36: The Terror that Flaps in the Night

"Hold his leg up," Nadine says to Sidney. She examines the extensive Dorian's calf had suffered. But, Dorian wasn't suffering from being stomped on. His hands rubs his face very hard, only covering his eyes and cheeks. He sniffs.

"Can't just pull it out," Nadine says. "Not with that arrowhead, at least."

Lizzy floats closer. "If you do," he says. "He'll start bleeding again."

"It's funny," Sidney remembers. "How he came home the first time a mess."

Jade walks in on Dorian's third operation. ".I can cut it," he suggests.

"Wait," Nadine says. "I need a coagulant."

"What about your 'peanut paste?" Sidney asks.

Nadine remembers when Matt drove them to the mall when Dorian was too injured to drive. Dorian said the ointment 'smelled like peanut paste.'

"I left it at home," she says. "But, remember I said I was working on a research paper about alternative medicine?"

"Vegan medicine, again?" Matt hears her as he sits up.

"NO, dummy!" She says. "Well, technically it is vegan. But, I grinded enough peanuts to hide the real ingredient's odor."

"And that is?" Sidney asks.

"Algae," she responds.

"Of course!" Lizzy says. "But we're miles from the beach."

"And left my first batch home," she says. Nadine looks around and then at Blue's neck and shoulders. "Blue, care to be a donor for an honorable cause?"

"Yeah," he says. "What do I do?"

"Standing still as Jade shaves your algae off," Nadine says.

As the ridiculousness ensues, Romeo and Matt look after King Mickey and the knocked out Roman. As so much as a groan, King Mickey awakens. At the same time, Roman awakens. Matt places his hands on the ground, dimly lit with his Elemental Jewel.

Jade hands Nadine Blue's algae and proceeds to cut the arrowhead off with his claw. With the algae in her left hand, Nadine's jewel shines. The jewel familiarizes with the algae. When Nadine rubs her index and middle fingers and thumb, they secrete a tan substance with blue specks. She nods, signaling Lizzy to pull the remaining arrow out of Dorian's calf. Slowly, the sawed arrow is removed. When out, the holes spill a little blood. Nadine rubs the substance onto the wound. The bleeding stops after seconds of sealing.

"If I never had the jewel," Nadine says. "It would've taken days to find the right plants to fix this up.

When Dorian moves his hands from his face, tears stream from the corners of his eyes.

"I'd be crying to," Nadine helps him up. "If that happened to me."

"That's not why I'm crying," Dorian says lowly. He looks over where Roman is resting. After an agonizing hour, Dorian can put weight on his right leg. He traipses with his left leg and treads with his right. Matt, the King and Romeo see hostility in Dorian's eyes.

Roman moans. As his eyelids open, his eyes roll. His vision is blurry. When his vision straightens up, he finds Dorian holding his keyblade as if he was at the batting plate.

"Beating the shit out of me," Roman says. "Won't do you any good."

Dorian lifts Roman's head with the teeth of the blade. "You know what this does?"

"So it unlock things," Roman says indignantly. "What the hell about it?"

"A lot more than that," Dorian flicks the teeth off Roman's chin. He pokes Roman's sinewy chest. "With this, I could unlock hearts."

"If I had one," Roman says.

"Since you're a hybrid," Dorian rebuts. "You may still have one." Dorian shoves his keyblade harder onto Roman's chest. Roman puts his hands on it, but he could not stop Dorian from going harder.

"We're not in Charm City anymore," Dorian whispers. "You'd be gone in a blink of an eye. You get me?"

Dorian punctures Roman's chest enough. "ALRIGHT!" Roman says. "I'm D! I'm D."

"Good," Dorian moves his keyblade out and away. "Where did your crew take the Queen and Ashleigh through the Corridors to?"

"They ain't my crew no more," Roman shakes his head. "They're going to Saint Canard."

"Saint Canard?" the King mumbles. "I might know where it is."

"You might want to hurry before Snipes gets any id–"

Roman was about to finish his statement before Dorian shoves his keyblade back in the same spot. He knew what Roman might have to say between Snipes and Ashleigh.

"Easy!" King Mickey exclaims. "He told us enough. He may know the route better than I do."

Matt comes from behind, and puts his hand on Dorian's shoulder. "King Mickey's right," he says. "Both of their lives are in danger."

Dorian exhales and puts his keyblade away. "Okay," Dorian says. "But you better not lie to us."

"No lies," Roman agrees. "No promises of what would happen when we get there, either."

