Doubts and Doppelgangers Chapter 1, a darkwing duck fanfic

This is the third in a series! Please read Roots of Revenge and The Mistress and the Madman or (I assure you) you will not get what is going on.

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Doubts and Doppelgangers

-Chapter One-

Never fear! Gizmoduck is here!

There was nothing like the loving kiss of alcohol to ease the pain. An army of different colored liquids were at his beck and call. All he had to do to deploy them was drop some green paper on the bar. At this place he didn't even have to ask for a specific drink, the bartender knew him well enough to figure out what he wanted next. He didn't need to talk here, he didn't even have to open his mouth if he didn't want to, which suited him fine. If he talked, people would recognize his voice, in fact he stopped listening to the radio because they played those damned commercials so often. If he spoke someone would catch it and then they would say something, he just didn't want to deal with that today. He was just glad people didn't know his face as well as they knew his voice, some did, but not many. He wished he could just get out for a few hours with out having to entertain people. He wondered what he was going to do when he left to go home. Ah, what must it feel like to be her, self serving and heartless? A refill came quickly his way. He had lived his life for someone else, degrading and humiliating himself in order to succeed in a glory-less field. Before he had made it big and raised his small bottling factory up to the enterprise it was today, she had been more than any man could ask for. She was kind, sweet, giving, compassionate, beautiful, and they were so very in love with each other. She had been there to lift him up in sadness and shared the burden without complaint in hard times. Felicity, the woman he swore before God to honor and cherish til death parted them... he barely recognized her now. He sucked back the last of the bitter liquid and signaled another round to the bartender. He knew it was a cruel fact that alcohol killed brain cells, he just wished it would maim the ones he wanted it to. He fiddled with his undone tie, it was one of his favorites, the silk was so smooth it slid through his fingers like water. He saw a couple of young girls, not unattractive, but nothing to fuss over, watching him. They were talking quietly to each other and one of them giggled. They noticed him eyeing them and one gave him a smile and a flirty bat of her eyelashes. He groaned inwardly. There was a batch of boys huddled around them trying to get lucky no doubt, and were rather annoyed with their fascination with him. He slid his eyes to the glass that was being refilled in front of him, and sighed a curse to himself. They had recognized him, soon they would saunter over here and try to sweet talk drinks out of him, maybe more. He wished he could just disappear.

"What's eatin' ya Bud?"

He looked up at the bartender. Malcolm was a good guy, and he loved being a bartender, why, Bud never really understood. It was sad but he spent so much time here he felt that this almost complete stranger was his closest friend.

"I don't really want to talk about it."

"Yeah right. Your face says different. C'mon Bud, we bartenders we're like psychiatrists, only we really listen." Smiled the dalmatian.

"... She's cheating on me Mal."

"Your wife? You're certain? You say it like you're sure, maybe she's just..."

"No. It's been going on for a while now. She use to hide it, used to make excuses for where she was going, where she had been. Now, she just gives me a look... a kind of sneer, and she leaves and doesn't come back for days, and she spends so damn much money." He spoke to the shot glass he slid miserably between his hands. A low whistle came from above the level of his eyes.

"Whadda bitch..."

A boiling rage tore through him and he pounded his fist hard on the bar.

"That's my wife you're talking about!"

"Buddy... listen, she's not the girl you married. Money, the kind that you make can change people."

"Well I haven't changed ." He huffed.

"Your kidding right? Look at you! I've known you for years, I never see you when you're not in a suit, and I can't even remember the last time I saw you crack a smile. Face it Bud, you can't tell if she's a friend or foe. She's milking your for every everything you've got."

"But... I love her." He said hopelessly. He saw it, saw that she acted like she didn't care about them anymore, but how could she really? They'd been together so long... how could she suddenly stop caring? He felt a comforting hand fall on his shoulder.

"I know ya love her Bud, but you gotta see she's not the girl she use to be. From what I see she's more plastic than flesh now and as warm as an iceberg. You've got to set her straight, you've got to end this."

"I don't know how..."

"Have you confronted her? Does she know that you know? Try threatening her with a divorce... if I'm right she'll seem more upset about parting with your money than with you. But if I'm wrong, and I hope I am, she'll see you care. She could be doing this for attention. I'm telling you, get the papers... you know just to have the visual aid, just to spook her."

He sat there the words licking his skin like a flame. He should try it, it wasn't a bad idea, but he was afraid. What if Malcolm was right? Could he sever himself completely from her? He didn't want it to come to that, sure she had become a financial leech but that didn't change how he felt. He wasn't a young man anymore. He was in his late thirties, and running on a rough work schedule, could he face a day with out knowing she was there, after fifteen years? The world seemed so big and empty to him. Cold and un-welcoming, could he survive in this world alone?

