Summary: A weird object from outer space is staring to wreak havoc with the world. Already responsible for the destruction of a space shuttle, it's now up to Darkwing and the gang to figure out what this object is, and how to stop it. But there's more to this object than meets the eye...

Rating for this Adventure: T

Author's note: A two-parter adventure, since I don't feel like writing out the whole thing to one chapter. Plus, it just fit. Some scenes in this chapter are inspired upon the "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" movie, but that'll end starting part 2. And yeah, I know it should be DASA, but I wanted to use NASA, so there. :p

7.

Escaped Convict Part I

"Houston, we are in position, requesting go ahead with satellite deployment."

"Flight, this is Houston, you have a go. Proceed with deployment."

SHUSH Director J. Gander Hooter watched the monitor displaying the space shuttle's relative position to Earth eagerly. "This is it." he remarked.

The mission commander, Mark Fox, nodded. "Don't worry Director." he said confidently. "These guys have been trained well. They won't hurt your satellite."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm perfectly confident this mission will go successfully." Hooter replied. "NASA has been more than capable to launch SHUSH's satellites into space in the past. I see no reason for that tradition to change now."

Mark grinned, and turned back to look at the monitor.

"Flight, we are opening the cargo doors, beginning deployment procedures." the radio crackled as the astronauts in the space shuttle high above them reported their progress.

"I understand this satellite can position itself." Mark remarked to Hooter suddenly. "That all we have to do is let it go, and it'll do the rest itself."

"Yes, that is part of the reason we are so anxious to see it go up." Hooter replied. "It sports a self-guidance technology and artificial intelligence no satellite of it's type has had before. It will conduct most of it's missions on it's own, presuming it does not malfunction or anything."

"Launching satellite, stand by, Houston." the radio spoke again.

On the monitor, a new dot detached itself from the wireframe drawing of the space shuttle, and moved away from it.

"Houston, satellite is away, and moving." the radio announced.

The room broke out into a smattering of applause.

Hooter pulled out a walkie-talkie and spoke into it. "Dr. Bellum, can you confirm?" he asked.

Back in headquarters in St. Canard, Dr. Sarah Bellum checked her own displays. "Yes, director." she reported. "We're already getting reports back from the satellite. It's positioning itself to the proper coordinates already, and we're seeing no errors."

Hooter grinned. "Good." he said. "That's how I like it."


From within the space shuttle, the astronauts watched the satellite drift away, maneuvering on it's own accord.

"Impressive little bugger." one astronaut remarked. "Must take quite a computer for it maneuver around like that on it's own."

"Too bad we can't tell anybody about it." another astronaut remarked. "The mission is top secret, you know."

"Some mission, all we had to do was let the satellite go, and it did the rest." a third astronaut grumbled.

"Personally, I like the easy missions." a fourth astronaut stated. "It's nice to know we can do a mission with a single hitch."

"You might have spoken too soon." the fifth astronaut said, and was the only one not watching the satellite. Instead, he was in the pilot's seat looking the other way. "There's something coming towards us."

"What?" the first astronaut asked, who was the mission commander, and worked his way towards the front in the lack of gravity. "You sure? Our path should be clear except for the SHUSH satellite."

"Oh yeah?" the fifth astronaut asked. "Then tell me what the heck that thing is."

He pointed at a glowing object that was coming towards them. Fast.

The other astronauts gathered around to see. "What the heck is that?" one of them asked.

The mission commander dove for the radio. "Houston, we have a problem. Wait, did I really just say that? Never mind, look, we've got something coming towards us. No idea what it is, but it's bright, and it's coming towards us, fast!"


"Can we confirm this?" Mark barked quickly to one of the people sitting at a control station.

"Yes, but..." the person replied, working with his controls desperately, "But I can't tell you much. It's not a man-made satellite, and it is moving very fast."

"Very fast!" another suddenly spoke up. "We just got a report in from Deep Space Telemetry. They've been tracking this thing all week. It was heading away from Earth, but five minutes ago it suddenly changed paths to intercept with the space shuttle and accelerated! It just went from lunar orbit to the space shuttle's position in less than five minutes!"

"Director Hooter!" Hooter's walkie-talkie suddenly crackled. "Our satellite sees the object, and is getting a reading. The object, whatever it is, is producing some kind of energy that even I've never seen, and considering all that I've seen in my lifetime..."

"Get them out of there!" Hooter ordered, getting a bad feeling about this.

