Author's Note: Okay, yes, I am slightly insane to have two stories going simultaneously. But my juices are now flowing this direction, and besides that, I've kept you guys waiting long enough. Yes, I'm sure you've guessed it, this it the sequel to Consequences. So if any of you are reading this and you have not read Consequences, I highly suggest you go and do so before you continue here. I will reference and build on things that happened in that story, and while you may be able to follow along okay, everything will make so much more sense if you have the background behind this. But anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Darkwing Duck. Characters and settings are used without permission of Disney for non-profit purposes.

Prologue

Night had fallen in St. Canard. Heavy clouds shrouded the last remnants of the sunset and blotted out the crescent moon and stars that fought to show themselves in the absence of the sun's brilliance. There was almost an electrical charge in the thick, humid air, and a small wind was beginning to pick up speed, bringing with it the smell of a heavy rain. The night seemed to be hanging on the cusp of a dark and heavy storm, filling the entire city with an ominous sensation. Something dark was happening in the metropolis, and its effects were tangible even in the night itself.

As if in answer to that realization, a sudden scream rang out through the night, a scream so filled with terror and pain that it could make a duck's feathers stand on end. And it did, to the one person that heard it. And in that very moment, the moment when Joe Blow watched the scientist murdered, when he saw his life crumble before his eyes as the murderer turned and noticed him, the storm that had been building all evening broke. But this dockworker wasn't going to stick around to watch the finale. A jagged bolt of lightning sliced through the sky, illuminating the lone figure running between the buildings that composed St. Canard's warehouse district, the duck totally oblivious to the rain that now fell on him in torrents, so complete was his fear.

What had I been thinking? he thought, his mind still wrapped in the horror it had just witnessed. Every single fiber of his being had been screaming at him to leave, to get away from there as fast as he could, but no, he had to let his stupid curiosity get the better of him! Anyone with half a brain knew not to hang around when odd things were happening in the warehouse district, but apparently he didn't have even that! The duck wiped the pouring rain from his eyes as he tried to make out the looming shapes of the buildings surrounding him. There was usually a patrolman down near the docks. If he could only make it back there, he might have a chance!

A clap of thunder sounded, reverberating through the dockworker's already shaking frame, and bringing unbidden the memories from only a few moments ago. It was the sound that had initially drawn him to the building, some weird cross between numerous cheap sci-fi sound effects but with an intensity almost equal to the thunder still echoing in the night. And if had just been the sound, he wouldn't have stuck around; the lab coat worn by the figure inside was a clear indicator that another mad scientist was at work, and even his curiosity wasn't enough to overcome his common sense in that regard.

The bubble though, the bubble was different. The expanding blue orb of crackling energy that had appeared was mesmerizing, and once his eyes had seen it, he hadn't been able to look away. Not even the scientist's scrambling in the background as something clearly went wrong could tear his eyes away. Then the bubble had abruptly vanished, leaving the building as still and quiet as if nothing had ever happened.

He'd almost left then, almost saved himself from ruining his life, but another figure had appeared in the shadows, and his curiosity had been recaptured. The words that the shadow had spoken remained slightly blurred in his mind, he could only remember that it had been some sort of a backwards thank you, like the scientist had done him a favor with whatever experiment she'd just conducted, but it was what happened next that was burned deeply into his memory. A glint of silver had appeared with the shadowy figure and a single gunshot rang out. The scientist had seen it coming, seen the weapon that the worker could not and tried to duck, screaming a terrified call for help as she dove out of the way. The shadow's aim though left no room for her escape. The force of the bullet drove her back into the wall, turning her cry of fear into a cry of pain. She slumped down the wall to the floor, her hands clutched to her chest as the pain twisted her face. Then her eyes closed and she went limp, her hands slipping away to reveal a large red stain over the heart of her white lab coat.

Only then, when the horror of the murder had fully imprinted itself on his mind, and the rain began to pour on him in buckets could he regain his senses and get his rear out of there. He knew that the damage had already been done though; he was now knee deep in some shadowy murder between criminals. Oh, why didn't I listen to my blasted instincts and just stay away!

As he fled though, trying to put as much space between him and that cursed warehouse as possible, he heard a sound behind him, and his heart was squeezed in a fearful fist as he realized he was being pursued. This realization spurred him into an even faster pace as his adrenaline increased ten-fold, and with a speed he didn't know he possessed, the dockworker tore through the lonely streets of the warehouse district.

He heard the sound again, this time much closer and off to the right. Before he could wonder how in the world his pursuer had gained that much ground so fast, he was suddenly knocked of his feet by a heavy blow to his side. He hit the ground hard, the air leaving his lungs in a pained gasp, and he rolled a few feet before coming to a stop. It took a second for him to regain his stunned senses, but when he did, he sat up quickly, only to start in shock as he found a shadowy figure looming over him.

"Haven't you heard that curiosity killed the cat?" the shadow hissed, the rain dripping off its obscure features. The worker couldn't even determine his attacker's species in the poor lighting. The one thing he could be sure of though was the hate filling the eyes that glared down at him, hate that looked downright murderous.

"No matter," the figure continued, now seeming almost nonchalant. Its eyes turned toward the nearby skyscrapers of downtown St. Canard. "My plans are now in motion, and no insignificant dock worker is going to ruin them now."

"Who—who are you?" Joe stammered.

Those hateful eyes turned back on him, startling him with the cold fury burning in them. "I am this world's worst nightmare," growled the figure. Then it whipped out a weapon and fired on him point blank.

Fifteen minutes later, a pair of figures stepped out into the streets of St. Canard and stood in the driving night rain, seemingly indifferent to the wet and windy storm that raged around them. Their outlandish clothing, erect forms and stoic expressions gave the pair a mysterious air, but nothing was as arresting as their piercing gazes, which seemed to penetrate the very night itself. Despite this, the late-night pedestrians hurrying through the weather paid the strangers no notice as they went past, some so oblivious that they nearly ran into the pair, forcing the figures back into the shadows of a dirty alley as the passerbys continued to ignore them. As they took in their surroundings, it became evident that the shorter of the pair was not as quite at ease as her companion.

"Are you sure this is right?" she asked quietly, looking around. "Surely this can't be the place!"

"Yes, this is it the place," her male cohort answered as he took in the familiar view of the city line, his appearance calm and impeccably collected. "He's definitely here. The experiment itself is proof of that."

"I don't feel any tremors though," the woman observed.

"The time isn't quite right. He'll do it though. I have no doubt of that."

"So we just wait?" she asked, turning her attention from the city line to her companion.

"That's all we can do," he replied. "We can't interfere yet, so we'll just wait, and watch." The woman's uncertainty was noticed by her companion. "Don't worry, we'll get him," he assured her. "He deserves nothing less after all that he's caused." An expression of cold anger managed to break through his calm as he spoke, registering with the woman before it was shoved back under the surface of his carefully composed exterior. When he spoke again a moment later, his tone betrayed no hint of the anger that had just surfaced. "Besides, we know where he has to go at some point or other."

"So you know where it is?"

The male nodded. "537 Avian Way."