Disclaimer: The female duck whose name has not been mentioned yet is my character. All others *sighs* are not mine, Disney has them. For now. *shifts eyes in a sinister manner*
I thank from the bottom of my heart the people who took their valuable time to read and review my first, lowly, little fic. THANK YOU!
When is it that silence can be the most threatening thing of all? When it unnerves a person to the point of insanity; when it pounds the eardrums with an incessant beat? When it sends you to the very edge, you cannot go back, but you cannot look down?
Negaduck stared at the redoubtable figure before him. With one glance he could tell that he was more than twice his height, weight, and most likely strength. There was silence now. A dead silence that floated down like snow and covered them completely, smothering them. The figure took a step toward Negaduck. The mallard held his ground. The moonlight partially revealed a shining helmet embedded with strange horns.
"I see you have changed your costume. An attempt to fool me, I see. However, I am afraid that I am not the fool here," the figure said in a heavily accented voice.
A wicked grin formed on Negaduck's beak.
"Sorry pal, but you're in the wrong place if you're looking for that dimwit. But I am not so sorry to say that you've encountered something much worse."
Negaduck slowly reached a hand behind his back, fingering the trigger of his rifle.
The figure took another step forward. The light now washed over a gleaming titanium breastplate between two hulking shoulders.
"Interesting. Your voice has changed. Another attempt at hiding yourself from me I assume, Darkwing."
Negaduck gritted his teeth and his fists clenched involuntarily.
"I don't know who you think you are," he whispered in a low hiss dripping with disdain, enough to throw back the figure before him, "but if you call me by that damn idiot's name again, you are going to wish you'd never been born."
The figure stepped forward yet again. He was fully in the light now, exposing a broad, bullish face twisted in a sick sneer. He leaned forward so he was an inch from Negaduck's face, and the mallard cringed at the rancid smell of stale breath.
Staring Negaduck straight in the eye, he questioned forebodingly, "And just was is it that you plan on doing?"
Negaduck stared back boldly. However, he was confused. Who was this? Where had he seen this face before?
The bull could not help but notice the questioning in the mallard's eyes. So he truly did not know who he was. So this actually was not Darkwing Duck, was it?
"Here, let me show you," Negaduck seethed.
In the blink of an eye Negaduck whipped out his gun and fired. The bull reacted almost mechanically and moved to the right, and the bullets ricocheted off of his metal shoulder. He snarled and swung a heavy arm at his opponent, who ducked and rolled to the side. The bull bared his teeth and charged. He swung left and right – the mallard deftly deflected both punches. Thinking fast Negaduck quickly grabbed his cape and swung it over the cyborg's head, trapping him in the cloth.
The hulking creature's cry was muffled as he struggled helplessly, trying to free his head from the mallard's cape. Negaduck took advantage of his vulnerability and brought his knee up, pulling the bull's head down at the same time. His chin collided sharply with the bone of the kneecap, and the cyborg cried out. He clutched his face and staggered backwards.
Negaduck seized the opportunity and ran, but not without a few parting words.
"Sorry sucker, but that's what you get when you mess with NegaWHAAAAA!"
Forgetting the fundamental rule of watching where one is going, Negaduck tripped over a wooden crate and became a bird of flight. He landed on his chest a few feet away, spouting colorful phrases all the while.
Still grumbling, he pushed himself up onto his knees and turned his head – only to come nose to nose with a very threatening blaster arm. Taking a deep breath he lifted his eyes from the muzzle of the weapon to the very triumphant face of a bull.
"Well, it has been so much fun," the cyborg said with a disturbing smirk, "but I find that you have only gotten in the way of my plans. And the Devil's Eye does not wait for anyone."
"Devil's Eye? What's that?" Negaduck asked, attempting to stall for time.
"I am deeply sorry, but you will just have to ask el Diablo that one," the bull whispered.
For a split-second Negaduck remembered fondly that he was going to Hell when he heard a whoosh of air, followed by, "I am the terror that flaps in the night!"
Suddenly Negaduck felt the urge to both laugh and cry at the same time. Still looking at the cyborg, he pleaded, "You have got to be kidding me."
"I am the curve ball that you'll never hit!"
Negaduck grabbed the bull's gun and pushed it against his own head, crying, "Kill me! Kill me now! I can't take it!"
"I am Darkwing Duck!"
Negaduck groaned and smacked his forehead. He heard a whizzing sound, followed by an explosion of smoke, and he found the bull was no longer visible, but he could hear him sneezing uncontrollably. Negaduck quickly got to his feet and ran blindly through the smoke, making sure to cover his nose.