There was a bitter lonely-ness in the November night air. A stifling, smothering feeling of solitude that swallowed dark figure that was perched on a grizzly gargoyle overlooking a busy avenue. The cold blue eyes stared emptily down at the scurrying people below. The leather of his boots creaked softly as he crouched. A sigh escaped the caped mallard. He had not really recovered from the hardships he had endured last month. His joints were stiff, his spirit heavy with regret, his mind drowning in questions, and his heart was breaking a little more with passing of each day. He had not found any answers to any of the questions he had been haunted by and was losing his confidence. Quackerjack's words swirled around in his head, hid behind his eyelids, lingered behind every thought, he nagged at his brain.

"Just you wait... This is only the beginning..." What did he mean?Darkwing sighed in defeat, he had no idea what it meant.

He knew he had slept but felt like he hadn't in weeks, he was falling apart. He was becoming resentful and ill tempered, he hated it. Under the sea of black layers the cold Macabre pendant he diligently wore, rested on his chest like a military medal. Like a purple heart, he thought morbidly. When she was here he didn't care about who he had been, about who he was suppose to be, but now she was gone for going on a month now. She hadn't sent him a stamp let alone an entire postcard. Morgana had made him feel like he could do anything, that just having the idea of her waiting for him would get him out of anything. She made him feel he was perfect, despite how broken he really was. Now, he felt nothing.

He was like a robot, mindlessly going through the motions. He had been seeing less and less of Gosalyn, due to her hockey league and when she wasn't practicing she was at the Muddlefoots'. Launchpad had gotten rather quiet lately, he showed up at the tower at the same time he always did, but Dark couldn't help but sense the mechanic's tension. He had been acting strangely, and Darkwing couldn't help but think that Launchpad was spending so much time at the hide out to escape from something. The pilot would tune up everything, whether it had been used or not. Darkwing hadn't asked what was wrong, and he doubted that Launchpad would give him a straight answer anyway.

He closed his eyes and drew himself back to the task at hand. Something interesting was going to happen tonight. Sightings were popping up all over the place of the nefarious band of thieves known as the Beagle Boys. They were a crime family run by their mother, she had so many sons that they didn't need to rally up more members for their little operations. The three boys that had been seen in St. Canard were "Big Time", the foul tempered brains of the outfit (next to Ma Beagle naturally), "Burger", the dopey brawn, and "Bouncer", the not as dopey as Burger (but not all that sharp either) brawn. They hadn't really done any harm yet, but just knowing they were here scumming up his city let him know they had plans. They normally terrorized the smaller, more friendly city of Duckburg, but the lure of the "big city" must have proven too much for them. Rumor had it they were going to hit an expensive jewelry store owned by the prestigious McDuck enterprises tonight. He was currently staring at it. He was going to show the dogs how real city justice feels with a hard kick to the face. If he took them down, would he feel a little better about himself? Would it help silence his doubts? Would it lift his spirits? There was a commotion on the street below and the tourists started stampeding away with screams. Darkwing Duck breathed in deeply and calmly spoke to himself.

"Let's get dangerous..."

"Everybody git' goin' or I'll start pumpin' ye full o' lead!" Big Time shouted merrily.

"Yeh!" Continued Bouncer. "Shoot ye some new holes!"

"Like Swiss cheese! Boy I love Swiss cheese..." Burger said more to himself than anyone else.

"You should cuz dat's what yer brain's made outta!" Snarled Big Time to his younger, gargantuan brother.

They all had burlaps sacks filled with goods slung over their shoulders, because (as their Ma said) it's all about the look of tha' thing. Robbers needed to carry burlap sacks, that's how you knew they were robbers and who were they to argue with their mother? So they held their bags with one hand as they brandished their fire arms with the other.

"I like dis place, it's real hospitable." Laughed Big Time.

"An' we dun even hafta worry about Gizmoduck bustin' us!" Said Burger happily.

As the last word escaped the largest beagle an explosion of blue smoke engulfed them. Amid the hacking of his brothers Big Time heard a terrible voice surround them.

"When I get through with you, you'll be wishing Gizmoduck was here."

He heard his brothers open fire and quickly be silenced.

"Who's dere!" He shrieked into the billowing smoke.

"I am the terror that flaps in the night, I am the viper that strikes while you sleep, I am Darkwing Duck!" Growled a voice from behind him.

In desperation he began shooting wildly as the creature called Darkwing Duck laughed all around him. A strong grasp tore the gun from his hand and a tight fist collided with his throat. Gasping for air and through his building reflexive tears a duck covered from head to toe in black loomed over him. The duck's strong hands grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him off the ground. He found himself staring into a pair of ice blue eyes.

"This city is mine Big Time, and you think Gizmoduck is hard on you goons... you haven't see anything yet." Snarled the face before him.

A flood light ripped their vision away. Darkwing blinked madly, as the sound of a screeching tire sounded to his left. He dropped the thug squinting at the moving flood light.