The night is still. Traffic on the streets is vaguely present. The streetlights are on, but there is this occasional flicker. Tall buildings could make one stranger in the city feel like there is a stalker on the loose. Yet there is one lone shadow lurking about in Saint Canard, who's thirst for justice is unrivaled and unquenchable.

The Corridors of Darkness swell open near the ramp to the bridge. Ashleigh, unconscious, is flung out of the Corridors first. Her body is laid out in front of a corporate building. Queen Minnie is flung out second.

"OOF!" She lands on top of Ashleigh. She shakes her head and looks around. "I don't think I've been here in a while." She scrambles off of Ashleigh and shakes her to wake her.

"Ashleigh?" she shook her once. "That big brute knocked her out cold!"

She looks into the Corridors and hears the Bloody Black Rain's voices. She looks at Ashleigh, and back at the Corridors. She pressed her lips, knowing she would be guilty to leave her behind. Dorian… More so Ashleigh, attempted to rescue her. The Queen groans, but picks Ashleigh up by her underarms. She grunts and Ashleigh's jeans scrap against the pavement. Her effort is noted, but they arrive after the Queen dragged Ashleigh five yards. The Queen clenches her teeth and her little heart sinks.

Demarcus points at them. "A trapped mouse ain't got a place to run to."

Wayne, Madison, Evelyn, and Brandon step out of the Corridors. The dark doors finally seal up and fade away.

"Why'd you let them close?" Brandon asks Demarcus.

He wrinkles his face, wondering why he let the Corridors close. He throws his palm up and opens them again. "It's about Ronin, is it?" Demarcus asks.

"Hell no," Brandon says. "He ain't shit. Remember when he tried to take that weapon that duck was talking about?"

Madison is the only one to raise a brow in the group. "So, y'all are just going to leave him like that?"

"He ain't my business," Brandon looks his shoulder. "If you want to save him so much, go do it. Me, on the other hand–"

He only takes so much as a step and he is only two feet beside the Queen. She twists her head right and didn't see him.

"OOF!" She bumps into Brandon's leg and drops Ashleigh. She looks up at his face. The lighting of the streetlamp is dim, giving him enough of a frightening aura. The Queen's teeth chatter.

"I only have one thing on my mind," he whispers. As soon as he so much as touch Ashleigh's hair, a Corridor opens behind Brandon.

"Before you do anything," NegaDuck's voice. He walks out, but with a limp.

Brandon turns out to find him holding his side. "I'm guessing D'Scourge did that to you?"

"I don't care what his name is," NegaDuck grunts. "But he won't be beating the crap out of me sooner or later. Which is what I was trying to say; give me the Queen."

"You're not in a good position to make demands," Brandon scoffs at NegaDuck.

"Do you have ANY idea WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW?" NegaDuck shouts Brandon and the Queen.

NegaDuck draws his ray gun. "Any second now, that cretin is gonna show up and then–"

"I am the terror that flaps in the night!"

"I know that voice!" The Queen cheers.

"Who's there?" Brandon shouts upward.

"I am the referee who calls Unsportsmanlike Conduct!"

"We got better business than this," Demarcus shakes his head and walks into his own Corridors. Tank and Evelyn follow him. Madison looks back at the scene and sighs before reentering the Corridors. It swells shut after an unknown vigilante throws smoke pellets on the concrete. It seems as though this vigilante possess the same gadgets as NegaDuck. When the smoke clears, the clothes are not the case.

"I am DARKWING DUCK!" As he stands on top of the streetlamp, he throws his lavender cape behind him to make himself showy and grand. He dons a wide-brim fedora and an overcoat in lavender color.

"Who's this nut job?" Brandon asks.

"HE'S WHY!" NegaDuck hollers.

"He's you?" Brandon asks. Unbeknownst to him, DarkWing hops off the lamp and swings himself by his hands on the lamp.

"Technically speaking," NegaDuck says. "I'm his dimensional opposite!"

DarkWing lets go, giving him enough velocity to kick Brandon without looking!

He dusts himself off to find the Queen in awe and Ashleigh, still conked out.

"Your highness?" he asks. "So the rumors are true? This lowlife tried to kidnap you and the King?"

The Queen is in tears to see this caped crusader. All she could do is nod.

"Oh, no you don't!" NegaDuck steps in front of Queen Minnie. "I've got plans with this mouse." Once more, NegaDuck unsheathes his pitch-black saber in his left and materializes Atlas' Absolution in his right. "She's coming with me!"

