Head On The Ground Heart In the Stars:

by Kellie Fay

Disclaimer: As usual the Mighty Ducks belong to Disney but I can't convince my creativity demons of that.

This is the last in my 'Tales from Puckworld" stories Which were from before they landed on Earth. As with my last story I have had no editors (I looked but I could not find) If you wish me to fix errors you have to send me your corrections to this story.

And now......

Lieutenant Mallory Mc Mallard cursed again as the brittle sandstone crumbled under her fingertips, causing her to loose her grip on the mountainside. Leaning forward so she would not fall backwards, and be lost in this network of hills forever, she grabbed onto another handhold. To her utter surprise, it held.

Breathing a sigh of relief she looked up at her partner. He was having no difficulty finding handholds in the brittle rock face. As easily as the grazers that leaped along these hills, he climbed all the way to the top of the ledge.

Mallory hoped that he would wait there for her, but suddenly he vanished from the top of the ledge. "No!" She cried, trying to scramble to the top of the cliff without losing her hold on the rocks. "Wait, Canard! Wait for me, damn it!"

She managed to get to the top of the ledge. Ignoring the ache in her muscles and the scrapes on her arms, she frantically scanned the area until she found Canard. Sure enough he was wandering down the rocky pathway in a daze.

"Canard!" Mallory called again at the top of her lungs. "Canard, stop!" When Canard didn't respond she shook her head, and shouted, "Ten-hut!"

That made Canard stop and snap to attention. "Thank Heaven for military training," Mallory muttered as she ran to catch up.

As soon as she was at Canard's side she said breathlessly, "okay, at ease." When Canard relaxed Mallory said, "I almost lost you again, didn't I?"

Canard sighed, and shook his head as if to clear it. "Yeah, I guess," he said, turning his head to look up the mountain. "The pull, it's getting stronger. I…I keep forgetting you're here. It's…it's almost too hard to control myself."

Mallory frowned and reached out for Canard's arm. "Easy, Canard," she said. "Stay with me. Maybe we should stop for the night. You can rest up, and get a handle on whatever is calling you."

At first she thought Canard was immediately going to reject the idea. He looked angry for a second, but then with a sigh said, "I know you're right, but I'll probably be cranky all night anyway."

Mallory smiled as she took her pack off her back. "Come on," she said, with a grin. "I'll make dinner."

*********************

Mallory placed a few more sticks on the fire, and watched Canard toss and turn in his sleep. Mallory knew that there were no Saurians in the area, and logically she didn't need to keep watch, but old habits died hard, and her mind was too full of worry to go to sleep yet anyway.

~Besides I can't shake the feeling that Canard might go sleepwalking if I don't watch him.~ As they drew closer and closer to where the map indicated Canard grew more and more distant from her.

~Were they all right? Are gifted just too far out to understand? Can they even have a normal relationship? Ever since Canard had that dream, he's been like a stranger to me.~

She knew she shouldn't have fallen in love with Canard. She didn't mean too. It just sort of happened. Mallory tried to force her mind back through the past year trying to figure out how she managed to fall in love with someone with clairvoyant abilities.

***********
It had been a general spy mission until she saw them. A pair of Saurians along with a half dozen hunter drones were hunting a poor innocent duck down for fun. The stranger had somehow hurt the two Saurians, but he couldn't fight the hunter drones, who were beating him down.

That was something Mallory wasn't going to stand for.

She loaded up her puck launcher and cut loose on all the drones. When she ran out of pucks she destroyed the last two drones by making them fire on each other.

The Saurians now faced Mallory with their lasers drawn. She was out of ammunition, and exhausted from her battle with the drones.

Help appeared unexpectedly. The battered duck the Saurians had been tormenting suddenly reached out, and grabbed the Saurians' tail. The Saurians cried out, and grabbed his head, and fell to the ground. The second Saurians turned to his companion puzzled. Mallory took her shot then, flinging her puck launcher at both of them. That frightened both Saurians into using their teleporters to disappear.

Only now did Mallory turn to the beaten duck. He was a light brown yellow, with an identical crest. His clothes were nothing more than a gray tattered shirt and pants too short for him. Mallory surveyed his wounds. A broken rib, bruises around his kidneys and right temple. He was lucky to be alive.

She called for back up, then gently reached out and tried to wake him. When she touched his shoulder she was shocked to find a probe inside of her mind.

~Great stars, he's gifted!~ She thought. Mallory wasn't gifted herself, but in special forces she had to deal with a lot of ducks who had one or more of the ancient gifts.

~He's some kind of mind reader,~ Mallory analyzed. Major Gander would know more, but right now that told her enough.

"Relax, friend," Mallory said and thought to him. "I'm from the resistance. I'm here to help."

