Summary: Suppose for a moment that Megavolt suddenly remembered everything he had ever forgotten, and the consequences that would bring. Now, what if I told you there was no need to 'suppose' at all?...

Rating: T

Author's Note: Well, here's part two. This chapter turned out remarkably well. I even managed to get Poe into the mix. I daresay it could be my best yet. One thing is for sure, though, and that's the fact that seeing all of you really praised part one, you'll love part two. :) Fun facts for both parts are included.

55.

Recollection Part II

Previously, on The New Adventures of Darkwing Duck...

"Static discharge! The power levels are spiking because of it! Megs, disconnect, now!"

--

"Easy there, mate, you had a bit of a shock, there."

"A very unnaturally violent one, too. You're lucky to be alive."

--

"Looks like that shock rebooted your brain, mate."

"Wow. I wonder what else I can remember."

--

"Drake Mallard."

"Who's that, Megs?"

"He promised to help me. He promised. And yet on the night I needed him the most, he didn't turn up. Did he not mean it? Did something happen to him that kept him from coming to my aide? And after that night, why didn't he ever appear again? I could've used his help loads of time since then, yet he...didn't...show...up!"

--

"I need to find him."

"What? How?"

"I don't know, but I'll figure it out!"

--

"Megs, he probably just said that to reassure you, and didn't really mean it. He's probably long forgotten you even exist."

"That thought's crossed my mind."

"Then why bother finding him? What could you possibly get out of it?"

"Payback."

--

"Now where are you going, mate?"

"To the one person who'd have what I'd need!"

"Who?"

"Darkwing Duck!"

--

"So you do know something more."

"All I'm going to say on the matter you two twits is that it's very important that Darkwing does not find out that Megavolt is looking for Drake Mallard."

"Why? Just who is Drake Mallard?"

"An acquaintance."

--

"Gosalyn called Darkwing dad. Now if that's true, then that means...she's the Crimson Avenger. Which means Drake is...Darkwing Duck."

--

"You leave Drake Mallard alone, Megs, or so help me, I'll see to it that you get it."

"But you forget. I have my own score to settle with Darkwing..."

--

"I'm not leaving until I've done what I came here to do, Drake. Or should I say...Darkwing Duck."

--

"You were attacked? By who?"

"By Megavolt. Gos, he knows who I am."

--

"You were specifically told to leave Drake Mallard alone, and yet you disobeyed. Now I have to make good on my threat, although I wish I didn't have to."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Well, first off, I'm kicking you out of the Fearsome Five. Not so bad, considering, because now we're genuinely back to five members."

"Kicked out? You're kicking me out?"

"For starters. You should know that now that I've done that, you're an official enemy to the Fearsome Five, starting now."

--

"Tell you what, I'm going to count to five. If you haven't gone by that time, I'll have NegaCrimson here...shoot you down in cold blood."


"One."

"But can't I have..."

"Two."

"But..."

"Three."

Megavolt gulped and glanced hopefully at the others, hoping Quackerjack, Rowe, or more importantly Bushroot would do something to stop this. But the reaction was the same. Bushroot looked clearly upset by all of this, but didn't dare object. Rowe looked to be feeling something similar. Quackerjack was just giving him a cold look that Megavolt didn't like. He realized with a chill that he was on his own now.

He glanced at NegaGosalyn, secretly hoping that she wasn't going to follow through on Negaduck's murderous request, but she already had her P90 aimed at him and her finger wrapped around the trigger, just waiting for the order to shoot. It was clear she intended to obey the order. His only chance now was to turn and run and hope he could get away before it was too late. Quickly, he raced for the ally's exit.

"Four."

Almost immediately, Megavolt saw he wasn't going to make it. The distance between him and the ally's exit seemed to have doubled in length since he had last looked, and it seemed like he was stuck in slow motion while everyone else was still moving in real time. Regardless, he pressed on, sweat dampening his body. The seconds that ticked by seemed to last forever as Megavolt waited for Negaduck to reach the end of his count.

"Five."

The exit to the alley, a gaping space between two brick-walled buildings, seemed so close, and yet so far. Megavolt gulped once again, and pushed every last ounce of energy he had left into running. Ironically, he almost had to laugh. Throughout his entire career as a supervillain, he had depended upon his control over electricity to save him. But not even all the electrical power in the world could save him now. Megavolt closed his eyes, still running, awaiting the gunshot that would end it all.

But the gunshot didn't come as quickly as Megavolt expected it. His eyes snapped back open and saw he was still alive and still running, so he hadn't just missed it the gunshot. It just hadn't fired. And in the milliseconds that followed, the P90 somewhere behind him still hadn't fired. The thought came to him that maybe NegaGosalyn had hesitated to fire after all, and saw he still had a chance.

He was almost at the alley's exit. Another step and he'd be out of the ally. Two more, and he could be around the corner and out of sight. Taking hope in this small fact, he counted his steps as he ran around the corner and out of sight. It was then that the gunshot finally rang out. There was a twang as something sparked against the brick wall of the building, and Megavolt felt the fired bullet whizz past his back, not even grazing him.

Resisting the urge to yell for joy, Megavolt stopped outside the alley to catch his breath, time suddenly returning to normal speeds with a vengeance, so much so his head spun. Leaning against the wall beside him, Megavolt listened for any sounds from within the alley. He heard Negaduck speaking in that low growl of his, the exact words ineligible, but moments later, Megavolt heard pattering footsteps of several people running for the alley's exit. Negs was sending the rest of the gang after him.

But now that Megavolt wasn't at danger of being sight, he knew he could easily evade the rest of the Fearsome Five. Grinning, and clapping his hands together, he began running again, ready for the chase that was going to follow...


"Megavolt knows your secret identity?" Hooter asked, shocked. "How? Not even SHUSH knows your identity, and I assure you Darkwing, we've tried quite valiantly to try and find out in the past."

"I know." Darkwing said, his face grim as he walked down the corridor. "It actually stems back to a stupid little accident years back in which Megs managed to pull my mask off in a fight. In the end, though, I wasn't too worried about it, because he promptly forgot the knowledge again."

"Then how did he manage to remember it?" Hooter asked.

"I don't know, but I think that's not all he's remembered." Darkwing said. "In our fight, Megs indicated he remembered everything, as in everything he's ever forgotten."

Agent Grant, who was following along side Hooter carrying a stack of files in his arms, blanked out at this. "How is that important?" he asked, then went on to add, "You'll have to forgive me, I'm still playing catch-up. Before I was assigned here, I worked in the field out in Mexico. I've been virtually unaware of the happenings in St. Canard because of it."

"As you know, Agent Grant, Megavolt's superpowers involve the harnessing and use of electrical power in his body, which he uses as a conduit." Hooter said flatly, as if annoyed at the interruption. "The downside to this power is that it interfered with the functionality of his brain, making it very difficult for Megavolt to remember any long-term memories."

"So how is this little problem being corrected an issue?" Grant asked, still lost.

"Megavolt has seen a lot over the years he's been a criminal." Darkwing explained. "He's virtually a treasure trove of secret memories that himself or others could use to our disadvantage if he ever remembered them. And now that he does, Megavolt is clearly putting those memories to use."

"By seeking revenge on you." Grant asked.

"That's right." Darkwing said. "He might also sell the knowledge he's got because of these restored memories to earn money."

"Like to Negaduck." Hooter said.

"Possibly, but somehow I doubt it." Darkwing said. "Negs's known who I am for longer than anybody. Makes sense, seeing that he's me. But during all that time, he's hardly ever used that knowledge to his advantage. I can't think of any reason for Negaduck to start now."

"But the principal concern here is Megavolt." Hooter said, as they arrived at Hooter's office and stepped inside. "He clearly doesn't have the same opinions as Negaduck, and he's not holding back to take advantage of what he knows."

"I know." Darkwing said, sitting down wearily. "It means I'm going to have to go out and fight him and beat him before he beats me."

"Which is exactly what I'm worried about, Darkwing." Hooter said sitting behind his desk. "By the sound of it, nowhere is safe for you to hide, not even your hideout."

