The patrol of Evronians marched into the launch bay toward the strange ship they had intercepted.
"One of you, guard the door. The rest will be coming in with me," barked the patrol leader. "If anything moves, blast it!"
"Sir, yes, sir!" the others chorused as they approached a hatch near the wing.
They came to a halt in front of the presumed entryway, allowing their leader to look up and down the ship.
He marched up and beat his fist on the closed metal doors. There was no response. Pressing his head to the hatch, he heard only silence on the other side. "You have been intercepted by the Evronian empire," he shouted. "Open your ship immediately or we will blast our way inside!"
The leader stepped back as the entry gave way, leaving a wide, dark expanse for the patrol to explore. They filed inside, blasters out in front.
The launch bay was silent for a few moments, the guard keeping his eyes and ears open.
Someone inside shouted, "There they are!" The guard could hear a flurry of blaster fire mingling with shrieks of pain, and then bodies slumping to the ground. He stood straighter, confident that whoever had decided to cross them was now exterminated.
All was normal again for some time before two patrolmen stepped out of the ship, their blasters holstered.
"What happened, sir?" asked the patrolman.
The taller one answered, "They ambushed us, but we got them before they could take us out. The others are looting their ship, so you can return to your former post."
"Do they need help inside?"
The tall soldier paused, but the short one answered for him, "That won't be necessary. The ship is sparse inside. Now get back to your post and don't make me tell you twice!"
"Y-yes, sir! Might and power!" He saluted and took off toward the control tower. The two other patrolmen saluted and headed in the opposite direction toward a wide archway that connected the launch bay to the rest of the ship.
The uniforms were undoubtedly Evronian, but the beings underneath them were not. If one looked close enough, they could decipher a black mask on the short soldier, and a purple mask on the taller one.
Luckily for Darkwing and Duck Avenger, no one would be getting close enough to tell.
The two disguised ducks marched down the corridor, passing multiple soldiers who seemed none the wiser. Darkwing knew this was a foolproof plan; he was the mastermind behind it.
Even if the uniforms were a bit of a nightmare to squeeze into.
"Ok, DA," whispered Darkwing, looking around the hallway. "You're the expert on Evronians. How do we corral a computer for our counterattack?"
Duck Avenger stopped to peek into an open room, then waved to Darkwing. "In here."
They ducked inside and Darkwing shut the door behind them. Glowing panels on the walls contrasted with dark amber metal, and in the corner was a terminal that took up a quarter of the room's space.
Darkwing glanced around for security cameras, spotting one just above him. He didn't want to linger longer than necessary.
Duck Avenger sat in the chair and pressed a button on his blaster. The body expanded and flattened as it resumed the shape of the X-Transformer.
"Alright, One, do your stuff, and hurry," said Duck Avenger, plugging in the universal cable into a port under the sprawling desk of keys and switches.
Darkwing hissed, drawing Duck Avenger's view to him. He pointed up, making the camera known to his friend. Duck Avenger rolled his eyes and turned back to the X-Transformer. "We've got an eye on us, One."
"I'd better handle that little problem first, then." One responded.
Darkwing tapped his foot and twirled the blaster in his hand. "How long until Mr. Chips cracks the code?"
"Should only be a moment. One can hack anything."
"For being a highly-developed alien race, their technology could do with a more complex encryption algorithm. I can access the technical layout of the ship down to the button, and even view every security camera."
"That's fine and dandy, One, but we're sitting ducks here and we still have no idea where...you-know-who is being held," said Darkwing, holstering his blaster aggressively.
"Just a moment...there! Cell PK-96 in the science sector!"
The monitor filled with live security footage and both watched as Gosalyn paced around, with Launchpad sitting against the wall, twiddling his thumbs.
"Gosalyn!" said Darkwing, overjoyed. "She's okay!"
"Perhaps not in a moment," One cut in. The cam view vanished in static and was replaced by another view of a hallway. "This is just outside their cell."
A robed Evronian stood opposite a door. He pressed his hand against the panel on the side and it whooshed open.
"Zoster," Darkwing growled, recognizing the foul specialist from Gosalyn's capture.
The Evronian with the black robe and horned headpiece was unfamiliar to him, however.
"And General Zondag," Duck Avenger filled in. "They're the ones in charge of this mothership."
Darkwing studied him as he entered the room.
The hall was empty for a brief moment until Launchpad walked out of the cell and was motioned by Zoster to follow him. Zondag brought up the rear of the procession with Gosalyn slung over his shoulder.
Darkwing's fists closed tight and rage bubbled anew in his stomach. "Where are they taking them?"
"It's likely they are taking Gosalyn and Launchpad to a laboratory to be Freezeflamed," One reported. "Or worse. Unplug me, DA. We've no time to lose!"
