"Welcome to the Ducklair Tower hanger!" said One, pride coded in his welcome.
Duck Avenger and Darkwing stepped out of the elevator and headed across the cavernous area for the staircase that led into Everett Ducklair's spaceship. Darkwing stared wide-eyed at its wonder all the way inside.
"I still can't believe you have a spaceship," he said.
Duck Avenger beamed. "Well, it's nothing like DASA's got, but I gotta hand it to Ducklair. It's a beaut."
"Who is this Ducklair, and why does he have a spaceship?"
"I'll tell you once we're at cruising speed, we gotta get going," said Duck Avenger, running to the front of the ship and strapping himself into the pilot's seat.
Darkwing followed suit, gazing at his surroundings all the while. "So did you take...spaceship lessons or something like that?" Whether the shake in his voice was from his excitement or apprehension, he couldn't tell.
Duck Avenger turned to Darkwing with a smug face. "I don't need 'em. That's why we've got One."
Darkwing followed his gaze to a grid of screens, where One's trademark visage popped up, spread across each monitor. "Only the best on Avenger Airlines. Are we ready for takeoff?"
"Ready," said Duck Avenger. "Ready, DW?"
Darkwing exhaled and steeled his nerves. He wasn't quite ready for space travel, but he was more than ready to give the Evronians their dues. "Ready, DA."
Duck Avenger nodded toward Darkwing, then sat back against the headrest. "One, let's get this jalopy airborne. Set course for Venus."
The machinery in front whirred into operation and plotted out their course in a series of beeps. Darkwing could see lines upon lines of code racing down a monitor in his peripheral vision. The scraping of metal against metal could be felt inside the cabin as One prepared for takeoff.
Then, when the beeping had ceased and the ship was silent again, One uttered one single word, "Detach."
The reactor beneath them fired off without warning, filling the cab with a low rumble. The ship began to shake as they were lifted slowly from the hangar, and into the sky above Ducklair Tower.
When it was clear of its dock, the ship began its mutation. Its front telescoped forward and morphed into a sleek, elongated shape, while powerful wings grew outwards from the sides.
"Activating densitometric hologram," said One.
"Densi-ma-what-now?" came Darkwing's puzzled tone above the roar of the engine.
"One's generating a hologram of the thing on top of Ducklair Tower so no one knows we're gone. You've seen it, right?"
"Yeah, b- What?! A-are you telling me the ship...is that thing?!" Darkwing sputtered.
"Master Ducklair always said the best place to hide something is in plain sight!" One confirmed.
Darkwing looked at the ceiling, speechless. "Who is this guy…?
"Hang on!" said One, and the reactor thundered to life and blasted the starship upward. Darkwing's could feel himself being pressed into his seat due to the intense G-forces. His teeth rattled as clouds rocketed past the windshield, giving way to the pure blue sky. Soon, the sky morphed from blue to empty black, and the ship's violent shaking died down.
Earth was behind them now, and the majesty of space was all that could be seen.
This must've been what astronauts experienced every day. As his head swam from the blastoff, he thanked himself for listening to his mom when she said he was never fit for space travel.
"Enabling artificial gravity. You are now free to move about the cabin," said One.
Darkwing could hear Duck Avenger unbuckling already, but he needed a moment more to catch his breath. Space travel was something he wouldn't readily try again, but at least the artificial gravity made it a more bearable concept.
"You alright there, DW?" Darkwing heard to his right. Duck Avenger was looking at him with concern.
"I'll be fine when we're back on solid ground..." he muttered.
"It was hard for me my first time too, but you get used to the speed after a while."
"It's all thanks to a cold fusion-powered reactor," One piped in. "A necessity so that we reach Venus before the next decade."
"I know! A little exercise'll make you feel better. Whaddaya say?" asked Duck Avenger. "I can even give you the grand tour."
Darkwing nodded, the daze in his brain having settled sufficiently. He unbuckled and joined Duck Avenger in walking toward the back area of the ship. "First of all, who the heck is this Ducklair you keep mentioning, and is he a genius or a loon?"
