Chapter Fifteen:
The Trap
By next morning, Steelbeak and Darkwing had gone off on their separate ways to do their daily deeds. The brief separation failed to ruffle their feathers, for they knew at the end of the day, they would be together again. Neither considered it a drawback to the relationship. After all, the saying of "absence made their hearts grow fonder" proved true.
Due to a staff cutback, the rooster's break was unfortunately cut short. Yet, duty was duty. If he was to stay with F.O.W.L, he would have to do exactly as they told him to, even if he didn't like it.
The villain's day started off like any other, but little did he realize it would end that way. After a quick breakfast, he drove his black Jaguar to F.O.W.L Headquarters. From there, in an elegant, marble floored waiting room, he would be given a daily assignment. These ranged from jobs that could be done in St. Canard, or missions to exotic destinations throughout the world.
"Another day, another crime ta commit!" Steelbeak said suavely, sauntering in and arrogantly looking down at his associates. He watched with a devilish smirk as an Eggwoman came in through the redwood door, carrying an armful of magazines.
"I'll take dat, toots!" He said suavely, snatching the latest issue of Villains Illustrated before it was even set down on the table before him. On the cover was a particularly proud looking Negaduck, holding two impressive hand guns and aiming them at the photographer.
Sitting behind a round reception center was a blonde she-duck of about fifty. She was busily chatting on the phone while reading a harlequin romance novel. Slowly, she lifted her head up from the book and glanced at the waiting rooster.
"High Command wishes to see you now . . . " She said in a monotone fashion, putting the phone back down on the receiver.
Well, well, well, let's what's in it fer me today! Puffing his chest out with confidence, Steelbeak walked out of the waiting room and sauntered down a narrow hallway. He made a turn to the left, and stood before a retina scanning device. When the machine recognized the F.O.W.L agent, a huge silver door slid open and Steelbeak, his mind filled with pride, stepped in.
Behind the door was ominously dark High Command Chamber. The entire room was filled with electronic equipment, ranging from computers to homing devices and everything in between. The ceiling was curiously dome-like in shape, with security cameras trained on anyone who stepped foot inside the place. Toward the back of the room was a large screen, displaying the sinister shadows of High Command.
Only the most elite of the F.O.W.L agents were allowed here, and it gave Steelbeak a sense of empowerment to just walk through that sliding door.
"Agent Steelbeak . . . " Hissed the middle figure, looking down at the proud looking rooster. "Javert has told me there is a security breech in our facility. There is reason to believe that this intruder is none other than Darkwing Duck. He had recently shown interest in trying to shut us down. We request you to go down and take care of the mallard matter immediately."
"Soitenly!" Steelbeak eagerly saluted, not letting his love for the enemy show. It then sprang to his mind that this sort of thing was given to the lesser agents, and he pouted, crossing his arms like a child who didn't get his way.
"Hey . . . Jus' a sec . . . I don't get dese kinda jobs!"
"Do you wish to keep your posh apartment, your payroll, your health insurance AND your life?" Snarled the figure to the left.
Taken aback by their anger, Steelbeak gulped and stepped back. "Er . . . Uh, yes! It's jus' dat, well, can't de Eggmen do it? Can't yas just send me out on one of dose woild domination trips?"
"Remember our cutbacks . . . " Reminded the center figure, her eyes cutting through his soul. "Now, get out there, look for the intruder, and kill them!"
"Yes sir -- er -- ma'am!" Steelbeak saluted again, marching out through the chamber. "I'll take care o' dat inconvenient intruder, don'tcha worry!"
*****
While Steelbeak was busily searching the F.O.W.L premises, Darkwing Duck was within moments of stopping a crime in action. He had caught sight of Negaduck terrorizing a busload of elderly citizens, and the skinny dogface driver was cowering in his chair. No one appeared to be injured from what he could see -- he had arrived in just the nick of time.
"My patience runs as short as my temper. Hand over the money, or your life!" Negaduck growled, pushing a shotgun against the driver's head.
"Y-Yes, N-Negaduck!" The dogface stammered, handing over his pocket to the demanding duck. "Take what you want, don't hurt me or my passengers!"
"Pleasure doing business with you!" Negaduck laughed maniacally, snatching the wallet and pushing open one of the bus' door. Negaduck's pride was short lived, for just as he stepped off the bus, Darkwing tackled him to the pavement and handcuffed him.
"Rrragh! Can't I spit without you sneaking up on me like that?!" Negaduck spat, trying to struggle away from the crimefighter.
"Nope," Darkwing said with a casual shrug, dragging him up onto his feet. "Spitting on sidewalks is illegal in downtown St. Canard, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week."
"Trust you to know that . . . " Negaduck groaned at Darkwing's useless piece of trivia for the day. He tried to trip his arch rival when he was suddenly grabbed by the throat and shoved into the back of a police officer's patrol vehicle.
"I will get you for that . . . " He growled at the officer as he was carted off to jail. He looked out at the window, silently cursing the smug mallard.
"I'll get you, and your little ducky vigilante pal too!"
