Doubts and Doppelgangers Chapter 10, a darkwing duck fanfic

Chapter Ten

Lightning and Fire

His elbows hit angry pedestrians as he pushed past anyone who was walking too slowly for his speed. Drake had left the building a few blocks behind him, he wished he didn't feel like someone was trying to pull a bag over his head so that he could read the street signs. He couldn't stand still too long or he'd start to fade. As he forced his way through the teeming masses of this ghetto he suddenly felt drawn back the way he had came. Something inside him nagged him to stop, to turn around and run toward the building but he bolted onward on pure adrenaline. He was a wreck, afraid, confused, and panic stricken. He could barely see at this point, it was like he was wearing sunglasses in a dark room. He shook his head to fight off the blackness and continued his mad dash.

As he enraged more street goers he heard someone shouting behind him. Reluctantly he glanced back and saw a portly pig woman trotting along squeezing her way through the already fuming pedestrians to catch up with him. He didn't know why but he was oddly drawn to her... fixated. He felt his body sway as he stopped to stare at the woman. She was hideous. Large warts and moles covered her obese form. She ran toward him, her chins jiggling and her beady eyes locked on his. Her hair was a matted mess of gray and the dress that covered her gelatinous form was far too tight and was a sickening blend of orange- green. Her mouth was moving but he had lost the proper use of his hearing... but the word she mouthed make a sickness bubble up inside him. "Drake." He couldn't explain it but he wanted to run to her, this woman who knew his name, but he had stood still too long and the darkness crept back over his vision. In a burst of hysteria he tore off into more solid bodies that quickly fell away as he ran.

He ran until his breath was painful and his limbs were stiff and heavy. He still felt the pull of the pig woman and ducked into a grimey alleyway. He shook his head hoping to fling the sickness out of it, but a golden shimmer caught his hazing eyes. He was not alone in this slimy alcove. He blinked transfixed. A woman stood at the far dead end of the alley, but she was not the sort of girl you would find in this part of the city. She had shining golden hair that fell gracefully over her shoulders to the lower part of her back. She wore a turquoise two piece skirt suit that accented her slim form. Her face was kind and would not be out of place in a fashion magazine. Her blue eyes beckoned to him. Despite her angelic appearance as soon as they locked eyes he felt he would be consumed by the darkness again.

"Come to me darlink. I will make all the pain go away." Smiled the pretty bird as she extended a hand. He found his legs had gained a mind of their own and were quickly closing the distance between them. He fought to regain control but he couldn't, an arrival of the frantic sound of shoes announced that pig woman had finally caught up to him.

"STOP!" Came a demanding voice that rolled over him with a supernatural warmth like a gentle summer breeze. To his surprise he did stop. The pretty face before him contorted in an evil grin.

"Ah, so you join us at last." Smirked the blonde.

"This has gone on long enough. You picked the wrong duck to cast a spell on." The warted pig woman's steps drew near. The elegant woman laughed heartily.

"I can control whomever I choose you meddling brat! And once I have killed you, I can continue on with my plans."

Something was wrong with his eyes. The blonde was beginning to become wavy, like he was seeing her from a distance on a hot day. She saw it too apparently and angrily inspected herself.

"No one hurts my duck and gets away with it." The pig put herself between Drake and the woman, she was distorted as well. His mind started to clear, something was forcing the darkness away.

"You can not break my magic!" Growled the wavy blonde. "I am the most powerful witch in the world! You are but an amateur compared to me!"

"I don't give a damn about who you think you are!"

Drake stared at the bulging woman before him... no, there was something wrong with him. Her voice was changing and her form was warping. It made him feel even more ill to look at them, but he couldn't take his eyes away. The bird let out an angry growl.

"I will crush you!" Screamed the progressively deteriorating beauty.

Drake saw it for an instant. A bright white crystal ring sat on the pig's finger. His eyes were torn away from the familiar jewel when a flash of fire engulfed the blonde's fingers and her hair kicked up with a strange wind. Her blue eyes were alight with rage. With a crackle and a spark the flames shot rapidly towards them. He wished he could control his body so that he could shield himself, pull the woman away to safety. Instead he watched as the woman calmly awaited the angry fire. It was almost upon them when she sharply flicked her wrist and not only did he regain control of himself, but the flames were gone and so was the illusion. Morgana stood fiercely before him, her arms held menacingly at the ready. How could he have seen her as that disgusting pig? The answer came to him when what had been a blonde bombshell was now a short surly looking duck in a morbid black dress and short raven black hair, growled again in anger. This mean looking woman was livid.