"Can they?" Mark asked quickly.

"We're calculating now, shuttle is already moving." one person replied.

"It's not working, the object it only changing it's path to match!" another shouted.

"What?" Hooter asked standing.

"Sir, the object is on a collision course with the shuttle!" yet another person shouted.

"Get them out of there!" Mark ordered loudly.

"Can't, communications just went down!"

"Object now on the display!"

"Impact in three...two...one...zero!"

The monitor suddenly went blank.

"What happened?" Mark demanded.

"We're finding out, hang on!" came the reply.

Finally, the first person turned to look at Mark and Hooter, very solemnly. "I'm sorry sirs." he said. "We have a confirmed hit. The shuttle was destroyed."


"Gosalyn, for the last time, no you may not open any presents early!" Drake Mallard told his soon-to-be seventeen-year-old adopted daughter.

"C'mon dad, my birthday's just tomorrow!" Gosalyn begged. "Will it really matter if I just open one present a day early?"

"Yes, it does!" Drake persisted, walking into the kitchen. "Because the moment you open the one, you'll start begging to open all of them!"

"Dang, he's on to me." Gosalyn muttered, then hurried up to catch up with her adopted father. "Can't I at least take a peak?" she begged.

"No, Gosalyn." Drake said, continuing to work on the punch he was making. "Look, you're having your party with all of your friends tonight, and you'll be getting presents from them then. That should tide you over until tomorrow afternoon when you, me, and Launchpad celebrate your birthday and give you our presents then."

"C'mon dad..." Gosalyn begged.

"No, and that is final, young lady!" Drake persisted, dropping a ladle into the bowl of punch a little harsher than he intended. "If you keep this up, I will say no to the party, too."

"No?" Gosalyn repeated shocked. "You wouldn't!"

"Just try me, Gos." Drake said, picking up the bowl and placing it in the fridge until tonight.

"But it's been tradition for the past three years, Dad!" Gosalyn exclaimed. "Everybody in the neighborhood expects me to have the party! And I've already sent out invitations and everything!"

"Then just forget about opening presents early, then." Drake said, stepping out of the kitchen again.

"You know, Launchpad always let me do what I wanted for my birthdays." Gosalyn remarked, following.

"Yes, well, that was before I came back from my seven years of being gone." Drake pointed out, heading into his study, and going to close the door.

Gosalyn held it open with one hand. "You never let me do what I want." she pointed out.

"I let you start crime fighting." Drake pointed out, trying to force the door closed. "Or do you want me to take that away, too?"

Gosalyn frowned, but let the subject drop. However, she still kept the door propped open. "By the way Dad, this party is just for me and my friends." she said.

"I know." Drake said.

"I have to keep up my cool image." Gosalyn continued.

"I know." Drake said, giving up on the door and going to sit down at his desk.

"So, I don't want you or Launchpad to be at the party." Gosalyn concluded.

Drake was up again in a flash. "What?" he asked. "Gos, I can understand why you'd want that, but really, if me and LP aren't there, then who will make sure this party stays under control?"

"Don't worry, Honker will be there." Gosalyn assured him.

"Somehow I'm not comforted by that, Gos." Drake replied, hands on his hips.

"Then you don't know Honker." Gosalyn said, remembering the time Honker denied everybody attending Gosalyn's fifteen birthday party to play music at loud levels, so to not wake the neighbors.

Drake sighed. "Well, I suppose that if I hide out in the tower and monitor the house from there with the video feeds of the major rooms in the house..." he muttered in resignation.

Gosalyn grinned. "Thanks dad!" she said, and quickly stepped out of the room before Drake could so much as suggest he was going to change his mind.

Drake moaned, putting his head down on his desk. He had a bad feeling about this.


So did J. Gander Hooter, but for different reasons. Back in St. Canard now, he was currently pacing his office in anticipation.

First Agent Grizzlikof stood nearby, flipping through a report. "Are we sure?" he asked skeptically. "Perhaps report is wrong."

"No, everything has been double checked and triple checked, Agent Grizzlikof." Hooter said, continuing to pace. "There can be no denying it. The object, whatever it is, is much more than random space junk."

"A UFO, then?" Grizzlikof suggested.

"For the moment, yes." Hooter said. "But I intend on changing it to IFO, an identified flying object."

"But this theory of yours..." Grizzlikof. "The mysterious events occurring all over world must be unrelated."