Not surprisingly, Darkwing's heroic deed had attracted quite a bit of attention. He posed for the camera, taking care to look as dashing and suave as ever.
"Yep, yep, yup, another villain vanquished, another safe day for our citizens!" He arrogantly told a reporter, readjusting his fedora.
When the news crew went away, Darkwing Duck was back on duty. He knew that somewhere another villain was causing trouble, and he was going to do whatever it took to stop it.
****
At F.O.W.L Headquarters, Steelbeak entered the Weapon Holding room. He had thought that perhaps the intruder had intent on stealing the latest in weaponry, a laser gun. Yet, nothing had been taken or tampered with.
Hrm, what else may dis person be 'ere for? I knew Darkwing was tryin' fer years to shut dis place down before all de other authorities did, I wouldn't put it past 'em to try dat. Yet, knowin' 'ow important dis place is to me, would 'e really try now? He paced around for a moment, trying to think of a better way to investigate the whole matter. Snapping his fingers, Steelbeak came out of Weapon Holding and headed straight for a door marked 'Security'.
"Agent Steelbeak 'ere . . . " He said, knocking once on the door. When it was opened, he looked over at a fad bulldog who was reading through a naughty magazine. The dog seemed to be of lower intelligence, someone that could easily be fooled.
"Simon! Been so long', 'asn't it?" He asked in a friendly manner. When the dog failed to recognize him, he cleared his throat and pulled out two hundred dollars from his jacket.
"Youse wouldn't 'appen to know 'bout an intruder now, would'ja? If yas do, I'll pay youse more den what de bigshots 'ere do . . ." Steelbeak told him conspiring, showing him the money.
Upon seeing the money, Simon practically drooled. His job was to watch what was going on the security cameras, and to report anything out of the ordinary. He was paid less than a janitor, and he leapt at the chance for doing something for a little more cash.
"Why, yes I have!" He beamed, remembering that he did in fact see someone suspicious sneak about. "Just five minutes ago, as a matter of fact!"
"Great!" Steelbeak exclaimed, adding another hundred dollars to what he already had. "T'ink yas can take me to were yas seen 'em?"
With a nod, Simon got up off the chair and waddled towards an empty room across the hallway. He pointed to an trapdoor and opened it. The rooster hovered around him, his eyes gleaming with anticipation of more praise from High Command.
"I saw 'em sneak in here, the only way out besides the door is through here," he said rather gruffly. "Gotta warn you, the last piece of the ladder's missin'. Didn't realize I was so dang heavy . . ."
Without saying another word, Steelbeak clambered down the ladder, taking care of the missing steps. He looked in disgust as his feet landed on a damp dirt floor, hearing the bones of a long-dead rat crunch under his weight.
"Of all de places fer dat t'ing to die . . . " Steelbeak groaned, removing a pice of bone embedded into the bottom of his shoe. He began to explore the dark tunnel containing a twisted maze of pipes, forgotten wooden crates and other odds and ends. If he had a sense of smell he would've passed out long ago, for a corpse was left to rot down in the labyrinth.
Something ahead of him caught his eye. It was the silhouette of a duck tied to a chair, and the shape of it's head was very similar to Darkwing's. He knew Javert had a similar face, but the figure's legs were much too short to be his. He had heard from a agent in the hallway that Negaduck was in police custody, so he didn't think this captured canard was him.
"Darkwing, is dat youse?" He asked softly, and in concern. As he approached, he banged his head into a low-fitted pipe and he cursed for a moment in Italiano.
A muffled groan was heard from the silhouette, and it was then that it became apparent to him that the duck's bill had been shut. Rubbing his sore forehead, he slowly approached the figure.
"It's okay, Darkwing, I've come 'ere to help youse . . . " He said once more, in the same soft, comforting tone. As took once step further, and was smacked across the back of his head with a crowbar. The impact was hard enough to send him falling to the floor, face first in the grimey floor. Feeling intensely dizzy, he felt too weak to fight back.
"You didn't think you could get away with your little secret now, did you?" Javert tauntingly asked, coming out of the shadows and brandishing his crowbar. He placed a boot on the rooster's back as Simon trudged over, tying his feet together with a length of rope.
"I'm smarter than I look, fool!" The bulldog growled, roughly seizing Steelbeak's arms and tying them behind his back with a chain. When he was done that, he injected a tranquilizer into his thigh.
"If High Command's not proud with me to begin with, wait to zey seen what I have caught on camera!" Javert sneered, helping his canine companion drag the heavy rooster up a set of winding stairs. "Zen, my favorite rooster, your job and your head will belong to me!"
"And I'll have a more decent job . . . " Simon added, holding the rooster by the scruff of his neck. "Like . . . A mechanic!"
Drifting in and out of conscious, Steelbeak used his last reserves of strength to snap his jaws at Simon. "I'll kill youse both . . . "
What an ironic situation this event had turned out to be! The rooster, so adept at manipulating others and tricking them, had fallen for a trap. The captured "duck" turned out to be nothing more than just a dummy.
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Disclaimer: Steelbeak and Darkwing Duck, and other characters mentioned excluding Javert and a few minor chars' are © Disney.