“Collision Course”

Chapter Four: Confessions of a Ranger

“He’s going to kill me,” Nosedive spat offhandedly as he watched Cam wrap his badly sprained wrist. He cringed when a stab of pain sweltered but only uttered, “He’s going to freakin’ kill me.”

Cam smirked and finished his wrapping before once more grabbing his handheld scanner off the tabletop next to Nosedive. “Don’t you think you’re overrating?”

Nosedive rolled his eyes and didn’t follow Cam’s scanner as the older man waved it over his body, checking his other miscellaneous injuries. He had watched it enough times during the last three months. Being the newest ranger to the fray, the monsters always seemed to zero in on him.

“You don’t understand. None of you do—well, maybe Blake and Hunter, but even then…” He shook his head and laid his bad wrist across his good leg’s knee. “My bro and I are different from you guys.”

“Nosedive,” Sensei prompted as he pivoted upon Cam’s console, “your brother is simply concerned over your wellbeing. I assure you he will not be—”

“Pissed?” Nosdive replied sharply. “Try mad as hell, Sensei.” He hissed and grimaced as Cam maneuvered off his boot.

“You just have to calm down,” Cam admonished, probing Nosedive’s ankle.

“Calm down?” Oh, he did not just say that. The teenage duck heard boot-steps coming down the stairs into Ninja Ops., but at the moment he was too infuriated to even acknowledge them. “Cam, a year and a half ago, what were you doing? Off in London with your girlfriend finishing college. Where were the Winds? They were here at the academy, trying to learn how to master their powers. Hunter and Blake were doing the same thing in Tibet. You know what I was doing?”

Cam stopped checking Nosedive’s ankle to give the teenage duck his full attention. His strained face betrayed his strong front as he dreaded what Nosedive was to say.

Nosedive, face hard, tears shimmering in his eyes, spat, “I was a slave, Cam, okay? I was a personal slave to some Saurian general because my dad was in the Legion and our planet had been taken over. So, to get back at my dad, despite the fact that he’s dead, the general thought it would be great to take out his frustration on me. And you know what I did during that time? Wonder where my big bro was. We were split during the Invasion, a—and I—I just wanted to get my family back again. And then miraculously, I was saved by some explosion—the general was crushed in it. So I was transferred to some camp that didn’t know my name and didn’t know what I had been, and because the Stars must have felt I’d been through enough, my bro was there.” He shook his head and motioned toward the guinea pig on the counter. “I’m not like you and Dustin, and Shane and Tori or even Blake and Hunter. I didn’t have powers before this, and I sure as hell didn’t live a normal life before coming here. So, your dad was turned into a rat—no offense, Sensei—and that gives you carte blanche to tell me to calm down? No damn way.

“I—I lied—okay?” His beak clenched, and his voice faltered. “I straight out lied to the one person in this life who I cling to and hold on to and pray to the Stars I don’t lose again! So, it bothers me that I lied to him for the last three months, and I’m sure as hell positive that it bothered him to no end. So, don’t tell me to calm down, Cam, because you have no freakin’ idea what I’m feeling right now!”

“Don’t swear.”

Nosedive whirled to the owner of the voice and recoiled instantly, slumping at the sight of Wildwing and his duck teammates. “Freakin’ isn’t a swear.”

Wildwing crossed the distance between them and put his hand on his little brother’s shoulder. “No, but damn, hell, and bastard are.” He looked to Cam and glared pointedly at the handheld device. “Was there any permanent damage or internal injuries?”

Cam placed the tape on Nosedive’s ankle and slowly began to weave it about the teen’s appendage. “No. Other than a broken ankle, a sprained wrist, and some minor injuries, he should be okay. I’m just wrapping this, so you can get to a hospital and get a cast on. I’m fair enough with bums and bruises, but I’m not a medical technician.”

“And you’re also not a physical trainer,” Nosedive hissed, wiggling his foot a little. “Cam, you’re wrapping it wrong.”

“How would you know? You don’t know anything about medicine.”

