Power Play

Chapter 4: Broken Shackles

By perper

The last thing Negaduck remembered was a massive explosion of flame and grabbing Darkwing out of terror. As far as he was concerned, the latter never happened. Whatever had happened afterwards was a blur, and he awoke, hours later, to find himself in a dark warehouse and Darkwing gone.

He stood and brushed off his clothes. There was enough moonlight for a dim illumination of the deserted storeroom. As he was straightening his scarlet fedora, he noticed a little figure sitting quietly on a nearby crate.

"Well, of all people to watch over me. I'm touched, Quackerjack." Negaduck rolled his eyes. "Go find your teammates and then you idiots can explain to me just what happened."

"Th-They aren't coming back." Quackerjack got off the crate and stumbled over to Negaduck. Now that he was in the direct light of the moon, the remnants of the earlier battle could be seen. His outfit was torn in places and charred and his shirt was missing; his beak and bandaged left shoulder were bleeding. He fell and reached out to grab Negaduck's arm- the feathers of his fingers had been singed- but Negaduck pulled away.

"What are you talking about?" Negaduck kept a distance between them with an abusive scowl but sensed that he had missed something, something very important. "He took them. They followed him." Quackerjack gasped for air as he spoke. As it had occurred to Bushroot, so it occurred to Negaduck: something was wrong with Quackerjack; despite the mask his age showed and his manner had changed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"You really shouldn't be here, Honk." Gosalyn sat up in bed and her smile betrayed her remark.

"What are friends for? I've been analyzing your symptoms but I can't come to a conclusion as to the nature of the illness. It seems to be a mutation of an old disease but every time I think I might have the answer, the strain exhibits more abnormal behavior." Honker showed her a few diagrams from his work.

"That's alright, Honker. I'm sure it'll go away eventually." Gosalyn's words were strained.

"Honker, your mom doesn't want you out too late." Launchpad poked his head in the room, a phone against his ear.

"Well, she's gotten over the fever…I think."

"…"

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

"…"

"Well, you probably know more than I do about these kinda things. Okay."

He pressed a button and then put the phone down, "Binki had a great idea."

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Darkwing rested for a moment against a birdbath in a yard two streets over from where he lived. His motorcycle had been trashed- again!- by that fire-spouting wolf and he was forced to walk to safety.

He slowly remembered some of the events that took place. Negaduck had grabbed him after the explosion and fainted from smoke inhalation a few minutes later. He had really, really wanted to leave Negaduck there. It would have served him right, but he couldn't go against his just ideas. He pulled Negaduck out of the way and then tried to thwart the more immediate threat of Topheth. After a few moments he lost his second gas gun.

Others started coming out from nowhere and a blinding wave of smoke caught Darkwing off guard. He coughed and then crawled out on hands and knees. Topheth and the others that had joined him were gone. Further searching led to nothing but discovering his secret hide-out on Audubon Bay Bridge in smoking shambles.

A half an hour later had found Darkwing lugging Negaduck around on his back. Finally he found what looked to be a thoroughly deserted warehouse where he could rest. He put Negaduck down and then sat on the floor.

A familiar scream pierced the air. Darkwing got up in time to see Quackerjack trip around the corner and land face down. His clothing was torn and burned. A thick, green vine followed him and managed to grab his shirt before he got away. Quackerjack struggled until a bolt of electricity that had followed along the vine struck him and he screamed.

When the electricity had stopped, he renewed his struggle and slipped out of his shirt. Darkwing didn't have time to help him. In less than a second the vine had found Quackerjack again, and grabbing his ankle, it grew out an appendage that was razor sharp. Darkwing closed his eyes as Quackerjack was run through.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Darkwing had started to walk again. His thoughts returned to his destroyed lair. Someone had told whoever was doing this where his hideout was.

But…

No. They wouldn't.

His walk turned into a run.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Darkwing picked me up and used my shirt to bandage my shoulder. I was lucky they moved on without making sure I was dead. Their eyes…like I told you, it was like they were zombies." Quackerjack finished his story.

Negaduck was mute but had an angry expression. "So they just left me by the wayside," he finally muttered.

Slowly, Negaduck looked around and then walked away.

"Where are you going?" Quackerjack followed.

"Wherever I want! Get lost!"

"Megavolt abandoned me…they all abandoned me. Who else am I supposed to stay with?"

"Listen, Quackerjerk! If they left, then this team is dissolved. You can go back to being the same worthless, schmuck you were before I made the team. Got it?"

Quackerjack grew angry, huffed, and, clenching his fists, stormed off in the opposite direction. Thinking of a new strategy, Negaduck walked alone.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Gizmoduck was sure that he had just seen an angry, shirtless Quackerjack walk past him, but he was distracted the next second when he saw smoke pouring from Darkwing's hideout on the bridge. "Those cads! I have to find Wingy!" He turned and found himself alone.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Once upon a time, on a lovely little street called Avian Way in the suburbs of St. Canard, there stood a quaint little house under the number 537. Beside this house was another charming house. The residents of the latter were disliked by the owner of the former but he always knew he could trust them.

The Muddlefoots would always be there for him. Gosalyn and Launchpad would always be there when he came home.

But that was once upon a time. Now there was nothing there but rubble and ruin. Both houses were completely destroyed and, he supposed, so were their inhabitants. Darkwing stood speechless on the sidewalk by his smashed mailbox. At his foot was a rock with a paper folded under it. When he found the strength to move, Darkwing picked up the paper and unfolded it.

There are few things that can break a champion of justice. Darkwing had seen all sorts of horrors and faced seemingly insurmountable obstacles, but never had he felt this way before. Any chance for forgiveness and closure dissipated immediately. His sense of justice melted away under the heat of hatred but his heart turned to ice. In that moment, he fancied that he wasn't as different from Negaduck as he previously believed.

On the paper was the impression of a kiss in the distinct color of Morgana's lipstick.

To Be Continued…

Perper says: So it begins.

p.s. Thanks again to my reviewers.