Quiverwing Quack to the Rescue
"Whiffle Boy whacks the dreaded anvil bat and then deftly defies danger from the exploding roller chickens," Gosalyn narrated her game.
"Gos," Honker piped up from the other side of the sofa. "I could do without the blow-by-blow commentary."
"Honker, please, I'm a hero hard at work trying to wallop the Weasel Boy," she pleaded as she tried to keep her focus on the ninja newts.
"You should be paying attention to your homework. If you fail another chemistry test your dad will ground you again," he reminded her.
Gosalyn rolled her eyes. "There's more to life than school. I need to keep my fighting skills honed as Quiverwing Quack, it's important."
"I'm not sure playing video games counts as training, Gos," Honker calmly shot back.
She was about to fry some slime squids when the lights in the room flickered. "Parent alert," she shouted as she saved her game, turned off the TV and grabbed her textbook off the coffee table.
"Gos, it's upside down," Honker said without looking up from his own mammoth book.
A quick look verified that he was right; she just managed to get the book the right way up when the armchairs spun around. Launchpad came flying out of one of the spinning chairs and crashed into the coffee table.
"So much for homework," Gosalyn said somberly, not for her squashed schoolwork, but for Launchpad's pain. "Hey, where's Dad?" she asked, looking around.
Launchpad lifted his head, opened his beak and then flopped back down, totally out of it. Gosalyn dashed into the kitchen to get a bucket of water and threw it on Launchpad. He started thrashing about as if trying to swim.
"What happened? Where's Dad? Did Bushroot turn him into sap? Is he hurt? Did he get in the way of his waffle launcher? Or was he kidnapped by evil brain-eating aliens again?" Gosalyn quickly asked.
"Trap," Launchpad managed to gasp out.
"Trap? Who? What? Where? When? Why?" she drew out the last question in a desperate plea for information on her dad.
Launchpad looked more alert as he moved from the wreckage of the table to the sofa.
"DW had heard a rumor that Quackerjack was hiding out in the old UFO Frisbee warehouse. But – but it wasn't Quackerjack, it was Taurus Bulba," Launchpad said. Then he hung his head in his hands.
Gosalyn just stared blankly ahead as her mind flooded with painful memories. Taurus Bulba, the villain who had killed her Grandpa, kidnapped her, tried to kill her and nearly killed Dad. Then just a couple of years ago he came back, worse than before, half machine with so many weapons at his immediate disposal. And he was mad, seeking revenge against Dad and had kidnapped her.
"Gosalyn? Gosalyn?" she finally heard Honker asking. From his tone it sounded like he had been asking for a while. Then she became aware that he had his hand on her shoulder.
"Taurus Bulba? It's revenge," she whispered.
The silence in the room was so strong and ominous that it pressed in on her uncomfortably, as if she were trapped in the Life Crusher Vice from the movie Kung Fu Zombie. It wasn't easy having a dad who was a caped crime fighter. When she thought that she had lost Darkwing when the Canard Tower exploded, all she had wanted to do was lay down and die. He was often injured on the job, gotten shrunk down to the size of an ant, been temporarily blind, sprouted extra limbs when bitten by a radioactive spider, and aged prematurely. True, he did ground her a lot and short her on her allowance, and his overactive ego was sometimes overbearing.
But he worked so hard over the years to protect St. Canard. And where would St. Canard be without Darkwing? Being terrorized by haywire appliances? Sweltering because it has been coated in gold? Underwater? Without water because it was a yellow rubbery mess? Sound asleep under Nodoff's control? Infested with mole-people?
Through all he had endured, did Dad ever give up? Well, yeah, a couple of times he got a little down in the dumps and needed a swift kick to get him back in action. But he kept fighting, even when cursed with bad luck. Well, if Darkwing wasn't going to give up, then neither was she. He had come to her aid often enough; it was time she returned the favour. True, she helped out a lot, but this was a job for a hero, not a daughter.
Gosalyn ran upstairs and got into her Quiverwing Quack costume. She had changed it slightly from her original costume. The cape was no longer tied; instead, she had fashioned an arrow-shaped clasp for it. She had also replaced the purple gloves with green leather arm guards; the one on her left arm had a thin layer over her forearm to protect her feathers and skin from string burn from her bow. Her new mask was the same green as her hat and the outside of the cape. Her boots had also changed from light purple fabric, to sturdy green leather.
"Honker, you're not in costume," Quiverwing scowled when she got back downstairs.
"Gosalyn, I don't want to be a sidekick. I don't mind making arrows for you, but I want to stay where it's safe. I'm just not athletic enough for the life of a sidekick," he quietly pleaded, holding out the quiver for her to take.
