"The score is now tied," said the Knowledge Bowl host. "This next question
will be the tie-breaker. Remember, the coaches can answer only one
question. One, and one alone. Neither coach has answered. And now, for the
question: Who holds the record in the Guinness Book of World Records for
most airplane crashes?"
Launchpad slammed down the buzzer button. "It's me."
"Correct! St. Canard Elementary wins and moves on to the semi-finals!" **********************************************
"Now, now, J. Gander," Darkwing said calmly. "I don't want to hurt you. I know you're still in there somewhere."
"I'm a machine. You can't reason with me!" The voice was still the same, but the body was apparently younger and more flexible. The former SHUSH director leaped toward the masked mallard, who rolled away.
Springing to his feet, Darkwing attempted a web-kick, but hit only metal - which didn't even receive a dent.
Outside, Morgana was waiting. "What's taking so long." She climbed to the window, muttering "It'd be a lot easier if I could still teleport." She glanced inside and gasped. "I have to help him." She pressed against the window. Luckily, it was old and gave. "I really wish I hadn't renounced my magic," she muttered. "Normals have to figure out other ways of doing things."
"Don't just stand t'ere, you teenage brat!" Steelbeak yelled. "Finish 'im off!"
"In due time," Norwood shouted in response. "This soul-transference scheme is going to take me to the top - at the tender age of fifteen."
"Don't count on it, you juvenile jerk," Darkwing growled, attempting to flip the computerized body. It was too heavy for him to lift.
"You think your Quack Fu can stop me? Guess again. Your flips and kicks are worthless against a computer!" Out of the corner of his bionic eye, the mechanical body could see a flash of red. He snatched Darkwing and threw him.
Darkwing slammed into Morgana, knocking them both over.
"Soul transference," the sorceress currently without magic observed. "If we kill that.thing, the soul will return to it's own body. But how do you kill a computerized exoskeleton?"
"When you fight Megavolt as often as I do, you pick up a few tricks," whispered Darkwing. He glanced at an open crate beside them. "Magnets. How's your aim?"
Morgana began to scoop up magnets and toss them at the robotic body.
"Stop that!" Norwood screamed. "You'll ruin everything."
While the body was distracted, Darkwing took the cable from his grappling hook attachment from his gas gun and checked the inside. Copper. "Perfect." He crawled to the warehouse's fuse box and attached one end of the wire. Then he fired the grappling hook, which connected with the bionic J. Gander Hooter. Darkwing then flipped the switch. "I love levers that say 'do not pull'." Electricity surged through the wire, burning the computer's circuits. The magnets were also diverting the current through different sectors. The body convulsed, violently. The voice no longer sounded like the original person. "Help."
Steelbeak, a veteran FOWL agent, knew when to quit. "You're on your own kiddo. Your mission, your fall!" He turned and fled out a back door.
"Oh, no, you don't." Morgana ran over and grabbed him by the sleeve of his white jacket. The last thing Steelbeak felt before falling unconscious was Morgana's fist slamming into his chin, below the metal prosthetic.
"I may not have my powers anymore, but I still have my right hook," the witch said, smiling.
Norwood was enraged. "You'll pay for that when I'm Chief Agent!"
"Connection.lost." The computerized body said, slumping over.
Darkwing brushed off his hands. "Yep, yep. Another FOWL felony foiled by the feathered-"
"Ahem," Morgana corrected.
Norwood's beak trembled as he stumbled backward.
Seemingly out of nowhere, J. Gander Hooter - in his normal body - tackled the young agent, sending him to the concrete floor.
"Assault of a minor!" Norwood squeaked. "This is an outrage!"
"Not so much an outrage as FOWL violating child labor laws," growled the SHUSH director. "It's juvenile detention for you." He grabbed Norwood's arm and twisted it behind his back. "You cause any more trouble, and next time, you'll be tried and sentenced as an adult."
"How about sending him upstate to a nice monastery?" Darkwing suggested.
"Forty monks could teach a bratty teenager to behave," added Morgana.
"No!" breathed Norwood. "I'll rip up the books in their library! I'll burn down the place! Don't you dare send me to live with a bunch of solemn robes!"
Darkwing fired a knockout-gas pellet from his gas gun. The teenager collapsed.