“No, but I’m a professional hockey player. You think I’ve never hurt my ankle before?” Nosedive snapped, but he quickly turned to his team medic, a gleeful smile upon his beak. “Tanya, could you wrap my ankle? Cam sucks at it.”

“Oh, you’ve been served, dude,” Shane snickered, snapping his fingers at Cam.

As Cam speared Nosedive a harsh glower and then Shane, he stood, allowing Tanya access to the damage. She slowly pulled the tape gently from Nosedive’s feathers. “You’re just wrapping the ankle. The problem is, you have support it. Here.” She took the tape from the Asian man’s hands and wrapped the ankle once, then brought the tape down and around his heel before once more wrapping the ankle. She repeated the fashion a few times. “See?”

Cam nodded thoughtfully. “Thank you—Tanya, is it?”

She blinked. “How did you know that?”

Dustin plopped onto the table next to Nosedive, on the opposite side of Wildwing. “Dive talks about you guys all the time.”

“Funny. He never mentioned you,” Duke snapped, eying the rangers distrustfully.

Wildwing quickly squeezed his little brother’s shoulder when Nosedive looked away sheepishly. “Kiddo, is there anywhere we can talk—in private?”

Nosedive immediately looked up at Wildwing, and his eyes relayed his trepidation. So, this was going to be the big blow out. Sighing, he grabbed his boot off the table and slowly tugged it on. “Uh, yeah…” Tentatively, he pushed himself up and was steadied by Wildwing’s arm about his shoulders. His brother never ceased to amaze him. His brother took care for him—even when pissed.

As Wildwing moved, Nosedive grabbed him by the shirt and peered back at the guinea pig on the console. “Sensei, I’m going to tell Wing everything.”

To the complete marvel of the Mighty Ducks, the guinea pig scratched his nose and nodded. “Yes, I do believe it is time, my Ice Ranger. You may.”

Nosedive paused. “Sensei, I wasn’t asking.”

Sensei smiled gently. “I know.”

*^*^*

Nosedive winced in pain as Wildwing slowly propped him against a tree outside of the entrance waterfall of Ninja Ops. He refused to sit and instead, leaned against the trunk, allowing Wildwing to roam about angrily. Wincing, he realized when Wildwing turned his back to him just how much he had hurt his brother. He wanted to apologize over and over, but he knew that would do no good until Wildwing had his say—which he knew was coming.

Nosedive had to wait, however, and of course, that sometimes was worse than the actual fight. Oh, how he hated arguing with his brother, but…he had no choice. He had lied and betrayed his brother’s trust. That was inexcusable.

He looked back at the waterfall, absently wondering what his two teams were doing when he heard Wildwing say something. Glancing back, he saw Wildwing hadn’t turned.

“You lied to me. You said the powers never bonded to you.”

Nosedive squirmed and suddenly wished he had been knocked unconscious during the fight. “Yeah.”

A harsh inquisition, “So, it was you that day with the hawk? You were the one who stopped him?”

Nosedive cringed. “Actually, I was with him at first, but when Hawkstorm went after you, everything kinda snapped back into place. If you hadn’t been there…” His voice waned as he couldn’t finish the thought. He didn’t want to.

Wildwing whirled around and glared his sharp yet worried eyes at Nosedive. “What did Lothor do to you?”

Under that glare, Nosedive found himself always confessing whatever he had done. Still, he couldn’t look at Wildwing and rubbed his forearm nervously. “Uh, I was kinda going really fast on the thruway, and Vexacus blasted my bike. I was thrown onto the road and was ripped up pretty badly. Vexacus healed me and then presented me to Lothor. The sleaze bucket asked me to join him, and when I refused, he wiped my mind to make me think he’d raised me and I worked for him. Then he gave me the Ice Crystal, and it bonded to me.”

“Are you okay? From the mind wipe and everything?”

“It’s been three months.”

“That’s not what I asked,” Wildwing pointed out unrelentingly.

Nosedive nodded, still not meeting his brother’s concerned gaze. “I—I had a headache and was sore, but nothing too bad. I’m cool now, anyway.”

Wildwing, too, averted his eyes and crossed his arms over his bloodied shirt. “You should have told me.”

