AUTHOR'S NOTE: Finally! With the completion of this chapter, I'm now able to begin writing my most anticipated chapter of this story: Jake meets Negaduck! Stay tuned!

DISCLAIMER: Jake Mallard is © Rachel Faraday (me). Jacob Mallard appears courtesy of and is © Amanda Rohrssen . The easily manipulated nurse is also © me.

Thank you to Darkwing Psycho for her proof-reading.

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CHAPTER 14

Jacob Mallard may have managed to escape assassination once, but I wasn't about to give up so easily. My insanity had forced me to become obsessive in destroying this man and I was determined to succeed. The mere fact that he had been saved by some nature-lovers who happened to be in the right place at the right time wouldn't stop me.

After I had lost sight of the hikers, I returned to where I had hidden my vehicle. As I sat in the driver's seat of the unmoving car, I retrieved a map from the glove box to pinpoint the location of the hospital where Jacob would be taken. Sure enough, there was a small emergency hospital located near a military base about ten miles away.

I decided to bide my time. While I retreated to a small nearby town to get something to eat, I began to formulate my plan of attack. I couldn't expect to walk into a hospital, gun drawn, and shoot him so easily. No, I was more capable than something so simplistic. I was too cunning to go about it the easy way. Creativity was something I was never short of possessing. And I had to make sure that my crime wouldn't be traced back to me.

I waited several hours before making my journey to the hospital. By that time, it was close to midnight. I knew that the less people present the better. I parked my Aston Martin at the curbside in front of the medium-sized hospital and calmly strolled through the front doors. Just as I had surmised, the hospital seemed empty. There was only one nurse on duty at the front desk who had disappeared into an adjoining supply closet. I took the opportunity to approach the counter and leaned over in search of something particular. The daily log was laying on the desk in plain view and I quickly snatched it up in my hands. I looked over the list of names of patients that had been committed that day. One name caught my eye. 'John Doe.' Since I had stolen Jacob's badge and identification, they had no way of identifying him. And it was still too soon for SHUSH to file an MIA report.

The sound of a light cough warned me that the on-duty nurse was returning to her post. I returned the log to its rightful place and put on a professional yet concerned expression as she returned. She stared at me expectantly. "May I help you, sir?"

"Agent Mallard of SHUSH," I introduced myself, flashing her Jacob's badge and identification. "I understand that a 'John Doe' was committed to this facility for medical treatment earlier this evening?"

The young nurse, who appeared to be in her mid-20s and fairly new to the job, blinked questionably. She seemed to not be sure of what to do. "Well, yes, sir. We're currently--"

"He is an agent of SHUSH who had been reported missing," I interrupted her to explain my reason for being there. "He also happens to be my twin brother. I'm afraid I can't tell you more than that."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she sympathized and immediately picked up a status clipboard. She flipped through several pages before she stopped. "Currently, he's in recovery. He had to have a bullet removed from his leg and some cuts and bruises were treated. We need to set his leg before he can--"

I gave her an understanding nod and cut her off again. "That is good news. Now, if you would kindly go retrieve him, I will be taking him back to SHUSH. Our medical ward can handle the rest."

The nurse's faint smile fell into a frown. "Oh, but sir, he's still in a fragile state. He has yet to regain consciousness. We're not supposed to release patients without the final approval from the surgeon on duty, and he won't be back in until morning."

Blast. This was going to be trickier than I had anticipated. I quickly moved on to Plan B. When all else had failed, I released my secret weapon.

Charm.

I leaned forward over the counter with an alluring smile. I lowered my voice to a seductive growl and stared directly into her innocent brown eyes. "Young lady, I know you are just doing your job and your decision lies with the well-being of the patient. But I assure youthat he will be in more danger if he stays here."

Her cheeks began to blush a light hue of pink and she couldn't suppress her shy smile. "I must insist, Agent Mallard, that he is in good care."

"You can only assume, my dear. His assassin is still on the loose and I don't doubt that he will find out the agent's whereabouts. For all I know, he could be on his way here right now to finish his job. And I would hate to see an innocent like you get caught in the crossfire."

I flashed her my trademark smile once again, this time forcing a giggle from her. My charisma had yet to fail me.

Twenty minutes later, I was pushing Jacob Mallard out of the emergency clinic in a wheelchair. When the nurse had given him to me inside, he was still unconscious, and his head lolled to the side against his shoulder. I was also informed that his left leg had been permanently crippled and that he would more likely than not require aid to walk. As I wheeled him toward the black sports car, the cool, midnight breeze caused him to stir. I looked down at him with a sick grin when I heard him give a light moan. I wanted him conscious when I dealt him his card of fate.

