Bushroot's pulse raced, pounding in his ears as he tried to figure out what to do… how to avoid his imminent demise. But the suits were scouring the car deck as he stood at the top of the stairs, so he did the only thing he could… he ran. His feet slapped the deck as he rapidly made his way up into the lounge, looking around for plants… greenery… anything he could use to defend himself… but who was he even being pursued by? Government agents? Who else had the clout to simply flash a badge and walk onto a gated ferry?
His mind raced as he saw nothing… no plants… nothing he could control or manipulate. He was done… out of ideas… except… they were both coming up the stairs he'd moved up… a ferry was double-ended… two sets of stairs… bow and stern… he could double back… ditch the car and jump back to land before they could stop him… he'd make it… he needed to go now but he could make it. Tearing past tables and rattling the crockery violently, Reggie shot towards the back of the ferry, charging down the back set of stairs and starting to weave his way through the cars. He didn't dare look back, and he lanced one of his vine-arms outward, grasping the metal fence back on the island. He hated this as it meant being trapped on this damned rock but at least there were plenty of woods he could utilize. Tugging himself off the ferry like some whacky carnival ride, Reggie planted his feet on solid concrete, then hauled himself up and over the fence, using the same method he'd just employed whilst maintaining a tight grip on his briefcase.
The dock workers were shocked at his escape, but he paid them no mind as he began running across the now empty parking lot. The ferry's horn blasted out behind him but he'd done it… he'd escaped. There was a solitary motel in the parking lot, so Reggie made his way there… it was the nearest place he could hide, after all… the agents… or assassins, whatever they were, were now on the ferry, searching fruitlessly for him. Rain was starting to fall, Bushroot trying to think desperately on his next move… he needed help; he ironically needed Darkwing Duck.
But how could he contact him? All he had was his first name… Drake… or possibly last name, he wasn't even sure of that. Entering the motel, Bushroot shivered as he made his way to the front desk. "Can you… do you have any vacancies?" he asked, the front desk clerk giving him a wide eyed stare as they recognized whom they were speaking to.
"Uhhh…" Bushroot cut the unsure groan off by slapping his credit card down. "Please… oh! My ID!" He put his faculty badge down as well. Without another word, he was granted a room on the second floor, parking lot view, so he could keep a constant eye on the front door. Several minutes later, Reggie was sitting at the window of his small room, blinds drawn as he peered out of a slit between them.
Dusk was falling, and he dreaded the prospect of spending the night here, alone and vulnerable. He couldn't sleep… he needed help. "Darkwing… ohhhh what is your name?" he asked, nervously tapping his leafy finger on the desk. Picking up the hotel phone, he dialed 411, the seconds ticking by from a clock on the wall. "Information; how may I direct your call?"
"Yes, I need to contact someone by the name of Drake… I… I don't know if that's a first or last name." He spoke, realizing that it sounded… like the most useless thing he'd ever said.
"I'm sorry, sir, I need more information than that." Came the voice on the other end.
"H-he lives somewhere in the uh…" He reached up, rubbing his forehead, eyes closed as he tried to remember. "Th-the Waterfowl Neighborhood!" He stammered out, finally remembering where he'd been when he'd last seen Darkwing.
"I'm sorry, sir… again I need a full name."
"I… I don't have it… I'm sorry." Bushroot sniffed, heart dropping into his stomach as he knew he was out of luck on this one. He slowly dropped the receiver back into the cradle, closing his eyes again. Exhaling, he racked his brain for answers. "Come on… I'm smart… I can figure this out… Rhoda!" He gasped, reopening his eyes. Her number he knew by heart! He only hoped she hadn't… changed it. His fingers jabbed the buttons violently as he punched in her number, lifting the receiver to his ear again and hearing the dial tone. "Hello?" came Rhoda's voice on the other end.
"Oh! Rhoda! It's me! Reggie! I-I'm sorry to call you, but I'm in trouble!" he spoke insistently.
"Where are you… calling from? I don't recognize this number." She asked. "You're in trouble?"
"Yes! I'm in the Seaside Motel on Cape Mallard Island… I'm stuck… I… I was taking the ferry back to St. Canard but… had to get off at the last minute… there are… there are people after me, Rhoda, and I need you to call Darkwing Duck and tell him to come get me, all right? Listen very carefully… my life… is in danger, all right?" He was rattling off the words like a machine gun, rambling to perhaps no end.
"Reggie, hold on! Slow down! What's… going on? I don't understand. You need Darkwing? There are people after you?" Rhoda tried to press him for more information.