Hooter bowed his head. "I'm sorry. I had to do what he wanted."
"It wasn't your fault," Morgana argued.
"FOWL worked through Norwood, Norwood worked through the computer, and it worked through you," reasoned Darkwing.
Hooter pointed to Norwood. "I guess he's to blame, not me. Teenagers. They'll probably be the downfall of society." The beeper in his pocket went off. The director pulled it out and answered.
"Is everything going swimmingly?" came Gryzlikoff's accented voice.
"Yes. FOWL agents are in custody," answered Hooter.
"Does that mean you're coming back?"
"No. I can still make the next flight to Pato Alto."
"Nooooooo!" howled Gryzlikoff. "I can't take another hour with Whipham."
There was the sound of a whip cracking. "Get back to work, Nameless SHUSH Drone Number One!" came Elsie Whipham's voice.
(537 Avian Way)
"Keen gear!" cried Gosalyn. "I can't believe Launchpad got that last question right! On a tied score!"
Launchpad stroked the trophy. "Couldn't have done it without Honker."
Honker blushed. "And I couldn't have taken my new leap without Penelope."
Gosalyn wrinkled her beak. "What do you see in that preppy little nerd?"
"Well, she's nice and smart-"
"I saw the way she looked at you. Didn't you see her signs?"
"No, but I understood her cosines."
"Math humor, oy," moaned the redhead. "Sometimes I worry about you."
"I don't get it," Launchpad quipped. ************************************************
(Faculty Meeting, St. Canard Elementary School)
"So, Coach Gridiron," said Principal Farnsworth. "You've got the full football roster?"
The coach smiled. "Yes. Gosalyn Mallard's going to take us to the top. I guess you could say I saw myself in her. Only better."
"Mallard? Good kid, but quite unruly. You'll have to work hard to tame her." The principal glanced at the diamond ring on the coach's left hand. "Nice rock."
"Why, thank you. My maiden name was Featherson."
(McCawber Manor) Medeva barely looked up from her crime novel. "Your forty-eight hours of normalcy are now up."
Morgana felt the warmth of the mystic energy surge through her. "It's good to be back."
Darkwing kissed her on the beak. "I wouldn't have you any other way, honeywumpus."
Medeva rolled her eyes. "Get any more mushy and I'll throw up!"
The end
Launchpad slammed down the buzzer button. "It's me."
"Correct! St. Canard Elementary wins and moves on to the semi-finals!" **********************************************
"Now, now, J. Gander," Darkwing said calmly. "I don't want to hurt you. I know you're still in there somewhere."
"I'm a machine. You can't reason with me!" The voice was still the same, but the body was apparently younger and more flexible. The former SHUSH director leaped toward the masked mallard, who rolled away.
Springing to his feet, Darkwing attempted a web-kick, but hit only metal - which didn't even receive a dent.
Outside, Morgana was waiting. "What's taking so long." She climbed to the window, muttering "It'd be a lot easier if I could still teleport." She glanced inside and gasped. "I have to help him." She pressed against the window. Luckily, it was old and gave. "I really wish I hadn't renounced my magic," she muttered. "Normals have to figure out other ways of doing things."
"Don't just stand t'ere, you teenage brat!" Steelbeak yelled. "Finish 'im off!"
"In due time," Norwood shouted in response. "This soul-transference scheme is going to take me to the top - at the tender age of fifteen."
"Don't count on it, you juvenile jerk," Darkwing growled, attempting to flip the computerized body. It was too heavy for him to lift.
"You think your Quack Fu can stop me? Guess again. Your flips and kicks are worthless against a computer!" Out of the corner of his bionic eye, the mechanical body could see a flash of red. He snatched Darkwing and threw him.
Darkwing slammed into Morgana, knocking them both over.
"Soul transference," the sorceress currently without magic observed. "If we kill that.thing, the soul will return to it's own body. But how do you kill a computerized exoskeleton?"
"When you fight Megavolt as often as I do, you pick up a few tricks," whispered Darkwing. He glanced at an open crate beside them. "Magnets. How's your aim?"
Morgana began to scoop up magnets and toss them at the robotic body.
"Stop that!" Norwood screamed. "You'll ruin everything."