"Darkwing Tower." Grant noted observantly, wanting to prove that he knew something about the goings on in St. Canard.

"I know the risks, J. Gander." Darkwing said, ignoring Grant. "That's why I'm going to take out Megs before he gets a chance to do any of that."

"But you don't even know where he is." Hooter pressed. "He could attack right this moment and you wouldn't even know it until too late! I hate to do it, Darkwing, but I can't afford to lose you. I must make the order to place you into protective custody. I want an agent of SHUSH with you at all times. That includes Launchpad, Crimson, and Techno, and anybody else Megavolt may use to get at you."

"What?" Darkwing cried. "But J. Gander, those agents will only slow me down! Besides, Crimson and Techno are both currently in school at the moment and both out of costume! If you have SHUSH agents following them everywhere..."

"We'll pull them out of school and have them wear their costumes until this issue is resolved." Hooter said. "They'll probably be safer that way anyway. But I'm sorry, Darkwing, the matter isn't open for debate. You're just going to have to make the best of the situation." He stood up, motioning to Grant to follow him, who was just about to sit down himself. "I'll leave you with some privacy to make the necessary arrangements, and then I want to dispatch agents to collect everyone as quickly as possible."

Darkwing sighed, leaning back heavily in his seat. "Fine." he said. "I'll get back to you in a moment."

He was pulling out a cell phone and beginning to dial while Hooter and Grant both exited the office. Hooter closed the door behind him, and deactivated surveillance within the room via a secret control panel before turning to leave. Grant hesitated a moment, then stepped forward to speak.

"Director Hooter," he began, "Sorry that I have to say this, but with all due respect, are you sure this is a good course of action? Darkwing seems to be a very capable person. I've seen his file. I think he's right, giving him an agent escort will only slow him down. Don't you think we should at least give him a chance to try things his way first?"

"If we do, and he fails, then what's the point?" Hooter asked rhetorically, then went on to add, "Agent Grant, one of Darkwing's greatest rivals was your predecessor, Agent Grizzlikof. He despised Darkwing, and greatly resented Darkwing's involvement in SHUSH. But Grizz was a very good agent, and knew when to just trust my word and not say anything. You should too."

And with that, he walked off, leaving Grant to brood about that for awhile.


"What was that about?" Negaduck demanded, circling NegaGosalyn angrily.

"What was what about?" NegaGosalyn asked innocently.

"Don't you play stupid with me, Miss Mallard, you know what this about!" Negaduck roared. "You hesitated to shoot Megavolt! It's because of you that we've lost him now!"

"I did not." NegaGosalyn said flatly. "He moved to the left suddenly. I had to shift my aim to compensate and simply didn't react fast enough."

Negaduck's eye narrowed, clearly debating if he should confront that statement as a lie or accept it as the truth. He ultimately choose neither. "You know, you worry me sometimes." he said. "I really have to wonder if you're going softer than you'd care to admit."

"If I was, don't you think you'd have known it by now?" NegaGosalyn asked.

"Maybe you're just good at hiding it."

"Then you'll never know for sure, will you?"

"I will if you ever get it in your head to turn against me."

"And why would I ever do that?"

Negaduck didn't reply. "Point of the matter is that Megavolt escaped." he persisted. "Now he's free out there to cause trouble."

"He's not going to be a problem now, he got the message, he's out of the gang." NegaGosalyn said. "He's going to keep his distance from us now, just as you requested."

"That's not what I'm worried about." Negaduck said. "I am worried about this whole Drake Mallard mess, though. Now that Megavolt's free, there's no one to keep him in line."

"If you didn't want him to escape, then why did you give him the chance to run?" NegaGosalyn asked.

"Because I didn't think he'd succeed, nor did I think you'd miss." Negaduck spat.

"You should've told me to just shoot him."

"Don't tell me what I should or shouldn't have done!" Negaduck said. He turned to the window of his office, overlooking the warehouse that was the gang's hideout and fumed for a moment. "Megavolt needs to be found." he said finally. "He needs to be found and at the very least stopped." he turned back to NegaGosalyn. "Bushroot and the others are already out looking for him. You go join them and find him."

"Got it." NegaGosalyn said, starting to walk off.

Negaduck stopped her briefly. "And if you find him," he continued, lowering his voice, "shoot to kill."

NegaGosalyn paused for a moment, then nodded, gripping her P90 tightly as she walked off.


"This is highly irregular." Techno remarked, as they both stepped out onto the roof of the high school in full costume. "I've hardly ever been in costume at school, and much less picked up by SHUSH agents to be babysat."

"It's highly irregular that Megavolt knows our secret identities, or at least Dad's." Crimson said, closing the door behind them. "Though, it wouldn't be hard for Megs to figure out the rest from here. Actually, though, I'm not too surprised that SHUSH wants to keep an eye on us." she looked around nervously. "After getting Dad's call about Megavolt's attack on him this morning, I haven't felt truly safe since."

They cautiously walked across the roof to the front of the school. Below, they could see a single car parked at the curb with two people in grey outfits standing beside it.

"Our ride, I presume." Techno remarked, glancing down at it.

"Yep, those are SHUSH agents all right." Crimson agreed. "Dad said they'd meet us at the school, and that they'd be expecting the Crimson Avenger and Techno and not Gosalyn Mallard and Honker Muddlefoot."

"Right." Techno said. "But it looks like they're expecting us to walk out the front door."

"Which is stupid." Crimson remarked, pulling out her gas gun. "Do they really think we'd just walk out the front door in plain sight of everyone while in costume?"

She fired off a grappling hook and swung down to the sidewalk below. Techno shrugged good-humoredly and followed. They both landed before the two agents suddenly, but neither agent was surprised. They knew how Crimson and Techno operated well.

"Crimson, Techno, glad to see you're well." Agent Mia greeted, peering over the sunglasses she wore over her eyes. "Any sign of Megavolt?"

"None." Crimson said.

"I'm not even getting any traces of him with my visor." Techno added.

"Good, then let's hope then that he's not lurking around somewhere waiting to attack." Agent Sandy said, opening the backdoor to the car. "Climb in. We need to be getting back to HQ."

Crimson nodded, and both she and Techno climbed in. Mia and Sandy climbed into the front of the vehicle, Mia sitting in the driver's seat. Soon they were both on their way. They rode in silence for a few moments.

"You know, I just remembered, my motorbike's still at the school." Crimson remarked.

"You'll live." Techno assured her.

"As soon as this situation is resolved, you can go back and get it, I promise." Agent Mia said. "But until then, you are going to watched by SHUSH agents at all times and follow our commands."

"Lucky us." Crimson remarked unexcitedly.


The rest of the day passed by without event. Grudgingly, Darkwing obeyed Hooter's request to allow himself and his cohorts to be taken into protective custody. At first, they were just going to stay at SHUSH Headquarters, but it was quickly agreed they weren't getting anywhere this way, and Hooter agreed. Besides, Techno also pointed out that there was a good chance Megavolt would attack areas such as the Mallard home or Darkwing Tower, both of which were currently vacated, and it was decided that allowing Megavolt having free reign at both of those locations wasn't a good idea.

A few strings were pulled, and it was arranged for Darkwing and the others to stand guard over the two locations, and despite a few awkward and sensitive moments, they pulled it off. And by the time night had fallen, there hadn't been another attack from Megavolt. The popular belief was that Megavolt had been scared off by the guards and was just waiting for his chance for the guard to be let down.

But in reality, Megavolt wasn't even aware of all of this just yet.

His day had been very busy avoiding the Fearsome Five. After very nearly getting shot, Megavolt spent the better part of his day on the run from the others, which apparently had orders to capture him (or worse) no matter what from Negaduck. Finally, sometime after noon, he finally shook his pursuers, but even then, still had to play it safe, as they seemed to be everywhere in St. Canard. It seemed every other step he took very nearly bumped him into Bushroot, or Rowe, or Quackerjack, or NegaGosalyn, whom, he noted with dismay, was armed.

