It looked larger in pictures. He'd been expecting a towering building, monstrous enough to hold the riches of the wealthiest duck in history.

Now that he was here, though.

How underwhelming.

Maybe some of it was underground. He hoped so; he hadn't come all this way to steal less than a few thousand. Maybe a clean million if he could find the space for it in his motorcycle. Then again, if everything had happened as it was supposed to have gone, a million wouldn't have been something he was debating. He would have already stolen the goods, portions of his new wealth stealthily stashed away in his brainless henchmen's belongings until they returned to St. Canard and he stole the money back.

He also would have had all the time he needed in which to steal his million, with Gosalyn working on the other side to keep everyone distracted.

Now he figured he had about fifteen minutes, at most, from the time he dismounted his motorcycle until he left the building. That was not enough time for a million big ones. But a couple thousand was something he was coming to slowly appreciate. It was better than nothing, after all. To have traveled all the way to Duckburg, to put so much effort into taking over the city, only to leave empty-handed and double-crossed…

Negaduck shook his head, determined not to think about a certain traitorous red-head and her dimwitted father. He still couldn't stomach that; Darkwing was a father. It was so obvious now that he knew. Darkwing's concern for the girl through the years had always been sickening. It was a little embarrassing that he'd never figured it out. Darkwing had called Gosalyn by her real name several times, even though they had been trying to pass for acquaintances. And Gosalyn had probably called Darkwing "dad" when Negaduck had been distracted, her big green eyes trained on the duck who was identical to him.

But who was not him.

He needed to focus. Those few thousand bucks weren't going to steal themselves. Scrooge had the top of the line security; Negaduck had to have total concentration on the task before him. No distractions about a girl, collapsed on the floor of a parking garage, wiping tears away…

She hadn't been crying, he told himself firmly, kicking off the ground and driving his motorcycle up to the front doors of Scrooge's money bin. She'd been wiping away the water in her eyes caused by the cloud of smog he'd left her in. That had to be the explanation. He hadn't made her cry.

Or was it easier to believe he hadn't made her cry? If she had been crying — which she hadn't been! — then that meant he had broken the girl. And Gosalyn was strong. This Gosalyn was, anyway. His Negaverse Gosalyn had been pathetic in comparison. This Gosalyn wasn't afraid of anything. Though, he had seen fear sneak into her eyes for the first time as he almost ran her over with his motorcycle. Fear morphed into terror when he'd tackled her, wrapping his fingers around her neck…

He wasn't proud of that moment. He'd lost total control of his emotions. He needed to keep himself in check.

But she was fine! She was the strongest person he knew. So, if he had broken her down to tears, that meant she had trusted him. Maybe even felt something for him…

Damn it all to hell! This was a distraction! This was exactly what he didn't need right now, thank you very much.

Positioning his motorcycle underneath an upper story window, Negaduck dismounted.

Fifteen minutes starting … now.

Pulling out a device he'd kept in his cape since he'd nabbed it in St. Canard, he walked up to the entrance to the money bin. He placed the device next to the security keypad and turned it on, allowing it the few seconds it needed to read the wiring or wifi signal or whatever it was that made it override the security system. Negaduck's device unscrambled the code to the main door, unlocking it and giving him access to the building.

Sometimes S.H.U.S.H. really knew what they were doing. And occasionally dressing up like his sappy double wasn't a complete waste of his time.

Pocketing the device, Negaduck walked right in, closing the door behind him. Best to make it look as though nothing were wrong from the outside.

As he climbed the stairs to the upper level, where the vault door was located, a sense of unease settled over Negaduck. Was this going too well? With nothing happening, he wondered if this wasn't some elaborate set up. Maybe Scrooge and the police had been warned of his impending burglary and they were all waiting for him to break into the vault before making their move. Gosalyn probably had ratted him out since the two of them weren't a team anymore. Had they ever been a team?

No, they hadn't.

So, what was there to be upset about? Negaduck hadn't ever really trusted her, just like she hadn't trusted him. Other than maybe a few sarcastic barbs and some security knowing he wouldn't get busted for a small crime here and there, what had he lost?

That was a dangerous question. Because it was Gosalyn he was thinking about and, despite his best efforts, she had a way of getting under his skin. She always had, even when she was her Negaverse double. Those earnest green eyes and red ringlets. They haunted his dreams and broke through his nightmares. Even now, when she'd been gone for years, left for a life she preferred to lead without him, he still thought of her. He didn't know why. He'd never liked spending time with her. Talking to her had always been annoying. But he was still, always, enamored with the idea of her. Drawn to her by some inexplicable force. Sometimes, in the darkest recesses of his mind, he even thought that he might want to be in the same vicinity as her. Spend time with her. Talk. Say nothing. It didn't matter. As long as he was with her.

