Chapter 7: Hope Rises
Darkwing sighed after seeing Gosalyn's expression. "So that's it then? Gos never gets adopted so she gets kicked out on the streets?"
"Not exactly..." Jacob replied.
Once again time changed while they remained at the orphanage, but it was a smaller time span. Gosalyn was gloomily looking out her window. Darkwing looked at her and at Jacob expectantly. Suddenly something moved through him. Something cold, damp, and slimy. Eww...! It was a big translucent green blob of goo with eyes and a mouth.
Gosalyn immediately brightened at the sight of it and exclaimed "Keen gear!"
Darkwing just blinked, wondering why that...that thing was so familiar. Following close on the blob's trail was a squadron of Bulba's soldiers, armed to the teeth and wearing combat gear. The soldiers shouted and raised their weapons, threatening the blob with glue pellets and plaster of Paris. Before they could make do with their threats, the men were turned into lobsters. They scurried around under their helmets, bumping into each other.
Darkwing saw who the culprit was for the spell and tugged on his hat. No wonder he had recognized Globby. Morgana's Aunt Nasty was here too.
"Neato! A witch with real magic!" Gosalyn exclaimed as she dropped down onto the sidewalk.
"Why thank you, Dear. You should try my cooking!" Nasty smirked.
Both Globby and Nasty looked back behind them. More soldiers were coming after them. Nasty called a giant snake to carry her down the street.
Gosalyn gawked at the sight before stepping in front of Globby to demand an explanation."Alright, what's going on here? Why are you running and where is she going on that snake?"
"We're going to a protest!" Globby replied as he shrank down to a puddle and ducked into an alley. "The soldiers have been throwing monster-kind and normals in jail and making everyone pay taxes and fines. One of their leaders sent troops to our home in Transylvania! They burned down our houses and woods and drained our swamps and blew up our caves! If we don't get support from Normals like you, monster-kind will live on the run forever!"
"'Monster-kind'?" Gosalyn breathed excitedly.
Globby started to respond but one of the men spotted him. "Sorry. Time to go!" Globby dove into a drainage ditch.
Gosalyn grunted a protest but she ducked behind a trash can to wait for the soldiers to pass. As soon as the path was clear, she put on her roller skates and skated after them.
Darkwing ran to stop her but the scenery around was quickly blurring into a tunnel of light. "No, wait! I have to help Gosalyn! I have to find out what happens next!"
"You will..." Jacob's distant voice answered him right before the scene gave way to a very different scenario.
St. Canard had been transformed into a nightmare. Light posts had shattered light bulbs. Stores had broken and boarded-up windows and graffiti tags all over them. Litter was strewn in streets and sidewalks. Cars were missing doors, windshields, and, in one case, even an engine. The air was thick with pollution from factories and burning trash. Even the high rise buildings had bars on the windows and drawn curtains and blinds.
While Darkwing was looking, he saw a young child peeking out of a window, only to be pulled back by his mother.
"What happened to my beautiful St. Canard?" Darkwing asked in bewilderment. Instead of an answer, he heard a gunshot. His heart pounding, Darkwing ran in the direction the sound had come from and skidded to a stop, completely confounded.
Soldiers and a few criminals Darkwing recognized as shoplifters and pick pockets were surging through the street, but they weren't fighting each other... They were fighting people in suits and monsters of various shapes and sizes.
Darkwing saw a few of Morgana's monster relatives but there were many others he had never seen before. Who were those professionals in the suits? They looked like office workers, but they were carrying standard issue handguns and bullet proof shields.
A deer ran past him, dodging a soldier with a machine gun. Darkwing saw the insignia on her badge. It was the S.H.U.S.H. eagle and olive branch. He remembered the long line of X marked photos in Phineas Sharp's resort and felt a surge of remorse for the agents who had already lost their lives.
Someone else ran right through Darkwing, startling him out of his reverie. He was surprised to see it was an ordinary citizen, carrying a frying pan and chasing a hired lackey who clearly hadn't been trained to stand his ground. Darkwing saw other citizens wielding household items as weapons, trying to fend off their oppressors. He also saw a van with the Duckburg Intelligence Agency logo on it. What was the DIA doing in St. Canard? And what had brought on all of this chaos?