Sighing, Nosedive shook his head. “I—I couldn’t.”

“Why?”

Nosedive hesitated for only a second. “It’s a danger for you to know. Lothor might have gone after you—”

“He did.”

“—but I didn’t know he would!” Nosedive exploded, glaring at his older brother finally, tears starting to slip over the brim of his eyes. “Shane’s brother was fine until he found out about his power! Then he got attacked by one of Lothor’s monsters! I—I,” he scowled and glowered at the ground, “I was afraid that would happen to you, and I couldn’t let it. I wouldn’t let it. You’re not trained like I am. You don’t have powers, and if Lothor really had wanted to…he could h—have…could h—h—have…”

He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, and Wildwing drew him into a solacing hug. Nosedive clutched his brother back and buried his face in his brother’s chest. Feeling a nuzzling on the top of his head, he sunk deeper into Wildwing’s embrace, his brother’s shirt wiping away his tears.

Holding him, Wildwing asked forthwith, “How old is Shane’s brother? Ten?”

Nosedive snorted. “Try twenty-five.” Two years older than you, bro, the teen thought bitterly, shivering slightly.

Wildwing squeezed him a little tighter to stop his shaking, then pulled away and pushed back Nosedive’s bangs to look into his eyes. “Well, that makes me feel a little better.” His small smile faded into a deep frown. “Who would have ever thought it would be like this, huh?”

“Like what?” Nosedive asked, his face tinged pink, eyes glassy.

Sighing deeply, Wildwing gazed at him fondly. “I’m always so afraid that Dragaunus’s going to go after you to get at me, and here you are afraid that Lothor’s going to go after me to get at you.”

“It’s a vicious circle.”

“Tell me about it.” Wildwing paused for a moment. “You still should have told me.”

“I wanted to. You have no idea have much,” Nosedive fumed, leaning back against the tree for support again, “but after what Shane and Sensei said—”

“You know what I always tell you,” the older brother scolded. “If someone tells you not to tell me—”

“—then I should. I know. I know, but—”

Wildwing hushed his brother with a tassel of his hair. He walked away and back toward the waterfall, looking down at the crystal liquid that shimmered in the morning light. He shook his head. “When will you learn to let me handle things? Stars, Dive, it’s not like I have much more time.”

Nosedive eyed his brother wearily. “What are you talking about?”

The older brother turned and startled Nosedive with a tearful glare. “You and me like this. When I watched you fight today and seeing how you’ve matured…it kills me to have missed it. Less than three months ago, you’re still bumping into walls and tripping over your own legs. Now, you fight better than Duke, and you’re so serious. I turn around for one instant, and you’re already seventeen. It’s only matter of time before you’re completely grown up and don’t need me anymore.”

Nosedive grunted as he pushed himself up from the tree and cringed every time he put down his broken ankle. Slowly touching his brother’s arm, he turned Wildwing so he was able to directly into his eyes. “Hey, come on. I’m not grown up, Wing. I put shaving cream in your skates after last practice—”

“What!”

“Uh…and I’m this serious in our battles, too,” he dismissed. His own eyes shimmered. “You just don’t notice it, and I will always need you, big bro.”

“Not the same way…”

“Hey, come on, Wing. I’ll always need you to keep Mallory from killing me.” Nosedive smirked and drew his brother into a hug. “And I’ll always need you just like I need you now.”

Wildwing obligingly wrapped his arms about his brother, holding him tightly. As he felt the warmth of his little brother, he nuzzled the boy’s forehead and simply just surrendering to the embrace. He just wanted to hold onto his brother forever, shelter him from Dragaunus and now this evil ninja creep, and anything else the world could throw at them, but he knew that was unrealistic. Stars, why couldn’t the evil people just leave his family the freakin’ alone?

Sighing, he leaned back away, but Nosedive still pressed his beak against Wildwing’s chest. “So, now what about these powers? Are they really yours unless you get ki—”

“—destoryed!” Nosedive interjected, but quickly nodded. “Yeah. Unless I’m destroyed, the Ice Powers are mine.”