"That is what I'd wish to think, which is why I have Dr. Bellum on it." Hooter replied. "But I'm afraid the events are too coincidental, and they only started to happen after the shuttle was destroyed. Think about it. First a windstorm starts for no reason in the middle of the Pacific. Radio transmissions go out in the Europe area for nearly a full hour with no explanation. There was a black out in New York, again with no cause. Bad weather all over the planet has increased by five percent. And currently, with all the information we know, only one thing can be the cause."

At that moment, Dr. Bellum stepped into the room, without bothering to knock or be asked in. "Director Hooter, it's just as we feared." she reported, holding up a file of information. "Remember the odd energy signature the satellite picked up from the object just before it destroyed the satellite? Well, it's found it again, and just like you thought, it's all over Earth. That object is still here, on this planet..."


"Gos, is there any chance of that music getting turned down?" Honker loudly asked as the late-night party roared on in the Mallard house.

"Isn't it a great tune?" Gosalyn asked, ignoring most of Honker's question. "Hey Daniel!" she called over to the person at the stereo. "Turn it up!" she motioned upward with her thumb.

"No, don't..." Honker began to interrupt, but it was too late. The volume went up several more notches, and now the music was rattling the foundation of the house. Honker pressed his hand onto his face. "You're dad is going to barge in here at any moment, I know it!" he moaned. "Then we'll all be in trouble!"

"Don't worry, there's no sound on the video feeds." Gosalyn assured him. "I made sure that were conveniently 'disconnected' a week ago when we were installing some of Dad's new equipment."

"Still, it's not like your dad can't figure out what's going on..." Honker said, looking around leerily, knowing he was being watched.

"How about we get a snack, Honker." Gosalyn said, taking her friend's hand and leading him through the crowd of dancing teenagers to the kitchen.

Inside, set neatly on the kitchen table, was a wide variety of snacks Drake had prepared, and were surprisingly very popular. Gosalyn approached the table and began gathering snacks and placing them on a plate. Honker nervously waited nearby, and jumped when a girl suddenly entered.

"Hey, Gos, you hungry too?" the girl asked.

"Hey Jax." Gosalyn greeted, turning around. "What's up?"

Jax, Gosalyn's friend, looked over the snacks, before her eyes fell on the silent and nervous Honker. "Hey, who's your friend?"

"This is Honker Muddlefoot." Gosalyn said, pulling Honker closer. "He lives next door."

Jax looked Honker over, and grinned slyly. "I don't suppose you and I could..." she began, but before she could finish, the already nervous Honker grew more nervous and interrupted.

"You're not my species." he suddenly announced.

Jax stared at Honker blankly, while Gosalyn slapped her face.

"Excuse me?" Jax asked.

"Well, presuming that this one chance encounter evolves into a more serious relationship..." Honker said, getting very technical in his nervousness, "...problems would arise, because our genetics vary so much, that, again theoretically presuming that a serious relationship would arise, any offspring..."

"Never mind." Jax quickly said, and left even quicker.

Honker simply just stared after her.

"Honker!" Gosalyn exclaimed, slapping her friend on the back of the head. "You didn't let her finish! She was only going to ask you to a dance!"

"How do you know?" Honker asked, rubbing the spot where Gosalyn had hit him. "Since we never heard the conclusion of her question, the odds that it is as you say are..."

"Honk, everybody likes you better when you're not all technical." Gosalyn said with a groan, pulling Honker back out into the living room.

"But I was being truthful..." Honker objected.


From within the tower, Drake watched the various inputs from the concealed video feeds back home, studying the multitude of teenagers party.

"I really don't like the looks of this." he muttered, not for the first time. "I think this party is getting way too out of hand."

"Aw, let Gos and her friends have fun, DW." Launchpad said, strolling up with a yogurt. "They aren't doing anything wrong as far as I can tell."

"That's because you can't see what's going on at all!" Drake exclaimed. "If this keeps up, it might be up to Darkwing Duck to get things back in order before the police show up, and I get the blame for it!" he squinted at one screen in particular. "I think they have that stereo turned up way too loud, as well. Wish I knew how the sound on these video feeds got disconnected."

"Dunno DW, but according to the remote decibel sensor at the house, it's pretty high up." Launchpad said.

"Is it in the red zone?" Drake asked, alarmed.

"No, just yellow." Launchpad replied, eating a spoonful of his yogurt.

