In-Production
Chapter 4
The set was filled with anxious stage crew members as they busied themselves with their jobs. The camera men were preparing the cameras as the set crew were marking the shots that were to be made.
The large studio the crew was working in towered over everyone inside the building, high black metal beams with large bright lights over top of everything. The set for the next scene that was to be performed was Gosalyn's first look at the new and improved Darkwing Duck in the futuristic world she was now in. The episode, "Time and Punishment" was their first and only episode where the future of their characters would be seen.
Myers, the anal, over-dramatic director, waited impatiently for the scene to be lit, looking over the notes as the actors waited for their cue.
To the right of the stage, behind the wall that was meant to be the city background, Negaduck stood in his proper place, waiting for the executive for the tank he would be riding to come back over after being called over somewhere for a quick phone call. The mallard smirked as he looked down and admired the costume for Darkwarrior Duck. It was heavily armored and though Negaduck would never admit it, almost too heavy for him to move in. Beside him was the large heavy helmet Darkwarrior also wore.
'Act like that sissy, Darkwing. That's all you have to do when you're not acting. And when you ARE acting, you get to be the invincible, crude, and ruthless Darkwarrior..' mused Negaduck as he waited. He glanced around the set, hoping that no one would come near him to talk. The last thing he needed was an excuse to act like Darkwing. He just wanted to finish the episode and go back to being his normal self. He just hoped Darkwing was doing a good job pretending to be him and not making him look like a fool. 'He probably is…' thought Negaduck with a sigh.
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Across the set, a large metal door opened up, bringing in bright light for a moment as Morgana McCawber stepped inside, quietly shutting the door behind her. She looked about set, her dark eyes scanning through the bustling crowd of stage hands and crew members; searching.
She came inside with a slight temper, angry that Darkwing had once more made plans to have dinner with her and once again, he had not shown up. Their relationship was starting to mirror the relationship their roles in the show a little too much for her taste. Wanting to give Darkwing a piece of her mind, she anxiously looked for him. She was still wearing the bloody red dress that reached the floor and covering her feet and her hair was still in the same style as it always was.
Being as tall as she was she was able to look over most everyone's heads as she searched, but as her eyes scanned the crowd, she nearly toppled over an un-expecting Megavolt, who shouted out in alarm as he was not paying attention.
Crouching down out of instinct, Megavolt looked up to see that it was only Morgana, who had regained her balance from nearly falling over.
Morgana placed a hand over her chest. "Oh, my goodness, Megavolt! I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going!" she apologized sweetly.
Megavolt shrugged it off. "Eh, I wasn't exactly paying attention either…" He looked away, never meeting her gaze. Morgana saw this and blinked down at him, a concerned frown playing on her beak.
"What's wrong, Megs? You look upset about something. Did you forget your lines again?" she asked with empathy.
Megavolt finally met her gaze. "Why does everyone keep assuming that?" he asked her. A moment later he shook his head. "Don't answer that." he sighed. "I don't know, I've just been a little stressed lately, I guess."
Morgana frowned even deeper at this. "Haven't you been able to liberate any light bulbs lately?"
Megavolt moved his head to the side in an odd shrugging gesture before replying, "Well, I have….Though not the light bulbs I would TRULY love to liberate." He looked up at the light bulbs above them and Morgana followed his gaze, understanding.
' Morgana dropped her head back down to look at Megavolt once more. "Well, whatever is bothering you, Megs, don't worry. Everything will be alright. You have a cast full of friends to turn to if you need them. You know that if you ever need to talk to someone I'm here for you…."
Megavolt considered her offer and kind words, adjusting his goggles a bit on his nose, a frown on his lips. He looked the other way for a minute and could barely see Quackerjack's jester hat moving about through the crowd. He sighed and looked back towards Morgana. "Thanks, Morgana. I'll….try to remember that…"
Morgana beamed, giving him a friendly pat on the back before continuing her search for Darkwing. Megavolt walked off, muttering something under his breath, but she no longer paid him any mind as her eyes finally landed on Darkwing. She remembered faintly that the episode that was being shot was "Time and Punishment", in which Darkwing was playing his futuristic self as Darkwarrior. She could see Darkwing wearing the heavily armored outfit.
