Disclaimer: You know the drill: Aviana's mine, all others are not. I said it, it's all good.
Kudos to my reviewers, you really make me want to keep writing the fic. Many thanks! (GreenLeoFiend: Just 52 more days til spring, just 52 more days til spring…)
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Drake Mallard opened one lazy eye and gazed at his alarm clock.
"4:37 pm, that's way too early," he grumbled into his pillow.
"Alright! Gosalyn Mallard, super-awesome-undefeated-zombie-slayer!" came an elated voice from downstairs.
Drake's stomach did a flip-flop as he remembered last night's events. Taurus Bulba's voice still echoed in his head, "…and soon I will bring upon you not only your destruction, but also that of everyone you hold dear. Especially…Goosalyn."
As he slowly pushed himself out of bed he was also sharply reminded of last night's spat with the Eggmen. The mallard tossed on his robe and dragged all of his aches and pains downstairs.
Gosalyn was standing on the couch, her fingers flying expertly over the controller of her Quackstation. All of her energy was focused on the television and her target.
"Yeeeeeeeee-es! Another zombie sucks eggs!" she cried with a triumphant leap in the air.
Out of the corner of her eye Gosalyn noticed her dad plodding downstairs and turning into the kitchen.
"Long night?" she questioned automatically, still solely focused on defeating her next undead opponent.
Drake grunted in reply, and walked into the kitchen. His loyal sidekick and closest friend, Launchpad McQuack, sat at the table fighting a losing battle with a microwave. Noticing the quizzical look on Drake's face, he commented, "Who knew you can't put aluminum foil in here?" and continued to take various parts out of the fallen appliance.
Drake moved without a word over to the counter and busied himself with making coffee. Launchpad lifted his head out of the microwave.
"What's up, DW? You're quiet this morning. Was it something last night?"
Drake turned and took a deep breath.
"That mechanical menace, Taurus Bulba, is back. Except this time, it's worse if that's possible. He's got a hold of the Devil's Eye."
"Devil's Eye?" Launchpad asked in a worried tone.
"It's that thing SHUSH sent me to watch last night. Things got out of hand," Darkwing grimaced, "and now Bulba has it. And then this Aviana person claims it's got mystical powers and what not. Except she's also willing to help us, so don't be surprised if she comes up on the communicator. I don't know whether to believe all of the curse stuff, but…"
"Don't worry DW, you've stopped Taurus Bulba twice, and you can do it again," Launchpad said reassuringly. "Just keep in mind what happened last time. Gosalyn's gotta – "
"I know, I know," Drake said wearily. "I've gotta go to SHUSH and explain what happened. When I come back I'll make sure to tell her."
He poured his coffee and drained it in one gulp.
"I'll see you when I get back Launchpad," he said, and headed towards his blue chair.
Drake sat down and punched the old statue, but not before a, "Eat flamethrower, zombie scum!"
*~*~*~*
The clock read 5:57 pm as Drake Mallard, now dressed as Darkwing Duck, spun back into his living room. He was glad to be home – it had not been a very pleasant visit to S.H.U.S.H. headquarters. Apparently, the fact that Taurus Bulba was back combined with the fact that he had the Devil's Eye was not a good thing.
Gosalyn was sitting on the couch, watching TV and munching on a bowl full of cereal covered in a mound of sugar.
"Glad to see you're getting your daily amount of glucose," he said, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, it was either this or have Launchpad cook," she said with a mouthful of cereal.
Launchpad walked in the room carrying a bowl of cereal himself, smiling guiltily.
His sidekick gave him a meaningful look, and Darkwing knew it was now or never. He turned to his daughter and cleared his throat.
"Gos, honey, I have something I need to talk to you about."
Fear washed over Gosalyn's face.
"You didn't talk to anyone from the government about a certain hoax, did you?" she asked quickly.
"No…" Darkwing answered and narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, okay," Gosalyn breathed, then she looked back at him with a genial face, "what is it?"
Darkwing Duck looked back at his daughter, the person he loved most, and his heart jumped up to his throat. She looked so happy and innocent, well, sort of innocent; she didn't need a certain menace haunting her again.
"Well, you see Gos, it's, um, it's…"
The Six o'clock News came on the TV, and Tom Lockjaw's polished face came on the screen.
"Tonight on St. Canard evening news, the owner's of the Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice Bakery claim that a mysterious cake located in a private room – "
Suddenly a person off-camera handed Tom a sheet, and his eyes widened.
"This just in! It seems that convicted felon, Taurus Bulba – "
"WHAT?!" Gosalyn cried and leaped to her feet, her bowl of cereal scattering over the floor.