“And let me guess. Lothor will be at you anyway, since you possess them,” Wildwing conjectured, grumbling out each word, “so that’s why you’re in this war.”

Nosedive nodded again sheepishly. “Sorry, Wing.”

“And you really want to do this?” The tone in his voice pleaded for that not to be the case, but after their other fight, he knew that was just wishful thinking. “There’s no way I can get you to rethink this?”

“I won’t do it if you don’t want me to,” Nosedive told him.

A growl worked its way through Wildwing’s clenched beak. “Of course I don’t want you to do it—”

Nosedive deflated, and his head ducked. However, Wildwing quickly caught it and raised his beak.

“—but I won’t stop you from doing something you need to—”

A gleeful smile brightened Nosedive’s face instantly.

“—but there will be rules.”

Nosedive’s grin fell. “What rules?”

Wildwing glared at his brother pointedly. “You have to tell me everything! I don’t care what happens or what has happened, I want to know what’s going on. And I want someone to contact me if you get injured.”

That’s it? “You’ve got it, bro.”

“And these friends of yours, they have to come to the Pond, so it’s not just you coming down here all the time.”

Nosedive blinked. “You’ll let them in the Pond?”

Wildwing shrugged. “I’m not giving them the codes, Dive, but if you’re going to hang out and fight with them, I need to know them. And I’ll know what you guys are doing if you hang at the Pond sometimes, not just down here.”

His brother was just so awesome.

“And I’m going to have a talk with this Sensei of yours. Who the hell puts teenagers on the frontlines of a war?”

Nosedive thumbed behind him. “Remember the talking guinea pig?” Even before Wildwing could catch his bearings, the little brother added with a pointed finger, “Talking duck, so don’t say anything.”

“How did he learn to talk?” Wildwing managed to ask in a strained voice. “He’s not radioactive, is he?”

“Okay, short story,” Nosedive started animatedly. Wildwing couldn’t help but smirk. “His twin brother, Lothor, turned him into a guinea pig when he attacked the Wind Ninja Academy.”

Wildwing’s face became grim. “Lothor is your sensei’s twin brother?”

“Yeah.” Nosedive cocked his head to the side. “Why? What’s wrong?”

Wildwing rubbed his temples and felt a headache coming on. “Long story, now!”

*^*^*

Tanya’s beak dropped, agape. She huddled toward the guinea pig, looking at him fascinated. “It talks.”

Cam protectively put himself between his father and the team tech. “Yes, he does.”

“It is all right, my son,” Sensei said serenely, walking about Cam on the console. “It is only natural that they are curious, just as the planet was when they arrived.”

As Tanya stood up and cocked her head to the side, studying the guinea pig visually, an uncomfortable silence reigned.

Canard crossed his hands over his chest, looking about the room suspiciously. “Nice racket you have here. Tell me, how do you do it?”

“Do what?” the navy-cladded teen sitting on the table asked.

“What is it? Drugs?” Canard continued, his anger building. He wanted nothing to do with these “ninja” teenagers who had caused his younger teammate and “little brother” to lie to his best friend. Well, scratch that. He actually wanted to teach them a lesson—never pick on a vulnerable, teenage alien again. “How’d you get those powers? Swallow a few pills and then wait? Instant magical powers?”

“There’re ninja powers, Mr. Bronzeplume,” the brighter of the two red-barring teenagers seethed through clenched teeth, his eyes hard and focused heatedly upon Canard. “This is what’s left of the Wind Ninja Academy.”

“And Thunder Ninja Academy,” the darker red teenager added.

“So…you’re a school?” Mallory inquired incredulously.

“Yes,” the guinea pig insisted, flipping onto the table. “However, the school and my students were taken by Lothor. Enrollment has been frozen, for I do not wish to put any more students in danger.”

Duke scoffed and reached for saber, taking it off his shoulder. He didn’t activating it. “But you’ll put the kid in danger, eh?”

Grin placed a hand on the former thief’s tense shoulder. “We must not be so quick to judge. I sense they are not our enemies.”

“I concur, Mr. Backcheck,” the guinea pig said. “I do understand, Mr. L’Orange, that you are distressed by your teammate’s lack of veracity. However, now all we explained.”

