Back To Basics
by
C. "Sparky" Read

Chapter Nine

"I don't see themdo you see them, DW?"

"No." Disappointed, Darkwing lowered his gun. "Ooh," he said, popping his back. "Standing at the ready like that for forty-five minutes really does a number on your spine."

"I wonder where they went." Launchpad scratched under his flight cap.

"I just wonder what's going on," complained Darkwing.

"Excuse me," called a student parking officer, jogging up to the duo, "but are you the owners of a motorcycle with a duck's face on it?"

"Yes," replied Darkwing. "She's a beauty, isn't she?"

"I guess so," answered the student. "Anyways, she's being towed."

"What?" Darkwing howled. "They can't do that!" He ran off towards the Roman statue, where he had left the Ratcatcher. "Stop!" he commanded the drivers of the tow truck, who ignored him. Finally he jumped onto the seat of the motorcycle and started it. After much screeching, he managed to free the Ratcatcher form the tow truck, which drove off.

"Barbarians!" Darkwing shouted after the departing truck.

"Hey DW," said Launchpad when Darkwing had finished shaking his fist, "Can we stop by the cafeteria for a minute?"

Darkwing sighed. "I suppose so, LP," he said. "No need to hurry now." He dismounted the Ratcatcher and the duo walked into the nearby cafeteria.

The cafeteria exploded.

All the students in the area cheered.

Darkwing and Launchpad exited the remains of the building, various foodlike substances adhered to their faces.

"I think maybe we should find a sit-down restaurant," commented Darkwing.

Launchpad wiped the stuff off of his bill and tasted it. "Yeah," he agreed. "What was I thinking? Cafeteria food is horrible."

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

"Thanks again, Dr. Slug," said Megavolt, and he hung up the phone.

"Well?" asked Tuskernini.

"Did he understand the code?" pressed Moliarty.

"You bet!" enthused Megavolt, jotting something down on the back of the papers he and Quackerjack had found in the envelope. "It's directions, to some sort of supersecret device."

"Oooh!" said Quackerjack. "That sounds big enough even for Negaduck."

"Right," said Megavolt, putting the envelope and its contents into his pocket. "Now we gotta go to Duckberg."

Quackerjack drooped. "All the way to Duckberg? But we only have" he checked his watch "an hour and fifteen minutes left before midnight!"

"Well then gentlemen, we'd better hurry." Moliarty pulled his car keys out of his pocket. "Now, fellows," he addressed Tuskernini, Jake, Gumbo, and the penguins, "I trust there won't be any more horseplay this time around? I don't believe my upholstery can stand much more of it."

"Ol' Gumbo was just hungry," Jake explained, patting the alligator on the snout.

"Yes, better the car than us," agreed Tuskernini huffily.

Cecil, Otto, and Dmitri nodded quickly.

"Fine," said Quackerjack. "Let's go."

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

"Well let's go then!" insisted Darkwing, hopping onto the Ratcatcher. "There's no time to lose."

"But DW," said Launchpad worriedly. "How do we know it's not a trap?"

"A trap?" scoffed Gizmoduck loudly. "Why, it couldn't possibly be a trap!"

"And why not?" asked Darkwing, taking this opportunity to question the 'superhero's plan.

"Well, because, ah..." Gizmo thought hard. "Because..."

Darkwing folded his arms. "So how do we know then, that this information of yours wasn't planted?"

Gizmo sputtered. "II don't know!" he cried at last. "I just know that I was tipped off that this device was in danger of being stolen."

"Who tipped you off?"

"Dr. Slug," answered Gizmo. "Right after he tipped off the police. He's trying to get in good with his parole officer."

Darkwing frowned. "Do you suppose he might have tipped off anyone else?"

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

"Rats," said Steelbeak, hanging up the phone. "He told SHUSH. Now we'd better hurry."

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

"Well, we hurried," complained Moliarty, putting the sedan in Park. "Now where are those two mental patients?"

"I say we get out of this here land barge and find us some citizens to terrorize," suggested Jake, struggling with his seat belt, which Tuskernini had insisted that he wear.

"Nonsense," countered the walrus, mopping his brow with a handkerchief. "Our coordinators specified most insistently that we remain in the vehicle."

Moliarty raised an eyebrow. "And what glory do you suppose we are going to get out of this little caper, hm?" he asked his companions.

"Well," began Jake, pausing from chewing on the seat belt which held him prisoner, "wouldn't we be big time criminals if we nabbed that there supersecretwhatchamacallit?"

Tuskernini pondered. "Yes," he began slowly. "But those two! Why, they are slower than theatregoers in December!"

"That's right!" agreed Jake, pounding a fist into a palm. "Let's go without them!"

"No no no," Moliarty cried, holding up a hand. "We can't do that!"

Tuskernini sulked. "Well why not?" he wanted to know.

"Yeah," said Jake. "Why, you get us all raring to go and then you tell us no?"

Moliarty sighed. "I agree that we should abandon our two...leaders," he explained. "But they have the directions to the device!" He considered. "However, we do know where they are taking it," he said at last.

"Then," said Tuskernini, "let us away! We shall intercept the device and gain all the glory for ourselves."

Jake pouted. "I wanted to go terrorize," he complained.