-The Search.
"Liquidator?"
"Yes, Da…Darkwing. I'm almost sure. My friend Shirley said the water had an evil aura, and we all agree that the liquid wasn't acting in a natural way." Gosalyn explained to her father (obviously, covering his secret ID in front of her friends) thanks to the special communication sphere Morgana gave to her.
Normally, Gosalyn only used the sphere to contact her dad and Honker, her boyfriend, for friendly chats and, in the case of Honker, tutoring for Math and some long distance making out (the sphere allowed them to have some limited physical contact); this was the first time she used it to contact her dad in public, since she wasn't never sure about when he was using his Darkwing's disguise, but, of course, none of her classmates had ever been kidnapped by one of Saint Canard's most dangerous criminals. Right now, all her friends, including a more calmed down Hillary, and part of the staff (including Rita, Runt, and Minerva) were around her to hear the conversation; Darkwing couldn't see them, but could hear as well, so was pretty careful to not reveal his relationship with Gos since most of them knew he was her mentor, preparing the girl to be a heroine (some even deducing the girl's secret identity), but the father-daughter thing was still a secret, even if some of Gos' friends already were suspecting something.
"Gosalyn is right, Mister Duck." The J.A.M. said to the mallard, a little hesitant about using a magical way of communication, but recognizing the importance of giving the hero all the information they had. "Professor Coyote and our friend Calamity already checked all the windows and exit doors, and the reason we couldn't open them is because all the locks were magnetized except one. If Gos is right, then this Liquidator guy used that exit to escape with Ronald while Wally tried to get rid of the water."
"Magnetized?" Darkwing rubbed his beak in deep thought. "Liquidator obviously can't do that… unless someone is working with him."
"Megavolt!" Both Gosalyn and Darkwing exclaimed while looking at each other.
"This is more serious than I thought." Darkwing commented, and then went back to his thoughtful expression. "But it has no sense. Kidnapping isn't their style… and, if it was, there are pretty wealthy guys studying at the Looniversity, right?"
"Yes. My friend Rhubella and that Montana Max boy," Gosalyn pointed, "and even myself, if we consider I had been living with my rich cousins since I moved here. And yes, I thought the same thing; if this was just kidnapping, Ronald isn't the most prized target. In that case, Perfecto Prep would be a more adequate place for our fiends to attack."
"Good reasoning, Gos… but, if we consider Licky and Sparky normally don't work together, unless they are with the rest of The Bozo Squad, then this is far more serious than simple monetary benefits. Ronald has any enemies that might have paid them to kidnap him?" Darkwing asked.
"Well, The Perfectos once hired some hunters to catch him and some other members of the football team." Wally informed the duck. "But Perfecto's team is already out from the tournament, and, if they were behind this, then your enemies should have attacked other key players too, like Hillary, Dizzy, Buster, who is the quarterback and the guy The Perfectos hate the most; or me."
"Good observation, Wally. And if this was just a kidnapping, it would be done as secretly as possible, but it seems the attack was planned to make Ronald's disappearance to look like a lost toon's case during a freaky accident, or a stupid prank gone wrong, to avoid the cops get suspicious… obviously, Licky didn't consider Miss Loon sensing him." Darkwing then cleared his throat, ready to give some indications.
"Okay, here is what we are going to do. I'll try to get there as soon as I can, but right now I'm in the middle of the Atlantic with Launchpad chasing some clowns from F.O.W.L., so it's up to you to do something for the time being. First, Bugs, give the police all the information, including the possibility of super-powered toons involved."
"Count with dat, doc."
"Good. Second, I'm transferring all the data about my enemies from my main computer (good thing I can do it from the Thunderquack's one) to Wile E. Coyote's lab. It might be helpful for the investigation, and prepare some adequate weaponry to fight back their powers." Wile E. Coyote and Calamity got stern looks, nodding. "Then, some of you must try gathering information from the local criminals; they are a very valuable source of clues and hints."
"Leave that to me." Rhubella pointed to herself. "I might no longer be a Perfecto, but I still know some toons with underworld contacts… but I'll need someone to come with me for protection."
"You don't even have to ask." Wally placed a paw on her shoulder, and they nodded to each other.
"Great. The rest of you, try finding your friend by using your own abilities, but don't, and this is very important, DON'T try to rescue him without help." Darkwing got a very stern look. "Keep contact among yourselves all the time, and search in pairs or trios. We don't need another hostage here."
"Correct. Don't worry, Darkwing. We'll handle this, and thanks." Gosalyn gave DW a military salute, and Darkwing nodded in reply.
