Death of a Salesman
When Bud Flood opened his eyes, he found himself in an odd place. Figuring that he would be strung up on the cross again or at least tied up, he found that the rope that had bound him was gone and his back was up against something wet and cold. In fact, all of him was pretty cold. Wrapping his arms around himself and blinking his eyes to bring his vision into focus, he realized that all the walls and floors were covered in ice. Several jugs of frozen water were scattered about the cold room, along with miscellaneous crates and the canine came to the conclusion that he had been thrown into a giant fridge.
"Are you awake now, Buddy?" A nasally voice brought his attention back to reality. It was Megavolt, who was sitting across from the water salesman, that had asked him the question. His yellow jumpsuit was scratched up and Bud could make out burns on his forearms. The rodent seemed a bit drained, but he was otherwise okay, much to Bud's relief.
"I am." He answered politely. "I'm glad you're still alive. Where are Quackerjack and Bushroot?"
"We're both here." Quackerjack answered from farther down in the fridge. He scooted closer to Megavolt, so that he wouldn't have to shout at the canine to talk to him. The jester was also scuffed up a bit, with burns on his legs and part of the left side of his hat missing. Bud also noticed a bit of discoloration by his right eye and figured that he must have gotten a black eye during the fight at the Tower. "Wherever here is, anyway. Bushy's sitting beside you." The jester informed him before he could ask.
Bud turned to his right and, sure enough, there was Bushroot. The half-plant half-duck was curled up into a ball, obviously trying keep warm as best he could. His arms were wrapped around his legs, with his right arm still ending at his elbow. He smiled weakly at the canine as his breath showed up clearly in the frigid room.
"H-Hi Buddy. I-I'm glad you're awake, though I'm sorry that you're here." The botanist's voice was shaky and, even though the water salesman could tell he was trying not to show it, it was clear that the green duck was miserable in this place. His purple petals seemed to have lost a little color, even wilting a little.
"I could say the same to you. This kind of temperature can't be good for a plant." Bud replied sympathetically.
"It's not," Bushroot admitted through chattering teeth, "but I'll live. I've been run over by a lawn mower and I'm still here today. A little cold won't do me in." He tried to give a reassuring smile, but a piece of ice broke of the wall and slid down his back causing him to tremble violently. Feeling sorry for the plant duck shivering in this cold room, he took off his business suit coat and offered it to the mutant as a blanket.
"Here, use this. It should help a little with the cold."
"N-No that's okay. I don't want you to get sick by giving up your coat for me."
"Take it." Bud said firmly and wrapped the coat around Bushroot. The plant duck stopped protesting and huddled into the thick fabric that had been warmed by the dog's body heat.
"Thank you." Bushroot said sincerely.
"No problem. How's your arm?" Bud inquired kindly. The arm had stopped bleeding sap, but the business dog was still worried about it.
"It'll be fine." The other told him reassuringly. "Some of my plant cells have grown over the wound. Once I get some sun light and plant food, I'll regrow my forearm and it'll be as good as new."
Bud nodded in relief before lapsing into silence. It had been an awful day for all of them—that much he could say without question. He studied each face in the room and saw they all wore the same bleak expression. Misery was clear in all of their postures and it wasn't just from the bitter cold. Everyone in the room knew that today might be the last day of their lives. An incredible feeling of guilt overwhelmed Bud Flood as he realized he was responsible for all of them being there now. He let out a long, sad sigh and set his gaze on the icy floor.
"I want to apologize to all three of you for the mess we're in. If I hadn't been so stubborn and listened to you guys about Morgana none of us would be sitting here now." Bud closed his eyes and put his head against his closed hands. "I'm so sorry..."
If he was looking up, he would have seen the shocked expressions on Megavolt's, Quackerjack's and Bushroot's faces. Megavolt quickly shook his head in protest.
"No, Buddy, you shouldn't blame yourself! It's not your fault for what happened." The electric rodent met the eyes of the water salesman before continuing. "After all, you're only here because you decided to help us."
"That's right." Quackerjack nodded with a pout on his large bill. "It's us who should apologize to you. We should have never asked you to play for our team, especially since we knew that it would put your life in danger."
