Disclaimer: I called Disney, my people spoke to their people, and after much negotiation I am now the proud owner of all the characters within this fic!!! Ha ha just kidding.
My greatest thanks go out to everyone who reviewed!
*~*~*~*
"No, no matter how far we've come
I can't wait to see tomorrow
No, no matter how far we've come I
I can't wait to see tomorrow"
LINKIN PARK
*~*~*~*
Broken glass, scattered debris, and totaled cars laid abundant on south Plumage Street. Sirens wailed dully, to the point where no one even took them seriously. The smell of smoke filtered through the air, and a blanket of weariness covered the scene.
"I wonder if Duckburg has this problem," a drained police officer mused as he stuffed one of the few captured eggmen into the back of his car.
Aviana hoisted herself out of the manhole and onto the surface. She exhaled the musty sewer air and inhaled the atmosphere of the fresh night. Negaduck popped up behind her, and surveyed the street.
"There is something seriously wrong with this city," he stated flatly, then looked to Aviana, "Okay then Miss Know-it-all, what were those things?"
Kicking some of the sewage off of her boots, Aviana turned to face him.
"I told you, they were soulless beings! They have no emotion, they can't feel anything, and they can't die because they're in limbo!"
Negaduck raised an eyebrow.
"Right," he muttered sarcastically.
"Now do you believe me?"
"Believe what?"
"That you're involved," the duckette said, crossing her arms.
Negaduck scowled.
"What is your problem?! Why are so obsessed with this load of crock? And how are a bunch of soulless losers and a psycho cyborg supposed to make me believe any of it?! Just 'cause I decided to go in that stupid sewer that the damn bull just happened to be in doesn't prove anything. I'M. NOT. 'INVOLVED'." Negaduck screeched.
Aviana's eyes turned to slits and she leaned towards him calmly, answering, "Well, no one made you come, did they?"
Negaduck opened his mouth to retort and raised a finger aggressively, but froze, realizing he had nothing to say. His angry expression was wiped away and replaced with shock, he dropped his hand dolefully and his shoulders slackened. Though nothing in the world could torture it out of him, he knew one undeniable fact. She was right.
Though she did not smile, Aviana's eyes sparkled with triumph, and Negaduck felt his self-control return with a vengeance.
"Well…so what! I merely came to show that brainless bull who's boss of this town," Negaduck said, crossing his arms and looking away haughtily.
"Uh huh. And riddle me this, Fuzzy: just how exactly does running away screaming leave him shaking in his bolts?"
"First of all, if you ever call me 'Fuzzy' one more time, I'll personally shove the Devil's Eye down your throat, and second of all, I did not run away– "
KABLAM!
Negaduck and Aviana whipped around to see chunks of asphalt hurtling through the air. As the dust cleared, a gaping hole resided in the middle of Plumage Street, adding to its postwar décor. With an enraged roar, Taurus Bulba burst through the hole. Now transformed into a glider, he hovered ominously over the eggmen pouring onto the street.
"Eggmen! Return to the hideout. I will enlighten Darkwing on the fine art of not interfering with my plans."
As Aviana watched the eggmen flee, she could not shake the eerie feeling that their eyes now gleamed red under those visors. Taurus Bulba looked to Negaduck chuckling lowly, and he spoke in a mocking, sinister voice, "And here is the guest of honor."
The cyborg charged the weapons on his helmet and fired. Aviana and Negaduck dove out of harm's way.
"I hate cyborgs," Aviana hissed.
"Yeah, and I hate…well, a lot of things, but stupid flying cows really rub me the wrong way. Time for a trim, birdie!" Negaduck roared, and pulled out a ridiculously large gun. No sooner had he wrapped his finger around the trigger when Bulba fired, blasting the gun from the mallard's grasp. Negaduck stood shocked, staring at his empty hands.
"Or not," he said nervously.
Aviana gulped and stepped back. She was beginning to prefer the eggmen.
"My sincerest apologies. I hope this one hurts more," Taurus jeered, and fired yet again.
