Magica waited outside of McDuck Industries' lab. The sun had fallen, everyone was asleep, and she knew only Gyro and possibly Fenton were still awake, burning the midnight oil. Manny might be up too, that dreadful magical man/horse creation. In terms of equations, he was the only variable she might have to worry about. She'd tread carefully and avoid interacting with him if at all possible.

She had debated whether she ought to wear a costume to conceal her identity and then realized her body type was too familiar to cloak. Likewise, she'd have to immobilize the security cameras and erase their footage. It was hard to be subtle when you were a giant duck. Magica scoffed, irritated with the form she had taken, but the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Mrs. Beakley's body might be ungainly, but her position to Scrooge was unrivaled, not to mention her access.

She found Gyro hunched over a computer keyboard and grumbling to himself. Fenton was polishing the Gizmoduck suit in a corner and passing out every few seconds only to rouse himself right after. Magica reached for her amulet, the one she'd ripped off Lena. She sent a powerful concussive magical wave through the room. Fenton succumbed immediately, but Gyro and Manny were resistant. Gyro looked up.

"Beakley, what are you doing here?" Gyro asked, spinning around. Her hand tightened on the amulet and he gasped. She cocked her head and considered the situation. Beating the crap out of Gyro had appeal, not the least because he'd always been a smarmy jerk. Alternatively, it wasn't exactly subtle. All fingers would point toward her and it'd out her.

Mrs. Beakley's consciousness stirred within her mind and she shunted it back down. She battered the woman's memories, too, and subdued her forcefully. She didn't care what became of her host when she was finished with her. If Mrs. Beakley was a broken shell, it didn't matter. It might even provide a modicum of amusement.

She sent out the magical wave again and Gyro stumbled. Manny, however, didn't. If a magical construct with Scrooge's head could look suspicious, it did. It pawed the floor and then pounded it, delivering a Morse code warning. She hissed. Of course-like calls to like. Magic calls to like. He'd recognize her in a heartbeat.

"Magica de Spell? Are you sure?" Gyro repeated.

The time for subtlety was over. She grabbed Gyro and squeezed her amulet. Like Lena had before, Gyro choked and Manny's pounding grew more frantic. He lowered his head as if he was about to charge and Magica waggled a finger at her.

"I could kill him, you know. Then where would you be?"

Manny kicked Fenton and the intern blinked blearily before falling back asleep. Her spell must've tapped into sleep deprivation. She snorted, glancing at her captive. All of a sudden, she had a much better idea. She wouldn't kill him. She wouldn't even put him in a coma.

She would turn him against Scrooge. Letting up pressure on his throat, she deposited him back in his chair. Gyro gasped, eyelids fluttering, and retreated up against the table. She could smell his fear and confusion. The former she delighted in and the latter induced a chortle. Poor little scientist.

"How could you be Magica de Spell?" he gasped out once he'd regained his breathing. "You're...but Manny's never wrong…"

He straightened up. "The Other Bin! Someone must have freed you!"

"Very good," Magica said. "And I know you wouldn't want this information to fall into the wrong hands."

"And that's exactly why I'm calling Mr. McDuck right now!"

"No. You're not."

She leaned into him and squeezed the amulet, not enough to choke him, but enough to deliver a reprimand. Gyro coughed and shuddered. She glanced up at Manny and her beak quirked into a cruel smile.

"If you interfere or tell Mr. McDuck, either of you, I will personally hunt you to the end of your days. I will make what's left of your lives utterly miserable."

"He defeated you once. He can do it again," Gyro spat out. She assessed him and then punched him in the face. With Mrs. Beakley's body, this landed with satisfying power and he sagged in his seat. He crashed into the computer table and then crashed to the floor. She snickered.

"You are going to ensure he doesn't find out. Or the consequences will be dire."

"You can't hurt Manny. He's not alive."

