Disclaimer: I do not own Darkwing Duck, Scrooge McDuck or any other Disney character.
Authors Note: Again, this fic ties in with "The Path Chosen." This is the story of the one called Guardian, the Duck in White.
Meant To Be: Chapter 8
As feared, it doesn't take Bulba long to regain his senses. His vision clears and he is on his feet. A single blast from his eye beam and the landscaper is destroyed.
"Cute
toy Mr. McDuck, but I now fear that I shall have to harm you."
Bulba calls to Scrooge who is held up in the shanty of a lab. He
takes a step in that direction.
"Freeze villain!" a voice
booms from above.
Bulba lifts his eyes to see Gizmoduck flying towards him via helmet-copter. "Hmm, it seems I will have to take care of the toy soldier first!
Gizmoduck lands directly in front of Bulba, trying desperately not to show how weakened and pain stricken the confrontation has left him, though his Gizmo suit is severely battered. "You'll find it's not so easy to get rid of me!"
"Oh,we'll see about that." Bulba mocks.
"As well you should be!" Gizmoduck replies "Now taste the full fury of GIZMODUCK!" Gizmoduck proclaims with his overly dramatic style. He throws a powerful, but awkward punch, which Bulba simply side steps.
Bulba strikes out catching Gizmoduck by the unprotected throat with his sinister claw.
The pressure of Bulba's bionic grip is so intense, he is literally choking the life from Gizmoduck.
Starting to lose consciousness, Gizmoduck panics. He has to do something quickly.
But what?
Maybe...
He's able to press a button on his chest. A panel on the side of the suit opens. A loud speaker emerges on a flexible arm and raises to the side of the cyborgs head.
HHHOOOONNNKKKKKKK!
The loud deafening horn blows in Bulba's ear.
"AHHHH!" Bulba cries out releasing his grasp on Gizmoduck as he stumbles backward
clasping his head in agony.
Gizmoduck collapses to the ground, semiconscious, gasping for breath. He can not think clearly. He is aware only of the pain in his arm from where Bulba's laser had penetrated the armor.
He has to get up before it is too late – but it is perhaps already too late.
He feels a shadow cast over him. Looking up he finds Bulba standing over him, his canon muzzle pointing into the superheros face.
Like that day at McDuck Amusement Park. Dark Warrior had defeated him. Taken him to the ground. Stood over him, weapon in hand, ready to fire.
What had happened that day to save him from Dark Warrior? He was knocked unconscious, he knows that. What saved him from Dark Warrior? He doesn't know. He has never questioned it until now.
As he stares down the canon muzzle of the weapon held on him, he wonders if fate will save him this second time.
Bulba smiles down evilly at him "Good-bye Gizmoduck. You have been most - entertaining." A whistle on the air and Bulba feels something coil around his legs, causing him to fall backward.
Gizmoduck is vaguely aware of the sharp snapping sound as something tangles around his left wrist and he is pulled abruptly across the ground, landing behind the thick shrubs that grow near the Lab.
Bulba does not see this as he is falling.
Hitting the ground hard, the villain realizes that something is bound around his legs. Falling hard to the ground, Bulba knows his legs are bound by something. Rolling onto his back, he sits up. He sees the binding on his legs.
Straps of leather?
"Interesting." Bulba murmurs glancing around for the source that caused the rather crude restraints to trip him up.
He sees no one.
He reaches down with his metal claw and rips the leather straps to shreds.
He rises to his feet. Taking a second look around for the perpetrator that tripped him up.
He sees no one.
He turns his attention back to Gizmoduck – only to find the Super Hero is no longer there.
"Ah! What is going on here!" he yells having lost all composure. Through clinched teeth he hisses a rather unintelligent string of profanities.