This wasn't helping. These thoughts never did. He needed to focus on his mission and not get sidetracked in all those feelings.

Reaching the topmost level of the unimpressive bin, Negaduck crept into an office complete with large mahogany desk, several telephones, and sofas and chairs scattered around the room. Scanning the office, he felt himself relax fractionally as he realized he was alone. No elaborate trap, then. At least, not yet. Floor to ceiling windows allowed sunlight to pour in, showing Negaduck Duckburg in its entirety. The money bin sat on the largest hill in the city, giving Scrooge the perfect vantage point to gaze out over his kingdom.

Too bad Negaduck's plans had fallen apart. He would have liked to have set up his base of operations here. The view itself was enough to keep him mesmerized for a few precious moments before he remembered that he was quickly running out of time.

Moving to the vault door, Negaduck removed his stethoscope and listened carefully to the tumblers as he moved the dial back and forth. In all these years, Scrooge hadn't updated his system, still using an old school safe lock. Negaduck thanked whatever powers were listening. He preferred the old school levels of security; they were easier to predict and break through.

A few minutes of tumblers clicking into place paid off. Negaduck swung open the door and climbed up into the vault. Lights flickered on as he entered. Motion censored perhaps? Or did they turn on because the vault door had been opened? Either way, he had less time than he had originally planned. Time to grab some cash and go.

His beak dropped open as he took in the staggering pile of gold coins, bags of paper bills, and loose change that had been carefully collected in this seemingly unending bin. He felt bad — sort of — for thinking it was underwhelming from the outside. This was his Everest. The biggest amount of wealth he'd ever seen accumulated in one place. And he wanted it all.

He couldn't have it all, but wanting was different than having. Maybe, over the course of many years, Negaduck could spirit all of this away to the Negaverse and have it all to himself in a place where Scrooge would never think to look. But for now…

There had to be a ladder somewhere. Or some way to climb down into this hoard. As much as Negaduck wanted nothing more than to take a nosedive right into the ocean of money, he didn't have time to mess around. A few of those sacks of bills and pocketfuls of the gold coins would have to be enough for today.

He located the ladder, attached to the walkway where he stood, and made his way over to it.

If only NegaGosalyn could see him now. She would feel bad for leaving him just when he was about to become so wealthy. The life she could have led with this kind of money. And Darkwing's Gosalyn! She would rue the day she dared betray him. He would use some of this funding to make her hate her life, or his name wasn't…

His hands fused to the cold metal, his webbed foot unable to take another step, a vision suddenly swimming before him. Of a broken female, flame-like hair disheveled and emerald irises filling with liquid as he rode away.

He hadn't made her cry! How many times must he tell his subconscious that? She was fine, probably working with her father right now on how to defeat him, which is why he needed to get a move on and grab some of this cash before he was swarmed by the police, an angry Scottish duck, and a caped crusader who would monologue about good and justice and blah, blah, blah. She would probably be there, too. In her hero costume with her quiver full of arrows, one of which would be pointed right at him as she demanded he step away from Scrooge's money. Her eyes a hurricane of distrust.

Why now? Why at this moment, when he was about to climb down the ladder to endless wealth, was he unable to focus on something other than Darkwing's Gosalyn? He hadn't done anything wrong! She had double-crossed him.

Hadn't she?

Of course she had! Negaduck had done everything he'd said he would, had held up his end of the bargain. Gosalyn had been the one to screw everything up, blabbing to her father about their partnership and admitting that it was all a scam from the beginning. Now she had to pay for it by fighting the Fearsome Idiots to keep them from taking over the city.

It had only been a matter of time before the wannabe villains tried to overthrow Negaduck and try to take Duckburg on their own. He'd been surprised it had happened so late in their infestation of the city. A few bellowed threats and swings of his active chainsaw and they would have fallen in line again. Losers.

But Negaduck had gone. No one stood between the Fearsome Four and a hostile takeover except a joke of a hero in a mask and cape. Negaduck felt almost sorry for Duckburg. The city wouldn't survive long under the Fearsome Four's reign.

But, Gosalyn would be fighting them, too. Maybe Duckburg stood a change.

Unless the villains had done something to subdue her. Maybe they'd actually worked together and taken Gosalyn captive or managed to injure her or…

No, she'd be fine.

Negaduck extended his foot out, ready to jump down to Scrooge's money, but his body would not follow.

All right, look, he told himself. You can go through with this or chicken out, but you need to make a decision.

Now.