"You and what army, pal?" DarkWing asks him. Behind, Brandon recovered quickly and looms over him. An invisible aura, DarkWing looks down at his own shadow, seeing it bend and wave eerily.

"Strange," he remarks. "My shadow's not supposed to do that. Unless–"

DarkWing suspects and looks behind: a black lion head twice the normal size with a yellow mane opens it maw to chomp down on the hero!

The sight of the black lion causes the Queen to shriek and passes out. At the same time, the shriek causes Ashleigh to slowly awaken from her coma.

DarkWing flashes a key with an electric blue handle and an autumn-gold blade. The lion's mouth crunches on DarkWing's keyblade. The hero grunts to push it away, but to no avail. Brandon's face emerges from behind the lion's head. With ferocity, the lion's head tosses DarkWing Duck aside onto the corporate building.

Ashleigh sits herself up to find the Queen passed out on the road. She widens her eyes to find NegaDuck in front, DarkWing recovering from Brandon's attack, and Brandon unveiling his power.

"God, no," she whispers. "Two NegaDucks?"

She stands up, charging a wind in her fists. "Do I have to do everything myself?" she asks out loud.

She may not have to. The S.S. Alexandria breaks Saint Canard's atmosphere, zeroing in on the scene. Ashleigh looks up to find her friends come.

"What are you so happy for?" Brandon approaches her. "You're stuck here with me."

One round of Meteor lasers made him regret his last statement, sending him barreling and rolling on the road. The S.S. Alexandria "parks" on top of the corporate building.

"I can never have things the way I want!" NegaDuck gnashes his teeth. He puts away his weapons and opens a Corridor of Darkness. Before he could nab the Queen, he has Ashleigh to worry about.

"I'll deal with without my keyblade," NegaDuck releases his Aura of Darkness.

"That darkness you're using," she says. "It's like Roman's."

A nerve was struck and NegaDuck lashes out against Ashleigh. Every blow is matched with Ashleigh's blocks. Something is off. NegaDuck's aura must have absorbed some of Ashleigh's energy, making her tired. His last roundhouse kick broke Ashleigh's guard. He winds up and right hooks her in her face. She is flown to a brick wall. He pants heavily and corners her.

"HEY!" Brandon comes up to stop NegaDuck. "She be mine."

"By all means," NegaDuck smirks at the idea. Brandon punches through the wall, near Ashleigh's head. He looks at her with a strange look in his eyes: almost feeling like he wanted to fuck the shit out of her mixed with the time she "betrayed" him.

"I never liked what you've done to me," Brandon said with straight lips.

"I never like how you turned out," Ashleigh tries to push him away. He feels like his feet are cemented.

"Excuse me," a lone hand reaches out to grab Brandon's shoulder. The grip is digs into his muscles. Brandon turns around to meet Dorian's raging fist! The punch was hard enough to knock a tooth out!

He backs away to cover his face.

"Dorian!" Ashleigh says his name. She is met with a hug and wet eyes.

"I'm sorry!" Dorian's says with tears streaming. "I was weak. I won't let that happen again. Don't hate me!"

Ashleigh chuckles at Dorian's plight. She hugs him back. "I don't hate you." Dorian breathes a sigh of relief.

"You've gotta be kidding me," NegaDuck finishes up tying the Queen. "All that mushy stuff! I'm outta here!" He jumps through the Corridor and it swells shut.

As Brandon approaches a weary DarkWing Duck, he turns around to hear a multitude of stomps. Dorian and Ashleigh's friends dived from the tall corporate building and land behind him. King Mickey rested well. Roman is weakened and bonded by Nadine's thick ivy.

"So," Brandon says as he looks into Roman's eyes. "The bitch snitched?"

Matt cracks his knuckles and Blue swings his axes and readies himself.

"I ain't got time for this," Brandon opens up the Corridor and jumps right in.

Once it closes, every one directs their attention to their surrounding.

"This is Saint Canard?" Sidney says. "It feels like Charm City."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" DarkWing "puts" his keyblade away. "We can't give away any secrets like that. Especially this guy." He shows them King Mickey, but his majesty has a face showing:

"It's okay," he says. "You can trust them."

"How?" DarkWing says. "NegaDuck just took the Queen. And, wait. You want to plan up something? With me?"

"Yep!" King Mickey smiles for the first time. "Just like old times."

"Old times?" Dorian asks. "You two know each other?"

The King and DarkWing look at each other and give a good laugh. "Maybe we'll discuss this more at my hideout," DarkWing suggests.