Damn. He had a point. She could subjugate Gyro and Fenton, but Manny had nothing to fear from her. As far as she knew, the magical construct couldn't be intimidated. That was problematic. If she had more time, she could examine the magical cords that threaded him together and unwind them. Did Scrooge know Morse code? He was old enough to have learned it and unlike the others, he had no reason to lie or conceal the truth to protect himself.

She needed to take the magical construct out without bothering to unwind the spells binding him and deal with the fallout later.

Squeezing her amulet again, she attempted to sever Manny's head from his body. When that proved too difficult, she froze the construct and, still iced, dumped him in the tank next to the lab. Lifting him was a nuisance, her magic far weaker than normal, and when she'd finished, she was shaking. It didn't help that this body wasn't a magical conduit. It also didn't help that when her concentration was elsewhere, Mrs. Beakley had surged up and knocked her to the side.

She could feel Mrs. Beakley's bewilderment and it ought to have been strong enough to punt her away again, but the ex-spy was stronger than her right now. Gyro was watching her with wide eyes and Magica knew he was assessing the situation.

"You don't have your full powers," he surmised.

"Erase the footage. Turn the cameras off," she ordered and grabbed her amulet. She followed up by striking him again. It felt like both she and Mrs. Beakley were controlling the body, which was disconcerting for both of them. It was like everything was being seen and felt twice as much.

"You're possessing Mrs. Beakley and you can't completely control her."

He sounded smug again and she snapped. She grabbed him by the throat and applied pressure. Appalled, Mrs. Beakley fought her control and she was waging a war on two fronts. Gyro was struggling, though he was pathetic in comparison, but Mrs. Beakley was determined to protect the scientist and regain her body.

"Tell me how to erase the cameras," she hissed. "Or I'll kill you. I don't need magic to destroy you."

"You may not," he gasped out, "but Mr. McDuck is going to be awfully suspicious if you kill me. Especially if he suspects foul play."

She'd taken the time to put on gloves, but the cameras would give her away, regardless. Gyro's refusal to cooperate was getting on her every last nerve. She shook him so hard that his eyes rolled and his teeth probably rattled.

"If you want my help, then you're going to have to be less aggressive."

"How dare you dictate terms!" she snapped. She yearned to murder him, despite knowing that it'd tip her hand. How had he survived being this irritating for this long?

"You need me," he said and she loosened her grip. "Let's face it. Mr. McDuck has a huge security leak right now and even if you kill me, my death isn't going to solve the problem. It'll be the beginning of your problems."

He had leverage. Oh, how she loathed him.

"What do you propose?"

His eyes flashed. "You have nothing I want. I, however, have a few things you want. Namely, the ability to reveal you at any time."

Magica cursed inwardly and Mrs. Beakley laughed in her mind.

((Hoisted by your own petard, eh, Magica? You tried to blackmail Lena and it only worked because she's afraid of you. Gyro isn't.))

"You don't care if I kill you?" she snapped.

"Like I said, killing me solves nothing and only complicates the matter. Besides, alive, you might be able to get what you want. If I'm dead, Mr. McDuck will find out where Magica went and chase you out."

"You assume he can."

"You assume he can't. When it comes to betting on Mr. McDuck, I'd put my money on him."

Fenton was the only variable here that had behaved properly. Glowering at him, she sat in a chair near Gyro and folded her arms across her sizeable chest.

"What do you want?" she spat.

"Like I said, you have nothing I want. However…" he smiled and his eyes lit up with scientific curiosity. "I wouldn't mind examining your amulet. I'm curious as to how you have any magic at all when Mrs. Beakley doesn't."

Great. She was a science experiment.

"If you let me examine it, I promise I won't tell Mr. McDuck that you were here. Or whose body you're possessing. But-if you threaten me one more time, I'll tell him regardless. And this is a limited time offer. When I'm done with the amulet, you can't buy my silence."

Magica swallowed back impotent rage. She couldn't believe this was happening. In her mind, Mrs. Beakley was not bothering to conceal her mirth. Magica briefly considered murdering her, even if it'd leave her without a body to inhabit. Holy expletive.