He managed, though. At one point he tried to head home to his hideout, only to just barely realize that Rowe was already there ransacking the place, probably looking for clues, and had to quickly take steps to avoid being captured. He realized that at that point, not even home was safe anymore. Leaving him with nowhere else to go.

Suddenly, he understood how Drake must have felt, knowing he was being hunted by Megavolt. Megavolt almost felt sympathetic. But that still didn't change his goals. He still intended to get his revenge upon Drake. He just wasn't sure how he was going to do it.

Sitting on the bank of the Audubon Bay, looking across it's waters at it's opposite bank, he gave his problems some thought. The solution to his problem with Drake seemed simple. Figure out where he lived, and then Megavolt could attack him while he was right at home. He just didn't have the tools to do that.

He had a phone book at his hideout, but it was several year out of date, probably had several Mallards in there, and he knew Negaduck was likely to have the location watched.

Currently, he hated Negaduck as well. Actually, he always had in the past, but this was a new low. He never really thought that he was a mere tool to Negs, but today's events proved otherwise. And in retrospect, he should have realized this eons ago...

"I'm here to help you escape. In fact, I'm going to help you and your friends all escape, but first I'm going to start with you."

"Why me?"

"I need your abilities in order for this to work."

It seemed so obvious now. From the very beginning, Negaduck had only been using him. Heck, not just him, but all of them most likely. It made him feel betrayed, and he decided he had every right to. With one fell swoop, Negaduck had completely turned Megavolt's life upside down, and all because Megavolt had allowed him to get that kind of control. Now he didn't know what to do, or where from go now.

He needed help. But he didn't know who to turn to. Normally, in situations like this, he'd go to his friends, namely Bushroot and Rowe. But Negs had managed to even take them away from him and turned them into his enemies. Unwilling enemies, granted, but enemies nonetheless.

He thought about going to the officials, such as the police, but he knew that wouldn't get him anywhere. They'd just throw him into jail, and the police already were on the alert. Apparently reports had been streaming in from all over town that the Fearsome Five were being more active than usual, and had been taking precautions to prepare for anything the Five might do. SHUSH wasn't likely to be any better.

The idea of turning to Darkwing came to his mind, for they had done it before...

"I'd prefer it if we had more to work with us."

"Consider it done, Dipwing."

"Negaduck! What're you doing here?"

"What do you think, you twit? We're here, heaven forbid, to help you."

...but Megavolt quickly pushed that thought out of his mind. He wasn't ready to go trusting Darkwing just yet, not after what he had learned Darkwing had done to him as well. Besides, having attacked him, Darkwing wasn't likely to trust him either. Furthermore, one of the things he needed help with was trying to decide how to attack Darkwing. Which he felt probably wasn't going to become a reality anymore. But at least they were on a more even score.

What he needed was someone who could understand all the aspects of the situation, but not be so quick to turn him in. But where was he going to find someone like...

"But I get ornery if I don't get to zap something every now and then. Maybe if I were to talk with Negaduck...say, where is Negs?"

"Dunno, he didn't tell me. Probably somewhere right in plain sight, and we don't even know it."

"Look, I've got and go deliver some couple's meal. Give me a shout if you see him. But discreetly."

Megavolt suddenly jumped up at the unexpected memory of the conversation he and Rowe had held, undercover, roughly about a year ago. At first glance, it seemed like nothing pertaining to his present situation, but as Rowe had concluded the conversation with that last comment, he pointed at the couple in question. Naturally, Megavolt hadn't thought a thing of it at the time, but he realized now that the gentleman Rowe had been serving in his waiter disguise that night was Drake Mallard.

Megavolt found it ironic. They were undercover to look for Darkwing, but he never turned up. Because Darkwing wasn't Darkwing that night, he was Drake Mallard. He had been in plain sight, and neither he nor Rowe had realized it. Looking back, he even remembered seeing Negaduck, out of costume, that night as well, but didn't know it for the same reasons.

But it wasn't Drake's presence that caught his eye, it was the fact that Drake had a date. A pretty, long-haired, female duck about Drake's age that Megavolt couldn't say he had ever seen before. But she had to know everything about Drake and what he did. If anyone could help Megavolt at the moment, it was her. Now if he could just remember her name...

"...and has helped taken action to prevent it from happening with other facilities, but that doesn't explain what they're up to."

"Sounds like a lot to worry about, I'm surprised you took time off from all of that for this date. I mean I'm surprised Darkwing took the time off...I mean, oh shoot."

"Don't worry Christine, you'll get the hang of it. It's not easy referring to that stuff in the third person. I know from experience."

Megavolt grinned. "Good thing I happened to walk by right at that moment." he remarked to himself. "Christine, hmm? Well, that's good enough!"

The beginning of a plan started to form, Megavolt turned and ran off into the night.


"Okay, Charlie, time for bed." Christine remarked as she stepped into the living room.

"Aw." Charlie whined, curled up on the couch in his Pjs, watching the TV. "One more TV show, please?"

"No, that's enough for one night." Christine said, rolling her eyes as she leaned over to turn off the TV. "You need your sleep kiddo, or you won't grow up big and strong."

"But Gos stays up every night, and she's big and strong." Charlie pointed out.

Christine struggled to find a hole in that reasoning. "Yeah, well, that's Gosalyn." she said. "Anyway, I'm your mother, adopted mother anyway, and I say it's time for bed."

"But I'm not sleepy." Charlie whined, yawning a big yawn at the same time.

"Yes, you are." Christine said, trying not to laugh. "Now c'mon, let's go to bed. You got Jude?"

Charlie held up his stuffed otter innocently.

"Good." Christine said, scooping up the six-year-old into her arms. "C'mon, let's go."

She started off for the hallway when the window in the living room suddenly shattered and something heavy was heard hitting the floor. Alarmed, Christine backtracked into the room and looked at the figure kneeling on the floor. The figure looked up, studied her for a moment, and then grinned.

"Thank heavens!" Megavolt exclaimed. "It took me forever to track you down!"

Christine stared at him for a long moment, Charlie turning around in her arms to do likewise, then she suddenly turned and ran for the phone, Charlie yelling in fright in the process. Megavolt quickly jumped up and blocked their path.

"Ah-ah!" Megavolt said, urgently. "Listen, I don't want to hurt anybody, I just need your help."

"Fat chance!" Christine yelled, grabbing a frying pan sitting on the stove and lifting it above her head in preparation to swing at Megavolt.

Megavolt quickly knocked it out of her hands with a well placed bolt of electricity. Christine turned to look at the frying pan as it clattered noisily to the floor, giving Megavolt the chance to grab Charlie from Christine. He held the squealing child out of reach of Christine.

"Now look!" Megavolt said, annoyed. "I just need to know one thing from you, so just tell me the answer and I'll leave you alone!"

"Don't hurt him!" Christine said, trying to snatch Charlie back.

Megavolt held him further out of reach, holding Christine back. "I won't, if you just answer my question!" he repeated.

"Fine, what's your stupid question?" Christine snapped.

"Where does Drake Mallard live?"

"What? Are you mad?"

"That depends on your definition of the word."

"Why can't you just look in a phone book?"

"I would've, if it wasn't...look, it's a really long story!" Megavolt snapped. "Now tell me, or the kid gets it!"

He held one hand under Charlie and let it crackle with energy for a moment. Charlie whimpered, and Christine redoubled her efforts to get him, but Megavolt continued to hold her back.

"Well?" he asked.

Christine bit her lip, clearly torn over her choices.

"One..."

"Alright, alright, it's 537 Avian Way!" Christine exclaimed. "Now don't hurt him!"

Megavolt gently tossed Charlie back into Christine's arms. Christine, not fully prepared for the move, overbalanced in the catch and they both fell to the floor. Megavolt hurried back over to the broken window he had entered through.

"See, that wasn't so hard." he said once there. "By the way, you can call whomever you want now. 'Night."

And with that, he hopped out the window and vanished, heading back down whatever means he had used to get up here in the first place. Christine stared out the broken window for a long moment, clutching the still-terrified-but-calming-down Charlie tightly, then jumped up and grabbed the phone to make her call...