While the body was distracted, Darkwing took the cable from his grappling hook attachment from his gas gun and checked the inside. Copper. "Perfect." He crawled to the warehouse's fuse box and attached one end of the wire. Then he fired the grappling hook, which connected with the bionic J. Gander Hooter. Darkwing then flipped the switch. "I love levers that say 'do not pull'." Electricity surged through the wire, burning the computer's circuits. The magnets were also diverting the current through different sectors. The body convulsed, violently. The voice no longer sounded like the original person. "Help."
Steelbeak, a veteran FOWL agent, knew when to quit. "You're on your own kiddo. Your mission, your fall!" He turned and fled out a back door.
"Oh, no, you don't." Morgana ran over and grabbed him by the sleeve of his white jacket. The last thing Steelbeak felt before falling unconscious was Morgana's fist slamming into his chin, below the metal prosthetic.
"I may not have my powers anymore, but I still have my right hook," the witch said, smiling.
Norwood was enraged. "You'll pay for that when I'm Chief Agent!"
"Connection.lost." The computerized body said, slumping over.
Darkwing brushed off his hands. "Yep, yep. Another FOWL felony foiled by the feathered-"
"Ahem," Morgana corrected.
Norwood's beak trembled as he stumbled backward.
Seemingly out of nowhere, J. Gander Hooter - in his normal body - tackled the young agent, sending him to the concrete floor.
"Assault of a minor!" Norwood squeaked. "This is an outrage!"
"Not so much an outrage as FOWL violating child labor laws," growled the SHUSH director. "It's juvenile detention for you." He grabbed Norwood's arm and twisted it behind his back. "You cause any more trouble, and next time, you'll be tried and sentenced as an adult."
"How about sending him upstate to a nice monastery?" Darkwing suggested.
"Forty monks could teach a bratty teenager to behave," added Morgana.
"No!" breathed Norwood. "I'll rip up the books in their library! I'll burn down the place! Don't you dare send me to live with a bunch of solemn robes!"
Darkwing fired a knockout-gas pellet from his gas gun. The teenager collapsed.
Hooter bowed his head. "I'm sorry. I had to do what he wanted."
"It wasn't your fault," Morgana argued.
"FOWL worked through Norwood, Norwood worked through the computer, and it worked through you," reasoned Darkwing.
Hooter pointed to Norwood. "I guess he's to blame, not me. Teenagers. They'll probably be the downfall of society." The beeper in his pocket went off. The director pulled it out and answered.
"Is everything going swimmingly?" came Gryzlikoff's accented voice.
"Yes. FOWL agents are in custody," answered Hooter.
"Does that mean you're coming back?"
"No. I can still make the next flight to Pato Alto."
"Nooooooo!" howled Gryzlikoff. "I can't take another hour with Whipham."
There was the sound of a whip cracking. "Get back to work, Nameless SHUSH Drone Number One!" came Elsie Whipham's voice.
(537 Avian Way)
"Keen gear!" cried Gosalyn. "I can't believe Launchpad got that last question right! On a tied score!"
Launchpad stroked the trophy. "Couldn't have done it without Honker."
Honker blushed. "And I couldn't have taken my new leap without Penelope."
Gosalyn wrinkled her beak. "What do you see in that preppy little nerd?"
"Well, she's nice and smart-"
"I saw the way she looked at you. Didn't you see her signs?"
"No, but I understood her cosines."
"Math humor, oy," moaned the redhead. "Sometimes I worry about you."
"I don't get it," Launchpad quipped. ************************************************
(Faculty Meeting, St. Canard Elementary School)
"So, Coach Gridiron," said Principal Farnsworth. "You've got the full football roster?"
The coach smiled. "Yes. Gosalyn Mallard's going to take us to the top. I guess you could say I saw myself in her. Only better."
"Mallard? Good kid, but quite unruly. You'll have to work hard to tame her." The principal glanced at the diamond ring on the coach's left hand. "Nice rock."
"Why, thank you. My maiden name was Featherson."
(McCawber Manor) Medeva barely looked up from her crime novel. "Your forty-eight hours of normalcy are now up."
Morgana felt the warmth of the mystic energy surge through her. "It's good to be back."
Darkwing kissed her on the beak. "I wouldn't have you any other way, honeywumpus."
Medeva rolled her eyes. "Get any more mushy and I'll throw up!"
The end