"Fine. What have you got?" She didn't want to waste time having an argument, and he was right, he was always right. She started eating the apple she had grabbed from the kitchen on her way.
Honker nodded sharply as he took out the special arrows he had made. "Glue, net, plenty of suction plunger arrows, flash and smoke bombs," hers were purple smoke, "and a couple of rockets. I also have an itching powder arrow, but I haven't tested it." Then he pulled up one with a narrow box around the shaft. "This one should be useful going against Taurus Bulba; I started developing it when he first returned. It emits an electromagnetic pulse when it hits something. It should short-circuit any electrical devices within about a five-meter radius. I know that's not huge, but it's something. Just make sure that the Thunder Quack isn't within range or you won't be able to take off for several minutes. Good luck."
"San Q," she managed to express her thanks around the mouthful of apple she'd just taken.
During the flight to the warehouse Gosalyn was a nervous wreck; every breath she took she prayed that she wouldn't be too late. She knew that Launchpad was going as fast as he could; faster than he should have considering how dizzy he was, but it still felt like they were going at a snail's pace.
Launchpad landed the Thunder Quack in the vacant parking lot of warehouse. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized that she was actually walking towards Bulba's hideout, the villain who had caused her so much heartbreak.
When Launchpad tripped trying to get out of the Thunder Quack, Qwiverwing asked him to stay behind and be ready for a quick escape. He looked a little concerned about her going in by herself, but he had been knocked unconscious and his brain was still a little mushy.
A small window provided a way in. She managed to land right in a metal pail; she was in a janitor's closet. Just perfect, she was really taking after her dad. After a minute of squirming she freed herself without knocking over a single broom or mop. One triumphant escape down, one more to go.
Qwiverwing slowly made her way through the warehouse. Every little noise sent her heart pounding. Half of her mind kept screaming to run away. This was Taurus Bulba, after all; what was she thinking? The other half told her to swallow her fears and reminded her that her dad needed help.
As she came out into a vast open area, she froze when she heard Bulba's unmistakable accent. "Let's see, I've taken away your gas gun, buzz-saw cufflinks, acid capsules, and waffle gun. Any other tricks?"
Darkwing didn't say anything but she could hear him blow a wet one.
"I'll take that as a no," Bulba said with a snort. "This demoleculizer is only supposed to be used on objects. Apparently having every molecule in your body separate is extremely painful. I think this is our final goodbye, Darkwing, but it will be a long one as the process is to take several minutes. See?"
Gosalyn had crept closer, so that she was able to see Bulba aim the demoleculizer at a crate. It took a couple of minutes before she noticed a change in the wooden box. Ever so slowly the edges softened and disappeared as if it were turning into very fine sand and blowing away.
Bad. Bad. Bad. Bad. Bad. She had to think of something fast or Dad was dust. But was she strong enough to take on Bulba? Most of the villains Darkwing and she had faced were wimps or nuts. Usually both. But Bulba was no fool and he was heartless. He had pointedly proved that he had no problem using her to get to Darkwing.
She looked around herself frantically, trying to think of something, trying to see something she could use. She needed to be smart. What would Honker do?
Pull the plug. Her heart leapt when she saw the breaker box. Hopefully it controlled the entire building; it was big enough.
"Your turn, Darkwing," she heard Bulba say, as she plunged them all into darkness.
"What? Did you forget to pay the power bill, Bulba?" Darkwing's voice taunted through the darkness.
Bulba snorted again. She could hear his clunking, half-metal body moving towards her. Trying to be as quiet as possible, Gosalyn made her way towards Darkwing. When she ran into a metal post she nearly jumped out of her skin, fearing it was Bulba.
The area where Darkwing was shackled was softly bathed in moonlight. There was just enough light for her to find him easily. He heard her approaching and his huge beak turned towards her.
"Who's there?" he softly asked.
"Quiverwing Quack to the rescue," she replied, just as softly.
"Gos- Quiverwing! What are you doing here? It's too dangerous. Don't you know that it's Bulba?" he started lecturing.
"Yeah, Launchpad told me, he's waiting in the Thunder Quack," she said, still trying to keep her voice down.
"Why didn't you try the Carpathian bone dislocation?" she asked, once she saw the metal cuffs holding him.
"Don't you think I tried that as soon as he put them on? They're specially designed to contract and expand to stay tight. There's a hacksaw over by that crate," he said pointing his skateboard-ramp-sized beak off into the darkness.
She took a couple of steps off in the direction he indicated, when the lights suddenly came back on. They looked at each other. His eyes were the size of dinner plates, glistening in fear. "Hide," he breathlessly pleaded.