She brought Canard to their secret base underneath the southern ice cap. While he wasn't raised military, like she was, he was bright and a fast learner. In no time at all he was working with them, and it was impossible to tell him from the ducks who had been in the military before the Saurian attack.

Her father, the renowned General Quentin McMallard, thought that Canard was a military genius. Clarvoyancy did wonders in predicting how certain maneuvers would play out. Major Cob Gander, often called "Uncle Cob," by Mallory, saw at once what a great natural talent he was with the gifts. Within a few months, Canard's clarvoyancy was far more reliable, and he could communicate on a limited bases with the other telepaths and even some non-gifted.

As her father's daughter she and Canard were thrown together a lot for missions. There she learned that this quiet shy duck held a fantastic mind. Given an opportunity to strike at the Saurians she discovered he was frightfully competent. At the base he was friendly. He had a wonderful sense of humor, and was so polite even her father joked that she should catch him before one of the other girls in the resistance did. Everyone liked, respected, and admired Canard, and she was no exception. She liked him well enough, but she was way to shy to do anything about it. Besides most guys who tried to flirt with her wanted something from her, or more often her father. The few times she tried to get friendly with anyone from the resistance she found that they couldn't resign themselves to the idea that once the date was over, and they were working, that she was their superior.

Canard wasn't like that. When they had time to goof around, he didn't treat her any different from the other resistance members, and when it was time to go to work, he not only deferred to her, he still addressed her by her rank as if they were still in the military. Unlike so many of the other resistance members who thought she was just here because of her father, he respected her, and believed she earned her rank.

They became friends, good friends, someone she knew she could confide in, and she quickly found that he would do the same. They were often sent on missions together and as a team had three times the number of successes they did with anyone else, and if it hadn't been for the Saurians it probably wouldn't have gone any further. The Saurians, however, wouldn't stay quiet.

*************

The bombs few overhead just missing them. Mallory fell over a stone as she ran, and stubbed her bill on the ground.

Of all of the other ducks who were running from the barrage of gunfire, only Canard had stopped to offer her a hand up. "We have to find some cover!" he said. "They're just going to flatten the whole area until they find us."

Once on her feet, Mallory just nodded and followed him as they ran off into the debris of the destroyed city. They were the last two in the group who were retreating. When the Saurians fired on another abandoned building, both Mallory and Canard were cut off from the main team.

"This way!" Canard yelled, grabbing her arm. "I know this neighborhood!" He led her to an old deteriorating candy shop, and dragged her to the basement.

"I hate basements," Mallory complained. "I hate being underground."

"It's either that or be taken prisoner," Canard reminded her.

Mallory relented, but Canard could tell that she was having a hard time dealing with being underground. He sat next to her, and put his arm around her. "Close your eyes, try to forget where you are," he said softly.

Mallory closed her eyes, and buried her head in his chest. "I wish I could," Mallory said. "When I was a little girl, I fell down a old abandoned mine near my house. Part of the mine had collapsed. I was trapped down there for two days alone not being able to see the sky. I thought I was going to die down there." Mallory was near tears.

Canard drew her closer, and tried to shelter her from her fears. "It's okay, Mallory, I'm here. I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He looked around at the grey walls. The room was dark, but it was impossible to forget they were in a candy store. The scent of sugar still hung in the air, but now it was mixed with mildew and dust.

"I have so many memories of this place," Canard said, trying to distract her from her fear. "My best friend Wildwing, and me used to hang out here. It was the only place we were allowed to take Wing's younger brother aside of the hockey rink. Nosedive was such a sugar junkie we could get him to do almost anything for a trip out here."

Mallory was listening, but they could also hear the laser fire above them. "Canard, They're going to collapse the building! We're going to be trapped here!"

"Mallory, we're not going to be trapped. Everything will be fine!" Canard insisted. Mallory was trembling. He tried to restrain her gently.

"No!" Mallory kept struggling. Canard knew she was close to losing control.

"Mallory!" He called holding down whispering in her ear. "I'm with you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you! Mallory!"

Suddenly it happened. He didn't mean for it to happen, but being that close with both of them struggling in each other arms. He accidently kissed her.

Mallory could tell he was as surprised as she was, but he never got a chance to apologize. The emotion that ran through her was better than the fear. Before he could say or do anything, she grabbed onto Canard and kissed him with everything she was worth.

After that the gunfire faded in importance. All they were aware of was the feeling of each others bodies, the sensual feeling of their feathers being ruffled, of her hands under his shirt. Of his bill gently nibbling down her neck. The battle above was completely forgotten as they discovered each other bodies.

Later they rested together with her head on his bare chest. During the experience, Canard's mild telepathic abilities came out. She and he could feel the emotions and experience of the other. It was enlightening, and amazing. As much as Mallory had liked Canard, she found that Canard had liked her just as much as she liked him.