"Good. Please, be very careful, all of you… and Gosalyn? The whole not-fighting-alone stuff applies especially for you. I had made the mistake of trying to do a lot by my own without any help, and you know how it had ended." Darkwing said in a more gentle tone; he couldn't help but showing a little of fatherly concern, knowing he wouldn't be there to cover his little girl's back.
"I know, and you can be sure I won't do anything stupid. We all care too much about Ronnie to risk his life because of a silly mistake." Gosalyn seriously said, and then she and Darkwing gave each other a little smile. "I'll call you later. Good luck with your case, and you and Launchpad take care as well, please. See you."
The Masked Mallard nodded to Gosalyn, and then his image disappeared from the sphere, that immediately stopped glowing and returned to its regular smaller size. Gos put it back into her body pocket, and then Bugs took control.
"Ya all heard da duck. I'll contact da police, and Wile and Cal will do some lab work. For da search t'ing, I want all da flyin' toons on da air," Bugs gave a fast look to Tweetie, Sweetie, Daffy, Plucky, and Corcord, who nodded in reply, "and Buster and Babs doin' an underground search." The blue and the pink bunny got stern looks, and nodded as well. Bugs then walked next to Hillary.
"Goil, I want ya and all da other toons with a good nose to try findin' Ronnie by his scent." Hillary nodded, getting a decided look; now she knew that her beloved hybrid wasn't lost in an accident, but kidnapped by someone, her sadness was replaced with a directed anger, and the eagerness to find Ronald and give his captors a lesson that would horrify even Stephen King.
"Shirley, we'll need yer powers here." Bugs directed to the blond loon. "I've heard about psychics who help cops find missin' people, so ya might be able to locate Ron."
"Like… I can't promise anything, Bugs." Shirley admitted, avoiding eye contact with the rabbit. "My psychic senses aren't very trustable at the moment, or some junk. I doubt I might be able to find anyone even if he was under my beak." Shirley then sensed the extremely sad vibes coming from Ronald's parents, and Minerva as well, alongside Hillary's eagerness and concern, and sighed. "But I can promise to do my best."
"We expect no more, goil. Rita, Runt, I want ya two to go Minerva's place, and stay t'ere until we make some progress." Bugs said to the cat and dog in a calming tone while placing a paw on each other's shoulder. "We'll find da kid, okay?" Rita and Runt nodded, with a little hint of hope on their faces.
"Alright! Okay, toonsters, chose your search partners, and let's save our pal!" Buster exclaimed in his trademark leader voice, and right after everyone replied, he and Babs dived in the ground, starting their own search.
"Eet is time for some super fast searching, amigos!" Speedy Gonzales directed to The Roadrunner and Little Beeper, who were right next to him. "Andale, andale! Yeepah!" The three speedsters zoomed away, ready to search all around Acme Acres.
"This is a job for…" Plucky spin-changed, emerging a few seconds later in a blue superhero outfit with white cape and gloves, while adopting a heroic posture. "The Toxic Revenger!" A second later, he was up in the sky.
"Hope he doesn't forget he is supposed to be searching for Ronald." Hamton rolled his eyes before joining his other classmates and teachers to form the search teams.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"I wonder what the common avians are doing right now." Harrison Nigel Silverbill, one of Perfecto's top bad guys, commented to his partner, Drake Danforth.
"Who cares about them when we are alone with these beauties?" Drake chuckled while rubbing his beak with Giselle Swan's, who was sitting next to him. Nigel smiled widely, receiving a nice neck massage from Giselle's sister, Jasmine. The rich toons were currently sitting on a large coach, at a richly decorated private room (normally used as a second office for some Perfectos) in their country club, enjoying the wealth's privileges. The boys were using silk bath robes, while the girls used pretty expensive (and small) bikinis.
"So, how it's going to be, guys?" Giselle said while playfully rubbing Nigel silver-colored beak with her hand left hand. "One girl for each of you, or you want switch later?"
"Let's start, and see what passion decides, Gis." Nigel replied in a smug tone right before he and Drake got lusty expressions and started making out with the girls.
"Oh, sorry I'm interrupting. Believe me I didn't want to see this."
Drake and Nigel gasped, and Jasmine and Giselle fell to the floor in surprise. In front of them, Rhubella Rat was leaning her back against the door frame, folding her arms and showing a sly look.
"What the… what are you doing here, Rat?" Drake snapped at Ruby. "And how you got in on first place?"
"Hey, I attend Acme, but my family still has membership in this club, remember?" Rhubella pointed while walking in front of the avians. "Besides, it's not like I'm interrupting something that would take so long."
