Megavolt wasn't one for pressure. It gave him vague impressions of feeling like everything depended on that one moment, and if he didn't succeed then he would never get into some prestige college and his life would be ruined. He… didn't quite know WHERE it came from, or why, but Megavolt knew well enough that it made him feel like crud- SO NEVER AGAIN would he allow himself to do anything that wasn't at his own pace.
Unfortunately for him, that luxury had been taken from him when Negaduck had burst into his lighthouse- chainsaw blaring- as he demanded the electrical rodent meet him the next ten minutes at the docks.
"I, but… DOCKS? Are you MAD?" Megavolt exclaimed, despite the fact the chainsaw was just inches from his face and was growling at him like a dog ready to attack. "I don't know what you want, but I'm smart enough to know me and water DON'T mix!"
"Oh, really." Negaduck growled. Megavolt had to lean back to avoid getting his nose removed when the chainsaw was shoved closer to his face.
"Perhaps you would mix better with your organs liquified?"
Megavolt eyed the instrument of doom inches from his face, and swallowed the lump in his throat.
"Eh, heh heh. Is this a formal event, or casual?" He squeaked. The chainsaw quieted, and the mad genius found he could breath again. He watched as Negaduck started toward the door to leave.
"Just be there. Oh..." The caped mallard reached the door, opened it, and glanced back over his shoulder. "and come alone. Or else."
Before Megavolt could reply, the door slammed shut so hard, a box of clutter toppled off the stack, scattering its contents across the floor. Luckily it was only his tools that he had gotten out earlier for… something. Huh, now that he thought of it, he couldn't remember why. It was something he had been looking forward to just moments before, but with the threat of chainsaw-related death looming over him it was put onto the back burners of his mind- and would most likely be forgotten for good.
Megavolt threw a glance over his shoulder, where a large clock sat not far from his work bench. He yelped, seeing that he only had eight minutes left.
"Geeze, I gotta get outta here before my goose is cooked!"
And knowing Negaduck, he probably wouldn't be against such devious activities.
Rushing out of the lighthouse as fast as his legs could carry him, Megavolt made a mad dash to his car. He didn't have time to appreciate the beauty of it purring and coming to life as he stomped on the pedal- the tires screeching as he drove off into the distance.
If Megavolt had bothered to look behind him before he left, he would have noticed a figure had been watching him from the shadows- not in the very least pleased.
Six and a half minutes later, at the docks, brakes squealed as Megavolt just avoided giving his car a wash in the bay. A frazzled Megavolt leapt out of the driver's seat, and looked around, frantically. The docks were... oddly silent and deserted. He scratched his head and gazed out at the bay, which was also mostly deserted, save for the setting sun and a couple of seagulls.
"Was I just stood up? ... By Negaduck?" He asked an old docked rowboat. It smelled like fish, but it didn't answer him. He was more bewildered than offended; that really didn't seem like a very Negaduck thing to do. It was rude, sure, but evil? Not in the slightest.
It was then that he noticed the old, dilapidated, fish cannery shack. It stood dark and unassuming in the growing gloom, the perfect place for a villainous meet up, Megavolt decided. He shrugged.
"Huh. Guess the party's in there." He mumbled, and made haste toward it. He hoped his dawdling wasn't going to cost him an arm and a leg- or worse.
Megavolt cried out in alarm as exactly what he feared happened, and his leg was suddenly attacked by a great force. He nearly stumbled as his leg whined in a high pitched moan.
"Megavoooolt, you traitor! You fiend!"
"Q-Quackerjack?!" Confusion turned to anger as the electrical villain glared down at his leg, where an unwanted toymaker had latched onto him. "What are YOU doing here? Were you stalking me again?!"
While it was true this wasn't the first time Quackerjack had made it a game to follow around his crazed companion over the past four months of their friendship, it was- however- the first time he had tackled the rodent to stop him from doing what he needed to do. Megavolt tried slipping his boot out of the grip, but the jester only pouted more as he accompanied it with a glare.
"I was most certainly NOT! Not not not! YOU were the one that abandoned ME! "
"Abandoned?" Megavolt raised a brow, and scanned the barren shelves of his memory banks. Thankfully, things his mind got charged up over tended not to be thrown out so quickly- the prongs on his helmet sparked as he remembered.