Canard was just waking up. Mallory could feel his breathing change. She couldn't help but laugh as she heard the first thought in his mind with the bond that was still there. ~Oh gods, her father is going to kill me.~

"He's going to have to go through me to do it." Mallory said with a sleepy smile. "The one thing that a father fears, is their independent minded daughters who are in love."

"Which is why they usually take it out on the boyfriend," Canard reminded her. "Mal, he's our commanding officer and your father. I might as well walk up to Dragonus and ask him to shoot me now. I'm as good as dead."

"Well I'm not going to tell my father," Mallory said. "So unless you plan on being noble and suicidal he's not going to find out. Besides he might not complain that much. You're the best cure for my claustrophobia that I've ever found. She smiled and nibbled at the feathers on his chest.

Canard smiled as well. "Keep that up and we might not get out of this basement until tomorrow."

Mallory began tracing circles on his chest with her finger. "Canard, for the first time in my life, I could stay underground all day."

"Oh really?" He asked. Suddenly she found herself under him, and he was kissing her again.

They didn't leave that basement for two days.

***********************

If her father ever found out about the change in their relationship, he didn't say anything. Cob, of course, had. Then again Mallory had known it was impossible to hide something like love from a gifted healer. Cob had just asked if she was happy, and when she told him how much she loved Canard, he kept his peace. Her father kept throwing them together for missions, so even though they were working more often than not, they still had a lot of time to just be together.

Then six months ago, everything changed. Canard had gotten badly hurt during a general hit and run against the drones. He was hurt so badly Cob was called in to save his life. Even then Canard was unconscious for a week.

Mallory sat at Canard's bed side most of that time. She thought it might have been then that her dad noticed how attached she was to Canard. Sometimes he'd sit with her, but there were several nights that Mallory sat alone next to Canard hoping against hope that he would recover.

Finally one night Mallory was dozing in the chair next to Canard's bed when suddenly he began to talk in his sleep. "What....what do you want with me? Who are you?"

Instantly Mallory was awake. "Canard?" she asked puzzled. His eyes were still closed, and he tossed his head about like a child in a restless dream.

"Yes," he said in his dreamed conversation. "Yes, I want to stop them, but how? They've destroyed most of our weapons, we're only a few against all those drones."

Mallory placed her hand on Canard's shoulder, but he turned away from her as if she had suddenly become part of the dream. "Canard!" Mallory called again, but suddenly another hand was on hers. It was Major Cob Gander, their healer, and her father's best friend.

"Cob, something's wrong with Canard," she said. Cob pulled her away from Canard gently as Canard struggled with his dream adversary.

"Tell me what to do! I'll do it!" Canard said in his dreams.

Mallory tried to go to him again, but Cob kept her back. "Easy, Mal," her old friend said. "Canard's been having visions like this for two days. This time though he's close to waking. I don't know what he's seeing, but I think it's important."

"Is he going to be okay?" Mallory asked, then as an after thought she said, "important? How?"

"I don't know," Cob said. "It's just a hunch, and I don't have those often enough to be able to tell you why I feel that way. Let him dream. I know he's getting better, so maybe when he wakes up, he'll have answers that we need.

Two days later Canard woke up, but he was a very different Canard than Mallory remembered. While still very devoted to her, it seemed to her that he had become more business like. He was twice as dedicated now to stopping Dragonus. As soon as he was able he had a long talk with her father, and Cob. It was then that they were sent to steal the contents of the Mallar vault.

That was also the first time Canard had left her behind at an inn, and partnered with someone else.

Logically she knew why. She didn't like L'Orange, and didn't think they should be hiring him. Canard just said he was needed, and she gave in. Well he had been needed. He ended going solo into the manor. Once they had the Malar family papers, Canard was even more driven. It was only then that her father told her what they were going after.

A week after they had returned to base her father ordered her to come to dinner. She always did try to have some family time with him, but lately their dinners were turning into a mix of family time and business.

"So the map was there." Her father was saying over the watercress tea. "I wouldn't have believe it if Canard hadn't have found it. The location to Drake Dukane's resting place."

"Dad, it's the Dukane family vault, we don't know if Drake Dukane is there." Mallory said, trying to pay close attention to her meal.

"Oh I'll bet my last puck launcher he's there, and The Mask. You know as well as I that Canard's never been wrong. He's leaving tomorrow for Twin Beaks to look for it."

That made Mallory look up shocked. "He is?" ~How come he didn't tell me?~

Her father nodded. "Yep. He's leaving just before dawn so the Saurians don't find him."

Mallory felt her meal turn to lead in her stomach. "Are you sure that's a good idea, Dad? I mean since those dreams Canard's been acting pretty strange."

Suddenly her father looked hard and stern, almost angry. "He hasn't been neglecting you, Mallory, has he?"

Mallory gulped. "Dad?"

