Darkwing Duck
"DW, snap out of it!" Launchpad shrieked. He let the boomerang fly and it hit the monster as it reached its hands for DW.
She snarled furiously at Launchpad, stood back up and then started lumbering towards him.
"Gee, uh, sorry ... uh, no hard feelings?"
'Launchpad's in trouble ...' the vampire shook himself from his daze. 'I've got to do something.' He reached into his pocket and loaded a random cartridge into the popgun. He watched the creature getting nearer to Launchpad. "Here goes nothing!" He pressed the trigger.
The cartridge released a green cloud that enveloped the monster.
She started crying.
"Tear gas?" The vampire looked at the gun nozzle. "You're some self-absorbed egomaniacal biker with delusions of grandeur who saves the world with tear gas?"
The monster didn't seem so terrifying now as she sat down clumsily on the curb, bawling pitifully into her hands.
"Gee I ..." The vampire swallowed. "I'm sorry about ..." He glanced at Launchpad who nodded encouragingly, urging him to keep talking to the creature. DW sat down on the curb beside her. "Uh ... why were you destroying things for?"
"Nobody like me."
"W-but that's no reason for destroying public property. I mean; what did that post box ever do to you?"
"Nobody write me." The monster picked up an envelope from the ground and threw it away with all her strength. The envelope fluttered to the ground less than a metre away from her feet and she started into another fit of crying.
"Oh, no." 'I've got a depressed monster on my hands!' The vampire swallowed and looked up at Launchpad. Launchpad always had positive things to say. "Help me! I can't think of an answer."
The creature grabbed his popgun. "Okay. I help you think." Without any warning, she brought the popgun down hard over his head.
Everything went black.
"DW! Wake-up-wake-up!"
Darkwing woke to a rough shaking and the sound of Launchpad's voice in his ear. "L-Launchp-pad, I-I'm aw-wake! Cut it out!"
Launchpad let go of him. "DW, are you you?"
"What do you mean am I me?" Darkwing rubbed his head. "You're getting as bad as Gosalyn."
He looked around. A horde of S.H.U.S.H. agents had cordoned off the street and were starting to move in towards them. Plus Launchpad and he had a visitor next to them listening in on their conversation. The mismatched creature gazed sorrowfully at him.
"No need to worry, citizen." He smiled at her, hoping some of his confidence would rub off. "Darkwing Duck is on the case-that's me, by the way. I have everything under control."
"Always works." She said mysteriously, giving him a small teary smile.
"Uh, yeah, sure." He muttered dismissively.
Darkwing stood up and watched the S.H.U.S.H. agents crowding in on them.
He cleared his throat so as to speak loud enough for them to hear. "Do you guys mind? Can't you see she's upset? Back-off!" He quacked the order, gesturing loudly with his hands and shooed them back. He turned back to the creature and knelt down beside her. "They're like that to me too." He smiled weakly.
"Do you like me, Dark-wing-Duck?"
"Well, uh ..." He hesitated, looking at the loose envelopes scattered around them. "We can be friends-but no more breaking things, okay? Promise?"
The creature nodded and smiled. "I pro-mise. Friends?"
Darkwing looked into her aura field for her name and felt like his heart could break. He could sense every surgical cut that had brought so many people to their ends. However none of that was her fault and she was a living person in her own right who needed help right now. He did his best to smile back at her. "Yeah, let's be friends, Mandy."
"Darkwing Duck?"
Darkwing looked up into the face of Director Hooter standing before them.
"I am grateful you could diffuse this situation. We have the facilities to-er ..."
Darkwing was livid at the notion of S.H.U.S.H. taking Mandy away. They would put her in a cold white clinical environment and the last thing Mandy needed was for people to pry and run experiments on her. The look on Darkwing's face must have told the entire story because the short avian didn't finish his sentence.
Darkwing jumped up to a stand and pointed at the crowd of S.H.U.S.H. personnel surrounding them. "I'm sorry, chief, but I-can't-trust-S.H.U.S.H.-in-this-matter."
