Okay, thanks to those of you who reviewed this story earlier, I've gone back and made some changes. First, I deleted that OOC line I force fed Negaduck and made his second scene with Bulba more believable. I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote that, but it wasn't true to character. I've also done some minor editing, fixing up some flaws and typos, and added setting details to keep the story clear. The main change is the timeline. I've given up on following the BOOM! comics and gone with my gut. This story, as was originally intended, will be the first in my DW series, followed by "My Daughter, My Life," "Neighborly Secrets," "Out of Touch," and "Proving Innocence."

Scrooge McDuck and Gyro Gearloose have small parts in this, but since they're in St. Canard without the crew, I figured it still belonged in the regular story category.

All copyrights belong to Walt Disney Company and Disney Adventures magazine

"The Villain's Revolt" *REVISED*

Saint Canard was unusually quiet. Even the traffic moved in harmony. Perfect for the average citizen to window shop or catch an evening film, but for the city's masked defender, the silence was deafening.

He was St. Canard's guardian. To the citizens he's a mystery, and he's made history in law enforcement. Criminals of all professions have learned to watch the shadows suspiciously, never knowing when a puff of smoke might announce their fate. Though he has several names, the world knows him as Darkwing Duck.

Tonight, the masked mallard was pacing his suburban home restlessly under the guise of Drake Mallard, a common citizen and single parent. He'd thumbed through a stack of papers and surfed every radio and TV channel for a hint of unrest. His mind yearned for a challenge and at the moment, he had nothing to occupy his time.

His bumbling sidekick/pilot from nearby Duckburg, Launchpad McQuack, was out getting a snack at the Hamburger Hippo diner. His spirited adopted daughter, Gosalyn, was supposed to be doing her homework with her best friend and next-door neighbor, Honker Muddlefoot. Whether the kids were actually making any progress was yet unknown.

Drake sighed and flopped on the couch. If he couldn't find something to keep him occupied, he might as well relax. Soon, his snores filled the living room.

Launchpad rushed in. Finding Drake still asleep, he shook him.

"DW!"

"What is it, LP?" Drake grumbled.

"Sorry, Darkwing," Launchpad released his grip on Drake's shirt and stepped back.

"You've gotta see this to believe it."

Launchpad turned on the TV. A sleepy-looking reporter was running a newsflash.

"As you can see from the footage, the First National Bank was badly damaged in the robbery. A mob dressed in yellow suits and round white helmets were seen patrolling the streets prior to the break-in. Meanwhile, multiple kidnappings took place downtown at City Hall, the police station, and even the mayor's home, crashing a charity ball with VIPs such as Scrooge McDuck and Gizmoduck. The famed superhero is reported to have been captured along with Mayor Minya.

"The coordinated strike has crippled St. Canard's defenses and… Oh my gosh! Ladies and gentlemen, this' just in. A fax from an unidentified source states that every City official has been taken hostage.

"The notorious Negaduck and the Fearsome Four have joined forces with an agency called The Fiendish Organization of World Larceny. They're ransoming the hospital, the power company, the water works, the farmer's market, and the Children's Orphanage for $10 trillion dollars by dawn… Wait a minute folks, there's some fine print at the bottom of this… It seems that the criminals will release the aforementioned if Darkwing Duck turns himself in by the deadline…So there you have it, folks. The fate of this city rests on the head of Darkwing Duck. If you're listening to this, Darkwing…HELP!"

The lights around the news anchor started flickering.

"Um, we seem to be having technical difficulties. We'll be back when we have more information. This concludes our broadcast…"

Drake sank into the couch.

"This is terrible. My enemies are revolting against me…" He brightened and stood up. "On the other hand, this will be great for my image. I can see it now, Darkwing Duck, hero of St. Canard, Saves City from Clutches of Criminals Incorporate."

Launchpad bit his nails.

"Gee, I dunno, DW. The Fearsome Five were hard enough to fight last time with the help of the Justice Ducks. And Derek Blunt's retired to an island in the Salad Sea. You really think you can handle the Five and FOWL at the same time?"

"Of course I can handle it!" Drake snapped. "Isn't this what my whole illustrious career has led up to? I've amassed the latest collection of spy gear, complete with the greatest assortment of portable weapons available. And I have nearly every criminal's record filed, from their first crime to capture to scheduled release date to birthday, all the way back to each one's great grandparents."

"That's sure impressive, but how is it going to help you fight? It's just one of you versus the three or four hundred of them. You were nearly killed the last time FOWL ganged up on you. And that time you had Gizmoduck and S.H.U.S.H. backing you up!"

"Oooh!" Drake sizzled. "Don't remind me. If it hadn't been for that canned ham in a clown suit Gizmoduck, that bomb wouldn't have gone off and I wouldn't have been hospitalized with that concussion! I had everything under control."

"That's not the way I remember it…"

Launchpad grinned nervously when he saw Drake's face.

"Sorry, DW. I'm not going to argue with you. We both know what happened. It's just, with Gosalyn and all, you should be more careful…"

"I AM CAREFUL!" Drake's voice softened. "You're right. But isn't that what sidekicks are for? Helping the hero and all, hmmm?"

"Sure thing, DW. I won't let you down. Gosalyn, either."

"Thanks, pal. Yikes! We've got to get going! If I don't show up by dawn, the City will be crippled!"

Drake and Launchpad settled in two blue chairs on either side of a mouse detective figurine on a coffee table. Once activated, two trap doors would spin the chairs' occupants into a tunnel leading to Audubon Bay Bridge, the headquarters of Darkwing Duck. Before Drake could punch the statuette, a red-haired girl popped out from behind the sofa and landed in his lap.

"Just where do you think you're going?" Drake demanded.

Gosalyn gave him her best puppy eyes.

"Nowhere you wouldn't want me to go, Dad. You wouldn't want to leave me all alone with your worst enemies out there skulking the streets and terrorizing the town, would you?"

"Of course not! You're staying with the Muddlefoots until I get back and that's final."

"But what if you don't come back, Dad? Or what if something happens and you find us being tortured alive by giant feather-eating mutant slugs or licked to death by super slobbery dogs or zapped by Megavolt or strangled by Bushroot or drowned by Liquidator or sawn in two and blown up by Negaduck? This is the greatest challenge of your career and since the Justice Ducks aren't in town, you'll need all the help you can get. And besides, Dad, you said yourself that we could help you with your next case."

"I said nothing of the sort!"

"Well, DW, you did say Gos and Honkman came in handy a few times."

"Yeah, Dad, we could make the difference between life and death!"

"Oh puhlease. As if I need two kids muddling around underfoot while I'm fighting the crooks. The answer is no way, no how, not on your life."

Honker came downstairs.

"Gosalyn, I've calculated your dad's survival ratio like you said. It came to 0.000129767943…" the boy adjusted his oversized glasses.

"Alright already! You can come, but you're to stay out of sight and out of range until the fighting is over, understand?"

"We understand, don't we Honk?"

"Yes Sir. But I really should be heading home now."

"Don't be ridiculous, Honk, we need you!" Gosalyn grabbed him by his green shirt. "Just tell your parents you're spending the night."

"Uh, okay, but I should go pack an overnight bag, just to keep up the ruse."

"Whatever. Just hurry up already!" Drake waved his hand dismissively. "Now, if we're done dawdling, let's get DANGEROUS!"

A short time later, the four ducks were airborne in the famous Thunderquack.

"Where to, DW?" Launchpad asked.

"The First National Bank," Darkwing replied as he scanned the ground with high-resolution night vision goggles.