Darkwing stormed into the room suddenly. Launchpad, Crimson, and Techno, who were sitting around the SHUSH break room alone at the moment, all turned to look his way. They instantly saw from his expression that something was wrong and he wasn't happy about it.

"Something up, DW?" Launchpad asked innocently.

"I just got a call from Christine." Darkwing said flatly. "Megavolt just attacked her apartment."

The reaction was instantaneous, as the other all jumped up out of their seat.

"Keen gear, is she all right?" Crimson exclaimed, standing up.

"What about Charlie?" Launchpad asked.

"Why did Megavolt attack?" Techno asked.

"Christine's all right, Charlie's all right, and Megavolt attacked simply to get my home address from Chris." Darkwing explained quickly. "Once he got it, he left. But he did threaten to hurt Charlie if he didn't get the address, the only reason Christine even gave it to him."

"He threatened Chuck?" Crimson repeated, angry now.

"Charlie."

"Right, Charlie."

Darkwing shook his head. "This isn't like Megavolt." he said. "I think he's been driven to the point of desperation to try stuff like this."

"That would explain for a great many things, but it does pose a couple of unanswered questions." Techno reasoned.

"Whatever the case, one thing is clear, and that's the fact that Megavolt does indeed to finish the fight, and he's willing to take the battle anywhere now." Darkwing said. "If he doesn't find me at home, he'll keep looking for me until he finds me. Sooner or later, he will attack." he paused. "Now I'm thankful J. Gander took us into protective custody."

There was a moment of silence.

"So...do we have a plan?" Launchpad asked.

"Oh yeah, Launchpad, I've got a plan." Darkwing said. "We can't let this go on. We need to put a stop to this, and if it means a fight, so be it. Furthermore, I don't want Megavolt wandering around in the hideout, my house, or returning to Christine's apartment. So here's the plan. We're splitting into groups, each one of watching over each location. I'll be watching over Darkwing Tower. As a SHUSH agent will have to be with me at all times, I'll take...say...Agent Sandy with. Crimson, I want you to go and watch over Christine's apartment. You'll also need an agent to go with, but seeing that it's unlikely Megavolt will return there, just take Agent Todd. Besides, he's good at guarding stuff. LP, you guard the house. Take Agent Mia with, as you probably know her the best. Hide the fact that it's my house from her, and just say you're there guarding it simply because you and Gosalyn live there."

Both Crimson and Launchpad nodded.

"What about me?" Techno asked.

"Ah, I have a special task for you, Tech." Darkwing said. "I just got word from J. Gander. Dr. Bellum is reactivating the Elemental Tracker system and is attempting to modify it to search for Megavolt. I want you to stay here and help her."

"Understood." Techno said.

Darkwing fell silent for a moment. "Guys, I'm not going to sugarcoat it." he admitted. "Right now, Megavolt it quite possibly one of the largest threats we have ever gone up against, and not because of his powers, but his knowledge. It seems clear by now that he knows everything about me, and likely all of you as well, and he's trying to use it to his advantage. We will all need to play it safe should he show up at any of these locations. Be ready to hurry over to help others should they need it." He paused again. "J. Gander's already given me the go-ahead with this plan, so we shouldn't sit around any longer. Let's go, and good luck everybody."


And with that, the plan was enacted, and was carried out without a hitch. Launchpad and Agent Mia were standing guard over the Mallard home, Mia reportedly suspecting nothing. Crimson and Agent Todd stood guard over Christine, Charlie, and their apartment. Techno and Dr. Bellum were at SHUSH HQ making good progress on the modifications to ET, and Darkwing and Agent Sandy stood guard over Darkwing Tower.

Megavolt didn't reappear again the rest of the night, and by dawn the next day, he still hadn't appeared. Agent Sandy sat bored at one of the computers in the tower, playing solitaire.

"You know, in the past when I've visited this hideout, there's some action involved." She remarked aloud.

Darkwing, who sat in the command chair, spinning it around and around, stopped to look over at her.

"You've got a point." he agreed. "I don't know what the hold up is. I would've thought that Megavolt would've struck again somewhere in St. Canard. I wonder what's holding him up."

"Assuming Megavolt ever does get around to attacking, what do you plan on doing when he does?" Sandy asked.

Darkwing glanced at her. "Beating him before he beats me." he replied simply.

"That's your plan?"

"Elegant in it's simplicity, yes? Besides, there's not much else I can do but wait for Megavolt to make the next move, and you can bet that it's going to require a fight."

"There's ET. Presuming Dr. Bellum and Techno can get it running, we can use that to track down Megavolt's location and get the jump on him."

"Maybe, but I fear it's not going fast enough." Darkwing said. "I don't think it'll be ready in time. No, Megs is going to strike soon, that much I know. I just don't know when or where exactly."

Sandy stopped playing her game for a moment to think. "What do you think Megavolt hopes to get from this?" she asked. "I mean, of course, there's the revenge aspect, but doesn't he realize that if and when he ever succeeds at that goal that it wouldn't be long before he was caught again?"

"Which leads to me wonder if Megavolt believes he's got nothing left to loose." Darkwing said. "And if so, why?"

There was a long silence.

"Isn't it time for another hourly check-in?" Sandy asked.

Darkwing glanced at his watch. "It is." he confirmed, and pulled out his radio. "All units, please report in, over."


"How's it coming?" Agent Grant asked, entering the lab suddenly. "Director Hooter wants a report."

"We're making some progress." Techno said, sounding audibly frustrated as he worked at his computer station.

"...but not progress enough, I presume." Grant commented.

"You presume right." Bellum said, slapping at her keyboard in frustration. "ET wasn't designed to be used like this. It's proving to be very difficult to make the needed adjustments to accurately track Megavolt."

"Furthermore, the technology hasn't been used once ever since The Elements were defeated several months ago." Techno added. "There hasn't been a need. Things are out of adjustment, the terrain has changed, something in the program broke that we had to fix...there are just too many things standing in our way, here."

"And it's just gumming up the system." Grant guessed.

"You got it." Bellum said. "Still, we're finally getting somewhere. I estimate we should have prototype search parameter built to scan for Megavolt ready in a couple of hours."

"Presuming no new problems present themselves." Techno added.

It was then that Techno's radio crackled, and Darkwing made the call to report in. Techno pulled it out to reply.

"Techno here, we're still working on ET." he said. "Give us a few more hours, and we should be ready to roll."


"Darn it, Megavolt." Christine muttered as she finished putting up a plastic covering over the window Megavolt had broken the previous night. "Did you really have to break the window?"

"Considering the fact that your apartment isn't on the ground floor, he probably didn't have much choice." Crimson remarked, sitting in the kitchen.

"Well, at least I feel much safer with you here, should Megavolt decide to pay me another visit." Christine remarked, stepping back to survey her handiwork. "I just hope that if he does, he spares the other windows in my apartment. Speaking of which, will I have to pay for the window, or will SHUSH?"

"SHUSH policy dictates that it will cover any property damages that are inflicted during any matters it is directly involved in." Agent Todd commented, standing in the doorway of the hallway.

"So...probably? Maybe? Yes? No?" Crimson prompted.

"Yes." Todd replied with a sigh.

"You certainly seem to know a lot about SHUSH's policies." Christine comments, attempting to make small chat. "How long have you been in SHUSH?"

"Uh, a little short of a year now." Agent Todd said.

"He's still a junior agent, Chris." Crimson explained further. "Hasn't had much field experience. Typically he stays at SHUSH HQ as either a technician or a guard."

"I am good at both of those things, ma'am." Todd agreed confidently to Christine.

Crimson's radio clicked on suddenly as Darkwing made the call to report in. Crimson pulled it out to reply.

"This is Crimson, everything seems to check out here for the moment." she reported. "Chuck's still sleeping, and Christine's grumbling about broken windows, but that's all."


"Pretty girl, yes?"

"Shush Poe."

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"The bird. I thought I heard it talk."

