Hello! Themusicmaniac here!
This... this is it. We're finally at one of my favorite chapters to write in this story.
SciFiGirl253: That chapter was definitely a spot where Val shows off what she's learned. But wait... there's more(I haven't even written the Liquidator that much so Idk why I'm talking like this) Anyway, this chapter definitely shows off more of that, so I hope you like it.
Also TW: major character injury.
I hope you all are having a great week, my week's been chaotic, but not bad overall:)
Be sure to get some water, your favorite snack and always take some time for yourself even among the craziness that is life. I believe in your ability to take care of yourselves. Enjoy!
"Oh Valerie." I struggled against the bonds that held me as I was placed in a chair in Bulba's office. "If you had only cooperated with me we could have done so much together." He paused for a moment, "And in the subject of cooperation, I believe you may have taken something of mine."
At first, I had no idea what he possibly was talking about. Why would I want anything from him?
Then I remembered what I had taken: The dissertation!
I've been carrying it on me the whole time! I forgot about it because I've had so much going on. My face contorted into a scowl.
"It's not yours."
"Really, Valerie? Don't be so difficult." He motioned to Steelbeak, who loosened the jump rope around me. He held my arms behind my back as Quackerjack found the dissertation in my jacket pocket.
"That belongs to Dr. Waddlemeyer! He came up with the Ramrod, he built it! You are working off the foundation that he's laid!" I gasped as Steelbeak tightened the jump rope that tied me up.
"Ah, but Miss Smith, you forget that this is Bulba Supervillain Solutions! Building off of others' work is just the beginning."
"Bulba Supervillain Solutions? What is this, an As Seen on T.V. product?" I asked, as he scowled at me.
"Weird." Quackerjack said, observing the document.
"What's weird?" Bulba asked, as I tilted my head.
"I can't read it. It's all wet." Quackerjack held it up to the light.
"WHAT?" I smiled as Bulba said, "What do you mean it's all wet?" He grabbed the document from Quackerjack, but in the process tore it. It was completely unreadable. "You fool! That was my only copy!"
"I guess that's what you get for copying off someone else's homework." I said, as he stalked up to me.
"YOU! This is your fault!" He grabbed me by the ropes that bound me and held me up to his face. "You're going to pay for that Valerie. I'm gonna make sure of it personally!" I lost my breath as he slammed me back into the chair and turned to put the paper in the trash can.
"Uhhhh…." A groan sounded from the corner of the room.
"Darkwing!" I yelled, as DW drowsily started to awaken from his unconsciousness.
"Val… Valerie?"
"Yeah, it's me." I said, as Bulba ordered the fearsome four to grab me, DW, and a camera in the corner of the room. Bushroot picked me up.
I growled. He was much nicer in the other version of the show. Maybe he would've even apologized. Here, he just seemed like a "yesman" rather than the reluctant villain that he was in my own dimension.
"You'll never get away with this!" Darkwing exclaimed, as the two put us on the Ramrod. He paused uncertainly, "Uh, just for the record what is this? I mean, I know, but just so we're all clear..." I rolled my eyes. It would have been a lot funnier if we weren't… well if we weren't in the situation we were in now.
"We're changing the world." Bulba said with a sneer.
"So, I'll make my entrance, address the camera, 'Leaders of the world, I am here to offer a brand new vision of reality, OUR vision,' and then we'll show them we mean business by destroying you two and-"
"WAIT WHAT!" I screeched as Darkwing stuttered "I-I-I-I'm sorry, what now?"
"AH, ooh, that's good." He said swinging his arm in the air with a snap, "Be sure you get their reactions." He clapped, "Okay everyone, places!"
The two villains repositioned us so that we were standing on the Ramrod.
"Okay Gladys, make sure you make the boss look real good now." Megavolt patted the camera he was operating, as I started to panic a bit.
I looked for a way out, any way out.
The fearsome four, Steelbeak, and Bulba all blocked my way out. But, if I found some allies...
"Pssst. Darkwing." I whispered.
"What?" He said back, as I noticed the Liquidator look up at us. He was listening. Oh, this was hopeless!
Suddenly my vision was clouded with purple. I smiled as I heard Gosalyn's voice ring around the room.
"I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am the technical difficulty you're about to experience!"
I felt my bonds fall as Launchpad untied me.
"Thanks!" I whispered, as he said, "No problem."
"WHERE is Darkwing Duck!" Bulba yelled in anger as I heard a thump in his direction. As the smoke cleared, I saw DW posing valiantly and holding the rim of his hat in his right hand.