"Aren't you going to look for Gizmoduck and the other hostages?"

"Later. First, I want to see how that bank was blown. It might give me a clue as to what we're up against."

"I thought the news anchor said it was the Fearsome Five and FOWL behind these crimes!" Gosalyn piped up.

"Well, yeah. But FOWL has a lot of agents. It could be Steelbeak or Ammonia Pine or any number of foul fiends. Once I see who pulled the heist, I'll get an idea of who's in charge. After all, I can't imagine Negaduck working for FOWL. He barely tolerates the Fearsome Four. If it's the Five's handiwork, that means they're after the loot, as usual, while FOWL's aiming to control the city. If it's the work of a FOWL agent, Negaduck might be hatching a greater scheme than even FOWL can imagine. Personally, I hope breaking into the bank was Negaduck's job. I'd hate to think what it means if he was involved in the kidnapping..."

"First National Bank coming up soon, DW."

"Alright, Launchpad, set her down easy. We don't want to run into trouble before we get started."

"Sure thing DW."

Launchpad dipped the plane's nose down. They lost altitude at an alarming rate.

"LAUNCHPAD!"

Launchpad folded the wings and coasted bumpily down the street, the tires screeching. Darkwing glared at his sidekick.

"What part of "easy" didn't you understand?"

Launchpad shrugged.

"Nice landing, Launchpad!" Gosalyn got out to peer at the plane. "You didn't break anything this time."

"Gee thanks, Gos."

Darkwing wiped his hand slowly down his face in irritation.

"Never mind, let's just go find some clues," he said.

Gosalyn started off, but Darkwing caught her shirt.

"Just where do you think you're going?"

"To look for clues?" Gosalyn giggled nervously.

"Oh no you don't." Darkwing put both kids back in the plane's bench seat. "You're staying right here where it's safe, young lady. Launchpad, lock it up."

Launchpad clicked the remote, setting the alarm and automated defense system. Gosalyn watched until they were out of sight, then pressed the "deactivate" button on the console and got ready to climb out.

"Gosalyn, your dad said…" Honker started.

"My dad said shmed. I'm not about to miss out on the greatest case of his career. Come on!"

As they neared the bank, Darkwing took out his magnifying lens. Prowling around the perimeter, he found the singed pavement where Megavolt had zapped Gizmoduck and scuff marks from the boots of FOWL Eggmen.

Gosalyn walked around the street, finding a few spilled coins. She started to pocket them, but Darkwing caught the motion out of the corner of his eye and warned her not steal any evidence. Her grumbling fell on deaf ears.

Darkwing scooted around like a hound dog following its quarry, his powerful magnifying glass almost touching the ground. He kept a soft narration going on all his findings as he boasted about being the last hero standing between FOWL and dominion over St. Canard. He found some dirt traces, which led him to believe that the mutant plant duck, Bushroot, was involved in the bank robbery. Darkwing also saw charring around the remains of the vault, suggesting a missile-launcher was used to blow it, a favored weapon of choice for Negaduck.

All was quiet for the moment, with the police and media occupied elsewhere and ordinary citizens staying indoors. Launchpad noticed motion and the soft crunch of slow-churning tires from a semi parked by a bent streetlamp. Launchpad scratched his head for a moment.

"Gee, I don't remember seeing that truck there before."

"Huh. Wonder why it's here. It's not like there's anybody working right now and who would move in the middle of the night?" Gosalyn pondered.

"G…Gosalyn!" Honker screamed.

Gosalyn and Launchpad hurried toward his voice, running straight into a mob of FOWL Eggmen.

Moving faster than Launchpad, Gosalyn doubled back, darting into the building. Launchpad, meanwhile, held up his hands in surrender as the Eggmen closed in on him, poking him with their gun barrels. Steelbeak stepped out of from behind the semi.

"Well, well, well! Looks like we'se caught ourselves a couple of sidekicks, boys! 'Bout time Dipwing showed up."

The tall rooster turned to someone hidden from view by the mob.

"The plan worked like youse wanted, right Negzies?"

As Launchpad and Honker stiffened in alarm, the dark growly voice they knew and feared came closer.

"That's NEGADUCK to you, Tinbill... Lord Negaduck." Darkwing's evil twin shoved two Eggmen out of the way to look his hostages over. Pointing to Honker, he snarled. "You! Where is your girlfriend?"

Honker stuttered nervously. Steelbeak shook his head.

"She ran back to warn Dorkwing in the vault. We've got it covered. They won't gets past us." Steelbeak crossed his arms confidently.

"They better not, or you'll lose more than your bill when I'm through with you!" Negaduck spat, producing one of his favorite weapons, a chainsaw.

Steelbeak gulped and tugged on his bow tie. "Yes, Lord Negaduck, Sir..."

Negaduck sneered, his eyes nearly disappearing behind his black mask. "That's more like it! Now let's see what our favorite costumed idiot is up to..."

Gosalyn slid across the tiled floor, stopping herself on a damaged desk.

"Darkwing! Honker...Launchpad...Steelbeak...It's a trap!" she called, panting to catch her breath.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Darkwing peeked from the broken vault.

"Come on, Dad! Honker and Launchpad have been captured! We've got to help..." her green eyes narrowed. "What's that beeping?"

Darkwing shrugged nonchalantly, gesturing to a device sitting on a desk.

"Oh that? It's just an alarm clock somebody left behind. Nothing to worry about."

Gosalyn paled.

"I don't think that's somebody's lunch break alarm, Darkwing..."

He tucked his magnifier back in a concealed pocket and approached the clock. It was an oversized, old fashioned clock with bells and hammer on top. Several wires protruded from under the bells and Darkwing caught his breath.

Gosalyn snugged up against his side.

"Can you disarm it?"

"Maybe. It's vibration triggered, so if I cut the wires and cover them in putty, we might be in the clear. My question is, who set it? It obviously wasn't here for the robbery, or else the bomb squad would have deactivated it."

As Darkwing leaned on the desk to see it from a different angle, a flash bulb went off, blinding both of them. The printer started up. Gosalyn backed away, tugging on his cape.

"Daaarkwing...I think now's a good time to run!"

Darkwing squinted at the paper spooling out. It was a snapshot of his blank stare from the desk, with a caption under it.

"Nighty night, Darkmeat!"

"Yeow! Let's get out of here!"

Adrenaline-fueled, Darkwing caught up to Gosalyn and scooped her under one arm. The alarm clock rang briefly and the desk collapsed. The building shuddered and the walls started buckling.

Darkwing diverted his run to the janitorial closet and slammed the door on the explosion, overturning a cleaning cart and dousing Gosalyn with a bucket of water.

"What are you...?"

Darkwing crouched next to her and covered her with his cape.

"I love you!" he shouted over the noise as the door blew off its hinges and plowed into the cart, falling on top of the ducks.

Launchpad and Honker froze in shock.

The former bank crumbled on its foundation.

It was a controlled explosion, with very little aftershock felt by the neighborhood. The mob of witnesses were pelted by small bits of rubble and coated with dust and stray embers. A slab of concrete landed a yard away from them, scattering several Eggmen.

When their senses finally kicked back in, Launchpad and Honker both shrieked for their friends. His mind working in spite of the shock, Honker took out a calculator and notepad, ignoring Negaduck's suspicious glare.

"According to my calculations, and estimating the force of the explosion, their ratio for survival is less than 0.042351796…"

"Meaning what?" Negaduck asked. Honker gulped before replying.

"There'd be nothing left of them larger than a feather…"

"Oh DW! Why did this have to happen? Now who's going to save St. Canard?"

