Megavolt's fingers wouldn't stop twitching, and it was starting to hurt. He grabbed at his tail and pulled on it in an attempt to get his fingers to behave themselves. There was electricity running through his fingers, sending a shock into his sensitive tail. It was just a small one, similar to a static shock he'd get from a fuzzy blanket, except it was never-ending and it was starting to go from surprising to uncomfortable, and soon it would reach painful levels.
Megavolt would rather his tail be a little sore than for his fingers to be shaking, tense messes. Besides, if he was sending electricity through his tail then his shocks weren't going astray and possibly hurting somebody else. It would be insane to attack Negaduck, and he'd already hurt Liquidator enough already.
Megavolt looked at the water dog, who was dripping miserably. He looked as tired as Megavolt felt. They didn't know what they were doing here, or exactly what Negaduck wanted from them. All they knew was Negaduck was scary, and they didn't want to make him angry. So when he'd made Megavolt and Liquidator take turns shocking and dousing each other, they did it.
It had hurt, and Megavolt felt like his brain had been fried and scrambled like it was made of eggs, but at least the pain was already getting better. Their electricity and water didn't mix. Half the time when megavolt electrocuted Liquidator the dog would seem to absorb the electricity and be completely unbothered by his entire form shocking and sparking with electricity. The other half the time, the Liquidator would yelp in pain and lose his physical form, becoming a puddle of water. It took him a few minutes to come back to himself.
Megavolt, on the other hand, couldn't handle being doused. Every single time he got wet all of his electricity turned back on himself. He didn't always lose consciousness, that only happened if the battery on his back got wet, but far too often he would lose awareness for a minute or two, obvious to everything that wasn't the shocking of his mind.
The pain from the shock didn't really linger. It hurt, and then it was gone. Megavolt had the feeling he wouldn't have gotten off so easily if Negaduck had punished them for not doing what he said.
He had no idea what this whole thing had accomplished, but Negaduck seemed pleased. Either he'd learned something that Megavolt and Liquidator had missed, or he'd just had a lot of fun watching them suffer. Negaduck probably would have kept on pushing them until they couldn't manage anymore, but he had something else that caught his interest.
"Alright, weed, break time's over." Negaduck went back to the flower pot. He gripped the purple foliage sticking out of the top and he yanked it up. Megavolt felt like he might have scrambled his brains more than he thought, because Negaduck pulled out of the pot a squirming, screaming, terrified looking duck plant hybrid child.
"How many kids and freaks does this guy have?" Megavolt said out loud. Negaduck glared back at him. He took the plant kid and tossed him towards them. The kid shuddered and tried to make himself as small as he could. He was hiding behind them slightly, and though Megavolt was scared of Negaduck too he couldn't help but take a protective stance between the plant kid and the terrifying duck before them.
"Pathetic." Negaduck said. He pointed at Megavolt. "You're not a hero, kid. You can't protect anybody to save your own life." He pointed at the plant kid. "If you don't buck up, I'm going to personally see to it that your life is a living hell."
"I thought you didn't want us to fight you." Liquidator was the one that had the guts to say what was going through all of their minds.
"Oh, I don't." Negaduck said. "But I'm not going to have a bunch of wimps work for me either." Do what I say, don't be a wimp, and maybe you'll survive."
"W-w-what if we don't?" The plant kid asked. He still sounded terrified, but he was also blatantly questioning Negaduck. Megavolt didn't understand this kid at all.
"You want a demonstration? I'll give you a demonstration." Negaduck growled. He stomped out of the room. As soon as he was gone the plant kid's brief moment of bravery vanished. He was shaking almost as much as Megavolt was.
"What is going on?" The kid sounded like he was about to start crying.
"We were kidnapped by a supervillain." Liquidator said. He sounded so sure that Megavolt didn't think he could argue with him. "See how he's dressed?"
"I don't think he has powers though." Megavolt looked at his shaking hands. He could practically see the sparks fizzling from his fingers. "That's why he needs us."
"I don't need any of you." Negaduck said. They all jolted and looked to see him coming back into the room. He was dragging another kid along behind him. He tossed the kid towards them. Megavolt instinctively caught and steadied him. The boy yelped at the shock. Megavolt immediately let go.
"Sorry." Megavolt said. The young duck rubbed his arm and just looked at him.