"Well, in your defense, I would have tried to stop Negaduck whether you had asked for my help or not." Bud replied with a small smile. "He would have come after me eventually, so I don't want you to feel bad about it."
"That's nice of you Buddy but even so, the truth remains that we weren't able to rescue you." Bushroot said sadly. "It's like Negaduck always says. We're just a bunch of losers..."
"No one should endorse anything that he says, particularly at a time like this. Inside sources know that he got a bachelors degree in Pathological Lying." The water salesman scolded as some of his normal energy returned to his voice. The remark earned him a small smile from the plant duck next to him. "Anyway, I would have died alone on that cross today if you hadn't come for me. The three of you broke into Negaduck's house, infiltrated his Tower and did your best to rescue me. None of you had to do that for me and most people in this city wouldn't have bothered. Believe me, proper character analysis shows that these aren't the actions of losers."
A quiet moment passed between the four of them. Megavolt, Quackerjack and Bushroot all looked at Bud with smiles on their faces and the canine could only smile back. None of them knew what to say to each other, but it didn't matter. They were in the company of good friends and it was enough to make even the grim situation they were in a little better.
In the calm of the moment, the water salesman took in more of his surroundings and found that they seemed familiar to him. There was a wooden box a few steps away from him and as he glanced at the logo that was covered over with frost he sucked in his breath.
"I know where we are." Bud slowly stood up and brushed off some of the ice on a nearby crate. A grimace appeared on his face as the familiar logo confirmed his theory. "We're in the freezer at my bottled water factory. Negaduck is probably contaminating my water supply as we speak."
A sharp twinge in his leg reminded him of the threat he had been issued before he had been knocked out. Sucking in his breath, he sank back onto the cold floor to ease the pain in his left leg.
"What's the matter?" Quackerjack inquired with concern as the canine continued to take deep breaths to ease his pain.
"Here, let me take a look." Bushroot offered as he slid over towards the canine. He put a hand over his bill at the sight of the large, ugly wound above Bud's left knee. "That looks like an acid burn." Bushroot explained to the jester so that Bud wouldn't have to. "Did...Did Morgana do this to you?" The sympathetic blue eyes watched as his friend nodded and he felt disgust spread throughout his being.
"That bitch!" Quackerjack spat as he crawled closer to take a better look at the wound.
He winced as he saw that the skin had been completely burned off where the acid had hit, leaving an exposed piece of flesh in its wake. Not wanting it to fester, the toymaker ripped some long strips of cloth from his puffy pants.
"Here, let me see your leg." Bud obliged him by straightening out his leg, so it could rest on his lap, though it clearly pained him to do it. Quackerjack deftly wrapped the strips of cloth around the dog's leg, making a makeshift bandage. A few minutes later, Bud had the most colorful bandage he had ever seen in his life tied with a neat little bow over his wound.
"Thank you. Product assessment suggests that such colorful bandages would be popular in childrens hospitals and that our local jester should consider producing a line of Quackerjack bandages."
"I'll think I'll stick with toys. Just thinking about hospitals depresses me and there's nothing worse than being depressed. It's no fun!" He stuck his tongue out comically.
"Speaking of thinking, we should be trying to come up with a plan to get out of here." Megavolt interrupted pragmatically. Any ideas on the matter where never voiced as the heavy door opened and Negaduck walked in.
"Greetings kids."
Megavolt, Quackerjack and Bushroot all got in front of Bud. The gesture was met with a snort by the crime lord.
"What do you knobs possibly think you can do to stop me now? In case the three of you haven't noticed, your powers are depleted and your weapons were taken away. Not to mention that that my newest water company is now crawling with SHUSH agents ready to machine gun any trespasser that crosses their path. So, if you'd still like to try and escape, be my guest. Believe me, I'll certainly enjoy watching your guts splatter all over the walls."
Quackerjack and Bushroot looked at Megavolt for direction after the short mallard had spoken. The electric rat clenched his fists, clearly hating the decision he had to make. He shook his head at his friends, knowing that this wasn't a fight they could win.
"I didn't think so." Negaduck said smugly as the three of them stood down. "Boys!" He called over his shoulder.
