AN; This story is based on the new comic books and take place between the show and the first arch of the comic books "The Duck Knight Returns."
Special thanks to Irual, whom withouth I wouldn't be able to write this story or even enjoy the comic books as she was so extremely awesome and kind as to send them to me, all the way from the US, I can't thank you enough.
It was one broken duck who was sitting in front of the job consultant, a duck who was still in deep mourning over the lost of almost everything that had been important in his life, the otherwise strong mood swing of Drake Mallard was gone, the enthusiasm and strong spirit, and in it's place was a permanent defeated face expression that only showed to well that his heart was broken.
He hadn't been able to face his best friend, so he had send him away, Launchpad was gone and Drake would never be able to talk to the man again, he had broken up with his lady love, the most magnificent, beautiful, caring, strong strange woman on the earth, and he would never meet or even see any-one remotely like her. He had left her to live out her life in that strange wonderful world he for the longest time had thought he belonged in, rather than the real world, but that world was washing away, it had beaten him, and now the real world was crashing down on him, confronting him with reality, the reality most peopled lived by, the reality in all fairness every-one should be living by if we are to be fair, everything was as it was supposed to be, and that had taken away his purpose, his identification, when Drake spoke to himself in his head, he had for as long as he remembered, automatically called himself Darkwing, and Drake was the necessary mask, now he had been forced to kill Darkwing, and become Drake Mallard, even though he didn't had the tiniest clue who Drake Mallard was, and still, he couldn't help but mourn the lost of Darkwing, it did fell like an important part of him was missing, that even his life around him was missing, and the worst part, it felt like it was so close, that he only needed to reach out and take it, but had to restrain himself, he had to stop, he wanted to so badly to throw a fit and yell out loud that he was sick of it, run back to his lair and don't give a damn about what had happened, but then Gosalyn's face popped up in his mind, and he just knew he couldn't do it.
"So Mr. Mallard." The large woman on the other side of the desk looked very tired of her job all ready and annoyed at that, his resume probably didn't help in the least. "No education I see."
"I did finish colleague." Drake pointed out. "And even with quite high degrees, or well urh.. I didn't flunk anything."
"Hm." The woman thrummed as she drummed her fingers on the table. "And what did you do with those degrees? from what I can see, nothing, you could might as well have been laying on the couch for over a decade."
"I did not!" Drake's hands tightened together. "I did plenty of things! marvellous things, I.. I erhh, I was busy!"
"But had no real jobs apparently." The woman didn't look up. "No contacts, no signatures, not even of the obscure kind, not even a single proof you were alive."
"Urh hehe." Drake gulped pulling out in his sweater.
"And then you re-emerged out of no-where, the first sign being you appearing in a hospital severally injured, then you bought a house and then adopted a daughter and since then." The woman flipped the page. "No consistent work. There's a pay-check for aiding in a experiment conducted by a Doctor Sarah Bellum. Another pay check to deliver a document to Achme San De-joro, prince of Peru. Working in precise five days as replacement in Star Duck. Sold an old English necklace to a jeweller" She glanced down the paper. "And the rest is just as inconsistent."
Drake groaned as he rubbed his eyes. "Say no more." He mourned.
"And lately the charity, really Mr. Mallard, I think it's good for you to experience an honest day of work."
At that Drake looked up. "What charity?" he asked.
"The transactions from Macawber restaurant." The woman told. "Happened quite regularly I might add."
"WHAT!" Drake exclaimed. "That can't be right! Give me that!" and he snatched away the papers from the woman's hand, to true enough, witness several numbers indicating transactions from a Macawber Restaurant to his own bank account, the amounts were only small, Morgana knew him to well, knew he would figure her out in a minute if it was to big an amount, but it really bothered him how often it had happened, and the mere fact that it had happened at all! "Oh brother." Drake grimaced. "I told her I didn't need help, this happened behind my back." He exclaimed. "All though it makes sense how we were suddenly able to pay the house rent on time." He groaned ones again. "I suppose that's another reason to get moving with this." He hissed. "I assure you, it's going to stop, right this instance, the first thing I am going to do now is to change my bank account number." ... and boy, just what he needed, a reminder of how kind a person Morgana truly was, it was just twisting the knife right now.