"That tickled." He said. Megavolt knew how his shocks felt, and he would never think to describe it as a tickle.
"Liquidator, Megavolt, Bushroot, and Quackerjack." Negaduck looked pointedly at all of them in turn. "Four of the most pathetic people I've ever had the displeasure of meeting. But you're right, some of you do have something that I don't. Powers. I don't need you, but I can use you. As long as you stay useful, you'll stay alive. It's a fair deal."
"If they have powers then what's going to keep them from using them against you?" Quackerjack asked. It didn't sound threatening, exactly. He sounded genuinely curious. The other three stared at him like he was insane. Maybe Quackerjack had seen the least of Negaduck and his threats, but he had to know that he wasn't someone to mess with, or even imply that they were going to mess with him.
"And that brings us to the demonstration I mentioned." Negaduck said almost playfully. He pushed Megavolt to the side, making him stumble and trip into Quackerjack, shocking him again. While they struggled to recover, Negaduck stepped past them and grabbed Bushroot's arm. He pulled the mutant away from the others. The kid struggled and protested, only to downright scream when he saw that Negaduck was pulling him towards his chainsaw.
"No, no, don't!" Bushroot cried. Megavolt shuddered and clung to Quackerjack, not caring for a moment that he was shocking and possibly hurting him. He didn't know if he was trying to hold Quackerjack back, or keep himself from trying to help the other mutant. "Please!"
"One thing you need to know about me," Negaduck growled. He grabbed his chainsaw and revved it. Bushroot's begging turned to screams of horror. Megavolt shook, and he didn't think it had anything to do with his electric powers. Their fear didn't make Negaduck stop. If anything, he seemed more determined.
"I hate the word 'please'." Negaduck said. "All it will do is infuriate me, and when you make me mad-" He pulled Bushroot's arm taut and brought his chainsaw down. Too late Megavolt realized that this wasn't a scare tactic or a bluff. He didn't have the time to look away and he watched in horror as Negaduck chopped off Bushroot's arm.
The kid's scream would haunt Megavolt's nightmares for years, as well as the sight of his dismembered arm falling to the ground. Bushroot just sat on the ground screaming in horror and hyperventilating as he stared at his arm.
"Does that answer your questions?" Negaduck asked casually. He leaned against his chainsaw, looking way too comfortable for someone who had just disarmed a kid.
Megavolt tightened his grip on Quackerjack as he stared blankly at the scene before him. He couldn't help but think to himself that he thought he'd be able to watch horror movies now. He'd always been a little bit squeamish about the blood and stuff, but he didn't think that any movie could be as bad as the arm right in front of him and the screams ringing in his ear.
Negaduck scowled and revved his chainsaw again. Liquidator flinched, splashing Megavolt and making him spark and shock Quackerjack more, burning his feathers. They all yelped, but it wasn't in pain. None of them wanted to be Negaduck's next victims and examples.
"I asked you a question." Negaduck growled.
"T-that answers our questions." Megavolt said. "No fighting you, no questioning you, no nothing."
"No nothing indeed." Negaduck said slyly. He was looking at Megavolt in a way that he really didn't like. "What did I just tell you?"
Megavolt's mind was running. He had a hard time remembering anything besides the arm right in front of him. "I-I don't know." He admitted. "I can't remember."
"Why am I not surprised?" Negaduck growled. He grabbed Quackerjack by the tail and pulled him away from Megavolt. "You can't save yourself, let alone your friends. If you keep on trying I'll make things even worse for all of you, do you understand?"
Megavolt wasn't really trying to protect anybody. He just didn't want to get hurt, and he didn't think the others did either. Powers or not, they were just kids. They didn't deserve this. Megavolt didn't want to be alone through all of this, but if he just sat back and let the others get hurt then what if they were suddenly gone and he was all by himself?
But Negaduck was making it clear that if he tried to help them, bad things would happen. If Megavolt didn't want to lose the only friends he could possibly have right now, he needed to do what Negaduck wanted. That included letting him hurt the others.
Despite how much he wanted to grab at Quackerjack and pull him out of harm's way, Megavolt didn't do anything. He clutched at his tail, took a step back, and stared at the floor. He shuddered when he heard Negaduck chuckle.
