10/06/2014

Disclaimer: The following story is based off of the Disney cartoon Darkwing Duck Episode 52: "Time and Punishment". All characters, locations, and devices are ©Disney. I am only using them for story-telling purposes and am receiving no monetary incentives or compensation whatsoever.

The Ratcatcher buzzed through the quiet streets of St. Canard, well, as quiet as any major metropolis can be at two o'clock in the morning. St. Canard, being a major metropolis had its issues with the criminal element, and where there were criminals, there was a masked vigilante to stave off the perpetrators that preyed on the populace. St. Canard's hero was none other than Darkwing Duck. At this time, however, crime was the last thing on his mind. Rather, he was puzzling over the strange behavior of two of his arch-enemies, Megavolt and QuackerJack. The former was a tall-gangly rat with an elation for all things electrical and a memory that was the sad result of too much exposure to dangerous amounts of voltage; the latter was a crazed ex-toymaker who was put out of business and turned to a life of crime to exact revenge against the company that put him out of business and the (as he believed) close-minded public that did nothing but mock his ingenuity (exploding teddy bears for instance). Being a masked vigilante, Darkwing had gotten used to, and to be honest had more than his fair share of, nutty ne'er do wells with their plans for causing/spreading mayhem, or gaining wealth, power, infamy, world domination or revenge against a foe or rival (real or imagined). But one thing that all super-villains had in common was they always put up a fight when cornered, and while sometimes there was the more clever crook that pretended to go quietly or even give up the criminal life-style, Darkwing had never had two super-villains actually beg to be turned in without so much as a verbal jibe in his direction. But this was just the icing on the cake as far as Darkwing Duck was concerned. He was much more concerned about the strange behavior of his nine-year old charge, a spirited red-headed girl with a temperament to match who personified the word rambunctious. He couldn't say of her that she was un-loving or anything, but displays of affection were not exactly daily events and especially not following a pronouncement of punishment. The other thing that bothered him was how she got involved even after promising not to, not that he was surprised. He knew that she would like nothing better than to follow his footsteps and eventually become his sidekick or partner in fighting crime. But usually, when he pronounced a punishment, there was all kinds of whining or griping or arguing, not a hug. It was just too out of character for him to proclaim it as one of her clever ideas to play to his ego and avoid punishment. Smiling wryly, he thought about how if she put her very talented mind to practical use she would breeze through school instead of tailing along with just good enough grades not to get held back. He mused momentarily about taking her to someone to see if maybe she was one of those "gifted" students who struggled in regular school because it was too slow and they got bored, but at the same time getting her to sit down and actually do her homework was about as easy as pulling teeth from someone without anesthetic.

His mind was spinning out of control, and it must have shown on his face because his sidekick, a tall, muscular duck who was currently sitting in the Ratcatcher's sidecar along with his charge who was now fast asleep, spoke up for the first-time since turning in Megavolt and QuackerJack at the St. Canard Police Headquarters. "Something wrong, DW?" Darkwing heaved a sigh that was of both exhaustion and some slight annoyance at his train of thought (however random) being interrupted said, "No Launchpad, nothing's wrong, I'm just really tired and want nothing more than to get home and crawl in bed for several hours." An awkward silence ensued, until broken by Launchpad saying, "Look DW, I know I'm no expert of psychology or whatever it is called, but I can tell when something is bothering you." Darkwing heaved another sigh before answering "All right, you got me, something is bothering me." "So what's up DW?" came the reply. Darkwing struggled to find the words to describe his unease. Launchpad, thinking that his question was being ignored said "You know, you can talk to me about anything right?" hearing the note of hurt in his sidekicks voice Darkwing sighed again before saying "I know Launchpad and just so you know it's not you, it's just difficult for me to put my thoughts into words." Launchpad smiled sympathetically, knowing that underneath DW's ego and pompous, self-promoting manner was a low self-esteem. Although Launchpad readily admitted he wasn't exactly the sharpest crayon in the box, he was quite good at reading DW, and Launchpad was pretty sure he knew what was on DW's mind, but good manners forbade him from voicing his suspicions. Launchpad's musings were interrupted by a loud rattling snore followed by a contented sigh, Launchpad chuckled quietly as he lowered his gaze to the sleeping red head that was nestled in his lap. Finally, they arrived at Darkwing's hideout which was located in the top of one of the Audubon Bay Bridge towers. Darkwing dismounted the Ratcatcher and proceeded to stretch his back with a series of cracks and pops that made Launchpad wince. Darkwing then ducked behind a screen and changed out of his crime-fighting outfit and into his civilian attire. Launchpad typically wore the same ensemble everyday so he didn't have to bother changing so he went and sat down in one of the chairs that acted as a means to go quickly and quietly from the tower directly to DW's civilian residence. Once Darkwing finished changing he went back to the Ratcatcher to gently rouse his still slumbering daughter. "Gosalyn, wake up honey, were home" he said gently shaking her shoulders. Gosalyn's eyes cracked open just enough to give her dad a look that made him glad that the saying if looks could kill was not true.