"Uh, no, Mia, that was nothing."

Launchpad shot Poe a silencing glare. The crow cowered under the gaze, moving across his perch to be further from Launchpad, but they both couldn't deny that Poe was right.

Agent Mia, dressed in civilian dress instead of her trademark business suit, finished scanning Launchpad's room. "Okay, everything checks out here." she announced, turning to leave. "On to the next room."

"Mia, I fail to see why we have to check out each and every room every five minutes." Launchpad muttered following. Poe flapped along behind them, curious now that he had seen Mia.

"This house is big enough that there are several places Megavolt could slip inside and hide without our knowing if we didn't regularly check them out." Mia said, opening the door to Gosalyn's room and looking around inside. "Furthermore, you said it yourself, this is the most likely place Megavolt is going to attack at. He could attack at any moment."

"It's been quiet here all night, Mia." Launchpad wined as they moved on to Drake's bedroom. "I think if Megavolt was going to attack here, he would've done it by now."

"It still doesn't hurt to play it safe, Launchpad." Mia said, scanning Drake's room. "That's the only thing I've got against you, you know. You aren't very perceptive of the danger one faces in situations like this."

"I know the danger, Mia." Launchpad said. "I just think you're overreacting. This is Megavolt we're talking about, anyway. He's not good at that stealth stuff, never has. He'll just blunder his way along. He'll make so much racket we'll hear no matter where we are in the house."

"You don't know that." Mia said, turning to face him. "Seems to me that in the wake of this whole mess, Megavolt has been changed a lot of his usual tactics, and that all suggests to me that he's being much more careful."

"That still doesn't change the fact that he's clumsy." Launchpad said, Poe landing on his shoulder to watch. "I mean, I'm inherently clumsy, and no matter what I do, I can't change it."

"That's because that clumsiness makes you Launchpad, Launchpad." Mia remarked, stepping around him and walking back down the hallway.

"Pretty girl." Poe said again.

"Quiet, Poe." Launchpad shushed, then moved after Mia. "That same principle applies to Megavolt, you know. You can't get Megavolt without the clumsiness."

"I believe you can."

"Then wouldn't that disprove your entire statement about that making someone who they are?"

Mia was stumped by that and didn't reply. In the silence that followed, Launchpad's radio chirped. Knowing it was a request to report in, Launchpad sighed and pulled it out.

"This is Launchpad, everything checks out here." he reported quickly, and then put the radio away. "Besides, Mia, I think that if Megavolt was going to attack, he wouldn't bother to try and use stealth. We already know what he plans to do, and he knows it too. He's more likely to barge right on in and start attacking and forget stealth entirely."

At that moment, the doorbell rang.

"Doorbell!" Poe exclaimed, startled by the sound.

"I'll get it." Launchpad said, turning to head downstairs.

Mia had paused for a moment to think. "Launchpad, wait." she began, sensing they should be cautious.

But it was too late, Launchpad was already on his way downstairs. Mia sighed and continued searching rooms.

"You know, you seem to have a problem staying quiet." Launchpad commented to Poe, still perched on his shoulder, as he headed for the door.

"What?" Poe asked in his defense. "I'm just stating the obvious!"

"Yes, but while she's here, you are supposed to act like a pet, which means no speaking. Remember? That was what DW wanted."

"How about I be a parrot, then?" Poe asked. "Can't I be a parrot?"

"No, now be quiet." Launchpad said, arriving at the door.

He waited to make sure Poe was indeed going to stay quiet, then opened the door.

"Hello, is Drake Mallard in?" Megavolt asked very politely.

And then without waiting for a reply, he shot a low-level bolt of energy at Launchpad, knocking him backwards and into a table that sat beside the stairs. A crash rang out as both toppled over, Launchpad knocked unconscious. Alarmed and unfazed by the shock, Poe quickly took to the air, squawking loudly in panic, almost like an alarm.

Megavolt ignored the crow and stepped into the house, looking around curiously. He quickly jumped back, however, when a gunshot rang out and a bullet slammed into the floor at his feet. Looking upward, he spied Agent Mia quickly duck out of sight up at the top of the stairs, pistol in hand. He fired a bolt of electricity in her direction. It missed. Mia ducked out of hiding and fired more bullets, but she missed as well.

Ducking down, kicking the front door closed behind him, Megavolt peered intently up the stairs, and spied the barrel of Mia's pistol hanging just barely in view. Grinning, he took aim and fired a bolt at the pistol. He hit it right on. The electricity shot through the metal of the pistol and shocked Mia. Gasping, she toppled over to the floor, unconscious. Still grinning, Megavolt walked upstairs to hover over her.

Still squawking loudly, Poe flew in circles over Megavolt's head. Megavolt finally took annoyance with the bird's noise.

"Quiet, you!" he said, shooting a bolt in the bird's direction.

Poe yelped as the bolt narrowly missed him, and quickly flapped into a nearby room. Megavolt fired again at the bird, but again missed. The bolt nicked the frame of a window, and a spider web of cracks spread over the glass of the window. Seeing this, Poe dove for the closed window and braced for impact. He smashed into the weakened glass, and it shattered, spraying glass everywhere.

Poe cartwheeled in the air for a few moments once outside as he reeled from the shock of the impact, but finally righted his flight path and soared off into the early morning light, heading towards the Audubon Bay Bridge sitting in the distance...


Groaning, Mia regained consciousness, her head throbbing. Sitting up, she realized she was tied to a chair in the living room, and sitting with his back against her's, also tied up, was Launchpad, who was already conscious and looking apologetic.

"What happened?" Mia muttered to him.

"Um, nothing good." Launchpad admitted, looking down at his feet.

"I'm what happened." Megavolt said, stepping into the room, munching on a sandwich he had made using stuff he found in the kitchen. "So you're both awake now. Good. Hope you don't mid if I help myself to the food. I haven't eaten since yesterday morning, so I'm starving." He took a big bite into his sandwich and chewed on it happily.

"Do what you want to us, Megavolt, but we aren't talking." Mia said confidently.

"Oh don't worry." Megavolt said, quickly swallowing so he could speak, sitting on the couch. "I'm not hurting you guys, you're just the bait."

"Bait?" Mia repeated.

"He's using us to lure DW here." Launchpad explained, having already been told this.

"Bingo." Megavolt said. He checked the clock hanging on the wall. "And after I freshen up real quick and start spreading the word, I shouldn't have to wait long."

"Why do you want Darkwing anyway?" Mia asked.

Megavolt shrugged. "Revenge." he said simply. "It's not like I've got anything left to loose anyway, so I might as well finish what I started." he took another bite of his sandwich and watched his two prisoners for a moment. "You know, you two make for a cute couple."

"Oh, we're not a couple." Mia said quickly.

"Though, it's not due to the lack of trying." Launchpad pointed out.

"Launchpad," Mia scolded, "We've been through this before."

"I know." Launchpad said. "A guy can hope, though, right?"

"So I'm presuming you're the one being the stick in the mud." Megavolt said, pointing at Mia.

"You could say that, yes." Mia admitted.

"You should lighten up." Megavolt said. "Life is only so long. You could be missing out on a real good chance here and not even know it. In fact, I've been looking back at my own life the past couple of days and that's one of the many things I regret the most, not ever finding a girl I could call my own."

"It's complicated." Mia said.

"That's what they all say." Megavolt said, finishing off his sandwich. "But the question is, is it really?"

"Look, what do you know about any of this?" Mia asked, folding her ears back in annoyance. "Just...move on with things so we can get on with this."

"Yeah, these ropes are starting to hurt." Launchpad said.

"Which is nothing compared to the fact that you're sitting on my tail." Mia complained flatly.

"I am?" Launchpad asked, surprised, wondering how Mia managed to cope with this.

"Okay." Megavolt announced, standing up and pulling out Launchpad's radio. "I'm ready to get things started."


"Look, all I'm saying is that I'm not interested in it." Darkwing said, pacing the floor. "I'm sure it is great, and it definitely seems to be very popular, but I just can't buy into it."

