On the Flipside
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: We all have a dark side. Some of us just have a more solid dark side than others.
WARNINGS: None
DISCLAIMER: I NO OWN. NO MONEY. NO SUE.
“Don’t tell me you actually believe this stuff?” Missie cried as she followed Rose down the hall. “Listen, I realize this is a Saurian belief and you were raised Saurian but this is ridiculous!”
Rose turned around, and ironically enough, her eyes were glowing red in anger, a tribute to her Saurian lineage. “I don’t see why it’s so ridiculous. You of all ducks should understand!”
Missie scowled, her own eyes norrowing. “I may have Saurian connections, but that doesn't mean I believe their mythology.”
Rose sighed. “Missie, I was raised to believe that these things are true. It’s hard to shake the believes you learn when you’re young.”
Missie relaxed slightly and collapsed into a chair in the hallway. “But Rose, surely, a good and evil side to each person?”
Rose sat down across from her. “Look at it this way. We're Guardian, and normal. Couldn't our Guardian sides of us be our good sides?”
Missie frowned. “I don’t think so. I see it that we're the way we are, no matter what part of ourselves we're looking at.”
Rose looked thoughtful. “I suppose that could be so, but I never see things that way”
Missie shook her head adamantly. “I don’t believe in good and evil selves.”
***
A duck with long blonde hair and strange, flat dead-looking emerald eye strode though the corridors. She had on a long, black, flowing cloak, under which she had a loose black jumpsuit.
She paused under one of the red lights, and stood, bathed in its eerie glow. At last she began to move again, and stepped into a large, dimly lit council chamber.
A duck with long chestnut hair and livid blue eyes looked up at her. “Alpha. You have something to report?” she rasped in a voice that sounded oddly fitting to the somber, militaristic look of the place.
“Nothing.” Alpha responded in a dead, almost machinelike voice.
“Nothing,” the other repeated, and rose from the maps she had laid out on the table. “And when will there be something to report Alpha?”
Alpha shook her head. “I do not know, Omega. It could be any length of time.”
“Could it?” Omega stood up and crossed the floor. “Go, Alpha. I want you to put into motion the plan that we have begun.”
Alpha inclined her head slightly. “It will be… an honor.”
***
Missie dangled her feet over the edge of the pool, making idle ripples with her toes. She had told Wildwing she was going to practice laps, but she didn’t really feel like it. She felt like sitting and pondering what Rose had said. Despite her arguments, Missie still felt confused. Could there be on evil side to every person?
She looked up, and standing near the entrance to the pool, she could see what looked to be a mirror image of herself, even in the same black bathing suit.
"What the heck..." Missie whispered, leaping to her feet. What the heck are you?!"
The other responded in a mechanical voice, “I am Alpha.”
Missie took a step back. “You’ve got some nerve, waltzing in here looking like me.”
“You have no idea,” Alpha said with a feral grin, and rushed at Missie.
But Missie was quicker than Alpha had anticipated. With a single move, she flipped Alpha over her back and into the pool. She stood hands on her hips, glaring at the thrashing water where the other was. “Serves you right,” she said.
“Au contraire,” another voice cut in. “This serves you right.”
A needle was jabbed into her arm, and felling weak, Missie collapsed, unconscious.
Alpha climbed out of the pool and pulling a towel off the shelf, began to dry her hair. “Good work. Now get her out of here quickly, She is a Guardian, remember. And do not let her back,” she warned.
Two ducks hoisted her calmly and dragged her out the door. Alpha calmly wrapped the towel around herself, and stroll out the door.
She turned a corner, and struck into Wildwing. “Oh, sorry,” Alpha said quickly.
She went to leave but Wildwing put his hand on her shoulder. “Missie, have you seen Nosedive anywhere? We were supposed to be doing something together, but I can’t find him anywhere.”
Alpha shook her head and smiled. “I have not seen him anywhere.”
Wildwing shrugged. “Thanks anyway.”