Darkwing cringed and smacked his forehead.
"Yep, that would be it."
" – has returned to St. Canard, and is now on a rampage on south Plumage Street…"
"He's back?" Gosalyn gasped, but secretly, she was ecstatic. This was exactly what she had been waiting for. Ever since his last visit, she had been honing her skills with her bow and arrow, her weapon of choice when in the guise of Quiverwing Quack. She promised herself that she would be ready for him the next time; he was, in fact, the ground on which Darkwing planted his crime fighting feet. If she could stop Taurus Bulba, then Darkwing would have to see what a competent crime fighter she was.
"I'm afraid so, that's what I was about to tell you. This is serious Gos, and you know your safety is at risk if you try anything foolish. I'm being honest with you this time, so you must promise me that you will do what I tell you and stay here, where Bulba can't find you," Darkwing stated gravely.
"But Dad! I'm almost twelve, I can handle him!" Gosalyn cried out indignantly.
Darkwing smiled, and stroked her head.
"I admire your bravery sweetie, but there's a fine line between bravery and stupidity, and it would be dumb to get killed over – "
"Hey, I'm not stupid!" Gosalyn shouted.
"I didn't say you were! I'm just saying that it would be foolish getting killed chasing after such a dangerous criminal like Bulba! He almost killed me, and I'm an adult!"
Gosalyn's green eyes hardened.
"I don't care, I won't get killed! I'm ready for him! I've been practicing!" she cried.
"Gosalyn, you're not invincible, and you're too young for this! I refuse to let you get hurt!"
"That's not fair! You're just scared I'll mess up!" Gosalyn yelled angrily.
Darkwing scowled and shouted, "See, that's exactly the attitude that shows me that you're not ready! Now listen up young lady; you will not leave this house, understand?"
"Whatever," Gosalyn mumbled.
"Don't you 'whatever' me little missy! Promise me that you'll stay here!"
"Fine, I promise," Gosalyn muttered, making sure to cross her fingers behind her back.
"Good," Darkwing nodded, then turned to his sidekick. "C'mon LP, off to Plumage Street!"
They hurried over to the dual blue chairs and sat down. With a sharp stare at his daughter, Darkwing once again punched the worn statue and disappeared in a blur. Gosalyn waited until he was completely gone before dashing up the stairs to get her disguise.
*~*~*~*
The sound of pool sharks, gangsters, and drunks created the atmosphere in the sleazy bar. The smell of sweat and smoke hung heavily in the air. Harsh words and the crack of a broken jaw sounded, but no one even batted an eye. Negaduck sat on a stool, drumming his fingers impatiently while awaiting his drink. The stools next to him were empty; the patrons always decided to keep their distance from the ill-tempered mallard.
At the end of the bar sat a battered radio, buzzing with a tinny-sounding newscast.
"Tonight on St. Canard evening radio news, the owner's of the Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice Bakery claim that a mysterious cake located in a private room – hold on."
Negaduck raised his eyebrows as the sound of papers shuffling was heard, followed by, "This just in! It seems that convicted felon, Taurus Bulba has returned to St. Canard, and is now on a rampage on south Plumage Street. He is said to be more dangerous than the infamous Negaduck, and citizens are urged not to – "
"WHAT!" Negaduck bellowed, "THEY THINK THAT MECHANICAL BULL IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN ME?!"
"Taurus Bulba has now been upgraded to public enemy number one, so extreme caution is necessary."
Negaduck promptly jumped off his stool and strutted over to the radio, then proceeded to hurl it against the adjacent wall. The radio cracked and spewed its parts on the floor, and the enraged mallard stormed toward the exit.
"It's time St. Canard learned the meaning of dangerous," he growled.
Negaduck flung open the swinging doors and left the bar, and not one person even turned their head.
*~*~*~*
The Ratcatcher hurtled down the busy streets of St. Canard. Darkwing Duck weaved in and out of traffic, intent on getting to the scene of the rampage as soon as possible. Launchpad gripped the edge of the sidecar fearfully.
"Say DW, why do you think – whoa!" Launchpad cried out as they narrowly missed sideswiping a car, then continued, "why do you think Taurus Bulba's terrorizing people? Isn't he out to get – yikes! – you and Gosalyn?"
"That's what I don't understand LP. Bulba's not one to draw massive public attention, unless he's trying to draw me in…"
Darkwing turned the corner onto Plumage Street, where he and Launchpad were greeted with utter chaos.