When did she ever listen? But his unrestrained fear for her safety nudged her to duck behind the crate. It wasn't a moment too soon.
"Now," Bulba said as he came back into view. "Where were we? Oh, yes, I was going to rip apart your molecules."
What to do? What to throw at him? How to save Dad? Honker's electro-whatever? But that should only stop him for a couple of minutes and Dad wasn't free yet. They needed more time. Then inspiration hit.
"Eat arrow, Fiend," she said, jumping up on top of the crate. Her aim was good; she got Bulba and the machine covered in super gummy glue. Just to be sure she shot another arrow to point the thing away from Darkwing, and another in rapid succession into what looked like an air vent of the machine to try to destroy it. The tiny whisps of smoke that floated up satisfied her like an extra scoop of raspberry chocolate ice cream on a super Sunday float.
She grabbed the hacksaw. "Darkwing," she warned him as she tossed it at him. Out of the corner of her eye she watched as Darkwing worked on his restraints, but she was worried about Bulba.
"Another costumed clown?" Bulba snorted as he struggled against the glue. "A new sidekick?"
"No," she replied keeping Honker's electro-thingy arrow on him. "A protégé."
"You chose a poor role model in that masquerading buffoon," Bulba said.
Just in time, she noticed that Bulba's arm changed into a cannon. Even with the glue restricting his movements, Bulba was able to aim towards her. She jumped as the crate exploded out from under her. She landed flat on her tummy, with her wings spread, not the most graceful move for a superhero, but she was still alive. She quickly got up and out of the way of a second blast that missed her by a greater margin-- his arm couldn't aim that far. But then he turned to face Darkwing.
"I'll just have to do this the old fashioned way," Bulba snarled through clenched teeth.
"No," Gosalyn said breathlessly. She pulled back on her bow and let the arrow fly.
The lights blew; she heard Bulba mooing, and a loud popping noise.
"Darkwing?" she asked. She was surprised by the fear in her voice.
"Ha," he said triumphantly. She heard the chains holding him rattle. "Darkwing Duck deftly dodges danger again."
"Yeah, right. With help from the courageous Quiverwing Quack," she replied, rolling her eyes at him in the dark. "Come on, Darkwing, we need to get out of here, that isn't going to stop him for long. We have to get."
She grabbed him by the wing and ran towards the door with the chain dangling behind him.
"DW, you're alright. Hee, hee," Launchpad nervously laughed as he started up the Thunder Quack. "I was worried about you."
"Launchpad, get us out of here," Qwiverwing ordered. She wasn't sure, but she thought there was some panic apparent in her voice.
"You know, I really don't want you out in danger like this, Gosalyn," Darkwing lectured once they were airborne. "You are far too young to be battling villains like Bulba. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you," he said, taking her beak in his hand.
"And what about me?" she shrieked back, jumping up on the seat to be at eye level with him. "What do you think I would do if you get yourself killed?" She could feel her eyes filling with tears. She wouldn't cry, not a chance. He was the vain, pigheaded, stubborn waffle brain who had gotten himself captured and nearly died again.
"I'm sorry, Gos, I know it's not easy for either of us," he said, pulling her in to hug her.
The edges of her mask stuck to her face when she could no longer hold back the threatening tears.
"I'll make it up to you. How about we rent a movie tonight? Your choice," he softly said.
"Keen gear," she replied cheerfully, quickly brushing away her tears. "Let's get The Mega Mutant Mummies from Mars Part Three."
"Oh no," Launchpad moaned from the front seat. "Part Two gave me nightmares for a month."
"LP, it's just a movie, but I must say, Gos your choice in movies leaves a lot to be desired. You can't overlook the classics like Dr. Slug's Revenge."
"Get real, Dad. Those had some of the worst cheesy special effects, like in Ghost of the Zombie Slashers," she shot back.
It was great to be able to tease him about the prehistoric films. Even though she was still just noticeably shaking, she no longer felt like crying. Being a crime fighter and having a crime fighter dad meant that you had to get over those emotional moments, because you never knew when evil would raise its head again.
As she threw out other movie suggestions, she leaned contentedly back in her seat. He hadn't lectured her for anywhere near as long as he normally did about her going out as Quiverwing. All the karate lessons, exercises, and self-defense classes were perhaps paying off in more ways than just being able to take care of herself. Maybe Dad was getting used to the idea that she was going to follow in his webbed footsteps. She couldn't wait for the day when he accepted her; to be able to go out and fight crime with him side-by-side: Darkwing Duck and Quiverwing Quack, St. Canard's masked protectors.
As always, many thanks to xparrot for your fabulously beneficial editing skills.