"You dare to make a fool out of me? A..a nothing like you..."

Morgana's hand cut through the air in a fierce arch and there was a sound like a mirror shattering. The outraged witch halted her tirade as a cut split her cheek and a drop of blood slid down her face.

"You have taken this too far. You should have quit while you were ahead... while you still had a chance." Morgana's voice was one he was used to hearing infused with kindness and love but what it held now he was unsure.. It was dark and eerie.

"You are over confident darlink." Sneered the witch.

"Leave now or I will kill you."

"Ha ha! Morgana Macabre you are too much! You stand there threatening me as eef you have nothing to hide. But my dear eet ees too bad you wear your weakness as a corsage. Your precious leetle costumed Romeo is a very easy target..." An evil smile crossed her bill as she flipped her hair. " And not a bad kisser eef I do say so myself."

A vibrant bolt of electricity shot from Morgana's fingertips and disappeared before it hit the sneering face. The small woman narrowed her eyes and a rusted metal pipe flew off the debris littered floor and sped toward Morgana. He was there before she could even charge up a spell. With a well placed swift kick the pipe was derailed from it's target and was flung helplessly upward. As it started it's descent he snatched it out of the air and brandished it before him with a strong test swing. He was poised between the two women and the witch before him had a strange glint in her eyes. If he had to name the look he would have to settle on "lust", he felt his stomach turn sourly. A smile appeared on the older woman's face and she put her hands on her hips.

"Ahh, darlink you truly are something special. Quite a graceful man." Said the deep womanly voice. "Eet would be a shame to end our partnership so soon. A good man ees so hard to find... wouldn't you agree Morgana dear?"

"Listen here lady..." Drake began but was silenced by an arctic chill that bit him from his very soul. He felt her hand upon him and the reaction was not the pleasant tingle he had known but a numbing frost and a stinging that had no real place of origin. Morgana was walking past him, her hand placed almost unwittingly on his shoulder. Her eyes were locked cruelly on this short woman and her demeanor was if he wasn't there at all. It was as if he were nothing more than a lamppost she had absently placed her hand on in passing. Bright white bolts of lightning danced around her and he quickly tossed the pipe aside. Her hand slid off him as she steadily rose into the air, the crackling streaks erupting from her. He turned his gaze to the older witch and saw the once sneering face gaping at her opponent in horror.

"The time for talk is over. I'm going to cut you down to size..." Morgana let out an evil laugh that made him wince. " Not that you can get much shorter."

Drake stared up at the grim beauty. She had never acted this way before, was he stuck in a nightmare or something? She focused all the electricity together, he felt a shudder ravage him. She was bluffing, right? She wouldn't really kill this woman... would she? He felt the static make his skin crawl and the freezing air around him stung his lungs with each stabbing breath. He was suddenly aware of the searing pain that hailed from his angry bullet wound. He could see his breath rise in feeble puffs before him as white spots obscured his vision. He could make out their voices as if he was behind a thick sheet of glass, they were muffled and distant. This deadly cold washed over him and he wrapped his arms around his shivering torso. Everything about this sudden bout of frost reeked of the unnatural. He felt as if he was being torn limb from limb one moment then crammed in a box the next. This sickly feeling pressed in on him from all sides. Was this the witch's doing? He felt the brick wall meet his back harshly, he could barely see and his hands were shaking madly, the soft silk shirt sliding lazily beneath them. This cold was unbearable, he clamped his worthless eyes shut. He felt his legs give out under him and the wall scraped along his back as he fell to sit helplessly on the dirty ground. He was quickly freezing to death, his legs were becoming numb and he was so frost bitten the icyness was beginning to feel warm.

He had lost all perception of where he was or what was going on. It was a bittersweet feeling. He was certain that within the next few minutes he would be stone dead. As he struggled to keep breathing a screaming pain ripped through his skull and a long lost face surfaced in his shadowed mind. An old face, with blue eyes not unlike his, behind small square glasses and a thick gray beard that covered most of the elderly face. His mouth was moving as if he were speaking, his face turned down to Drake's. Those eyes were home to an odd almost emotionless look. This man in his silly looking plaid hat with a large red puff on top was so eerily familiar. A gruff Scottish voice slowly synced to the man's moving mouth.