"How dare you…"
"I'm Margot's friend, Drake. She tells me everything." The rat cut the snobbish duck, who grumbled something under his breath. "Anyway, I don't want to talk with you, Drakey, but with Nigel. I need certain information about some business deals you do for your uncle here in Acme Acres."
"My businesses are private ones, rodent." Nigel growled, and then snapped his fingers, making two large dog bodyguards on black suits to appear from nowhere. "Boys, please show the exit to the lovely lady."
The dogs extended their arms to grab Rhubella, who didn't move an inch and gave them a bored look.
SWISH!
SWISH!
THUK!
THUK!
Nigel, as well as Drake and the swans, wide opened their eyes in surprise. The bodyguards were now hanging from the wall behind them, thanks to something that made contact on their suits' collars.
"Are those arrows?" Jasmine asked, finally getting back her voice.
"Yes… and there's the archer." Rhubella pointed over her shoulder. At the door, and still holding her bow in a shooting position, was a red-haired duckette using a large purple shirt with a huge Q symbol on it, as well as purple mask, gloves and clothing shoes, and green and purple cape and Robin Hood-like hat. She was also carrying on her back a quiver, filled up with several trick and conventional arrows.
"I'm the Arrow that Strikes in the Night. I'm the shot that never misses. I'm… The Quiverwing Quack!"
"Q… Q… Quiverwing?" Nigel gulped in fear. "You mean… Darkwing Duck's pupil?"
"That's right, Mister Silverbill." Gosalyn talked on her practiced superheroic voice, a little deeper and more menacing than normal, while advancing through the room, making the swans and Drake to move aside, leaving Nigel alone in front of her and Ruby. "I see certain familiar resemblance on you, especially with that beak. I suppose Miss Rat was right when telling me to come here."
"B… but… you can't be Quiverwing!" Nigel exclaimed in panic. "You are supposed to live in Saint Canard, not here!"
"And so Darkwing, and that hadn't stopped him from chasing your uncle all around the world." Quiverwing commented.
"This is a trick! You're one of Rhubella's friends in disguise!"
"Maybe… and maybe the same applies for the masked guy at the window." Quiverwing said in a smug tone, and then, in a perfect cue, a large shadow fell over Nigel; the toon projecting it seemed to be using a cape and a large fedora. Nigel turned at the window, but saw nothing.
"Let's see if we understand each other." Ruby talked in her best business voice, "You can assume she is the real Quiverwing giving you a chance to cooperate with the investigation she and Darkwing are currently working on without him interrogating you, and then you can finish this the same way you and Drake do with all your girls… fast and painless," Rhubella then switched to a more aggressive tone, "or you can keep thinking she is a fake, in which case we'll leave the room, and allow HIM to have a chat with both of you. He wouldn't mind giving Danforth some warning so he doesn't even consider about visiting my friend's Margot, who happens to be the cousin of his sidekick's best friend."
"Tell her what she wants, please!" Drake begged to the chicken, getting a terrified look.
"Fine, I'll talk! What do you girls want?" Nigel finally gave up. Quiverwing grabbed him by his collar and talked in soft yet firm way.
"We want to know if any outsider criminal has arrived to Acme Acres in the last 3 months. Also, if anyone had rented a hiding place, warehouse, or something like that, or bought some especial items, like lab stuff, high caliber or sophisticated weaponry, electric equipment, manure, or high tech."
"Well… curiously, someone has being buying a lot of all those things through some of my contacts. I don't know who is because everything was done pretty secretly; he paid in cash, so my associates made no questions." Nigel confessed.
"And where had those things being delivered?" Quiverwing narrowed her eyes at Nigel, making him to sweat in fear.
"A warehouse!" Nigel said while pointing to a desk behind them. "I must have the address in my agenda."
Quiverwing released him, and pointed at the desk with her eyes. Nigel dashed to it, and checked his agenda, ripping a sheet of paper after a few seconds, and giving it to the heroine in a hurry.
"Thanks for your cooperation, gentletoon." Quiverwing said to the chicken after checking the paper, and then placed it in her body pocket. "Guess I should leave now; you don't need to escort me. I know my way out." The duckette blinked an eye to Rhubella, and then walked to the window. The girl opened it, and, after getting a dramatic posture, jumped out, disappearing from sight in a moment.
"I'll better go as well. Good to see you guys again." Ruby said in a mockery tone, and then directed to the door.
"You stupid traitor…" Drake groaned in a low tone, but, unfortunately for him, Ruby could hear him. The rat stopped, and, without moving an inch from her place, stretched her tail until it was as long as a whip. A moment later, the tail acted like a lasso, grabbing the duck by his neck, and then Ruby made a hips' movement, sending Drake the other side of the room and smashing him against a wall.