Finally clearing through the plumes, he looked and found Darkwing Duck holding his gasgun, watching the cyborg intently.
The sneezing fit came to a stop, and the two regarded each other face to face.
"Ah, the real Darkwing Duck. How nice to see you again."
"Oh, believe me, the pleasure's all mine Taurus Bulba."
The two enemies stared at each other in the moonlight. The unearthly silence had returned, causing emotions to run high. Off to one side, Negaduck's eyes switched from one figure to the other. The look on his opposite's face was one more intense and full of contempt than he had ever witnessed. Taurus Bulba possessed a smile overflowing with both sick glee and utter resentment. The seconds painfully ticked away.
Finally Darkwing broke the silence, "What's wrong? The other cows wouldn't accept you into their pasture?"
To his surprise, Taurus Bulba smiled.
"Why no, I am afraid that is not the reason why I am here. However, the purpose of my company will soon become clear, for you see Darkwing, my plan is in motion, and I cannot kill you yet. Your presence will be a necessity later. But for now…"
Taurus Bulba fired two shots from the weapons on his helmet. One at Darkwing, one at Negaduck, both of whom leapt out of the way. Darkwing landed next to the deck's control panel, and was struck with an idea. Hastily reading the labels he pressed the one that read "cargo hold". The floor directly behind Taurus Bulba opened.
"Ooh, Darkwing, how clever," Bulba chuckled.
"Yes, I know," Darkwing mused with an upward glance. He then pulled the lever labeled "net release".
The net above Bulba dropped, spilling upon him thousands of dead fish.
While Taurus Bulba struggled with the slippery mess, Darkwing grinned, pleased with SHUSH's remarkable disguises. Speaking of which, the crime fighter noticed the nondescript wooden crate on the floor. Perfect.
Darkwing ran forward and picked up the surprisingly light box. Bulba had just finished the conflict with the fish, and was beginning to lose his temper.
"Oh Taurus Bulba…"
Baring his teeth the bull looked up.
"Catch!"
Darkwing Duck hurled the box at him. Bulba reacted quickly and punched the box out of his way; the box shattered and spilled its contents on the deck.
The sudden movement caused Taurus to lose his balance and he staggered backwards. He stepped on one of the many fish that littered the deck. The bull slipped and fell dramatically into the open cargo hold, swearing all the way.
Darkwing victoriously pressed the cargo button once more, and it closed before Taurus Bulba had the chance to escape.
"Yep yep yep…ahhhh. One bull down, zero to go."
He was just about to walk off the ship when he caught sight of a strange object on the deck. It was one of the many objects that had flown out of the broken crate. Curious, Darkwing walked over to it and gazed down.
It looked to be a glass orb, no bigger than a softball. The orb possessed a brilliantly deep shade of ebony. So much that it seemed unreal, like a black hole had opened in the earth, preparing to draw everyone into the void. What startled Darkwing, however, were the silver mists swirling about mysteriously inside. Tiny wisps of gray vapor, churning in no distinct pattern, set upon a background of ebony. It was truly beautiful.
Suddenly it dawned on him.
"This must be the artifact being delivered to SHUSH!" Darkwing gasped, clapping his forehead.
He reached forward to pick it up. The instant his fingertips touched the orb, Darkwing saw a flash before his eyes. It was like someone had taken a picture in his head. He felt as though he was spinning through space, and his mind became a blur of motion.
Suddenly he saw strange images…a woman falling…an aged mallard crying…
Another dazzling flash and the images were gone. Darkwing blinked, and he could now see his fingertips strongly pressing against the mysterious orb. He was trembling and very confused. Why had those images, those images, suddenly occurred to him? Shaking his head, Darkwing Duck picked up the orb and strode towards the pier.
"HA!"
An abrupt pain in his back knocked the wind out of him, and his beak sharply struck the floor. The orb fell out of his hands and rolled out onto the deck.
Negaduck stood on top of him, laughing derisively.
"Didn't forget about me now, did we Darkwing Dufus?"
Negaduck stepped on his rival's head and beak before making his way to the orb.
"Finders keepers losers wee – "
Negaduck reached down and grasped the orb, and a flash like a camera snapped in front of his eyes. His mind spun, and he could see disturbing pictures…a woman falling…an aged mallard shaking with fury…
The flash arose once more and Negaduck shook his head violently. He threw a startled look at Darkwing, who looked back equally perplexed, and a momentary understanding passed between them. Keyword being momentary.