"But Jumpgate's a great show." Agent Sandy protested.

"And Crimson would agree with you." Darkwing assured her. "But I'm not Crimson. In my day, we watched shows like Star Trek or something for entertainment like that."

"Jumpgate blows Star Trek clear out of the water." Agent Sandy said flatly.

"Now on that, I can agree with you." Darkwing said, pointing a finger at her. "Especially when compared to some of the more recent Star Trek productions."

The conversation was cut short when a rapping noise rang out somewhere. Darkwing began looking for the source.

"What's that?" Sandy asked aloud.

"Just some stupid bird." Darkwing said, seeing a bird pecking wildly at the window. He walked over to it and threw it open, waving at the bird. "Shoo bird!"

The bird simply spiraled around and flew into the hideout.

"Attack!" Poe squawked as he flapped around the hideout. "Attack! Attack! There's been an attack!"

"Poe?" Darkwing asked, surprised and moved to stand under the bird. "Poe! Come down and talk to me here!"

"Attack!" Poe yelled again as he landed on Darkwing's finger. "Megavolt's attacked the house! He's got Launchpad and the SHUSH agent!"

"What?" Darkwing repeated as Agent Sandy hurried over to listen better.

It was then that Darkwing's radio crackled.

"Oh Daaarkwiiing!" Megavolt called in a sing-song voice. "Guess where I am?"

Darkwing was already in motion for the chairs. Poe, who was still perched on his finger, didn't get a chance to take off again, and was pulled along with a yelp. Agent Sandy ran after him.

"Darkwing, wait!" she called.

"Sandy, you stay here!" Darkwing ordered and he sat down in one of the chairs.

"But Darkwing, you can't..." Sandy began to object.

But it was too late. Darkwing had already activated the chairs, and with a spin, he was gone. Seconds later, with another spin of a pair of chairs, Darkwing arrived at the Mallard home. Instantly, Megavolt whirled around and fired off a bolt of electricity at the chairs, but Darkwing was already in motion. Diving out of the chairs, he quickly rolled behind the couch, narrowly missing getting hit again as Megavolt shot a bolt into the little table that sat between the two chairs, damaging the trigger mechanism enough to deactivate the chairs.

Once behind the couch, Darkwing pulled out his gas gun and stood up, point the gun at Megavolt. Squawking, Poe flew into the kitchen to hide.

"Well, well, well, look who finally showed up!" Megavolt said, putting his hands on his hips. "And how is Darkwing today?"

"This ends here, Megavolt!" Darkwing exclaimed angrily, switching attachments on his gun to fire off a canister of sleeping gas. It would liking subdue Launchpad and Mia, who were watching the situation intently, as well as Megavolt, but that was better than nothing. "You've threatened too many people in your blind lust for revenge!"

"Oh c'mon, Darkwing, don't you realize what I've been through?" Megavolt whined. "I thought getting my memories back would be a good thing, but all it's done is bring me grief! Grief about you for one thing!"

"I don't what it is you think I did to you, but you brought that down upon yourself!" Darkwing said.

"It's not just that, Darkwing!" Megavolt said. "I got kicked out of the Fearsome Five because of my memories! I'm now their enemies, and they're hunting me!" He paused for a moment as he watched Darkwing's eyes go wide with surprise. "I've got nothing left in the world to loose except you, Darkwing!" his eyes narrowed suddenly. "And you I can do without."

He fired multiple bolts at Darkwing in rapid succession. Darkwing ducked down to avoid them, and then fired off the canister of sleeping gas at Megavolt. Megavolt dodged it, though, covering his mouth and moving to a different corner of the room. The gas spread to engulf Launchpad and Mia full on, and they quickly succumbed to the effects of the gas. Darkwing saw that as a chance to get some answers.

"What do you have against me anyway, Megavolt?" Darkwing asked. "Whatever did I do to you that's gotten you so mad?"

"You broke your promise, that's what!" Megavolt said. "Don't you remember? Back in high school? You promised to help me out of any of the jams I got into, but you didn't, remember?"

Darkwing did remember, now that Megavolt mentioned it, and it sent a chill down his spine. "Well, how could I have?" he demanded. "You vanished practically the very next day and became Megavolt! And at the time, I had no idea that was you!"

"True, you didn't, but you did years later!" Megavolt said. "Remember the high school reunion? We both figured out each other's identities, but you still didn't do anything to help me!"

"I didn't think I could!" Darkwing exclaimed. "You were a total mess! A convicted criminal on the run! A completely demented person with Swiss cheese for memory! Admit it, you couldn't even remember that agreement then, could you?"

"Well, no, but still, you didn't help me!" Megavolt said, pointing an accusing finger at Darkwing.

"But if I did, do you really think you would've accepted it?" Darkwing asked. "Megavolt, you weren't Elmo Sputterspark back then, and you haven't been until you got your memories back! Up until now, you've just been Megavolt, one of St. Canard's most vicious enemies! You haven't ever changed from that until you got those forgotten memories back! Now you've got them back, but you're not using them like Elmo Sputterspark would've, you're using them like Megavolt!"

"What difference does it make?" Megavolt exclaimed. "All these memories have brought me is trouble!"

"And that's not my fault!"

"I've lost everything, Darkwing!" Megavolt yelled. "What difference does it make, huh?"

"Well, maybe now is the perfect time to forget that past life and start building a new one!" Darkwing said. "You say you've lost everything! Now you've got a clean slate to start life over again! You should take the opportunity to do that, and not blow your only chance!"

"You can't help me!" Megavolt said. "You're my enemy!"

"I'm only your enemy because that's what you make me be!" Darkwing exclaimed. "I don't have to be your enemy, Megavolt, but you have to make that choice! Remember who told you that?"

Megavolt fell silent. He did indeed remember who told not only him, but everyone, that. Loki...

"My task here was to prove to all of you that despite the fact you consider yourselves all enemies, you don't need to be."

--

"The choice is, of course, still up to you. This is really been more of a...'food for thought'...session than anything. But I would hope this all gives you a new look at your lives."

"So the question now is do we ruin the moment and go back to fighting..." Megavolt began slowly.

"...or do we let everything that has happened slide and work at building a better tomorrow, today?" Darkwing finished.

A long moment of silence fell as the two just stood there. In that time, the effects of the sleeping gas wore off and Launchpad and Mia awoke again, looking around blearily. After staring at Darkwing for a long moment, his face revealing a whole mixture of emotions, Megavolt suddenly looked away.

"Megs?" Darkwing asked, lowering his gas gun and moving towards the rat. "You all right?"

"I...I don't know." he admitted. "I...I...I need time to think this through."

"I don't blame you." Darkwing said, patting him on the back. "I think we all do."

Launchpad and Mia stared at the two for a long moment.

"Darkwing, what did you do?" Mia asked, amazed.

"It's a long story." Darkwing assured her.

Megavolt sniffed. "I just want to go home." he said softly. "Home to my hideout. But the Fearsome Five are watching it, and..."

"Megavolt, get down." Darkwing said suddenly, stiffening.

"No, no, weren't you listening? I want to go home, not..."

"No, get down!"

He pushed Megavolt down to the floor. As they fell, several bullets suddenly smashed through the front window. Yelping, Launchpad and Mia both instinctively ducking, but tied up as they were, they simply managed to tip themselves over and to the floor. The gunfire stopped after a moment. Then, P90 still raised, NegaGosalyn slowly began moving towards the house...


When Hooter's face appeared on the big screen in Darkwing Tower, he was surprised to find a very panicked Agent Sandy looking up at the screen.

"Agent Sandy, where's Darkwing?" Hooter demanded, feeling a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"He's gone, sir!" Sandy exclaimed. "We got word that Megavolt was attacking at Agent Mia's post, and he hurried on over to stop it himself, leaving me behind!"

"He did what?" Hooter exclaimed, standing. "He could...doesn't he...Agent Sandy, rally the troops and head over there, now! I want the situation under control, stat!"


"Who was that?" Mia exclaimed, struggling against her bonds.