"We're already making progress." Negaduck said, and it was hard to tell if it was patronizing or sincere. Either way, Megavolt didn't like it. He continued looking at the ground as he heard Negaduck begin to walk away. When he dared to look up he saw that both Negaduck and Quackerjack were gone.
Megavolt squeezed his tail and bit his lip to keep himself from whining and breaking into tears. Negaduck clearly didn't like whimpering and crying, and Megavolt didn't want to anger him even more. It didn't matter if his chest felt like it was going to explode. It didn't matter if Bushroot was traumatized and who knew what was happening to Quackerjack right now.
Negaduck wanted something from them, and if Megavolt didn't want his tail to be ripped off to keep him from relying on it like this, then he needed to be the best whatever Negaduck wanted him to be.
The three of them stood there in awkward anxiety until Negaduck came back. He stopped in his tracks and stared at them in irritated confusion, as though he didn't understand what they were doing there.
"I'm not going to play babysitter." Negaduck growled, as though it was their fault that they were here at all. He pointed at Megavolt and Bushroot. "Get out of my sight. I don't care what you do, just don't go outside, don't make noise, and if a door is locked it's locked for a reason and you're to not even look at it."
So Negaduck actually cared a lot about what they did, but Megavolt knew that if he said anything it would just be asking to lose a limb himself. He bit his lip and hurried down the hall before Negaduck changed his mind. He didn't even bother to see if Bushroot was following his example, or what their captor had in mind for the Liquidator. Negaduck didn't want him to worry about the others. This seemed as good a time as any to start.
Megavolt found a closet towards the back of the house. He crawled inside and curled up in the corner. He clutched tightly to his tail and tried to make himself as small as possible. He squeezed his eyes shut tight to keep the tears from falling. If Negaduck had chopped off Bushroot's arm because of his begging, he didn't know what the duck would do if they started crying.
He tried to be as quiet as he could, but it wasn't long before Megavolt started sobbing into himself. He ached and wanted to go home…wherever that was. He tried to remember where he'd been before, who his family was, but not even a vague impression came to him. He knew his name was Megavolt, he had electric powers, but the rest of his memory was a blank.
It was scary. Why couldn't he remember anything? Had Negaduck done something? Did he just have a bad memory? Did he have no past? He really didn't know, and trying to think about it just made his head hurt.
Megavolt shuddered and sniffled as he dozed off, though he hadn't really meant to. He hadn't wanted to make himself more vulnerable to Negaduck, but his mind was eager to shut down and try to forget that any of this was happening at all.
He could have easily slept through the day and far into the night, but Megavolt jolted awake when he heard a loud thump. Even before he remembered where he was and why, he was on edge and anxious. He felt like he was in danger. Megavolt clenched his hands around his tail and he kept as still as he could. He just listened.
Soon he heard another thump, followed by a terrifying sound. It was like a mix between an unhinged laugh and a scream. Megavolt shook and closed his eyes tight, but the sound kept on going and going. Eventually he realized that the noise was coming from a child. He knew what Bushroot's scream sounded like though, and he'd heard enough of Liquidator's pained yelps from when they'd worked against each other for him to know it wasn't him.
It had to be Quackerjack.
Forgetting about Negaduck's instructions to mind his own business, Megavolt snuck out of his hiding place in the closet. It was dark and quiet, save for the now muffled screaming laughter. Negaduck must be doing something to him.
Curious and concerned, Megavolt slowly made his way down to a door that had five or six different locks on it. This was where the screaming was coming from, and Megavolt wasn't the only one who had been curious about it. He saw Bushroot poke his head out of a room.
"Do you know what Negaduck did to him?" Megavolt asked. Bushroot shook his head.
"Negaduck's out." Bushroot said. "So's Liquidator. Quackerjack just started screaming and laughing, and he won't stop. It's freaking me out."
Megavolt frowned and looked at the door. Maybe Negaduck hadn't done anything to Quackerjack, but that didn't mean that nothing was wrong. He sounded like he was hurt, or at least scared. It didn't feel right to leave him alone.
Megavolt reached for the door, only for a vine to wrap around his arm and yank him back. He turned to see Bushroot, who looked like he had his chopped off arm back.
"Y-your arm." Megavolt blinked.
"It grew back." Bushroot said with a shaky voice. He was a plant. Megavolt felt like he should have known that he would be alright, but seeing anybody lose an arm was a terrifying sight.
