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 19
An ebony helicopter drops from the darkening evening skies and touches down in the clearing near the woods.
J. Gander Hooter and Gryzlikoff depart the copter. Gryzlikoff is carrying a hat-box sized cylinder shaped container. The Super Elastio Alloy.
Darkwing emerges from the woods with Scrooge on his heals.
"Is that it?" Darkwing asks noting the container.
"Dah, it is," Gryzlikoff answers curtly "But I do not like the idea of giving into the demands of villain's. This is clearly against regulations!"
"Agent Gryzlikoff, regulations or no. SHUSH will not negotiate the lives of children!" J. Gander chastises. The old director then turns his attention to Darkwing "I know you well enough, you can't expect this Taurus Bulba to give up the children safely. You have another plan."
Darkwing has to suppress the urge to smile, J. Gander does indeed know him well. "One that's already in motion, J. Gander. Just play along." He brings his eyes up to meat Gryzlikoff's. "Now Gryz, if you'll just step over to the edge of the river bank with the Alloy, I'd like to have a few words with you."
The gruff bear gives his superior a befuddled look. The old director nods to him to go along with Darkwing.
Still confused, the bear carries the container and follows Darkwing toward the river.
Inside Bulba's hideout. "Well well, it seems that SHUSH is getting soft. Imagine, turning over such a potentially powerful weapon for the lives of two puny little brats!" He stands in front of his computer monitor watching the transaction with a surveillance camera. "Especially since they have no guarantee that they are going to get the brats back – in one piece." he sneers. "After all, I still owe that boy for that little chipped tooth incident earlier."
Bulba turns and struts toward the cage in the back of the cave.
As he approaches, a faint chemical smell hangs in the air. The thought of where the odor was coming from barely crosses his mind before he sees the kids. They lay unmoving on the floor of the cage with a small silver canister laying next to the girl.
"What is this?" he mumbles.
Not bothering with the key, Bulba quickly bends the bars with his cybernetic prehensile.
Leaning down over Louie he examines the boy, listening for the boys breathing, looking to see his chest rise and fall with his breath. But the child does not move, he does not breathe. Snatching the small canister off the cage floor, he stands up and sniffs the strange odor emitting from the object. He soon regrets that action as he becomes some what lightheaded. "AH!" Enraged, he throws the canister against the cave wall. "So, somebody didn't think the brats were worth the exchange." his telescope monocle pivots as it scans the recesses and niches of the natural formation of the cave for an intruder.
He sees nothing.
Any other time, he would not be satisfied to assume the intruder has left, but he has more important matters at hand.
He gives the bodies of the two children an uncaring glance "I have lost my bargaining chip. But hostages or no, I will have the Enhancement Alloy." He declares and charges out of the hide out.
There is the low hum of an elevator. A secret platform atop the ledge by the waterfall, sinks slowly into the ground. In a few seconds, it rises with Bulba standing a top it.
"Well, it seems that you have made a wise choice, Darkwing Duck," he calls down to the Masked Mallard. "Now give me the alloy!"
"Not so fast, you. Where are me kids!" Scrooge, still dressed in his own costume demands.
Bulba, of course, is not about to tell them that the kids are dead. "You will get the brats when I am sure that is really the Alloy and not some pathetic attempt at a trick."
"You know it is, Bulba. You're surveillance equipment should be able to detect it!" Darkwing calls out.
Bulba grits his teeth. "Still, Darkwing Duck, I do not trust you."
"Oh, yeah, Bulbsie, like your moral fiber is so high, you should be declared a saint – ha!" Darkwing turns to Gryzlikoff who stands behind him near the river. "OK, Bulba, we have to play it by your rules for now!"
Darkwing reaches for the Alloy container, but Gryzlikoff refuses to give it to him.
"Nah, if we do not see children, he does not get Alloy!" he demands.
"This isn't the time for mind games, Gryz, hand it over!"
"No!"
Darkwing lunges for the container as Gryzlikoff jumps back clutching it. He loses his balance, stumbles and drops the container.
The cylinder shaped container rolls over the edge of the stony bank and plunges into the river.
"No!" Bulba screams. In a heartbeat, he morphs into glider mode and goes after it.