"NegaCrimson." Darkwing replied as he lay motionless on the floor.

"She's hunting me!" Megavolt exclaimed urgently, beside him. "On Negaduck's order!"

Darkwing slowly peaked out the broken window, very nearly getting shot as NegaGosalyn fired at him, forcing him to duck back down.

"And she doesn't care who gets in the way." Darkwing noted grimly.

"We need to return fire." Mia urged, trying to slip out of her bonds but still failing.

"Right, we'll lay down the cover fire, and Megs, you use that time to escape." Darkwing said.

"What?" Megavolt said. "I'm not leaving you to get shot!"

"It's you she's after!" Darkwing said. "You need to get out of here!"

"But what about..." Megavolt began to object, thinking about their unfinished conversation.

Darkwing was one step ahead of him. "We'll finish it later!" he urged. "I promise! And this time I won't go against my word!"

Megavolt looked at him, and saw that he meant it. "All right." he said. "But how am I going to get out of here?"

"We'll provide the cover fire, you make for the backyard." Darkwing explained urgently. "Poe! You show him the back entrance to the tower! Megs, you can use that to get to the tower and go from there!"

A squawk from the kitchen confirmed that Poe had heard the order.

"The tower?" Mia asked, surprised.

"DW..." Launchpad said warningly. He could see NegaGosalyn get dangerously close from where he lay on the ground.

Megavolt quickly spun around and fired off a bolt of energy at her. NegaGosalyn backed off, firing blindly. Darkwing popped up and fired a couple of gas canisters at her, forcing her to duck for cover. Megavolt used a bolt of energy to cut Launchpad and Mia's bonds, freeing them. Mia quickly rolled free and retrieved her pistol from where it had been left and helped Darkwing lay down the cover fire. Launchpad, weaponless, rolled out of the way.

Megavolt waited until NegaGosalyn's return fire became more sporadic, and then made a wild dash for the kitchen, hearing the gun fight continue behind him. He meant Poe there.

"This way!" the crow exclaimed urgently, pointing for the back door.

They both slipped into the yard. Poe hovered over the concealed entrance to the tower, and then landed on it. Megavolt pulled open the hatch and started lowering himself into the tunnel beyond. There he paused, and looked back at Poe.

"Tell Darkwing thanks." he said.

Poe nodded. Smiling, Megavolt ducked inside and closed the hatch behind him. Up front, the firefight continued. NegaGosalyn then suddenly stopped, looked further up the road, and then suddenly vanished in a cloud of smoke. Darkwing and Mia glanced at each other. Then, moments later, several SHUSH vans and the Ratcatcher pulled up. Crimson was the first to arrive at the scene.

"Darkwing!" she exclaimed, grabbing Darkwing in a hug. "We came as soon as we heard, are you all right?"

Darkwing stood up slowly. "Yeah." he said, despite everything that had happened today. "Yeah, Crimson, I'm fine. Quite possibly better than I have ever felt before..."


"Well, Darkwing, you gave me a real fright today." Hooter said later, throwing down the report on his desk. "Even though everything worked out in the end, none of us had idea what your actions could have resulted in. Worse case scenario, you could be dead now."

Darkwing winced, but his reply was confident. "I knew where I needed to be." he said. "And I took action."

"Understandable." Hooter said. "I suppose I can't really hold that against you, but do me a favor and don't do it again."

Darkwing chuckled weakly. "Got it." he said.

"Now regarding your report." Hooter said, thumbing through it. "It does explain the basics of what happened, but there are many details that you have left blank. Rumors are spreading all over the facility, and I can't tell them anything because I don't know myself. Even Vice President Norrin is speculating, and it's getting more wild with each passing moment. I have to tell them something sooner or later, Darkwing. What's the truth?"

"The truth..." Darkwing began, then paused to let out his breath in a long whoosh. "...the truth J. Gander is rather touchy. You should know that."

"I do." Hooter said. "And I respect that, Darkwing, but still, I can't let these blanks remain blank. Not forever, at least."

"I know." Darkwing admitted. "There are probably a lot of questions going around about me."

"Some here at SHUSH are even making speculations about your secret identity." Hooter said. He sighed. "Look, Darkwing, I know how you feel about the matter, but really, maybe it's time SHUSH found out. We both know it's getting harder each time to keep it secret. This would solve a whole lot of problems."

"I know, J. Gander." Darkwing said. "But I don't think I'm ready to cross that bridge just yet."

Hooter sighed. "At least tell me where the situation with Megavolt stands." he requested. "Is he still a threat? Or is he not? Is he even still our enemy?"

Darkwing thought about it for a very long moment. "I don't know." he admitted. "Not yet. But if anything, we've made some real progress today to resolving things. And I somehow think Megavolt's going to leave me alone now."

Hooter heaved a sigh of relief. "At least I have that much." he said. He nodded to himself. "I suppose that's all I'm going to get from you, isn't it?"

"Yes, unfortunately."

"Very well. Good day, Darkwing."

"Good day, J. Gander." Darkwing said, tipping his hat at Hooter and walked out the door of the office.

As he walked out, Agent Grant walked in. He looked wistfully at Darkwing as he left.

"You gotta hand it to him, Director Hooter." he commented. "He's good at what he does."

"That he is." Hooter agreed, sorting through the papers on his desk.

"The only problem is that Darkwing's gotta do things his own way." Grant continued, sitting down.

"Yes." Hooter said, looking up and grinning. "I think that's what makes him such a valuable ally."


In her office, Agent Mia was busy slipping papers, folders, and other items into a black bag. Reaching the one she had purposely been trying to avoid, she picked it up, looked at it for a long moment, and sighed.

There was a knock on her open door. "Mia?" Launchpad called hesitantly.

"Launchpad." Mia said, looking up at the door. "Come on in."

Launchpad stepped inside. "You...going somewhere?" he asked, eyeing the bag.

The feline nodded as she set aside the paper and continued packing. "Director Hooter gave me the rest of the day off." she explained. "So I'm going home."

"Oh." Launchpad said. He looked around the room for a moment. It was clear there was a reason he was here, but was purposefully trying to avoid it. "I didn't know you had an office."

"Oh this." Mia said with a laugh. "Yeah, one of the advantages of my rank, I suppose. I'm hardly ever in it, though. Only when I need to do paperwork."

"Like that one?" Launchpad asked, putting at the paper Mia had been avoiding.

Mia glanced at it and picked it up again. "Yeah." she admitted. "Like that one."

"Do I dare ask what's it about?" Launchpad asked.

"It's an official order from Vice President Norrin that I explain everything that happened during this last mission." Mia explained.

"That doesn't sound like something Hooter would go for." Launchpad noted.

"That's because Director Hooter doesn't even know about it yet." Mia admitted. "It completely circumvents the chain of command and just went straight from Norrin to me. As such, I could theoretically not fill it out and tell Norrin everything that really happened that the official report doesn't say, but even then, it's a big risk to my career."

Launchpad was silent for a long moment. "Mia, I'm sorry, but I gotta ask." he finally admitted. "What are you thinking about doing? You heard some...well...rather sensitive information earlier today. So I guess what I'm saying is..."

"Did I hear enough to figure out the truth?" Mia finished.

Launchpad nodded.

Mia glanced at the paper in her hands one last time before making a decision about it. "Well, I've got several theories that could be the truth." she admitted. She then took the paper in her hands and put it through the paper shredder beside her desk. "But I think there are some secrets that are better off untouched."

Launchpad grinned. They were both silent for a long, awkward, moment. Finally, Mia broke the silence.

"Would you like some lunch?" she asked.

Launchpad glanced at her. "Sure." he replied.


That night, the gang prepared for their usual nightly patrol in a kind of stunned stupor.

"It feels kind of funny, actually." Crimson remarked as she attached her cape. "I don't know how I should feel about all of this. I don't know if I should feel happy, or sad, or upset..."

"Yeah." Techno agreed, slipping on one of his rocket boots. "Not only that, but everything seems so...unresolved. Do you think this is going to be the end of the matter?"