"In any case, it does not matter." The woman took back her papers. "Unlike you, Ms Macawber seems to be extremely successful in her own independent business and does not need to be sat up, you how-ever, you don't even have specifications we can use as guidelines to a set-up."
Drake closed his eyes as he looked down.
"So there's only one place to go from there." The woman brought ford a stemple. "Together with all the rest who can't be specified, at the bottom." And she slammed the stemple down. "Congratulations with your new job, may it enrich your life."
"I'm sure." Drake mumbled in a way to defeated tone.
Monday morning, and Drake was headed for his new job, formerly dressed as was demanded, with an ironed shirt and a tie, only as he found his cubic number on the map on the entrance, he realised he had to go all the way down to the basement at the deepest level. "Together with the rest without job specifications." He mumbled and then gritted his teeth's. That would mean people who had quite college, buglers, pant collectors, artists, thief's, people who lived in their parents basement, Drake groaned as he stepped into the elevator, and quickly were squeezed into a corner by the overflow of people, he would have to share a cubic with-someone, and he just knew it would be some-one he couldn't stand, he mentally tried to prepare him for the worst, a drunk who had been home-less for years, and was still a pity thief, a fat lazy smelling bum who would fill out everything with his laziness, yeah, that would be it, and he would be a pelicans island fan to! a complete dyslexic and a distant relative to the muddlefoots. Drake concentrated on the image, convinced that if he convinced himself of the worst, anything else would be an improvement and he would be able to cope better with it.
Still with this mental image in mind Drake searched the cubics.. 9632 9634.. and at last, all down at the end, 9666, there his new work spot was, tiny, brown, ordinary, boring, and his new partner was all ready there, sitting in his chair with the back to he opening, sitting bowed over looking down in a thick yellow book, which looked like their guide to their new job, a similar book was laying on Drakes new desk... Well, at least this person wasn't fat nor smelly, and at least it seemed like he could read if you should judge from how he had just flipped a single page and his finger was now following the lines, this guy maybe wasn't so bad after all.
"Hmpf." Drake cleared his throat, and then knocked on the wall. "Excuse me."
The person in front of Drake didn't even flinch, he just continued reading.
Drake frowned annoyed. "Excuse me!" he repeated a little louder. "HALLO!" and still the person didn't respond. "Hey, I am talking to you, at least have the decency to answer!" Drake exclaimed.
And at ones the person slammed his book together and turned around. "What!" he asked in a loud annoyed tone.
Nothing… nothing in the whole wide world would have been able to prepare Drake for this, he was gobsmacked, stunned into disbelief of the sight of his new cubic partner, the mad eyes, the large front teeth's, the static hair.. the goggles..
"Oh, stunned for words now are we?" The rat smirked. "Didn't expect to work with a celebrity huh?"
"Me-Me-Megavolt!" Drake stammered.
"Quiet you idiot!" Megavolt stood up and grabbed Drakes beak to keep it closed. "We are not allowed to mention names like that, if they spot any sign that am still attached to that identity I will be in real trouble, so if you say anything more that stupid, I fry your feathers!" Megavolt held up a hand that started sizzling with electricity. "You got that?" Megavolt asked.
Drake nodded as the hand holding his beak prevented him from talking.
"And even more, I set the pace here, we are supposed to work as a team, but I don't like being on a team with whimps like you, I don't like being told what to do by whimps like you! So if you have your health dear, you remember that!" Megavolt angered.
Again Drake could only nod, and at last Megavolt let go of the beak to sit back with his book, as if nothing had happened.
Drake was left to open and close his beak while trying to massage some feeling into it, Megavolt was here.. how, why? Immediately Drakes Darkwing instinct kicked in, telling him that Megavolt couldn't be out to any good, what was he up to this time? As Drake sat down and opened his own book he thought about it, really hard, his head was zeeling as he wracked his brain for any possibilities, yet found zero answers, not even as much as a far fetched theory.