"Look, my arm's not important." Bushroot said in a hushed voice. "What were you doing? Negaduck said to stay away from the locked doors. That door's definitely locked."
"Quackerjack's in there." Megavolt said.
"If he's there at least he's safe from Negaduck." Bushroot said, even though it would be far too easy for the villain to unlock the door. "We won't be. Negaduck will kill us if we don't do what he says."
"Negaduck's not here." Megavolt grabbed the vine around his arm and sent a shock through it until it released him. "What he doesn't know won't hurt us." He walked back to the door, took a deep breath, and knocked.
The thumping and breathless giggling stopped, but there wasn't a response. Megavolt frowned and knocked again. "Quackerjack? It's Megavolt. Are you okay in there?"
"...Megsy?" Quackerjack's shaky voice said quietly from the other side of the door.
"Yeah, it's me." Megavolt said. "Are you hurt? Did Negaduck do something?"
"My head hurts." Quackerjack said. "Negaduck didn't do anything."
It took Megavolt a long minute to think of a reason why Quackerjack could be hurt if Negaduck hadn't done anything. Eventually he remembered the thumping sound he heard. One thump might mean that he had tripped and hit his head, but the thump had just kept happening.
"Were you hitting your head?" Megavolt asked. Quackerjack made a sound that could have been a sob or a giggle.
"I can't get out." Quackerjack said, sounding both playful and distressed. There was another thump, accompanied by a small whine. "It's scary. I don't like it. If I make my head hurt then I don't have to think about how I'm stuck."
"You shouldn't do that." Megavolt said. "You're going to hurt yourself."
"But then I get the shakes in my arms and nothing makes them stop." Quackerjack said. Megavolt could relate. His own fingers were still shaking. "My brain gets so noisy, but I'm stuck and there's nothing to do or see in here, so I can't do anything with all of the ideas in my head." There was another thump. "I have to get them out somehow."
Megavolt twisted his tail in his hands as he sat on the ground. He leaned against the door. "Will talking about it help? I can't get you out, but I can listen."
"Really?" Quackerjack sounded excited.
"I don't have anything else to do right now." Megavolt said. "What's in your head?"
Quackerjack eagerly started rambling about any thought that crossed his mind. He seemed to be trying to catch up to his ideas. Megavolt felt like he was being told three different interlocking ideas at once. He didn't understand any of it, but Quackerjack was sounding more and more calm.
As he listened to Quackerjack ramble on Megavolt found himself relaxing just a little bit. It was nice to have the reminder that he wasn't alone here. They were all stuck, some clearly more than others, but at least they weren't all alone.
Megavolt sat there for a few hours , dozing slightly. He snapped awake when he heard the front door slam. Negaduck was back.
"I have to go." Megavolt said in a hushed voice. "I don't know when I can be back, but I'll make it when I can." He knocked on the door. "Try really hard to be quiet. I'll knock like this when I can talk again, okay?"
"Okay." Quackerjack said. Megavolt could practically hear the pout in his voice. He didn't have time for any more reassurances. He scurried away from the door and ran back to his closet. He curled up inside and just waited anxiously.
The minutes passed tensely before the door opened. Megavolt squeaked anxiously, and immediately relaxed when he saw Liquidator. He looked unharmed, which was a relief.
"Where were you?" Megavolt asked as he stood up. Liquidator just smiled.
"Stealing." Liquidator said. He was holding a bundle in his arms. He held it out to Megavolt. He accepted it and tilted his head when he saw a yellow shirt, orange hat, and box of snacks.
"You got these for me?" Megavolt pulled the shirt on, feeling much better now that he wasn't completely naked. "Why?"
"You need food and clothes." Liquidator said. "Negaduck just wanted me to steal for him. He didn't care what."
"Stealing?" Megavolt raised an eyebrow. He had been expecting something much more devious. Yeah, maybe stealing wasn't nice, but if it was between getting punished by Negaduck or stealing some things that could easily be replaced, Megavolt would choose stealing any day.
"What about Quackerjack?" Megavolt asked.
"I got some things for him too, but Negaduck took them." Liquidator said. "I guess Quackerjack is in the locked room we're not supposed to go near." Megavolt grimaced and grabbed one of the snacks to just hide any indication that he had disobeyed already.
