OPPOSITE RECIPROCAL
Copyright 2007 by Q Illespont
All characters are property of their respective owners.
Chapter 2
Gosalyn groaned and finally got to her feet just as the booth stopped shaking. She rubbed her head as she looked around, then stepped out of the booth, and fell flat on her face. 'Honker?' she asked, trying to find him.
As she recovered from everything, she stared as she looked around the Tower. Instead of being filled up with tons of crimefighting equipment, it was barren--not even much dust had accumulated. She got to her feet and took off her catcher's mask and pads. 'Honker? Where are you? What's going on?' she asked as she wandered in the empty room.
She wandered into another chamber, and caught a glimpse of the towers of Saint Canard. Running quickly, she got to the window to examine things--the last time she'd had a mysterious disorienting trip, she found herself 20 years or so in the future, under the dictatorial rule of a maddened Darkwing, then DarkWarrior, Duck. Still, the city looked like it normally did--just enough grime to be a real city, occasional police sirens.
She let out a sigh of relief, and took a while to just enjoy the panorama before her. Ever since Darkwing first rescued her and brought her up to the tower, she always loved the sight. One thing is how she associated it with her father to begin with--it was one of the first things he'd shown her. Granted, the first thing she'd given him was a left to the gut, but it was a stressful time anyway. Still, the view was comforting.
She sighed and turned around, then blinked. 'Wait a minute,' she said, and looked again. While Saint Canard itself was still the same, she saw something else--off in the distance, she could make out a grey shape. Turning her head, she saw the shape approaching, and saw what it was.
A grey wall spread around the city, encompassing the whole area, including the bridge. 'What's going on here?' She ran over to the other side and looked out the opposite window to check things out, and gasped.
On the other side of the tower, she could see the surrounding countryside. Here, the wall came closer, and she could see it cutting across the Audubon Highway, as well as the contrast between inside and out.
On the inside of the wall, things were nearly the same as they normally were, up until you got close to the wall. She could see the barbed wire and a few patrol vehicles on the inside, as if it were an armed camp. There was a stream of traffic coming along the highway, although she could see that each vehicle was carefully checked by the guards on the inside as they entered.
Past the wall and the gate, things looked worse. A few green areas were still around, but she could see how it wasn't as peaceful as she remembered. The few homes she could see were buttonned up tight, with what looked like guard towers and bunkers. It looked like past the wall, it was a war zone. 'Creepy,' she thought. 'It's almost like "The World Went to Hell Except for Us II".'
She turned back around, and gasped as she looked at the room she was now in. Unlike the others which were bare save for the booth, this one had a few things. Most noticable was a giant mallet resting on what looked like a table, with a few axes lying around it. A little distance away, there was a glass chamber, with broken glass lying around it as if what- or whoever was inside had broken out. And, in the corner like it should be, the only other familiar thing she'd seen the whole time, a set of spinning chairs just like the ones in her house.
She dashed over and hit the trigger for the chairs. The catch released, and the chair itself trembled under her, then spun forward ... and flung her into the giant mallet's side. 'Ow.'
She grumbled and grabbed a discarded hatchet from where she slid off the mallet. 'It's broken again,' she grumbled, and brandished her axe. 'You'd better work this time!' she threatened, and hit the trigger again. This time, the chair shuddered again, and she heard the gears grinding, but the chair did not spin at all.
'Great, I gotta walk home,' she mumbled. She stashed the axe in her jersey and headed out onto the suspension cables. She jogged along it, balancing easily, and dropped onto the highway. Unusually, the traffic was lighter--probably from the military checkpoint at the edge of the city. That just made it easier for her to head into the city.
---
Gosalyn wandered along the familiar streets. Nothing seemed too out of place, although there was something she couldn't quite understand. Some things seemed just slightly different, but nothing she could put a finger on. The streets seemed to be the same, the population was a little wary but given Saint Canard's usual crime level, that was to be expected.
She found herself walking past a police precinct station near Banks Boulevard. Nothing unusual here, either--same building, same police cars in use. And, across the street, same FOWL Eggman talking to what looked like a mother wheeling her baby in a stroller.
Wait ... yes, it was the same FOWL Eggman, including yellow uniform and eggshell helmet. She looked around, and saw the police station. Normally, she'd prefer if her father or, failing that, SHUSH agents could handle this, and thought of taking things on herself, but the police station caught her eye, and she rushed to get inside and report it.
As she burst through the door, alarms started blaring. Before she could start yelling for a cop, she heard what sounded like a mechanical voice warning, 'Metal detected! Visitor is armed!' She looked around sheepishly and pulled the axe she found earlier out of her jersey, and then got a good look at the two approaching officers.
They were also FOWL Eggmen.
One opened his mouth; before he could say anything, Gosalyn brought the blunt back of the axe up to knock his chin back up, sending him down with what she hoped was a broken beak. The other Eggman came at her, and she spun with the axe still held high, then brought it down on his head. A loud KLANG rewarded her strike; while the helmet and the height difference took the lethality out of the chop, the helmet did slide in two afterward and left the second Eggman lying on the ground.