Drake groaned. "So, Gos will only be deaf for the next two days then." he muttered sarcastically. "I must admit LP, I'm having real big second thoughts about this whole party. I probably should have never allowed Gos to..."

But he was cut off suddenly when a loud beeping noise rang out in the hideout.

Launchpad looked around. "What's that?" he asked.

"It's the call-waiting alarm!" Drake said, quickly rushing up a ladder and to the large video screen he used for communicating. "It's from SHUSH!" he announced, upon reading the details of the message. "Priority call!"

"Priority call?" Launchpad said. "That means Director Hooter wants to talk with all of us!"

"LP, you stay here!" Drake ordered, leaping down from the platform and racing across the hideout. "I'll head home through the secondary entrance and get Gosalyn and Honker!"


Outside the Mallard home in the backyard, Drake popped out of a nearby bush, dusting leaves from himself. Taking on the attitude of the normal household parent of a seventeen-year-old adopted daughter, he strode purposefully across the yard, and entered his house through the back door. Inside, he found the kitchen mostly empty, save a pair of skinny, teenage girls, leaning against a nearby wall, eating candy.

They looked at Drake when he entered. "Dude," one of them said, "What happened to your hair? Did someone attack it with a weed eater?" she laughed at her pun about Drake's balding hair.

Drake wisely ignored the quip, but eyed the candy. "Why are you eating that stuff, when there's a whole bunch of healthy snacks over there?" he asked, annoyed as he pointed at the snacks he had prepared earlier.

"They're bland." the other girl replied. "Besides, what's wrong with candy?"

"What's wrong?" Drake repeated. "Do you know how many fatty calories and other junk is in that stuff? Why, you both could be gaining weight even as we speak!"

The two girls stared at Drake for a moment, then at each other. Silently, giving Drake one last odd look, they left the room. Drake simply rolled his eyes, and remembered why he was here to begin with. Stepping through the double doors leading out of the kitchen, he stepped into the rowdy living room, trying to see over the many bouncing heads of teenagers. He wondered how he was going to find Gosalyn in all of this, but Gosalyn ultimately found him.

"Dad!" Gosalyn said, annoyed. "I asked you not to be here, and I thought you agreed!"

"I did." Drake said.

"Then why are you here?" Gosalyn demanded, folding her arms.

"SHUSH." Drake replied cryptically.

Gosalyn didn't catch on right away, but Drake saw when she did once her eyes started to widen. "Shush?" she repeated. "As in SHUSH shush?" she asked.

Drake nodded, and added quietly, "Priority call."

Gosalyn's eyes widened even more, but she frowned. "But..." she said. "What about opening the presents?" she asked. "We haven't even had the cake yet!"

"Miraculously." Drake muttered, but shrugged to his daughter. "Sorry Gos, I didn't plan this." he said. "But once whatever it is that's up with J. Gander, you can come back and open the presents."

Gosalyn sighed, but nodded. "All right then." she said. Quickly, she pressed her way through the partying teenagers and went over to the stereo, turning it off. "Can I have your attention please?" she asked, and then waited until she did. "I'm sorry everyone, but something's come up, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to end the party early."

A long groan rang out from the group.

"I know, I'm sorry too, I don't want it to end." Gosalyn assured them. "But's important. Please, leave calmly though the way you came in, and leave your presents on the couch. I'll find a way to make it up to you all, I promise!"

Grudgingly, the teenagers started to leave as instructed. Gosalyn quickly searched through the group until she found Honker. "It's SHUSH." she explained quickly, and pulled him over to where Drake stood waiting.

At this moment, Launchpad arrived. "Hooter's still calling." he said. "I think if he waits much longer, he's going to send a Flashquack. It must be really important."

"We'll be right there." Drake said, making sure Honker and Gosalyn where ready to leave. "LP, could you stay here and make sure everyone leaves okay?"

"Okey-doke." Launchpad replied, and took up a post next to the front door.

Secretly, the other three snuck out the back door, and went to the tower through the secondary entrance. Once there, Drake quickly changed into costume.

"I'll answer Hooter's call." he said. "You two hurry and get ready."

Gosalyn and Honker nodded, and set off to do as asked. Darkwing, now fully costumed, went to the video screen, and accepted Hooter's call. The SHUSH logo appeared once, then it was replaced by Director Hooter himself.

"Ah, there you are Darkwing!" Hooter said, clearly relieved. "Finally! I was afraid you were on patrol or something."