“Dude, it was totally Lothor’s doing,” Dustin affirmed, rolling his eyes. “He gave Dive those powers. We’ve been teaching him how to deal with them.”

“You’ve been…teaching him?” Tanya reiterated.

“Yeah,” the blonde female concurred. “We’ve been teaching him to get in one with nature and tap into his ninja powers.” She stared unforgivably at Canard. “We are not on drugs.”

The lighter-red-dressed teen once more addressed the ducks. “Look, maybe we should introduce ourselves. I’m Shane,” he pointed to the two people on the table, “That’s Blake and Tori,” then gestured to the boy in yellow, “Dustin,” then back at the tall blonde in the corner, “Hunter and Sensei,” he motioned toward the guinea pig then to the green-bearing man, slighter older than the teens themselves, “and that’s computer nerd Cam.”

Cam rolled his eyes.

“I know that this is a little of a shock, but Dive hasn’t wanted to keep this from you.”

“Everyday he would ask me if he could at least tell his brother,” Sensei said regrettably, shaking his head. “I see now the error in my judgment.”

“No, in his,” Canard affirmed bitterly, looking away. “He should have told us anyway.” His eyes narrowed at the library section of the cavern, noticing a picture on a stack of books. He took it down, and his eyes softened instantly at the sight.

Amidst the pack of teenagers was his youngest teammate, who stood in the very center. The other teens hung off him and each other, as they all smiled at the camera. The only one who was slightly out of the middle was the green ranger, but he was even held in by Nosedive’s hand on his wrist. The teen looked…happy and so young, like he had on Puckworld. When was the last time he saw Nosedive like this, for what he was…a kid? He called Nosedive that, but the teen had changed, at least in his eyes. Nosedive was now a commando, a part of the team, but he wasn’t. And he shouldn’t have been made to be. He was a teenager still, and in the picture, he saw the teen’s youth.

He smiled. Amongst of the teenagers, Nosedive was himself, and even though Canard doubted the boy was any different than when he was with them, still Canard didn’t see him as that carefree kid he used to be. No—the carefree teenager he still was.

Maybe being part of the power rangers was good for him. Maybe it gave the kid a place to be himself and be recognized as such—just a kid.

He blinked as he noticed the conversation took a different turn, and he placed the picture back.

The tall blonde male in the corner—Hunter—asked meekly, “Was Nosedive really a slave?”

Canard, having known the kid the longest, felt compelled to reply. “I take it the kid didn’t tell you.”

The Asian man dressed in green and black—Cam, Canard remembered—answered, “He said his planet was taken over by lizards and there had been a mass enslavement of his people. He didn’t say much more other than his family was still fighting the overlord, and that’s why he was on Earth.”

Shaking his head, Canard shared a glance with Duke, who simply shrugged rigidly. Oh, well. If the kid was friends with these teenagers, they should probably know, and it might hurt less he told them rather than Nosedive.

“Yeah,” he answered gruffly, “Dive was the personal slave to one of the lizard generals. His father was in the military, and when the general find out he had a ‘Featherburn’ in his mine, he made Nosedive’s life a living hell. Told him a lot of the time Wildwing was dead.” He closed his eyes and uttered through a constricted throat, “It’s not surprising he didn’t tell you. The kid doesn’t talk about it unless he has to.”

A heavy silence weighed down upon the group, and the only response was simply, “Man…”

Tori looked to Dustin. “Yeah, now it makes sense why his brother and he are so close.”

“Nah,” Canard scoffed. “They were that before, too.”

Laughter sounded from the general doorway, and the teams turned to see Nosedive hopping down the stairs. His older brother hovered not too far away. “Will you just lean on me?”

“I said I don’t wanna. I do enough as it is.”

“Stubborn.”

“Back at you.”

Plopping onto the table in the middle of Ninja Ops., Nosedive looked about the silent room, noticing the content looks on both his teams’ faces. “Damn it. I missed the bonding scene.”

“NOSEDIVE!” Wildwing admonished incredulously.