Negaduck shook off the unsettling feeling and his face quickly shifted into an evil smirk.
"Bonjour, bonehead!" he cried with a salute. Seizing the orb tightly, he leapt onto the pier and ran.
His webbed feet pounded the wooden planks, exhilaration pumped through his veins. He gained speed, the adrenaline churned, nothing could stop him now –
SLAM!
With an almighty crash, Negaduck collided with a black blur that had bounded out in front of him. The massive impact caused the orb to fly out of his hand. He plowed down the figure before him, and he came crashing down as well, landing on top of the stranger.
Negaduck lifted his aching head and shook away the little chainsaws dancing in front of his eyes.
A groan sounded beneath him, and he snarled, "Why don't you watch where you're goin'!"
Negaduck looked down and glared.
Underneath him lay a young female duck; her feathers were a soft taupe in color, her wavy bordering on curly hair was a deep brown streaked with black. She shook her head, attempting to clear the dizziness, and opened her eyes. They were an alluring sea green, she stared with them at the mallard, the picture of innocence.
Negaduck stared back, trying to comprehend the fact that not only had his gleeful sprint been brought to a stop by this woman, but he was now laying on top of her in the middle of the night on the docks.
He became even more baffled, however, when the innocent face below him rapidly transformed into intense anger, and in one swift movement she grabbed him by the nose and flung him off of her in a spectacular nostril flip.
Negaduck now laid on his back, stunned, staring foolishly up at the twinkling stars. He heard increasingly loud footsteps pounding the dock, and to add insult to injury, the footsteps ceased and Darkwing Duck leaned over him.
"Now if that wasn't a Koquack moment, I don't know what was," he taunted, grinning down at his nemesis.
Negaduck ground his teeth and prepared to punch Darkwing's stupid face in when they heard a sinister chuckle. The two mallards looked up to see Taurus Bulba sneering at them, holding the orb in his large hand. The woman ran up and stopped beside Darkwing, he whole body tense, staring at the orb.
"I must admit, this whole display has been quite precious. But now I will be the bearer of bad news. For you, Darkwing, this is the beginning of the end. My plan is working perfectly, and soon I will bring upon you not only your destruction, but also that of everyone you hold dear. Especially…Goosalyn."
Darkwing growled and leaned forward assertively.
Taurus Bulba opened his mouth to continue, but then suddenly turned his head and fired with his horns. Darkwing looked to see Gryzlikoff and his fellow SHUSH agents, who had been prepared to strike, now jumping back and trembling slightly.
Taurus turned back to Darkwing and smiled.
"As you will soon see, Taurus Bulba will be St. Canard's worst nightmare!" he proclaimed proudly.
His smile quickly faded as he heard a sarcastic snort. He searched for the culprit, and his one eye settled on Negaduck, who was still laying the deck propped up on his elbows. The mallard grinned at the bull menacingly.
"And you, the Darkwing decoy," Bulba scoffed, causing Negaduck to scowl, "you too will suffer for your previous insubordinance."
Though Darkwing thought he was imagining things, he could have sworn that the night seemed unexpectedly cold, as if all the warmth had been stolen from their bodies.
Staring at the orb, Bulba announced, "And now if you will excuse me, the Devil's Eye and I have some work to do. Goodbye for now, Darkwing Duck!"
With that, Taurus Bulba placed the Devil's Eye into a compartment in his armor. He transformed his arms into a glider, and flew away into the dark night.
Darkwing Duck watched him go until he could no longer see the orange glow of his thruster. He inhaled deeply, then let out the air in a long sigh.
"Oh boy," he muttered.
Negaduck got to his feet and gave the woman a piercing glare, who to his surprise, glared right back. They stared at each other for a few heated seconds before Negaduck finally pulled himself away. The night had been long and exhausting, and he was in desperate need of a crash.
"Well Dorkwing, if I wasn't so friggin' tired I'd blow you into oblivion. Have fun with that little bovine buddy of yours, I'm outta here."
Negaduck began to walk away when he heard a smooth, feminine voice behind him.
"Nice try, but you can't do that."
The black-masked mallard stopped in his tracks and took a deep, steadying breath. He mentally vowed never to complain about robbing banks again.
NOTE: I'm really sorry, but I might not be able to update for awhile. I have midterms and a term paper to do, so Godforsaken school is going to take priority for now. I do promise however that I will not abandon this fic, I love it very much, so please be patient with me.