"Do we have a deal?" Gyro asked.

At best, she'd be postponing the inevitable. Once she had the dime, however, she'd be in a position of power over him. And she might consider changing bodies to Scrooge and then destroying Gyro. No, she'd rather do that from her own body. Wearing someone else's skin was turning out to be highly vexing.

"Yes," she said through gritted teeth. "We have a deal."

Holding out his hand, he offered it to her and she shook it. She handed over the amulet, the tingle of power on her fingertips tantalizing. She could still knock him out the mundane way. Knock him out, and...oh, no. Wait. She had a much better idea.

If she slipped from Mrs. Beakley to Gyro, who would believe Beakley when she told Scrooge that Magica had changed bodies? He wouldn't be able to prove Gyro was possessed without his inventions. Moreover, the irascible genius would be aloof normally and prone to feeling insulted by the smallest slight. This wasn't how she'd planned things and it'd be a circle removed than what she'd like to get the dime, but it would solve the problem, albeit temporarily.

Squeezing the amulet, she wiped Mrs. Beakley's mind and then threw herself into Gyro's body. The chicken scientist stumbled and Mrs. Beakley fell over. The vessel she'd been in before was too large in terms of physicality but too small in terms of room to maneuver with Mrs. Beakley's personality. If she'd thought Mrs. Beakley had a strong force of will, she'd been mistaken. Gyro was infuriated by her intrusion.

But it didn't matter. The brief touch had been all she needed. Using Gyro's knowledge, she purged the cameras and glanced at Mrs. Beakley. Ideally, she'd have kept her for a pawn, but her magic wasn't good enough for that yet. Once she had the dime, it'd be another story.

Oh, well. She was sure that loose end wouldn't come back to bite her in any significant way.

Working in Gyro's body was irritating, more so than being in Mrs. Beakley's. For one thing, although she had blindsided both of them, Gyro's corrections and insistence on doing things a particular way drove her mad. For another, she couldn't shut him up. Apparently, she was "moving his body all wrong" and she "had no sense of what she was doing". She could just picture how Mrs. Beakley would have responded to that.

Of the housekeeper/ex-spy, she hadn't been able to move her. When her magic had renewed, she'd dragged her into a closet (to which Gyro had remarked, "Oh, that's not suspicious at all!"). She found herself doing what Gyro had wanted, which was examining the amulet, but not quite in the way he'd wanted. It was easy to access his knowledge and because his mind was so well organized, she flushed out what she wanted in terms of shielding herself from Scrooge's influence. Using magic and science together, she hid from supernatural or scientific detection.

With that accomplished, she forced Gyro to the closet door ("why did you bother to put her there in the first place if you were only going to take her back out?"), wiped his mind as soon as she forced him to open the door, and then grabbed Mrs. Beakley back again. Mrs. Beakley knocked Gyro out, again wiped the cameras, and then departed. She might be leaving a trail of oddness behind her, but she doubted Mr. McDuck, crap, she meant Scrooge, would have noticed. Gyro probably wouldn't report what little he remembered to Scrooge and Mrs. Beakley had had no opportunity to do so.

With her work completed, she decided the body could use some sleep. She shuffled off back to the manor to catch some shut-eye before moving forward with her plan.

Morgana Macawber was not happy. She was also exhausted, having spent the entire night tossing and turning when she wasn't awake and staring at the ceiling. Negaduck was irritatingly cheerful this morning and it made her want to pluck his feathers off. He hadn't even gotten what he'd wanted from her and yet, he acted as he had. Well, maybe he'd gotten some of what he wanted. Darkwing Duck was miserable and yearning for her.

Negaduck strutted around the place like the king of the farmyard. With all of their ill-gotten gains and her on their side, it looked like he didn't have much left to plan. That had to be wrong, however. Negaduck was never satisfied. Unfortunately, he didn't trust her enough to divulge what was next up.