Negaduck yelped and jumped back. He stared at the smoking hole where his feet had been a second ago, and a deep fury burned inside him. No one pushed him around. He had proved that years ago. He looked up at Taurus Bulba with a powerful hatred evident in his eyes.
Taurus Bulba's mechanical eye zoomed in on the defiant face before him. This was not his mortal enemy.
"No…" he whispered, "You are not…you…Darkwing's DIVERSION! Now you will meet your doom!" the bull fumed.
Negaduck recognized the all too familiar homicidal wave that had washed over his foe, and he began to think logically. There were times when although you think your ego could never possibly allow it, you must salvage as much dignity as conceivable and head for the hills. This appeared to be one of those times.
While casually backing away, Negaduck dismissed himself gracefully, "I'd love to stay and chat, but it seems to be past your bedtime. Later, metal mouth!"
Negaduck spun around and sprinted in the opposite direction. Aviana ground her teeth and ran after him.
"Where are you going?" she cried out frantically.
"Anywhere but here!" Negaduck called back, and turned the corner into the alley where the Troublemaker waited.
Negaduck leapt onto his motorcycle and turned on the ignition. Aviana jumped onto the seat behind him.
"What do you think you're doing?" he growled.
"I saved your tail feathers, now you save mine," Aviana replied.
Suddenly Taurus Bulba's hulking silhouette appeared in the alley. His shadow of an arm lowered, the moonlight glinting off of it menacingly. With a triumphant snarl the bull fired.
Aviana gasped, but Negaduck reacted quickly. With a swift shift into reverse he brought his foot down heavily on the gas. The tires spun momentarily before jerking them back out of danger. Taurus Bulba growled in frustration and rocketed after them.
Still speeding backwards down the alley, Aviana turned around. They were careening toward a chain fence blocked by heaps of garbage cans and the hood of an old car. Swallowing a panicked yelp she glanced at Negaduck, who was concentrating steadily on the rearview mirror. Damn, he was really going to go through with this.
Aviana tensed herself and involuntarily clutched the sides of Negaduck's jacket. The hood acted as a makeshift ramp as the Troublemaker hit it at full speed. The motorcycle flew over the fence and launched into the air. Negaduck gripped the handlebars tightly, but Aviana could not help but enjoy he temporary weightlessness as they reached their peak height. Gravity quickly kicked in and they plummeted to the ground.
The motorcycle slammed into the earth, bounced once, then stood still, amazingly in an upright position. Aviana blinked in astonishment while Negaduck tried to ignore the jarring pain in his back.
"There go the shocks," he said in a strangled voice, not referring to only his vehicle.
Bulba easily flew over the fence and rounded on them. In a mocking tone, he asked, "What an impressive trick, I think you deserve a treat." With that, he darted forward.
"I don't accept charity from strangers," Negaduck quipped, shifting into drive and hitting the gas.
They quickly sped under the flying cyborg, who had to make an abrupt turn before slamming into the pavement. With a growl, he took off after them.
"How are we going to lose him?" Aviana asked, in strained but calm voice, as she watched the bull gaining on them.
"I think I have an idea, but we have to get there first," Negaduck said with determination.
He made a sharp right and shot into the main road. Cars veered wildly to vacate his path, horns blared, glass shattered.
"Nice merge," Aviana mumbled sarcastically.
"I do try," Negaduck retorted.
He drove down the street at an incredible rate, swerving expertly between the speed-limit abiding cars. Aviana, still clasping his jacket, was torn between enjoying the thrill of unreasonable speeding and screaming in terror at the prospect of being splattered all over the landscape. Meanwhile, Negaduck bent forward, focusing hard on the road before him. Suddenly he heard several terrified screams and panicked car horns. He chanced a quick glance behind him, only to see Taurus Bulba closing in on them, flying almost low enough to skim the tops of the vehicles.
"What's the rush, duck? You forgot to say your goodnights!"