He moved around a line of soldiers and got a clear view of Town Hall. Right at the foot of it, with Morgana and Moloculo Macawber only a few feet away from him, was...Scrooge McDuck!?
"What is HE doing here?!" Darkwing exclaimed.
Movement nearby distracted him again and to his horror, he saw Gosalyn in the crowd, tying soldiers' shoelaces together and taunting them by skating out of their reach. She was seized by one soldier, but a well-aimed gut punch and a kick to a knee cap set her free in no time. She made her way to Scrooge and helped him wield off a would-be attacker by pulling off one of her skates and whacking the unfortunate canine in the nose with the wheels. He yelped and staggered back, running into another soldier behind him and sending them both sprawling.
Gosalyn backed up to Scrooge. "What are you doing here, Lassie?" He demanded while whacking another soldier with his cane. "Where are yer parents?!"
"I came to find Gizmoduck!" Gosalyn ducked as a soldier attempted to pistol whip her. She jumped up and poked him in the eyes, grabbing the gun from him.
Scrooge squawked in alarm and snatched the gun away from her, pointing the muzzle at another surge of opponents. These happened to be petty thieves who were more concerned about their own well being than their goal. They tripped over themselves to get away from the duck with the gun. Scrooge snorted and set the safety on the weapon, sticking it in his belt in case he needed it later. Nobody else challenged the elderly mallard or the spunky girl at his side.
Seeing that Gosalyn and Scrooge were safe for the moment, Darkwing glanced at Morgana. She looked exhausted and on the verge of fainting. So did Moloculo. He was still confused. Why were Morgana and Moloculo here? They didn't care about the affairs of normals.
Everywhere Darkwing looked, monsters and spell casters were working with city officials and ordinary citizens as if they had all planned it. What had happened to bring all of these different people together? Was this the culmination of years of oppression? He wasn't sure how much time had passed since Gosalyn was rescued from Bulba but it seemed to have been...
Gosalyn got Darkwing's attention again. "Where is Gizmoduck? I thought he'd be here with you!"
Scrooge leaned on his cane for a moment. "Lassie, times are changing. Gizma'duck quit working for me after losing a friend..."
Scrooge gulped and Darkwing stared at him. Were those tears in the old miser's eyes?
Taking a deep breath, Scrooge continued. "He returned what was left of the suit and went on vacation. 'Unpaid,' that is..." Since that didn't mean anything to her, Gosalyn just looked at him. Scrooge sighed. "Gyro is still working on the suit, but I donnae hold much hope for it. Without a man to operate it, the suit is worthless!"
A scream split the air as the back doors on the DIA van burst open and a figure flew out of it. "WA-AH-AH-AH-AH!"
Gyro peered out with a remote in his hand. "Hold on, Donald! I just need to make a few more adjustments!"
"Was that the Gizmosuit?" Gosalyn asked as she watched the object ricochet in the sky and bounce across rooftops like a ball.
"Do I really need to answer that?" Scrooge replied dourly. He headed toward the van.
Gosalyn and Darkwing followed him, dodging two more waves of opponents.
Gyro saw Scrooge coming and hurried over to explain. "I've repaired the suit and changed the code like you said, but it's still not taking to Donald, Mr. McDuck... The controls just don't respond to him the same way."
"I was afraid of that..." Scrooge sighed. "It was a long shot, but it was worth a try..."
Donald arced past them, still screaming as the Gizmosuit bowled into a group of soldiers standing around at the end of the street.
"Well at least some good came from it..." Gosalyn commented drily.
"Oh, hello there. I didn't see you," Gyro raised his hat in greeting. Before he could say more, a second wave of soldiers surged toward them, guns blazing. Gyro and Scrooge both jumped into the van. When Gosalyn didn't immediately follow, Scrooge stuck his cane out and pulled her in with it.
Darkwing jumped aside as the soldiers surrounded the van. Now what?! Gosalyn was trapped and Darkwing still couldn't do anything to help!
"Heads up!" GizmoDonald called out.
The soldiers looked back at him, only to get bowled over as the armored duck sprayed them with a fire hose. Donald chuckled and activated a boxing glove, knocking two more soldiers out of commission.
Then something happened. The soldiers suddenly scattered. Darkwing thought maybe Morgana or Moloculo had worked up a spell or something, but what he saw next chilled him to the core.
A black stretch limo pulled up and Taurus Bulba stepped out of it.