"Hmm." I nodded. He's really more of a hero than he believes himself to be.
He's grown.
I realized I had a few seconds to move before the villains were going to do anything. I found Gosalyn near the Ramrod controls.
"Gos!" I said, hugging her.
"No time!" She said, sliding out of my hug. "We've got to find your dimension and Grandpa before-"
"What a wonderful opportunity to show you our supervillains at work! Get them!"
The Liquidator took immediate initiative, punching Darkwing as he blocked it.
"Introducing the fearsome four! Guaranteed to destroy Darkwing Duck or your money back!"
"Well I want a refund!" I shouted as I ran up to him and kicked him in the side, only to immediately get shot back towards Gosalyn.
Bushroot charged at Darkwing, but then let out a monstrous scream in agony as Gosalyn shot one of his tendrils with an arrow from her crossbow. Quackerjack came on the other side of us and threw exploding bananas, but Darkwing blocked those with his cape.
I took out my acorn launcher and aimed it at Megavolt, who had left the camera and was stalking after Launchpad. My aim was immediately interrupted by someone I had forgotten about completely.
"Well well well, look what the cat dragged in." Steelbeak was right behind me, and I gasped as he grabbed my arm.
I aimed the launcher at his face with my free hand and caught him by surprise as I shot him in the eye.
"oof…" I cringed as he screamed out in pain, and I ran to the opposite end of the room. Launchpad swung Megavolt by his hand, and I had to duck as he landed near the Ramrod. The fearsome four regrouped as we moved towards the door.
"You two get to the Ramrod, we've got this." Darkwing faced the group of villains in a fighting stance as Gosalyn argued,
"You're an actor and a Launchpad, how are you going to stop four super villains?"
"Well technically Bushroot isn't really a villain, per se." Darkwing and Launchpad said simultaneously.
"That can be argued." I deadpanned as Gosalyn gasped.
"That's right, I keep forgetting you're nerds!" She grabbed my hand and charged forwards as Darkwing and Launchpad joined her.
"Come on, you nerds!" I gained more confidence with every step we took together.
"Let's get dangerous!" We all yelled together as we charged toward the villains.
I slid as Quackerjack aimed his bombs at me. I shot a few acorns at Bushroot, who was aiming for DW. DW was shot several times by thorns before climbing high enough to take him out. I figured this was my cue to help Gosalyn.
I ran towards Gosalyn before running straight into Steelbeak. He loomed over me as he covered his eye with his hand.
"You! You poked my eye out! My debonair charm is ruined! He whined, as I looked for a way out, You're going to pay for this." I gasped as he lunged for me, and ran across the room, making sure I kept him away from Gosalyn. I was almost out of acorns, there had to be another way to get him off my tail. I dodged around the steel supports of the ramrod and-
Where was he?
"Gotcha."
I lost my breath as he pushed me up against the steel support. He knocked the acorn launcher, my only weapon, out of my hand.
What other options did I have?
"This is gonna be fun." I paled. "You have been a pain in the tailfeathers to deal with ever since FOWL put me on your case. One of the hardest I've had. But it'll all be worth it once I have the satisfaction of winning."
I screamed as he drove his beak through my shoulder.
"VALERIE!" Darkwing yelled, as Launchpad ran my direction. Things… things started to swim as I tried to see what was going on.
I collapsed as Steelbeak reeled back, smiling an almost evil smile as blood dripped from his cold, metal beak.
Everything around me became a literal world of color as that was all I was seeing. I saw two big shapes fighting each other in front of me as I struggled to comprehend what was going on.
I felt someone grab me, someone smaller than Steelbeak. A lot of purple.
I felt something try to stop the blood that was running from my shoulder.
"Gosalyn! Have you found her dimension yet?"
"No, I'm still looking!"
"We don't have much time!"
"You think I don't know that already?"
I felt that someone pick me up, then hand me off to someone else as I tried to see what was around me. All I saw was a ton of white and some blocks of color. They blurred and danced as I took a deep breath.
"That's it! A good boss knows when to get his hands dirty." My vision cleared enough for me to see Launchpad holding me, watching as Bulba jumped down from the railing to face DW. Gosalyn was frantically looking through the machine and turned the key, sending McDuck and the triplets back through the portal.
"A sea monster did not eat my ice cream."
"What happened?"
"What does quackeroonie even mean?"