The bull fired two shots with his cranial weapons, but Negaduck had already gone through a miraculously quick thought process. He couldn't go right, he'd crash into one or more buildings. Process of elimination left one other choice…
Just as Bulba launched the dual shots, Negaduck swerved left into the opposing traffic lane. People swore and screamed as cars hurtled past him in blurs of various hues.
"Oh Christ!" Aviana cried, and wrapped her arms tightly around Negaduck's middle in a desperate attempt to maintain her seat on the bike. The mallard swung back and forth over the dividing line, trying to avoid the cars in both directions while sustaining his present speed.
"What are you doing?!" Aviana asked bewilderedly, trying to decide if jumping onto the cyborg would possibly be a safer alternative.
"What, should I stop so we can have a nice chat with our spastic friend back there?" he raged sarcastically. They both yelped as two laser blasts whizzed over their heads, scorching the top of Negaduck's hat.
The black-masked mallard growled.
"I hate that guy. Quick, grab a gun and shoot him," he stated calmly.
"Like it's gonna do anything!" Aviana returned.
"Shoot him in the face or something! Just distract him!"
Aviana mumbled profanities under her breath and looked beneath his cape.
"Good God almighty! How many guns could you possibly own?!" she cried, staring at the giant cache of firearms located under the cloth.
"Be prepared. It's the Boy Scout way," Negaduck jibed.
"Like you were ever a Boy Scout."
Aviana reached in and grabbed the biggest, closest weapon she could find, which happened to be a Tommy gun. She handled the firearm nimbly, leading Negaduck to believe that this was not the first time she had ever used a gun. Aviana raised the weapon and aimed for the flying cyborg's exposed face.
"Oh no, the little girl is playing with the big boys now," Bulba mocked, "Go ahead little lady, take your best shot."
The duckette's temper flared, and Negaduck could have sworn he felt a surge of heat behind him. If she had ever been slightly opposed to shooting the bull, all sentiments of that nature were gone for good.
Aviana gritted her teeth and fired. A series shots flew straight at Taurus Bulba's face. His eyes widened and banked left at the last second, and a few bullets grazed off of his helmet. Even though he was concentrating on avoiding cars while driving on the wrong side of the road, Negaduck could hear the bull's angry snarls.
"Temper temper," he scolded mockingly to Aviana, who was currently trembling with rage.
Negaduck grinned, until an oncoming car sideswiped him. Now it was his turn to lose his cool.
Turning around and raising a choice finger, he yelled angrily to the disappearing car, "WATCH IT, YOU KNOB!"
Within half of a panicked second Aviana realized that she was on a speeding motorcycle in the left side of the road to which the driver had his back turned with one hand on the handlebars. Instinctively she reached forward and grabbed Negaduck's beak, pushing it around to face forward.
"Eyes on the road, hotshot!" she said assertively.
"I know where I'm – yah!"
Negaduck's ego was humbled slightly as he veered wildly to evade an approaching vehicle. He chose to drop the subject when he noticed that they were closing in on the subway entrance. This was it, their escape; he knew the subway system well, they could lose that bovine bully…
"CRAP!"
"What? What is it?!" Aviana panicked at his sudden outburst, latching onto his jacket and looking wildly around.
Negaduck adopted a familiar look of rage.
"The subway! We can't get in, there's some stupid barrier blocking it…what?! 'Closed for repairs'?! How can you shut down a subway, dammit! I HATE THIS CITY!"
The main road led to Audubon Bay Bridge, and Negaduck could see the famous steel supports looming in the distance. His mind reeled as he tried to organize a plan, desperate to regain control of the situation. Aviana bit her lip and turned around, witnessing a very piqued cyborg flying towards them.
"You have had your fun, duck. Now it is my turn to have a piece of the pie," Bulba seethed.
The metaphorical light bulb clicked in Negaduck's head.
"Pie," he whispered, "yes…pie…"
The mallard cackled maliciously, causing Aviana to regard him warily. He was nuts. Out of his tree. Completely insane.
He turned around and said quickly, "Get the big gun that has the pies loaded in it. Now he's got it coming!"
