The Life and Times of Louie Duck - Book 1

Chapter 5 - "I'm gonna give you a choice." - Soran

"So, um." Louie said to Luca as they filed onto the plane. Della, Launchpad, Lena, and Violet took turns hugging Garret and Hope. "Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but any chance you can lift this curse off me?" He asked hopefully.

Luca was about to answer when something made him whirl around. He scanned the island and his blood ran cold.

"What's wrong?" Louie asked seeing the look on his face.

"Get onto the plane." He told Louie firmly.

Louie hesitated a bit to late when Soran came strolling out of the woods with an evil gleam in her eyes.

"What the Hell?" Louie snapped.

"You leaving so soon? Darling?" Soran called out. "We've still got so much catching up to do!" She flicked her wrist and green fire engulfed her hand.

"That's new." Luca said, staring at it in surprise.

"Must have happened when Webby kicked her ashes into the fire." Huey said, coming up behind them. "She regenerated herself."

"That's right, boy." Soran cackled. "I'm back, and I'm going to give you a choice."

"What kind of choice?" Huey asked.

"Not you." She growled, then looked over at Louie and Luca. "Them." She explained. Louie and Luca glanced at each other.

"Huey, get back on the plane." Louie told him firmly. "Tell Mom to get ready to lift off."

"But -." Huey began. Louie gave him a sharp look and he stopped. Then slowly backed up and into the plane with the rest of the group. Hope, however, edged towards the mouth of the plane while her Mom was busy taking care of Garret's wounds.

"I'm going to let you two choose who's going to stay, and who gets to leave." Soran told Louie and Luca. "If not, I'm just going to blow all of you up, with my new power here." She said and tossed a fire ball towards them. It landed in the sand in front of Louie and Luca and exploded. After the sandy cleared away Louie and Luca glared over at Soran.

"I'm waiting." She sang out and flicked her wrist again, making another green fire ball engulf her hand. She snickered at them.

Hope's heart pounded hard against her chest. This wasn't good. She couldn't find an angle out of this, and by the look on her Dad's face, he couldn't either.

"Get on the plane, Luca." Louie said, taking a step forward.

"W, What?" Luca asked.

"Dad! No!" Hope cried out. She ran up and hugged him tightly. Louie looked straight ahead, trying hard to be strong for once in his life.

"Don't be an idiot." Luca snapped. "It's obvious she's pissed off at me." He looked towards his mother and glared at her. She narrowed her eyes at him with a smug look on her face. "I'm going." He told him firmly. "Hope needs her father, I, I'm just collateral damage..."

"Luca, you are not -." Hope began.

Soran groaned loudly interrupting her. She threw another fire ball directly at Louie and Hope. Luca rushed in front of them just as the ball hit him with such force that he knocked backwards into Louie and Hope. He groaned loudly.

"Luca?" Hope asked, her voice breaking.

"I, I'm fine." Luca assured her, but as he said it, he knew it wasn't true. Soran had hit him square in his mother board. The one part that kept his robot parts running. Without that, the human part of his body won't function at all. He could already feel himself slipping away.

As the plane lifted in the air, he looked back at his mother who snickered at him. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply before opening them again.

"You win, Mother." He told her in defeat before turning back to Louie and Hope. Hope was crying softly now, and Louie had a grim look on his face.