GizmoDonald pressed a button on his arm. "Don't move! I'm warning you...!"
"I don't have time for games, little 'hero.' But if you insist..." Grabbing Donald by the neck before he could prematurely fire his weapon, Bulba proceeded to crumple the suit (with the duck inside) using only his hands. He tossed the squashed duck into a trash can and moved to the van. "I know you are hiding in there. I have a deal to make with you, Old Timer. If you value your life, you will not refuse it."
Scrooge angrily yelled back. "I told ye before: I don't do business with cutthroats and Blackguards!"
"That is unfortunate. But I have no need for your money now, thanks to my sources..." Turning his back on the van, Bulba said to his men. "Fire when ready."
"NO!" Gosalyn yelled.
Bulba stopped the execution order with a raised hand. "Gosalyn. How nice to hear from you again... Have you reconsidered my request?"
"I don't..." Gosalyn stopped in mid sentence.
Darkwing hurried over to the van and poked his head in through the doors. He saw Gosalyn looking thoughtfully at Scrooge and Gyro. She frowned before calling out. "Okay, okay. I know the stupid code. Call off your dumb army and I'll come out."
"No, lassie! You dinnae know what you're doing!" Scrooge exclaimed, grabbing her arm protectively.
Gosalyn scowled for a moment before seeing the genuine concern on the old duck's face. "Thanks, Mister, but for once, I know exactly what I'm doing." Surprising the multiquadzillionaire with a hug around his neck, she backed away and peered out the door. "Okay. I'm coming out. Don't blast anyone."
"Of course, of course..." Bulba smirked. He looked up at something perched on a nearby building. Tantalus, the condor, saw his master's nod and nodded back before fanning his wings.
"Promise me you won't hurt them, first." Gosalyn stopped just shy of coming out of the van.
"I give you my word... Nothing will happen to your 'friends'."
"Gyro, do something!" Scrooge turned to the inventor. Darkwing pled the same thing even though neither bird heard him.
"I'm working on it, Mr. McDuck!" Gyro exclaimed. He activated something inside the van that pulled GizmoDonald out of the trash can and back into the van. "Hold onto your hats!" He pressed another couple of buttons.
The van lurched and transformed into a jet. Scrooge hooked Gosalyn with his cane and pulled her away inside while Little Helper closed the door. Gyro spoke into a communicator an instant before the jet rose up from the ground. Bulba's soldiers opened fire but nothing penetrated the van's sides.
"Keeeen gear! A super secret spy vehicle with bullet proof siding! Just like in the movies!"
"Actually, it's just one of my latest inventions." Gyro happily named off the vehicle's properties.
While Gyro rattled on, Scrooge pulled Gosalyn aside. "What in the world were you doing, Lass?! And what is this 'code' you were referring to?"
Gosalyn shrugged. "I dunno, but I had to say SOMETHING to get him away from you guys!"
Scrooge sighed. "You're a very brave girl, and I appreciate the gesture, but we dinnae need the help. We're protected by magic. One of my worst enemies settled her feud with another family of magic users and has been contributing to my research and defense lab."
[i]"His worst enemy was a witch?"[/i] Darkwing puzzled while Scrooge continued to explain.
"At the moment, we have three witches and a warlock protecting us."
"And Globby!" Globby exclaimed as he suddenly seeped in through the door crevices.
"Major league awesome! What are you, like mutated lime pudding or swamp scum?" Gosalyn curiously stuck a finger into the slimy gelatinous blob.
Globby giggled. "That tickles!"
Darkwing grimaced and looked out the side window to keep from getting ill. He saw that during the course of the conversation, the vehicle had moved well away from the city block and Bulba's soldiers. He sighed gratefully. Gosalyn was safe and in good hands. Very good hands. This Scrooge McDuck seemed to get along with her pretty well. Darkwing wondered if Scrooge would be up to adopting her.
With Launchpad gone and the Muddlefoots and S.H.U.S.H. out of the equation, that left Morgana as the only person he knew that Darkwing would trust with his little girl. And Morgana hasn't even officially met Gosalyn in this world...
Darkwing sighed and rubbed his head. He hoped, for Gosalyn's sake, that Scrooge and Gyro had a plan. With Bulba after the arming code again, Gosalyn's life was still in danger. And so was the rest of the city...