"Why were our heads so round?"
I couldn't help but laugh at that, but instead it came out as a cough. Things faded from focus once again.
"Valerie! Be careful." I heard Launchpad say.
"I...know. Take me to Gos."
"But are you even well enough to go home?" Launchpad asked. I reached up and felt around for his jacket with my good arm. I grabbed the edge of it and pulled it towards me.
"Get. Me. To. Gosalyn. Please." Launchpad looked to Gos in concern and started heading that way, when something quite unexpected happened.
At least for everyone except me.
"ALRIGHT EVERYONE, PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!"
It was… Bonkers!
He came barging through the door with several other officers and a parrot that even resembled Miranda Wright. I smiled as I heard the sound of his voice and several footsteps.
"Bonkers!" I yelled, as I coughed once again.
Taurus Bulba looked at the police in shock as they pointed their various cartoon weapons at him.
"But… how?"
"A half hour ago, we received a tip that the villain's base would be here." Bonkers said, as things were able to clear up for me again and I met his eyes. He looked a bit worried.
Most people wondered why Bonkers showed up at that moment.
You see, when I was learned about a certain someone's stupid plan, I made a phone call.
I was really glad that I did.
Bulba looked between Bonkers and I, following the eye contact that was made and yelled, "YOU!"
He lunged at Launchpad, who jumped out of the way, but accidently fell to the ground and lost hold of me. I rolled onto the floor and screamed as agonizing pain rippled through my shoulder.
"VALERIE!" I couldn't tell whose voice was whose anymore, but it sounded like several. Things were really going out of whack now, and soon I saw nothing but red.
I felt someone hold onto me as everything went dark.
Gosalyn's POV
I… I've tried everything. Both Valerie's dimension and my grandfather were nowhere to be found.
I'd like to say I have control of most situations. I'd like to say that this was no exception.
But life isn't that way. That wasn't my reality.
I heard Valerie scream and that's when everything went out of control completely. The room was flooded with red light, as the portal started pulling everything in.
"Gos! Quick! Find your grandpa!" Dewey yelled.
"No! The more the Ramrod is used, the more unstable the rift becomes!" A duck in red said, pointing to the rift. I'm going to assume that's Dewey's brother. Looks exactly like him.
All three of us were lifted into the air as I grabbed hold of the Ramrod, and their uncle caught them with his cane and yelled, "Hang on, Lads!"
Everyone was sliding into the rift. While no one had actually gone in yet, dust and debris certainly were flying around the room.
I saw droplets of red among the dust that was flying into the machine.
Valerie's blood.
"Did you find them?" Darkwing yelled.
"I'm-I'm trying everything! They're not here. My grandpa or Valerie's dimension." I looked once again at Valerie's unconscious body. Bonkers was holding her for dear life as he wrapped his tail around the railing of the stairs.
"The rift has been open too long, I can't turn it off! It's gonna destroy everything! Unless…" I stood in front of the Ramrod.
It turns out I am in control.
I just have to make a difficult decision.
"Unless what?" Darkwing yelled, as Bulba grabbed him, and was squeezing him as hard as he could.
"You. RUIN. EVERYTHING!" He yelled.
"Keep Auugh!" Darkwing choked. "Looking!"
I stepped away from the machine in horror, as I surveyed the scene. Looking at Valerie one last time, I whispered, "I'm sorry, Val."
"Gosalyn no! Who cares about this reality! We can make our own! One with your grandpa in it!" Bulba said, as I felt tears fall from my eyes.
I steadily pulled the crossbow out of my backpack and shot the Ramrod.
"I'm sorry grandpa." I whispered, as the machine exploded and the Ramrod imploded on itself. I've never seen anything like it.
Bulba and Darkwing kicked and punched each other as a red beam shot everyone to the walls.
It was all I could do to drop my crossbow.
I breathed a heavy sob as I felt arms around me.
I… I couldn't do it.
I couldn't save them.
My grandpa is trapped in another dimension.
And Valerie is trapped here.
I heard a helicopter fly and some more yelling, but I didn't care. All I could do was let out everything I had been feeling for the past couple of weeks.
It… It was over.
This... this was an intense chapter.
But it was one of my favorites. So much happens here that changes Val's life.
Also, we get to read from Gos' point of view. She feels some guilt for what's happened.
Anyway, thank you so much for the support I've gotten from this story! I never expected it to blow up like this! I always enjoy seeing your reactions to the writing!
Stay dangerous and See ya next week!