AUTHOR'S NOTE: Be kind folks, this is my first Darkwing story in a LOOOOOONG time. I haven't written a DWD Canon story since . . . . . geesh, I don't KNOW how long it's been! Also, this is a working title, and subject to change. Titles are not my strong suit.
It was a dark and stormy night (sounds like the beginning of a Charlie Brown story, doesn't it?) Rain pounded against the greenhouse windows. A strong wind was whistling through the night. The crashing thunder was close to deafening, and the flashing lightning was practically blinding. Bushroot normally liked the rain, but he didn't care much for these violent thunderstorms, especially when they sounded like they were going to blow the windows out of the greenhouse any minute. Bushroot had always hated thunderstorms, ever since he was a kid. This storm was no exception. But for some reason, this storm was different. Bushroot felt like something was going to happen.
Bushroot walked along the greenhouse, watering some of his plant pals. As he refilled his watering can, the door suddenly burst open, and a puff of crimson smoke appeared in the doorway. When the smoke cleared, there was a duck, wearing a yellow jacket, red hat, and black mask and cape. He looked positively menacing.
"D-D-D-Darkwing Duck!" Bushroot stammered, and dove underneath a nearby table. The yellow jacketed duck walked over to the table, grabbed Bushroot by the neck, and pulled him out.
"I'm not Darkwing Duck, rutabaga brain!" he shouted, throwing Bushroot to the floor. "I'm Negaduck! Darkwing Duck's evil twin!"
"Evil twin?" Bushroot repeated. He stared at Negaduck for a long time, and then gulped.
"Uhh, h-how do I know you're not really Darkwing Duck?" he asked.
From what seemed like out of nowhere, Negaduck pulled out a chainsaw, and began revving it up.
"Yahhh!" Bushroot shouted, ducking underneath the table again. Negaduck took his chainsaw, and sliced the table in half, then he sliced those halves in half, and those halves and half, and so on and so on, until the table was reduced to sawdust and toothpicks.
"Convinced?" he asked.
"Yeah," Bushroot said, gulping nervously. "I'm convinced all right!"
"Now that we've got that out of the way," Negaduck said, throwing his chainsaw aside. "Let's get down to business. I'm putting together a little team. A team of the most dangerous criminals in St. Canard. You and your plant powers are perfect for the team."
"They are? I am?"
"You got it."
"Well, aaahhhh, see, I'm not . . . . I mean, I don't think . . . . well, the thing is, I . . . ."
"Let me put it to you another way, Bush Breath. If you're in, everything will be fine, and we'll rule St. Canard. But if you're out . . . . ."
Negaduck picked up his chainsaw, revved it up, and began severing every last one of the plants in the greenhouse. Bushroot just looked on, too stunned to move.
"Are you in, or are you out?" Negaduck asked, holding up the buzzing chainsaw. To add to the creepiness of the whole thing, thunder crashed and lightning flashed right after Negaduck had asked the question.
"Uhhh . . . ." Bushroot said, nervously. "I g-g-guess I'm in."
"I knew you'd see it my way," Negaduck said, laughing maniacally. "Now come on! We've got work to do!"
Bushroot gulped, and followed Negaduck out of the greenhouse.
Within days, Negaduck had formed the entire Fearsome Five. The Liquidator had been pretty easy to convince. He was a born sleaze-bucket, willing to do anything to make a fast buck, even if it meant breaking the law. He pretty much joined up willingly. Megavolt and Quackerjack had joined pretty willingly as well. Of course, the both of them were a couple of french fries short of a Happy Meal. Negaduck could probably tell them to dress in drag and do the hula, and they'd do it, no questions asked. Negaduck had a huge influence over the four of them. His chainsaw. Bushroot was terrified of Negaduck. He knew Megavolt, Quackerjack, and the Liquidator were afraid of him as well (and that alone was something Bushroot couldn't believe, considering he was made entirely of water, and Negaduck's chainsaw wouldn't hurt him in the least).
It had been a long time since that violent summer thunderstorm when Negaduck first approached Bushroot. He didn't particularly like being a member of the Fearsome Five. As a matter of fact, whenever the Five met up with Darkwing Duck, he'd usually cower, unless Negaduck ordered him to do something. But Bushroot would rather run away than fight. There were times when the others even wondered why Bushroot was on the team to begin with! If Negaduck hadn't needed his plant powers, he wouldn't have even bothered.
Late one night, Bushroot sat down, and contemplated his life of crime, which all started the day he turned himself into a mutant plant creature. His first crime was to seek revenge on two fellow research scientists, Dr. Larson and Dr. Gary, who tormented him endlessly. Most of his other crimes really dealt more with funding his experiments. Only when he was a member of the Fearsome Five was when he committed major crimes.
Bushroot weighed his options. He was tired of his life of crime. He was tired of Negaduck. He was tired of the Fearsome Five. There was only one thing to do in this case, though he knew, if Negaduck ever found out, he'd be compost. But he felt he had to do it.
Bushroot was going to turn himself in.