SHUSH agents rushed in from behind the crime lord and seized the four captives of the fridge. Bud was forced to his feet and slammed against the cold wall as a rope was harshly tied around his wrists. Two of them were placed into handcuffs, while Bushroot's arms were tied together tightly with a rope. When the four of them were properly bound Negaduck made the signal to follow him. Megavolt, Quackerjack and Bushroot were pushed into a line with Bud picking up the rear as they headed out the door.
They marched forward in silence until they reached a metal stairway that led up to the metal walkways that ran in between all the water vats. Negaduck's unkempt sidekick Launchpad was coming down the steps as they approached, carrying some bloody bundle over his shoulder.
"Hiya, Boss." He said with a causal wave. "Where do you want me to put this sack of garbage?"
"Just throw it over there for now." Negaduck said apathetically as he pointed to the wall by the fridge.
"And the others?"
"Same."
With that said, Negaduck began his ascent up the stairs with his prisoners unwillingly trekking behind him. When Launchpad passed the water salesman, he got a closer look at this so-called garbage and his mouth fell open slightly as he realized who it was. Slung haphazardly over Launchpad's shoulder was the dead body of Karl Fizzy, head of the Koo Koo Fizzy Water Factory. The body had been beaten bloody and there was a large gaping wound between the shoulders of the victim's back, which he knew had to have been the fatal blow. He assumed that the other bottled water corporate heads had shared the same fate. Closing his eyes and shaking his head, he put his concentration back on the grim situation at hand.
Once the canine had come up the steps, he was ushered to the front of the railing overlooking a still clean vat of his company's water. Megavolt, Quackerjack and Bushroot had all been sent farther down the walkway and were now being forced onto their knees. The three of them glared back at the guards who had drawn their weapons to intimidate their captives. Despite this show of resistance, it was clear there was nothing any of them could do for him now.
He heard the clatter of footsteps behind him and he looked over his shoulder to see that Launchpad had made his way back up the stairs. The burly mallard approached him, grabbed him roughly and turned him around. He untied Bud's hands, then kept a painful grip on his right arm to make sure he didn't go anywhere. A few minutes passed as he remained in Launchpad's grip, wondering what they were waiting for. A disturbance in the air marked the entrance of Morgana, carrying a large container with a poison warning on the front of it.
"Ah, right on schedule." Negaduck spoke eagerly, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "I always appreciate punctuality when it comes to my evil plans." Morgana gave a warm smile at the compliment and promptly handed him the jug. He in turn strode over to Bud and shoved the jug into his hands.
"Since you've wasted my precious time try to decontaminate my water vats, I believe it's only fitting that you pay me back by contaminating your vats with your own hands. Pour it in and if you try anything funny, I'll have my men put a bullet through your brain."
To emphasize the point, the SHUSH agents that had dragged him up there cocked their guns and locked on to his position. Turning around reluctantly, he opened the poison jug up and poured its contents into the once pure water below. The water bubbled, sizzled and hissed as it turned to a murky green color. Bud grimaced as he recognized the liquid he'd put into his water as the acid that had been used to burn off the flesh on his leg. He paled as he turned back around to face Negaduck, but at the same time he felt a strange sense of calm. The kind of calm that comes to someone who knows their life is about to end.
"After I contaminate all the vats in this factory, St. Canard's water supply is mine. Soon I will be the only one to distribute drinking water to the pathetic peons of the public and mine will be the only drink that can be drunk." Negaduck gave a triumphant cackle as he rested his beady black eyes on the water salesman. "Is that the ultimate form of advertising or what?"
"I think that the consumers would rather drink a big, fat monkey brain than any brand of your "pure" water." Bud stated in a strong voice.
"Is that so? Well, I still think my bottle of mountain magic is going sell better than anything on the market since it will be the only thing of its kind on the market." Negaduck replied in a deceptively calm voice. He advanced towards the canine with his finger pointed at him, which made Bud draw back to the railing.
"Besides, I don't remember asking for your opinion. After all," his tone had darkened considerably and he roughly grabbed Bud by his jacket, "you're about to go up the river, Mr. Taste Test."
As the sentence ended, the self-proclaimed ruler of the Negaverse heaved Bud Flood over the railing and sent him spiraling down towards the acid contaminated vat below. The water salesman had tried to grab the railing as he was hurled over it, but his attempt was in vain and he fell into the acid with a splash.
