Chance put on her black sunglasses and looked back up at James smiling. She
started the fast engine. "I know the plan, Pond." she said. "Those soldiers can't fire
on what they can't see."
James stepped back and let Chance close her door. Chance wheeled the
Streak around the large rock and revved the engine once. The Second Line watched
her speed off into the field.
Dusty started the engine of the DuckCruiser and drove it around and parked
it next to Stivz and his Triton. James climbed into the passenger seat, and Blade and
Nylessa got into the seats behind James and Dusty. Ice came around to Stivz with his
white and teal uniform.
"Stivz, we need to use a vehicle to carry about thirty men past the secured
barrier of the compound. We plan to break through the fences with one of these
trucks."
Stivz put up his finger and stopped Ice. He then pointed to Sunrise's
AeroWing. The Mighty Ducks' Migrator rolled out of the plane and down the ramp
to the ground.
"You can take your thirty men in the Migrator." Stivz said. "Just try not to
scratch it."
Stivz tossed Ice the keys to the Migrator. Ice grinned and laughed as he
caught the keys. "Thanks." he said.
Ice turned and headed for the Migrator. Stivz went to his Triton and started
the engine. Everyone turned around and saw Stivz standing on the back of the bed
of the truck.
"Ducks!" he cried out to the soldiers. "Today is the day when the future is
rewritten. The Authority shall never take over PuckWorld, not as we exist on this
planet."
The troopers gave out a battle cry and lined up behind the large rock. The
Second Line moved their vehicles to the ready position and waited for Chance and
Erin to return.
Finally, after a few minutes, the Streak sped past the rock and stopped next
to Stivz in his truck.
"Their army is assembling." Chance reported. "We drew a few soldiers out,
but more will be on the way. The time for attack is now!"
Stivz nodded and waved to the Second Line. Dusty tore off in the
DuckCruiser out into the battlefield, and Betsy took off in the SilverWing to circle
the battle.
As Stivz emerged from around the rock, there was a great explosion. Fire and
rock once again spewed into the air. Stivz was rocked by the blast, but the mighty
Triton stayed on balance, and continued towards the supply bunker. Ice was in the
Migrator behind the rock watching the battle. He had to wait for the right time to go
for the bunker to raid it with the load of troops he had inside.
Dusty drove straight towards a group of Authority soldiers who were
runnning towards them. James looked over at his friend. Dusty had hate filled in his
eyes and showed no signs of slowing down.
"What are you going to do?" James asked, worried.
Dusty kept looking straight ahead. "They killed our friends, James. Our
revenge must be fulfilled."
James gasped and put a hand on the dash board and braced himself. Blade
and Nylessa also clung to their seats.
When he was close enough, Dusty fired the front puck cannons directly into
the center of the clutter of soldiers. He watched in both hatred and satisfaction as he
saw the Authority soldiers fall one at a time, being rocketed back by the impact of
the pucks.
"Didn't you say that the Authority soldiers liked hand to hand combat?"
Blade asked James from behind him.
"Yeah." he replied.
"Good!" said Nylessa. "Let's give these creeps what they what."
The two girls opened their doors and jumped out as Dusty kept driving.
Immediatley, Authority soldiers began running at them. They activated their
DuckSabres and gave the soldiers a fight.
Stivz watched as James and Dusty continued to mow down soldiers with the
DuckCruiser. He looked in his rear-view mirror and saw the hundred Ducks
running for the bunker.
Suddenly, the Triton was rocked by another explosion. Stivz drove right into
a huge pothole created by another missile from the supply bunker. He tried to drive
the Triton out of the hole, but the battle was too hot to worry about things like that.
"Looks like it's time for a little punishment." Stivz said to himself.
He open the door of the truck and gharged his puck rifle. He then walked out
into the open field. Authority soldiers started firing on him. Stivz returned their fire
with a few rounds from his cannon. The soldiers fell to the ground in agony and
pain. Stivz joined up with Blade and Nylessa and started making a move toward the
main entrance gates. More and more Authority soldiers came out of the bunnker
like ants out of a mound. Stivz kept a few at bay while the two girls made their way
closer to the gates.
Stivz aimed carefully at the opening in the gate where the soldiers were
coming from. Suddenly, he heard a noise from behind him. Just as he turned around
a hand grabbed him over the face and pulled him down to the ground. He struggled
with the soldier for a moment when he heard another sound. He heard the sound of
tachyon blasters charging. He looked up and saw the barrels of the weapons pointed
at his chest.
"Get up, Duck!" yelled one of the black dressed soldiers.
Stivz got to his feet and put his hands up. Two of the soldiers grabbed each of
his arms and held him there. The other soldier stood in front of him and brought out
his knife from its seath, and then started walking closer to Stivz. "Take no
prisoners." he growled.
Stivz's eyes grew wide from under the mask. Was this it? Was this the final
moment of his life, to be killed by some lucky no-name soldierboy instead of Diablo
or even Donovan??
Stivz braced himself for a painful death. It would all be over soon. Hopefully
the cause will still go on. Hopefully someone would avenge his death.
There was a quick sound of a puck blaster, and Stivz felt the two soldiers to
his sides let go of his hands. He opened his eyes and saw the two soldiers fall to the
ground. The third soldier looked on perplexed. Stivz took the instant advantage and
grabbed the hockey stick blade on his belt. He punched aa small button on the end
and the blade stretched out to an entire hockey stick. He swung at the legs of the
soldier. The black trooper cried out as he dropped his knife, grabbed his leg, and fell
to the ground.