"Well at least you can read."
Drake turned his head to look at Megavolt who had lazedly commented at him.
"Quite frankly I was afraid of being stuck on some imbecile who had lived in his mothers basement for the last twenty years." Megavolt snorted.
Drake rolled his eyes. "No." he answered flatly. "I have been able to keep myself a float fine enough."
Megavolt lifted an eyebrow. "Then what are you doing here?" he asked.
"Erh.." Drake halted. "I erh.." he thumbed. "Recent developments have made my old job erh… obsolete." He looked down on the floor as he had spoken the words, as they hit even himself. "I have become obsolete, that's why."
"Oh swell." Megavolt uttered sarcastic leaning his head on his hand. "A mourner, well don't come complaining to me about anything."
"Wouldn't dream of it." Drake answered shaking his head as he looked up in the ceiling. "So excuse me for asking." He looked at Megavolt. "What on earth is a most wanted criminal, and not only that, a downright super villain, doing here?" he asked.
"Why on earth should I tell you?" Megavolt asked crossing his arms starring meanly at Drake.
"I am just very curious." Drake told in a slick voice. "After all, there is a reason why you have occupied the title of most wanted from time to time, that is not a title given to any-one."
"Your damn right!" Megavolt angered. "No sir, it takes skill to get that title, smarts! Stealth, strength!"
"Insanity and a superpower helps a lot to." Drake mumbled under his breath.
"What was that?" Megavolt asked.
"Nothing!" Drake stated at ones.
"As I was saying." Megavolt cleared his throat. "Those crimebots up there makes it impossible to as much as cross the road when it's red!" he exclaimed. "It's insanity I tell you, insanity! There is only one time I've seen anything remotely as insane!"
"When was that?" Drake asked.
"When me and my pall Quacky accidently ended up in a alternative future where you could be electrocuted for having dandruff."
"Oh." Drake blinked, and then frowned as tried to remember any such scenario but failed, that was apparently one adventure he had missed out on, but then again, lord knows what kind of weird stuff had happened every single time Megavolt and Quackerjack was in the same room.
"But as I was saying." Megavolt continued. "It's impossible for any-one to throw as much as a piece of litter out there without being robo zapped, and I may be insane and crazy, but I am not an idiot!"
"Erh.." Drake was just about to hold up a finger commenting on the weird statement, but changed his mind last second. "Never mind." He dropped his hand.
"None of us had a chance!" Megavolt exclaimed. "We did fight, man did we fight! We villains are not to be messed around with, but in the end they had us and we had the choose between electrocuted or working!" He told. "Well, in my case it was hanging.. and in Licky being frozen for-ever, and bushy be burned.. Jacky was the only one threatened with electrocution."
"Wait, hold it." Drake held ford both his hands. "All of the fearsome five is some-where in the building.. working? As honest people!" he asked.
"Not for long!" Megavolt stated as he crossed his arms. "We'll be out terrorizing the city again in no time! As soon as we find the robots weakness." He told surely.
"You don't even have a clue if they even do have a weakness do you?" Drake asked tiredly, and secretly in his mind praying that Megavolt was all ready on the right track, Drake couldn't help it, he kind of wanted Megavolt to go bananas in the city.
"That is no concern of yours!" Megavolt exclaimed loudly.
That was answer enough, Megavolt didn't have a single clue,… dammit.
"Say, your mighty curious for just one ordinary duck." Megavolt suddenly mussed.
"erh." Drake leaned back. "Really?" he asked.
"Yeah." Megavolt looked suspiciously at him. "One might think some-one has alterior motives.. "
"What?" Drake asked. "Njaah, that's just silly."
"Is it really?" Megavolt asked.
"Urh.." Drake gulped as the sweat was forming on his forehead. "It's.. just.. erh, as you said.. it's like being put together with a… a celebrity! And such an extremely ordinary boring person like me, who knows nothing but a really boring life with the same routine every single day, whom have never tried adventure, I squack by the mere thought of dangerous situations, can't help but be mighty curious and intrigued!" he exclaimed. "Awed in fact!" he blabbered.