Her beak straightened to a straight line as she prepared herself, not wishing for Darkwing to weasel himself out of this one. That was the third time in the last month he had forgotten about their dinner dates and he was now going to get a piece of her mind.
Morgana walked up to the distracted Negaduck, who was currently dressed up as Darkwing in his Darkwarrior outfit. The short mallard was going over his lines once more as she walked up to him. It wasn't until he was in the shadow of her tall figure that he realized she was there.
"Hey, get outta my light, you knob!" he growled, forgetting momentarily that he was supposed to be Darkwing.
"What did you just call me, Darkwing!" demanded a now furious Morgana. Negaduck looked up and gulped, realizing his mistake.
'Oh, perfect, if it isn't the Bat Lady herself…' groaned Negaduck in his head. He took in a deep breath and prepared himself to act like Darkwing would in this situation. 'Heh, he would probably cower in fear and start begging on his knees…. Which I flat out refuse to do!'
Negaduck finally opened his beak and began talking, not entirely sure what he was going to say. "Look, I'm sorry, Morgana-Morg…..Sweetie…" Negaduck inwardly winced, disgusted.
Morgana gave him a scrutinizing glare. "Dark, what's the matter with your voice? You sound just like Negaduck. Is your throat brothering you? Do you have a cold? Perhaps you shouldn't be acting today…"
'Wow, let's give the lady a prize. I sound like Negaduck. She's even more stupid than I gave her credit for' sneered Negaduck to himself. 'Can't even tell the difference between me and her dimwitted boyfriend….Geez…'
Knowing that he couldn't blow his cover, no matter how much he wanted to, he quickly cleared his throat in hopes to make his voice sound a little more like Darkwing's higher toned voice. "Um…yes, Morg….That's exactly what this is. A slight cold. But I can still act today. It's not that bad…."
Morgana, seemingly satisfied with that answer, placed her hands on her hips, intending to talk about the real reason she had come to visit the set. "Alright, fair enough. But do you have ANY idea why I am currently furious with you!"
"You realized I'm a dimwitted fraud in a purple costume…..and with bad baby shampoo-smelling cologne?"
Morgana gave him a puzzled look for a moment, not knowing how to respond. "N-No, Dark! I meant about the three dates you stood me up!"
"THREE!" repeated Negaduck aloud, quite shocked. 'God, and here I was just ASSUMING he was a bad boyfriend….heh…' thought Negaduck before replying. "It's times like this when I wonder why you're still dating me…"
"You mean you're not even going to apologize!" roared Morgana.
Negaduck was torn. 'Hmm…..continue to act whiny and girly like Darkwing or ruin his dating life with Morgana completely…..Choices…' Negaduck tried to act nervous, like he knew Darkwing would be in this situation, though his heavy armored outfit made it hard for him to look intimidated and shameful. "I-I AM going to apologize Morg….sweetie…" Negaduck winced at the words he was using. "And I'm….VERY sorry about missing those…THREE dates…I guess I'm just a forgetful idiot…."
Morgana watched him carefully, taking in his words. "You'll make up for it?"
Negaduck nodded. "I'll make up for it."
"You promise?"
Negaduck nodded once more. "I promise."
Morgana stood there for a long minute, lasting forever to Negaduck. "Thank you, Dark, darling…." He leaned down and gave the mallard a kiss on the cheek.
'Heh, I actually enjoyed that a little…..I'm such a sick bastard….' he mused to himself with a smile. Morgana read that smile entirely differently though, thinking that Darkwing was enjoying the kiss out of his love for her.
"Oh, Dark, you know I can't stay mad at you for too long!" she gushed, her anger melting away.
"Yep, yep, yep…." boasted Negaduck, imitating Darkwing's words. "I know…I know…"
It was then that Myers walked up to the both of them, earning him their attention. The tall canine was wearing blue pants and a white shirt, his tie multi-colored and worn loosely around his neck.
"Darkwing. Morgana." he greeted them briskly with a slight nod. Morgana smiled at him and Negaduck just simply stared back with boredom. "Darkwing, you're needed on set. We're about to light this scene. You ready?"