"D'oh!" He smacked his own forehead. "The timetop! I knew I had plans tonight!"
His leg was released as Quackerjack sprung up, still scowling, eyes sorrowful. Whether the sorrow was genuine, Megavolt could never tell.
"Megavolt, how could you forget something like that? I know you're brain fried, but this was important!"
Megavolt sighed. "Right, well, I'll have to take a raincheck on that. Sorry, Quacky, but if I don't get in there soon, Negaduck's gonna turn me into chopped liver!"
"But-"
"Quackerjack, I'll be right back, okay? Just stay here..." Megavolt slowly began backing up toward the shack, keeping a close eye on his clowny companion. Quackerjack, by this point, looked like a kicked puppy, the tails of his hat deflated and limp against a pouting bill.
"Gooood, just stay right there..." It seemed that Quackerjack slumped more with every step back he took. If he hadn't been so terrified of what Negaduck was going to do to him, it may have been mildly heartbreaking. He kept this up until he reached the door. Finally, convinced Quackerjack was going to stay put, he turned, opened the door, and entered the building.
The smell of fish was overwhelming. Megavolt threw a gloved hand over his nose to try filtering out the stomach wrenching smell. Shafts of moonlight streamed down through multiple holes in the roof, while most of the place was shrouded in shadows. The place seemed empty, and yet he could swear he felt like he was being watched.
"PE-yew! This is what you ditched me for? You don't even LIKE fish!"
Megavolt spun around so fast he would later have to worry about whiplash. Standing right behind him was the insane clown he had left outside. Megavolt growled- sparking dangerously and giving off the most light in the room.
"I thought I told you to stay outside!"
"But it was booooring out there, " Quackerjack whined, "and you never DID say what you were here for, anyhow."
Megavolt placed a hand on his buddy's shoulders as he spun him around and began pushing him towards the entrance. In a harsh whisper he explained as best as he could.
"LOOK, I'll tell ya later, okay? If you don't get outta here you'll be a dead duck and I'll be-"
An ominous voice interrupted from the shadows.
"LATE, Megavolt." Negaduck stepped out from the darkness, where a nervous Bushroot and a curious Liquidator followed. The latter remained silent as the red fedora wearing villain sneered. "What, forget to leave the ball and chain at home? I THOUGHT I said to come alone, and you're one knob too many!"
"Negaduck?" Quackerjack hissed over his shoulder. "You've been... cavorting with Negaduck? THE Negaduck?" The jester wasn't sure if he should be jealous, or worried for his pal's poor life choices.
"Yeah, well, he was just leaving!" Megavolt gave Quackerjack another insistent shove toward the door. "Weren't you?" he urged, through clenched teeth.
It was a little spooky how quickly and silently Negaduck managed to slip between them and the only exit. They both froze and cowered slightly as the menacing mallard stepped toward them.
"Luckily for you two," A hand shot out, grabbing Quackerjack by the front of his shirt, and yanking him forward until he was eye-to-eye with Negaduck. "I know how you morons operate! Quackerjack shows up to the party, even when he isn't invited. ESPECIALLY when he isn't invited."
The worry in the jester's face evaporated as he too put two and two together. He smiled widely.
"So I WAS invited!"
Negaduck dropped him- Quackerjack fell directly onto his grinning mug.
"THIS time, and it better be the last you EVER go against my word again- GOT it, CHUCKLES?"
A glare was thrown at the demented duo, who both nodded their heads vigorously. Good, maybe now they knew who was in charge. Negaduck began to circle the four, like a shark out for blood, as he eyed the lot he had called to his hideout.
"NOW, who knows why I called you here?"
It was the bubbly and energetic water salesman that piped in first.
"Heroes keeping you down? Needing an extra edge to keep your competition at bay? Look no further than Saint Canard's own villain gallery!"
"Right you are, puddle brains! And, unless I'm mistaken- and let's be honest, I rarely am- you four already have a... history... with each other. Right?"
The word "history" had been said in a way that conveyed displeasure, maybe even a hint of disgust. The four villains exchanged looks, and a collection of "Um"s and "erm"s and a few "well"s was his answer.