"A better question to ask is whose going to save youse from us." Steelbeak laughed.

Moliarty popped out of the ground with his mole henchmen right behind the ducks.

"I hope your little dirtbags did their job well, Blinky," Negaduck sneered at the mole. "I'd hate to have any future interference from a certain purple lookalike!"

Moliarty sniffed disdainfully and dusted off his sleeve, pointedly avoiding Negaduck's stare.

"Don't worry your hat off, Negadunk, my men did everything as ordered. Though I still don't see why you wouldn't let us handle that duck. It would have been gratifying to see him suffer." Moliarty cleaned off his fingernails.

"Wouldn't we all...?" Steelbeak rolled his eyes. The Eggmen nearest him nodded.

"We'll find out soon enough! Split up," Negaduck pointed to the group of moles. "You bunch, dig around under there, look for clues. I won't believe Darkwing's dead 'till I see a corpse!"

The moles briskly nodded and dove back into their tunnel, going in under the shattered bank.

Negaduck pointed to the Eggmen. "You all, secure the area. Make sure nothing leaves that rubble...I wanna know if there's so much as a speck of dust out of place."

The Eggmen looked at Steelbeak in askance. He ran a hand over his comb.

"You heard him, boys! Move out!"

"As for you two," Negaduck spun to face Launchpad and Honker. "I think you've outlived your usefulness. Any last words?" he started up his chainsaw.

Steelbeak shook his head and stepped up.

"Alright, enough of this, Negs. You got to off Darkwing Duck."

"Move out of the way! These jokers are mine!" Negaduck raised the chainsaw menacingly.

"Alright, takes it easy, Neggers." Steelbeak waved his hands in a placating motion. "I'm all for getting rid of them too, and I know youse paid off FOWL High Command so youse could run the joint, but don'cha think it'd be fair to let some of us other guys have some fun?"

"Oh I'll have plenty of fun right here." Negaduck started up the motor.

"I'm all for that, but I'd prefer to change before things get messy. So ease off the gas there and let our "friends" here join the other "losers" over in the trailer." Steelbeak gestured to the semi.

"Oh boo," Moliarty pouted. "I was hoping we'd get to bury these featherdusters."

"Don't worry, we'll all have a chance to play with our friends, after we finish here." Steelbeak tsked.

As the Eggmen closed in, a bit of rubble started moving and everyone heard a cough and cry for help.

"Well, Negster, looks like you gets to use your toy after all." Steelbeak nodded to the concrete.

Negaduck grinned and made short work of the pile. A couple of moles stepped in to pull the last slab out of the way, revealing Gosalyn. She coughed and started to thank her "rescuers" until she saw who they were. She gasped.

"You're…you're…"

"Youse are our newest hostage!" Steelbeak announced in a celebratory way. "And now for your doorprize: a one-way all-expense-paid ticket to jail with your fellow Deadwing Duck fans."

"You'll never get away with this!" Gosalyn stormed as she kicked and bit at the Eggmen and moles. She stopped fighting when Negaduck started up his chainsaw again. Steelbeak laughed and the Eggmen easily picked Gosalyn and her pals up by their arms and threw them in the trailer.

Nobody noticed a tall shadow cross the street toward the ruined bank.

Captives

Once their eyes adjusted to the dark, Gosalyn and her friends felt the presence of others with them. Launchpad lit a match and twenty pairs of eyes blinked.

"Gizmoduck?" Gosalyn asked hesitantly, seeing the light flash on a grimy helmet and visor.

"In the flesh! Sort of. My Gizmos are kaput, thanks to that vile menace Megabolt."

"Uh, close, but it's MegaVolt, Giz." Launchpad corrected softly, putting out the match after it burned his fingers.

"Why, bless me bagpipes! Is that you, Launchpad?" A familiar scottish accent rose out of the darkness.

"Mr. McDee?"

"It IS you! Why I haven't seen you in ages, Lad! Not since the last time I hired ya." Scrooge McDuck, multi-billionaire from a neighboring city exclaimed.

"Yeah. Doesn't look like much has changed for you, Mr. McDee, heh heh. Least not since I became a sidekick. So, uh, what exactly are you doing here?"

"Don't you see it, Laddie? Them curse-ed blokes are apprehending anyone who has power over them. There's nothing more powerful than money, and I was in town meeting with the mayor for a charity ball. I might ask the same question of you, though. Who are you a sidekick for?"

"They're here because they're connected to Darkwing Duck," S.H.U.S.H Director J. Gander Hooter spoke up.

"″They?″"

"Hey there, Little Gizmo buddies," Gizmoduck exclaimed, having finally gotten enough power in his suit to turn on a bulb and recognize Gosalyn and Honker. "How 'bout some cotton candy? I think my last batch was finished before Megavolt fried my circuits. Here you go. Now don't you worry. As soon as I get these last wires swapped out, I'll have my suit up and running in no time!"

"Sounds good to me," Launchpad exclaimed, around a mouthful of cotton candy he'd snitched from both Gosalyn' and Honker's cones. "Hey, remember that time you and DW formed the Justice Ducks with Morgana, Neptunia, and Stegmutt to fight the Fearsome Five? I think that was my favorite case. Or maybe it was the one when DW wore a cowboy hat..."

"Excuse me, but don't we have more pressing issues to attend to than reminiscing?" the mayor asked.

"Yes," Dr. Sara Bellum (the S.H.U.S.H. weapons analyst and inventor) exclaimed.

"Launchpad, where is Darkwing?"

Launchpad and Gosalyn exchanged glances and Honker blew his beak noisily.

"What are you having tears in your eyes for, vittle girl?" S.H.U.S.H. Agent Gryzlikoff exclaimed. "Did that nefarious duck finally go to other side of the Law?" The bear waved his arms around dramatically to make his point.

"Control yourself, Agent Gryzlikoff," J. Gander said. "Darkwing Duck has proved unshakable in morals and mind alike. Regardless of the situation he finds himself in, he would never desert us in our time of greatest need. Why I'm sure he's devising a plan at this very moment."

Gosalyn hugged Launchpad and blew on his scarf.

"I say, Little Gizmo buddy, what are you crying about?" Gizmoduck moved closer to her.

Gosalyn sniffled and reached into her shirt to hand him something. Everyone crowded closer to see in the dim light from Gizmoduck's suit. Gizmoduck turned the felt this way and that, but it was J. Gander who recognized it first.

"Good heavens! Where did you find this?"

"Find what?" Gizmoduck asked, still studying the burnt and dismembered fabric. He finally found a black hat band hanging by a thread and straightened it out. He gulped and waveringly asked what was on everyone' else's mind.

"Is this what I think it is, being the hat of our friend and fellow hero, Darkwing Duck, all singed and ripped to pieces?"

Gosalyn nodded without looking up.

"Oh the horror of it all! Will this crisis ever cease?"

"Our one last hope, gone like a blown out candle," the police commissioner said. "What happens now?"

"Who knows? Those guys don't need hostages. They could kill us all and get away with it. It's going to be the blackest moment in civilized history." A judge exclaimed.

Dr. Bellum tapped her chin for a moment before addressing Gosalyn.

"Little Girl, not to upset you further, but did you actually see Darkwing's body?"

"Sure I saw everything. I was buried under a janitor' cart and a bank! Duh."

"But where was Darkwing when the bomb went off? Was he close enough to you for you to estimate where he was?"

Gosalyn got up in Dr. Bellum's face.