He tried offering some food to Liquidator, but the canine just smirked and said that he didn't need to eat or sleep. That was why Negaduck had taken him out last night. He seemed proud of his lack of mortal needs, but Megavolt wasn't so sure that it was a good thing. He just knew that Negaduck would find a way to take advantage of it and hurt Liquidator.
They talked for a few minutes before Liquidator suddenly tensed. He grabbed Megavolt's arm, both of them ignoring the shock they felt at the contact. He pulled him out of the closet, just in time to face Negaduck, who looked furious.
He glared at Liquidator. "Beat it." The dog gave Megavolt an alarmed look before his form vanished into a puddle of water and slid away. Negaduck crossed his arms. "Follow me." He turned and went down the hall. Megavolt would rather do literally anything else. Still, he was scared, so he hurried after him.
"I've been saving this." Negaduck said. He led him into the basement. Megavolt was terrified of seeing a torture chamber, but it looked deceivingly normal. It was just a bare laundry room. Negaduck went to a cupboard and pulled out a box of light bulbs. Megavolt watched anxiously as he pulled out one of the light bulbs. He tossed it to Megavolt, who awkwardly caught it.
Holding the small light bulb felt exhilarating, like nothing else that he had ever known. He felt his electricity flow into the little bulb. He could almost hear the electrical current. It sounded like a whisper.
Megavolt held the light bulb close. It felt so fragile, but so alive. It needed to be protected. He held the little luminous one so close that he almost missed Negaduck's sneer.
"You still think that thing's alive?" Negaduck asked. Megavolt couldn't help but nod. Maybe it wasn't alive the way that they were, or even that plants were, but Megavolt could feel something from this. How could he feel if it wasn't alive?
"Okay then." Negaduck gave him a cold look. "Shatter it."
Megavolt jolted. "W-what?"
"You heard me." Negaduck said. "You can also smash it, crash it, break it. I don't care how, but I want a busted light bulb, and I want you to do it."
Megavolt held the light bulb as tightly as he could, as though he could protect it from Negaduck's harsh words. "Why?"
Negaduck gave him an unimpressed look. He took two more light bulbs out of the box. He set them on the ground, grabbed a needlessly large mallet, and smashed it into them. Megavolt cringed as the sound of shattered glass hit his ears. It seemed to echo in his ears.
"Look at me, kid." Negaduck said. Megavolt couldn't do anything but stare at the mallet. "Now!" Megavolt whined and looked up to meet Negaduck's cruel gaze. "If you don't break your one light bulb, then I'll break two, and I'll continue to break two until you do what I say."
Megavolt was shaking. He didn't want to do this. He wanted to plead and beg, but he knew what had happened to Bushroot when he'd done that. Instead he just stayed silent as Negaduck watched him expectantly. He knew what he needed to do, but he couldn't. He couldn't. He shook his head and closed his eyes.
It did nothing to block out the sound of the mallet thudding on the ground, or the shattering of glass. After the sixth shattering of glass Megavolt choked out a sob and squeezed the light bulb in his hands. His electricity got stronger until it was too much for one little light bulb to take. It broke, sending glass flying.
Megavolt was crying, but Negaduck looked pleased.
"Finally." Negaduck said. He tossed Megavolt another light bulb. "Again."
Megavolt felt like his heart stopped. He felt like he was going to break down after breaking just one little light bulb. How could he break another? At the same time though, how could he disobey Negaduck?
He hesitated for too long. Negaduck grabbed five more light bulbs and shattered them without warning. They had almost gotten through the entire box. Megavolt was scared that if he made Negaduck get through the one box, then he would just smash an entire box in one go. Terrified of having the metaphorical blood of dozens of light bulbs on his conscience, he sent another surge through the poor bulb, overpowering its wires.
Negaduck wasn't satisfied with that. He made Megavolt break another eight light bulbs. He was only content when the young rat was able to shatter four light bulbs in a row without a moment's hesitation. There were tears actively falling from his cheeks, but Negaduck looked…well, not happy, but less murderous.
"Do you know why I did this?" Negaduck asked. Megavolt shook his head. "Do you remember what I told you yesterday?" The boy didn't answer. "I told you to not try to be a hero. You can't save anybody. You couldn't save the light bulbs, so what makes you think you could save Quackerjack?"