"You don't say.." Megavolt squinted his eyes at him, leaning forward, small sparks were to be found in the end of his hair, before he smiled lightly and sad back. "All right makes sense, shezz I'm glad I am not the one with so little a backbone that my life is that boring." He snorted.
"Phew." Drake breathed out.
"But don't think your off the hook, ever!" Megavolt exclaimed. "You hear me Ducky!"
Annoyed Darkwing looked at him. "Mallard." He at last said. "My name is Mallard, not Ducky."
"What-ever." Megavolt rolled his eyes. "And remember I am not mega.. you know the name, I'm.. erh.. I'm erh."
"Elmo…" Drake said very slowly pronouncing each letter softly yet clearly, saying the word as you would do to a one year old whom was just learning to speak.
"Elmo!" Megavolt said surely while snapping his finger, as if it was him who said it first. "Elmo.. erh.. erhhh!"
"It starts on Sputter and ends on Spark." Drake commented lazily leaning on his hand.
"Don't call me Sparky!" Megavolt suddenly yelled. "Ever!"
"SputterSpark!" Drake exclaimed. "Elmo Sputterspark!"
"And that's what I said!" Elmo exclaimed. "are you dense? Do you have to repeat everything I say?"
Drake groaned annoyed as he hand palmed himself. "I've only been here five minutes, and I all ready know I hate my job!" he muttered under his breath.
"So.. erh.. Ma.. Ducky!" Elmo snapped. "Get to work."
"Mallard!" Drake groaned. "It's Mallard!"
"That's what I said wasn't it?" Elmo asked annoyed.
"URGH!" Drake threw up his arms. "Fine! It was! Your right, we should work! Stop talking!" and he turned around on his chair to face his computer screen.
"No, you stop talking!" Elmo's voice shouted behind Drake.
Drake didn't answer but merely rolled his eyes before he sighed looking at the screen where he was supposed to write numbers, with no idea of what they were for, it was all about copying and pasting really, Drake shook his head as he glanced down in his backpack, where he just precisely could see the corner of a picture frame he had brought for his desk, slowly he pulled it up and looked at he picture of a laughing Gosalyn who was running around with her soccer ball on a muddy field, and just beneath where the picture had been, was a small Darkwing figure Gosalyn had insisted he should take with him, just as she had insisted not to throw his stuff out, these items were meant to make this a bit easier for him, side glancing at Megavolt Drake sighed and stuffed the picture back, better safe than sorry, Megavolt should not see that picture, and the figure would probably tick him off in an instant, actually it was probably good that Drake stuffed the figure away in a very dark dusty corner, anything which was a reminder to his former alter ego should be stuffed away, the only thing stopping him from throwing it away was Gosalyn who put up an impressive fight each time he as much as suggested it, it had even gone so far that she had hidden his costume until he swore not to tear it up or throw it away, if Drake had to be honest with himself, he probably couldn't if he came down to it, just thinking about it Drake felt lost knowing he could not wear it. . There was just no way this day could become any worse, and Drake really badly just wished it to end.
As it turned out, that wish Drake had made on his first day was a stupid wish, because as he discovered, the next day was absolutely the same day! And the next day again, and the next, and the next... Every single day was the same dull annoying routine, and he couldn't even just wish for the day to end, because he knew the same thing would continue the day after. It was strange really, Drake had even less energy in his weekends and spare time than he had had when he was a superhero running around the city each night. As he came home he often had to just relax to have a single chance for being ready to the morning, and then do the house chores to exhausted plummet down in bed, to wake feeling exhausted and tired in the morning having to drag himself to his dreaded work place.
"Dad!" Gosalyn had worried grabbed his sleeve and shaken him. "Pull yourself together! We need to do something!"
"Not now." Drake had yawned. "I'm to tired.."