The director didn't even give Negaduck a chance to respond, for he had already turned around, gesturing with his arm to follow. Morgana and Negaduck turned to look at one another.
"Later, Dark, darling. Good luck!" she told him sweetly.
"Yeah, sure, whatever…" muttered Negaduck as he followed Myers onto the set. Morgana just watched after him, unsure of what had just taken place.
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He pulled hard on the ends of his jester hat, being able to find no other comfort. He sat there, waiting for the scene where he would finally be able to be within close range of Megavolt, growing more impatient by the minute.
Quackerjack and Liquidator were still sitting next to each other. Liquidator was standing at the moment, but his actor's chair was sitting next to Quackerjack's. The two of them were near the back of the set, off in their own little world, watching everyone else do their work.
Quackerjack was sitting in his actor's chair, fidgeting and unable to remain still, the bells at the end of his hat jingling softly in his unruliness.
Liquidator looked down at the jester, hating to see his friend in such distress. "You just need to relax, Quacky. Looking at the clock to see what time it is every other minute is not going to make things move any faster" he told him with his liquid arms crossed over his chest.
Quackerjack let out a long childish moan, stomping both his feet down on the concrete floor. "I know! But it's just not fair! I wanna be near my Megsy!"
"I think you're borderline obsessive" remarked Liquidator.
"BORDERLINE! HAH! I've already crossed that line and claimed the territory as my own!" exclaimed the childish clown. His large bucktoothed grin faded into a saddened frown though. "I know I shouldn't have gotten so close to Megs like this… So…possessive of him. But…I couldn't help it! He's just so….." he giggled for a moment, moving and twisting his body about in the chair as though he was being tickled. "So….enlivening!"
Liquidator raised a liquefied eyebrow. "Megavolt? Really?" He tried to hide his disgust but he knew he failed miserably.
Quackerjack frowned, turning to look up at Liquidator. "Bushroot? Really?" he retorted with a sneer.
Liquidator felt a bubble of anger run through him. "There is nothing wrong with Reggie! Besides, at least my crush doesn't talk to light bulbs!"
Quackerjack nodded. "No….You're right. Bushroot doesn't talk to light bulbs like Megavolt does…..No…Instead he talks to plants!"
"At least plants are alive!"
Quackerjack burst into a fit of giggles, his anger suddenly gone. "You know, if Megs were here and heard you say that, you would never hear the end of it." he managed to stop his giggles and sighed. "Yeah…I just barely managed to avoid that land mine…"
Quackerjack wrapped his arms around himself. "Alright, so….Megavolt may not exactly be the most sane or….cleanest…person to be with…but…he makes me happy…"
Liquidator nodded, understanding the feeling. Bushroot had a way of making him feel happy and relaxed when he was around, so he was able to understand what the jester was trying to get across.
Quackerjack sat back in his seat, finally a little more relaxed than he was prior to their talk, though he still pulled out a paddle ball and started playing with it out of nerves.
Liquidator ignored him and his actions, his eyes scanning through the crowd, looking for the floppy purple petal hair of Bushroot. He spotted the mutant duck from across the set, seeing that Bushroot was sitting in his actor's chair in between Megavolt and Rhoda. Liquidator rolled his eyes when he saw that Rhoda was still on the set.
"Doesn't that tramp have anything else better to do!" growled Liquidator darkly. Quackerjack either didn't hear him or decided not to comment, for he continued to play his paddle ball wordlessly.
"Megavolt seems unhappy…" noticed Liquidator, tearing his eyes away from Bushroot and Rhoda and glancing to Bushroot's left. Megavolt did seem out of sorts. Muttering to himself and looking upset, his blue gloved hands twitching with electricity and unable to hold still.
"He probably forgot his lines" sighed Quackerjack. "I always help him go over his lines and since I can't do that, like I usually do, he's having trouble." As if on cue, Liquidator watched as Megavolt pulled out his script from behind his back and look through it. Judging by his reaction, the rodent was failing to remember his lines properly.
Both Quackerjack and Liquidator took in a deep breath and sighed at the same time, wishing they could be with the ones they loved.