Darkwing's total and complete humiliation was probably a good place to start. Darkwing didn't show his face during the day, not as his superhero self, but if he ventured out as Drake Mallard, Negaduck would have him pinned. If Darkwing had an iota of common sense, which was debatable, he'd be holing up in his lair. Negaduck hadn't asked her where that was, for which she was grateful. However, she bet it was a temporary reprieve. It'd occur to him sooner or later without her prompting.

Now that they were in his planning room, which was an old office he'd taken over in one of the skyscrapers, she gravitated toward him. He gestured for her to join him and she sat on his lap. The proximity made her mentally squirm. Negaduck grinned and wrapped his arms about her waist.

Negaduck also had plans for any other superheroes that might be hiding within the city. The only one that came to mind besides Darkwing was Gizmoduck, who resided in Duckburg anyway. They'd have to lure him here to defeat him. Morgana didn't know Gizmoduck's weaknesses and neither did Negaduck, hence their brainstorming moment now.

The Gizmoduck thing wasn't personal. It was more like tying up loose ends. They didn't want to take the chance that someone might be able to thwart them. The St. Canard police department was a joke. They didn't even enter into the equation.

She let the villains' discussion wash over her. Her hands were wandering, against her will, and she ignored that too. She wouldn't focus on how little power she had here. Did Darkwing have her familiars? Was he taking good care of them despite everything?

She didn't know. She didn't know if Gosalyn was safe either.

It sounded like Negaduck was giving up on Gosalyn, at least for the time being. He didn't think she was that important and, to her horror, she found herself speaking and interrupting. Negaduck hated interruptions, but this was important. And entirely contrary to what she wanted to say.

"Darkwing told me Gosalyn told him about when she'd accidentally jumped to the future and he'd gone insane after losing her for a few years," Morgana said, breaking another confidence. She hated herself.

"Interesting," Negaduck said and nuzzled her. Bile rose in her throat. "Thanks for the tip. Do you have any idea where Gosalyn might be?"

"Duckburg," she blurted before she had a chance to even attempt to curb her beak.

"Where in Duckburg?" he asked, eying her with increased interest.

"McDuck Manor."

She cursed inwardly. She had no control over her body anymore. Negaduck took what he wanted and whatever was left over, she kept. That was precious little.

Negaduck mused about this. "That's gonna be a hard nut to crack. That man's security is legendary."

He turned to face her completely. "You don't know where Darkwing's lair is, do you?"

She fought the confession tooth and nail. She fought so hard she gave herself a headache and doubled over, the pain unyielding. Lights flashed before her eyes. This last would be the ultimate betrayal of him. It'd lead to his destruction-Negaduck would be able to kill him at his leisure, especially when Darkwing was vulnerable.

"She doesn't want to tell you," Megavolt commented. "You're hurting her."

Negaduck frowned, thoughtful. "The compulsion should've forced it out of her. Is she that attached to Darkwing?"

"We could wait for him to come to us," Bushroot suggested. "It wouldn't be much fun to defeat him when he's down and out."

Negaduck weighed this and Morgana relaxed slightly. She wasn't sure why Bushroot and Megavolt were arguing in her favor and she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"You're right," Negaduck decided. "It wouldn't be much fun if he didn't put up a fight."

Morgana gasped, tears pricking her eyes, and went limp. Only his arms about her waist kept her from collapsing to the floor.

"It's possible that the compulsion may not work if it's something that's antithetical to her being," Bushroot commented.

"She loves him that much," Negaduck sneered. "I'll figure out a way around that."

He dumped her on the floor and Morgana gasped, willing strength back into her limbs. She'd tried so hard to protect her Dark. This was the best she could do. At least she'd succeeded in keeping the information to herself, no matter that the trauma from doing so was battering at her even now. She was fighting sobs, the pain was so intense.

Negaduck watched her with a cool air. "Sorry."