Vehicles honked and frantically swerved, the red and blue lights of the police cars blinked rapidly, with more units on the way. Hordes of eggmen swarmed throughout the street, coming to blows with various police officers. Citizens who could not navigate the street in their cars tried to brave it on foot. One terrified young man found himself cornered by three threatening Eggmen. He trembled violently and backed himself as far as he could against a wall as the eggmen advanced.
Not one to forget his civic duty, Darkwing rose to the occasion. Leaping off the Ratcatcher he cried, "C'mon LP, it's time to save that solitary citizen! Let's get dangerous!"
Launchpad dashed toward the eggmen.
"Hey, uh, fellas, over here!"
The three drones turned around and stared at the pilot. On the fire escape located above the situation, Darkwing took advantage of the diversion. With the eggmen's backs turned, he fired his rope-loaded gasgun. The rope wound itself around the frightened citizen's waist, and Darkwing hoisted him up to safety.
By this time the eggmen judged Launchpad as a non-threat, and turned around. They were momentarily puzzled by their victim's absence, they once again turned as Launchpad cried, "Hey guys!"
He hurled an empty garbage can at the drones, knocking them into submission.
Up on the fire escape with the young man watching him warily, Darkwing called down, "Good job LP!" He then looked at the scene, surveying the circumstances. From his vantage point, he could see the eggmen were fending off the police. He looked harder, and he noticed that the eggmen had formed a rough circle around an open manhole.
Darkwing leapt to the ground and shouted to his partner.
"Taurus Bulba must be in the sewer! The Eggmen are blocking the police from getting in! We've got to get around them!"
They closed in on the turmoil and were instantly attacked by a group of eggmen. As the two fought, Darkwing cried out desperately, "I don't know how we can get past these guys!"
With that, an exceptionally large eggman hurled an equally large police officer into the air. The airborne officer landed on top of the assaulting eggmen. They collapsed under his colossal weight, and Darkwing and Launchpad stared in shock. Darkwing quickly regained his temerity.
"C'mon LP, not a moment to lose!"
They dashed towards the manhole. Leaping over the fallen officer Darkwing tipped him his hat with an amiable, "Thank you sir!" and the two leapt into the hole.
Climbing down the ladder, they hit the platform. The sewer was gloomy and humid, rats scurried about, and it echoed with the pandemonium from above. Darkwing glanced around, trying to assess the situation. The darkness was foreboding, like it was practically telling them to go back and never return. The dank sewer was issuing its challenge, and Darkwing eagerly accepted it.
"Follow me," he said, and his voice echoed eerily off the moldy walls. With a nervous breath, Launchpad followed.
The two crept through the chilly passages as the river of sewage sloshed noisily beside them. Like the other night, the entire moment put Darkwing on edge. Except this time, he felt confidence in knowing Taurus Bulba could not surprise him. And now both his legs were intact. He was ready.
"Keep your eyes peeled for clues Launchpad. Even the minutest detail could lead us to Bulba."
Suddenly there was an unearthly whooshing noise, like all of the air had been sucked out of the sewer. Then came a brilliant, pure white glow on the opposite wall. The glow ended, and all was quiet except for the sound of running water.
"I guess that counts as a clue," Launchpad mused.
Darkwing glanced at him for a moment before rushing forward.
"C'mon LP!"
They raced down the passage and turned the corner. Darkwing and Launchpad found themselves at the edge of a huge drop-off. While the water cascaded downward, a vast metal grating spanned the gap all the way to the other side. In the middle of the grating stood Taurus Bulba, holding the Devil's Eye, surrounded by mounds of lifeless eggmen lying on the ground.
Darkwing stared at the disturbing scene and his beak dropped in astonishment. Taurus Bulba gave him a sick, twisted grin.
"Greetings, Darkwing Duck. I see you have brought your friend. Ah, and here is Darkwing Decoy."
Darkwing and Launchpad turned to see Negaduck strutting forward, looking thoroughly irate.
"That's Negaduck to you, big boy…whoa, what did I miss?"
"What are you doing here?" Darkwing questioned, half amazed, half annoyed.
"None of your business, Darkwing Dolt," Negaduck snarled.
Comprehension dawned on him, and Darkwing grinned.
"What, did Mr. Bulba take Mr. Negaduck's number one spot?" he asked in a singsong voice.
Negaduck thrust his beak aggressively into Darkwing's face.
"If you don't shove it right now –"
Launchpad tapped them both nervously on their shoulders.
"Uh, DW, I uh, think you should take a look at this," he sputtered.
Darkwing and Negaduck turned and looked over to Taurus Bulba. The eggmen around him began twitching to life, and slowly began pushing themselves up. They seemed to move in a strange manner; all fluidity of motion was gone and replaced with brute force.
As they all finally stood up, Darkwing was astounded by what he saw.