"It's amazing what you can learn at Acme after just a few months, don't you think?" Ruby said in a snobbish way, and then exited the room while her tail returned to its normal size.
"That's my girl." A very proud Wally, who saw the whole scene alongside Gosalyn, hidden on some bushes outside the window, commented to the little avian.
"Yeah, and we played a great classic scene; she, the bad cop; me, the worse one." Quiverwing chuckled while pointing at herself. "And you do a very nice impersonation of Darkwing, Wally. Now, let's go check this address before calling the others."
Wally nodded to the girl, and then they dashed to the club's entrance to wait for Rhubella.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Meanwhile, the search by scent continued all around the city; the search parties were arranged to have a good nosed toon in company of at least two partners. Loud Kiddington, Aka Pella and Porky were searching with Fetch, Loud's Labrador; Newt (who had arrived at the Loo while the search teams were formed, and offered his help as well) was searching with Slappy and Skippy; Barnyard Dog was with Foghorn Leghorn and Pepe Le Pew (the skunk, of course, was walking REALLY far behind the dog, so his stench wouldn't interfere with the canine's job); Taz was with Granny and Petunia; Charlie Dog with Pete Puma and Fowlmouth; Dizzy with Sneezer and Bosko; Marc Anthony with Sylvester and Penelope; Arnold with Lola and Honey Bunny; and Byron Basset with Furrball, Vinnie and Hamton. All of them were looking on the streets, alleys, and warehouses, focusing on finding the criminals' hide-out.
Another search party, composed by Hillary, The J.A.M. and Mary was working on the sewers, all of them wearing protective gloves and boots, and, in Mary's case, who obviously wasn't using her nose for tracking, a gas mask (sewers don't smell exactly as roses). Hillary had deduced that it was the best escape route for a villain like The Liquidator, so she was focusing on finding the way he had used to transport Ronald rather than his current location, like the other groups, guessing that eventually she would find it this way. Even if The J.A.M. himself had a very good nose as well, it wasn't as accurate as a hyena's, so he was allowing Hillary to do most of the search herself, guessing it would help her as well to focus her anger on something useful.
"You think she'll be alright?" Mary whispered to her boyfriend while looking at Hillary, who was walking a few dozen feet in front of them to avoid distractions.
"I hope so, Mary, I really do." The jaguar sighed. "I understand her being this angry, I mean, if I were in her place, I would be looking at you like crazy and ready to tear apart the guy who dared to kidnap you," The J.A.M. paused to give Mary a fond look that she immediately replied with a little smile, "but there's a difference between anger and hate. Anyone can get angry, and many times there's a valid reason for that, but hate consumes you from the inside, and destroys your soul one bit at a time. I've seen it happen, and it's not a pretty sight." His eyes saddened for a moment as memories of some close relatives drifted through his head.
"I can hear the both of you, you know that?"
Mary and The J.A.M. gulped, realizing that their conversation wasn't exactly private. Obviously, a hyena's ear is pretty sensitive, especially in a good echoed place like the sewers.
"You don't need to worry about me, guys… but thanks for your concern." Hillary commented, turning back for a moment to give them a little smile, calming her friends down. She then returned to the matter at hand, but kept talking. "If there's a way to give a serious beating to a totally water-made guy, I'll find it, and I'm pretty much doing some major damage to anyone involved in this kidnapping. But, after that, and once I have Ronnie back at my side, and had sent the guys responsible to an emergency room, I'm not going to let our relationship get contaminated by hate. Ronald's love is the most valuable thing in my life, and I wouldn't do a thing that might affect it in any way. And, if Iget blinded by hate, I'm counting on you two to keep me sane."
"You know we have your back covered, Hillary." The J.A.M. commented in a serious yet relieved tone. "And… it's quite impressive how well you are managing this."
"Well, crying time is over for me, J.A.M." The hyena replied while taking a deep breath and closing her eyes in concentration, "Now, it's time for action, and getting my better half back with me and his family."
Hillary stopped talking then, and got thoughtful expression. The hyena froze on the spot, making her friends to stop talking and keep silence as well guessing she might have found something. The hyena took a second, deeper breath and, after a couple of seconds, opened her eyes and started moving, slowly accelerating her steps.
"This smell... it's so strong, and yet so soft…" The hyena said softly, sensing a perfect combination of a feline and a canine's scent that brought back many sweet memories, "I would recognize it anywhere!" Hillary exclaimed. "Only Ronald has a scent like this. I found him!"
Hillary sprinted, following her nose. The jaguar and the human girl nodded to each other, and then she jumped on the feline's back. The jaguar's feet made a spinning action, and then dashed in the direction the hyena was heading, trusting her nose and instincts to locate their friend.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Like, stop, Fifi. This is useless, or some junk."