Her father reached out, and lifted her bill so she was meeting him eye to eye. "I mean he's still treating you right isn't he hon? I mean if he's blown you off for someone else -"

Mallory sputtered in shock. "You mean you knew!" ~I think I'm going to throw up!~

Her father dropped her bill and grinned. "Well of course! Cob is my best friend and your godfather. You didn't think he'd tell me when you two finally got around to pairing off?"

~Forget throwing up! I wanna die now!~ Mallory cringed and wimpred into her salad.

"In fact," Her father continued oblivious to her distress, "Cob and I were taking bets who made the first move."

"DAD!" Mallory raised her voice and shook with embarrassment. "I do NOT want to have this conversation with you!"

Her father chuckled and relented. "It's all right hon, I'm not going to torment the boy. I know neither one of you have made any promises or anything." He sighed. "It just doesn't make sense to in these times." He took a bite of his salad and then said, "So does this mean you don't want to go with him?"

Mallory instantly brightened up. "Go with him?"

"You do want to go with him don't you?" Her father asked.

"Yes!" Mallory said, then realizing she sounded way too eager she said. "Well I mean I don' t think he should go alone."

"Neither does he," Her father said with a grin. He put his fork down, and said gently, "Mallory, he wants you to come along, he asked me if you could. I just wanted to be the one to tell you. He knows he's been getting intense these last few weeks. I don't know what the boy has been telling Cob, but it's got him worried too. Most likely if it's connected to him finding The Mask it's going to get worse before it gets better. Don't you see, hon? Your relationship with him, may be the only thing that will keep him sane out there."

"Oh," Mallory said quietly. Then with a little more worry in her voice she asked, "Dad, are you sure this is going to be worth it. I mean if Canard is going to get worse before this is over? I mean, what if he loses himself completely? Has a gifted ever done that?"

Her father sighed. "I asked Cob that just before dinner," he admitted. "I told him I don't want Canard going if finding the thing was going to drive the boy over the edge. Cob told me the only thing that would do that would be preventing him from going. Use your instincts honey You know just as much about clarvoyancy and the other gifts as I do. Let his gift lead you, but don't let him get lost in himself." he pushed away his plate. "If we are as successful as Drake Dukane was, I want to be able to celebrate your bonding to the boy."

Mallory flushed embarrassed again. "I'd...I'd better go and pack if we're leaving before dawn." She rose to her feet.

Her father smiled and waved her away, but as she reached the door he said. "Oh, Mallory one more thing,"

"Yeah, dad?" Mallory had a feeling she knew what he was going to say, he said it every time she went out on a mission.

Her father grinned and leaned back in his chair. "Give them hell, McMallard, Give them hell."

Mallory smiled as well. "Yes sir!" she said. As always those simple words made her confidant that she wouldn't let her father down.

*******************

~So am I losing him or what?~ Mallory wondered as she watched Canard dreaming. She reached out to gently brush his crest feathers. She sighed heavily not knowing what to do. ~How can I keep him from losing himself in these dreams?~

~Well if you want to know, Lieutenant,~ A voice suddenly said into her mind. She nearly jumped as Canard's hand came up to grab hers, and draw her down. ~You can keep doing what your doing.~

"Canard?" she asked as he drew her closer. She didn't fight him instead she lay down in their favorite manner with her resting on him. "You're supposed to be resting!"

Canard opened his eyes and smiled at her. "It won't let me rest much, and you are a welcome distraction." He insisted. "We might both rest easier if we keep each other company," he leaned over and kissed her. "I'm sorry, Mal. You're right I've been letting this thing drive at me for weeks, and I haven't been seeing what it's been doing to you, or me. Stay with me, hon. I'm not going to make it without you."

"Mallory leaned close to him, and whispered heatedly in his ear. "Your going to have a hard time getting rid of me soldier, and as for a distraction, I have a plan to make all those little voices in your head go far away."

Canard sighed relaxing already. "Anything you say, Lieutenant."

************

Mallory slept soundly the rest of the night. The exertion took away a lot of her doubts about Canard's affections for her. He still loved her, it was just his gifts getting in the way of everything. Mallory awoke to find herself curled against Canard's side. Canard's eyes had been closed , and his breathing easy, but as soon as she stirred he opened his eyes and looked down at her with a pleased smile. "Morning," he said.

Mallory relaxed. Canard seemed to be more like his old self now. "Good morning yourself," she teased. "How do you feel?"

Canard sighed. "Better," he admitted. "I needed to clear my head out."

Mallory sat up, and grinned at him. "Is that the only reason I'm here?" she asked teasingly.

"Absolutely not," Canard insisted. He sat up and looked at her deeply. "Mal, I love you. That's why I wanted you with me. I know I've been distracted lately. I feel like I'm caught up in something bigger than anything I've ever experienced before. I need you with me to remind me that there's something else in the world other than these voices in my head." He paused, and drew her close for a hug. "And I wanted you to know I haven't forgotten you."