"... so ya see that's why it's important to remember that hard work and honesty are for tha' uncreative saps yoo'll be outwittin'." the old man cackled. "Noe ya know the key to yoor future mah boy, go make yoor wealth an' keep it!"

A shudder ran though him as he felt warmth creep back into his body. If the cold wasn't bad enough now this reintroduction to heat was as if he were being scoured with a rusted piece of metal. The memory of the old man faded as he came to feel a hot hand on his face. The gentle soft touch had regained it's tingle as he was submerged in a creeping heat that slowly began to thaw him out. Each breath burned, he struggled and succeeded in opening his eyes. Morgana was crouched before him sadness in her soggy emerald eyes. He blinked dumbly as he tried to shake the numbness and regain his voice. The alley was empty apart from them. The witch was nowhere to be seen, alive or dead. He could still see his breath meekly escaping him but her's was in it's normal invisible state.

"Drake? Can you hear me?" Her voice was void of the darkness he had last heard it corrupted with.

He moved his eyes back to her and tried to answer. What came out instead of words was a rasping groan. It seemed like a good enough answer for her because she smiled faintly, her hand swept gently across his forehead.

"I'm so sorry Drake... I..." She closed her eyes and a tear escaped her thick lashes. "I got greedy... I never dreamed it would do this to you."

The numbness faded and the pain returned. She looked miserable and she wrapped her arms around him. Her warmth stung and he couldn't help but flinch.

"What happened?" He croaked having found his voice.

"We're not safe here... can you move?" She asked dodgily.

"Maybe in a couple minutes... what happened to that woman? Who was she?" He felt the ice drain from his legs.

"She got away. She's the one that's been using her magic on you. I don't know her name... but she's strong."

"Using her magic on me?"

"Yes. She was controlling you. She made you do all those horrible things... she used you to bring Scrooge here. I don't know what she's planning but I'm sure it's not good."

"So... she was the one who wanted to kill Webby? She's the one that caused Gizmoduck and the whole city to attack me?" He stared blankly ahead hoping that if he concentrated hard enough it would all make sense, he was wrong. He knew he was angry at the woman for controlling him but mostly he was ashamed. Was he really so easy to manipulate? Morgana's voice pulled him back to reality.

"I'm afraid so... she's very powerful. She could probably cast a spell from halfway across the world and still hit her target. Luckily for me you're tougher than she gives you credit for." She rested her eyes on him. He didn't know if it was his exhaustion or the fact that he was recovering from a near frost bitten death but it was like she was speaking another language. He had to focus hard to understand anything. "I think she's on to our little secret..."

"Uh... which one?" He asked with a half smile.

"That you're my source... I'd hate to think what she's going to do now..."

"Last I saw her she looked ready to jump out of her skin. She was terrified of you." Drake saw the sad glint return to her eyes.

"Yes. She saw the power I drew from you. She'll stop at nothing to even the score I'm sure of it." She looked away from him tormented. "Darling... you aren't angry with me?"

"Angry?" He blinked confused. "How can I be angry when I have no idea what's going on?" He sighed.

She smiled weakly at his naive nature toward her concern. Her hand brushed his hair feathers back and he closed his eyes with a refreshing deep breath free from pain.

"I tapped your power deeper than I should have. I almost killed you..." Her voice was filled with grief. "I was so consumed in getting even with her that I was abusing my power. I felt so strong... so horribly invincible. It was a glorious evil feeling... that I was not strong enough to resist. I had her... I was set to kill her... she was like a cornered mouse... when..." She sniffled. " She stared right past me, the fear faded slightly and an eerie knowing grin spread across her rotten face. I turned to see what she was grinning at and I saw you. You were practically turning blue... I realized what I had done. There was a bright flash and she was gone."

He sat silently for a few seconds letting it sink in. He kept his eyes closed as the last of his feeling returned. So he was just a puppet to the little witch. She must really hate Scrooge to keep hitting him where it hurts. For some reason when he thought about the quadrillionare the old duck from his memory came back to him. Who was he? Why would he remember him when he was near death? Yet another piece to the puzzle of his past he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to finish. Something bothered him, he wasn't sure but he felt that all of what was going on was connected. From the smallest little things to what had just transpired, he couldn't shake the thought that it all fell into some master plan somewhere. He stared at the inside of his eyelids lost in his thoughts until he heard her sniff loudly. He opened his eyes and saw the tears rolling steadily down her face. He remembered that she had told him that she had done this to him.