He swoops down low over the flowing waters. The canister is bobbing wildly in the powerful currents.
Having no choice, Bulba morphs back to his cybernetic form and does a first class belly flop into the rushing waters.
As the others watch from the banks of the river, Bulba emerges from the water. His legs now merged back into thrusters. In his hands, the container of Alloy. Though, he is severely hindered in the partial transformation mode, he is able to stay airborne and rockets back to his hideout.
Inside, he anxiously places the container on the floor, as he prepares to deal with Darkwing Duck. It is only too bad, he feels, that he must destroy that troublesome duck now. He would much rather create the battle armor first and use it to destroy him.
Still, this is the way it must be, he supposes, as they will now expect the children in return. Bulba smiles wickedly, he could at least return their pathetic little bodies for proper burial. Though, Bulba is certain they won't consider that a fair trade.
He moves towards the back of the cave to get the children. Again, the thought of the intruder who had disposed of them crosses his mind. A SHUSH agent more than likely, who didn't feel trading such a powerful formula for two kids to be a good deal. But how did this person get inside, undetected?
Bulba knows this question will have to be answered after he deals with Darkwing Duck and his companions.
He steps close to the little prison that houses the children's small forms.
The evil grin disappears from the cyborgs face as he gazes into an empty cage.
In confusion he spins and looks around the cave – but where? How could...?
The thought is interrupted by the sound of an engine and a spinning helicopter blade.
They're leaving!
Rushing to his computer monitor, Bulba observes the SHUSH copter lifting off the ground. There was nobody else to be seen outside the hideout.
It takes him a moment to realize that he'd been tricked!
Tricked? Perhaps – but. He glances down at the cylinder container on the ground. It doesn't matter. They gave him what he wants.
It is good that Darkwing Duck is leaving now. This will give him time to create the armor. He would much rather destroy Darkwing Duck with an armor, that in one reality made Darkwing himself, a force to be dealt with. It would be a sweet irony that in this reality, the Bio enhancement Armor will be the instrument of the masked duck's demise!
On the helicopter heading back to SHUSH headquarters.
"Oh, I feel woozy," mewls the little girl who sits curled up against her grandmother on the seat.
"Yeah..me...me...too." The boy in green stammers from his seat next to his uncle.
"Don't worry, the effect won't last very long." Tracker, who stands with Darkwing in the center of the compartment, assures the two children.
"Was it even necessary to drug the children, Mr. Tracker?" Mrs. Beakley asks as she holds her granddaughter lovingly.
"It was the best chance of getting the kids away from Bulba, ma'm." Tracker explains. "The drug is harmless, I assure you. I only temporarily slowed the kids vital signs. The chemical is used with great success in hospitals in my world." He sighs softly "I'm just glad Bulba didn't figure it out."
"He would have, if he'd had time to think about it." Darkwing speaks up. "By the way Gryz, good acting job. I don't think Bulba even suspected that you dropped the canister in the river on purpose."
"Bah, he did not stop to think. He only wanted the Alloy." Gryzlikoff crabs. "And now he has it."
"We had to get him away from the cave long enough for Tracker to get the children." Darkwing insists. We couldn't take a chance with anything fake. If he had suspected..."
"But now he can make the Enhancement Armor. He will be unstoppable!" Gryzlikoff asserts
"Not so..." says Tracker as he reaches deep into his dark trenchcoat and pulls out a clear beaker filled with a translucent substance.
"The Bio Enhancement Gel !" exclaims Hooter and Gryzlikoff.
"But how?" Hooter asks.
"When I went in to get the kids out." Tracker explains "I have been in the cave before, remember. I had a good idea where he kept it."
"Then, Bulba can't make the Armor? Not without the gel." LaunchPad says with a tone of relief.
"I'm afraid he can. I didn't get all the Gel. If I had taken it all. Bulba might have discovered it before we had a chance to get away."
"Oh...then we are in big trouble," the pilot pouts.
"I don't think so. Tracker explains. "We have the means to make our own Armor. And we have the advantage, trust me. The Bio Enhancement Armor has a very special power source. And I know what it is. Trust me, the advantage is ours."
To be continued...