"I never thought that," Mallory insisted. "But it's good to know." They held each other for a few seconds more. Mallory didn't want to let go. She wanted to stay forever in this tiny cavern snuggled next to Canard. It felt good. It felt right.

Finally Canard asked, "ready to go?"

Reluctantly Mallory nodded. She rose to her feet, and helped him to his. As soon as they were finished packing up their gear Mallory decided to try to keep Canard under more control today "Okay," she said, almost regretting what she was about to ask him to do. "Can you tell which way we're supposed to be going still?"

"Yeah," Canard said, sounding almost as unwilling to go back into his gift as Mallory was to ask him too. "It's back." He closed his eyes for a second then opened them again right away. "That way," he took a step forward, but Mallory took his hand and moved to his side.

"Easy, Canard," she said gently. "We go together."

Canard smiled, and squeezed her hand reassuringly. He led them for the next three hours along the mountain passes. Finally he just stopped confused and annoyed.

"Damn!" He said looking around again. "It feels like we're right on top of it, but I can't find the way in!"

All Mallory could see was snow, mountains, rocks, and trees. The same that she had been seeing since they came up the pass. "I don't know what to tell you, Canard. You're not getting any more hunches?"

Dejected, Canard shook his head. "It feels like I'm here, but I don't see where the temple could be.

Mallory sighed, sat down on a rock, and leaned back against the side of the mountain. "Well if you need to wander around the area a bit Canard, I'll set up camp hEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

As she leaned back a panel in the wall opened suddenly, and sent her tumbling back down a hole. She heard Canard call out to her in her mind, but as she reached the bottom the shock and pain of landing made her black out. When she awoke all Mallory was aware of was the pain for several minutes. Her femur was broken she was sure of that, nothing hurt worse than a broken bone, unless it was dislocated, but she could move slightly. Every time she did so, though, she saw stars.

When her vision cleared she found herself in the temple they had been looking for. The rock walls of the temple were ornately carved with figures of different ducks each in different forms of activities. Underneath the figures were large stone sarcophaguses with carved hieroglyphs that she had only seen in books. Ahead of her was an alter of pure white marble with different platters, goblets, and jewelry. ~Boy L'Orange would have a field day if he were here,~ she thought to herself.

A rope appeared on her left. She looked up to see Canard repelling down the passage she had fallen through. She flushed slightly. She hated to be caught in a mistake.

"You okay, Mal?" Canard asked as he jumped from the rope and landed next to her.

"Yeah," she said, trying to play it off, but just as she moved a wave of pain overtook her. "Ow! Okay no."

"Hold still," Canard said as he examined the leg. "I'm going to try to find something around here we can use as a splint." He rose and looked around the room. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks and faced the alter.

"Canard?" Mallory said. He didn't look like he heard her. In fact that look on his face was what he had outside when he was trying to find this place.

"I'm here,' Canard replied. He wasn't exactly talking to Mallory. To her it seemed that he was talking to the carved figures along the walls. "You promised to give me what I needed to stop the Saurians." He paused listening to the voices only he could hear as Mallory tensed sending spasms of pain back down her leg. "What do you mean to find my destiny?" Canard asked. If the voices answered him, Mallory couldn't tell. Suddenly he slowly began to walk forward moving towards a box cut out of pure amethyst crystals on the left side of the alter.

"Canard? Canard come back here! Sargent!" Mallory shouted, but Canard didn't even hear her. Growing fearful, Mallory began to address the forces in the temple she couldn't see. "You! Whatever you are! Stop it! Stop what your doing to him! I want him back!"

Nothing she said made Canard turn back to her. She tried to crawl closer, but every time she moved waves of pain sent her into tears. She could only watch as Canard faced the shining crystal box and opened it. Canard was blocking her view of the box so she could not see. He seemed to be reading something written on the lid.

"So it was that Drake Dukane, the last of all the ruling families stood before the great disk with nothing but the souls of those who died, those who lived in hiding, and those not yet born before him. He opened it alone to purge Puckworld, from Saurian rule. All that is left of our friend and liege lord is here, a gift to those who are pure of heart and strong in game. May the mask guide you to your destiny."

Canard lifted something from the box. It was a goalie mask, just like the legends said it was, but instead of being gold, it seemed to be white and ordinary. Canard held it before him as if it were a holy relic. "It's real," Canard breathed out excitedly. "The mask is real."

Maybe this would bring Canard back to her. Tentatively Mallory called out. "Canard?" But he still didn't hear her.

Instead he looked back at the box, and said shocked, "What? No! I...I couldn't!" Only then did he look back at Mallory, but then he instantly turned back to the box. "Are...are you sure? Well yes I do, but....." Canard stopped arguing and then simply relaxed. "Okay," he said agreeing with the unseen voice. "I'll do it."

