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, Tracker's Story "Synthetic Hero" and "Hidden Dawn". If you haven't read those fics, I doubt this one will make any sense to you.
Meant To Be: Chapter 18
"Oh Mr. McDuck, what are we going to do!" Mrs. Beakley exclaims "That – that monster has Louie and my little Webby!"
"Do not panic Mrs. Beakley, we'll get the kids back, somehow!"
"We'll have to give them the Alloy," LaunchPad announces "It's the only way."
"The problem there LP, is that we don't have time to contact SHUSH!" Darkwing explains. "We would never be able to get far enough away from the dams generators to use the transmitters. Not in an hour."
"The generators?" Tracker inquires with some confusion "What do the generators have to do with the transmitters working?"
"The generators are interfering with our transmissions. I need to get out of range."
Tracker seems confounded for a moment before saying "Oh, I don't think the generators have anything to do with it." He closes his eyes and draws a long deep breath. "Bulba...Bulba is using his old hideout next to the waterfall. He has some pretty hi-tech equipment. Off hand, I'd guess that was the cause of the interference with your transmitters."
"How do you know that?" LaunchPad asks.
Tracker suddenly goes pale behind the dark mask. He almost looks guilty about something. "Because," he chokes. He clears his throat and tried again "Because – I've been there."
"What!" the voices of everybody in the cave rings out.
Tracker shrinks back nervously. His eyes close tightly, he holds his breath, his entire body becomes tense.
He puts a hand into his vest and pulls out a disc and reluctantly hands it to Darkwing. "This is the disc that started the whole problem. I – I was able to trace the disc to who had found it and who they had sold it to on the black market. It didn't take long to discover Bulba had come in possession of it..."
"And it didn't take long for you to find out where Bulba was hiding out." Darkwing finishes for him.
Tracker nods soberly.
Darkwing continues "Then you waited until the time was right and slipped into the hideout undetected and stole the disc back."
Again Tracker nods.
"What!" Scrooge yells rushing to Tracker and grabbing the collar of his coat, shaking him roughly "You had the disc all this time! You knew Bulba's hideout was here and you said nothing. All this time you said nothing! Why you low down poor excuse for..."
"Thats' enough!" Darkwing snaps pushing himself between Scrooge and Tracker. He stares Scrooge in the eyes "He was trying to protect our world's future. Rather or not he was wrong in how he did it isn't for us to judge."
Darkwing steps back "Look, right now we have to help the kids. What ever Tracker has told us, I'm afraid it doesn't help the immediate situation. I'm still going to have to make a run for help."
"Actually. What I know may be of some help." Tracker injects, a trace of trembling in his voice. "You can't contact SHUSH with the transmitters but you can use your homing devise in your sleeve to summon the FlashQuack. You would be able to contact J. Gander with it's advanced communication device. They can be here with the Alloy within the hour!"
"Of course, that will work!" Darkwing exclaims. He presses his index finger against the bottom of his cuff, activating the homing device.
"There's a small tunnel that leads to an unused part of the cave Bulba is hiding out in. That's how I got in and got the disc back. I can use it to slip in and free the kids. If I'm lucky, I can get the Gel too." Tracker offers.
He glances at Quiverwing, who stands back with the other kids, listening. "I think that Mrs. Beakley and the children should hide out in the woods until this is all over. They'd be safest there."
"Agreed," Darkwing says. "As soon as the FlashQuack gets here, we'll get started.
In the eerie cave hidden behind the waterfall, Bulba taunts the two children he holds captive. Louie and Webby huddle together in a cramped cage on the floor of the cave. They can only stare up at the hulking cyborg in utter terror as he gloats over them.
"How predictable these heroes are. So afraid of bringing harm to the innocent."
He towers over them, finding amusement in the fear he sees in their young faces. For a second, a quizzical expression creeps over his face. He curls his upper lip against the tooth Louie had chipped with a stone. His cold eyes fix on the boy. "Such a noble noble gesture, young man, such a selfless deed. But you do know what they say about all good deeds never going unpunished." He leans down so that his hot breath is felt on the boys face.
"I will have to think of a proper way to deal with you, after your foolish Uncle so trustingly hands over the Super Elastio Alloy."
The children remain silent until Bulba turns and walks away.
"He's not going to let us go, is he?" Webby asks Louie. Her voice trembles with fear.
"Don't worry, Webby, Unca Scrooge will do something. He'll save us."
Webby turns her head, considering his words, then attempts to lighten the mood.
"That was very brave of you back in the cave. You sure nailed him with that rock. Just like David and Goliath! You were quite Valiant."
Louie's cheeks blush slightly pink from embarrassment. Being a young boy, he is not experienced in receiving flattery from a little girl, so he replies to the complement the only way a young boy knows how "Oh pipe down would ya!"
Twenty minutes have passed since Bulba made his demands. Darkwing, Scrooge. LaunchPad. Mrs. Beakley and the children are now hiding deep in the woods, waiting.
Scrooge paces anxiously. "Where is the blasted thing!" he demands "Are you sure you actually Summoned that hi-tech toy airplane?" He asks Darkwing who sits next to Quiverwing on a fallen log.
Darkwing starts to answer when a purple blur streaks through the trees and comes to an abrupt halt right in front of him. The FlashQuack! The cockpit on the miniature ThunderQuack replica lifts to reveal a monitor with a tiny control panel. Darkwing strikes a large red button in the center.
A few seconds later, an image of a short older gentleman with specs appears on the screen. "Darkwing, is something wrong!" J. Gander asks with concern.
"That's putting it mildly J. Gander. Right now, we need your help!"
Darkwing explains the situation with great haste.
J. Gander listens intently. "I see." he replies "We'll be there as soon as we can! J. Gander out!"
The screen goes blank and the FlashQuack streaks off, returning to SHUSH headquarters.
Scrooge steps along side Darkwing, both of them gaze warily in the direction the FlashQuack has flown off. " You know this Bulba person better than anybody, Darkwing Duck. Tell me the truth. Even if they get the Alloy here in time, will Bulba let me children go safely?"
"No," Darkwing replies bluntly "But we're not counting on Bulba's sense of honor, are we?"
Within the hideout of Taurus Bulba, Louie and Webby sit quietly, hoping, praying for a rescue.
Near them, in the shadows of the concavities of the cave a silhouette moves against the darkness. Slowly stealthily, the figure creeps toward the children.
The figure pulls out a small silver canister and tosses into the children cage.
They both startle as the objects skips across the bottom of the cage and rolls to a stop right next to Webby's foot. Before either of them can react, the canister emits a strong fowl smelling mist.
They gasp and choke as mist surrounds them. In seconds, the mist has lifted.
The children are now laying motionless on the floor of the cage.
The figure watches until he is certain they are no longer breathing then slips unnoticed, back into the darkness.
To be continued...