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On the other side of the set, across from Quackerjack and Liquidator, Bushroot's attention was on the woman to his right. He smiled at her as they sat next to each other. Since Rhoda had only made an appearance in one episode, she didn't have an actor's chair like the others did. So, she had found a regular metal fold out chair to sit on instead. It didn't matter to her, as long as she got to sit down next to Bushroot.
Bushroot sighed contentedly as they looked into each other's eyes. "So, when you left for college, did you ever think you would end up as a part time actress?" he asked her.
Rhoda laughed, pushing up her petite round glasses further up on her beak. "No, I never would have guessed it. But, as much as I love biology…I guess acting was my true calling. And no one said I couldn't do both. So, that's what I'm doing. A few acting jobs here and there and still having enough time to do some research as more of a hobby than anything else."
Bushroot nodded with enthusiasm. "Sounds good to me. I'm mean, that's basically what I'm doing myself" he replied in his baritone voice. He looked down shyly at his hands, fiddling with them.
Megavolt made a disgusted sound from behind Bushroot, causing the two of them to turn and look at him. "You two are sickening….I'm being reminded of a bad romance movie I once watched….At least….I think it was a romance movie….Couldn't really tell since the acting was so bad…"
Bushroot scoffed, affronted. "Oh, what do you know, Megs, you don't even have a girlfriend!"
Megavolt flinched at his words, hoping the two of them wouldn't notice his reaction. He shook his head. "No….indeed I do not."
Rhoda, being a soft-spoken, kind woman by nature, leaned inwards a bit towards Bushroot, her gaze on Megavolt. "That's a shame. Are you interested in having a girlfriend at all or have you been too busy with work?"
Again, Megavolt flinched ever so slightly. Her words held a bit of truth to them and she didn't even know it. Megavolt was incredibly busy with his role on the show, making it practically impossible to have any sort of relationship. His frazzled mind then turned to Quackerjack and how the two of them have been trying their hardest to make things work out between them, trying to work through both their schedules and trying to keep their relationship a secret in the process.
"It is a shame….Shame that I don't have any time for a relationship…" he spoke quietly, contemplating.
Rhoda frowned, feeling very sympathetic for the rodent. "Well, keep your hopes up, Megavolt. I'm sure everything will work out for you. You're a great guy. You'll find someone."
Megavolt regarded her for a moment before looking at Bushroot. "Keep her." he grunted and stood up, taking his script with him.
Bushroot looked down and chuckled a bit at his comment. His smile quickly vanished when he looked up and caught a glimpse of Liquidator from across the set. He could see him standing next to Quackerjack, who seemed to be a bundle of anxious nerves. 'Hmm….Everyone seems to be all tense today…' he thought to himself. 'Heh, I'm one to talk though. I'm just as anxious as everyone else it seems…'
He glanced over at Rhoda, who was skimming through a magazine she had brought with her that morning, and frowned. He fiddled with his leafy hands, his roots twitching on the concrete floor. He loved Rhoda a great deal, she was kind to him, and one of the most attractive looking women he had ever laid eyes on, but in all reality, he knew she was just a cover up. No matter how much he denied it, or told himself how much he loved Rhoda, he knew deep down that he loved someone else even more. Someone who he knew he could never have. Not only was it a long shot romance, but he would never have the guts to admit it verbally.
He loved Liquidator. He hated admitting it, especially since he was in a relationship with Rhoda, who he would never dream of hurting. He hadn't intended for his feelings for her to go this far and he certainly had never planned that she would love him back. He felt terrible that he was in this odd mental love triangle; loving two people at the same time. Deep down he wished there was a way he could tell Liquidator of his feelings, but he knew it would just end in disappointment. Liquidator was a ladies man. He said so himself many times in the past. There was no possible way he would ever look at Bushroot as anything more than a close friend.
Originally he had planned to get closer to Rhoda in hopes to lessen the pain of being unable to be with Liquidator. But that planned turned against him when he realized he had feelings for her. And it had made him feel as bad when she admitted her own feelings for him.