He wasn't sincere in the slightest and she would've given him a rude gesture if she could have.

"What do we do now?" Liquidator asked.

"We wait until nightfall," Negaduck decided. "That should give him plenty of time to recover and be his usual pathetic self before we crush him. Then we move on Duckburg. Gizmoduck and Gosalyn should be enough for us. Their criminals won't dare stand in our way, not with Morgana's help."

He assumed she wanted to assist him. Then again, she assumed she had a choice in the matter. Morgana blinked away tears and rubbed her eyes. Negaduck tilted her head to look up at him.

"I don't hold it against you," he said softly. She wondered if, in whatever small capacity he had for love, if he did care for her in a twisted way. "You can't help it. You'll change your mind, of course, once you've seen how feeble and wretched he is."

Don't count on it.

When the meeting was over, Megavolt helped her to her feet.

"Why did you help me?" she whispered once Negaduck was out of earshot.

"We all hate Darkwing Duck," he said with a shrug. "But there's a difference between fair and unfair. And going after Gosalyn and hitting him when he's down isn't how we operate."

"We want him to be at his very best when we trounce him," Bushroot added. Gratitude rushed through her and she could hug them.

"Thank you," she said.

"We're not doing it for him," Quackerjack scoffed. "We're doing it for us. Don't get the wrong idea. We want to see him gone too."

"But we get love too," Megavolt added quickly and she didn't miss the sidelong look he exchanged with Quackerjack. "So...might as well give him a fighting chance."

They shrugged as one and trooped out, leaving her alone with Negaduck's model of the city on the conference table in front of her. She gazed at the bridge and sighed. She'd granted Dark a brief delay, but that was the best she could do, and she'd betrayed Gosalyn. Would Darkwing ever forgive her for this? Would she ever forgive herself?

Negaduck had to assess McDuck Manor by the light of day. The security system, the DT-87, was supposed to be the best in the business. Of course, if he took it out with a few bazookas, that might take care of any further problems. Darkwing wouldn't be completely destroyed unless he took away Gosalyn too. Negaduck had a hard time understanding that. To him, NegaGosalyn was an annoyance and someone to ignore, not to care for and cherish like a daughter. She was a liability and therefore, someone he kept out of the thick of things.

He stared up at the iron gates and the speaker beside him crackled to life. He hissed. As this had been a scoping out mission, he hadn't brought weaponry with him. He didn't see a security camera, but that didn't mean there wasn't one. It was entirely possible that Scrooge had secreted it away. He glanced to the side, where Morgana was waiting impatiently, arms folded across her chest. Even knowing she was infuriated with him and would probably try to kill him once the compulsion ran its course, she was still breathtakingly beautiful.

"Morgana?"

It sounded like Gosalyn and he looked into the camera set above the speaker box. If the camera was in black and white, he might be able to fool Gosalyn into opening the door for him. Plus, he was willing to bet that Darkwing hadn't told her about Morgana's new allegiances.

"Hey, Gosalyn," Negaduck said smoothly, pitching his voice to sound like his hated nemesis. "We just came to check up on you and make sure Negaduck hasn't shown up."

"Why would he?"

Beside her, he saw another duckling with a bow in her hair. The second girl eyed him suspiciously and murmured something too low for Negaduck to catch. That second girl could be a problem, especially if she invoked Gosalyn's normally paranoid nature.

"He-I mean-I didn't tell you? Negaduck's on the loose in St. Canard and has plans to take over Duckburg too," he said, praying she didn't notice the slip-up.

"No, he didn't mention that."

Her tone was flat and she eyed the camera. She reached for a button and the gate slid inward. Negaduck smirked, careful not to show his sharpened teeth and ruin the effect. He gestured for Morgana to follow her, which she did. After that last little display, he wanted to keep her close. She'd defied him once, but it wouldn't last. The compulsion wouldn't allow it.

