"Watch this Beth!" cried Gosalyn as she proceeded to go down the nearly vertical Kamikaze water slide backwards. "Gosalyn, I'm sure that's against the rules!" called Beth, knowing she was wasting her time.
Gosalyn popped up out of the pool below the slide. "Aw, rules are for weenies." she said. "Yes, but they're also for not getting kicked out of the water park." said Beth, tugging nervously at her sweater collar as some lifeguards eyed them. "Why don't we relax in the shallow pool?" she suggested, noting the pool nearby that was really a kiddie pool, but was handy for dunking feet in as well.
"The kiddie pool? Not in this universe!" said Gos. "I'm going down the Kamikaze again...standing up! Coming?" Beth shook her head. She had tried a couple of the gentler slides and the wave pool, but even going down the Kamikaze the proper way was a little much for her. "I'm going to dunk my feet. Don't get into trouble." "I won't." said Gos as she ran off. Any other little girl, Beth might have worried about the lifeguards giving her a hard time. But Gosalyn was not like any little girl. Smiling, Beth headed for the kiddie pool.
She might not have been smiling if she knew what was going on just outside the water park gates. There, a pickup truck was cruising the street, driven by two sinister Husk-Men, who had orders to find a bride for thier boss and not to come back wthout one. They were well aware, too, of the price they would pay if Bushroot X wasn't satisfied with thier choice.
"Nothing yet." grumbled one. "What does the boss see in these ugly unmasked women anyway?" The driver shrugged. "I don't know...but I'm sure he'll take care of that little problem once he has someone." He pointed a gloved finger at a canid female walking down the street. "There...she should do. Let's grab her." They stopped the truck and jumped out. Unfortunately, their timing was bad, as Darkwing was heading down the street in the opposite direction, intending to check on Gosalyn before she wrecked the water park.
"Aw, I'm sure Beth can handle Gosalyn." said Launchpad.
"With a whip and chair, maybe." replied Darkwing. "I remember the last time we visited the park, some of the lifeguards are still in therapy." But he forgot about the park and his daughter quickly when he heard a scream and saw the Husk-Men shoving a woman into the back of a truck. "Hey!" yelled the crimefighter as he pulled out his gas gun.
"Move it!" shouted one Husk-Man as they jumped in the truck and sped off. Darkwing stepped on the gas, but the truck already had a good head start, and the Husk-Men drove with the desperation of those who knew failure meant death. "Hmm, they're heading for that bridge over Canvasback River." remarked DW. He turned the Ratcatcher in another direction. "What are you going to do, DW?" asked Launchpad.
"Head them off at the pass." replied Darkwing as he pushed the motorcycle to its limit.
"Slow down a little, he's way behind." advised the passenger Husk. "Not until we get back to base." replied the driver. Meanwhile, their prisoner was pounding on the back window. "Let me out!" she screamed. The truck was going too fast for her to jump. "You'll be out soon enough." said the passenger. Now they were heading downhill and towards a bridge. They were just starting to cross when Bushroot X suddenly appeared in the middle of the bridge.
"What the...it's the boss!" cried the driver, his expression hidden behind his impenetrable mask. "Don't hit him or we're dead!" yelled his passenger. In a panic, the driver swerved wildly and the truck crashed through the guard rail and plunged into the cold river below. The female captive was thrown clear. A moment later, the image of Bushroot X disappeared. Darkwing and Launchpad came out from behind some bushes nearby. "I knew this SHUSH hologram device would come in handy one day!" declared the crimefighter. "Are you all right?" he asked the woman.
"I am now." she said. "What-what did those men want with me?" DW shook his head. "It dosen't matter...they won't be bothering you anymore." he said as he looked into the dark, deep waters.
"Fools...bungling fools!" yelled Bushroot X. "Is everyone around me totally useless?" The Husk-Men in the room stood still, not daring to say a word. Bushroot X smashed a fist into the TV screen where he had just been watching the news about the attempted kidnapping and Darkwing Duck's rescue. "Get back out there and find me a bride...or else!" bellowed the villain, hurling the TV at the two Husk-Men, who almost fell over each other to get out. Bushroot X breathed heavily, his breath distorted by the mask he wore. "You won't spoil my plans for long, Darkwing Duck." he sneered. "I'm going to spoil you...and everyone else."
"Well, that was fun." said Beth as they walked back towards her house. "Yeah, but what a jerk that guard was." answered Gosalyn. "I don't think pulling his shirt up over his head and threatening him with a flamethrower helped." Beth reminded her. "Aw, I was just kidding...sort of." said Gos. As they walked along, a van drove up the street and stopped. A young man got out and walked towards them. "Can you give me a hand, miss?" he asked of Beth.
"Sure, what's up?" asked Beth. "You are." said the man as he held up a canister and sprayed gas into Beth and Gosalyn's faces, felling them both in a second. Then a second man got out of the truck, a Husk-Man. "Get her in the van...hurry!" ordered the first one as he pulled off the mask he had been wearing to reveal his Husk mask. "I'm glad to get that horrible thing off." he remarked as he helped his partner pick up Beth and dump her in the van.
"What about the kid?" asked the second Husk.
"Leave her, she won't cause any trouble." said the first one, obviously not knowing who her father was. "Let's get the boss's prize back to him." They jumped in the van and drove away, leaving Gosalyn unconcious on the sidewalk.
To be continued...
Darkwing Duck and related characters are the property of Disney. The concept of Bushroot X and the Husk-Men are property of the author. Beth Webfoot is property of Rebecca Kelly and is used with permission. (C) 2008 Eric Smith.