Nosedive immediately blushed at the public scolding, especially in front of his friends. At least he was used to it in front of ducks. “Fine. Darn it.”

Hunter coughed suddenly and walked up to Wildwing. Rubbing the back of his neck nervously, he let his hand drop. “Look, uh, before you say anything, I just think you shouldn’t make Nosedive give up his powers. He’s an integral part of our team a—and we kinda—”

“Hunter—”

“No, it’s okay, baby bro,” Wildwing interrupted, putting up a hand. “Let him speak.”

Hunter clenched his teeth and once more caught bearings. “I know what’s it like to lose a little brother. Blake,” he put a hand back on his little brother’s shoulder, “and I lost our adoptive parents, and we were both split in different foster homes for a while. Even though we’re brothers, because we aren’t biological, child services didn’t think we were. It wasn’t until our parents’ sensei adopted us were we finally reunited. It’s been years, and I still have a problem letting him out of my sight. We still share a room just because I like to wake up and check to make sure he’s there.

“I know what you’ve been through, and I know what’s it’s like not to want to lose your little brother again. But…we’re a team, and Dive completes us. If you didn’t allow him to fight with us anymore, we’d totally lose our advantage in this war.

“But it goes beyond that. We’re friends. We hang out together. It wouldn’t be Friday without Dive coming down here for movie night and watching us race or us watching him on TV.” He swallowed hard and ruffled the back of his hair. “Look, I’m not trying to tell you what to do or anything, man, but it’s just that the world is on our shoulders, and sometimes, we just to hang out with our friends and be…well, us. And just…I just think that you should think about what you’re doing before you break us up because you’re not just breaking up our team, but us—our friendship.”

Wildwing waited for a moment after Hunter finished, then smirked. “You done?”

Hunter blinked, the shock of telling an adult—and not just any adult, but Wildwing Featherburn!—just how he felt overwhelming him. “Uh…yeah. I think so.”

“Uh, kiddo,” Wildwing called to Nosedive, “you want to tell them?”

Nosedive broke into an immediate smile. “I can stay!”

“All right!” Dustin screamed, leaping to the table and wrapping an arm about Nosedive’s shoulders. “We totally have the force of Mother Nature here!”

As the teenagers congratulated Nosedive, while Cam tasseled the boy’s hair, Hunter turned to Wildwing. “So, my speech did absolutely nothing, huh?”

Wildwing shrugged. “I give you credit for standing up to someone you don’t even know for a friend.”

“Little friend, I sense you are troubled.”

Grin’s gentle voice directed everyone’s attention to Nosedive, who drooped on the table. He shook his head, then racked a hand through his bedraggled hair. “Lothor was right.”

“I never thought I’d hear that,” Blake chuckled.

“Right about what?” Shane asked starkly.

“Lothor said the only reason I even have the Ice Powers is because he chose me.” Nosedive looked up at the teams. “He’s right. I would never have been a power ranger if it weren’t for him.”

“That is not necessarily true, my Ice Ranger,” Sensei objected. “The first time you stepped into Blue Bay Harbor was that fateful day, was it not?”

“Well, yeah, Sensei, but—”

“On that day,” Cam continued, turning around in his chair, “I discovered a new ranger energy in the Cavern of Lost Souls. We have been there more than once, and never had we registered any energy signatures before.”

Nosedive shrugged. “How does that have anything to do with me?”

“The Ice Crystal needed a stimulus to make it pulsate, to once more awaken its power,” Sensei upheld. “It did not awaken until you were in Blue Bay Harbor.” He grinned slightly at the shocked look upon Nosedive’s face. “Yes, Nosedive. While Lothor might have given the powers to you, it was the Ice Crystal that chose you as its guardian.”

“Feel better?” Tori asked, nudging him in the gut.

He smiled, his cheeks blushed again. “Yeah, a little.”

“Good,” Cam snapped, typing on his computer. He was back in team medic mode. “Now, Nosedive, have you felt more tired since receiving your powers?”

Nosedive furled his eyebrow. “Uh, I guess so. Why?”

“Have you been eating more?”

Mallory laughed. “I don’t think that’s possible.”