Being still within the sight of the hospital, I carefully eased Jacob out of the wheelchair and into the front passenger seat of the Aston Martin. I even went so far as to fasten the seatbelt securely around him. If unfortunate circumstances arose, I didn't want him to crash through the windshield, let alone try to escape. Satisfied that he wouldn't be going anywhere, I casually closed the passenger door and crossed the car to get into the driver seat.

I started the car and looked over at Jacob. He was slowly regaining consciousness, but the drugs and painkillers were keeping him down. Perfect and to my advantage. His head swayed to the right and came to a rest against against the window. I could see him struggling to open his eyes.

"Hey, hey! Look alive, my friend!" I chuckled as I reached over and gave the side of his face a few light slaps. I grabbed him by the collar of the generic white t-shirt the hospital had changed him into for recovery and roughly pulled him to an upright position. I twisted my grip, forcing him to face me just as his eyes managed to open into small slits. I knew he could see me, however disoriented his vision might have been. "You want to be looking your best when you come face-to-face with Death," I growled malevolently before roughly letting him go. He fell back and slumped against the door.

I didn't know if he had slipped into unconsciousness again as I put the car into gear and drove off into the night. I assumed so. The first fifteen minutes of the drive were silent aside from the level humming of the car's engine. The roads were deserted aside from the occasional passerby vehicle traveling in the opposite direction. We certainly weren't heading in the direction of civilization.

I almost didn't hear the light, painful groan from the seat beside me. Thinking that I was just hearing things, I kept my gaze forward on the winding road in front of me. But then, I heard his weak, raspy voice.

"Who are you...?"

"I'm your worst nightmare," I answered, using a disgustingly cliché phrase. But this time, it had more meaning. I turned my head and stared into his cloudy, half open eyes and added darkly, "I am you."

Even though the medication limited his mobility and strength, I could see the reaction in his eyes. Shock, disbelief, confusion. And I still can't be sure to this day, but I thought I saw the slightest spark of fear deep within his mind. I chuckled and shook my head before gazing forward once again with a bizarre, upbeat demeanor--further proof of my insanity.

"Please forgive me for my hastiness in getting you out of that hospital," I said in a nonchalant voice, as if the current situation was nothing out of the ordinary. "But I must act quickly. It won't be long until SHUSH discovers that one of their prized agents has gone missing."

Jacob took in labored breaths to gather enough energy to speak. "What are…what are you talking about…?"

"Jacob Josiah Mallard. Age 38, married to a lovely blonde teacher by the name of Gail. Two children, Carolyn and Drake Mallard."

I turned my head to see the reaction on his face. Jacob's eyes had narrowed ever so slightly. The fact that I had conveniently fired off personal information about him and his family had sent a cold shiver through his body, but he was making a great effort to conceal that fact. I simply smiled and looked away from him. The reflection of the car's headlights off of the road shadowed my eyes, giving me a dark appearance.

"Pretty impressive, huh? I know all about you, and not just because we are one in the same mallard, my friend. I've been following you for a little while now. I've been observing you and your seemingly perfect life. I'm here to introduce you to the reality that all good things must come to an end, just like what happened to me."

Even as I monologued my notorious How I Turned Evil' story, my eyes would occasionally shift to the side. Although Jacob seemed helpless, I knew better than to underestimate him. He wasn't one of SHUSH's top agents for no reason. I saw him instinctively reach to his waist, where his handgun was usually holstered to his agent uniform. However, he had since been changed into hospital garments and he no longer had his weapon.

"Looking for something?"

Jacob looked up to see me holding up his handgun in one hand, which I had pilfered from his personal belongings while at the hospital. He gave me a weak but bitter scowl as I tossed the gun into the back seat.

"Now, where was I? Oh, yes. Have you ever heard of parallel universes?" I asked and flashed him a quick smile. "No, of course not. You're universe hasn't tapped into such technology yet. But mine has. I'm here from another world that contrasts yours. I'm Agent Jake Mallard. I am you."

My eyes pierced his through the darkness. I could see the shock and disbelief on his face and I turned away.

"But you know what? I admire you," I admitted, though I was unable to look at Jacob as I complimented him. "You've got an illustrious career in which you excel, you have a beautiful family, many close friends, you have all of the ingredients for a perfect life--and you haven't screwed it up yet!" I let out a laugh and slapped the steering wheel jovially. When I had regained myself, my attitude took a 180 degree turn. My eyes narrowed into a resentful glower and I lowered my voice to a threatening tone. I slowly turned my head to stare at my double. "Yet. I envy you, Jacob. And with envy comes assassination."