In that brief moment, he could feel the acid searing his flesh from his body and he made a desperate lunge towards the surface. His head made it back above the water and he flailed his arms helplessly as his lower body continued to disintegrate. He could hear the voices of his friends above him calling his name and crying out in despair at what was happening to him. Pain and fear had finally overcome him and he shouted out one last desperate plea.
"Help me! I'm melting!" He cried out as the acid worked its way up his body and finally dragged him under.
Once he was surrounded by the acid, pain was the only sensation he could feel. It covered his whole body and burned away at him piece by piece. Against his will, he opened his mouth to scream, letting the acid flow inside of him and burn him from the inside out. His legs and arms spasmed around him as his insides melted and his exterior burned off. Knowing that he was dying, Bud Flood was relieved when his consciousness began to fade and the pain started to subside. The last thing he remembered was looking up at his hands and seeing the fur peeling off to reveal shades of blue underneath his flesh. He closed his eyes and Bud Flood was no more.
He was floating. His body as he had known it was gone. He had no concept of time or space, no knowledge of place or purpose. He wasn't happy or sad, relieved or regretful, caring or uncaring. He just was.
Where am I? He thought as something swirled around him. Is this the afterlife?
His perception had been that when he died something would guide him to Heaven or to God or whatever the highest power of the universe was. He decided to open his eyes, wondering if he could see without his physical form. Upon opening them, he found that he was in a cylinder surrounded by some type of orange fluid.
Wait...this looks like the vat that I drowned in. Why am I still here? Is this some type of purgatory?
He placed a hand under his muzzle in confusion and instantly pulled it away to look at. He had hands, arms and a muzzle, yet he didn't feel like he had any form at all.
Then, am I alive? How could that be possible? I was burned alive! My body disintegrated!
He looked down at his hands again and it dawned on him that they were blue. In fact, every part of his body that he could see was blue and bubbling.
Maybe I survived, but my body didn't. He looked up towards the surface. Only one way to find out...
He quickly swam up and surfaced from the vat. Letting in a big gulp of air, he climbed over the edge of the container and landed on the ground with a loud splat. He could feel himself shrink upon impact, but his body adjusted itself immediately and soon he was back to his normal height.
How wet did I get? He thought as he sloshed over to the reflective side of the vat to get a look at himself. I feel like I'm covered in water...
Soon enough all of his questions were answered as he stared at his reflection in his once pristine water vat. He gaped in disbelief at the sight before him. A canine stood in front of him with hollow dark blue eyes and a body made entirely of water. The long ears dripped water down into the puddle that made up his feet. Still disbelieving that the creature in the reflection was him, he touched his muzzle with his hand.
This is me? Not only am I alive, I'm made of water. How...how can this be...?
Shocked and overwhelmed, the once meager, but brilliant bottled water salesman turned away from the picture in front of him and sat on the ground beside the vat. Placing his head in his hands, not knowing what he should do next he was reminded of his situation when he heard footsteps nearby. He looked up just in time to see SHUSH guards come round the vat and point their guns at him.
"Who's there?" One of them shouted as he cocked his gun. "What do you think you're doing here?"
Hastily he stood up and slid backwards away from his assailants, not knowing what he should do. He didn't think they could hurt him with their weaponry, but he couldn't be certain of the idea. The guards stopped short when they started to approach him, taking in the strange sight in front of them. They looked between each other, as if none of them really knew what to do. The canine himself wasn't quite sure what he should be doing, fervently wishing someone or something could help him.
Just as he wished for it, water in the vat to the left of the one he was in gained a sentient quality. The water formed a tight stream and flowed out of its container at the former salesman's assailants. The three guards panicked and tried to get away, but the water was faster. It swept them up in its current, sent them on a dizzying ride across the floor before slamming them into a wall, leaving them unconscious.
The former bottled water salesman watched the scene in astonishment. Wondering if this had been a strange fluke, he tried to summon more water to him and sure enough water flowed over the vat and surrounded the watery dog.