"Close? You want to know how CLOSE he was? HE CARRIED ME AWAY FROM THE EXPLOSION! I don't remember what happened exactly, but when I came to, it was dark and cramped and I could barely breathe. I groped around, found the hat, and called for help. End of story."

"So how do we know for certain he's dead? He's certainly survived some worst-case scenarios before…"

"Yeah, but DW was younger too." Launchpad interjected.

"By what, a year?" Gosalyn snapped. "He's not that old, Launchpad!"

"And he has come through some pretty tough times, which included bombs and crushing debris. If anyone has a chance, I'd wager it'd be Darkwing." Dr. Bellum stated cheerfully.

"You oughta know. You blew him up a couple times yourself…" Gosalyn muttered irately.

"There, there Lasses," Scrooge interrupted. "No point in getting feathers ruffled. We're all in this together. For goodness' sakes, there's enough of us in here to do something!"

"Right," J. Gander spoke up. "Gizmoduck, how many of your, um, gizmos are operational at the moment?"

"Well, not much but I do have my tool kit. Never leave town without it. Let's see here. We've got a drill with a broken bit, a hammer, a ruler, a screwdriver, nuts and bolts, a magnet, the end of a candy bar, some pretzel sticks, polka-dotted underwear…Oops! I suppose you didn't need to know about that, heh heh… Nothing else useful, and most of my suit's functions are still fried."

"Okay," Gosalyn said. "We have a screwdriver. Are there any hinges on this side of the doors we can pry loose?"

"Ve've alveady tried that!" Gryzlikoff exclaimed. "Nothing! This van is solid steel!"

"What about your antenna-thing-a-ma-jig," Launchpad asked. "That was one of my favorite parts of your Gizmo suit. That and the blender…"

"Launchpad! What a brilliant idea!" Scrooge exclaimed. "Is your antenna working, Gizma'duck?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so." Gizmo fiddled with his helmet until a small radio antenna popped out and crackled with static. "If you want to listen to some music, I programmed the latest MP3 of David Yelps…"

"Not for music, you dolt! See if you can pick up any radio chatter from the villains! We need to know their plans so we can figure out how to escape!"

"But vhere vill ve go? There is no place safe from FOWL." Gryzlikoff said.

Gosalyn piped up.

"I know! Morgana Macabre! She lives in a creepy house downtown behind a graveyard. Or at least now she does. Her house moves, so none of those creeps out there know where she lives! Well, except for Negaduck, but he wouldn't think to go there. That reminds me…has anyone seen a tall lady with a long red dress and big freakazoid hair? She has two bats and a big hairy brown spider with her."

"Yeech, I certainly would have remembered that!" Scrooge exclaimed.

"I remember her! She has those pretty green eyes and neat magic tricks! But I didn't see her anywhere out there. If she was caught, she'd be at the penitentiary with the other hostages. I heard Megavolt and Bushroot talking about that before they threw me in here." Gizmoduck explained.

Trapped

The need for oxygen drove back the all-encompassing darkness. Darkwing jolted in alarm, memories of a distressed voice echoing in his head. He needed to get out of here.

As his senses returned, his body started to hyperventilate. He forced himself to calm down and take account of his situation. He was on his stomach, an arm pinned under him, with crushing weight on his back. His other arm was weighted down by broken bits of concrete and drywall. He could move one leg and both feet, but the other limb was pinned as well.

Amazingly, nothing seemed broken, though everything felt like it was on fire. His head throbbed with each heartbeat, his hands and a side of his face burned, his pinned leg was alarmingly numb, his shoulders sobbed, and worst of all was his back. His abused nerves and muscles sent shockwaves up and down the length of his body, jolting him with pain nearly as bad as being zapped by Megavolt. He wanted to fade into that comforting oblivion, but something tugged at his mind. Gosalyn...

Oh no! She'd been in the explosion with him! Groping around, Darkwing tried calling her name, but the dust was stifling. He couldn't draw enough air to partway fill his lungs, let alone speak. After the coughing subsided, he tried moving.

The rubble on his back shifted a little, but not enough to free him. He tried reaching one of his pockets, to no avail. The trapped left arm was too far from his side to retrieve the gas gun, and the outstretched arm was blocked by debris. Even if he could finagle a foot into his pocket (he had inherited his contortionist great great aunt's double joints and flexibility), he knew his most useful tools were out of reach. That left him with what was on his sleeves.

He had both acid pellets and battery-operated buzz saw blades concealed in his cufflinks, but he wasn't sure if either was the right option. Now that the ringing in his ear slits had faded, he could hear voices a little ways off. He recognized enough of them to know they were not emergency personnel. He heard Gosalyn's voice and his heart soared in relief, knowing she was alive and kicking. But she was in trouble. He had to get out!

Several minutes went by, though for the pinned duck, they might as well have been hours. Darkwing alternated between struggling and listening, but no further information filtered through the rubble. He was about ready to give up...

He was distracted from his moping by a scraping noise below him. A hole opened just a foot away from his prone body and a head poked out. The portly creature dug through the debris, scattering it to make room around the hole.

Its actions loosened the rubble on Darkwing's back and Darkwing reacted, his right fist connecting with the unlucky henchman's jaw before the mole even heard him coming. Grabbing the mole's lantern and pickaxe, Darkwing kicked the body, and a convincing amount of rubble, back into the hole, and waited, listening to the other diggers. His precaution was rewarded.

"Uh, Mr. Moliarty, Sir, one of our tunneling scouts had an accident..."

"What kind of accident?" came Moliarty's suspicious reply, crackling over the radio.

"The surface structure crumbled on top of him and he fell back into the hole. Should we reroute our search?"

The silence that ensued was practically tangible as the moles awaited their leader's reply.

Up on the surface, Moliarty was trying not to look too upset by the news.

"No. Call off the search. I won't waste my resources on a dead duck. That yellow-jacketed jackal can do it on his own. Get back up here, in case that Dipwing lookalike loses more of his marbles," the mole sneered, watching Negaduck closely.

Back in the ruins, the other moles gathered up their things and bustled out of the tunnel.

Darkwing waited until he was sure they were gone and grabbed the rope the moles had left on the tunnel entrance. Rappelling into the darkness, he relit the lantern with a lighter and surveyed his surroundings. Instead of an earthen tunnel, he found himself in a dusty, unused cellar from a forgotten time in the bank's past.

Grateful that he wouldn't have to worry about running into more moles, he searched for an exit topside. It was only partially blocked by rubble and easily cleared with the pickaxe the moles had left behind. Seeing no one near him, he slipped unseen into the shadows.

Meanwhile, back by the semi, Negaduck was pacing, alternately glaring at the bank debris and at the Eggmen who had the unpleasant task of patrolling the street within his view. They pretended not to notice him staring at them, but the pair quickened their steps until they rounded a corner. The other villains were anxiously passing the time playing cards and catching up on each other's records. All stopped what they were doing when there was a disturbance in the rubble and a group of dusty moles emerged.

"What are you doing back?" Negaduck snarled when he saw Moliarty's men. "Where's the body?"

The digging tools in the moles' hands visibly shook. The lead lackey reluctantly replied.

"The building was too unstable, Sir. One of our diggers was injured when he surfaced inside."

Negaduck's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Injured? How?"

"Some surface rubble fell on him and knocked him back into the hole."

"Let me see him..." Negaduck growled, marching toward the moles.

They flinched back and reluctantly presented their barely conscious comrade.

Negaduck grabbed the mole by the collar and dragged him toward a streetlight. As the mole fumbled to get his sunglasses out of his coat, Negaduck studied his head carefully, lifting the helmet and tilting his chin.