The whole plan of making himself feel better had taken a dreadful turn for the worst. He didn't regret admitting his feelings to her, but every time he saw Liquidator, guilt overwhelmed him. Not to mention his feelings for him. That was the main reason he was now avoiding Liquidator and spending more time with Rhoda. He hoped that if he spent enough time with her and tried forgetting about Liquidator, he would be able to move on and be happy with what he had. Sadly though, as most things went, it was easier said than done.
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The scene where Darkwarrior nearly kills Gosalyn by shooting a small rocket at her was in the midst of being shot. Negaduck was doing his part and playing as Darkwarrior so that Darkwing didn't have to. Meanwhile, Darkwing sat back and relaxed and watched as his opposite twin performed.
He stood there, wearing Negaduck's yellow suit, red turtle neck, black mask and cape, and red fedora with his arms over his chest. He was feeling slightly left out, since both Launchpad and Gosalyn were in this scene, which was who he usually hung around with between scenes and takes.
But it was better than playing the villain, he figured. A little bit of time to himself never hurt anyone. He was standing next to the producer and executive producer, not having anyone else to sit with. He knew other actors were there, but when he looked their way, they seemed to be in their own little worlds and didn't feel like disturbing them.
Darkwing glanced over as someone tall and wearing red walked past him and he did a double take. "Morgana!" he cried out. Myers shot him a deadly look that told him to be quiet from where he stood behind the main camera. Darkwing gave him a sheepish grin, only to remember that he was supposed to be Negaduck. But it was too late, Myers' attention was already back on the scene before him.
Morgana, who had heard his outburst, stopping walking and turned to face him. "Oh, hello, Negaduck. How are you today?" she asked, her voice sounding tired.
Darkwing opened his mouth to tell her that he wasn't Negaduck, but stopped himself just in time. "I-I'm alright…" he winced. 'How would Negaduck greet her!' he shouted inwardly. He closed his eyes, trying to remember how he's seen Negaduck greet Morgana in the past and tried his best to imitate him. "How about you….toots?"
"Toots?" repeated Morgana. "I think you have the same cold Darkwing does."
"Cold? Hah! Nahh, I don't get sick!" argued Darkwing, remembering to make his voice deeper like Negaduck's. "Being sick is for….dimwits like Darkwing.."
Morgana nodded slowly, unable to help but notice his odd behavior. 'If I didn't know any better, I'd say they switched places….' she contemplated to herself. She then shook her head, knowing that it wasn't possible. They barely tolerated each other, let alone be able to switch places. "Well, anyways, I had just come by to speak with Dark.."
"Oh-Oh! Really? What about?" he asked quickly. He then cleared his throat, seeing his mistake and adding briskly. "Not more of your lovey dovey…..crap…I hope. You guys make me sick as it is with your….lovey..dovey-ness…"
Morgana just rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, be quiet, Negaduck. You would never understand. And since you asked, I wanted to talk to Dark about the fact that he's stood me up on the last three dates we've set up."
"What dates!" exclaimed Darkwing before he could help himself. Morgana shook her head.
"Oh, don't even try to sound like you care, Negaduck. Anyways, he apologized…"
"He did!" asked Darkwing incredulously. He was just barely remembering to talk in Negaduck's deep voice.
Morgana nodded. "Yes, he did. You sound surprised about that. Maybe that's because he's a true gentlemen and YOU aren't!"
"HAH!" scoffed Darkwing with a laugh. He then remembered to play his part as Negaduck. He composed himself. "Well, perhaps there is still hope that not knob after all…"
Morgana ignored his comment, muttering a goodbye before she left, leaving a shocked Darkwing to recover from what had just taken place. 'Wow….Negaduck must have really been working hard to act like me….He could have very easily have ruined my relationship with Morg is he wanted to…but he didn't…..Heh, just when you think you know a guy….'
He turned his attention back to the set where Negaduck, Gosalyn, and Launchpad were performing, wondering how the rest of the day would play out.
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Author's Note: I know, it's a miracle that I actually updated this! But, somehow I got into the mood and had some good ideas for this and just started typing away! I've been so busy lately I haven't had the chance any of my fics, let alone this one. But this one needed updating the most, so, go on and enjoy it! -EricaX