This is amazing! Even Negaduck will have a hard time stopping me now that his chainsaw won't be of any use. His grin faded as his memories came flooding back to him and he looked up at the metal walkway for any signs of the crime lord. It was then that he remembered the captive Megavolt, Quackerjack and Bushroot, who had been with him before he'd been thrown into the acid vat.
He's gone and so are my friends. I have to figure out where Negaduck took them.
His mind made up, he started to run around the factory only to realize that he wasn't really running at all. He was gliding on the puddle that served as his feet. Smiling at this new ability, he easily covered the grounds of the factory, still seeing no signs of the yellow-suited mallard or of the others. Deciding it was time to leave the factory and search elsewhere, the liquid dog made his way to the front door.
As he was about to open it, he heard chatter from the outside. He made out two voices and figured that they were SHUSH cronies sent to stand guard. Backing away from the door, the ex-salesman tried to dismiss his form so he could sneak underneath the door unhindered. Instantly, he dropped down into a puddle and slid under the door.
Once outside, he slide a little in front of the guards and telepathically summoned some water to come to his aid. Water from the vats moved on its own over its containers, moved through the factory and burst through the front doors, knocking both guards off their feet. When the water settled around them, they were thoroughly disoriented and thus could do nothing when the canine reformed. He placed his fingers in the water, asking it to hold the guards down. To his complete surprise, the water's consistency began to change and it turned into a rubbery substance that held the two hapless guards in its unyielding grip. Satisfied, he crossed his arms and glared menacingly down at the two captive guardsman.
"I have a question for you and my time is limited, so I'm not in the mood for any funny business." He growled out in thick watery voice. "Insider information claims that you took three high profile people on Negaduck's wanted list into custody. This dissatisfied customer wants to know where they are without delay!"
The pair of bewildered agents on the ground could only stare at the being in front of them in growing terror, wondering how such a thing could exist. This thing that no gun, knife or grenade could hurt.
"W-Who a-are you?" One of them managed to squeak out, while the other quivered in fear beside him.
"Me? Why, the customer you are dealing with is none other than—" The former salesman had to pause here, not for effect but to figure out what to call himself. He didn't feel right calling himself Bud Flood anymore. Bud Flood had disintegrated in a pool of acid and was gone forever. All that remained was a dog transformed into a watery being who could control liquids. He grinned as he suddenly came up with the perfect name for himself. "—the Liquidator, master of all liquids!" He spoke in a loud announcers voice. His grin faded and turned back into a scowl as he glowered down at the SHUSH agents, trying his best to intimidate them. "Four out five doctors suggest that answering this client's question promptly is the best way to ensure no bodily harm will come to you."
"T-They were put in one of the SHUSH armored vans." The quivering duck stammered out quickly. "T-They're on their way t-to SHUSH central."
"Inquiring minds want to know how long ago they left and which road they took?"
"About twenty minutes ago." The other guard answered without pause. "They should be traveling on fifth street through the city."
Nodding in satisfaction, he turned the water wet again before whirling around and speeding off. To make better time, he called upon water from the fire hydrants along the street to aid his quest. Water burst through every fire hydrant on the street and gathered beneath the puddle that was his feet. He mounted the top of the wave that had formed under him and it rushed forward like a tidal wave. His eyes scoured the area, searching for the van in question. Ten minutes later, his hollow blue eyes spotted the target. They were only another ten minutes away from SHUSH central. If they reached that facility, he knew that Megavolt, Quackerjack and Bushroot would never see the light of day again.
Liquidator sunk into the water and made it form into a thick, flat sheet that slid easily underneath the armored vehicle. The tires picked up the excessive amounts of water that was strategically placed beneath them and soon the van lost control, doing two three-sixty spins in the deserted street.
The liquid dog reformed just as two armed SHUSH agents stormed out the truck, wondering what had happened. It didn't take them long to spot Liquidator and they both fired multiple rounds into the watery form of the canine. The bullets sailed harmlessly through his body and he couldn't help but grin in amusement at the shocked expressions on the faces of the two guardsman.
"Faulty weaponry getting you down? Want to experience a new, extraordinary way to get thrashed? Then, test out the astonishing powers of the Liquidator, completely free of charge!"
With his advertisement finished, he summoned the remaining water into a powerful stream that hit the two guardsman dead center and slammed them head first into the armor vehicle. They both collapsed unconscious in a heap on the concrete ground.