Aviana stared at him with narrowed eyes for a moment before complying. Looking underneath his cape she found the desired firearm. She heaved it out and lifted it onto her shoulder. She glanced at Negaduck, who was looking in the rearview mirror and chuckling wickedly. Rolling her eyes, Aviana took aim. Bulba acknowledged this, but, in lieu of his last mistake, said nothing.
Aviana pulled the trigger, sending a pie tearing through the air. The bull easily ducked out of the way.
"Ha! I am terribly sorry, but I fear a simple pastry is not enough to stop – "
Aviana fired again, finding her target. The pie splattered across the cyborg's face, causing him to roar with anger.
"That'll stop him," Negaduck announced triumphantly as they drove onto the bridge.
The duckette opened her mouth to question whether or not a pie could impede a raging bull, but was silenced when the custard on Bulba's face began to grow.
"What the Hell is that?" she questioned, a look of disturbed shock on her face.
"They're Expanding Whammo Pies, something from Dirtwing's little spy club. They're great as long as long as you don't…uh oh…"
"What do you mean, 'uh oh'," Aviana asked slowly.
Before Negaduck could answer, the tires of the Troublemaker began to spin rapidly. Custard began to encompass them on all sides, swelling at an alarming rate. The bike spun in wild circles as the pastry spread underneath the tires and into the gears. Negaduck pulled on the handlebars, frantically trying to gain control. Aviana jumped beside him and latched onto the handlebars as well, and the two desperately attempted to fight the custard. Unfortunately, the custard won.
The motorcycle slid wildly until colliding head-on with the bridge's barrier. Negaduck felt himself jerk forward violently, and the next thing he knew he had once again become a bird of flight. This time, however, he was flying right over Audubon Bay.
*~*~*~*
For all of the mayhem below, Darkwing Tower opposed it in every form. It was abnormally quiet, and the darkness seemed to creep its way into the souls of its two occupants.
Darkwing Duck pounded the keys furiously as his eyes scanned the monitor in front of him. Its soft blue glow illuminated the mallard's face, which was heavily bent in concentration. His brow was furrowed and his jaw was set, and each agonizing minute only hardened his expression. When it seemed as if the world could not have been any more still, Darkwing felt the floor beneath him shudder gently.
If possible, his brow furrowed even further. He vacated his seat in front of the computer and walked over to the open window. He leaned out of it, causing his cape to catch the light spring breeze. The crime fighter gazed at the scene below him, which consisted of a large, morphing mass of goo and a smoking wreckage embedded in the edge of the bridge. He raised an eyebrow. Under normal circumstances, this would have been a job for the daring duck of do. However, the valiant vigilante had other more pressing matters on his shoulders. Shaking his head, Darkwing turned back to his work.
While he continued to batter the keyboard, he glanced at Gosalyn, who was sitting in a blue chair staring at, but not comprehending, the television. She was uncharacteristically silent, in fact, she had not said a single word since they left the sewer. On the ride home, Darkwing had prepared himself for an intense argument over her disobedience, but Gosalyn did nothing but cling to him until they reached the tower. His paternal instincts got the better of him and he walked over to his daughter.
"Gos, sweetie, got something you want to talk about?"
She looked up to him with very hurt, green eyes.
"Dad, what happened to Launchpad?"
Darkwing took a deep breath and stared at his daughter. Gosalyn thought she had seen a rare flash of pain in his eyes, but it was gone as quick as it had come.
"Okay. If all of this is to be believed, Bulba has a powerful artifact called the Devil's Eye. And whatever that was that he said to it, it caused to the Eye to take Launchpad's soul."
"So basically Launchpad's a zombie," Gosalyn said quickly.
"Well, you see…um, well…yeah, I guess you could say that," Darkwing sputtered awkwardly.
"Launchpad's a zombie," Gosalyn whispered, staring into space. It was perhaps the ultimate irony. Years of late night horror movies and video games, wishing she could just lay eyes on the real walking dead, and now the opportunity presented itself in a hideous form. The memory of his sick beak and ghastly face was enough to make her stomach turn.
Noting her dismay, Darkwing put on a brave face.
