Power Play
Chapter 1: Striking a Match
By perper
Gosalyn hacked and wheezed as she tried to sit up in bed. "Dad?" Drake entered the room with a bowl of soup and a bottle of cherry-red liquid. He put them on the table and felt her forehead. "Well, your fever seems to be almost gone. Maybe this will pass. C'mon, it's time to take your medicine." Gosalyn made a face, but didn't struggle, as she swallowed a small cup-full of the fluid.
"Do you feel hungry?" Drake straightened a few stray locks of her red hair.
"Not really." She coughed. With a look that said 'I wish I could do more', Drake hugged Gosalyn and then pulled her cover back up to her shoulders. "Get some rest, sweetheart." He glanced sorrowfully back at her once more before he turned out the light; she had already dozed off.
- - - - - - - -
People who are about to do bad things often loiter in dark alleys or condemned warehouses before conducting their ideas; at least, that's what modern entertainment tells us. Topheth saw no reason to break this tradition. The tall, well-built white wolf squatted in one such sinister alley and fingered the gold chain about his throat. His focused, violet eyes betrayed the fact that, unlike most other criminals, he had no plan. He was merely out and about, hoping that he would find something to do. Listening to Apollo drone on and on about his philosophies gave the wolf a terrible headache;he was happy to have gotten away
Topheth stood up and brushed off his baggy, maroon pants. He reached down to tie his shoelace just as a purple, duck shaped motorcycle screeched by and around a corner. As far as he knew, this town had no hero.
- - - - - - - -
Darkwing Duck couldn't concentrate tonight. He had dealt with raising a child, holding together a house and secret identity, and fighting a myriad of villains all at the same time. Tonight, though, it seemed that he was losing his grip on everything. These arsons had started a few weeks ago, but the criminal still eluded him. Whoever it was had to be some kind of master escapist or have a highly organized operation of some sort. Then Gosalyn had come down with something. The doctor's thought it was a new form of a stomach virus or a new strain of the flu. Either way, Drake had honestly thought Gosalyn was going to die. Thankfully, Launchpad was there to help take care of her. If all of this wasn't enough, he and Morgana hadn't seen each other in over a month. A WHOLE MONTH! He knew she still loved him, but he was afraid of what this strain was going to bring. To think that just before all of this he was considering proposing to her. Now he would have to repair the whole relationship before he even spared another thought to marriage.
So far the patrol was quiet. He stopped the motorcycle in an empty parking lot for a moment to clear his head. He took a few steps and then stood stunned in his path. A tower of smoke rose into the sky over the area where he had just been. How did he miss that?
- - - - - - - -
Topheth, for the first time in weeks, stood amidst the flames. There was no one to tell him to run or hide. He relished the suffocating heat and inhaled the smoke as though it were clean air. The annoying screams from the upper levels of the building had stopped now and he was sure that he could enjoy this moment without distraction.
He was sure of this until he saw, through a busted window, a short duck in a purple mask and gray fedora wandering close to the building. "Have no fear citizen. Darkwing Duck will save you!" The duck screamed to him.
Topheth was about to tell him not to bother but the oddly-costumed duck had already swung in through the window. He grabbed Topheth's wrist and pulled him from the inferno. "Obviously the flames disoriented you. You're safe now. No need to thank me." Darkwing couldn't help but allow his ego to shine through. "Is anyone else in the building?"
"They've already been burned to death. I heard it from downstairs." Darkwing didn't really know how to answer this unconcerned reply, and now suddenly thought that it was strange that not a hair on the shirtless chest of this wolf was even slightly singed. There were no signs of burns from the tips of his pointed ears to the soles of his black boots. He didn't cough or seem alarmed in the least. "Uhmm…," Darkwing tugged uncomfortably at his collar, "You didn't happen to see who did this, did you?"
"I did. It looked like a good building to burn, so I set it on fire." Topheth stared at the building with a carefree expression on his face.
Darkwing pulled out his gas gun, "Well, you're not very sharp are you? Suck ga—" Before he had time to finish, Topheth grabbed the mouth of the gun. The whole gun promptly melted.
"Okay, maybe not." DW backed away toward the Ratcatcher. Topheth waved his hands and each was consumed with a ball of flame. With a flick of his wrist, he fired searing torpedoes at the crime-fighter. Darkwing ducked behind the Ratcatcher and looked about for something to stop the fire. Quickly grabbing a spare wrench from the back of his motorcycle, DW darted for a nearby fire hydrant. Starting to sweat with anxiety, he tried to unscrew the side bolt- 'Where's the Liquidator when you need him?' Topheth had not let up his attack and, trying to stop the hero from opening the hydrant, launched a wall of flame. The maneuver failed; his flames were drowned out by a burst of water as Darkwing finally jerked the hydrant open.
Soaking wet, Topheth was suddenly hit in the face with the wrench. He reeled for a moment but shook it off. Darkwing wasn't sure if it was more stunning that he hadn't been hurt by the wrench or that he didn't even see it coming. He watched, slightly dumbfounded, as the wolf picked up the tool and looked at it. It was as if he couldn't understand why it had hit him. Without warning, he hurled it at Darkwing, but it faltered in his now slippery hand and smashed into the Ratcatcher. He turned and ran. Darkwing tried to pursue him but with his vehicle damaged, the chase was futile, and now, fire trucks were arriving.
- - - - - -
"You're sure he didn't have any powers?"
"If he did, he didn't use any. He threw a wrench at me and had this gun that looked like a toy."
"How could you let a powerless weakling disgrace you like that? It's appalling."
"I- I just wasn't ready for him. I'll get him next time."
"No worries, Topheth. If he doesn't have powers, he is no real threat. Come back to the apartment."
- - - - - - -
"I don't know what was with that guy. He was an idiot." Drake whined.
"Well, I'm sure you'll get him DW. By the way, Morgana called." Launchpad tried to give a reassuring smile.
"Oh, I don't want to deal with anyone right now. I'll call her later." Drake stood in place, still dazed from earlier.
"Are you okay, DW?"
Drake didn't answer.
To Be Continued…
- - -
Perper says: Thanks to my reviewers. I'm honored. Also, I'll have the installments out within a few days of one another. I want it to be worth reading and not just thrown together. Also, I refuse to give away plot points. Some of this is obvious; some of this isn't so obvious. Anyway, lots more to come. Thanks for reading, please review.