Liquidator swished his way over to the back of the van to see that the doors had been closed with a padlock. Placing his hands over it, he concentrated on bringing his water temperature to a boiling point. His form finally became so hot that the lock melted in his hands, freeing the doors of the van. Wasting no time, he swung them both open to free the captives inside.
He hopped up onto the floor of the armored van and smiled as he looked at the occupants inside. Megavolt was giving him a shocked expression, much like the guards had. Being that he was an electric infused rodent, he slid a little bit away from the canine, not wanting to get wet. Quackerjack lifted his head from his hands and he could see tear stains running beneath the eye holes of his harlequin hat. His mouth fell open a bit at the sight of the watery dog and his gaze traveled up and down the figure before him in disbelief. Bushroot sat straight up at the sight of him. Being a mutant himself, he didn't seem quite as intimidated as the others, so he was the one who finally asked the question that was on everyone's mind.
"Who are you?" He whispered quietly, as if afraid he would wake up from some kind of dream. "Why did you try to save us?"
"'Why?'" Liquidator repeated with his signature smile. "Why, Reggie my friend, that is a silly question with an obvious answer. The three of you tried to save me, so this satisfied customer felt that it was only fair trade that he come and save all of you."
"I don't understand...When did we...?" Bushroot trailed off slowly, examining the liquid dog. He sucked in his breath as the answer hit him. "Buddy? You're Bud Flood?"
Megavolt and Quackerjack both stared at Bushroot before turning their hopeful gazes back on Liquidator. The ex-salesman nodded his assent and disbelief turned to happiness as they all smiled back at him.
"Marketing research shows that you are half right, my plant loving associate." Liquidator explained with his salesman's voice. "I was formerly Bud Flood, but analysts everywhere suggest that name no longer properly defines this canine."
"Then, what do you want to be called?" Megavolt asked as he got up.
"I am the Liquidator!" He announced proudly as the three of them came forward to greet him. "You're new and improved friend and teammate in the fight against Negaduck!"
Liquidator opened his eyes to glance at the two children sprawled out on the floor. They had been quiet the entire time he was talking, not trying to interrupt him even once. He had not gone into great detail with them about his torture or his "death,"but he had given them the gist of it. The liquid dog was attempting to gauge their emotions before he concluded his story, but he wasn't having much luck. Both of them were still gazing at him intently, waiting for him to finish. After a moment's pause, he continued from where he left off.
"After the four of us had escaped and were safely back at Megavolt's Lighthouse, well, any journalist would be shamed by the number of questions the Liquidator was given about how I became what I was. The next day, while the others were recovering, I decided to show some appreciation to the so-called ruler of the Negaverse by giving him an exclusive meeting with the new and improved Liquidator. Unfortunately, my plan to use my powers to stop him backfired and I ended up as a concrete statue. Megavolt, Bushroot and Quackerjack had to save me from Negaduck's front lawn with the help of two young associates if I recall correctly." He gave a bright smile to the kids sitting on the ground, who both gave a small smile back.
"Once I had been released from my concrete prison, I was given a stern lecture about going solo and getting myself into trouble. After giving somewhere around fifty different apologies to the guys, we decided that we were going to work as a team from now on. Since there were now four of us and Quackerjack insisted that we needed a name, we decided on The Friendly Four. My induction into the Friendly Four marks the end of my story. I truly thank my audience for their undivided attention."
The ex-salesman had hoped that this last line would prod Gosalyn and Tank into talking or asking questions. Instead, the two kids looked at each other for a moment, then focused their eyes on the ground as if they didn't know what to say.
"This amateur storyteller certainly hopes that he hasn't upset you both." He spoke in a soft voice with a frown on his fluid features.
Even after he said this, the kids on the floor remained silent. Finally, Gosalyn got up and straightened out her dress after it got a little wrinkled from sitting so long. Once her outfit was in satisfactory condition, the curly-haired duckling walked up to her foster parent and gave him a big hug.
"You haven't upset us." Gosalyn said in a low voice as she rested her head on his wet shoulder and spoke into one of his long ears. "It's just that we don't know what to say. It's hard when you care about someone so much. You want them to care about you too, more than anything, but then they end up hurting you. I can't say I really understand it. All I can say is that I'm sorry."