"Megavolt and me know each other." Quackerjack slung an arm around Megavolt's shoulders. "Two bananas in a double sundae!"
"Yeah!" Megavolt agreed, nodding, as if that bit of information may save their lives. "Real pals."
Negaduck rolled his eyes. "Obviously. And what about you two?"
Bushroot looked shyly up at the canine next to him, as he threw a leafy thumb towards his direction.
"We haven't been formally introduced, Mr. Negaduck, sir." Seeing that his answer didn't please the meeting's ringleader, he stiffened his stem-like spine as he switched up and pointed at the buddies across from him instead. "But I know these guys, honest!"
While Megavolt tried to remember if that was true- only sort of remembering being angry at the lyceum nycanthropus- Negaduck scoffed.
"Geeze... how much of a shut-in ARE you guys?"
"Uh... we're mutants?" Bushroot blinked a few times before becoming embarrassed. " I... sorta don't get out much. Sorry."
"Not to worry, though," Liquidator splashed his way back into the conversation, all smiles as he slapped a friendly hand onto the wallflower next to him. "Five out of five botanists agree: water and plants were MADE for each other. And that's a hundred percent Liquidator guarantee!"
While initially startled by the sudden intrusion on his personal space, Bushroot found that being backed by a team of super powered pals gave him more courage than he was used to.
"Yeah! You can count on us, Lord Negaduck, sir!" Bushroot had puffed out his chest in a show of bravery, but it didn't last long. "... Uh, what exactly are we doing, again?"
"Oh, a little of this, a little of that. Not everyone is worthy enough to be under my tutelage, you know? So! Who's ready to submit to my every beck and call, hm?"
Negaduck snarled when his group of lackies exchanged more looks and mumbled uncertainly. Did they seriously still think they had a choice, here? His trusty chainsaw came out then, to aid them in the correct decision.
"I SAID," he roared over the chainsaw. "WHO'S READY TO DO WHATEVER THE HECK I TELL THEM TO DO?!"
"Sounds like fun," chipped in Quackerjack.
"Uplifting." hummed Liquidator.
"Works for me," echoed Megavolt.
"I'm free for Tuesday's," the silence that followed Bushroot was quickly filled as he continued to bargain. "or, ya know, I'll clear my schedule."
Negaduck nodded, turning off his chainsaw as he leaned against it for support, smugly grinning at the four.
"GOOD, cooperation goes far when you're working for me." His smile slipped as he became deadly serious. "However, don't get comfortable. I'm seeing this as a trial run, here. I want to see how you losers work together, and whether you're even worth my time. I want the best of the best, and while you're all a bunch of fumbling idiots-" This was uttered loud enough to make the four flinch. " You guys got… potential."
This was met with a jumble of flattered replies, but that was cut short with another simple rev from the chainsaw.
"SHADDAP! ... Gooood. Now, for starters, here's what I was thinking..."
"You know, when Negaduck said he had a big, important job for us, this isn't exactly what I had in mind." Bushroot lamented, as he dropped another of Negaduck's undershirts into the dryer.
Just then, the washing machine door not far away popped open, the water spilling out all over the floor. The water quickly reformed itself and stood up, understandably dizzy.
"You've got it easy! Remind me again why this is necessary? The Liquidator is NOT spin-cycle friendly!"
"Sorry." Bushroot apologized, stepping past his watery pal to retrieve the next load. "Water costs extra here."
"Yeah, we're not made of money, Drippy!" Quackerjack retorted, playfully, plopping a basket full of freshly dried laundry on the floor, before falling backwards into the warm pile. He pulled out a pair of Negaduck's underwear from under his head, and waved them around.
"Ohh, skulls, fancy!" He laughed.
"I'm not touching those." Megavolt grumbled, as he folded another shirt. "When does he even WEAR shorts?"
Quackerjack snickered.
"Now now, it's not nice to think about other's mentioned unmentionables." He stretched the elastic on the band multiple times. "Springy! My tap pants aren't NEARLY as fun to play with!"
Megavolt groaned.
"Nobody wants to hear about your drawers, Quacky."