Rushing to Gyros lab, Bulba kicks the door, shattering it into splinters. He steps inside and is struck in the face with a red laser blast. He stumbles backwards, his hands covering his face. When he finally looks up, he finds himself facing yet another masked duck. This one is dressed elaborately in a faded purple and yellow costume. A yellow lightening bolt is mounted atop the cowl. A long flowing cape touches the ground. He holds in his hand what appears to be a cane. But this is no ordinary cane. It is in fact, a laser. "I suggest you leave while you still can!" the duck behind the mask speaks. His strong Scottish accent betrays his identity.
Bulba grins, "Mr. McDuck. A powerful millionaire by day, a mysterious crime fighter by night? It's been done, you know." He laughs not finding Scrooges alter ego the least intimidating.
"Leave!" Scrooge orders.
"I think not. Not until I have what I came for." Bulba replies coolly still waring the cocksure grin.
Scrooge sees a gleam of red in the the cyborg's monocle. He leaps into the air, avoiding the deadly laser by centimeters.
Scrooge lands on the ground a few feet from Bulba, but with the aid of springs built into the boots of the costume, he bounds into the air and over Bulba's head. He lands behind Bulba. He pulls something from his cape. A simple bag of marbles. As the hulking cyborg turns to face him, he pours out the contents of the bag onto the ground. They achieve the desired affect, rolling under Bulba's feet, causing him to slip and fall with a thunderous crash.
For a second, Bulba lays motionless, flat on his back, dazed, then... "ENOUGH!"
He bellows with a thunderous cry as he rises to his feat, his partially obscured face
writhed in rage. "Enough games, McDuck! Give me what I want now...or die!"
In no way is Scrooge prepared to take on such an adversary. It is his hope, only, to keep Bulba distracted until the police arrive – if they arrive!
"I – I told you, I don't have it!", his voice falters as he attempts to stand his ground against the bull.
Bulba is still, too still, for a long moment...then, unexpectedly, his robotic arm swings out, grabbing Scrooge with it's claw.
Scrooge tries to escape, but it is to late. Bulba grabs the flowing cape and jerks the duck
into the air. Now, he dangles Scrooge by the cape, only inches from his face. "As I said, McDuck, enough games! Where is the formula!"
Knowing he no longer has anything to lose, Scrooge looks the Bull squarely in the eye and replies with a newly found boldness. "And as I said, You bolts for brain NeanderthalI don't have it!"
Scrooge wonders if these may be his last words, soon to be etched into his headstone.
He sees the glare of rage in Bulba's face and the red glow growing in his monocle. He thinks, there has to be a way out of this. He raises a hand and reaches to his futility belt, and pulls out a pellet. In truth, it's been so long since he wore the suit, he's not sure what the pellet does, but it's all he has. He squeezes it between his fingers to activate it, them drops it...
...nothing...
...then...a thick cloud of glittering silver smoke rises all around them. The potent smell of spices is overwhelming.
Bulba releases his grip on the rich duck as the smoke has an almost hypnotic effect, causing disorientation.
Scrooge lands on the ground and begins to tumble away from the cyborg, free of the silvery smoke.
He is still dazed however from the effects of the smoke. He lays on the ground, stunned. He feels a cold metal touch on his back. He startles and jerks instinctively away.
"It's okay, Sir. It's just me." comes a familiar voice.
Scrooge looks up to see Gizmoduck leaning over him.
"Gizma'duck, you're alright!" he exclaims with obvious relief.
Still clutching the injured arm, Gizmoduck glances down at his battle worn armor.
"In a manner of speaking. But I don't know how much fight the Gizmo suit has left in it..." he lifts his eyes towards the clearing silver smoke.
Both Scrooge and Gizmoduck ready themselves for a fight, but there is a humming of an engine from overhead. All three cast their gaze skyward. From the clouds drops a jet. It ascends directly towards the hulking cyborg. It is a jet that they all recognize all too well.
As it closes in, it's mouth opens and a plasma rifle emerges.
As the weapon fires on it's target, Bulba's face grimaces with rage. He does not try to dodge the rifles blast. But he utters, with great detest, the two words that have been his endless source of torment "Darkwing Duck."
to be continued...