Darkwing's anger overcame him briefly, seeing them handle Gosalyn in this rough manner. "If they harm even one feather on her head, I'll DESTROY them!" he shouted, punching the terminal. The metal walls amplified and bounced the noise around the room, and both ducks gasped at how loud it seemed. Darkwing's stomach sank and he held his beak shut, listening closely for any out-of-place noise among the silence.
Banging erupted from the door.
"Nice job, DW," gulped Duck Avenger.
"Maybe they heard something else-"
The door flew open and an Evronian soldier strode inside. Darkwing and Duck Avenger both stood at attention.
"What's going on in here?" said the Evronian.
"Nothing, sir," answered Duck Avenger. "My colleague is only a little frustrated because this terminal is on the fritz."
"That's odd. It was inspected today. Step aside." He pushed past the pair and sat at the desk. Darkwing and Duck Avenger began to slink their way to the door, careful not to make any noise, while the Evronian tapped away at the monitor and at the virtual keyboard.
"What the-" he murmured, as the computer exploded, blowing him backward out of his chair. Both heroes were gobsmacked, frozen in place with their shock. The monitor was mangled, smoking and utterly useless.
The Evronian eased himself up and locked his sooty face with the two heroes.
They each loosed a gulp as the soldier picked himself up the best he could and studied the two heroes in disguise. "What in the name of Evron was that?"
Darkwing strained to think of an excuse. "Umm, well, sir, it must've been a simple virus from the network. Those pesky primitive programs can be quite the pain sometimes."
"I resent that!" echoed One's voice. Duck Avenger's grip slipped on the X-Transformer and it clanked against the floor in plain view.
The Evronian looked in surprise from the pair to the shield, then back to them. Duck Avenger flashed a nervous grin as he picked up the shield. The soldier's transition from discomfort to growling anger told them they had given themselves away.
They glanced at each other, then dashed out of the room as fast as they could.
"ROGUES! GET THEM!"
"That computer of yours may be smart, but he doesn't know squat about the element of surprise!" chided Darkwing.
"Forget that! Am I crazy, or did that computer just blow up?!" panted Duck Avenger as he and Darkwing hauled themselves down the corridor.
"Well, it wasn't any old Quackintosh!"
"One, what the heck did you do?!"
"I tested my theory and the results were very conclusive," the AI responded.
"Oh, you think?!" shouted Darkwing. They ducked in a doorway, conscious of the approaching footsteps back down the hall. "What type of theory takes a terminal from tough to totaled?!"
"Evronian computers have a hidden self-destruct function. I wanted to see if it could be triggered inside their operating system. Seeing as it can, we have an enormous advantage on our hands."
Darkwing jumped as a laser blast landed just beside his feet. "Yeah, if we can get to them in one piece after this!" He glanced over his shoulder to see multiple soldiers running towards them, blocking their path to the science sector. "Alright, time for payback."
He leaned out and fired his blaster. The shot sparked a whirlwind of laser blasts from both sides. Neither side gave an inch as multiple burn marks stained the walls.
"We've gotta break through that patrol!" shouted Darkwing, smirking as an Evronian crumpled from his blaster.
"Grab onto me, DW!"
"Wait, what?"
"Just trust me!"
As soon as Darkwing clasped Duck Avenger's arm, the two shot out from their cover and toward the patrol.
"STEEEERRRRIKE!" said Duck Avenger as he and Darkwing bowled right through the group of Evronians. Upon landing, they quickly stunned those that weren't already on the floor groaning.
"Best game of bowling I've ever seen, DA."
"Thank you. Come on!"
The two continued tearing through the ship, getting closer and closer to the science sector. The occasional Evronian got in their way and was swiftly disposed of.
"You're getting close," One informed them. "Climb into that garbage chute!"
"Care to run that by me again, Intel?" Darkwing said suspiciously.
Duck Avenger pointed up ahead at a wide grate against the wall. Seeing Duck Avenger rip open the cover and slide in, Darkwing felt like he had no choice, so he followed after, shoving the grate back in place as he did.
The two held their breath as feet passed above them. The quiet chatter told them they were safe, and the two ducks exhaled.
"Now what, One?" asked Duck Avenger.
"Just follow my lead."
The two began to crawl through the cramped metal piping, guided only by the X-Transformer's flashlight, and One's instructions. The chute was cold to the touch, the bare metal protected by a thin layer of slime.
Darkwing lifted his hand and saw the slime stretch from the floor to his hand. He stuck out his tongue in disgust. "At least there are no soldiers in here," he mumbled, shaking his hand.
The foreign substance around them provided ample incentive for Darkwing and Duck Avenger to speed up their shuffling. Time was of the essence, and who knew how long it would take to reach their destination?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: How long, indeed? They'd better hurry because Gosalyn's about to find out first hand about the power and innovation of The Trauma Project! The penultimate chapter comes Sunday!