Cam took that to mean “yes.” “What do you eat normally?”

“What’s the problem?” Wildwing asked suddenly, realizing the questioning wasn’t random.

“Is there something wrong with Nosedive?” Tanya inquired, leaning over Cam and looking at the results of his scan. Her eyes wandered back and forth on the screen before she gasped. “How can that be—? That’s not possible.”

“With the energy it take to be a ranger, I regret to say it is,” Cam replied gently, swiveling in his chair.

By then, Wildwing had placed a hand on his nervous brother’s shoulder. “Tanya, what is it?”

Cam shook his head. “I really didn’t think I had to tell you since you’re active as it is, but…being a ranger comes with a tremendous pull on the body. Accordingly, your metabolism has sped up to phenomenal proportions. Because of that, you’ve become slightly malnourished.”

“Will he be okay?” Canard asked earnestly.

“Oh, he’ll be fine,” Cam assured. “He’s not a tenth as bad as the Bradley Brothers were when they first came in.”

“Thanks for bringing that up, Cam,” Hunter replied flatly.

“I’ll just have to put you on a high protein diet, Nosedive,” Tanya stated flatly, walking over to the younger mallard and laying down the law for him. Dustin next to him had a serious problem keeping a straight face.“That means no more sweets, and everything you eat has to put past me first. Got it?”

Nosedive immediately looked to Wildwing, who shrugged. “You’ve got to do as she says, Dive.”

“Oh, man, what good is it having an older brother who’s the leader if you won’t override her?” he griped.

“Someone’s whipped,” Shane commented into Nosedive’s ear before zipping off in a blur of red light toward the Ninja Ops. exit.

“Oh, you think that’s going to save you!” Nosedive started after him, his body dematerializing into teal light until his ankle gave way. He tumbled onto the floor, back in his bodily form, clutching his broken ankle and scowling in pain. “CAM!”

Cam let out an aggravated sigh and shook his head. “No ninja zip until your ankle heals,” he chuckled. “Kids…”

Canard grinned slightly at Nosedive but addressed Cam, “It’s awesome, don’t you think?”

Nosedive crinkled an eyebrow at him.

Sensei smiled. “Yes, Mr. Bronzeplume, I do believe that despite everything they all have been through, ‘awesome’ is the perfect assessment.”

*^*^*

“Aw, man,” Mallory groaned as she stuck her head in the freezer.

Sitting at the dinner table, practically forcing his brother to eat what Tanya had made him, Wildwing took her complaining as a reprieve. “What’s wrong?”

She pulled out an empty tray of ice and looked innocently at her teenage counterpart. “Dive, we’re out of ice. You think you make some for us?”

The ducks cracked up, while Nosedive crossed his arms and leaned back against the kitchen wall. “Okay, seriously. How long are you guys going to keep this up? A month? Two months? It doesn’t have to be exact; I’m just looking for a rough assessment.”

Canard huffed to once more breathe normally and smirked. “I was thinking forever, so anytime between now and then, it’s open season on you.”

“Thanks, Canard. That really helps.” Nosedive picked at the white fluffy stuff with his fork, as if the food was a scientific experiment. “So, Tanya, level with me. What is this sh—crap?”

The team tech took a seat at the table, putting an empty cup in front of Nosedive. “It’s tofu, Nosedive.”

Eyes widening instantly, the teen dropped his fork to the plate. “W—What…?”

“Well, it’s high in protein, and unless you want to eat chicken…”

Nosedive, at that moment, loathed Cam Wanatabe more than anything in the world.

“So, Nosedive,” Tanya said with conviction as she pushed the cup toward Nosedive with intent, “you can actually make water, then freeze it?”

Still blinded by rage, Nosedive could only answer curtly, “Yeah, so?”

She pushed the cup closer. “So, really, you could, y’know, fill this glass, then freeze the water in it?”

He stared at her for a moment before gasping, “You want to do my powers now?” Shaking his head, he sighed sympathetically. “Sorry, but no can do. See, I’m only supposed to use my powers when training and fighting evil. Anytime else, and I’m washing the Ninja Ops. floor for a month.” He scowled, “Trust me. It’s not fun!”