"Don't worry Gos. We've pulled Launchpad outta worse – and this time, Taurus Bulba's gonna wish he'd never touched a tin toe on my turf!"
Darkwing's chest swelled and he stared off into the distance dramatically, but Gosalyn shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the cyborg's name. After the night's escapade, she was not so keen on standing up the menace that had so drastically changed her life. However, upon seeing the fearless look on Darkwing's face, the hero inside of her rose as well. Instilled with new courage, she continued the conversation.
"So what's this Devil's Eye thing anyway?" she asked curiously.
"That's what I've been trying to find out. SHUSH gave me the password to log into their database, so here goes."
With a few quick taps and some angry words, Darkwing finally brought up the file. He and Gosalyn leaned towards the screen simultaneously, and the mallard read aloud.
"The Devil's Eye: ancient Transylvanian black orb of doom. Special abilities: Able to remove souls from their physical form, uphold any oath sworn upon it; coming in contact with the Devil's Eye is reputed to result in visions of the possessor's worst memories – "
Darkwing paused. He suddenly remembered the previous night, waking up, trembling and cold. Images he had not recalled in years had appeared in his dreams, causing his heart to pound rapidly. He could still see his parents in the kitchen as he watched them from behind the tree, talking heatedly before getting into the car…
"Dad!" Gosalyn snapped impatiently.
"Oh, right," Darkwing mumbled, jerking out of his reverie. "See link below for the Complete Unabridged Super-Secret New and Improved History of the Devil's Eye. Let's see…the creation of the ancient orb known as the Devil's Eye is dark and riddled with betrayal. Though the complete story is unknown, research tells us that it began in ancient Transylvania, where a young duck named Olu – Oluc…oh c'mon … Olucolom …try saying that three times fast… a young duck named Olucolom claimed to possess mysterious abilities. His talents included a second sight and sorcerer-like qualities, which he believed he could use for the greater good.
The public ridiculed his beliefs, especially a close friend named Lamron. He betrayed Olucolom by rallying the townsfolk and burning down his house, destroying all records of Olucolom's activities. The racist fear of the people caused Olucolom to be cast out of the city. The only people to argue his exile were family members, who were quickly imprisoned.
Legend tells us that in his anger, Olucolom traveled to the gates of Hell, and when he met eyes with the Devil, his soul left him in fear. Amused by this, the Devil allowed Olucolom to borrow his eye to use it on his betrayers. However, Olucolom planned ahead. He cursed the Devil's Eye to only act at the prompt of a specific incantation, and, believing his tormentors should be severely punished, that the fleeing souls would be trapped in limbo for eternity. Knowing that his family could possibly fall prey to the Eye, he made it so that their souls could be retrieved from limbo by a flesh and blood connection.
Olucolom rampaged through the city, destroying the lives of the city dwellers. When he reached Lamron, he decided that his punishment should be the worst of all. Olucolom cursed the bodies of the fallen people, instilling them with infinite strength and ability. His horde of zombie-like citizens attacked until Lamron was on his knees. Before his death, Lamron swore that his children would forever hunt down Olucolom's children, until all of them were wiped out. Olucolom scoffed his words and destroyed his former friend Lamron.
While the rest of the story remains indefinite, the power of the Devil's Eye stays the same. Further reading includes…"
"Wow! What a story! Drama! Betrayal! Revenge! It has everything!" Gosalyn cried, "Well Dad, I think that's a lot for a crime fighter and his sidekick to handle, let alone just you. You're gonna need some major help here."
Darkwing scowled.
"Oooohhh no no no, I see where this is going. I don't care what kind of psycho logic you try, you're not – "
"Cool it, Dad. I'm not talking about me! I'm talking about the Justice Ducks! Think about it! I can see the headlines now…Veteran Vigilantes Vanquish the Villain!"
Darkwing Duck stared off into space, letting his mind wander into media highland. They could join together again, defeat Bulba, it would be terrific. Quickly his senses returned and he shook his head dejectedly.
"Good thinking Gos, but I don't think it will work. If I remember correctly, the Justice Ducks are on a sort of hiatus."