Megavolt shuddered. Negaduck glared at him dangerously. "That's right, I know. A little weed told me."
Bushroot.
"I know you have memory issues, but maybe this lesson will sink in." Negaduck bent down and grabbed one of the larger shards of glass. He grabbed Megavolt's palm and pushed the glass harshly in. "If I tell you to mind your own business, mind your own business, or I can't be blamed for what I do." He stepped away from Megavolt and started to make his way back upstairs.
"Stay away from Quackerjack," Negaduck said. "Or else we'll play this little game again, with him being your one useless bulb, and you being the bulbs I had to break before you got over yourself." So he wouldn't just hurt Quackerjack, he would make Megavolt hurt him, or else he'd be hurt himself.
Negaduck left him alone. Megavolt's legs grew weak. He collapsed to the ground, sitting amongst all of the broken glass and bulbs. He tried to get a hold of himself, but he couldn't keep it in. Megavolt's chest squeezed painfully as he let out a pained wail. He couldn't keep his tears from falling.
He didn't know how long he was down there, but it wasn't nearly long enough. He was still actively crying, taking in gasp breaths that didn't feel like nearly enough. He didn't want to do this anymore. He wanted to go home…wherever that was.
Eventually he heard somebody coming down the stairs, but the footsteps were too light and cautious to be Negaduck. Liquidator didn't make noise like this when he walked, and Quackerjack was probably still locked up. There was only one person this could be.
Megavolt clenched his teeth and fists. This was his fault, but he wasn't the only one. Negaduck had forced him to do this, and he wouldn't have done that if he'd never known what Megavolt had done. The only reason he knew was because somebod didn't know how to keep his mouth shut.
"You." Megavolt growled. He shot his electricity out towards the footsteps. He heard Bushroot yelp in alarm, which was satisfying, but not enough. "You did this! You told Negaduck."
"I had to." Bushroot said almost tearfully. Megavolt had no sympathy for him. "We can't go against him."
"You coward!" Megavolt aimed another shock towards him.
"He cut my arm off!" Bushroot said defensively.
"It grew back." Megavolt growled. "I bet it didn't even hurt."
Bushroot stomped his feet. "It did! It hurt a lot. My arm still doesn't feel right." Megavolt didn't know if he believed him, but even if Bushroot was right all Megavolt thought was that he deserved it.
He wanted to turn this weed into mulch, but he felt like he was running on no power. Besides, he'd hurt Liquidator yesterday, and killed innocent light bulbs today, and now he had no choice but to let Quackerjack down. He didn't want to be responsible for hurting anybody else right now, as much as he might deserve it.
"Stay away from me." Megavolt held up his hand, letting clear sparks come through.
"Happily." Bushroot crossed his arms. He looked like he was trying to look defiant, but he just looked like he was trying to protect himself. "As long as you stay away from Quackerjack before you get us all killed."
Megavolt shouted in fury and got to his feet. He ran towards Bushroot, who screamed and ran away. Megavolt was too tired to give chase. When Bushroot was out of sight he sighed and pulled at his tail, which was starting to feel numb. He numbly walked towards his closet, but he froze in his tracks when he heard a knocking on the locked door. Quackerjack.
He knew he needed to ignore him. He needed to keep walking. He was about to do just that when he heard Quackerjack's quiet voice.
"Megsy, are you there?" Quackerjack asked. "The air feels electric. That's you, isn't it?" Megavolt didn't say a word. He tightened his grip on his tale to try to pull back his electricity. It didn't work.
"Please, talk to me." Quackerjack said desperately. "I just need to know one thing. I-I feel like I'm going crazy. I need to know. I need to…to…" He trailed off. "Can you at least tell me if you're there? Or just knock back? I think I know you're there, but if it's just in my head-" Quackerjack sounded scared out of his mind, but Megavolt thought it was better for him to be scared than to be hurt, or worse.
Megavolt didn't dare to even breathe. He silently and slowly stepped away from the door to get to his closet. Only when he was safely inside did he let himself cry again.
Why? Why did he have to do this? Why did he have to be here at all? It wasn't fair. Negaduck was right. He couldn't protect himself. He couldn't protect Quackerjack. He couldn't even save defenseless little light bulbs. He wasn't a hero. He couldn't stand up to Negaduck. He didn't know if anybody could.