"No, I wasn't, J. Gander." Darkwing assured him, sitting down in his chair. "But you did catch me at a bad time."

"I apologize, Darkwing, but it's very important." Hooter said. He looked around the screen. "Where is the Crimson Avenger?" he asked.

"Rrrright here, J. Gander!" Crimson said, suddenly appearing at Darkwing's side, closely followed by Techno. "Sorry to keep you waiting!"

"Understandable." Hooter said. "Darkwing said I was catching you all at a bad time, and judging from the condition your hideout is in, I can see why for the delay."

Darkwing looked around at the mess sheepishly. "Yes, ahem, we're in the middle of remodeling." He explained.

"Ah yes, I remember now." Hooter said. "Anyway, sorry again if I'm interrupting anything, but this is very important, and I need all of your help."

"Really." Darkwing said, rubbing his bill. "So what's up?"

"Funny you should say that, Darkwing." Hooter said. "Because we are dealing with something from outer space."

"Keen gear..." Crimson murmured. "Like what?"

"We're not sure." Hooter admitted. "But earlier today, NASA's space shuttle, the Odyssey, was destroyed by an UFO while on a top-secret mission to launch an experimental satellite of ours. The object is known to be very fast, difficult to track, and emits a great deal of a peculiar energy not even Dr. Bellum can identify."

"Whoa." Techno said, in awe.

"Wow." Darkwing agreed. "Even though Dr. Bellum is a little...weird...she usually knows everything about this kind of thing."

"Which is part of what has me worried." Hooter said. "That, and the fact that our new satellite has confirmed that the object is still on Earth, and responsible for a wide variety of phenomenon."

"You mean stuff like the extreme wave-making windstorm over in the Pacific that I heard on the news?" Darkwing asked.

"That among other things." Hooter said. "Whatever this thing is, it's causing a great deal of trouble."

"So how do we fit in?" Crimson asked. "Want us to track it down and stop it?"

"Not yet." Hooter said. "Dr. Bellum is still trying to find an effective way in tracking it. But she is close, close enough to discover that the object is heading in our direction."

"What?" Techno asked.

"If it keeps going along the path it was last seen taking, it should reach St. Canard sometime tomorrow night." Hooter went on to say.

"But, tomorrow night is the night of the St. Canard Town Square Celebration!" Darkwing exclaimed, worried. "That's the reason that the...thing we were caught in the middle of when you called J. Gander was happening tonight and not tomorrow night!"

"Exactly!" Hooter said. "Most of the city will be at that celebration, and I'm worried that if the object shows up at that time that someone will get hurt. I want all of you to be at the celebration just in case that does happen. Just to be safe."

"But we weren't planning on going to that celebration." Crimson said, gesturing to her costume. "Not in costume, anyway."

"I'm already arranging with the mayor to give you all special invitations to the celebration." Hooter said. "You'll be special guests there, honored for your help in protecting St. Canard."

Darkwing's eyes glistened at the idea of the fame that would give him. "Sounds good, J. Gander!" he said, agreeing to the plan immediately. "We'll be there, and ready for whatever this object thing is!"

"Very good, Darkwing." Hooter said. "I will be at the celebration myself, under cover, of course, so I'll see you there. Good luck in the meantime."

And with that, the message ended.


The next night, Darkwing and Crimson stood in the middle of town square, dressed with their hats and masks, but otherwise wore fancy dress clothing in place of their usual costumes, sipping a fruit punch a store was giving out free at a nearby table.

Darkwing surveyed the crowd of St. Canard citizens grouped around him as he sipped his drink. "You know, tonight would be a good chance for some villain to cause a ruckus." he noted.

"Yes, that thought crossed my mind as well." Crimson admitted. "We had better hope that doesn't happen tonight, though. Hooter's counting on us to here if that object shows up and causes a problem."

"Judging from the speeds he spoke of it taking yesterday, I'm more willing to bet it'll just zip by and nothing will happen." Darkwing said. "'course, better safe than sorry."

"Exactly." Crimson said, and sipped at her drink. "Where did Launchpad park the Thunderquack again?"

"Over there, by the games booth." Darkwing said, pointing. "LP's showing it off to passerbys so that it'll look like it's just here for show. But he assures me it can take off and be airborne at a moment's notice."

"Good, because that's all we might get." Crimson said. She glanced at her watch. "Time to get a report from Techno. Be right back."