"You need fresh air!" Gosalyn exclaimed. "To move your joints, get a thrill anything!" she had continued pleading. "I don't care what you do, just go do something! If it's not for me I promise to be good and stay home, or I know, lets go camping, the two of us!"
"But you hate camping." Drake had lifted an eyebrow at him.
"If it gets you out it's worth it." Gosalyn promised. "I will even let you teach me how to fish."
Drake yawned. "Next weekend perhaps." He murmured. "right now, though, I'm to tired."
"Dad no." Gosalyn pleaded. "This is not you, you need to snap out of it."
"It has nothing to do with not being myself." Drake told her sternly removing her hand from his sleeve. "It's all about that I have been working all week and that has made me tired, nothing else."
"Yeah right." Gosalyn had hissed with crossed arms. "You used to work much more than this, and at least you had spirit enough to yell at me when I crashed the living room." She murmured. "You do nothing but sit still all day in front of a computer, it rots the brain, isn't that what you always say?"
Drake bit back, suddenly feeling extremely ashamed. "Gos." He murmured. "Honestly, it's the worst job in the universe, but I don't have a choice." He bowed down as he had to draw her in in a hug for his own sake. "You're right, go pack your bag, we are going far away from the city tonight, and wont come back before Sunday."
Gosalyn gulped, trying to hide her own sadness over having to see her father this way. "Good." She whispered.
All though, Monday it was back to the cube ones again. Every single day the same. "Morning Elmo."
"Don't morning me, Ducky."
"Mallard."
"What-ever! Just manage your own business."
Until they arrived at. "Afternoon Elmo, now don't be late the bus is driving in five minutes you know."
"Don't tell me what to do!"
"You got it Elmo." Drake rolled his eyes.
"And who are you! I know that face, I know it! It's driving me mad! Mad I tell you!"
"I'm your cube mate." Drake murmured as he did every single day, while he stuffed his papers down in his bag. "See you tomorrow."
"Don't be so sure! Soon it will be my time again, soon!"
"What-ever you say." Drake shrugged and went out of their working space to follow the float of workers on their way out of the building.
One day, on a particularly hot day which meant the cube spaces were unbearable to be in, as soon as Drake had a break he with all the other works, safe Elmo, lined up in front of the watercoolor to get a zip of ice cold water, hopefully. Every-one around him was chatting, and mostly about the weather.. only about the weather, yeas, he got it! It was hot, as if there wasn't any thing more interesting to talk about? Or well, with the bots out there cleaning up anything out of order, no, no there was not anything that was more interesting to talk about, and it was depressing, it made Drake groan as he hand palmed himself while he leaned against the water cooler.
"Shhhh ma le ofh."
Drake blinked, it sounded like incoherent words of some kind, but where were they coming from? He looked around.
"Mae I .. stooo.."
"Huh" Drake looked around, and then his eyebrows raised as he looked down on the water cooler, before hesitatingly bowing down pressing his ear against the cold object.
"Make it stop! Please, make it stop!"
"Jesus!" Drake stood straight up. "The water cooler is talking!"
A large pig looked down at Drake. "Buddy, I think you need to lie down, your getting a heat stroke I think."
"But the water cooler." Drake pointed at the object.
"Do yourself a favour, lay down for a bit." The pig asked of him in a gentle tone. "If the boss asks I'll tell him why, and remember to drink some water."
"But." And first then did Drake realise how positively insane he sounded. "Yeah fine." He muttered.
Though it didn't take long, as soon as the break was over, Drake tiptoed back to the watercooler, looking over the shoulder before he bowed down and knocked at it. "Hallo." He enquired.
"No! Not more chit chatting and talking!" a voice sounded from the cooler. "Get me out! Please!"
"Hey." Drake murmered. "I know that voice.. it's.."
"Hey, it's me you're talking to!" the voice suddenly realised. "Thank god! someone heard at last, I can't believe it! I've been stuck in here for ages and no one heard me!"
"Who are you?" Drake asked a little nervously as the voice only sounded way to familiar.
"I'm the great Liquidator, first rate quality super villain, it only takes one try to be hooked."
