Disclaimer: I do not own Darkwing Duck, Scrooge McDuck or any other Disney character.
Authors Note: Reader's warning. This ties directly to my fic "The Path Chosen", it also bridges the other fics, Tracer's Story "Synthetic Hero" and "Hidden Dawn". If you haven't read those fics, I doubt this one will make any sense to you.
Warning: I felt I needed to change my rating from K+ to T do to violence.
Meant To Be: Chapter 15
The small group moves deep into the woods. Darkwing leads the way,Scrooge and LaunchPad are walking behind the children. Glancing over his shoulder, Scrooge sees Tracker sprinting to catch up. "Why are ya lagg'en behind lad?"
Tracker steps up behind Scrooge, "Just making sure Bulba isn't too close behind." he answers.
He waits until Scrooge turns back to follow the others. Again he slips a hand into his coat to be sure the disc in safely tucked away before following.
The group doesn't get far, however, before the roar of rocket thrusters echoes overhead. They all lift their eyes skyward to see Bulba soaring low over the treetops.
"Oh no!" Mrs. Beakley cries.
"Duck!" Darkwing warns the others.
The all drop to the ground and freeze, holding their breath and hoping.
In a few seconds he is gone, apparently not having spotted them.
"It won't take long for him to circle back!" Tracker cautions the others.
"There's an entrance into a cavern not far from here. It leads into the St. Canards sewer system, but we have to hurry!" Darkwing exclaims as they pick up there pace.
Rushing as quickly as they could with children in tow, they get to the small entrance of the cavern.
"It's awful dark in there." Webby points out meekly.
"Easily Remedied." Darkwing replies reaching up the sleeve of his vest and pulling out what looks like a brass ring with a gem setting and slips it on his finger. He then makes a fist, and a brilliant beam of light emits from the gem.
"Hey that's neat," Louie exclaims "I wouldn't mind getting one of those in my Christmas stocking."
Darkwing turns to the boy, grinning he reaches up the sleeve and pulls out a second light "Well maybe if your Uncle is very good, Santa Clause will let him keep this one." He tosses the light ring to Scrooge.
Holding it in his open palm, Scrooge studies the object suspiciously for a few seconds before slipping it onto his middle finger. He makes a fist, it lights up. "You know Darkwing you could probably make a pretty penny on the market with one of these," he informs the Masked Mallard.
"I have thought of that. But whenever I come up with something neat, SHUSH has first dibs on it. Kind of an unwritten contract between us."
"Oh," Scrooge is a tad crestfallen about it. He could just see the rings on the fingers of every handyman and night watchman in Duckburg.
Dewey who is standing next to Tracker in the front of the entrance looks up at the mysterious duck "Do you have one too?"
"Not exactly," Tracker replies tapping the glass like button on the color of his trenchcoat with his index finger. The button, like Darkwing's ring emits a bright light.
"Neat!" the boys chirp.
"Aye, and I guess SHUSH has first dibs on your nick-nacks too?" Scrooges sighs.
Trackers smiles at the old miser sheepishly and shrugs.
"Let's get moving!" Urges Darkwing as he leads the way.
The passageway is narrow and rough going. The terrain is rocky and broken. And it is nearly pitch-dark, save their lights they carry. It is hard going for the children and Mrs. Beakley.
After roughly twenty minutes of traveling the path Scrooge asks "How much further till were out'a here Darkwing?"
"I'm not sure. I found the cavern when I was battling Bulba that time. It's been awhile though. But this cavern leads directly to the sewers, I know that."
"Did you find the cavern in your reality when you fought Bulba, Tracker?" Louie asks curiously.
"Yes," Tracker answers slowly, "But it's been a long time."
"Did Bulba ever go after you for revenge where you come from?" Quiverwing asks glancing back at the alternate reality version of her dad. It is the first time she has spoken to him since he showed up. Tracker is set aback by her addressing him. He feels his throat tighten. It's hard for him to speak to her, knowing the way he did her in is reality.
"Well," he chokes out an answer "Yes, but the outcome was different in my world."
"How?"
"In my reality, when Bulba went over the edge of the cliff during battle – he never came back up!"
"Sounds like you're reality isn't so bad." The girl chirps out. Hearing her remark, Darkwing takes pause to glance back through the dark tunnels at his alternate future self. They exchange looks of poignancy. If Gosalyn knew the truth about Tracker's reality.
There is a explosive rumble from above. With a mighty boom the ceiling of the cavern cracks and crumbles. The children cry out in fear.
"Get against the walls!" Darkwing cries, grabbing Quiverwing and pushes her against the wall of the cavern shielding her with his own body.
The adults all instinctively shield the kids as they best can from the collapsing stones.
Within seconds, it is over. Slowly, one by one they all raise up from amidst the fallen stone and broken earth. The air is thick with a cloud of dust. Darkwing rubs a sleeve across the front of his visors to wipe away the dirt now coating it.
It takes a moment to realize that there is now light within the cavern. Lifting his eyes he sees sunlight through the gaping hole in the rock overhead.
"Greetings again Darkwing Duck!" Comes a cold voice from the cloud of dust.
It is a voice Darkwing knows too well. He strains to see through the dust, the figure now standing in the center of the collapsed cavern "Bulba."
To be continues...