Breathing hard, she glared around. The other people in the station were either backing away, cowering on the ground, or outright fleeing. The 'desk sergeant', another Eggman, was yelling into a telephone. 'We need backup, now!'
'Just try to get me!' she yelled defiantly and broke out in a run. She dashed a few blocks away and risked a look over her shoulder, only to find what looked like a small squad of Eggmen running after her, weapons drawn. 'I was just kidding about getting me!' she yelled and ran faster, arms and legs pumping as she fled.
She found a crowd of citizens waiting for a bus, and dashed through them. They did part way for her for the most part once they noticed, and spent enough time gaping that the pursuing squad was blocked. She rounded a corner, panting for breath. She was just lucky that they hadn't fired at her, and she knew it. Fortunately, her luck was still holding--she saw a taxi waiting right there.
Gosalyn yanked the door open and dove into the backseat. 'Get me outta here!' she yelled at the driver, who jumped in surprise, then complied. She hopped on the backseat to stare out the back window, and chuckled as her pursuers were left behind.
'Hey, lady, where to?' the driver asked. She sighed and rested more normally in the backseat as she looked him over. Rather nondescript canine, just doing his job.
'537 Avian Way,' she replied.
'Avian Way?' he answered. 'Um, ya sure about that?'
'What? Just go there.'
'Allright,' he replied, and turned on the radio. Gosalyn tuned it out for the most part, until an announcer broke through the music.
'We interrupt this station to bring you an emergency. FOWL chief Steelbeak has reported that a terrorist is running loose in Saint Canard!' the announcer said. 'This terrorist has just recently attacked a police substation, leaving two Eggmen unconscious.'
'Whoa, that's me they're talking about,' she thought to herself. 'Must've gotten bad if Steelbeak's making public announcements.'
The announcer continued. 'The terrorist is described as a young girl, red hair, slightly yellow feathers. She was last seen wearing a purple jersey with a number 1 on it, and is armed--repeat, armed. The public is warned that if they spot her, to avoid contact and to inform the police immediately. That is all.'
The cab driver grunted, then looked in his rear-view mirror, then gasped. In shock, he turned around to stare at his passenger. The description was rather rushed, but he could still tell--especially by the axe that was still lying next to her. 'Hey, that's you!'
Gosalyn cowered for a moment, then remembered that she was indeed armed. She grabbed the axe and brandished it. 'Just get me to Avian way!' she yelled. The driver yelped and returned to driving, although she could see he was also watching her as much as he was the road.
Before he could turn onto Avian Way itself, Gosalyn figured that getting out right then and there would be best. The driver was already nervous, and she didn't want him to get more information on her--she was already hoping he didn't remember the exact address. She checked the meter, threw about as much cash at him, grabbed her axe, and bailed out of the cab while it was still rolling. Before she could even get to her feet, she heard the tires squeal and hurl the cab away. 'Great,' she thought, and started running up the road.
Looking around herself, she saw that the cab had gotten her to the 800 block, so she didn't have far to go before she got home. Still, things looked very different. Rather than the well-cared lawns she had left behind that morning, the lots here had a certain blight to them. Some of the homes even had bullet holes in the walls and doors. The street itself was pocked with at best potholes, at worst outright craters. No wonder the cabbie didn't want anything to do with this street.
Before she got to her block, she saw a furtive shape. Before she could make out any details, it dove into a nearby hedge. She ran over to it and reached in, grabbed, and pulled out ... Honker Muddlefoot. Dressed in what looked like battle fatigues. 'Cool outfit, Honker,' she said. 'What's up with the neighbourhood?'
Honker just stared at her as if she was babbling. He then looked over her shoulder and snarled. 'Megavolt!' he sneered.
Gosalyn turned around and stared. About ten metres away was the yellow-suited supervillain Megavolt, crackling with his trademark electricity. 'I knew I'd find you here, Muddlefoot,' he snarled. 'Gosalyn--'
Before Megavolt could finish his demand, Honker grabbed Gosalyn and held her in front. 'Just try it, Sparky!'
Megavolt stewed. 'Don't call me Sparky!' he yelled, and looked for a clear shot.
Gosalyn squirmed. 'Honker, what are you doing?' she said, and shoved at him. 'Go get--'
'Shut it!' Honker snarled, and tried to hold on with one arm. He was stronger than she remembered, and much to Gosalyn's surprise, more heavily armed; he balanced a rocket launcher on her shoulder and fired it at the electric rodent.
Megavolt dove to the side as the rocket burst where he stood. He aimed his finger, and sent a blue bolt of electricity at the children. Gosalyn tried to dodge, but was held in place by Honker and was hit full force.
Honker leaped back as the shock hit Gosalyn, dropped his weapon, and ran down the road. Gosalyn smouldered for a few seconds, groaned, and slumped down to the street. The last thing she saw was Megavolt racing to her ...