Negaduck halted, realizing after the gates opened that the ruse would be discovered as soon as she saw him in the flesh. He might resemble Darkwing in black and white, but the bright yellow hat and suit would be a dead giveaway. He'd have to move fast, then.

Gosalyn opened the door and Negaduck beamed at her. He inclined his head toward Morgana, who raised her fingers and ensorcelled Gosalyn. The second girl was right behind Gosalyn and tackled Morgana to the ground. Gosalyn's eyes were wide as she struggled within the magical confinement.

"Webby, no! She's on our side!"

"If she's on your side, then why is she working for Negaduck?" Webby countered.

Good question. The brat was observant. That wouldn't do.

Negaduck snapped his fingers and Morgana struggled to her feet. Webby had managed to pin her, which was both impressive and worrisome. It was impressive that a child of that size could take down an adult and worrisome because he didn't need his plans unraveled by a child. Gosalyn fell to the ground, half in and half out of the front door, and Negaduck grimaced. The longer this went on, the greater the chance someone would notice and intercede. He needed to end this now.

He grabbed Gosalyn, sensing that Webby wouldn't attack him if he had her. Webby halted as he pressed Gosalyn against him and brought out a gun.

"Stay. We have what we want," Negaduck snapped. "Don't do anything stupid."

Webby didn't look cowed. Instead, she looked like she was considering her options. Negaduck's temper flared. How dare she assume she had any. How dare she look at him like that. He shifted the gun from Gosalyn's temple to raise it to Webby's and Morgana's control over Gosalyn loosened. Gosalyn elbowed him in the stomach and he doubled over, firing the gun by reflex. The sound echoed in his ears and left them ringing.

When the smoke cleared, he cast about to see whether he'd hit anyone. Gosalyn appeared unharmed, as did Webby. Thankfully, Morgana hadn't been hit either. The shot must've gone wide. That was a relief, in that he didn't have further complications.

Negaduck retrieved his gun and Morgana rose to her feet. Her hands glowed and she froze both girls in place.

"We can dump 'em in the Negaverse," Negaduck suggested. "By the time he realizes they're there, it'll be too late."

"What did you do to my dad?" Gosalyn demanded. "Why is Morgana working for you now?"

Could he turn Gosalyn the way he'd turned Morgana? Or would he be juggling too many balls? Frowning, he surveyed the girls. Decisions, decisions.

Darkwing would know if Gosalyn had been turned evil. Why he hadn't figured it out with Morgana yet, he didn't know, but the chances of Gosalyn betraying him were slim. Gosalyn was nothing if not loyal. No, he couldn't turn her. She'd never side with him-her hatred was too strong and her love for Darkwing likewise too powerful.

He glanced over at Morgana. Was her passion for Darkwing too strong too? Would that mean that she might be able to break the compulsion before its time was up?

Well, they couldn't stay here. They'd be attracting attention sooner or later. The housekeeper was there.

"This isn't what it looks like," Negaduck said. Mrs. Beakley snorted and Morgana blinked. She was studying the housekeeper carefully, far more scrutiny than she merited.

"Granny!" Webby cried out.

"That's not-" Morgana started and then her beak sealed shut. Mrs. Beakley edged them out of the house and closed the door on all four of them. That was odd behavior if Negaduck wanted to follow up on it. He didn't. There was enough to worry about logistics-wise.

"Take 'em with us," he decided. "And while we're en route, you can tell me all you know about Darkwing's lair."

"Something's going on with Granny," Webby muttered as Negaduck shoved her into his version of the Ratcatcher's side compartment along with Gosalyn.

"Same with Morgana," Gosalyn muttered back.

"Can't you shut them up?" he demanded of Morgana, who obliged him immediately. She looked away.

"What was going on with the housekeeper, anyway?" he asked as he revved the engine and Morgana slid behind him on the bike.

"I...I can't say."

Negaduck revved the engine again. He didn't believe that for a second, but he was willing to let it lie for now. They needed to get out of here before Gizmoduck showed or Darkwing went to check on his daughter.