Alpha quickly hurried to Missie’s room and ducked inside. “Blast that Delta,” she hissed. “He knows we are to stay as true to their normal lives as possible. Not being able to be found is not normal.’
She than turned her attention to the room. Discarded clothing, comic books, and Guardian practice weapons were strewn around the room. The bed was unmade, and pictures of the team were on all the walls. The only neat spot was the bookshelf, which looked as if it’d never been touched.
Alpha grimaced in disgust, and said, “Terrific. This place is such a mess, that gem could be anywhere." Then with a sense of determination, she set to work.
***
Missie opened her eyes’ slowly, the wracking pain in her head a warning not to move too quickly. She breathed deeply, and accepted her pain for what it was and urged her body to heal.
In a moment, the pain was abated, and Missie rose. Looking around, she discovered she was in some kind of tiny room, a wall of green energy at the end. She reached forward to touch it, when a voice suddenly said. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
Missie turned to see Nosedive, sitting on the floor of the cell beside her. He clutched his hand, and Missie could see it was badly burned.
“Nosedive!” Missie’s eyes narrowed in anger. “What have they done to you!? Stay there- I’m going to get us out of here.”
“Hey, chill.” Said another voice suddenly. “I’d stay where you are, Miss. We might find something out.”
Missie spun to see what appeared to be her older sister Christé across the hall. Her hair, normally fiery red fading up to blonde, was dirtied and limp, and she wore a Saurian style bodysuit.
“How do I know you’re not one of them?” she demanded.
Christé grinned. “One of four ways. First,” she held up a finger. “They’re eyes are flat, rather dead. Second, they don’t use contractions. Third, they may be our look alikes but they ain’t Guardians. Fourth,” She held up a final finger. “Tordau duma teare, a di ma bidda du.”
Missie grinned, “Warrior of my heart, do as I bid thee. Chameleon telling you my secrets, sis?”
Christé blushed. “Ain’t my fault,” she mumbled. She suddenly took another look at Missie. “Miss-up, why are you in your bathing suit?”
Missie sighed. “I was supposed to be swimming you?”
Christé laughed. “Mud-wrestling with Chameleon. He doesn’t play fair though-he shape shifes. What about you, Nosedive?”
Nosedive grimaced. “Getting ready to go for pizza with Wing. I suppose Delta’ll do that, now.”
“Delta? Was that your look alike?” When Nosedive nodded, Missie continued. “Mine was Alpha. I’ll bet Christé’s was Gama, right?”
“Right…” Christé paused. “Wait! Alpha is Greek for one, delta two, gama three, what about Rose? Does she have a look alike?”
“I once told you they weren’t look alikes, they’re evil selves,” A voice suddenly said, and Rose’s face appeared at the door to another cell. “Her name’s Omega. It means ‘last’. I believe Missie, you said you didn’t believe in good and evil sides.’
Missie set her jaw. “I didn’t. But even I can be wrong. What I want to know now is what they want.”
“They want the Hope diamond.” A young woman stepped suddenly into the hall. “You may not believe me, or even trust me-you do not have to.”
“You’re one of them, aren’t you!?” Christé cried angrily.
“No. I am a freak. I am the good side of an evil person. I cannot be accepted by the others for what I am.”
“Why do they want my diamond?” Missie demanded.
“They hope it will give them souls, that they will truly be alive, not just copies of an original.”
Missie laughed, and stretched so silver-white wings seemed to spring from her back, rising from where they'd been hidden. “That’s it!” she cried, and ran her tckla, which had suddenly appeared in her hand, through the wall. It ripped a rent in the wall, which she slid through, and with a well aimed throw of her tckla, short circuted the controls, causing the energy barriers to fail.
The others rushed out, their own wings unhidden, and fluttering behind them. They all hurtled down the hall, and Missie raised her arms. She took a deep breath, and screamed as energy ripped out of her. There was a flash of light, and they found themselves outside the Pond. Missie stumbled for a moment, but Nosedive supported her until she nodded, signally she was alright to go. All four then raced inside, down the stairs, and into the ready room in the pond, startling Gama, who was searching through Drake1’s databases.
