Hidden Secrets
RATING: G
SUMMARY: Two cute little girls in a heap of trouble...but is that Saurian quite as bad as he'd have you believe?
WARNINGS: None.
DISCLAIMER: I NO OWN. NO MONEY. NO SUE.
Tanya yawned and smiled out of bed. She smiled at the sleeping form of her husband. Tolaïna sprawled out, long ice blue hair a mess. She glanced at the bedside clock and made a face at the glowing red numbers. 4:30.
She went and got a glass of water from the bathroom, then paused looking at the door that connected their rooms to the twins.
‘Maybe I ought to check on Missie and Joy’ she thought, so slid open the door.
The nursery was silent, and Tanya glanced around the room. “Tolaïna!” she cried, and raced back into her room.
“What?” Tolaïna asked sleepily, sitting up and wiping sleep form his blood-red eyes.
“The twins are gone!” She cried.
“What?!” he leapt out of bed, and grabbing a pair of jeans, hobbled into them. “Get the team,” he cried, ignoring the fact that he wore no shirt. “I’ll star looking!”
Tanya pulled a robe on over her nightgown, and raced into the hall after him, still tying the belt. She pounded on every door, yelling, “The twins! The twins are missing!”
Surprisingly, Nosedive’s door slid open before she even got there, and Nosedive stepped out in bare feet, jogging pants and an oversized t-shirt. “What do you mean the twins are missing?” He demanded, trying to detangle the rats-net on his head with his fingers.
“They’re not in their room or ours,” she gasped frantic. “We can’t find them.”
Nosedive set his jaw. “Get everyone on it. I’ll go look upstairs.”
Tanya’s eyes widened. “The ice! They were complaining that they didn’t get to see the game-”
“On it,” he said, running past her and towards the elevator. He darted through the locker room, and into the arena. The rink and the stands around it were empty, but as he turned his head, he could see out the window on the door, seeing huge mud puddle, in the early morning light. And distinct muddy little footprints on the pavement.
He raced out side racing through the parking lot and around the corner into one of the side alleys. And froze.
Chameleon stood, back to him, arms crossed and tapping his foot impatiently. Behind him stood several Puckerdrones, two of them with a pair of kicking, squirming ducks toddlers in their arms.
“Hey!” Nosedive yelled instinctively. “Let them go!”
Chameleon turned around. “Good timing. I was about to leave.” He looked Nosedive up and down. “So. What’ll you do if I don’t let them go?”
Nosedive wished in vain he had some kind of weapon. “I’ll fight you.”
“Barehanded?” Chameleon laughed.
“Barehanded.” Nosedive said feircly.
Chameleon mused for a moment, then shrugged. “Okay. Release them.”
The Puckerdrones set the twins on the ground, and Joy ran to hide behind Nosedive, though Missie paused to kick the Puckerdrone before running to follow her sister.
Nosedive’s jaw dropped. “Wha-”
Chameleon held up a hand. “I’m not doing it for you. Now, we need to get our stories straight. You came out just before I could get the twins, and mimed having a weapon. So I ran away like the chickens Saurian are. Cool?”
“Cool,” Nosedive paused. “You say that like you aren’t a Saurian.”
Chameleon crossed his arms. “Maybe I am Maybe I’m not. We all have our secrets.”
“Alright.” He shrugged, then paused. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” Chameleon. Grinned. “Glad to help.”
The Saurian and the Puckerdrones teleported out, Leaving the three ducks standing there in shunned silence.
“What was that Divey?” Joy asked.
“That was sumptin’ we can’t tell anybody ‘bout,” Missie said before Nosedive had a chance to reply. “We hafta let Divey tell them what happened.”
“Yeah, that’s right,” he said quickly, startled. “Now c’mon, let get you washed up.”
“Why?” Two mud-splattered faces look up at him. “We’re clean.”
“Very,” he laughed, and led them inside.
***
“You let them get away again?!” Dragaunus thundered at a cowering Chameleon.
“But my lord,” he cried, “the young duck got there first, and he had a gun, my lord.”
“Augh!” Dragaunus turned away fists clenched. “Can’t you do anything right!?”
Chameleon turned into a teenager duck. “Uh, like, yeah, I’m sure my lord. I mean-”
“Oh, for pity’s sake,” a voice interrupted. It was a female duck, with pure-white feathers and ebony eyes and hair. She lounged resdesplendently in Dragaunus’ throne, idly twirling a jet-black staff with a duck skull set on the top. “My lord, why do you keep this bumbling moron around?”
Dragaunus looked back at the duck, his features softening slightly. “Good help is very hard to find.”
She sighed, leaning over the arm to smirk slyly at the Overlord. “Too true, my lord, too true.”
The Overlord tickled a claw under her beak. “Oh, but there’s no problem with you, my beautiful evilness.”
The duck set her staff down, and ran her fingers along his crest. “Oh, nor with you, my virile savageness.”
He smirked and leaned towards her, but they were interrupted by a clearing of a throat.
“Ahem, ‘scuse me,” Chameleon coughed nervously. “I’m-ah- I’m just leaving, if that’s-”
The duck groaned, and Dragaunus snarled, “Get out!”
Chameleon raced out, and as he entered the hall, he morphed so he wore a shirt collar, which he pulled on to release a cloud of steam. “Well, that went remarkably well,” he said sarcastically.
***
“You found them!” Tanya cried, hugging Nosedive in the process of hugging the twins, who he was carrying.
“Hey!” He cried, trying to pull away. “No touchie!”