She walked off to look for Techno. He stood not far from the punch table, near an inflatable slide for children, looking around like he was searching for something. Crimson walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Anything?" she asked.

"Nope, no sign of the object." Techno admitted, cupping his hands around his SHUSH visor as it searched for the obscure energy signature the object released. "Anything on your end?"

"Nothing but this yummy punch." Crimson replied, sipping her drink.

"Did your dad get that speech he wanted?" Techno asked, still searching.

"Nope." Crimson replied. "The mayor said Darkwing was only invited here because Hooter said so, and as such, Darkwing is only here as an honored guest, and nothing more."

"Ooh, I bet he didn't like that." Techno said.

"No, he didn't." Crimson said. "He fumed for quite awhile afterwards, but I think he's over the worse of it now."

"Oh, looky who I found." Techno suddenly announced, and stepped aside to allow J. Gander Hooter into the group.

"Hello, you two, enjoying the celebration?" he asked politely.

"Trying to, anyway." Crimson admitted.

"Well, thank you both anyway for being here." Hooter said. "I feel much better knowing you two and Darkwing are here, watching over things. I just hope we won't need your help."

"At the rate things are going, we won't need to do anything." Techno remarked. "No sign of anything out of the ordinary."

"Well, it might not stay that way." Hooter admitted. "I just got a call from Dr. Bellum. She's found a way to track the object, and it is still on route to here. Exactly when it'll get here is unknown, it's speed it very inconsistent, Bellum tells me. One moment it'll be speeding along, and then it'll drop to a snail's pace."

"Weird." Techno muttered.

"Well, don't worry Director, sir." Crimson said. "We aren't going anywhere soon."

Hooter grinned. "Good." he said, and with a nod, left again.


Darkwing was still standing idly at the punch table when he heard someone call to him.

"Dark!" the voice exclaimed.

Darkwing turned, instantly recognizing the voice. "Morgana?" he asked, surprised.

"Oh, Dark!" Morgana said, as she squeezed her way to Darkwing. Her husband, Bob, followed, grinning broadly. "I thought I'd see you here!" she embraced the surprised Darkwing in a hug.

"Well, I wasn't expecting to see you here, Morg!" he said, surprised, but happy to see his ex-girlfriend. "I thought you hated Normal parties."

"I do, but Bob is loves them." she explained, gesturing to the warlock psychiatrist, who waved. "He's fascinated by Normals, and their lives."

"So I talked Morg into coming tonight." Bob went on, taking Darkwing's hand and shaking it. "Good to see you again."

"Same." Darkwing said, having grown slightly fond of the cheerful magician. "So you're here to satisfy curiosity?"

"Yes, it started when I met up with a witch who gotten into an ordeal with a Normal and didn't fare well." Bob explained. "Since I didn't know much about the Normal world at the time, usually staying away from it, I did some research, and saw the cute and quaint side of your simple lives."

"Cute?" Darkwing repeated, suddenly unsure of the direction this conversation was going. "Quaint? Simple?"

Bob nodded, missing Darkwing's apprehension. He instead spied Darkwing's watch. "Hey, can I see that for a moment? I happen to collect Normal watches."

"Um, sure." Darkwing said, removing his watch and handing it to Bob.

As Bob studied the analog watch, Darkwing pulled Morgana aside.

"While he's doing that, want to go get some punch?" he asked.

Morgana grinned. "Of course I would, Dark." she said.


Dr. Sarah Bellum leaned back in her chair, snacking on crackers, studying the screen showing the SHUSH satellite's point of view of Earth. Right in the middle of the screen, designated by a box and whiskers, was a blur of light, slowly moving it's way towards St. Canard. Pressing a few keys, the system grabbed a screenshot of the object, and moved in on it greatly.

Squinting at the object while munching on a cracker, she could just barely make out some kind of shape.

She frowned at it. "What are you?" she asked herself out loud, puzzled by the peculiar UFO.

Then, suddenly, without warning, the object accelerated greatly, cutting it's travel time to St. Canard first into half, then into thirds, then into quarters, and then into eights.

"Uh-oh." Dr. Bellum said, and quickly fumbled for her phone...


As Morgana and Darkwing got themselves some punch, a whirring noise grabbed his attention. Looking upward, he saw a helicopter fly over one building, and come to hover above town square. Looking the aircraft over, he grinned when he saw a certain logo on it's side.