"A bit of both. On one hand, he invents these amazing devices that make him filthy rich. But on the other, his creative genius led to some...unintentional weapons of mass destruction."
Darkwing paled. "Yep, I'm gonna say loon," he mumbled, turning back to the walls of buttons and switches.
"Not many people could match his brain level, so he invented One to have someone to talk to."
"And to watch over his tower while he is gone," said One over the intercom.
"Wait, gone?" Darkwing asked, trying to find where One was talking from.
"Hoping to find a better part of himself, Master Ducklair sold his belongings, faked his death, and retreated to a Tibetan monastery for reflection."
Duck Avenger drew Darkwing's attention, standing next to a massive silver cylinder. It hummed quietly but otherwise held no clues as to its function.
"Uncle Scrooge bought up Ducklair Tower after he left and made me its custodian. That's how I met One."
"Is every floor of the tower like yours, DA?" asked Darkwing as he poked at what looked to be a life-sized glass tube connected to a terminal.
"No. Unk bought it to rent out the floors. You know how he is."
"Yes, I do," Darkwing grumbled.
"It's supposed to have 150 floors, but I counted 151, so I thought I'd investigate that quirk as the Duck Avenger. I was snooping on the roof for a way inside when a gargoyle swallowed me up and spit me out inside that secret floor."
Darkwing stiffened a bit as One entered suddenly through an orb in the corner. "I originally mistook him for an intruder. But my subroutines had allowed him access to the floor through Mr. McDuck, so I proceeded to introduce myself and offer my services."
"As I recall, you wanted a friend." Duck Avenger winked at One.
"Well, companionship is good for the silicon heart as well as the biological. And the rest, as they say, is history."
"Unbelievable," said Darkwing, rubbing the back of his head. "A robotic sidekick, next-century weaponry, and an honest-to-goodness spaceship? I guess next you'll be telling me you've got the fame as well."
"Fame is a sticky thing, DW. There's this reporter in town that'll smear my name any chance he gets. It drives me up the wall."
"He wouldn't happen to be called Angus Fangus, would he?"
"Actually, yeah. How'd you know?"
"Just some light research I conducted on your extraordinary exploits." Darkwing smiled pridefully.
Duck Avenger leaned against the wall. "You know, DW, I should've given you more credit on that call."
"It's ok, DA. Your reactions were understandable, if a bit overblown."
"What can I say?" shrugged Duck Avenger. "The ol' McDuck temper is a blessing and a curse." The two heroes laughed.
"I hate to interrupt this friendly diatribe," said One as they settled. "But we are nearing Venus, and don't have any semblance of a plan for retrieving Gosalyn."
Darkwing started to pace around the space, tapping his chin. "Let's see… We need to find out where she's being held, then we'll have a better idea as to how to carry out the rescue."
"Leave that to me, Darkwing," said One. "I can hack into their ship's layout and decipher exactly where she is being held."
"Seriously, how is there not ten thousand of him yet?"
Duck Avenger beamed. "I know how we can get One connected once we're inside the Evronian mothership. But we're gonna have to take out a couple soldiers."
Darkwing rubbed his hands together with a fearless gleam in his eye. "Not a problem, Avenger. Then once the area is ascertained, I'll retrieve Gosalyn and give those Evronians what for!"
"Excuse me," interrupted Duck Avenger. Darkwing looked back at him curiously. His hands were on his hips. "Remember what we agreed on?"
Darkwing sobered and cleared his throat. "Oh yeah, right. We'll give those Evronians what for."
"That's better," said Duck Avenger, nodding.
"You requested my presence, Zoster?" came a voice from behind. The Evronian scientist turned to see General Zondag standing inside his laboratory.
"Ah, yes. Welcome, General," replied Zoster, bowing. Zondag bowed in return.
