AAOOOSC!: Gulls' Adventures!

Meanwhile, back in the conference room of Nick and Dustin, Nick is sitting by the long, black table, flipping through hologram squares.

In front of him to his left, the only door to the room is heard opening; angry footsteps follow, increasing their volume as they approach the large man.

Then the footsteps stop as someone looms over Nick. “So?” Dustin is heard saying brusquely. “Did they accept the trade?”

Nick peers up at him. He notices that Dustin has a glacial stare and his hair disheveled. “I don't know.”

“What do you mean you don't know?” Dustin narrows his cold eyes.

“The trade never got to them,” he replies calmly.

“How come?”

“Monty burned it up.”

Sharp fury sweeps across Dustin’s face. “HE WHAT?!”

“I didn't know he was gonna do that,” Nick cries out, his face in rising panic. “I didn't even know he had pyrokinetic abilities!”

“GaaaAAAHHH!!!” In outrage, Dustin slams his two hands against the smooth surface of the table. The holograms above glitch out of sight.

Dustin turns to his partner. “I want you,” he growls, “to get Montour back and make him propose his trade to Buffalo again.”

Nick gapes at him in bewilderment. “Buffalo?”

“Where else would we put him?” Dustin straightens up, not tearing his eyes from him. “In Resolute?”

“Buffalo?” Nick looks completely lost with wide eyes. “I thought Joseph was gonna go to Greece…”

Dustin shoots him a disgusted expression. “What? No, we're not even talking about Joseph!” He throws his hands into the air. “We're talking about Montour here!” He points to him. “Go get Brandon and make him propose his, Montour’s, trade to Buffalo!”

Nick’s gaping morphs into gawking. “Monty’s going to Buffalo?”

“That's all part of the plan, right?” Dustin crosses his arms with raised eyebrows.

Nick slowly lowers his eyes. “I didn't know he was gonna get traded…”

“What?” He cocks his head in an attempt to make eye contact with him. “You wanted him to stay in Sunny San Diego and become a hindrance to us? Did you see what he did to me?!” He spins around and jabs his index fingers at his scorched, smoking back.

Nick takes glance at the injury before saying, “I wanted him to help me complete our plan…”

Dustin whirls back around with a scowl. “Asking Montour to help us out is like asking the Reign to help us win. It's not gonna happen. You're asking the enemy.”

“Brandon's not the enemy. He's a nice guy.” Nick grasps onto the armrest of the swivel chair he is sitting in.

“As far as I am concerned, no one on the Gulls or Ducks or Grizzlies are nice guys. They are all obstacle courses to our plan and we must! Get! Them! Out!” Dustin stabs his finger toward the right, where the massive window is situated.

“We can keep Monty--”

“NO!” In a flash, Dustin taps on the table, pulling the hologram cards back into the air. He swipes his hand across them before flicking his hand at them, pulling out a single card.

This card has Brandon’s confused-appearing headshot. Down below after his basic information are the words Buffalo Sabres - confirmed.

“We have him ready for Buffalo,” Dustin continues on gravely. “We just need you to get him to propose it.”

Nick stares at the hologram card in shock. “I never saw that…”

“Well, now you're all caught up and clued in and on the same page.” He gazes back down at him with a sick smirk. “Right?” He pauses for an answer.

Yet after a beat, Dustin continues, pushing himself away from the table. “Well, get on a move on, time's not stopping for us...! He begins to make his way toward the door.

Nick stays in his chair, his eyes locked on Brandon’s hovering card.

Dustin halts by the door, spotting that his partner has not followed him. He twirls around and catches him still by the table. “Come on!” He waves his hand toward himself as a signal to get moving. “Let's go!”

Nick continues staring at his friend’s card.

Dustin lets out an irritated huff before marching back to him. “Anytime now will be good…!”

Without moving, Nick states, “I don't wanna trade Monty.”

The goalie halts next to him with surprise. He then throws his hands in the air. “Oh for crying out loud, don't you want your dream? If so, you HAVE to trade him!”

Nick spins to him. “He can help us!”

Dustin crosses his arms. “Oh, so where is he right now?” he asks in a mocking tone. “Why isn't he with you helping you? You did spend some quality time with him before he burned me up, right?”

Nick stares at him in seething silence, his lips pursed with lowered eyebrows.

“Nicholas…” Dustin puts a comforting hand on his broad shoulder. “...this is for the best for both of us. I say we should just put away our compassion toward our teammates and continue on with this magnificent--”

Nick shoves his shoulder away from his grasp. “I don't wanna do this.”

Dustin’s eyebrows shoot up. “Hm?”

“I don't wanna do this anymore,” he states again. “Not with Monty being traded.” He rises to his feet, showing the true height difference between the two by towering over him.

Dustin gawks at him, flabbergasted. “What?”

“Not with you bossing me around,” he expresses sternly. “Not with you saying what needs to be done. Not with Monty being far away. I need my friend.”

Dustin shakes his head at him with narrowed eyes of puzzlement. “All this time you've been working so well without him.” He holds his hand out at him. “What's gotten into you?”

“I didn't know he was gonna be traded. As long as he's on the same line as me, I'll be fine. But I can't have him up in Buffalo.”

“So you're gonna throw away your dream just for him?” Dustin peers at him with apathy.

“I've already damaged my friendship with him. I don't wanna further the damage by trading him.” He casts his eyes down with guilt. “He'll hate me for life if I do that.”

“You'll already be the owner of the Ducks.” Dustin throws his hands in the air. “Who cares?”

Nick flicks his eyes back at him. “I care. I have feelings.” He reaches behind his collar and pulls his cloak from his shoulder. “I don't wanna wreck anything else.” He tosses the cloak on the table and begins lumbering down the room.

Dustin spins around to keep his eyes on him, or at least his massive back. “So you're gonna not care about me anymore and leave me alone in this plan?!”

Nick stops in the doorway. He then peers at the goalie from behind his shoulder. “At least Monty's been a friend to me all this time.” He then turns away from him and exits the room.

Dustin is now alone in the massive room, gawking in shock at the doorway his partner just walked through.

With a sigh of disbelief, he shakes his head then turns back to gaze at the tossed cloak on the table. He pushes the pile of cloth down the glossy surface of the table, revealing the table’s surface in front of him.

He taps on the table and hunches over the table, becoming closer to it. He then says lowly, “Troppster. You’re in.”

Notes

E.18 "The Ones Behind It All"
Part 7/8
Episode 18/20