Drake blinked, and then his face suddenly retrieved in disgust. "Ewww!" he exclaimed. "Your in the watercooler! Does that mean people have been drinking of you? Phew!" he spat out, as if that would help the fact he had been drinking of this thing for the year.
"Don't be stupid, I wouldn't let people drink of me!" the Liquidator exclaimed. "I am always as far away from the cups as possible!"
"But you're still in the watercooler!" Drake exclaimed.
"I'm in every single watercooler in the building." The voice responded. "I am the one to keep the water cold, it's my so called job... I had no choice, even though I am a salesmen, I got the degrees, I got resume.. why do I have to be in here? let me out.. I have to concentrate to speak like this.. all ready I'm tired.."
"Is there anything I can do?" Drake asked hopelessly.
"The talk.." Liquidators voice was clearly distant and exhausted so Drake had to lean over to hear. "Make it stop, all that watercooler talk, I can't take it."
"But.." Drake swallowed. "I can't, how could I make them stop talking, they work here.."
"please.. " the distant voice faded away. "Make it stop..." and he was gone.
"I really am sorry." Drake padded the watercooler while regarding it sadly. "no-one deserves this, but I can't replace every single water cooler in the building, there gotta be hundreds by the very least, and I can't make people stop talking, but if I ever find out who's responsible for this, I'll give him a piece of my mind." And then Drake realised what a completely pathetic statement that was. "Sorry." He at last said again padding the watercooler and turned around to walk out. "And I am so bringing my own bottled water from now on." He cringed, just in time to get back to the cube and a very confused Elmo Sputterpark.
"Where did I get to in this? Which number! Which page?" he screamed pulling in his hair.
"Notes, Elmo, remember to take the notes." Drake instructed. "That's what I got you the yellow paper slips for, lets see." Drake looked at Elmo's computer. "Ah, here we go." He pulled a note down from the computer frame. "You did write it down before you went on a break, see." He pointed out. "The numbers fits, and before you go home, you make another note so you know where you got to in the morning."
"I know that!" Elmo snapped. "Stop lecturing me!"
"Wouldn't dream about it." Drake smiled weakly.
More time passed by, in a sheer blur, dragging out the energy in every-one, even Elmo who had been an occasional mad outbreak started to become oddly quiet and hunched, which just went to make Drake even more sad, as Drake went to work he had several bottles of water in his bag, though only one was for drinking, the rest of the water he slipped into the withering plants at peoples work desks, he now made a de-tour to one of the other cubes, to shortly glance in and witness a mutated plant duck scientist, who wasn't even green any-more, he was a withered light brown, and Drake was doubting if the plant duck even went on breaks, he seemingly didn't move, on one hand it was good, then Drake was sure him and megavolt wouldn't run into each other by chance, but on the other hand, it was just so sad. As much as Drake wanted to see these people behind bars for good, he didn't wanted it to be like this, it was incidental he had stumbled upon Bushroot of cause, and when it had happened Bushroot had been completely heart broken starring at a withering plant, the plantmant had asked the person in the cube to at least water it, but the worker had shrugged it off, in a very rude manner. Drake had seen Bushroot slip water to the plants anyhow, but that hadn't stopped every single plant from withering in the small work spaces, lacking everything from air, to sunlight, to even water. I had was months ago that Drake had last seen Bushy pour water to the dying plants, and now it had been a very long time ago Bushroot had stopped moving at all, he was nothing more than a overgrown withered cube plant now.
Drake didn't even really know why he was wattering the plants around Bushroots cube, it just seemed like the right thing to do at given time, and then if no one was around the water cooler he would go over to it and whisper the most recent news.. which wasn't much, nothing happened in the city due to the crimebots, but at least the Liquidator could gain some sensible words directly meant to him ones in a while, Drake could only shutter by the thought of how it would be to be trapped in several hundred water coolers at the same time!
As Drake came into his own cubic he stopped surprised, by the sight of Elmo, standing with his back to Drake, head and shoulder hunched, sniffing.