"That's more than enough." Liquidator wrapped his arms around his daughter tightly, a feeling of contentment stealing over him. The unconditional love of a child was more than enough.
"You weren't wrong you know." Tank informed him as he got to his feet and straightened his glasses.
"About what?" He asked curiously.
"About how the people of St. Canard wanted to live." The young child genius folded his hands behind his back as he went into explanation mode. "Part of the reason Negaduck and my parents despised you so much was that you did inspire people. Your reputation as an honest businessman was well known. You had money and power, yet you decided to work for the good of St. Canard instead of aiding its destruction for your own gains. Your actions proved that good people still lived in the city and that things could be different in the Negaverse." Tank walked over to Liquidator and gave him a side hug with a knowing grin on his face. "Believe me, you couldn't have infuriated Negaduck, my parents or any of his other cronies more if you had tried."
Grinning widely about that sentiment, he ruffled Tank's hair, then placed an arm around him. Liquidator peacefully held the two children in his arms for a moment longer, before someone knocked against the wall to get their attention. The three of them looked to see Megavolt smiling hesitantly at them.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but it's almost time for dinner." His mismatched eyes met the ex-salesman's as he said this. The water dog let go of Gosalyn and Tank, giving them each a little push in the electric rat's direction.
"No apologies necessary. This current transaction was explained in full detail and is now completed."
"Good, because I know a certain plant duck who could use some help setting the table." The rodent said in a not so subtle you need to do as I say fashion. Neither Tank nor Gosalyn complained about this chore assignment, not that their guardians had thought they would. They were both too well behaved to act like that. As they started walking towards the kitchen, Gosalyn noticed that her foster parents weren't following.
"Aren't you two coming?" She inquired in a sweet voice.
"We'll both be joining you both in a minute." Megavolt ruffled her hair with a gloved hand and grinned as he made it stand some of the strands stand up with static electricity. His young daughter hastily brushed it back down, hating to be unkempt. "Go on now."
Obediently, the red-haired duckling exited the living room with Tank and went into the kitchen to help Bushroot out with dinner. Once the two kids were gone, Megavolt's gaze went back to his liquid teammate with a concerned look on his face.
"You told them then." It wasn't a question. Liquidator just nodded along and the electric rat sighed. "I see."
"Are you angry?" Liquidator asked, losing his ad jargon. He knew it wouldn't be appreciated at the moment.
"No, not angry. I knew it had to be done eventually. How did they take it?"
"Better than I expected. The two of them truly are mature for their age." His prideful smile faded and his eyes clouded with sadness as he thought over their pasts. "Of course, when you know what they've lived through, I suppose it's not a surprise that they're the way they are."
"No, it isn't." Megavolt replied with a frown before asking the question that had really been on his mind. "What about you? How are you holding up?"
"Fine." The liquid dog said with a dismissive shrug. "It's been a while since it happened, after all."
"Not long enough." Megavolt said wisely. Liquidator met his friend's eyes in curiosity as he went on. "You're still angry about it. If you weren't, you wouldn't act the way you do around Morgana." He held his hands up to forestall a retort from his watery companion. "I'm not defending what she did. It was horrible and if you hated her for the rest of your life, I wouldn't blame you. However, I also don't think it's good for you to keep holding on to this."
"And what would you like me to do? Forgive her?" The words came out in an hiss lined with venom.
"Nothing of the sort." The rodent responded in a calm voice. Mad as he was, he knew that Liquidator would never hurt him. "But, I want you to understand something. You're not just hurting her when you cling to your past like this. You're hurting yourself."
Liquidator opened his mouth and looked as though he wanted to argue, but then he shut it wordlessly. The ex-salesman had been rendered speechless, which was no easy thing to accomplish. Megavolt lips twitched into a small smile as he brought his gloved hands up to his face and sent little sparks between his fingers.
"When my experiment was sabotaged, the static shock built up so much that it caused an explosion and sent electricity into my blood stream. After I saw what my powers could do, I decided to put them to use against Negaduck. Our battle at my high school prom would be the start of my campaign to stop him from destroying St. Canard. A battle that lasted for nearly a decade.