"Hah!" he exclaimed triumphantly, drawing the attention of the others. Moliarty inched closer.

"Darn these surface lights!" he muttered, "I can hardly see a thing..."

"I think you called off your search a little early, Rodent...What do you make of this?"

Negaduck hauled the digger out of the light, letting Moliarty study his lackey's chin.

Squinting, Moliarty rubbed his eyes and stared until he saw the spot in question.

"What about it? We get bruised by rocks all the time."

"On the jaw? In the same place you'd catch a right hook? This was no accident! Darkwing Duck is alive! And you let him get away!" Negaduck threw the hapless creature into Moliarty. Both moles tumbled into the street.

A shadow moved out of the alley, startling the villains. The figure clapped its hands, making an odd metallic sound with each move. It had a red light where an eye should have been.

"Bravo, bravo! You almost had me fooled..."

During the commotion, while everyone focused on Negaduck and the moles, nobody had noticed an Eggman leave his patrol route to join the crowd near the semi holding the hostages.

At sight of the newest villain to enter the scene, the rumpled-looking Eggman jumped in alarm. He'd recognized the silhouette even before hearing the voice. It took all his nerve to keep from running away or shaking in his boots. Forcing himself to take a breath, he inched closer to the trailer, backing up to the padlock. A few minutes later, he left, rapping his knuckles once across the door.

The figure stepped closer to the trailer and the gathered villains. It was Taurus Bulba, confident in his strength as always and eager for revenge. He calmly ignored the moles as they scrambled away from him. Only a few people recognized the hulking part robot, part reconstructed bull, but one particular villain was already shaking his head despairingly.

"Ah no, not that bucket of bolts again..." Steelbeak muttered softly. Bulba glared at him.

"What was that, chicken?"

"Nuh...nothing, Mr. Bulba Sir..." the rooster stammered, ducking behind a tall Eggman.

"Just who do you think you are? This was an invitation-only convention..." Moliarty squinted at the monstrous hulk of metal.

Bulba bared his teeth in a mirthless grin before snatching up a nearby Eggman and throwing him into the mole.

"I believe that counts as my invitation..." Bulba sneered.

Negaduck stomped up to him.

"Yeah, well I'm the host, and I say no one bullies my knobs without my permission! I enlisted the best criminal minds and talents this city has to offer, plus a few dumb goons, to cook up some highly ordered chaos. I don't recall seeing an ugly robot on the Most Wanted List. So start talkin' before I make a scrapheap out of you!"

Bulba grabbed Negaduck's throat.

"I wasn't on the "List" because technically I was dead! You may have forgotten, but I once was the most powerful tycoon in this pitiful city. Even from prison, I conducted my business within its very walls until my master plan was ready for activation. Everything was going perfectly, until some caped idiot interfered and literally blew my plans up in my face! An idiot YOU highly resemble, Duck!"

Negaduck struggled, squirming and kicking. He managed to pry Bulba's fingers apart just enough to regain his voice.

"You behemoth bovine buffoon! If you don't let me go this instant, you're going spend the rest of your mechanical life paying for it! I'm NOT Darkwing Duck! I'm Negaduck, Darkwing's arch nemesis!"

Bulba smirked in the fuming face.

"Yes, I'm sure you believe you're quite intimidating with all your cockamamie threats and insults. I, on the other hand, have only to squeeze a little harder to carry out mine."

Steelbeak shook his head and stepped up, waving his hands dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it. Youse are both major threats in the criminal world, AND Darkwing Duck's worst enemies. The plan to off the duck failed; question is, what are youse gonna do about it?"

Bulba tightened his grip, and Negaduck's eyes widened.

"I think it's time this operation had a new leader." Bulba smiled calmly as he regarded his audience. "Darkwing has already proven himself capable of surviving explosives." He lifted Negaduck up so he could peer into his eyes and smirked at him. "Only an idiot would try destroying him from a distance."

Negaduck's eyes flashed with fury. Bulba looked back at Steelbeak, willing to work with others as long as he was unquestionably in charge.

"What we need is bait to draw Darkwing out...and I know the perfect target..." Bulba said with a cruel smile.

Negaduck finally gave up struggling and whipped out a hand grenade, pulling the pin partially. The gathered villains retreated and Bulba saw what he had. Bulba gawked and glared.

"You would kill yourself and others to threaten me?" he loosened his grip.

"If that's what it takes!" Negaduck's eyes shot daggers. Bulba stared hard at him, looking for a sign of weakness or fear. He saw none.

"Very well." He said, releasing Negaduck from his hand. "You have convinced me. But I am still heading up this operation!"

"Oh yeah? Well head this!" Negaduck bounced back on his feet.

Reaching into his jacket, he whipped out a chainsaw and cut through a nearby streetlamp, tipping it onto Bulba's head. The bull steamed in outrage, grabbing the pole and hoisting it over his head. Negaduck darted in to finish him off and Bulba activated his laser cannon, ready to return the gesture.

"KNOCK IT OFF!" Steelbeak yelled. "I already told youse guys, we need to think about Dipwing, not each other!"

Negaduck and Bulba looked back at each other.

"Right." Negaduck relented. "I'll admit, although I used live video feed to guarantee my plan's success, finding the kid verifies the facts. It's time for Plan B. Which actually goes right along with your idea, Bulby, but with a slight difference. Instead of just one hostage, we'll use several. And I have an idea of just how to set the trap..."

The villains stepped into a FOWL transport vehicle to map out their plan, leaving the Eggmen on patrol. For the moment, everything was quiet... But things were about to heat up.

After listening intently for several more moments, the captives turned their attention to each other.

"That settles it," Gosalyn punched her fist into her palm. "We bust out of here as soon as these jerks leave."

"It's quiet out there now," Gizmoduck exclaimed, an earhorn pressed to his helmet.

"There's nobody around the vehicle!"

"You're certain about this?" Scrooge asked hopefully.

"Positive."

"Then let's get out of here," Gosalyn said.

"How?" Dr. Bellum asked.

"I have a bottle of corrosive acid. It might be strong enough to eat through the van floor," Honker pulled the acid out of his backpack.

"What are you doing with acid, kid?" Dr. Bellum shook her finger.

"I do a lot of extra-credit science projects for school. My teacher loaned it to me for the science fair."

"I'll take that! This is not a play toy!" Dr. Bellum seized the bottle and poured a drop on the floor near the front of the trailer.

Little wisps of smoke curled from the spill and a nasty metallic smell filled the crowded interior.

"It's working!" Gosalyn exclaimed.

"Maybe a little too well," Scrooge coughed and covered his beak with a handkerchief.

An engine started. Before the group could prepare for motion, the trailer started forward, sending its occupants tumbling onto the backdoors. The smaller individuals groaned under the weight of the larger bodies. Then everybody heard a creak behind them. The collective weight was loosening the doors.

Thinking as one, the group backed up and rammed their shoulders. Another shove and the door gave way, a padlock and chain dangling from the handle.

Gryzlikoff broke the chain and Gizmoduck grabbed it, jumping out of the trailer and rolling along behind the truck on his single wheel. Using his suit's extendable arm, he helped each hostage out of the semi, setting them safely on the roadside grass. Gryzlikoff refused help and jumped out on top of Gizmoduck. They rolled to a stop and got off the road. The former captives regrouped in the woods.

"We need to find Morgana," Gosalyn said. " She can help us clean up this town."

"No chance, Lassie. Them curse-ed crooks have St. Canard wrapped up tighter than me money bin." Scrooge said.