She quickly closed the document, but not before Missie caught the title. “They haven’t found it yet!” She cried. “Everyone, find 'yourself' and take them here! I think they have a lesson to learn!”
Christé pumped her wings, sending her into the air, then swooped down, and tackled Gama. “Let’s see how ya’ do in hand-to-hand combat!”
The other three, did the same, and rose into the air. Wings pumping, they soared through the door. Nosedive split off first, the door to his room sliding open as he shoot through.
Rose split off next. She didn’t head to her room, but instead the armory. Missie barely noticed, but trusted Rose’s Saurian instincts.
Missie swooped into her own room and gaped at what she saw. Her room was even more of a horrendous mess than usually, and in the middle, stood Alpha, a hungry look in her dead eyes.
“Missie,” she hissed when she saw the other. “You escaped. No matter. Where is the Hope diamond?”
Missie snapped her wings forward, creating a blast of air that caught Alpha off guard. Alpha stumbled back, and Missie strode to the bookcase. “You want the Hope diamond?” she growled, and pushed her hand through the back wall. “Well, here it is.”
She pulled out a perfectly cut, clear diamond the size of her fist. It glowed within, and she held it carefully in both hands.
“You may think you want this gem,” she continued. “But look at the results.”
She held the diamond before Alpha’s eyes, and Alpha slowly looked up into it. She suddenly screamed as if in terrible agony, and tried to back away, but couldn’t, due to a seeming paralysis effect the diamond had.
Missie sighed and pulled it away. “Come, Alpha.”
She seizes Alpha's shoulders, and dragged her, hlaf flying, half walking, into the Ready-Room. The others looked startled, and the evil counter parts leaned forward eagerly at the sight of the jewel.
The rest of the three had already arrived, and Nosedive whistled at the sight of the diamond. “That’s quite the gem Missie-girl.”
At a signal from Missie, Nosedive, Rose and Christé shoved Delta, Omega and Gama forward. Alpha also stumbled forward, and Missie slowly released the diamond. It did not fall to the ground as expected, but rather, floated before her. It glowed, then she lifted her hands and the diamond flew up with it. It glowed a blazing, brilliant white, and the evil counter parts began to shrink away and scream in agony and terror. Missie suddenly let out a shout in a foreign language, something that sounded remarkably like ‘Tordau dei ma teare, a du ma bidda tu,’ and the evil counter parts disappeared.
Missie lowered her arms, and the hope diamond floated down beside her as she sank into a chair.
“Are they gone?” Nosedive asked softly as he came beside the chair.
Missie opened a single emerald eye, and shook her head. “Not forever. They’ll be back.”
“Ah, Terminator, eh?” Christé said with a grin. “Who cares? They’re gone for now ain’t they? I’d say, let’s enjoy it now, whilst we can.”
Rose sighed and lowered herself into a chair. She rubbed her forehead, where a nasty gash had started.
“Rose, are you..?”
“I’m all right Christé.” Rose looked up, and shook her head. "What happened, Missie?"
Missie furrowed her brow. "There was this old legend, about the Hope diamond. The legend said that it could grant souls to the souless and steal the souls of those who had them. I never understood that. I mean, it's just a pretty rock, right? Even though the circumstances around my getting it were kinda strange, I just thought maybe it was a normal rock. But when they showed up, and that girl said they wanted the Hope Diamond, I thought there might be some merit to it."
"So, where'd they go?" Rose demanded. "Did you teleport them?"
Missie shook her head. "No. There's another part to the legend. The Hope diamond cannot be yeilded by those who have obtained it wrongly, and so it protects itself against those that attempt to steal it. I think they're trapped inside the stone."
"Freaky," Nosedive said. "Well, think about it. Just be thankful they aren’t really us.”
Missie rose, holding the gem. “No. Be thankful, that we are not them.”
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