Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing. Once again, single quotations signify narrative of the scene taking place. Molly Dove appears in this chapter courtesy of Amanda Raymond and was used with her permission. Original Darkwing Duck characters are copyright Disney.

CHAPTER 9

"Some believe he's not from around, as in from another country," Draco explained to Cujo who was watching tentatively, hanging onto his every word. "Some even believed he was from another planet or universe because of his demonic demeanor. So no one really knows where he came from. Nobody ever saw him or knew anybody who worked directly for him. From the way McIntyre told it, anybody could have worked for Negaduck. You just never knew and that was his power."

Draco paused to inhale a deep breath before looking up at Cujo, straight in his eyes. "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. One story the guys told me, which is the story I believe, was from his earlier days as a crime lord. Even then he was in competition with FOWL, constantly fighting for the public enemy position. Back then, both FOWL and Negaduck were both on the rise in their criminal careers and as FOWL began to rise into power, they decided to muster enough courage to come after Negaduck..."

Four FOWL eggmen and one of their prestigious agents suddenly burst through the steel door of an old warehouse, Negaduck's hideout. A young, blonde female mallard was the only one occupying the hideout at the time and has been busily loading a large rifle. She spun around at the sound of the door crashing in, her eyes going wide in recognition towards the trespassers.

"You?!" Molly raged in fury as she quickly cocked the gun she had been holding. But before she had a chance to aim, one of the eggmen had rushed at her and knocked the rifle from her hands, followed by delivering a swift smack to her face that sent her sprawling to the ground. The agent leading the raid was none other than Steelbeak, dressed in his white and black Italian suit who laughed cruelly as he watched Molly fall to the ground.

"Tsk tsk tsk! I thought youse woulda learned yer lesson by now, Mol!" Steelbeak mocked as he circled the fallen mallard like a vulture. "Youse should know by now dat NO ONE betrays FOWL! Not even a top espionage agent who left to join da public enemy!"

'Molly Dove was once a top espionage agent for FOWL. Needless to say, she didn't like her job. During one of her missions, she ran into Negaduck who recognized her full potential and decided to put it to better use. So she decided to leave FOWN and joined Negaduck. The two embarked on a reign of terror throughout various city's and became a notorious duo of destruction. It wasn't long before the two became romantically involved, which instantly caught FOWL's attention. The Organization wasn't pleased with Molly's betrayal to join Negaduck, so they planned to kill two birds with one stone. They discover the location of their hideout and decide to confront the two felons in the middle of the afternoon. Negaduck was out on one of his crime sprees, leaving Molly behind to watch the hideout.'

Molly groaned weakly as she placed her hands firmly on the cold cement of the warehouse floor and slowly lifted herself up to glare at her confronter. When her vision cleared and she made out the form of her former supervising agent, her bill twisted into a sneer, hissing hatefully. "Steelbeak…When Negaduck gets back, he's going to…!"

But she was cut off as Steelbeak lashed his hand out at her, striking her across the face once again. "When he gets back, he's going ta be one dead duck!" he finished, followed by his trademark cackle. "Since Mr. Numero Uno seems at be out at dis time, we might as well make ourselves comfy and await his return!"

The two of the eggmen circled around Molly, each of them grabbing her by one of her shoulders and pulling her roughly to her feet. Their firm roughness sent shocks of pain surging through her body and to her head as she struggled to make the room stop spinning. Steelbeak sat down in Negaduck's trademark leather chair at the far side of the room and smirked wickedly in Molly's direction as he made himself comfortable. "Have fun wit her, boys!"

The eggmen grinned anxiously, two of them still holding Molly in place as the third eggmen walked around to stand in front of her, rubbing his hands together anxiously.

About an hour later, Steelbeak perked his head up at the sound of a motorcycle roaring outside and coming to a stop alongside the warehouse. The rooster grinned, "He's here…"

Moments later, the black masked mallard kicked the door to the warehouse open and stormed inside. His eyes instantly narrowed as he took in the scene before him: Steelbeak sitting in his chair while Molly was beaten, bruised, and violated. The eggmen held Molly captive in their grasps, one of them holding a gun to her head. Dark bruised her visible on her white feathers and her hair was matted. Blood dripped from the corner of her bill as she weakly lifted her head and her eyes fluttered open, staring fearfully and gratefully in Negaduck's direction as he entered.