"Yes! You need to call Darkwing! Please! There's no time to lose! I'm stuck, Rhoda… I'm stuck in this motel and I can't go to sleep because if I do-"
"Reggie, stop! Slow down! I don't… understand. You're on Cape Mallard Island at the Seaside Motel and you can't leave? What… is going on?"
"I don't want you mixed up in this, Rhoda!" Reginald insisted, slamming his fist down on the table in a frustrated fashion. "I just need you to get in contact with Darkwing and get him out here!"
"I… I don't know how to contact him! It's not like he's got a number, or anything!" She replied. "Look, if you're on the island I'm coming to get you, all right? I can take the last ferry out there tonight or a water taxi or-"
"No! That's too dangerous! I can't risk you doing that! Rhoda I…"
"Why can't you just call the police?" was her next question.
"I don't think I can do that, Rhoda! These people who were chasing me today… I… don't know who they are, but they had badges of some kind… they were able to get on the ferry after it had already closed to traffic. I mean who can do that without some kind of government…" He trailed off, his government subsidy, his funding… his backers… all of it flashing through his mind. "Authority…" He finished, sinking back into his chair as he was starting to make the connection.
"OK look… if you can't go to the police, and we can't contact Darkwing, then I'm coming to get you, all right?"
"Rhoda, the last ferry stays overnight here! You'd be stuck, too, even if you brought a car!" Bushroot pointed out frantically.
"Then we'll leave in the morning… Reginald, look… you sound incredibly desperate and I'm worried about you… I want someone there with you to help you… I can call Dr. Payne maybe…"
"No, don't call him! He… I can't trust him, right now. And please, please don't come out here!"
"Why not?" She challenged, her voice rising. "I'm not just going to leave you alone if you're in trouble! Reggie, look…"
"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!" He shouted into the receiver, snapping his eyes closed as tears began streaming down his face. "If anything were to happen to you… I'd… I'd go out of my mind, OK? I-I shouldn't have called you! I-I-I…" He couldn't even blurt anything further out as he was stumbling over his own words like a clumsy oaf.
"Reggie… Reggie calm down, OK? You need to stay calm. I'm leaving now, all right? I'll be there in a couple of hours."
"No-no Rhoda, please! I…" The line went dead, Reggie giving out a wail of anguish as he cursed his decision to call her. She'd encounter those guys on the ferry as they arrived in St. Canard! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! He slammed his fist down on the table again, his head sinking in resignation. He couldn't even run into the woods now to try and hide amongst the trees since she was coming out here and that… he now had to protect her as well! "Oh, why did I call her? Why did I CALL HER?" he yelled, stomping his foot angrily on the floor. He pulled the manila envelope from his case and studied the number that connected to St. Canard's DA, Desmond Rykert.
Tapping the folder with his fingers, he inhaled, picking up the phone again and giving the number another try. "Desmond Rykert." Came the voice that made Reggie's skin crawl.
"Y-yes, hello uh… I'm following up on the…" He paused, wondering how to phrase this. "Dr. Roderick Payne case that… Dr. Lindamood was… assisting you with?" He asked more than stated. This was a shot in the dark, but he needed to try something. A pause, then a "Who is this?" demand from Rykert.
"I wish to remain anonymous for now… I have information related to the Roderick Payne investigation… I… I wanted to reach out." He tried again.
"No one knew about that aside from Dr. Lindamood… and he's dead. I'll ask again… who… the hell… are you?"
"I… I can't say!" Reggie slapped the phone down, his heart racing. He was right! Lindamood was working with the District Attorney… perhaps investigating Roderick Payne… but… for what? Payne had government funding… everything was legit… Reggie had checked himself before taking this job… what… the hell was really going on with Dr. Roderick Payne?
Propping his head up, Reggie tried to calm himself down as he waited for Rhoda, cursing himself occasionally for having called her. He kept his eyes alertly on the parking lot, looking for any sign that a car was pulling up… that dark suited "agents" were coming to get him. He would pace every so often, glancing out the window before going back to pacing. In about an hour, the ferry arrived back on the island, ablaze with lights that caused his heart to race all over again. He was a nervous wreck, and he just couldn't stop his unbridled terror.
Watching the cars gradually disperse onto the island, Reggie saw one in particular pulling into the motel parking lot, and Rhoda exit. He didn't see… any others do that save for one or two, but neither were the black sedan that had chased him. Relaxing if only a tad, Reggie moved out of his room and rapidly down to the lobby. "Rhoda!" He exclaimed upon seeing her, causing her to turn around from the desk where she'd been speaking with the clerk.
"Reggie!" Rhoda exclaimed, running up to him and dropping her umbrella to the side to put her arms about him and squeeze him. Reginald froze, not having expected this but before he could embrace her back, her arms were down, the hug having lasted a mere second. "You're safe! I was worried! You… what is going on?" she demanded.