“What happened, Dive?” Wildwing demanded.
“I got out there just as Chameleon and a bunch of Puckerdrones teleported in. I made him believe I had a puckgun, so he teleported out.” Nosedive shrugged. “Saurians are chicken.”
Tanya and Tolaïna exchanged worried glances. “I don’t like this,” Tolaïna said worriedly. “Dragaunus is becoming too much of a threat to the twins.”
“They’ll be fine,” Nosedive said furiously. “You can’t send them away!”
“We aren’t going to send them away,” Wildwing said reassuringly, setting his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Ah-” he removed his hand palm covered in mud. ”Maybe you ought to clean the twins up, Dive.”
***
Chameleon finished filling his tray in the kitchen, and headed back to his quarters.
As soon as he entered his own quarters he locked the door. Sighing, he leaned against the wall and changed shape.
He straightened, now a tall, powerful looking gargoyle type creature, only more human.
He crossed the room and opens the door to his wardrobe, then opened a secret door in the back. The back slip out, and he entered a small, secret room.
At the other end of the room sat a female Saurian, reading a heavy tome. She looked up as he entered, and grinned, revealing razor sharp fangs.
“Hey Chammy,” she smiled, brushing ice-blue hair out of her eyes. “What’s new?’
He settled himself on the floor, setting the tray between them and adjusting the loincloth he wore. “Almost had to capture the twins today.”
The girl’s eyes widened, her hand pausing over the tray. “You didn’t though, did you?”
“No,” he reassured her, “Nosedive showed up in time.”
“Good.” She picked up a hunk of chicken and delicately began to eat it. “Hm. Good stuff, Chammy.”
“I though so too,” he agreed, tearing fang into a drumstick. “Well, Dragaunus and Duçula have abandoned all pretences.”
“How so?” She licked her fingers clean.
“They’re quit pretending she’s just a hired henchman. They were really cozying it up in the command chamber. I got out just in time.” He laughed. “Now if that doesn’t throw a monkey wrench in the works I don’t know what will.”
She popped pieces of fried potatoes in her mouth. “Frankly, I’m not surprised. I kinda expected that was the reason she’s aboard.” She paused. “Though who’s really in charge I don’t know.”
“Good point,” He stood up, and kissed the top of her head. “I gotta get going. This morning’s my turn to watch the command chamber. Behave, alright?”
“Yes sir,” she said sarcastically. “Be careful. Chammy.”
***
“Bath time for twins,” Nosedive called, and giggling, the girls darted under their cradle.
“We had a bath las’ night!” Missie giggled.
“We already clean,” Joy laughed.
“Not anymore you’re not,” Nosedive laughed. “C’mon. Your bath’s already.”
They darted out from under their bed, and raced past him. A sudden shout of laughter and two loud splashes told him they’d already jumped in the tub.
“Girls!” he yelled racing for the bathroom. “Not in your clothes!”
***
Duçula wiped her hand across the mirror, wiping off enough condensation so she could see her reflection. She ran a brush through her ebony hair, and grinned at her reflection. “My lord,” she whispered. “I have you right where I want you.”
She wrapped a towel around herself, and opened the door.
Dragaunus lay on the bad, wrapped in a silk dressing robe. He gave a low wolf-whistle, and smirked.
She climbed up beside him, and snuggled her head onto his shoulder. She sighed and Dragaunus flicked a piece of hair off her face. “What’s the matter, my sweat?”
She smiled. “Nothing, my pet. Nothing.”
***
Dripping, Nosedive threw himself down on his bed. The clock read 7:00, and he sighed. He’d locked the twins in their room after they’d fallen asleep, and the rest of the team had started practice an hour age.
‘No point in joining them now,’ he thought, so he closed his eyes and slipped into dreams.
It was a strange dream, yet vividly real. It was a dream about a Saurian like creature with huge wings who was hiding a female Saurian in a secret room because he didn’t want anyone to know about her. And it was a dream about a Saurian Overlord who loved an evil duck, a duck that was out for her own ends. A dream about the twins being taken away, Wildwing holding him back so he couldn’t run after them. A dream about a woman duck who held a toddler in her arms, a toddler who held her arms towards him, and cried. “Catch me, daddy!”
He heard a giggle, and rolled over.
“Catch me, Divey!” A voice cried, and Nosedive was rudely awakened as a young duck landed on top of him.
“Hey!” he yelled, “What the-”
A little, emerald eyed face appeared beside his, and giggled. “You didn’t catch me very well, Divey.”
He groaned, and patted the blond head. “How did you get out of your room, Missie?”
“I played with the lock, and then it opened.” She gave him a sideways smile. “You was sleeping wasn’t you, Dive?”
“Yes, I was.” He pushed Missie off his back and rolled over. “Where’s Joy?”
“She’s sleepin. I wanted to talk to you with out her.” She gave him an innocent look. “Divey, you won’t ever send us ‘way will you?”
Nosedive set his jaw, and picked up the toddler, set her on his knee. “Missie if anyone ever tried to take you away, I would fight them. I’d make sure you stand here.”
The little girl smiled up at him. “Thank you, Divey.”
He ruffled her hair. “No problem, kiddo.”
***
Inside the secret room in Chameleon’s wardrobe, the female Saurian lay on her stomach, scratching something into the wall with her claws. At last, she sat back and admired her handiwork.
Carved into the wood was the symbol of the Puckworld Resistance, and below it a single word and a name. The word was ‘Resist’.
And the name…Srgt. Missie Vanderflock-DuCaine.
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