"Yeah," Bushroot muttered, putting his hands on his trunk-like hips as he was busy sporting a polkadot headband around his petals. "And would ya mind not stretching out Negaduck's clothes so much? I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to be the one to tell him we broke his underwear."
"Who broke WHAT now?"
The three not currently busy being the laundry water spun around to face the entrance of the room where Negaduck was lurking. It had been the first time their newfound leader had stopped by the factory in days, usually just communicating by notes stabbed into the walls as a reminder that he was still around- watching. Negaduck stomped his way into the room, half hunched menacingly as he eyed what the knobs had been up to.
"Not bad," he said, after snatching his boxers from Quackerjack's mitts. "Rough, scratchy- just the way I like it."
"N-nothing but the best for you, Negaduck!" Bushroot stuttered. Being in the presence of the guy made him shake like a leaf, even still. He yelped when Negaduck scowled and stomped toward him, swiping the polkadot bandana off his head. He balled it up and tossed it in the trash, and Bushroot slumped.
"Aw..."
"Now hurry up and finish, because next I've got a real crime lined up! If you bozos think you can handle it."
Negaduck didn't wait for them to answer; he just left.
"A real crime? Now that's more like it!" Megavolt sparked in excitement. Folding clothes wasn't exactly his idea of a Saturday well spent. Or was it Wednesday? Either way, it had been days of the four of them doing simple activities: stealing candy from babies, walking across the street without looking both ways, cutting in line- all c-list acts of inconvenience than anything else. Why, so far they weren't even on Dipwing Dolt's radar from their crimes- and that was saying something!
It was when Negaduck started making them do his housework that Megavolt had suspected the guy had ulterior motives. With the last of the laundry done, the criminals wearily made their way into the other room- where Negaduck waited.
"Alright, clowns, so you all passed the first test. Now that I know you're all pattsies that'll stoop low enough to do chores all day, I think I'm willing to give you guys a REAL challenge." The leader paused. "So what do you knobs know about SHUSH?"
"Looking for high quality products?" Liquidator inquired," wanting the government's best secret agents at your beck and call 24/7? SHUSH- it's where it's at!" The water canine's bubbliness deflated some as he continued. "Warning: experience with staff may vary."
"Right again, Liquidator!" Negaduck crooned. Despite his crooning sounding more like a sarcastic growl, The Liquidator smiled at being called by his actual name for once.
"This..." The caped mallard pulled out a piece of paper, one of its edges had a jagged tear down the side, as if it had been hastily torn from a book or magazine. He held it up for the four to see, and pointed at it. "is SHUSH's newest little invention. It's shiny, it's sharp, and most importantly, I want it!"
It only took a few seconds for the implications to hit them.
"Wait, y-you want us to break into SHUSH?" Bushroot stammered. "A heavily guarded, high surveillance building, teeming with cops, security guards, and really mean secretaries?"
"That's the plan. Is there a PROBLEM with that, Bushroot?"
Before the plant duck could respond that it was most certainly not a problem, it was Megavolt who spoke up and complained.
"It is if you don't want to get your kiester kicked back behind bars." And the mad genius had enough prison fun for a while. "How would you even expect us to get IN there? That place has gizmos and gadgets even I've never heard of!"
"Aww, come on Megavolt," the toymaker next to him cooed- getting close enough to be touching cheek to cheek. "Doesn't it sound a LITTLE fun? Think of all the toys inside! Think of how aaaaall alone they are without their big strong hero to liberate them, huh?"
Liquidator, seeing a tough sale, also jumped in.
"Not to mention looks good on your resume'!"
Megavolt's frown intensified as he was beginning to get paranoid, eyes cautiously watching the watery appendage.
"Would you two LET GO ALREADY?!"
Quackerjack and Liquidator abruptly let go and stepped away when Megavolt began sparking.
"Fine! I'll go along with your cockamamie plan." He folded his arms, and mumbled, "But I'm doing it for the cool gadgets who need a better home."
As the other three took turns patting Megavolt on the back for having him back aboard, Negaduck turned around, picking his teeth with a sharp bone, and glared at them.
"What? You four losers are still here? I thought I told you to go raid SHUSH!"
After some awkward scrambling and falling over one another, the four managed to exit the building, piling into Megavolt's car, and headed off to their destination.