"Morgana... I'm not upset with you. You didn't know that this would happen right?" She shook her head. He reassuringly wiped her tears away. He could hardly believe that she was really here. It felt like he would be woken up and she'd be thousands of miles away again... and he'd be alone once more. But she was here... truly and he was happier than he cared to admit. "Morg, I've got to thank you. That's the second time you've rescued me from her. I don't even want to think about what would have happened last night if you didn't..."

She smiled lightly.

"You saved that little girl Drake. I only pushed you in the right direction. I knew you could do it."

"Well at least one of us did. Gosalyn was..." He stopped in panic. "Gosalyn! I gotta make sure she's okay! That witch doesn't know about her does she?"

"I...I don't think so..." Morgana stammered taken back by his frenzy.

"Come on... I've got to find her!"

Bud jabbed his finger in to the light up button. A mechanical groan and the grinding of gears sprang into action eager to be of service. For just a buck fifty this machine would twist and turn internally to provide you with a steaming cup of consciousness, or in this case, eight ounces of sanity. He was soaked. The whirring produced a little paper cup that was quickly clamped still by two metal slabs. He dully watched the coffee spew into the cup as the water dripped from his sleeves. At least he could depend on this confounded contraption to function properly. He sighed and rested his head on the brightly colored casing of the trusty coffee machine. The morning had started off so well. Felicity was back, he had gotten a horde of over due paper work done and he was just about to confirm the lunch plans with his wife when... he punched the machine and the paper cup jiggled ever so slightly. Before he knew it he had to rush down to the factory. One of the pumps had malfunctioned and the place was quickly flooding. They had just gotten it all back under control but the day's work was far from over. He was determined to discover what had gone wrong, and then there was still the act of getting the excess water back where it belonged.

She was sure to be furious with him. He gripped the cup and gently blew the steam aside. He really had the worst luck of anyone he had ever known. It seemed like just when one thing went right ten million go wrong. He was soaked to the bone, dripping with the very water that had made him wealthy, the water that had made him a second rate celebrity. His suit was probably ruined but, truth be told, he didn't really mind. After all he had made this company himself, he had worked his way up from the bottom, he had done all the back breaking labor alone in his younger days. There were times he had taken on so much water he felt that he could have been wrung like a sponge. It was almost satisfying to be drenched with soggy socks once again, it was kind of like his life was repeating itself in his head.

The hot liquid burnt the inside of his mouth but he didn't care, it was warm and already setting to work uncluttering his mind. He had a lot left to do, he hoped she would understand... maybe he could make it out to a late dinner with her? He'd have to call and apologize soon of course. There was also the task of getting in touch with Mr. Glomgold. The small bottle was still securely in his shirt pocket but he was really anxious to be rid of it. He didn't know what it was and it worried him. He couldn't leave it any place, if he put it in his office or at home he ran the risk of losing it. He shuddered to think of what he would tell Glomgold if he lost it. So he just hung onto it, and until he figured something out he'd have to deal with it. He crushed the empty paper cup and deposited it in a water logged trash can on his way back to the pump room.

"At least the worst of it is over." He told himself. Really, what else could go wrong?

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Ahh sorry I haven't updated in a while. But hey in other news Darkwing came out on DVD the other day! I sadly do not have the money to invest in it (even though I have had a boot leg of the entire series for over a year and a half now... shh don't tell anyone) I still want to support DW in away I can and as soon as I have money (and a job) I'll be sure to pick it up if for nothing else but the crisp clean quality. I did hear something that annoys me though, supposedly they edited the crap out of Darkly Dawns the Duck, I don' t know if it's edited any more than the VHS or what they showed on toon disney but it's still annoying that they didn't put the original cut on DVD. Seriously, I don't get it. But it's better than cutting the pilot out completely like they did with Rescue Rangers and Ducktales, I guess. Seeing as how those two episodes inspired my whole darker fan fiction ordeal, I am glad they are on there in some way shape or form. Any way... thanks for reviewing and giving me your time! I love you guys! X3