"Uhh let's… go up to the room…" He hooked a leafy finger over his shoulder. "I can't speak here." Without hesitation, she nodded, following him back upstairs and into his rented room. He opened up to her, confiding in her about everything… from Dr. Lindamood's strange behavior and potential investigation into Dr. Payne, to the mysterious Dr. Emmett here on the island, his encounter with the creeps in the car, the chase back to the ferry, and his narrow escape to now. He shared all the contents of the envelope, the fact Lindamood had come out here to visit Dr. Emmett, and whatever else he could think of.
She listened attentively, glancing through everything he had from the envelope and not speaking much during his explanation aside from asking the occasional question. Ultimately, when he finished, she gave him a look that said it all. "Reginald… you're… you realize what this means, right?" she asked. "That Dr. Lindamood's project had something to do with D593… and that something about that is not what it seems… and that he was willing to go do the District Attorney, Desmond Rykert, with some sort of information regarding it… and he was then killed… murdered it seems. Lindamood went to Professor Emmett's house the night he died… you were followed by a mysterious black car with seemingly government agents inside after visiting this same Dr. Emmett… and would've most likely died the exact same way that Lindamood had had you not gotten off the ferry so… I mean what the hell is going on here?" she asked breathlessly, a look of awe on her features.
"I… I'm not sure…" He confessed, wringing his hands. "I checked the credentials of the project and the funders and it all… checked out. It's legitimate. There didn't seem to be any sort of… nefarious purpose behind it… only a chance to change people's lives." He explained sadly.
"Well, clearly, there's something involved in the project that's worth killing people over to keep them quiet. Reggie, no offense but your power… your ability to regenerate… that could be incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands and…"
"I know, Rhoda! I know! I… I've thought about it, it's just… if I could help people who've been in… life altering accidents… who need limbs or… organs regrown… I… I just wanted to help." He sniffed, feeling some tears stinging his eyes. Her features fell at this, and she sighed, dropping her beautiful eyes downward.
"I know, Reggie… I know. I think… it's what you've always wanted." She whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. Silence passed between them, Reggie unable to say anything further in the moment.
"What… do we do from here?" He finally asked, looking across to her.
"I wish I knew; we aren't exactly detectives or… the police…"
"And how do we know we can even go to them if the government is involved?" He interjected, frowning sadly.
"We could meet with Rykert…" Rhoda suggested softly.
"I… we could but… it's clear my life is going to be in danger from here on out… I… the only thing I can think of is Darkwing, for now, since… he's off the grid… he isn't the law, and he fights for these kinds of things… I just wish I knew how to… contact him." He confessed, shaking his head and burying his head in his green hands, running them through his purple hair.
"I… have his first name since I… accidentally ran into his civilian alter ego but… I… I don't know anything beyond that." He moaned mournfully.
"Well… a name is something… look… this hotel is too close to the ferry… why don't we go inland or to one of the beachfront resorts for the night? It's better than here." Rhoda suggested, looking around at the… less than ideal interior.
"All right… you're probably right on that. Uh… you know… I was thinking that maybe they can't kill me since… if they do… well their only shot at finishing my formula is out the window… but… that doesn't mean that… they won't threaten… others… in my life…" He twisted his hands in odd shapes, obviously able to do so with their properties. He glanced at her sheepishly. "My uh… past with you is hardly… a secret." He remarked.
"Hm… I suppose you're right…" She replied softly, gazing at him sympathetically.
"I've screwed everything up so much by accepting this job… I… I'm putting you in danger and I…"
"Reggie… stop." Rhoda lightly chided him. "If they're truly doing something that's illegal then… we can't just turn a blind eye to it either. I'll be fine… don't worry about me… not the first perilous situation I've ever been in, after all." A smirk curled over her beak, a mischievous and knowing look flashing in her eyes.
"I… I know it's just… well, now you know why I can't forgive myself for this either…" He said morosely, his voice barely above a whisper. He placed his hands over his eyes, shaking his head shamefully as he seemed to just… give up.
"We'll… talk about that later." She replied in an equally soft voice. "But I… I know what those emotions can do to someone… and why you're so upset. Don't blame yourself over this… you may not be able to forgive yourself, but… if anything… you're showing me now how much you've changed… your concern for my well being… the old you wouldn't have given even a fraction of this level of compassion towards me. So… thank you."
"Mm?" he asked, lifting his head to gaze into her eyes.
"Come on… let's get out of here and to another hotel; we'll head back in the morning." She assured him.
"All right… right." He nodded numbly, standing up and feeling the life sucked out of him. He gathered up his things, moving to follow her out of the room and to hopefully a greater degree of safety.