Negaduck took noticed of Molly's dress being torn, then passed a hateful glower in Steelbeak's direction, who rose out of the chair to greet him. "Well well, it isn't da almighty Negaduck…"

'He came back to his hideout to find that FOWL present in his hideout and Molly sexually abused and beaten. FOWL knew that Negaduck was tough, not to be trifled with. So they let him know that they meant business."

"Cut to the chase, Steelbeak…" Negaduck growled threateningly, causing the three eggmen to visible cringe in intimidation. "We both know why you're here, so let's get down to business…"

'Steelbeak tells Negaduck that FOWL wants his criminal territory and his surrender to FOWL. It was also declared that Molly would be forced to return to the organization while Negaduck would most likely be used to their advantage. It didn't take Negaduck long to come to his decision. He looked over and saw the scarred expression on Molly's face….and then he showed these men of will what will really was…'

Negaduck glared long and hard at Steelbeak before suddenly pulling out a pistol from his yellow jacket. His cape flapped behind him as he spun to face the three eggmen still holding Molly captive. Three gunshots exploded into the air, hitting each of the eggmen in the chest. As the bodies thumped to the floor motionless, Steelbeak's eyes instantly widened as he rushed over and grabbed a hold of Molly's wrist, giving her a hard yank towards him. The rooster reached into his jacket and pulled out his own gun, pressing it firmly against Molly's head. She let out a weak gasped and whimpered in Steelbeak's hard grasp.

"What are youse going to do now, huh??" Steelbeak challenged Negaduck, pressing the gun hard into Molly's temple. Negaduck had his gun sighted for the center of Steelbeak's forehead. Then, his eyes locked with Molly's eyes. Her gaze was filled with fear, desperation, and trauma. There was a long pause before she choked on another sob and slowly nodded to her partner.

Suddenly, Negaduck's aim shifted and lowered before a shot echoed through the hideout. The bullet tore through the air until it hit its mark. Steelbeak stared in pure shock as Molly fell from his arms and slumped to the floor, no longer breathing.

'He tells Steelbeak that he would rather see her dead than make her have to live another day after this. He let Steelbeak go to relay his message to the higher powers of FOWL, waits until Molly is in the ground, and then begins his reign of terror upon FOWL. He begins to pinpoint major secret bases and takes them out one by one. He then targets their top agents and wipes them off of the face of the earth.'

A FOWL base suddenly exploded in the night. Alarms sounded as dozens of FOWL agents and eggmen fled the burning building while the shrieks of those who remained inside echoed in the air. The dark, looming figure of a mallard in a fedora and cape walks in front of the wall of fire, putting distance between him and the burning building. The waves in the air from the intense heat blur his face, but his flashing eyes shine through the darkness.

"And like that, he's gone," Draco concluded the story with a wave of his hand. "He's gone, underground, and no one has ever seen him again. He becomes a myth or a spook story that criminals tell their kids at night. 'If you rat on your pop, Negaduck will come to get you.' And no one ever really believes."

Cujo had barely moved during the whole story, never once taken his gaze off of Draco. "Do you believe in him, Draco?"

Draco looked up at Cujo as if the question he had asked had an answer that was painfully obvious. "Darkwing once said, 'I don't believe in God, but I'm afraid him.' Well, I believe in God, and the only thing that scares me is Negaduck."

"Uh huh," Cujo replied with a snide smirk. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against the desk, an unbelieving expression on his face. Draco immediately noticed his look and narrowed his eyes impatiently.

"Hey, I cam clean! I told it like it happened while I was on the boat. So what if I left out how I got there? You got what you wanted out of me so big deal…!"

"Turn state's evidence. Take the stand on this and we'll hear you out."

"I've got immunity now. What can you possibly offer me?" Draco argued as if sounding interested to hear the agent's answer.

Cujo grinned slyly as he answered matter-of-factly. "If there really is a Negaduck, he'll be looking for you."

Draco pauses before letting out a snide laugh in response. "Where's your head, Agent Cujo? Where do you think all the pressure is coming from? Negaduck, or whatever you want to call him, he knows where I am RIGHT NOW. He's got the front burner under your ass to let me go so he can scoop me up ten minutes later. Immunity was just a deal with YOU assholes. I've got a whole new problem when I post bail."

"So why play into his hands?" Cujo asked with a shrug. "We can protect you. He can't run forever."

"You think you can catch Negaduck? You think a guy like that comes this close to getting caught and sticks his head out?" Draco asked as he raised an eyebrow knowingly in his direction. He heaved his shoulders and shook his head, almost sadly, before continuing. "If he comes up for anything, it will be for getting rid of me. And after that? My guess is you'll never hear from him again."