I had set the pieces in place for him. He took a few heaving breaths, desperate to get his adrenaline flowing so that he may fight back. "You...It was you who set up that false assignment…and ambushed me."

"Bravo," I applauded him darkly. "Whenever I shoot someone, it's usually never anything personal. It's just part of the job, you know? But this time, it is personal."

The car rolled to a stop onto the dirt shoulder of the lone road alongside the woods. I killed the car's engine and the only noises were the crickets chirping in the night. After I shut off the headlights, I passed Jacob a malicious smile before climbing out of the car. Through the dark windows, I could see him struggling to sit upright as I made my way around to the passenger's side. I ripped the door open and reached in to grab him, but I didn't expect his fist to swing through the air. His knuckles hit me in the lower jaw and, even though it was a relatively weak punch, it still took me by surprise. I had to shake my head to regain myself and let out an aggravated growl before I tried again. I unfastened the seatbelt, clamped my hands firmly around Jacob's shoulders and yanked him out of the car.He stumbled from my pushing force and fell face-first into the dirt.

"Come on, now. We can't do this here where someone may see us!" I took a hold of Jacob by his hospital shirt and began to drag him toward the woods. The dirt and rocks were brutal on his flesh as I pulled him mercilessly behind me. Tree branches and brush reached out and scratched his face. I could occasionally feel him pull against me in protest but it was a failed attempt. He was weak with painkillers and I was too strong.

About a hundred yards into the woods, I let go of Jacob and let him collapse onto the ground. He pressed his palms into the dirt and fought to lift himself, but I quickly delivered a swift kick to his ribs. The force sent him reeling backward and he landed flat on his back. He gasped loudly, desperate to pull the air back into his lungs. He stared upward at the clear night sky. The only light came from the full moon hovering overhead.

I stepped into view, looming above him. Then, I calmly crouched down beside him. I pulled out my handgun and traced its tip over Jacob's heaving chest. His eyes shifted to see my weapon, and he knew that he'd dare not make a move.

"You managed to escape my wrath once," I growled spitefully at him. "I doubt you will be so lucky to do it again. But just in case, allow me to give you a warning: You'd better not let me, or anyone else for that matter, find you!"

Jacob managed to twist his bill into a defiant snarl. "I'm not so easy to exterminate...No matter what you do, I'll still come back," he breathed through the pain he was experiencing.

I shrugged carelessly. "So be it. But I'll make sure that you won't be the one who suffers again. It'd be a shame if your family has to pay for your foolhardy decisions."

Although his movements were limited, I could see the reaction in his eyes. I saw a flicker of fear that further aroused my desire to see him suffer. I wanted to take away from him what was taken away from me. "Oh yes, I know all about your family, my friend. They were once mine, too. I know exactly where they are and I won't hesitate to go after them. And if you underestimate my ability to do that, then the consequences they will face will be excruciatingly disastrous."

The absence of sanity in my eyes proved to Jacob the seriousness of my threat. "You...leave them out of this...!" he hissed.

"Make yourself scarce and I will. It's as simple as that. Iam a man of my word. Whether or not you trust that will determine the fate of your family."

I chuckled triumphantly and stood up. Jacob continued to watch me as I passed by him and walked in the direction we had come. With my back to him, I didn't see him reaching for a large, sharp edged rock at his side.

With a second thought popping into my head, I came to a stop and paused. "But you know what, I'm not so sure I trust you. I think I'll just end this now."

I spun around just as Jacob had pulled his arm back to hurl the rock directly at my head. But I was too quick. I raised my handgun and fired.

BLAM! BLAM BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

Five shots embedded themselves into my identical counterpart's body. Jacob's back arched as each bullet pierced his flesh and I watched his body fall to the ground. Blood began to pour profusely from each wound in his lifeless form. I stared for a long moment, enjoying the sight without an ounce of remorse flowing through my veins.

My petty jealousy and buried self-loathing caused me to kill Jacob Mallard. It was an unjustified murder of someone who had done nothing wrong. Or so I thought I had murdered him.I didn't know it at the time, but that would not be the last I would see of Jacob. I had failed in assassinating him once again, but I wouldn't discover that for another seventeen years. A man's worst enemy is often himself. Being the same mallard as myself, Jacob Mallard would eventually become one of my worst enemies. We would spend years hunting one another. He would be after revenge while I would be determined to finish the job.

As I mentioned earlier, Jacob would only be one of my notorious nemeses. I would soon come face-to-face with another mallard who was thirsty for my blood and wouldn't rest until he killed me. The most relentless mallard I would ever know.

I had yet to meet Negaduck.