Author's Note: Yes, it's been a while since I've uploaded any updates to this story, but I can thankfully tell you that this is the last chapter. I engaged myself in other writing projects (including a novel I'm working on and school/career related studies) and ended up stalling on doing my edits for "Drake's Bad Love." Most of my fanfiction stories are freewritten exercises, so that's something that I usually note in context. This chapter was edited a little from its original, because I noticed some inconsistencies with the previous chapter, so I took the time to match them up. I hope you enjoy, and thanks for taking the time to read (and comment on, for those of you who have, I appreciate it) this story.
Chapter 4: Bad Love
"Now I get it, that was his plan all along. That means the ad in the paper was his! I'm convinced that he's using her as bait to try to get back at me. But that doesn't explain...wait a sec...that explains everything! How was I supposed to know that the last few missions relocated her bakery?! Okay...so maybe it was more than a few..."
Darkwing paced around his usual secret domain, deep in thought. He went straight there after his date with Sofie - frustrated, confused, and even disappointed at the turn of events. Not only was Sophie collaborating with Megavolt, she did so without knowing Drake was Darkwing's alter ego (or vice versa). He figured out the reasons why - he just didn't know how to plan his next move, a case of superhero's block. Like writer's block, except applied to a superhero's inability to think about how to save the day.
He was livid. It didn't help that his date with Sophie that night came perfectly noted in his eyes, and it infuriated him that Megavolt would be using Sophie as bait to get back at him in some kind of twisted scheme.
"Now they're trying to plot destroying the city transit tomorrow night...that means they're likely to start setting up tonight - I'd better get down there and foil their fiendish scheme before they even have the chance to try."
He started to dial Launchpad's number in the Thunderquack.
"LP! I wan't you to meet me downtown in 30 minutes near the subway station - we have a crime to bust!"
Launchpad had just sent Gosalyn to bed when Darkwing called him on the Thunderquack's intercom.
"Uh, sure DW, no problem. By the way, how did the date go? Was she pretty? Did you guys have fun?"
"Stop being nosy and get down here!" Launchpad heard the click of the intercom and didn't have to guess that DW had just hung up on him.
"Gee, I guess that means it didn't go so well. Either that or he's not so happy about the crime. Ah well, I guess I'll find out eventually." Launchpad shrugged and revved up the engine and sped into the night sky.
It was mostly quiet. St. Canard could do well to have more of these kind of nights, or so Launchpad thought. But he saw something below him that caught his eye - a few figures leaping across the building rooftops.
"Wait a sec, I think that might be Megavolt - I'd know that guy anywhere with that big plug on him. But who's with him? And they look like they're headed the same way I'm going. I'd better keep track of them - DW might not be happy that I'm not on time, but these might be the criminals he's talkin' about. But it wouldn't be good if they saw me, so I'm going to try out this new invisibility shield, though I think DW said it still needed work - it shouldn't hurt to try it out though."
With that, Launchpad put the Thunderquack on cruise control, and pressed the button to put up the shield. A whirring sound came from the Thunderquack, and before he knew it, the indicator light was green. The Thunderquack was now totally invisible.
"Heehee, it worked! See, I knew it couldn't be a bad thing."
"I gotta bad feeling about the sound I just heard." Megavolt said, but he didn't stop his striding along the rooftops with Pyrespark, a.k.a. Sofie Moriat. Sofie looked behind her briefly.
"I don't see anything from here, but I wouldn't be surprised if Darkwing and his sidekick aren't about this evening."
"Grr, what if they catch onto our plan?!" Megavolt grimaced. I had this to work out perfectly the way it was! And a day ahead of time too!"
"Don't worry, I have a plan B. Let's first get to the warehouse just before the subway entrance, and get our things there. I promise that it will be a real heartpounding experience." Sofie grinned, and Megavolt couldn't help but match her expression.
"You know, the more I get to know you, Pyrespark, the more I like you!"
"I am the terror, that flaps in the night! I am the knight in shining armor, that saves your damsel in distress! I am Darkwing Duck!...and where the heck is everyone?" Darkwing paused as he unfurled his cape and looked into the warehouse closest to the subway station. Noticing that nothing moved or made a clatter of any kind, he impatiently tapped his foot against the ground.