"Halt VILLAIN!" Sang a gallant sounding voice.

There was no time to respond or react, so the giant three fingered robotic hand seized him just as he had done to Big Time. He was lifted off the ground and the floodlight extinguished, however bright spots still floated around in front of Darkwing's eyes.

"What the hell are you doing?" Darkwing bellowed hotly.

"Aha!" Laughed the dramatic voice. "So I've finally caught you eh Darkwing?"

After a few good blinks his worst nightmare came into focus, and he groaned. Gizmoduck, a shiny, boxy armored, single wheeled tank, had him dangling in one of his well polished mits. The suit he wore was littered with what looked like compartments and the only visible part of the duck inside the metal casing was his bill and a bit of his neck. Darkwing struggled to release himself.

"Knock it off you over grown tin can!" He growled. "Put me down or the Beagle boys will get away!" The iridescent purple visor that hid the duck's eyes was locked on him.

"I can always catch up to the likes of them!" Boasted Gizmoduck loudly. "You on the other hand, are quite the slippery fish Wingy!"

"That's Darkwing Duck to you!" He snarled. "And are you so stupid you can't see that I'm a good guy too, you rolling junk heap!"

The beagles had recovered and took this confrontation to make a hasty retreat.

"They're getting away!" Darkwing roared and with immense effort he pried himself from the mechanical grip. He started in pursuit when he heard a spring loaded explosion sound from behind him. With a hard kick off the ground he narrowly missed the device that had meant to wrap around his legs and trip him. He landed, crouched, facing the unicycled mobile fortress that was speeding toward him.

"What are you playing at you moron?" Darkwing shouted. He had never liked the "super hero" even though they hadn't met before, however now that they had he loathed the meddlesome machine.

"I, Gizmoduck, am bringing you to justice! You're little joyride in Duckburg will not go unpunished. Now return what you have taken and come quietly and I will not unmask you in public you scoundrel!" Announced the overly dramatic voice.

"What the hell are you talking about! Maybe you fried a fuze somewhere Giz, because I haven't set a foot in your stupid city!" He stayed crouched, if this ham was half as predictable as Darkwing guessed he was there would be another projectile fired at him very soon.

"Ha! Ha! And triple Ha! I am not as dumb as I look you know! If you will not come peacefully I will remove you by force!" A panel sprung open on the amazingly complicated white armor and what resembled a missile flew toward him.

Nimbly he leapt over it, but as he did so it exploded and a net shout out and entangled him mid leap. He hit the pavement hard and struggling angrily. A unicycle approached.

"I warned you Darkwing. Now where have you hidden the stolen goods?"

Darkwing glared up at the brute with a new found hatred.

"You're after the wrong guy tin man... I've told you all ready I DIDN'T DO IT!" He snarled.

"Oh and I suppose all the photographs and videos of your ransacking are fakes?" A knowing smile passed the visible mouth as Gizmoduck crossed his massive arms.

"Or maybe I was framed! Or you were tricked! Somehow I don't think you're the brightest crayon in the box and would believe anything! But I didn't do a damned thing!" He fumed.

"No dice Ducky, as the justice official that I am, and also Mr. McDuck's bodyguard, I am required to bring you in as well as recover the objects you have snatched." Announced the pompous metal clad duck loudly so that the gathering crowd would get a good show,

There was a sudden explosion of thick blue smoke.

"I told you I didn't do it." Said the swirling curtain.

A panel on the suit's left shoulder flung open and a fan swivelled into view and started blowing the smoke away,

"Parlor tricks will not save you from Gizmo..." The smoke cleared and the net lay hacked to pieces, with no Darkwing in sight. "...duck." He finished crest fallen. The crowd gave a collective gasp and started talking excitedly to each other. Gizmoduck felt it was time he informed the masses.

"Citizens of St. Canard, Darkwing Duck is a menace! The fiend has been day lighting in my fair Duckburg, stealing from the honorable Mr. Scrooge McDuck, then vanishes just as you have seen him do here tonight! Before your very eyes! This man must be stopped and I have been called in to bring him down!" The crowd erupted into a cheer. "But I cannot do this alone! You all must be on look out for this masked mallard and if you should spot him contact your local authorities immediately! Only together can we catch this scallywag!" A cry of enthusiasm ran up and down the street.

Darkwing, four stories above resisted the urge to throw a brick at the bumbling battle tank. He kept his balance on the small ledge and tried to shoo away a perched raven, who didn't budge. Someone had set him up... framed him! Could this day possibly get any worse? He rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath and suddenly the world went black.

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Here you go! Chapter one! I still don't have the end of this story written, but I hoped typing it up would get the creative juices flowing (plus it's gunna be long time before I get to where I stopped.). Oh and I cannot put into words how much I love writng for Gizmoduck, he is so much fun. :D So here it is for now... more to come soon!