DISCLAIMER: I have a nicer job, but I still do not own the rights to this old series...

That wasn't quite right. Well, it could have been, but Duke couldn't be sure at the present moment. He fidgeted, his fingers securing the precious gem into one of the pockets on the lapel strapped around his shoulder.

Another bright light lit the sky momentarily, this time from the opposite direction.

"Beaks?" his fingers brushed the communicating device tucked into the collar of his jumpsuit. "What's going on out there?"

"Out where?" the rough voice crackled over the line.

"Outside, ya birdbrain!" Duke tried to keep a leveled voice, quickly scanning his surroundings and taking inventory of his current situation.

"How am I supposed to know?" came brusque the response, nearly drowned out by static.

Duke held his tongue, trying desperately to keep his cool. There were times he regretted his choice in co-conspirators.

Another flash of light caught his attention, this time it was accompanied by a low rumble that filled the room. "That's definitely not right…" the grey bird observed, his voice nearly a whisper.

"What was that?" Beaks' voice was becoming incredibly difficult to hear over the increasing static. "Duk-?" The communicator crackled, Beaks' voice popping through incoherently now and again.

"Beaks?" Duke was now concerned. This was completely wrong. Beaks was the cream of the crop in audio-visual engineering. There was nothing that the disgruntled duck couldn't handle in his field of expertise. "Beaks? Can ya hear me?"

The line finally went dead, only static was coming through now. The secondary channel herald the same results.

Duke finally began to move quickly, adrenaline guiding him through the building. His mind raced, recalling the layout of the jeweler's shop. He peeked around the corner, straining to listen to his surroundings. Surprisingly, nothing sounded out of place inside the building. But the low rumbling was building in strength from somewhere outside. It sounded like it was spreading. It sounded like something had crashed, maybe. And more startling were the flashing lights that were now radiating from all directions.

The building shuddered violently, glass and masonry exploding somewhere not too far from him. With that, Duke finally abandoned all inclinations of stealth. He raced out the front door instead of heading towards his planned exit point as alarms began a deafening howl throughout the building.

The world outside the jeweler's shop caught him off guard. Unknown ships were darting in every direction across the sky, attacking buildings at whim. Debris rained down on the inhabitants as they flooded into the streets panic stricken. Distant fires illuminated the night sky an eerie red. Chaos enveloped everything for as far as the eye could see and the ear could hear.

"What's goin' on!?" Duke clutched onto a stumbling passerby.

"I don't know!" the frightened duck looked around frantic and confused.

The sounds of falling buildings, burning rubble, and jetting unknown aircrafts soon gave way to something more ominous. It started as a distant thudding sound, reverberating through the frozen streets while growing louder as it neared the intersection. A deadly silence feel over the crowd, all eyes waiting for the new threat to appear.

A fresh wave of panicked civilians rushed towards Duke and his unknown companion. The two let their bills drop as a massive robot rounded the corner. It stood well over two stories tall, it's mechanical head craning to get a better view of the crowded streets.

"RUN!"

Duke felt his arm being tugged in the opposite direction. It took a moment to register that Beaks was leading him away from the tall machine at the corner, the duck he had been talking to lost in the stampede of fleeing individuals.

"Wha' is dat thing!?" Duke finally managed to find his voice.

"Never seen anything like it!" the sandy brown duck called back.

Laser fire ahead halted the large crowd, pushing the fleeing mass back in the direction they had come from.

"We're being herded," Beaks realized.

Duke took hold of his ally, pulling him towards a storefront along the street. With a single kick, he shattered the glass door of the store. The blaring alarm did nothing to stop the pair from entering, followed by a few others who had seen them.

"They're coming!" an older hen pushed her way towards the back of the store, frantically looking for an exit.

The frenzied group manage to break a few doors down, spilling out into the alley behind the storefronts.

Duke took a moment to pause. His heart was pounding, his adrenaline racing as fast as his mind to try and understand what was happening. The world was literally crumbling around him. In all the chaos, the one repeating thought in his head was that he had to make it back to Brook City, even if he had to walk those two days to get back.

"I think it's an invasion," Beaks stood next to him catching his breath shakily.

"Who would want invade this frozen wasteland?!" a younger hen in a t-shirt and shorts worriedly looked around. She stood shivering and barefoot. Her disheveled appearances suggested she had been abruptly awoken only a few minutes ago, racing out of her home with nothing.

Something in the distance exploded, catching everyone's attention. The large fireball lite the already smoky night sky with a terrifying thunder. Whatever was in that direction was now a blazing fire.

Duke took a deep breathe, getting a hold of himself. He took the coat off Beaks' back, draping it over the lightly dresses hen. "Don't know, don't wannna be 'round ta find out," he declared heading towards the main street.

"Where ya going?" Beaks demanded taking hold of his friend by the elbow, the woman following them closely. "Ya crazy?!"

"There's a subway near 'ere," Duke tried to remember. "If we could get there, we can get outta 'ere."

"It's down the street, a block away," the woman made hand gestures as she gave directions.

Duke looked her over curiously. "Lead da way, sweet'eart," he didn't question her any further. Unlike himself, she was probably a resident of the area and knew the place like the back of her hand.

Beaks was about to protest before giving his chaotic surroundings one last look. The alien ships were still zipping through the night sky, raining down mayhem. The throngs of ducks driven into the streets were still running around aimlessly without a hint as to what was happening. Things were still exploding in all directions, it was hard to figure out which way was which. Not to mention there seemed to be more of those giant walking machines.

In the end, Beaks simply followed the pair, weaving through the mass of panicked inhabitants. "This has gotta be the end of the world or something," he hissed.

~*End*~

A/N: I LIVE! Kinnda...

So this was was going to be part of a separate series I wanted to write based on a writing prompt. But none of the other characters seemed to have an interesting enough story to continue said prompt. And so, another story has been demoted to a short! C'est la vie!