The military officials and scientists held each other in equal esteem. The military conquered planets and provided emotional energy to aid the scientists in their creation of high-tech weaponry for the soldiers. It was a mutually beneficial relationship that granted the Evronians great success throughout the galaxy.
"I thought you might like to view firsthand what we hope to accomplish with the Trauma project," said Zoster.
"I am honored, great scientist."
The Trauma project was conceived as a means of mutating the perfect super-soldier for use in the militia.
Of course, accomplishing such a tall order would be no easy task. The Evronian scientists toiled away for countless hours theorizing what it would take to create this super-soldier, and, more importantly, what qualities would make him so.
Unmatched intelligence, the strength of a hundred of our soldiers, and an undefined psychic edge.
The breakthrough came when a particular substance was obtained from Jupiter. According to their tests, it would react with the brain's matter to awaken a dormant cortex, allowing their subjects to generate a wave of fear that can be sent telepathically to a victim.
All the pieces were in place to bring their perfect creation to life. Only one obstacle stood in their path.
The two Evronians stepped to double doors on the other side of the lab, and Zoster pushed them open. The lights came on as they stepped inside. "Here it is, General Zondag: the result of our arduous efforts."
Zondag beheld a sprawling machine. Zondag could make assumptions as to which parts did what, but these matters were not his area of expertise.
"Shall I walk you through it?" asked Zoster.
Zondag nodded. "I am eager to know more about your creation."
Zoster pointed to a table that stood front and center. "Here is where we house the test subject. It is connected to the main console, where the substance is fed." He sat in the chair and powered on the console. The machine hummed to life, the buttons on the console lighting up. "The machine converts raw emotional power into energy we can use to mutate the strength and intelligence we desire. Several tests have been successful in those areas. However, mutating the fear wave requires converting the substance into a special energy, and we have never had access to as large an amount as we would require."
Zondag smirked. "Until now."
"Precisely," Zoster concurred. "The measurements Commander Zargon delivered me were quite revealing to me. There's no doubt. She is the key that will complete the Trauma project."
Zoster stood up and walked to the bed. A helmet lay at one end, connected by tubes and wires to the console. "We strap the girl onto this restraint, and attach this device, which will extract her every emotional molecule, leaving her nothing but a mere Freezeflame." Zoster rubbed his hands together and chuckled devilishly. "The sheer volume of emotion will be strong enough to generate the reaction we need to fit the final piece in place, leaving us with the fuel we need to craft the perfect Evronian warrior!"
"A worthy opponent for that meddlesome Duck Avenger, and the undoing of Earth." Zondag smiled and bowed towards Zoster. "I congratulate you on a job well done, great scientist."
"By the way, General, the report you shared with me mentioned how easily Darkwing Duck was disposed of. But seeing as Duck Avenger arrived as the transport of Gosalyn was completed, I can't help but wonder if the two will mount a rescue."
"Not likely, scientist. He wouldn't dare."
"I hope so, General," snarled Zoster. "I would hate to see my efforts dashed over unforeseen circumstances."
"You have nothing to worry about, scientist. Just do your job, and we will handle any 'unforeseen circumstances'."
"General Zondag? Come in, General Zondag!" came a voice over his earpiece.
"Go ahead," the General responded.
"The tractor beam is drawing in a foreign ship."
"Send a squadron to the launch bay to inspect it, and report back to me."
"I obey, General." The voice of his subordinate vanished in static.
"It seems we have some unexpected guests aboard. Zoster, prepare the machine for your final test. I want the girl strapped in as soon as possible."
"Of course, General," Zoster replied. The general nodded to his cohort and left the scientist alone.
His soldiers deal with the intruders swiftly, and nothing else would stand in the way of their success. The ultimate goal was so close, Zondag could taste it. He envisioned lamenting Earthlings, decaying life, and a host of new slaves on the horizon.
And it was, oh, so sweet.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: You can probably guess which ship they've intercepted. Darkwing and Duck Avenger are ready for battle. Next time, witness the Earthling Invasion!