"What now? Did a certain someone have a problem with another case of gloryhogitis?"
The crime fighter narrowed his eyes and replied, "No…the members of the team are having an attendance problem."
"How?"
"Well, Gizmoduck's off in New Mexico with that rich guy Launchpad worked for, what a shame, Stegmutt's still recovering from his hotdog stand accident," Darkwing shuddered, then continued, "Neptunia's, well, I have no idea where Neptunia is…"
"Wow, way to be prepared for this kinda thing," Gosalyn mumbled.
"So then there's – "
Darkwing stopped and his body tensed as he remembered the final member of the heroic team. His eyes reflected sharp pain, but he quickly replaced it with a harsh stare.
"Yeah," he finished bitterly.
Gosalyn knew the mallard too well to let the momentary emotion go unnoticed.
"Something you wanna talk about?" she asked soothingly.
"No," Darkwing answered curtly.
The duckling crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.
"Yeah right. Look I don't know what happened between you two, but you need a serious 'tude adjustment if you wanna sort it out, it's been months!" Gosalyn spat impatiently.
"Thanks for the therapy help line, but it's getting late, I think it's time to…"
Gosalyn attempted to make a quiet retreat to the revolving chairs, but Darkwing caught sight of the clock on his computer.
"HOLY CATS! It's almost one o'clock! And you've got school tomorrow! You! Home! NOW!"
*~*~*~*
Gosalyn Mallard trudged up the dark stairs of her house, he father in tow. The house was eerily quiet, and each squeak under their webbed feet seemed like a booming explosion. An empty blue light filtered through her window as Gosalyn climbed into her bed and pulled up the covers. Though she was determined not to reveal how tired she really was, she knew she lost the battle when Darkwing silently uncovered her and took off her shoes. He placed them on the floor before tugging the sheets over her.
Though she would never admit it, Gosalyn looked forward to this every night. It was the time when her father stood over her protectively, making sure she was comfortable, making sure she knew he would do anything for her. She never felt so safe and protected, so secure in knowing that there was someone out there who loved her for who she was, who would always be beside her no matter what. She did not have to be alone or afraid any longer.
Darkwing Duck stroked his daughter's head warmly before kissing her forehead.
"Promise me you won't make this a habit," he said fondly with a glance at her alarm clock.
"Maybe," Gosalyn giggled.
Darkwing smiled and rolled his eyes, then leaned down to give her a tender hug.
"Goodnight Gosalyn."
The mallard turned to leave the room. Gosalyn suddenly felt a tightening fear grip her tighter than a vice, and cried out desperately.
"What are you doing?!"
Darkwing whipped around, startled by her outburst.
"Gos, I'm just going – "
"Don't go!" she called, clinging to the blankets. She already lost one close friend tonight, she did not need to lose another one.
"Gos," Darkwing breathed. It was very uncharacteristic for her to show this kind of unrestrained fear, and he could feel his paternal instincts rising again.
"It's just…Launchpad…he's not here, and what if, what if he doesn't come back?" Gosalyn asked quietly, her wide eyes pleading with his.
Darkwing got to his knees and leaned on the bed, becoming eye level with the brave girl in front of him. It was just the two of them, in their own world.
"Look Gos, I promise you I'll get him back. I don't care what Taurus Bulba thinks, he's outclassed, outshined, outdone, out – " Darkwing continued, his vigor mounting by the second.
"Dad," Gosalyn interrupted, "that's just it! I don't want you to go out there without help and think you can do everything yourself! I know it doesn't seem like it sometimes, but I don't want to have a zombie for a father!"
Darkwing Duck sighed and pressed his forehead to hers, whispering, "Don't worry, I'll be careful."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Will you stay home tonight?"
"Absolutely."
"Okay. Goodnight Dad."
"Goodnight sweetie."
NOTE: Sorry for the wait, this chapter was hard to write for some reason, and the next one isn't looking very promising. I'll try and get it out as soon as possible, because this is a lot more fun to write than a term paper.