AUTHOR'S NOTE: Short one for you this time. But I am uploading this every other day now, so I hope that makes up for it. Enjoy!

Darkwing's eyes eased open, then shut again quickly as bright light assaulted him. He groaned as his head throbbed with unrelenting rhythm. As his eyes gradually acclimated to the intense lights, he opened them all the way.

"Gosalyn?" As the memories resurfaced, dread settled like a rock in his stomach. She was with those unrelenting Evronians on Venus.

With this ultimate failure, he didn't deserve to be called the terror that flaps in the night. He didn't even deserve to be called a father. Not when he had failed to keep his daughter safe. The Evronians had gained the upper hand, so why shouldn't he have been beaten & tortured?

With Gosalyn gone, what was he? Also, where was he? There was no moonlight streaming in like in Darkwing Tower. In fact, there were no windows of any kind in this room.

The room was about as large as his own bedroom back on Avian Way. The walls were faint blue and neon green. He was laying in a bed, the white comforter covering him up to his neck. The foot of the bed faced a doorway with no handle. Instead, a small keypad was installed next to it.

A faint beeping sound drew him to his right, where an EKG stood. He also noticed an IV in his arm as it dripped a cyan liquid into his veins.

His head throbbed again, and he reflexively reached up to rub the ache away. A shooting pain ran through his arm, overshadowing his headache for a brief moment. He hissed as he raised his arm again, slower this time, and massaged his head, rubbing over gauze bandages wrapped there.

He was in a strange place, with no easy escape. What a fitting fate for a phony farce of a hero. But if he had his way, he would've rather died at the hands of the Evronians. At least his torment would've ended then and there.

At that moment, he was distracted by a voice. "It's good to see that you've returned to us, Mr. Darkwing." He jumped a bit and sat up straight in his bed. When his back throbbed in response, he grit his teeth and slowly sat back on the cushy pillow with a grunt. His head turned to the left and right, searching for the mysterious voice.

He was alone. And there didn't appear to be any place for someone to be hiding, apart from under his bed.

However, it didn't sound like it came from there. It seemed to emanate from everywhere as if the walls themselves were producing the sound waves. Adding to the mystery, there was nothing obvious that could have broadcasted the voice, like a loudspeaker or a TV.

"It's not every day that someone comes face to face with Evronians and lives to tell the tale," came the voice again. Its calming demeanor set Darkwing on edge. That voice could belong to an Evronian, and then he'd really be in some trouble.

...what if they found out his secret identity?

He pushed the comforter down to his chest, praying his costume was still on. He sighed in relief when he saw the familiar purple jacket, and his finger stroked the fabric.

On the edge of his vision, a monitor dropped into the room from the ceiling, displaying a pattern of green tinted static. Darkwing gasped as his adrenaline spiked. The static disappeared and, in its place, appeared an image of a duck's head.

"What's going on here?!" Darkwing yelped, his voice cracking in panic.

"Now, now, Mr. Darkwing, there's nothing to fear, but I must recommend that you refrain from exerting yourself," the floating duck head instructed.

Darkwing patted around his body searching for his gas gun. "Oh, we'll see who's exerting themselves after this, you…crazy…cranium." He trailed off as it became clear that he was without any weapon on his person. "Alright, what have you done with my gas gun?!" he demanded.

"Well, actually-"

"And what have you and your people done with Gosalyn?!"

"No, Mr. Darkwing, you're-"

"And quit with the 'Mr. Darkwing' getup!"

"You're not in the Astro-Raider, Mr. Darkwing. If you would be quiet for just a moment, I can explain-"

"Can it, Commodore!" Darkwing silenced the duck on the screen, then hissed as his back protested his attempt to sit up. "A simple computer can't hold Darkwing Duck back. I'm gonna make sure they never hear you aliens scream!"

"Mr. D- I mean, Darkwing, please don't." warned the voice. But Darkwing didn't want to hear it. All he wanted was revenge. For himself, and especially for Gosalyn. Injuries or not, he was getting out of this bed.

Cloth restraints suddenly ejected out from the sides of the bed and wrapped themselves around the hero. Darkwing exclaimed as they squeezed around his body, and he immediately began to struggle against the tight belts.

"Lemme go, you mechanical menace! You and your whole damn race won't hold me!" he cried. Struggle as he might, and as much as it hurt to do so, he was held down firmly to the mattress.

"I apologize, but it's for your own good," sighed the computer. "I understand you are worried about your daughter, but I cannot allow you to do this to yourself."

"Oh, you're worried about her, huh? How dare you?! You don't know anything!" Darkwing spat, thrashing on the bed more violently. The bed creaked as it jostled on the floor, and just as Darkwing was about to scream, the door whooshed open. He stopped and turned his feral gaze to the door. His beak dropped open at who he saw.

"What's all that doggone racket?!" came the distinct quacking of Donald Duck, who stepped inside, none too pleased.

One sighed in relief. "Oh, thank the maker. Donald, I hope you can convince our guest to lie still." Donald caught sight of Darkwing trapped in his bed and quacked in surprise.

"Donald Duck?! What are you doing here?! Never mind, get me outta this infernal contraption!"

"One, shame on you!" Donald scolded, running over to Darkwing's side. "You let him go right now!"

"I only did what was most logical to keep him from further injury.".

"Well, this isn't an asylum, One! Don't you know he's been through enough with those Evronian eggheads?"

As the restraints were retracted back into the bed, Darkwing could finally calm down. But one question was starting to nag at him. "How did you get aboard the Astro-Raider?"

"Drake, this isn't the Astro Raider-"

Darkwing gasped, then babbled a moment, eyes widened. "Um, uh, who's Drake? I'm not Drake-"

"Yes, I know about Darkwing Duck," Donald sighed. "You're safe here. This is Ducklair Tower in Duckburg. You'll have to forgive One, my partner," Donald pointed at the monitor, "He doesn't think like we do, but he's got good intentions."

"Partner? In what?" Darkwing looked at Donald confused. "You don't mean…"

"What? No! N-not like that!" Donald quickly said.

"Like what?" One asked, echoing Darkwing's confusion. "What's he talking about?"

"One, hush."

Donald paused briefly, deep in thought. It seemed like he was about to say something important, but Darkwing couldn't decipher exactly what.

"Look, you got me. You're not the only one running around in a costume every night. You wanna know how I knew about the Evronians yesterday?" His arms fell to his sides. "I fight them."

It took Darkwing a second, but as soon as the pieces connected his heart skipped a beat.

It had to be. Those newspaper photos were clear as day. How did he not realize it before?

He couldn't believe that…

"YOU'RE the Duck Avenger?!" he shrieked. As the words left his beak, his head throbbed its strongest, and he fell back on the bed, crying out in pain. His head felt like it was about to explode, but it lasted only a moment before he fell into black nothing once again.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Now Darkwing knows. He's sleeping like a baby now, but he's in for a rough time come The Morning After. See you Saturday!