"We need to free the captives at the state penitentiary first. An operation of such proportions will require police intervention, plus the assistance of all my agents," J. Gander said while cleaning his glasses.

"I am thinking ve divide in groups of five to cover more territory and gather resources for the counter measure," Agent Gryzlikoff said.

"Huh?" Launchpad asked.

"He means "split up," Dr. Bellum translated.

"Oh, okay."

"Come on Launchpad, we're going to Morgana's," Gosalyn tugged on his sleeve.

"Sure thing, Gos. I'll just get the Ratcatcher to pick us up and…oh yeah," Launchpad's face fell as he patted his pockets for the pencil-like microphone. "I left it in the Thunderquack. I guess we can't call it in."

"No problemo! Hop abroad!" Gizmo lowered his shoulders.

"Vhat about us?" Gryzlikoff demanded. "Ve are without transportation!"

"Not to mention no cell phone. Curse me kilts, we can't even call for a cab!" Scrooge exclaimed.

"Don't worry. Stay along the main road and head back toward town. We'll send a couple taxis to pick you up by the interstate." Gosalyn waved goodbye as Gizmoduck drove off with her, Honker, and Launchpad clinging to his back.

"Great. So much for my new spats," Scrooge sadly looked at his feet.

"At least you're not wearing heels," Dr. Bellum said. The women attorneys and judges nodded in agreement.

Before anyone could get into an argument over who had the worst luck, a couple of taxi vans pulled up alongside.

"Hey! You them guys headed for St. Canard?" one driver rolled down his window.

"Who sent you?" Gryzlikoff growled.

"Some guy on a cell phone. Didn't leave a name, just told us to look for a bunch of people on the highway and take them back into town. So where you off to?"

"The state penitentiary," J. Gander climbed into the front seat.

"Who's goin' to pay?"

"Money's not an issue," Scrooge waved his money clip he'd kept hidden in his coat. "Just get us there and call in anyone you know with muscle. We're going to free the city's officials."

The driver started to protest until he saw the thick wad of bills.

"Alright, buckle up everyone! Let's bust that joint!" The driver picked up his two-way phone. "Calling all cars! Calling all cars! This is Dwaine speaking. We're goin' to have a jailhouse party! Grab your wrenches, lugnuts, and ammo!"

Scrooge leaned forward to whisper in J. Gander's ear.

"Remind me when this is over never to be stingy with the tip again. I wouldn't want St. Canard cabdrivers after me."

"WHAT! What do you mean they got away?" Negaduck demanded of the Fearsome Four.

"We drove toward the old warehouse like you said..." Quackerjack started. He held up his doll to finish. "And our new playmates hit the road somewhere between here and the forest, Boris."

"So much for your foolproof plans," Bulba sneered at Negaduck. Negaduck resisted the urge to start his chainsaw by clenching his fists.

"The plan will still work," he said after some thought. "After all, not every hostage was in the semi. And I know just where to find the perfect target..."

Seeing a motion out of the corner of his eye, Negaduck grinned.

"Speak of the devil, here she is!"

Spinning and leaping with remarkable speed, Negaduck turned a flashlight onto the figure in the dimming dawn shadows. Taking advantage of the victim's momentary pause from blindness, he threw his cape over her head and bound her up with a rope.

As the other villains drew near to see what was happening, Negaduck turned a triumphant grin on Bulba.

"What did I tell you...the perfect bait!"

He pulled off the cape to reveal Morgana.

"That is not the little girl..." Bulba took in the witch's disheveled appearance.

"Even better. She's Darkwing's girlfriend! I told you I'm his Worst Enemy! I know him better than his own mother!"

Calling Reinforcements

Gosalyn pounded on Morgana's door.

"Sounds like nobody's home," Launchpad said. Gosalyn glared at him.

"Well something ought to be there. Half of Morgana's furniture moves on its own. I'll check the spellroom. Quacky will let us in," she said confidently.

"Who's "Quacky"?" Gizmoduck asked. Launchpad and Honker shrugged.

"Morgana's spellbook. I don't remember the rest of its name; something about being the "tome" of ancient wizards and sorcerers. You know what I think of books. But Quacky can talk, so he can open the door."

"Whoa. Now that's a book worth reading!" Launchpad grinned.

Gosalyn tapped on the window. Contrary to her expectations, nothing happened. The Quackmoronicon didn't magically wake up and help.

"Something's up. We'd better have a look." Gosalyn slipped around to the back of the house. It creaked ominously.

"I'm not sure about this," Gizmo said. "Breaking and entering is against the law! And superheroes don't break laws!"

"Besides which, what if there are burglars?"

"Launchpad, all the crooks are back in town having a field day."

"What about ghosts and spooks, then? Morgana's friends give me the heebie-jeebies!"

"Don't worry so much, everything's going to be fine!" Gosalyn pushed on a windowpane. It creaked open. "See? What'd I tell you? Piece of cake."

"Sounds like something your dad would say…" Honker commented.

Gosalyn opened the backdoor for everyone to come in. Gizmoduck hesitated when he saw things scurrying into the shadows.

"Y'know, I should probably get going…Got to finish the repairs on my suit if I'm going to be of any help later…"

"What'sa matter? Chicken?" Gosalyn waggled her arms at him.

"No, of course not! But bugs, bones, rats, and bats give me the willies and this place is loaded with them! Besides, I really do need to get my gizmos up and running again…"

"I'll help you," Launchpad volunteered after dodging a large hairy spider crawling along the floor.

Honker grimaced and moved away but Gosalyn got down to look at the spider.

"Wait a minute. That's Morgana's friend! What's the matter, Archie ol' pal? Where's Morgana?"

The spider muttered something and pointed with three of its legs at the front door.

"He says Morgana left when she sensed all the trouble earlier. She must be looking for my dad!"

The spider began jumping up and down and muttered some more.

"What does that mean?" Honker asked.

"What's the matter, can't you understand "spider"? What? Oh no! Morgana was captured by Negaduck and locked up somewhere! We have to save her."

Meanwhile the taxi brigade was not having much luck. The S.H.U.S.H. agents stole past the guards and freed some of the captives, but then everything started falling apart. The gung-ho cab drivers blew their cover by pelting the guards outside the penitentiary with lug nuts and spare tires. One guard called for backup and the Beagle Boys from Duckburg, recognizing Scrooge out by the vehicles, took him as a hostage.

Dwaine and the other cab drivers, seeing their chance at getting paid disappear inside the jail, quickly vacated the area, leaving the would-be rescuers outnumbered and weaponless. Soon all of S.H.U.S.H. was imprisoned, along with the whole justice system and Scrooge. They waited and watched miserably while the Beagle Boys turned on the news.

Darkwing eased alongside the penitentiary, keeping an eye out for guards. He was in poor fighting condition, his movements slowed by numerous bruises, abrasions, sprains, pulled tendons, and a couple light, but painful, burns. His back was barely bending and his right eye was nearly swollen shut.

Still, he was proud of himself. An ordinary duck would have been laid up with morphine, while he was still on the move. Granted, not as mobile as he wanted to be, but at least he'd been able to help a little. He'd taken out an Eggman and disguised himself in the costume, getting close enough to his foes to overhear their plans, and check on the defenses around the trailer.

When he'd judged it safe enough, he'd backed up to the trailer doors and picked both the door's lock and the padlock on the chain. He'd then stood back and waited to assist the hostages. To his detriment and extreme irritation, nothing happened. He was further confounded when Quackerjack and Megavolt drove off and nobody had even tried the locks yet.