"Launchpad was supposed to be here by now. Figures he's late. Looks like I have the jumpstart to investigate. Stealing away into the shadows of the warehouse, Darkwing Duck makes his move stealthily, so as not to attract any unnecessary attention!" Darkwing took the time to do one of his usual monologues. He loved the glory of his heroic deeds and acting as his own narrator. One of these days he was going to write a book on his life in fighting crime. That or have someone write it for him while he narrated it. Maybe he might have his own audiobook - if he lucked out.
But what he didn't notice was a shadow behind him in the light of the window, moving behind him with stealth like patterns of its own. It wasn't until he felt the blunt end of something - a frying pan? A tin plate? - hit the back of his head that he realized that someone had been there, and it wasn't long before he saw stars.
"I knew it! Darkwing was onto us, and he doesn't even know who you are yet!" Megavolt said with exasperation.
"Not to worry, my electric friend. I saw him snooping around just before we arrived. It's a good thing I brought my frying pan along for good keeping."
"What were gonna use that thing for anyway - a weapon?" Megavolt asked Sofie.
"No, I'm actually going to use it to cook. You never know when you might get hungry in the middle of a mission." Sofie shrugged.
"Good point. Ha! We can finally pulverize Darkwing and save my precious beauties with our plan!"
"Not so fast, darling." Sofie said, shaking a single finger at him. "It would be too easy for him to meet his demise now. My solution for him is a part of my plan B, and it's already going smoothly."
Both of them laughed heartily in the light of the full moon that streamed through the windows of the warehouse.
When Darkwing awoke, he knew that he wasn't in a very good situation. First off, he was in a mechanical clutch of some kind, unable to move or squeeze out of it. On top of that, he was bound by ropes to something mechanical that was strapped to his chest. And he didn't want to guess what kind of odd based contraption it was.
"Ah, dearest Darkwing, you're finally awake. Pity that the first time you meet me is the very last time you'll ever have a chance to walk the streets of St. Canard." A familiar voice came from below where he hung. "Allow me to introduce myself - I am Pyrespark, associate to my friend Megavolt."
Darkwing saw the origin of the voice, and knew it was Sofie, but she looked very different in her villainess attire. If he didn't know any better, he'd even say that she looked great - but he could never say that to someone who would work in the name of evil.
"Well, it's certainly NOT a pleasure to meet you." He said smartly. "And I know both of your games already - you were planning to sabotage the subway system, and you were the culprits behind the fire in the restaurant. And don't think I don't see right through your disguise, Miss Sofia Moriat. You were the only one with motive enough to eliminate the competition AND you answered Megavolt's ad for a new sidekick."
Pyrespark clapped her hands in a mock applause. "You are smarter than you look, dear Darkwing, and I wouldn't reveal my name to you even if you were correct. I am Pyrespark and no other name to you. And even if I were in cohorts with Sofie Moriat - it would have been to take extreme measures just to lure you out of hiding. After all, who do you THINK is responsible for the destruction of her restaurant and all the money loss from her business because of the reckless wreckage in the city - from supposed crime-fighting?!"
Darkwing winced. "Heh, well, sometimes there a few accidents that happen along the way...." He'd momentarily lost a bit of his confidence, but then shook his head to reason and angrily glared back at Pyrespark. "But that's still no reason to convert to the likes of evil. And every bit of evil that comes my way, I have a duty to squash it like a bug. In your case, I'll have to extinguish your flame before it starts."
"I'd like to see you try." Pyrespark claimed, and aimed her hands to conjure a burst of flame that Darkwing thought was intended for his head, but he ducked just in time, and the burst singed part of his hat.
"Ha, you missed!" But when Darkwing saw that the smile on both Pyrespark and Megavolt's faces didn't diminish, he knew something was wrong. He looked above his head to realize that her flame had hit its mark, by severing the dangling clasp he hung from.
"Oh boy...." Darkwing fell from his confines, while uttering a stream of complaints, before landing on his bum on another mechanical contraption on the ground. It was hard for him to get to his feet because of being tied by ropes and the heavy mechanical contraption strapped around him, but he did so and glared at the two of them.
"What the heck is this? A treadmill?"
Megavolt's grin went wider. "Yep! And you're looking a little chubby there, Darkwing - I think you need some exercise!" He used his powers to turn on the treadmill, which voluted on and Darkwing had to start running to keep himself from falling off it.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Look, for your information, I am NOT Darkwing Gerbil! I am Darkwing Duck!"
