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 22
"Bulba has already perfected the Alloy Armor!" Darkwing exclaims as he watches the monitor. Indeed, the arch criminal is now in possession of his own B.E.A. Bio Enhancement Armor. The same armor that both Dark Warrior and Guardian possessed. Now, Taurus Bulba has his own. But unlike Dark Warrior and Guardian who wore armored costumes that could be removed, Bulba has integrated the Alloy into his own Cybernetic components. The Bio Enhancement Armor is now part of him!
With heavy hearts the group watches as Bulba turns his wrath on the a tower of Audubon bay bridge. Darkwing Tower! His powerful limbs tearing through two feet of concrete and steel like it is made of paper. Within minutes, he has utterly destroyed it. A news reporters voice comes over the telecast "Taurus Bulba, the cybernetic super villain is on a ballistic rampage! For some crazed reason, he has just destroyed part of Audubon bay bridge! Now he is turning his fury on the police!"
The cameras follow Bulba as he leaps unbelievably high into the air and comes down atop a police car, crushing it beneath his feet.
He calls out for all to hear "Darkwing Duck! I know you are watching this. I hehe humbling request your presence at the Bridge. I am waiting..."
"The B.E.A. is advancing his own physical abilities!" Dr. Bellum says.
"How much longer until we have out own Armor, Dr. Bellum?" Darkwing asks without taking his eyes from the screen.
"I'm not certain. Maybe a few hours...if we're lucky"
"Then we need to buy some time!" Darkwing declares "J. Gander, get as many agents and as much SHUSH artillery as you can spare and get it out there! I'll see what I can do..."
"NO!" Tracker cuts him off. "You need to stay here. As soon as the armor is ready, it is you who needs to wear it. You can stop Bulba if you possess the Armor. But without it, you can't stop him, not now."
Darkwing is ready to argue "What? You think I'm going to just sit back and wait while that giant reject from a sci-fi movie trounces on my city?"
"Yes," Tracker asserts "because right now that's what you need to do. If you go out there and get hurt – or killed, you're not going to do a great deal to help stop him when the Bio Enhancement Armor is ready. You know, Darkwing Duck, that you have to be the one to wear the Armor. You know!"
Darkwing sighs warily "Look, Bulba is expecting me to show up at the bridge, if I don't go, innocent people could get hurt!"
Tracker ponders this for a moment "Then you'll show up, just as he demands..."
A short time later, the ThunderQuack rockets onto the scene near the bridge. A figure bales from the cockpit and ascends to the ground below. The scarlet cape that drapes his shoulders is used as a parachute to break his fall.
He lands nimbly on the bridge as the hulking cyborg turns his attention to the hero.
"Darkwing Duck. How nice of you to drop in." Bulba greets coldly.
To Bulba's surprise his words are answered with silence.
Bulba waits, expecting a flippant pot shot from the egoistic hero.
Nothing.
No smart cracks. No arrogant self promotions. Not even the usual intro of "I am the terror that flaps in the night..."
Bulba finds this strange for Darkwing Duck, but perhaps the do-gooder just realizes how outmatched he is.
Bulba takes a step towards him. Darkwing cautiously steps back keeping a distance between them.
The villain is stumped by his adversaries actions. "There's something strange about you Darkwing Duck. It's not like you to be so shy. " he pauses to study the crime fighter who stands approximately 8 yards from him.
Darkwing recoils a bit, lifting his cape to partially cloak his face. "Well, you know Bulba if you took more baths..." came a mocking reply from the Masked crime fighter.
"Ah, so you still have your tongue about you after all, Darkwing Duck. Good. I'll have the pleasure of ripping it from your throat myself!"
Again there is silence.
Bulba takes another step towards Darkwing who reacts by taking another step back.
Bulba freezes. This is not logical. Darkwing Duck is a lot of things, but he is most definitely not a coward!
"What is it that you are up to Darkwing Duck?" he inquires suspiciously.
"What am I up too? You're the one on the mindless rampage. By the way, I hope your insurance covers hide-out damage. " The masked duck proclaims motioning towards Darkwing Tower.
Bulba grins "Well, you must admit. It got your attention."
Without warning, the red light glows bright in the lens of the cyborgs monocle. The Masked Mallard sees this just in time and jumps skillfully aside as the narrow laser beam misses him by a hair.
He tumbles to a stop and reaches both hands into his cape. He pulls something quickly from the cape with his left hand and throws it.
The object flies towards the cyborgs head. Instinctively, Bulba ducks. The object passes over his head and strikes a bridge support cable behind him. It bounces off the cable and lands at Bulba's feet. The cyborg glances at it. It looks to be nothing more than a silver rubber ball.
In flawless timing, as Bulba is distracted, Darkwing pulls a second object from his cape and throws it.
Bulba is caught off guard as a gray clay like ball strikes him between the eyes. In seconds the clay expands and engulfs the hulking form of the criminal cyborg.
"Ahhh!" Bulba screams his rage from within the mass of gray gunk. In seconds the gray clay like matter has hardened into something resembling rubber cement.
Everything falls silent.
There is no sign of struggle.
Then, there is a low rumble from within. In a flash, the gray substance explodes around Bulba as he breaks free with his new found power.
Bulba now stands, free of his bonds.
He turns to face Darkwing. "Good try, Darkwing Duck. If I had not added a few new improvements to my arsenal, you may actually have succeeded in subduing me!" Bulba taps his claw against his armored chest. Indeed, the B.E.A. is enhancing his physical abilities.
"Which reminds me." His telescope monocle extends towards Darkwing "I don't see you dressed in any shining armor. So I take this to mean, SHUSH hasn't perfected their own B.E.A. yet?
I did discover that your people had managed to steel some of the Gel when they rescued those brats from me yesterday. So I am guessing that SHUSH is working on making their own armor right now?"
A evil grin crossed Bulba's face. "I expected as much, This is why I had to lure you away from SHUSH headquarters first!"
The sound of jet engines fill the air. Bulba glances up to see SHUSH aircraft arrive to enforce Darkwing's attempts to apprehend him. On the ground, black cars screech to a halt alongside the police vehicles. Formally dressed agents leap from the cars, guns in hand, all aimed at Bulba. Yes," Bulba states calmly "I expected SHUSH would send reinforcements as well. Exactly as I planned!"
He lowers his gaze to look at Darkwing "This of course means that SHUSH headquarters is practically unguarded? So much easier to get in and destroy the armor before you can use it against me!"
Bulba's gaze sweeps his surrounding "But first, I think you and your friends need a little something to keep you occupied!" he sneers.
With that he turns abruptly extending the robotic limb. The sharp claw cutting the support cables of the bridge like a weak thread. The bridge sways violently. Both the police cars and SHUSH vehicles start to slide.
Cars still halted on the bridge, their occupants trapped by the cyborgs attack, are now in serious peril. Their vehicles in danger of falling off into the river below.
With an amused chuckle Bulba morphs into glider mode, leaving Darkwing Duck and SHUSH to rescue the poor innocent bystanders while he pays SHUSH headquarters a visit.
"I'll return to finish you another time Darkwing Duck!" he cries out as he jets off.
The masked mallard steels a glance at the retreating monster.
If Taurus Bulba had not been so caught up in his own scheme, he may have taken notice. The difference in Darkwing's features. His bill and cheeks were not the same as the Darkwing Duck's he'd fought only a day before. Neither were the watching eyes behind the visors.
To be continued...