"Do what, Canard?" Mallory asked. "Canard, what are you going to do? CANARD, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

What Canard was doing was placing the Mask on his own face. This was NOT in the briefing her father had given them both. They were just supposed to find the thing and then bring it right back. Mallory watched unable to stop him as Canard donned the mask. Instantly it went to the gold of legends. ~Oh stars that really is Drake Dukane's Mask,~ she thought. Canard lifted his bill to the ceiling for a moment even through the mask she could tell his eyes were closed in a momentary bliss.

"Yes," Canard whispered. Or was it Canard? His voice sounded different. It was slightly deeper, and there was an odd musical lilt to it. "The time has come, those who were not yet born when we forged the mask are in the world, and Saurians hunt us once again. It is time to return, and aid those who ask it." He suddenly turned to Mallory. "But first, warrior, you must be attended too."

In a frightened and weak voice Mallory said, "Canard? Canard, is that you?"

"Canard, is here, warrior," the whatever it was that was controlling Canard said, as he moved forward. "But he has not the skills to heal you enough to get you from this place. I shall help him and you." As he drew closer he knelt down beside Mallory.

"No!" Positive now that this wasn't Canard she drew her puck blaster, ignoring the pain she was causing herself. "Stay away from me, you....whatever you are! Let go of Canard."

Whatever force holding Canard shook his head disappointed. "This will not do, Mallory." He raised his hand over her, and waved it in front of her. "Be at peace, Mallory McMallard. There is nothing here you should fear."

"No!" Mallory cried out, but it did no good. Whatever it was it had powers over the minds of others. Mallory found her fear melting away like heated snow, and her limbs grew heavy. She couldn't hold up her puck blaster anymore, and it fell to the floor with a clatter. She was even having trouble sitting up. When Canard came close again she couldn't fight his touch, and he laid her gently down with her head in his lap.

"Be at peace," it said again, and touched her forehead gently. Any scrap of resistance left in her evaporated at that moment. She fell into his lap and looked up at him sleepily. "Who...who are you?" She asked, no longer feeling the fear she knew she should have.

"I'm only a healer," the spirit in Canard said, gently. "Now close your eyes warrior, there is nothing to be afraid of. I'm here to help you."

With that he placed his hand on her broken leg, and a warmth started to flow to the damaged limb. Overwhelmed by the healing energies, Mallory fell at once into a deep slumber from which not even an earthquake would have wakened her.

**********************

Mallory woke shivering in the cold. She sat up, and looked around. She was in a small cave; the same one they had camped in on the way up. She looked around, and saw Canard sitting a few feet away. He was no longer wearing the mask, but he was staring out into space, lost in some daydream.

"Canard?" Mallory asked, half fearing that he would not answer.

Her voice brought Canard back from his dream instantly. He turned around, and said with a smile, "hey there, Lieutenant. You feeling better?"

"Canard!" Mallory said happily. "You're you again!"

Her reaction surprised Canard slightly. He leaned back against the cave, and said worriedly, "I'm me? Mallory what happened in there? I don't remember anything after I found The Mask."

"You don't?' Mallory asked puzzled. "Nothing?"

"It was so strange," Canard said, his voice drifting off in to a strange detached tone. "Everything that was pulling me to find the temple focused on that box, and when I opened it there was such joy. They were so happy to see me."

"They?" Mallory prompted.

"There were so many of them," Canard continued. They were welcoming me like I was some kind of long lost friend. Then one of them said you were hurt and...." He trailed off and shook his head. "That's it. I can't remember anymore."

Grinding her bill together with tension, Mallory told him what she remembered. "One of whatever was greeting you, I guess, took you over. He said he was a healer. He fixed my leg." She flexed the injured limb experimentally. There was absolutely no pain. The break was healed. She looked up at Canard. "You don't remember putting The Mask on?"

"I did?" Canard asked. He pulled the amethyst box over and opened it. Except for The Mask. The box was empty. Mallory read the inscription that Canard had read before. "Do you know what any of this means?" She asked.

"Not a clue." Canard said. A little more worried he said, "You're going to tell your father about what happened."

With a tiny sigh, Mallory said, "I have to Canard. What if what happened to you happens to someone else?"

"I guess your right," Canard said uncertainly. Then more distantly he said, "I can wait."

That didn't make any sense to Mallory. "Canard?" she asked.

Canard seemed to be lost again in a daydream. "They wanted me to have it. No one else will want it."

Mallory instinctively lowered her voice. "What do you mean no one else will want it?" She asked.

Still in that soft distant voice, Canard answered, "They'll know. They'll be told, and only those chosen will hear the call."