"Elmo?" Drake asked surprised.
The rat didn't answer.
"Elmo what's happening?" Drake asked as he moved over behind the former super villain looking up at Elmo's dispearing face.
"I.. I remember." Elmo gulped.
It stifled in Drake. "Remember what?" he asked nervously.
"The route down here, I didn't get lost, even ones." Elmo muttered. "I remembered my password to the computer without looking at my note, I remembered where the cube is, the building, I remember you, you're Mallard."
Drake looked up at him. "Well, that's good, isn't it?" he asked.
"No!" Elmo grabbed Drakes shoulders. "Don't you see! It means it has all become routine!" he yelled in a loud voice.
"Wha-what?" Drake asked as he was shaken violently by the electrical villain.
"I knew you were dense, but even you must have noticed how my short time memory is as reliable as a leaking boat! If I remember this much, it means I have been here for far to long! It means this is the routine! I don't want this to be my life!" Elmo suddenly started crying. "I always hated boring grey people behind a desk, they are spineless zaps without the guts to do what they really want, they are dead, dead I tell you I don't want to be one of them." He violently shook Drake as he starred at him with wide mad eyes. "I want to get out of here! It's hell! I need to be free! Don't you see?" Elmo fell down on his knees crying into Drakes shirt. "I belong out there! As a part of an adventure!" he broke out crying and then blew his nose in Drakes shirt. "All those poor light bulbs I have forsaken! All that havoc that is lacking, this is not living! This is worse than death!" he gasped for air. "I want my old life back." He sobbed.
"Eww." Drake wrinkled his beak very disgusted, and then sighed defeated grimacing, before he reached out an arm and gave Elmo two flat clasps on the shoulder. "There, there." he said quickly and stiffly.
"Oh what do you know, your precisely one of those sort of people I don't want to be like." Elmo sniffed. "If only you knew, how it is to be free, to be true to yourself. I'll do anything to be me again!" He sobbed.
Drake halted, and then he deflated sighing as he laid a hand on Elmo's shoulder. "I understand." He muttered. "It would be so nice if this was someone's evil plot and we could all hunt him down, but that isn't it, it's just.. evolution, as they said."
"Then what makes that me in this oh so good future world?" Elmo asked. "A relic from another time that's what, no one remembers, no one. "
"I know, I know." Drake sighed.
"They don't even appreciate what I did." Elmo murmured.
"Idiots." Drake mumbled. "The whole lot."
"You know, it's so weird." Elmo mumbled. "I remember your name now, and that you're my dense cube mate, but there's still something really weird about you." He stood up and looked down at Drake "And I can't place it! It's driving me nuts!" he squinted his eyes and bowed over seizing Drake with an annoyed stare. "I want to know! what is it I can't place?"
Drake sighed relived, now there was the Elmo Sputterspark he knew and erh… appreciated at some odd level, and for time number hundred at least, Drake thanked god for Elmo's short time memory problems, the rat had probably all ready forgotten everything about the break down all ready, he just hoped that breakdowns like this wouldn't become a usual occurrence, Drake wasn't sure his own mentally could bear hear Elmo's desperation over and over, when they were a bit to close to his own locked away feelings, it really did fell like they were all relics from another world, and it was to sad to bear..
Though that night, something weird happened in the office building, a duck, dressed as a clown, or rather a jester tiptoed towards the door, eyeing the robots around him he pulled out the stolen key and stuffed it in the lock. "Tihihihi!" the clown giggled as the door sprung up. "Well, I suppose we start from the top and then go down!" he grinned as he stepped into an elevator and went all the way upstairs, where he headed for the big office, but in that office the clown did not go for cash, nor the vault, not even anything that would have any reason to have an alarm attacked to it, he went straight for the water cooler and smashed it open with a hammer. "Whops." He said. "Now someone could get wet!" and he giggled pulling out a bucket. "Outsy daisy licky." He gestured. "Come on, we don't have all night, I need to smash at least thirty watercoolers more before you can assume an physical form." And a little tiny splash of water retrieved and formed itself away from all the other water. "Aha!" Quackerjack triumphed and got the water into his bucket. "Unto the next one!" he proclaimed. "And forward march!"