Nodding understandingly, Tanya rose from her seat, her face crestfallen. Scowling under his breath, Nosedive knew how excited Tanya became when studying a new fluke—and just knew Tori would find too much pleasure in telling Sensei he had used his powers.

Placing his hand over the glass, he said, “Power of Water.” Slowly, water trickled from his palm, the water sloshing against the sides of the cup.

Tanya whirled, looking down shockingly at the teenager, while the rest of the team looked on with a mixture of fascination and horror.

With the simple phrase, “Power of Ice,” the plastic glass burst open when the ice expanded.

Holding onto his older brother’s shoulder for support, Nosedive struggled to stand, then tossed the broken cup of ice to Tanya. Smiling at her stunned face, he hobbled toward the exit with much help from his brother.

“I can walk by myself, you know.”

Wildwing smiled gently, holding Nosedive tightly by the waist. “I know, but let me help you without resistance, okay? I’m going to have to force feed you tofu later.”

Nosedive scowled, but dropped his struggling and simply leaned against Wildwing’s side.

As they approached the exit, Nosedive stopped short and hissed at the stab of pain from his ankle when Duke called him.

“Yeah, Duke?”

The older mallard shifted uncomfortably, and Nosedive strained to remember a time when he had seen Duke uncomfortable before.

“Would you really have fought and maybe even kill—destroyed your friends for us?”

Nosedive looked away and felt compelled to lean closer to his brother, placing his head on Wildwing’s shoulder. “Yeah, Duke. I would have.”

“Why, though?” Duke emphasized. “They’re your friends, too.”

Nosedive shrugged, turned, and peered over his shoulder as the doors to the kitchen opened automatically. “Well, yeah, Duke. They’re my friends, but you guys are my family.”

Once more wrapping his arms about Wildwing’s torso, he allowed his brother to lead him out the door.

*^*^*

Vexacus shivered, his feet in a bucket of steaming words, while a towel was draped over his shoulders. “That teal ranger…next time, I won’t heal his family’s wounds. Next time, I’ll—”

“No,” Lothor disputed as he stalked onto the bridge of his ship. “We’ll take of those ducks after we destroy those power rangers. We can’t allow them to increase in strength anymore. Now that the teal ranger has control over his powers, they have the advantage. They’re not supposed to have the advantage! I’m the evil space ninja!” His voices lowered. “It’s time…to return to the Abyss of Evil.”

*^*^*

Nosedive opened his locker and plopped down on the bench, sweating. As he took off his helmet, a hand tasseled his wet hair, gaining his brother a dirty look. “I hope you’re not making dinner with that hand now.”

“You mean ordering pizza?” Wildwing fell to the bench next to him and unbuckled his pads. “I can deal with sweaty hands. It’s better than you being laid up and having dry hair.”

“Totally—” Nosedive stopped at the sound of beeping and quickly pulled off his left glove. Hitting his morpher, he groaned, “I just finished a game. Lother better not be making trouble.”

“You’re welcome to tell him that when you fight his monster,” Cam said amusedly. “The quarry. Meet you there.”

“And if I said I’m not coming because I’m dead tired?” Nosedive teased.

“Nosedive, I would appreciate it, as would the rangers, if you would proceed to the destination, so that there will not be any civilian causalities.”

Nosedive gulped and blushed, making a point of not looking at his brother. “Uh, right, Sensei. I’ll be right down.”

As he broke the connection, he stood and sent his brother a sympathetic expression. “Sorry, bro. Keep the celebratory pizza hot for me.” He quickly turned, only to be grabbed by the wrist and tugged into a brief hug.

“Be careful, all right?” Wildwing stressed, then let his brother go reluctantly.

Nosedive smiled. “Always.”

“Never.”

When the teen zipped out the locker room doors, Wildwing sighed and shook his head despairingly. A hand clasped his shoulder, and he looked up at Canard. “He’ll be okay, Wing.”

Wildwing chose not to answer and glared at where his brother left.

Come back to me in one piece, little brother.

He amended his own thought.

Just come back to me.

The End