"Oh no, Techno." Darkwing said, adjusting his hat as he joined them. "You can count on the fact that this matter isn't over. If anything, it's just beginning. I think times are about to change drastically here in St. Canard very soon, and what happened the past few days has only been a mere taste of it."

"Which makes you wonder what still in store for us." Launchpad commented as he strolled over. "And whether it's going to be good or bad."

"I dunno, LP." Darkwing said. "We'll just have to wait and find out."

They finished getting ready. Crimson and Techno hopped onto the Ratcatcher in preparation to leave.

"Well, we're ready!" Crimson called as she revved the engine.

"Hold it!" Launchpad said, running for the chairs. "I think I forgot my lucky scarf at the house. Lemme hurry over there and get it real quick!"

"No hurry, LP, take your time!" Darkwing called as the pilot vanished with a spin of the chairs. "Crimson, Techno, go on without us. We'll catch up."

"Okay." Crimson said. "See you in a little bit, then."

They then drove out of the tower on the Ratcatcher. In a moment, Darkwing was alone. He grinned. He then turned and glanced up at the window.

"Hello, Megs." he said.

"Huh, I was wondering if you noticed me." Megavolt said, climbing down. "Look, we need to finish talking about all of this. Do we have the time?"

"Oh yes." Darkwing assured him.

"What about Launchpad? Surely he'll be back at any moment?"

"Actually not for two or three." Darkwing said, and picked up Launchpad's lucky scarf from where it dangled on a control panel. "It'll be a little while before he realizes it's already here."

Megavolt grinned, but it was quickly gone again. "Look, Darkwing, I suppose I should start off with an apology." he said. "For everything."

"Forget it, Megs, I don't think I could hold a grudge against you now even if I wanted to." Darkwing said. "But we are all very curious now. What do you intend to do from here?"

Megavolt sighed. "I'm still not sure." he admitted. "I gotta admit I'm still very torn over the choice that lays before me. Parts of me want to give it all up and start over, but other parts want to hang on to what I've been familiar with for so long." he sighed. "For right now, I'm just lying low. The Fearsome Five's still searching for me, you know. But I think if they just don't spy me for awhile, they'll eventually start giving up. Then things will start returning to normal, I think."

"Well, whatever you decide, Megavolt, I assure you that I won't hold any of it against you." Darkwing said. "We all have our own lives to lead. I suppose I can't really get mad at you if you choose a life I wouldn't have chosen."

"Hmph." Megavolt snorted. "I don't know if I can look at life the same way again after all of this." he looked around anxiously. "Look, if I'm intruding or anything, I'm sorry, but there's really one other thing I came to say."

"Yes?"

"Thanks. For everything. Especially that last encounter with NegaCrimson. You didn't have to do that."

Darkwing grinned, and patted Megavolt on the shoulder. "Yes I did." he said. "I'm just glad I could help."

Megavolt grinned, and climbed back up into the window to leave.

"So, will we be meeting again?" Darkwing asked.

Megavolt looked back at him. "I think no matter what I choose, Darkwing, it's inevitable." he said confidently. "Bye now."

And with that, he left. Darkwing shook his head, still grinning, and set about awaiting Launchpad's return...


Fun Facts: "Recollection" is naturally insipired by all of the "Megavolt remembers" fanfics that are rather frequent here on FanFiction, including one in particular called "Remembrance" by Borgqn. But what's cool about my version is that it uses a kind of "twist" that to my knowledge no other fanfic has tried, the twist being the fact that Megavolt remembers turns Megavolt against DW and not befriend him, at least not intitially. I think it is because of this one idea that the two-parter was so successful.

Originally, the title for this two-parter was "Remembrance" in salute to the fanfic that priniciply inspired these two chapters, but as it began to sing it's own voice more and more, I changed the title to "Recollection" so it would seem better suited.

Megavolt's little "flashbacks" are cool, because I treated them like the chapter recaps, including only the speaking lines and no narrating descriptions. Furthermore, those flashbacks include scenes from the episodes "Clash Reunion", "The Frequency Fiends", "Duck Blind", me fanfic "Darkwing Duck Returns", and chapters "Escaped Convict Part II", "The Date", and "The Three Darkwings".

The fact that Bushroot and Rowe followed Megavolt around immediately after he regained his memories is reminiscent of "Remembrance" once again. It was actually unintentional, though.

This two-parter introduced Agent Grant, who I hope comes across as seeming to be very new, not only because he's different, but beacause of the fact he's playing "catch-up". I also hope it is noted that he isn't quite trusted just yet, particularly by Hooter. No doubt Grizzlikof's betrayal shook him hard, and is finding it hard to adjust to the newbie.

This is the first time ever that I've ever mentioned exact years in this fanfic. 1995, the year Darkwing disappaeared for seven years, was a gimmie, as that was made quite clear in "Darkwing Duck Returns." Add seven years to that date and you get 2002, the year Darkwing returned. And one more year, and you get the current year, 2003.

I've mentioned it off and on throughout NWADWD, but "Recollection Part I" really allowed me to get detailed about why Negaduck doesn't use his knowledge of DW's identity to his advantage. It's mostly a professional thing, but he also fears that by people knowing DW's identity they also know his identity putting himself at their advantage. And he naturally doesn't like that.

The Mallard family does indeed need a new car now, yet again. Not that anyone asked that.

We touch base again on the fact that NegaGosalyn's got a good side, and that she's apparently gotten good at twisting the rules to fit her advantage, as she manages to, just barely, soothe Negs's temper about certain matters. Her bad side is still predominant, though, as evidenced by the fact she didn't hesitate to attack later.

Part two also really made clear just how much control Negs's has over the lives of the individual members of the Fearsome Five, and how quickly he can take that away. It makes him seem that much more evil, but no real surprise there.

Megavolt was bluffing when he threatened to hurt Charlie if Christine didn't tell him what he wanted to know. He was to reveal this at one point to Darkwing, but the matter never came up.

This is the first time since chapter 36, "The Epicenter", that ET's ever been mentioned.

When I had Launchpad unsuccessfully ask Mia on a date and was turned down in chapter 51, "A FOUL Encounter", some of you took it to mean that LP's and Mia's relationship had ended. Not so. It just went on a brief...intermission. Part two should confirm that they still have a thing and are starting to warm up to each other.

In this chapter, I compare Jumpgate to Star Trek, and seeing that Jumpgate is Stargate in disguise, I made it seem like it trumps over Star Trek. This isn't a personal opinion. I actually rather like Star Trek on a whole.

Originally, I wanted Crimson to get in on the end fight and later argument between Darkwing and Megavolt at the Mallard home, and would've snuck in through the back. There, she was to meet up with Poe and Crimson would've asked, getting an idea, if she could've used Poe temporarily as her familiar so she could have access to her magical powers. Poe shoots down the idea by saying that it couldn't be done because Crimson was still connected to Rowe, and Poe was still connected to Magica, and neither could go about forging new connections. Plus, Crimson just didn't have the training, thus forcing her to adopt other tactics. It was dropped, because plans changed throughout that scene fairly frequently, and it was just smoother to leave Crimson out. Besides, all of that would've only been mere trivial data.

Many of you expressed concern about other members of the Fearsome Five finding out too much about Darkwing, but really it was SHUSH that ended up finding out too much, as the barrier that seperates the two very nearly was broken, and some found out more than they normally would've. I purposely left just how much they know and have put together with that data blank simply because it seemed all-around fitting. This will probably be expanded upon in future chapters.

I leave the situation with Megavolt feeling unfinished, because it isn't. This two-parter might be drawing to a close, but this new Megavolt-centric story arc certainly isn't. The next two chapters will continue to cover more about Megavolt's little situation. :)

This is the longest chapter to date.

This is also the longest "Fun Facts" section to date.

"The New Adeventures of Darkwing Duck" is now officially tied with the spot of longest fanfic I've ever written as of this chapter, sharing the spot with my fanfic "Weylan's Family". It will be breaking that record next chapter, and will continue to break it in the chapters to come, which are many. :)