"What call, Canard?" Mallory asked, but it was too late. Canard blinked, and woke from his trance.

"Huh?" Suddenly dizzy he placed his hand to his head. "Oh, man! What hit me?"

"You were seeing the future I think," Mallory said, softly. "You were saying that you were going to be the one using The Mask, and that nobody else was going to want it."

"I did?" Canard asked. When Mallory nodded Canard sighed. "Well I'm not sure your dad is going to agree with that." With that he placed the box aside and moved closer to Mallory laying next to her. "Well that's tomorrow's problem. We have two more days before we're anywhere close to civilization, and I want to spend it all with you."

Mallory smiled, and decided to let Cob and her father worry about The Mask. Right now she just wanted to spend time with Canard too.

***********************************

Two weeks later

"He warned me you know," Mallory said uneasily to her father, and his friend as they stared at The Mask on the table.

"He warned you?" Cob asked evenly.

"He ..." Mallory faltered for a moment then took in a deep breath, and tried again. "He had a vision or something. He didn't actually see anything, but he told me that nobody would be willing to take The Mask, and that it would reject anyone but him." She looked first to her father then to Cob. Her voice growing more worried as she thought about it. "He said it would call to those who were supposed to wear it."

"So that's what's going on," Cob said suddenly, picking up the mask and turning it over to analyze it. "It's calling to Canard. He's just waiting for us to give up trying. He knows he's going to get it."

Mallory nodded uncertainly. Her father noticed her reluctance, and asked. "You have a problem with Canard getting The Mask, Lieutenant?" He asked.

"It took control of him, sir," Mallory knew her father was all business right now. Pleading her case, or worse calling him 'dad,' right now would be disastrous. She tried to sound professional as she spoke. "I don't know if we should be trusting ourselves to this legendary device if it can control anyone's mind."

"Are you saying that because you think it's dangerous?" Cob asked wryly. "Or because you just don't want Canard to have it?"

"With all due respect, Major," Mallory said, watching her tone. "It's an untested and unpredictable device."

"I agree, Lieutenant," her father said. "But it's the only way we're going to find Dragonus. Now unless you have another reason for Canard not to have this device."

Mallory swallowed and bit her tongue to keep from losing her mask of professionalism in front of her father. "No, sir," she said.

Her father with a sigh, pushed the mask over to her. "Then it goes to your partner," he said. "And you're staying his partner," he said suddenly, surprising Mallory. "I don't trust this thing any more than you do, but we don't have a lot of options. Canard believes this thing will find the Master Tower, and he's got me believing him, but your going along ,Lieutenant. I want you to make sure he stays sane at all times."

"Yes sir," Mallory said, as she picked up the mask and went to find Canard.

He was working on the last Areowing they had stashed away. He popped his head out, and smiled at Mallory. "What's up Lieutenant?" He asked cheerily

"Here," she said, sounding annoyed. She tossed the Mask down to him. As he caught it surprised she said, "Well you were right, no one else was able to wear it for more than ten minutes without getting ancy about it. Dad said, it's all yours."

Canard was instantly elated. "It's...it's mine!" He climbed out from under the Areowing, and looked down at The Mask eagerly. "Now we can go after Dragonus! I've got to get my strike force together!"

Though the prospect of hunting down Dragonus was appealing Mallory was uncertain. "Are you sure about this, Canard?"

"More sure than I've ever been about anything in my whole life!" Canard said excitedly. He impulsively kissed Mallory. Don't worry Mal, everything is going to be perfect from now on!"

******************************

[Earth several months later]

~Damn it, Canard, you lied to me,~ Mallory thought dejectedly as she sat on the roof of their new stadium. She looked up into the stars wondering if she'd ever see Canard again.

~Damn you, Canard, you knew! You knew you weren't gonna make it with the rest of us. You left me behind!~ She tried hard not to cry. She was the professional soldier she wasn't supposed to cry because some guy she had an occasional tumble with came up a casualty! As her father had warned her, "it happens in war."

~Sure like I'm ever going to see my dad again, or Cob, or anyone else in the resistance. Face it, Mal, your stuck here forever.~ In the next instant she was beating herself up. Damn it, she was alive! So were the others. They were alive because Canard..... She squeezed her eyes shut trying to force the tears away.

Footsteps behind her made her spin, and pull out her puck blaster aiming towards the sound.

"Hey, easy there, Red. Its just me!" Duke said, as he came up next to her with his hands held in surrender.

In an easy casual move, Mallory holstered her weapon. "I've told you before, L'Orange, the name is Mallory."

To her surprise Duke raised an eyebrow. "I don't have to call you "Lieutenant?" He asked.

Mallory let out a stressed barked laugh. "Please, Even I'm not crazy enough to try to turn this misfit bunch into a military unit. We make a better strike force."

Duke sat down next to her. "What's the difference?" he asked curious.