"Yeah, yeah. Tell us something we don't know!" Megavolt proclaimed. "But maybe you shouldn't waste your breath talking. If you don't want that bomb strapped to your heart to explode, you'll keep running! And you'll be providing me all the power I need to rule this city. It's like killing two ducks with one stone - you and your ego!"
"This thing is a bomb?!" Darkwing exclaimed in surprise.
"It's only fitting that you have a heart-pounding demise, dear Darkwing." Sofie said sweetly. "I should tell you that I had the most wonderful night with the most amazing date I've had in a while, and thanks to getting rid of you, my restaurant will be safe, and I'll not only have more business from MY business, but also time to partake in the simple pleasure of life that comes with HAVING my business."
"Look, can't we...just talk this over..." Darkwing said between breaths as the treadmill speed cranked up another level, and he realized that the contraption strapped to him had a series of numbers on it.
"Wait...Is this how much time this thing has to explode?! Why are the numbers going up?!"
"That's because it's your heart rate, Darkwing. I would hope that number wouldn't go below 100, or else it will go 'boom.'" Sofie said with a laugh.
"And not only that, you're providing power to my latest contraption with as long as you run on that treadmill!" Megavolt said cheerfully while pointing to a giant rocket shaped structure - which Darkwing had no idea how they managed to build it in such a short amount of time. "I'll be able to harness all the power in the city of St. Canard once it's charged! This is a way better plan than just sabotaging the subway system, and I have Pyrespark to thank for that."
"Ooh, Launchpad...where...the heck...are you?!" Darkwing said, but he'd no sooner said it than when he saw the something explode through the side of the warehouse, and straight into the rocket contraption. Both Pyrespark and Megavolt had to run to safety to get away from the falling debris of the impact and coughed in the smoke that filled the area where they once stood.
Darkwing coughed too, but he knew he couldn't lose his stride on the treadmill. The number on the contraption strapped to him read 137 and was falling to where he had to keep up his pace.
Darkwing saw, when most of the mist cleared, that it was nothing other than the Thunderquack, and Launchpad came out while dusting off his sleeves.
"Looks like I made it here just in time; hey DW, I figured you were in some kind of trouble."
"LP, what is wrong with you?! You were...supposed to be here...a long time ago!" He panted as he ran on the treadmill, which sped up slightly from its original speed just moments before.
Launchpad frowned. "Geez, sorry. You told me to meet you by the subway, but then I remembered you didn't tell me where you were, and I followed Megavolt and his lady friend here, and thought I'd find you to tell you. But then that took too much time, so I figured I'd come here and try to stop whatever they were trying to do. Heh, I didn't think you'd be here, but uh...is it really a good idea for you to be working out in the middle of a crime like this? I know that you're going for a makeover thing like Gosalyn said..."
"I'm not... doing this for recreation! This...this thing's gonna explode if I don't keep my heart rate over 100! If you want to help, maybe you can think of a way to get this thing off me!"
"Oh man, I don't think I can do that unless I stop the treadmill from going..." But before Launchpad could do so, he saw a bolt of electricity aimed for him, and ducked just in time to elude it. Instead, it hit the controls for the treadmill, shorting them out, and the treadmill sped up to a speed that Darkwing struggled to keep up. Megavolt and Pyrespark had recovered enough from the shock and started aiming both of the powers towards the two heroes.
"Hang on, DW! The controls aren't working, maybe you should jump off of it?"
"Are you crazy?! That's dangerous!"
"Even more dangerous are those two aiming at us!" Launchpad exclaimed.
"Ugh, there...goes my lecture...on always using safety first." He jumped off the treadmill and plowed straight into Launchpad. The timer on the contraption around Darkwing started to beep. Darkwing hopped to his feet, and started running around the room in circles, not just to keep the contraption above 100, but dodging both flame and electric sparks from the two villains.
"Wait a minute, DW, I've gotta get that thing off of you somehow." Launchpad took to his feet and ran after Darkwing.
"Well, you're...just going to...have to keep up with me until you can...wait, I think I've got it!" He saw a sharp edge on the debris from Megavolt's contraption just a hop, a jump, and a flip ahead of him, and he knew he had to time it right to take the rope from around him, or else the edge would skewer him too. He leapt, flipped and allowed himself to land close to the pointed edge of the remaining rocket.
Apparently his training sessions had come in handy, because it was a perfect time. The ropes cut from him, and he caught the contraption in his hands.