Forced to abandon his post, he'd "borrowed" an empty taxi and followed from a distance, finding a cell phone in the glove compartment. After seeing the captives FINALLY break out, he'd called the cab company and arranged transportation. He'd then grabbed a coat, tinted glasses, and hat off the passenger seat and fell in line with the other cabs to pick up the former captives.

He had the misfortune of picking up the attorneys, who were eager to get back to their offices to make phone calls. Darkwing reluctantly left the company of the other cabs to drop his passengers off together in front of a large firm. By the time he rejoined the others, the cabs were pulling away from the penitiary, indicating trouble.

Parking out of sight, he went around the fence, wrapped his hands in what was left of his cape, and, after checking to be sure he wouldn't get electrocuted by throwing a branch on the fence, he climbed over.

Luckily, the security camera on this side of the property was not facing him. Darkwing made it to the building without setting off alarms. Figuring that his comrades were locked up somewhere, he decided to make his way to the security station. But how was he going to get in there?

He hadn't brought the Eggman suit along, and his current attire barely passed inspection from the casual eye. He'd barely gotten rid of the attorneys without being questioned. He certainly wouldn't get past the guards without interrogation. And he couldn't take out six of them with a laughing gas canister. They would make too much noise.

He wished he'd gone back to his hideout to restock his arsenal. A change of costume and a shower would have been nice, too. Maybe the best way in was to take a route that didn't involve doors...

Nobody saw him slip inside the air-conditioning ductwork. Darkwing paused to be certain the coast was clear and vaulted to the floor eight feet below him, landing neatly on his feet. Gasping as the shock from his landing raced up his spine, Darkwing gritted his teeth against a yelp, waiting for the pain to subside.

The intrusion went unobserved by the security camera three feet away. Darkwing watched the camera for a moment, making sure it would not reveal his location. It remained stationary. Relieved, he headed to the security office and quickly took out the guard at the desk.

Surveying the video feed, he counted the number of foes he'd have to go through to carry off the rescue. Too many. Even in perfect health, Darkwing Duck would need at least Launchpad's help. Probably more. So he did the next best thing.

A minute later, the whole place reverberated with a shrill smoke alarm and a computerized voice announced fire in the southeast sector. FOWL agents and petty thieves raced outside to save their own skin. Only a few went to check on the fire.

The villains found a smoke bomb in the air duct.

When they went back to check on the prisoners, they ran straight into Gryzlikoff, armed with a hatchet from the firebox. The grizzly's vehemence alarmed the bad guys enough for the other S.H.U.S.H. agents to effectively disarm them and place them behind bars. Piling into squadron cars and leaving the most intimidating police officers and S.H.U.S.H. agents behind to guard the recaptured criminals, the majority of the good guys headed downtown for the Tower.

Darkwing watched with amusement from the security station. Thanks to the alarm, all the jail cell doors had opened automatically, giving ol' Gryz and the others plenty of time to go into action. It was almost like watching a reality show on TV. Darkwing was tempted to reveal his part in the scene, but before he could puff up his ego too much, he noticed someone he didn't recognize heading toward his post. He didn't want to chance getting arrested by friend or foe right now. There was still too much at stake and he'd left Gosalyn out of his sight for far too long...

Free from the penitentiary, Scrooge had immediately requested that his driver drop him off at the nearest pay phone. He had an idea that couldn't wait, even if he had to pay for it to go through. He stood somewhere in uptown St. Canard, impatiently waiting for a connection to Duckburg, while the rest of his S.H.U.S.H. companions drove ahead. He would have to call for a taxi later.

Finally, the recipient of his call answered the phone.

"Yes, hello! Gyro? Put that blasted thing down and listen! This is Scrooge McDuck. I'm calling from a pay phone, so don't interrupt! Remember when you modified my cane into a laser? And the "futility belt"? Yes, you know what I'm referring to. I know we destroyed the costume! I won't be needing that anyways! Listen, Gyro, bring everything you've got that could be used as a weapon and meet me at the intersection of Crown and Main Street. St. Canard. That's right. Before dark. Yes I know the town is under lockdown! I'm in the middle of it! Just drive over as fast as possible. There won't be any traffic cops this direction. Wait for me. I'll meet you there in a couple hours. I've got another thing to attend to first."

After going back to Darkwing Tower to retrieve the Ratcatcher, and get a few parts for Gizmoduck's suit, Launchpad drove the others into town. Their arrival at Canard Tower brought dozens of crooks out of hiding. Gizmoduck was relatively successful at holding off the mob while Gosalyn, Honker, and Launchpad snuck into the tower. Gizmoduck fared pretty well until he was tripped by Quackerjack, slipped on Liquidator, tied up by Bushroot, and fried again by Megavolt. Ammonia Pine scrubbed the smudges off his suit while he was put in chains.

Meanwhile, in midtown outside a TV broadcasting station, Scrooge McDuck was throwing a fit in front of a security guard.

"What do you mean, you won't see me? Don't you know who I am?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. McDuck, but the station's under lockdown until the execution this evening," the security guard answered anxiously.

"Execution? For whom? Why?"

"For anyone who's stood against Lord Negaduck! He's ordered a gallows, a firing squad, archers, a bonfire, chainsaws, and even poisoned apples! All the networks are supposed to cover it."

The security officer blocked Scrooge from entering the building.

"Curse me kilts! No wonder everyone's indoors. This place is madness! But why not take an interview? I've just escaped with the mayor and the police. The citizens of St. Canard have to know there's hope."

"Sorry, Mr. McDuck, but we can't report anything. We're running on a backup generator and the only camera that's operational is the one in the van over there. As much as we'd appreciate your story, Sir…We don't want Lord Negaduck to retaliate."

"Will this help your resolve any?" Scrooge waved a hundred dollar bill.

"On second thought, I know an anchor who'd kill for such a scoop! Hold on a sec, I'll give him a call." The officer punched in a number. "Hey Tom? I've got a scoop that'll put you in primetime! Scrooge McDuck, right here in front of me! He was one of the hostages and says a bunch of them escaped. That's right. Escaped! Yeah, see you in a minute. He's coming right away, Sir."

"Thank you. It's time we got this city on its feet again."

Gosalyn's Heroic Rescue

Back at Canard Tower...

Gosalyn and friends paused by the elevator inside the building.

"Alright, team, we're going to bust Morgana out of there."

"But how do we know she's here? She could be anywhere, and once we get there, how do we deal with the guards? Negaduck's sure to be with her." Launchpad asked.

"No problem. He's probably got her on the top floor so he can look down at the city. And we've handled Negaduck before. Piece of cake."

"Yeah, but your dad would…" Honker started.

"My dad would barge right in there and confront Negaduck while we rescue the hostages. Since Dad's not here, that job'll be up to me."

"But you're not your dad! You're only ten years old, and you don't have any weapons. Negaduck could kill you!" Honker exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Honk, I've got it all worked out. Let's get physical!" Gosalyn rubbed her hands together.

"But Gos, you need a plan!" Honker protested.

"Plan, shman. Who needs one? I'll just barge in there with this," Gosalyn reached under her shirt, revealing the last thing either of the guys had expected to see again.

"Darkwing's gasgun?" Honker gawked. "How did you get that?"

"Yeah, and where'd you hide it? That thing isn't collapsible like some of DW's other gadgets," Launchpad said.

"Let's just say I learned a thing or two," Gosalyn shrugged. "One of those is that Dad had a backup stashed in the Thunderquack in case of emergencies, and this counts as an emergency!"

Gosalyn headed toward the elevator.

"Won't the villains hear you coming in that?" Honker asked.