Stivz watched with firey red eyes as the soldier reeled over on his back,
screaming in pain. None of his fellow Authority troopers came to his aid. He was
just a simple drone in an army of evil.
Stivz felt that evil start to flow through him. He remembered the story that
Dusty and James told him, about how the Authority killed their friends. Stivz put
one foot on the soldier's chest and put the very tip of his puck rifle at his beak.
"Take no prisoners." Stivz said in an booming voice.
Stivz squinted as he fired. The sound of the massive cannon seemed to echo
across the entire battle field. He then looked around to see why the other two
soldiers fell. He finally saw Dusty and James themselves, with their puck launchers
smoking.
"What did you do?" Dusty said with fear looking at the body of the soldier
Stivz fired on.
Stivz shook himself off and rubbed the back of his head. "When you're that
close to death, the mind can do drastic things."
James nodded. "I know how you feel," he said. "Being a former spy, I also
had to kill a few people to save my neck."
Stivz then realized that they were all in the middle of the war zone. He saw
much more Authority soldiers coming out of the supply bunker. He then spoke to his
WristCom.
"Alright, Betsy!" he said. "Hit the front of the building, hard and fast."
Suddenly, the SilverWing appearred from the clouds and flew fast towards
the bunker. The Migrator also came through the smoke. It was Ice. He had found
the right time to begin the storm of the bunker.
Stivz watched as Betsy fired rockets at the fences and at the doors of the
bunker. The explosion sent tens of soldiers flying from the building. The Migrator
made its way through all of the fire and swung around. The rear doors now faced
the entrance to the building. All of the troopers stormed out of the Migrator and ran
into the building shooting the entire way in. Chance and Erin pulled up besides Stivz
and Dusty and James. Erin opened the door to the Streak and looked up at Stivz.
"Need help?" she asked and gestured back to the Triton, still in the huge
pothole.
Stivz grinned. "Please do." he joked casually. Erin got out of the car and
Stivz climbed in with Chance as they drove back to the Triton. It was a time to relax
as Ice and the troopers took hold of the supply bunker. James looked at Erin.
"Been having fun, lately?" he asked her sarcastically. Erin laughed, but was
inturrupted as she saw an Authority soldier running them.
"Duck!" she yelled to James and Dusty. They did what she odered as she took
out a bow and arrow from virtually out of nowhere. She shot the arrow and nailed
the soldier dead in the chest. The soldier fell to the ground on top of the arrow.
Erin sneered at the sight of what she just did. Dusty turned around and saw
what she did.
"You killed your first enemy at 16." he laughed. "Good for you!"
Erin replied with a slight grin, and she turned around to watch as Ice and his troops
attack the Authority soldiers inside the depot. Betsy continued to fire upon large
clusters of assembling soldiers, which kept the others a bay. Some soldiers were
running for their lives.
"It looks like they're bugging out." said James happily. "We took the supply
bunker."
Stivz rubbed the top of his head as he watched the few number of soldiers
flee over the countryside and over the mountains. He was tempted to fire upon them
as they retreated. He then shook his head, knowing it was bad form.
"Yeah." he breathed. "Objective accomplished."
Later that evening, the Ducks and the troopers were celebrating the victory
over the Authority. They drank and sang and played music inside the bunker. Erin
and Chance were helping Betsy remove electronics and computer equipment from
the supply vaults.
Stivz sat in a chair across the room watching over everything. He had his
puck rifle across his lap, and his silver mask was still activated with red eyes, instead
of the natural blue. He studied everything in the room as he turned his silver ring
around his finger. He felt the skillcraft in which the ring was made. He also felt the
crystal gem in the center. Stivz was tense. So tense that if you threw a nickel at him
he would blow it out of the sky before it came near him. Small beads of sweat
appeared on his brow behind the mask. As a drop of perspiration formed and started
to run down his mask, he rubbed it away before anyone noticed.
However, Sara and Sunrise were standing in a corner together talking and
drinking drinks when Sara noticed Stivz in the chair, still as a rock. She was curious
and excused her self from Sunrise. Sunrise immediately turned to Nylessa and Blade
and talked to them about the battle. That was all anyone wanted to talk about
anyway.
Sara walked towards Stivz slowly. She did not want to startle him and cause
him to have a heart attack. She bent down at the side of his chair and looked at him
quietly. Stivz noticed her and looked back into her eyes, trying to calm himself
down. The mask could read his emotions, and then show through the color of the
eyes.
Sara stood up and walked behind the chair and put her hands on Stivz's
shoulders. She then started to caress his back muscles and give him a nice warm
massage. She then spoke to him.
"What's on your mind, sweetie?" she asked. Stivz said nothing, and she
continued.
"I can see this war has made you a little nervous," Sara went on as she
started to dig deeper into Stivz's back. His eyes began to cool. "I can give you
something that will take your mind off things."
Stivz gave a little smirk. "Sara, I don't do drugs."
Sara smiled and bent down to whisper in his ear. "I didn't mean drugs." she
said, and then added something else. Stivz smiled.
"Tempting." he said. "Maybe a little later. Right now I really need a hot
bath."
Stivz got out from his chair and holstered the puck rifle. He then walked
towards the barracks to the showers. Sara called out to him as he was leaving past
the doors. "Stivz!" she shouted. Stivz turned around, he was not wearing the mask
anymore.
"I'll be waiting in my bunk."
They both smiled and went their separate ways.
Part IV