Bubbling Up
Now the world around Negaduck was unashamedly red. To his left was a great scarlet river rushing in torrents, slapping the edge of the bank and frothing into pink peaks. Negaduck looked to his right and saw a black forest burning all the shades of orange. In the far distance before him a maroon volcano spurted hot golden lava and purple smoke. Above him the grey clouds had a pink tinge as they swirled against the deep red sky. The dirt beneath him was a rich burgundy.
Negaduck turned around and saw the door to Steelbeak's apartment pink with the glow of light around the edges.
"Did I catch you off guard?" He called out into the scenery around him. "You couldn't set your game board up fast enough this time, huh?" He folded his arms, gloating over his victory.
The landscape didn't answer. The flames burned, the river churned, the volcano gushed. There wasn't a single darn thing living in this place.
Negaduck ventured further into the red world and sniffed suspiciously. He stepped forward to the edge of the river and looked in. "A river of blood." He turned about. "It looks like your brain space is about ready to cave in, vampire!" He shouted into the burning forest.
There was still no response.
"I get how it is. You're too scared to face me in person." Negaduck headed back to the door and he still got nothing back.
As he reached for the handle, Negaduck realised what he was doing wrong. He needed to call the vampire by name.
Negaduck gazed at the pink door. So far, this vampire had recreated Herb and Binkie Muddlefoot, the Friendly Four, Launchpad, Steelbeak, Hooter, and Gosalyn ... The house on Avian Way, Morgana's magical wards, and two kids' beds in the third bedroom.
Putting all this together, Negaduck knew who he had to be dealing with. He stepped into the centre of the clearing between the river and the flaming forest.
"Darkwing Duck."
The ground shook beneath his feet and a vibrant red cloud swirled into shape before him. "Hello, Negaduck. I misplaced you for a bit there." Dark Duck greeted him in a friendly tone. In this red place the vampire's normally blue eyes were purple.
"So it was you that kidnapped me and shoved me in here." Negaduck gritted his teeth; "Ergh. To be done over by you?" He said in mild disgust of himself.
"About that ... I really do owe your Hooter an apology ..."
Negaduck paused, "Wait, wait, you did him over?"
Dark Duck paused, "I don't dally with deviousness unless I'm desperate."
"Oh, two for one!" Negaduck chuckled.
"As much as hearing Hooter got fooled and you're so desperate makes my day I ain't helping you."
Dark Duck smiled quietly. "Too bad. I guess I will have to survive without your help then."
The moment of glory faded and Negaduck scowled. "You just need me out of the way?"
"Correct."
Negaduck sighed. "For what?"
Dark Duck blinked and for a moment, he was at a loss for words.
"I want to know who the father of my grandchild is."
Negaduck suddenly recalled the highchair in the smashed in kitchen with the clown doll sitting in it and the cot in the bedroom upstairs too.
"My Gosalyn isn't old enough to be a mother yet."
"Right;" Dark Duck said sarcastically, "And your universe's Steelbeak just told her to get married for her health. P-lease." The vampire rolled his eyes. "You ducks are so blissfully unaware of the world around you."
Negaduck hesitated on demanding he be returned. Dark Duck was no less of a brick wall than any other Darkwing Duck when it came to getting his way. The best Negaduck could hope for was play along until he saw an opportunity to get out of the pink place.
"Alright, so you took me out of the picture," Negaduck frowned, "To create the same situation in my universe as it was in yours."
"Better than that: This time we won't fail to see the man who is so mad keen on our daughters!"
The distant volcano spurted more lava and smoke and the flames in the forest grew brighter.
"Right ... but you wrote the script! You already know it all!"
"Oh, Negaduck," Dark Duck smiled at him, "You are so predictable. If you so much as flicked through the middle you would have seen that it was blank."
Negaduck paused. "But I read the ending."
"The ending is just Gosalyn's choice and I'm chasing a cuckoo impersonator."
"He might not be a cuckoo in my Negaverse."
Dark Duck rounded on him, his purple eyes glowing. "It's primordial instinct. With you out of the way that cuckoo will think he's safe enough to expose himself." A wicked grin spread across his face. "Oh, come on, Negaduck; it'll be fun."
Negaduck shook his head, "You're insane."
"No, I'm a vampire."
"Well, it's gone to your head."
"Really? How goes my St Canard river?"
Negaduck looked over with a discerning eye. "Looks choppy."
Dark Duck's smile froze. "Ye-es. Never mind the reason for that; the point is that I'm a vampire."
Negaduck shrugged, "So this cuckoo whatever; you think he might burn out your house to get his kid back?"
"No; that's just some vampire exclusive to my universe." Dark Duck discounted. "It's not important."
"Ri-ight. Your house burns down and it's no big deal."
"Hey, it's not your house! This isn't stuff you care about so why should I bore you about it?" Dark Duck debated hotly.
"I do care." Negaduck stated sincerely, "I-care-because-you're-so-keen-on-putting-me-off-that-track!"
"I-am-not!" Dark Duck snapped back, "If you want to take a trip down that track I'd love to share! Watch that re-entry, Negaduck, because things on the other side of that door are about to get dangerous."
"Oh, mighty words." Negaduck sniggered, privately happy for the challenge for a change. He turned around and twisted the doorknob.