"Look's like the news decided to cover the celebration tonight." he remarked idly to Morgana.

Morgana giggled, and sipped her punch. "Maybe it's you being here that drew them here." she said.

Darkwing forced a grin. "I wish." he muttered.

Not far from there, Crimson was still with Techno, talking while Techno listened.

"So she said she wanted a new pair of shoes." Crimson said, pacing as she talked. "So we went to the mall, so she could get some. We spent over two hours there, but we never stepped into the shoes section once! And when we left, I asked why we didn't get her shoes, she says, 'what shoes?' Can you believe that?"

"Uh-huh." Techno said, scanning the horizon, and not really listening anymore.

"I mean, who goes into the mall to buy shoes, and leaves without buying the shoes they went in there for?" Crimson went on. "I mean, when me and Dad go to the mall, that's all we're there to do, 'cause dad says..."

"Whoa!" Techno said, as the sensor on his visor suddenly spiked with the detection of the unknown energy. "Um, Crimson? One UFO coming our way!"

And at that moment, power all over St. Canard went out. Morgana gasped as the lights went out, and Darkwing quickly looked skyward for the object he knew had to be close by. They did not need to wait for very long, for the object quickly revealed itself, zooming over the dark town square very fast, looking almost like a shooting star that had ventured too low into Earth's atmosphere.

The crowd oohed and ahhed at the sight, naturally thinking by this point that it was just part of the celebration. The object zoomed on by, undeterred, then suddenly doubled back, arching back over town square. It homed in on the news copter still in the air, and whizzed around it for a moment. Then without warning, the object released a wave of energy that quickly engulfed the helicopter.

"Ahh!" Techno exclaimed as his visor's sensors suddenly flared and overloaded, shutting off before they short circuited.

The helicopter's engine sputtered, then died, and started to fall like a rock. The crowd below started to scream as they realized this wasn't planned after all, and went to run away from the falling helicopter. Halfway down, the helicopter's engine started back up, and the copter's pilot was able to level it out, but by that point it was too late. Landing hard on it's runners, the helicopter skidded along the square, heading towards Darkwing and Morgana.

"Look out!" Darkwing exclaimed, and quickly shoved Morgana out of the way was the helicopter plowed past and ran into the punch table.

"What in the world..." Morgana began to exclaim, looking for the object as it started to zoom off again, but Darkwing had a new mission now.

"LP, get airborne, NOW!" he called across the panicking square of people to his sidekick.

Getting the message, Launchpad quickly jumped into the Thunderquack and readied for takeoff. Across the square, Crimson had grabbed Techno.

"Techno, rocket boots, now!" she ordered.

"What?" Techno asked. "But Crimson, I've only used these once to fly three inches off the ground back at the tower! I can't do this!"

"I don't care!" Crimson said, grabbing her friend and sidekick and activating a switch on Honker's wristband. Two controllers popped into Techno's hands. "We need to figure out what that object is, and in order to do that is to chase after it! So GO!"

She pressed the activated button on the controllers. Techno yelled as he felt the rocket boots flare up under him and he sailed upward into the sky in uncontrolled flight. Yelling, he struggled to regain control, until he hovered about three stories over town square. Breathing heavily, he worked to go forward again, and after a few false starts, believed he got the hang of it, and gave chase after the mysterious object.

A few moments later, Launchpad joined him in the Thunderquack. Together, they started to accelerate to try and keep up with the much faster object. And no matter how fast they seemed to go, the object seemed to be faster. The object, whatever it was, also seemed to know it was being chased, for it began to weave in and around buildings, going up and down and all around. Techno began to suspect something intelligent was controlling it.

Still chasing it, Techno and the Thunderquack rose to fly over the skyscrapers of St. Canard as the object did, heading straight for the St. Canard Tower in the center of the city. The nearer they drew to the building, the more Techno began to wonder if they were going to collide with it. Quickly, Techno veered off to avoid that, and so did the Thunderquack. However, the object continued on, slowing only slightly, before it hit the building right on.

And flew straight through it like it didn't exist.

Techno gasped, but found that he was currently flying along side the object and took the opportunity to get a good look at it. It was flat, fairly narrow, and about six-feet long. It was releasing some kind of energy that gave it its meteor look. But before he could get a better look, the object suddenly veered off towards Audubon Bay.