At last he had made it all the way down to the basement, finally a almost back to watery normal canine walking beside him. "I have you know, I am never going to drink water out of a watercooler ever again." Quackerjack grimaced.
"Me neither." Liquidator murmured. "I mean, if I had the need to drink that is."
Just as Quackerjack smashed one finale water cooler, making a spot of water fly right up into Liquidator and merge with him. "Ah." Liquidator sighed. "Need to be reassembled, try Quackerjacks workshop, he is your man."
"That I am." Quackerjack grinned. "And we havn't even gotten to the best part yet, there is someone else here I want to pick up."
"oh?" Liquidator asked.
"YO BUSHY!" Quackerjack stepped in front of a cube opening. "Stop acting like a withering house plant and come on out."
Curiously Liquidator joined Quackerjack and looked into the cube, to witness the brown withered bushroot who seemed like he had rooted in the chair, his eyes were dead empty, he didn't even move.
"Bushbrain!" Quackerjack snapped annoyed. "Snap out of it!"
"Erh." The Liquidator blinked. "Correct me if I am wrong, but he is part plant correct?"
"Yeah, so?" Quackerjack snorted.
"Plants wouldn't do to well in a basement like this, he needs fresh air, water and sunlight."
"Well water we got plenty of don't we?" Quackerjack asked. "Sprinkle away." He stepped aside for Liquidator, whom shrugged summoning the water from the nearby smashed watercooler to splash it unto Bushroots face.
"Dried out from the heat, try Licky's water, quarantined to wake you up in an instant."
But as soon as the water splash was done and it was now merely dripping, it didn't seem like it did much.
"Any more bright ideas?" Quackerjack asked annoyed.
"hey, I didn't say I knew it would work, I was just guessing." Liquidator defended himself.
"I really don't have time for this, it took almost all night just getting you out!" And Quackerjack stumbed into the cube and grapped a hold in Bushroot, trying to pull him out of the chair. "Oh man, he really have rooted!" Quackerjack grunted.
"I'll help." Liquidator placed himself behind Bushroot. "Now!" and as Liquidator pushed Quackerjack pulled, until bushroot came off, pulling several roots with him, making Quackjack fell backwards with Bushroot on top of him and Liquidator splashing over both of them.
"Well we got him." Quackerjack commented as he shook his head so water sprinkled every-where. "Let's go!" and he stood up and pulled the stiff Bushroot over his shoulder.
"What's the plan from now then?" Liquidator asked as he ran alongside Quackerjack.
"Well, first we figure if Bushy can be saved, we would need his powers, then when he's back to being all right, it's Megs we need to get, how-ever he isn't to difficult, we just need to grap him fron the pavement in front of the building when he is either on his way from or to work." Quackerjack told. "And then.." he let it linger. "It's time for revenge! Towards all those who made us suffer!"
"Brilliant." Liquidator grinned. "I am so mad, I have never been more angry in my life, not even at that dufius Darkwing Duck."
"Aye, feeling with you buddy." Quackerjack grinned. "As to Darkwing, it helps a bit to know he was probably stuck behind a desk to, yuck!" Quackerjack grimaced. "I burned my desk, and it was the most satisfying feeling I ever had, better than smashing wiffleboy consoles."
"You know this probably means Darkwing will be out and running to ones he figures we are causing a havoc." Liquidator pointed out.
"Well, to be honest." Quackerjack laughed as they exited the building. "I wouldn't want it any other way! I have a score to settle with him myself, several scores! finally, after all this time, WE ARE BACK! AND BACK TO STAY! how dared they to put on us hold like that! We are better than that!"
"YEAS!" Liquidator triumphed with Quackerjack. "Ten out of ten costumer says, this is a product that never gets old! highest quality, and is here to stay!"
"Good to be back." Quackerjack laughed loudly so it rung all over the city.