Fifi sighed, and parked her Cadillac, as Shirley requested. The loon had tried to use her powers at home, but the evil vibes she had been feeling still blocked her psychic senses, so she couldn't locate Ronald after an hour trying, despite having his football uniform to help her focus. Fifi, who had been with her to give the avian company, and was told by her about her recent problems with her powers, suggested a more active search, driving around the city so the blonde could, probably, pick Ronald's vibes if they happened to get closer. Unfortunately, it seemed the plan wasn't working, since Shirley now was getting a pretty tired expression without making progress.
"Shirley, you have to clear vour mind." The skunk said to the loon in a concerned tone. "Zis way vou are just exhauszing vourself, and vou aren't useful for zhe search like zhis. Besides, moi am gezzing worried about vou."
"I KNOW!" Shirley snapped at the mammal, who moved back in surprise. Shirley calmed herself, and continued in a gentler tone. "Like, sorry, Feef, but this is frustrating, or some junk. I know my powers have limitations, but I should be able to do this… and I don't know if I'll be able to look at Hillary, Rita, Runt and Minerva at the eye again if I can't. They're counting with me, Fifi… and I'm failing miserably, to all of them, to Ronald, and even myself." Shirley couldn't hold back a few tears, and looked down at the uniform on her lap. She had always been proud of how her special skills had been useful in the past to help her friends, and now that one of them was in a major problem, she was as useless as a camel in Alaska.
"Shirley, maybe moi can make a suggestion." Fifi adopted a thoughtful expression, and then talked in a soft and calming tone. "Vou know zhat, when moi get excited, I can't avoid releasing mon fumes, and zhe scent is pretty szrong, right?" Fifi paused, and, after noticing Shirley's nodding, continued. "Well, Cal couldn't szand it at first, but now he can do it very well, and even likes it. When moi asked him how he could do zhat, he zold moi zhat, every zime zhe scent is getting hard to szand, he just needs to concentrate on something zhat keeps his mind away from his nose; he claims zhat he always focus on moi and our good zimes zogether, and zhat's more powerful than any szench." Fifi blushed a little at the last part, making Shirley to get her first real smile (even if just a little one) since Ronald disappeared.
"Moi have no idea about how vour powers work, Shirley, but it seems vou are having a similar problem; how vou can focus on something when a powerful external force is getting on vour way? Simple; don't focus just on Ronald's vibes, but in everything vou know about him. His voice, his relationship with Hillary, any nice memory vou might have concerning him…"
Shirley wide opened her eyes, and gave Fifi an impressed look. The skunk wasn't famous for being a highly intelligent toon, but the loon knew she wasn't exactly an airhead either; her friend was an avid reader (mainly romantic novels, but reader at the end), and had a pretty wide general culture.
"Like, that's brilliant, Feef! It might work!"
"Well, vou don't zhink a genius like Cal would fall for moi if I were just another pretty face, right?" Fifi got a proud expression, and then rubbed her chin. "Of course, it doesn't hurt that moi looks great in a bikini."
Shirley chuckled at her friend's vanity, knowing it was pretty much Fifi's only important flaw, especially since she started getting therapy to control the hormonal impulse that made her chase any creature with a back white stripe. The loon nodded at her companion, and then adopted her lotus position. Fifi moved a little apart from her, keeping silence to allow the avian do her job.
"OhwhataloonIam… OhwhataloonIam… OhwhataloonIam…" Shirley recited her mantra while emptying her mind from anything but whatever involving Ronald. The conversations they had, his gentle nature, the fights he had in Cartoon Violence, the times she and some other toons had discovered him making out with Hillary when then thought nobody was around (including the time they declared their mutual love), him playing at The Acme Bowl, his mighty roar, the conversations she had with Hillary involving him on any way, his accident with a few banana cream pies a couple of weeks ago in Cartoon Props, the fake fight he had with Mary to help her prepare a routine, him carrying Hillary on his back around the school at times and their first dance, right after The Acme Bowl…
Suddenly, Shirley got a vision. It was a blurry one, but a vision, no less. The evil vibes that had been interfering with her powers were still present, but in a more tolerable level, and now the loon had a general idea about where to go.
"Fifi, I found him!" Shirley wide opened her eyes, and stood up on the car's seat, pointing ahead. "Quick, it is right in this direction… it's pretty far, but I'm sure I sensed Ronald!"
"Moi knew vou could do it! Put on vour seat bealt, mon ami!" Fifi exclaimed, and after she and Shirley put on their seatbelts, the skunk turned on the engine and accelerated as fast as the car could.