Racing to keep up, Techno flew along the Thunderquack, as the object cruised over the bay, sinking low in altitude so to skim along the water's surface. Almost as if it was desperate to escape it's pursuers, it flew under the Audubon Bay Bridge, then doubled back to fly in-between the steel cables that suspended the bridge and continued onward. Techno just barely was able to keep on the objects tail, while the Thunderquack fell back some as it was forced to fly over the bridge altogether.

The object then veered to fly over the suburb area of St. Canard on the other side of the bridge. It flew dangerously close to the ground, as it followed the streets in it's high speed flight. Techno followed a little behind and above the object, while the Thunderquack brought up the rear flying above Techno.

Apparently getting an idea, Launchpad flew the Thunderquack forward, managing to outrun the object and get ahead of it, and then dropping down to hover in an intersection, cutting off the object's path. But the object simply shot upward and avoided the Thunderquack at the last possible moment, nearly causing Techno to run into the Thunderquack. Quickly the two reoriented themselves and resumed the chase.

Apparently seeing it wasn't getting anywhere, the object lead it's two chasers back into the metropolis city of St. Canard, weaving around the skyscrapers again. Techno chased it still, seeing that they weren't getting anywhere with this, and needed a new plan. But before he could come up with one, the object suddenly released a ball of energy and hurled it at the Thunderquack.

The Thunderquack suddenly stopped dead in it's tracks, and it's engines died. Techno saw that the object had just done the same thing to the Thunderquack as it did to the helicopter back at town square. But now it meant he was on his own. He continued chasing the object, realizing he was never going to catch it without more speed.

Then it donned on him. Glancing down at the trigger-like switch on his left controller, Techno sighed.

"Crimson, you owe me for this." he muttered, then pressed it.

The turbo kicked in instantly, forcing Techno forward very, very, quickly. According to his visor, which was giving him a fuel readout, he wouldn't be able to maintain this speed for long. But that didn't matter because it worked; he was finally catching up with the object, getting so close he could almost touch it.

Then the object suddenly turned around to face Techno.

He had been right to guess that there was an intelligent being controlling the flight path of the object, but he hadn't counted upon the fact that the object was an intelligent being. Beakless, snoutless, and hairless save for a small patch on the top of his head, the pink-skinned being, most likely alien, grabbed Techno by the neck and stopped his flight. Swinging Techno around, the alien then threw Techno at the nearest building.

Yelling, Techno tried to stop his crash course with his rocket boots, and slowed somewhat, but not enough and slammed into the glass window of the towering skyscraper. He didn't hit it hard enough for it to break the window, or even crack it, but it still hurt. Techno winced, but then his rocket boots sputtered and died, and he started to fall.

Quickly, he retracted the rocket boots controllers and fired off a grappling hook and rope from one of his wristbands at the roof of the building and stopped his fall. Slamming into the side building first, he dangled there until the Thunderquack returned, unscathed from it's encounter with the alien, and saved him.

Techno pondered how he was going to tell all of this to Crimson and Darkwing. It would definitely be a very interesting conversation...


Back at town square, Crimson and Darkwing scanned the sky as the celebration was concluded early and everyone packed up, and workers worked to clean up the wreaked helicopter. Fortunately, no one had been hurt, but everyone was very spooked now. Furthermore, the object was still out there, and there was no telling if it would come back.

"See them yet?" Crimson asked.

"Not yet, but I'm still looking." Darkwing replied.

"Darkwing, if I may have a word." a voice suddenly said.

"J. Gander." Darkwing said, turning to look at the director of SHUSH. "More bad news, I take it?"

Hooter nodded. "I just got word from Dr. Bellum. The object just destroyed our satellite, the one we have been using to track it." he announced. "Apparently, it doesn't want us to know where it is."

"Wait, it knew it was being tracked?" Darkwing asked, surprised.

"And traced it straight to the source." Hooter added, nodding. "It gets worse, too. Apparently that isn't the only satellite, because we have reports of other satellites, most of them spy or military satellites being destroyed. And some kind of interfere is obscuring the transmissions of all the others. Communications all over the world are being affected. Within a matter of hours, all wireless communication will be out of commission."

"There." Crimson suddenly said, pointing at the dark shape of the approaching Thunderquack. "They're coming."

"Good." Darkwing said, turning to watch. "Maybe they can tell us something about how to beat this object."

"Because it certainly seems clear that it's not here for the good of this world." Hooter added...

To Be Continued...