"Here LP, catch!" Darkwing threw the device to Launchpad, who caught it immediately.
"Uh...Uh...What am I supposed to do with this?!"
"Do I have to spell it out? Throw it away!"
"Uh...uh...here, happy birthday!" Launchpad threw the device over to Megavolt, who caught it perfectly.
"Wha? For me?" Megavolt said, just as the device reached 90 on the number read out. Sofie's eyes went wide as the the contraption exploded, sending the room in yet another puff of smoke, which streamed through the windows of the wrecked warehouse.
"Ooh, ooh, and what happened after that?!" Gosalyn sat on the couch beside Drake and Launchpad the next morning, who were both trying not to yawn after the long night they'd had.
Drake sighed. "Well, let's just say those two were extra well done when they were taken into custody by the St. Canard Police."
"But doesn't that bug you, Dad? The lady you just went out on a date with going to prison, and she was so nice too!"
"Actually..." Drake paused. "I think the blast from that contraption made Sofie not remember a thing about last night, or anything having to do with Megavolt. The police were convinced that Megavolt did something to scramble her memory and blamed him for all the damage. Sofie's back at her bakery now. We've seen the last of Pyrespark, at least I hope so."
"Whoa...Uh...That's terrible...and weird. You mean she doesn't remember you, either?" Launchpad asked with a frown.
"Nah, she remembered me, and the date we had. I don't think she remembers anything about Darkwing though, or even the beef about her restaurant moving more than five times. She wanted to ask me out on a second date. I told her it's probably better we stay friends. Besides, after last night, I think I'm permanently taking myself off the dating market for a while."
Gosalyn laughed. "You know what that means?"
"What, young lady?"
"That means I won the bet! You're not going on a second date with her, and I get to make you over!"
Drake rolled his eyes and crossed his arms while a scowl came on his face. "Not this again...fine! Do your little makeover - I've learned my lesson from this whole escapade."
"And what's that DW?" Launchpad asked.
Drake sighed and put an arm around Gosalyn. "I'm not worried about being alone forever, because I've got family that loves me right here, right now. "
"D'aww Dad!" Gosalyn gave him a big hug, but all three of them were startled by the phone ringing. And it wasn't Drake's regular phone, it was the one he'd set aside for his Darkwing duties. He picked it up cautiously.
"Hello?"
"Darkwing! It's been so long since I've called you!"
"Morgana?" Drake raised an eyebrow. "What's going on, are you okay?"
"Of course! Of course! I just wanted to call you and say I've been thinking that we haven't seen each other in a while, and that we should go on a date!"
"A D-date?" Drake's face went pale, and his eyes glossy. He fell to the floor in exasperation, while Morgana's voice still exclaimed from the other end of the phone.
"Darkwing? Oh, Darkwing, did I say something wrong? Hello?"
"Uh...Is Dad gonna be okay, Launchpad?" Gosalyn looked up at Launchpad who shrugged his shoulders cheerfully.
"Yeah, he'll be fine in a while. He's just a little lovesick right now."
"Or sick of love." Gosalyn said, shaking her head as Drake groaned in exhaustion.
The End
I'll go ahead and tell you that the titles of each chapter were based on actual songs - much like my fanfic story for "Alvin's Ghost." Here are the song names so I don't have to go through them in a separate upload:
Chapter 1: "I Want a New Duck" - parody of "I Want a New Drug" by Huey Lewis and the News. Weird Al's parody song of the Huey Lewis song is also called "I Want a New Duck", so if you haven't heard either of them- they're just fun to listen to - plus I did have in mind a parody of Huey Dewey and Louie appearing in this story when I originally crafted this, but it never came to fruition - I wish it had.
Chapter 2: "Used to Be a Bad Thing" by FAKE? - Japanese rock group (song's in English) that has multiple influences. I'm sure if you googled this song, you could find it easily. I have no idea why I named this chapter after that.
Chapter 3: "Head Over Heels" by Tears for Fears - oddly enough, I can see how someone could also have interpreted this chapter as being influenced "Head Over Heels" by The Go-gos or even "Head Over Heels" by ABBA (I honestly had no idea until someone pointed it out to me). But no, it wasn't any of those other than Tears for Fears, and if you read that story while listening to the song, you can sort of see why.
Chapter 4: "Bad Love" by Eric Clapton, as stated in the beginning chapter of this story.