Mallory looked back at the stars. "A military unit, is a single mind with a single specialty. We're the best in our individual specialties. We're all too different to be a single mind. We work best as individuals contributing differences. I've talked to Grin's commanders, he's best left to his own devices unless you want him to destroy something. Tanya's military, but she's a tech. They have their own language practically." She turned to Duke, and grinned. "And you and the other two aren't military at all. You're even a felon!"

Duke eyed her critically. "So what are you going to do, arrest me when we get back to Puckworld?"

"Who are you kidding?" Mallory said, suddenly very depressed. "We're never getting home."

"You know, Mallory, you could do with trying to keep a more positive outlook," Duke said. "The others are going to look to you to keep their moral up."

"Me?" Mallory asked confused.

Duke nodded. "Yes, you. Like you said, you're the professional soldier. You know what we can expect, and what we're going to have to do to defeat Dragonus. Everyone is going to look to you. Especially Wildwing.

"Yeah," Mallory said, trying not to think about their new totally green leader. "Canard would want me to watch out for him."

"Are you jealous?" Duke asked.

That was a question she wasn't expecting. "Of what?" She asked.

"Canard gave the mask to Wildwing. He chose Wildwing over you to lead us." Duke said calmly as if discussing the weather.

That was one question Mallory could at least not wonder about how much to shade the truth. "Nope, not at all. I know why he did it."

He did it because Wildwing is just like him in a lot of ways. Because Wildwing can take all six pieces of this puzzle, and make a perfect picture out of them. Because The Mask chose him.

"All right," Duke said, sounding satisfied. "I was just hoping that you weren't going to blame Wildwing. He's a little green, but he's got a good head on his shoulders. I think he's going to make a fine leader."

"Yeah," Mallory said, trying not to think about Canard's friend right now, or anything related to Canard. "Me too."

"Well," Duke said, getting to his feet. "I'm for a little shut eye. Don't stay out here too late." Then as an afterthought he pulled an envelope out of his pocket. "Oh I almost forgot. Canard said if anything were to happen to him, I was supposed to give you this." He placed the envelope in her hands, and then vanished as silently as he came.

Mallory stared at the envelope for five minutes before opening it with shaky hands. It was on the stationary that they used at home, it smelled like Canard, and when she read the words she was overcome by her tears.

[Dearest Mallory

If your reading this you know I fell into a dimensional porthole. Yes, I knew I wasn't going to make it. I didn't want to tell you, or your father, because I knew he would scrub the mission if he knew, and you would tell him if I told you.

I had to do this, Mallory. I'm not even sure why, but all my gifts told me the only way to get Dragonus off of Puckworld was to go after him then. If your still alive that means you probably stopped him from destroying our home.]

Mallory stopped reading, and looked up at the sky. "Yeah, we stopped him, Canard, but I wish it could have been for good. We're still trying on that part." She kept reading.

[Mallory, never, never, forget that I love you. I don't know if I'm gone forever, and I'm not going to ask you to wait. Just remember me as we were together in the candy shop, and don't grieve for me. Stopping Dragonus was worth it.]

With a sigh Mallory whispered, "No it wasn't."

[Please watch Nosedive and Wildwing for me. They're my best friends, and Wildwing is going to need a lot of help adjusting if I'm gone, and I'd better warn you now. Nosedive doesn't take authority well. The harder you push the kid, the worse the pranks he'll play on you, will be. I promise, somehow, some way, if I'm still alive and just trapped somewhere, you will see me again.

All my love forever Canard ]

Wildwing didn't believe he was dead. Wildwing was sure he was going to find Canard one day. No one really wanted to argue with him.

~Who knows, Wildwing might actually be right. Canard said him and Wildwing were pretty good at knowing things like that as kids. I guess If Wildwing can hope so can I.~

Mallory read over the part again about Canard telling her not to wait. She almost laughed at that. ~I don't have much of a choice. I don't have a lot of romantic prospects here.~ L'Orange wasn't her type. Grin, was too weird, Nosedive, stars Nosedive was like robbing the cradle, and as for Wildwing, he was going to be leader. It wasn't going to look good if he and her got cozy. Besides when he wasn't being the leader he was way to shy around all of them still, to even think about getting romantic with him.

~Nope, I definitely won't be getting any romantic notions while we're on this planet,~ she thought with a grin. Anyway, all Canard said was that she didn't have to wait. If Wildwing was right, and Canard was still alive, there was no reason not to. With that thought, Mallory rose to feet, and looked at the stars again.

"I love you Canard," she said solemnly to the sky above. "Don't ever believe I'll stop loving you, so you'd better get yourself out of dimensional limbo, or else so help me, I'm coming in after you!" With that said she moved towards the ladder and climbed back down to their headquarters below. Back to her new team, and her new leader, in her new home.