The S.S. Alexandria follows DarkWing's jet to the top of Audubon Bay Bridge. A full moon blesses the bay with glistening moonlight. They land their vehicles on a large enough launch pad and step out into a spacious room. DarkWing Duck has a training room set to test his gadgets and ray gun. DarkWing welcomes his company into his lair. "Not many know where my hideout is, except a few. And you guys make it 'many."

"Um," the King utters. "DarkWing?"

"Oh, right," he turns around. "Pressing matters. Our worlds are supposed to be kept secret from one another. Saint Canard isn't supposed to be anyone's business but mine. Its either these World Laws are becoming too lenient nowadays or one of you has a keyblade?"

He rubs his chin, "Is it you?" He points at Ashleigh.

She shakes her head.

"What about you?" He points at Sidney.

She shakes her head. "No, he has it." Sidney points at Dorian.

"Him?" DarkWing smirks. "No, no, no. You can't be him. The Master clearly said there would be girl."

"You must've missed that part," the King says. "Remember when the Master called us in to prepare any new wielders?"

"Yeah, I do," DarkWing still scratches his head. "But I had to leave because MegaVolt was causing a lot of trouble."

"So you left early," the King remarks.

"It was weird, okay?" DarkWing remembers. "MegaVolt built a machine that was supposed to absorb all the electricity in the city and supply it to him."

"Another story time?" Sidney hands Romeo a treat from her pocket.

"When I got back home," he says. "All the electricity was gone. I tracked him to an old warehouse. Before the machine could absorb the last volt, I fired a shot to shut down the machine. Instead of shutting down, it imploded!"

"Spirits! That sounds crazy," Matt says.

"And it gets crazier," DarkWing says. "We were hurdled into a cold, vacuum-like tunnel. MegaVolt couldn't conjure up any of his powers, that is, until we've landed."

Blue and Romeo listen intently.

"We've landed in a city," DarkWing says. "It felt like I was east. It was sunny and there were a lot of people strolling. They stopped to look at us. We we're strangers to a new world. The bay wasn't Audubon Bay. And I remember waking up a couple yards from a boardwalk. It led to some kind of lightship, I saw regular citizens boarding it like it's a museum. The name was printed on the side, I think it was Chesapeake?"

"Ch-Chesapeake?" Dorian murmurs.

"Something wrong?" Ashleigh hears a sudden change in Dorian's breath.

Dorian's sweat rolls from his forehead. He unfurls his folded arms and drops them. The sight of DarkWing suddenly makes his brain zap. Every zap, for twelve seconds, Ashleigh sees his fingers jolt.

"Are you okay?" she asks Dorian once more. He opens his mouth and DarkWing takes notice to Dorian's brain activity. He isn't suffering from a seizure. Thank God.

"I was there," Dorian says. "I was two, I think. Whatever his name was, he smacked that keyblade out of your hands. He was ready to zap you. But…"

DarkWing raises his brow.

"But I picked it up," Dorian says. "And I beat him over the head! I handed it back to DarkWing. He said, "You saved me, kiddo. Thanks."

Every one of his friends looks at Dorian with wide eyes.

"I swear to Heaven, it happened!" Dorian defends himself. "That's how," he materializes his keyblade. "That's how I got this!"

DarkWing gasps. "That looks like mine! You're that kid that gave back my keyblade!"

"And our adventures," Lizzy tilts his head left. "Have turned for the bizarre."

"Talk about childhood memories," Nadine says.

"Oh wow," Matt folds his arms. He gives a chuckle. "That's our Dorian! Barely able to walk on his own, and he's still a hero!"

"Matt!" Nadine chastises him.

"So that dream you had?" Ashleigh says. "Wasn't just a gimmick?"

"Ah!" The King perks his ears up. "The Station of Awakening."

"Dorian's your name?" DarkWing asks him. He smiles. "We have a lot to talk about. If everything goes well, I have a surprise for you."

"Not now!" The King says.

"Of course not now, DarkWing says. "But first, how to reach the Queen?"

Dorian inhales sharply through his nose to snap himself out. "We have someone with all the Intel."

With the lights available in DarkWing Duck's lair, Jade uses his Umbra Crusher technique to keep Roman's feet banded to the floor. Even if there aren't any chains present, you can still hear them. Roman tilts his head up to reveal his eyes. Dorian remembers his eyes being a chartreuse green, similar to Ashleigh's. Roman's irises have more yellow in them than before.