"Perhaps if you or Launchpad were to accompany-er..."
"Mandy." Darkwing supplied.
"Mandy ... to our medical facilities it would be more to your approval?"
Darkwing frowned at Hooter and turned his head to glance at Launchpad. "No, I still don't like it, Director; the answer is no."
"No friend?"
"Not today, Mandy." Darkwing helped her up onto her unsteady feet.
"No friend!" Mandy repeated, getting upset.
"Hey, hey." Darkwing cooed, petting her arm, "come with me, Mandy. I'll take you to meet some new friends, huh?" He glanced around the street. "Uh, Launchpad, did you bring the rat-catcher with you by any chance?"
"Oh, sure, DW." Launchpad held out the keys for him.
"No, no; you drive, Launchpad. You know how much I like to suddenly disappear." Darkwing turned to Mandy and once again felt that painful splicing and stitching in her aural field that had brought her into such an existence as this. "What do you say, Mandy? Are you up for a little ride?" He smiled gently at her.
"Darkwing, are you sure you have the resources to give Mandy all the care and supervision she requires?"
Darkwing turned his head to view Director Hooter. "Director, between Bushroot and Megavolt and even my own personal experience I've learnt how important it is to never let go of someone in need." He took Mandy's hand again. "We're going to give Mandy all the help she can get to become a functioning member of society again. Now, if you can please dismiss your people so we can get on with it?"
Director Hooter nodded and looked up at his nearest officer. "The situation has been neutralized, Agent Lanley."
"Very well, sir." Lanley saluted and turned away to the personnel. "Okay, agents, we're all clear. You can return to your prior duties."
Darkwing watched the horde of suits file out of the vicinity and breathed a sigh of relief that this particular argument was over.
"Darkwing, I am sorry to say this but Mandy has destroyed public property." Hooter reminded him.
"I-sorry!" Mandy yelped unhappily, clinging to Darkwing's arm.
"There, you see, Director." Darkwing smiled reassuringly at Mandy, brushing a fresh set of tears from her eyes with his spare hand. "Mandy understands that now."
Darkwing turned his head and reviewed the crashed post-box. He summoned the Vespers in the air around it to tip it back to a stand on its spot.
"Wow!" Mandy gaped impressed as she watched the envelopes slotting back through the slit in rapid succession.
Darkwing grinned. "Yep; one hundred and forty four letters to go in the next mail run."
He nodded to Hooter, "McMouse's personal gofer is the one we need to worry about, chief."
"We have him in custody."
"Oh." Darkwing frowned, privately disappointed. "Well then there's no real danger to the public anymore. I'll catch McMouse and complete your set, Director."
"I would be gratified, Darkwing." Hooter nodded and walked away.
Darkwing Duck turned back to Mandy. "Come on, Mandy. Let's go meet a friend of mine. I think you'll like her. Her name's Morgana."
"She like me?"
"Oh, yes, I'm sure she will once she meets you."
"Yeah, Morgana's a very nice person." Launchpad added. "She likes all sorts of ... interesting people."
They walked through the alleyway and to the rat-catcher parked on the next street.
"Hey, DW, you dropped this back there." Launchpad handed his gas gun to him.
"What was that doing on the ground, Launchpad?" Darkwing tucked it back away in its holster behind him and then helped Mandy into the sidecar.
"Er-well-it's a long story, DW."
"How can my...? Oh, never mind, Launchpad." He settled the spare helmet on Mandy's head and did it up for her with a smile. "There you go, Mandy; now you're all safe for the ride." Then he put his own helmet on and looked up at Launchpad as his friend got onto the driver's seat.
"The important thing, Launchpad, is that McMouse will be coming to us now that we have what she wants."
"Gee, DW, maybe we should call back S.H.U.S.H. for backup?"
"Pfft. Launchpad, there's no need to get all melodramatic!" Darkwing scoffed as Launchpad started the engine.
They drove along the streets towards Morgana's chateau. "You and Morgana are more than plenty of backup against McMouse."