"With everything that was going on, I never really thought about the life I left behind when I became Megavolt. It was only after Darkwing defeated him while traveling in between dimensions that I started thinking about it. My powers have altered my physical appearance greatly, to the point where no one would recognize me from my old high school picture. I've spent so much of my time strategizing and fighting against Negaduck that I rarely did anything else these past years. That's when I began wondering what my life would have been like if my accident hadn't happened."
"And?" Liquidator prodded when Megavolt paused. "This impatient customer would like to know what daydreams my electric associate has come up with."
"Nothing wild, I can tell you that much." He responded with a shake of his head. "Just, you know, normal stuff. If things hadn't happened the way they had, maybe I would have gone on to a fancy college outside of this city and got a degree in electrical engineering. Maybe I could have found a way to revolutionize the world of energy and gotten some fancy prize for my research. Then, with all the money I earned from my experiments, I would buy a big house with a decked out car that I could ride around in. Maybe I could even have found someone special, gotten married and had a kid." Megavolt looked a bit sheepish as finished his list and continued talking. "I came up with all these wonderful fantasies about what my life would have been like if I hadn't gotten my powers. But that's the point, isn't it? All these things I came up with were just fantasies. They were just a bunch of empty daydreams that can never come true. When I realized that, I was glad I hadn't wasted time thinking over what my life could have been like. Dwelling on what might have been or could have been doesn't change anything."
Megavolt met Liquidator's eyes again as the canine began to look more and more solemn.
"Buddy, neither one of us can go back in time and change the past." The rat said gently. "Holding on to the bitterness and pain of what happened back then is only going to keep you from truly living in the present. I'm not saying forget it, but I would ask you to think about the good things that have happened since then. I mean, you have us, right?"
"Yes, you're right." Liquidator replied quietly with a genuine smile spreading across his muzzle. "The Negaverse is starting to turn around for the better and the four of us get to raise two sweet children in the environment they should have been living in from the start."
The liquid dog suddenly let out a watery chuckle and Megavolt eyed him curiously.
"What's funny?"
"Oh, I just realized that Negaduck, though he absolutely tried his best to keep me from it, gave me exactly what I wanted." He looked at Megavolt with a small smirk on his face, as if he was laughing at an inside joke. "He gave me a family."
"Yes, you're right. He did." The rodent replied simply. "Speaking of which, they're probably wondering why we're not at the dinner table with them."
"Psychological studies show that there are positive affects on children when all family members are present at dinner." Liquidator stated as he got off the couch and started sloshing towards the kitchen. "Besides, anything that's good for those two kids is probably good for us too."
"True." Megavolt replied before turning to his friend with a big grin. "Could you imagine what Negaduck would do if he was told that he was responsible for creating our little family?"
"Oh, this fanciful consumer could only hope that he would get into such a fit of rage that all logic and reason would leave him. Then, he would fire up his chainsaw and try to cut the Liquidator with it, thus shorting out his chainsaw and possibly electrocuting himself." Liquidator returned the wide grin of his friend as he finished his scenario. "A winning possibility for all involved."
Megavolt laughed as they entered the kitchen. The others were already sitting around the table and they stared curiously as the mirthful pair sat down with them. Quackerjack demanded to know what was so funny and Liquidator explained the hypothetical situation to it. Bushroot laughed about it just as Megavolt had. Quackerjack, on the other hand, decided to add his own crazy spin on the situation, eventually making it so unbelievable that Tank had to chime in with all the scientific facts and statistics to show why it wouldn't work the way the jester wanted. Gosalyn, listening quietly all the while, then praised Tank for his brilliance and Quackerjack for his imagination.
As the conversation progressed to other topics, Liquidator felt grateful to be in the company of good friends. Though terrible things had happened to him in his life, many good things had come out of it as well. Smiling to himself and happy with things as they were at the moment, the water dog began feeling content for the first time in a long time.
Author's Note: It's finished! This one took a while to write out, but it was a lot of fun to work on. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this piece. I know it was much darker than anything I've written so far, but this story has been in my head for a while now. I am happy with how it turned out for the most part. Hopefully, the people who have read this have enjoyed it. Again, thanks for reading!