"Precisely." Gosalyn backpedaled, pretending that was her plan all along. "You two will take the elevator, while I take the stairs. It'll be the perfect cover!"

"So what do you want us to do?" Launchpad asked.

"First, you give me a head start. Then you go to the top floor and go through the service door on top of the elevator and wait for the bad guys. They come see what's going on, you launch a surprise attack!"

"Uh…With what?"

"Launchpad! Didn't Darkwing teach you some of his trademark moves?"

"Well, yeah but I'm not all that good!" he raised his hands in protest. Gosalyn wasn't concerned.

"Just watch your aim and you'll be fine! Honker! You have any books with you?"

"Just my biology, astrophysics, and advanced calculus books. Hardly worth your reading, Gos."

"Not for reading! For ammo! When you see the villains, throw the books at their heads. That ought to knock them out for a while! And I'll stall them with smoke and mirrors while you get Morgana! Then we're home free!"

"Not so fast, kiddies!"

"NEGADUCK!" All three exclaimed as they turned around.

"Surprised? I've had cameras on you three since you walked in! While you dawdled around, I called in reinforcements! Now drop your weapon and come along peacefully if you know what's good for ya!" Negaduck growled.

"Not a chance!" Gosalyn fired a gas canister. "Quick, Launchpad!"

Launchpad flipped and spun in a patented kick Darkwing had taught him. He just barely missed Negaduck's head and knocked over Gosalyn, which in turn knocked down four FOWL Eggmen and a couple of small-time thieves she'd been handling. Honker reluctantly selected the larger of his three books and calculated the trajectory.

Negaduck stopped coughing from the smoke just as Honker threw the book. He ducked.

"Ha! Missed me!" he blew a raspberry.

The textbook bounced off an Eggman's helmet and thudded into Negaduck's back.

Negaduck shook off the blow, only to get bonked in the head by another book. Gosalyn fired the gasgun again, and the villains were temporarily occupied by itching powder.

"Come on troops," Gosalyn shouted over her shoulder as she punched the up button.

The door opened, Launchpad and Honker rushed in, and Gosalyn pushed the "close" button just in time. Getting out at the seventh floor, she told the guys to go on and find Morgana while she stalled the bad guys. They reluctantly obeyed.

Gosalyn grabbed a water cooler and poured it down the stairs before throwing the bottle. Then she raced up three flights and grabbed a box of thumbtacks from an office. She threw those down the stairs, keeping back a few to put in her pocket. She continued her progress up, throwing as many obstacles in the stairwell as she could. After finally reaching the top floor, she blocked the entrance with a large desk.

Launchpad and Honker stuck a desk in the elevator door to keep it from shutting. They checked the broom closet and the conference room for Morgana, but found nothing.

"Oh no! Where could she be?" Gosalyn put her hand to her forehead worriedly.

"Maybe back at the penitentiary with the other hostages," Launchpad suggested.

"Um, how are we going to get down?" Honker asked just as they heard the stairwell door shudder.

"We're trapped! What are we going to do?" Launchpad panicked.

"Chill out, guys, I've got it covered," Gosalyn set a grappling hook in the gasgun. She aimed at an adjacent building and fired. "One ticket out of here, coming up!"

The grappling hook bounced off the steel siding and fell uselessly. Gosalyn checked to see if the hook had caught anything. It was snagged on a fire escape too far down to stop a free fall. She giggled nervously.

"Whoopsies."

At that moment the desk went flying across the room and Negaduck stood triumphantly blocking the stairwell.

"Miss me?" he smirked. "It'll take more than office surplus to slow me down. And although I enjoy the exercise, I've just about had it with you saps! You're about to embark on a one way trip, Little Hero..."

"Quick! To the elevator!" Gosalyn pointed. Launchpad and Honker ran toward it, but a missile plunged into it from Negaduck's launcher.

"Enough playing around! Get them!" Negaduck ordered his accompanying thugs, some of them limping thanks to Gosalyn's "obstacles."

"Just try to catch me!" Gosalyn retorted.

Gosalyn picked up the gasgun and ran for the window. Letting out a Tarzan whoop, she jumped, and Honker and Launchpad screamed. Gosalyn unfurled a spare cape she had kept folded in her pocket, hooked it around her neck, and fanned it out. It slowed her fall, but before she could start rejoicing, the wind billowed out of the cape. It was too thin to serve as a parachute. Gosalyn stayed calm as she tried reeling in the grappling hook. The hook was stuck and the rope was too slack to slow her down.

"Now would be a good time for a rescue!" Gosalyn checked all her pockets. Nothing useful. "Help!"

Suddenly a parachute opened just below her. Gosalyn rolled into a ball to fall past the chute and grab the lines. To her surprise, a toy soldier was attached to the end.

"Quackerjack? Un uh. No way am I falling for that wacko! Although…I might be willing to make an exception!"

Taking out a penknife, she cut the lines off the toy and threw the soldier away from the chute. Just as she'd expected, the toy blew up, leaving her and the chute relatively unscathed. Her fall was slowed enough for her to catch her breath. Then she heard the chute rip above her.

"Oh no! No, no, no, no!"

The chute fluttered uselessly around her and the ground was dangerously close. Gosalyn tried salvaging the fabric but it was no use. She started screaming again.

Then a grappling hook shot out of nowhere, snagging on Gosalyn's cape. Grabbing it and throwing off her ruined cape, she reeled herself in with the rope, finding its source tied to a fire escape on the adjacent building. Safe for the moment, she peered around for her rescuer, but didn't find a trace. Nor would she without the aid of fingerprint dusting kit.

"Dad? Is that you? Dad? Hmm... Now that's strange…" she reasoned aloud. "If Dad was here, he should be basking in the moment. Or the bad guys should be trying to grab me. If it's not Dad, and it's not a villain, who else could it be?"

She studied the grappling hook for evidence. It was Darkwing's. That much she could tell, as very few grapplers were made with joints for folding. But upon checking, she discovered it was the same one she had used. She couldn't tell if it was fired from a gun or simply tossed in the air, but regardless it had saved her life. She whispered "thank you" to her unseen rescuer and focussed on the task ahead of her: saving Launchpad and Honker.

Scrooge's speech

Later, in the back of a newsman, a famous anchor sat smiling seriously at the camera. The report was airing "Live" direct from the van.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the latest report. As you know, the city is buckled down for the night, but this reporter received a bit of extraordinary news moments ago. This is Tom Lockjaw bringing you an exclusive interview with Duckburg's own Scrooge McDuck."

The camera panned to Scrooge, seated opposite from Lockjaw a few feet away.

"Yes, thankyou, Tom. Citizens of St. Canard, as you know, yesterday evening the region's top villains overthrew the police, the justice system, and other law enforcers. I was among the many hostages held outside the former First National Bank. However, due to a bit of luck and the combined help of all the captives, we broke out and retook the State Penitentiary. Thanks to several law enforcement agencies, forty crooks are behind bars and the police are back in action.

"The battle has just begun, folks. Tonight, a young woman is scheduled to be executed in front of Canard Tower, along with anyone else unfortunate enough to be in the clutches of these cursed crooks. The police and various government operatives are staging a rescue. It'll be a confrontation between Justice and Evil the likes of which we've never seen.

"The battle is far from decided yet: the villains still outnumber us ten to one. But you can help, St. Canard! It won't take much, but something as simple as throwing an egg may make a difference. Anything that'll slow these barbarians down. Bring your pots and pans! Bring your baseball bats! Let's show these villains that they don't rule this town! I, Scrooge McDuck, escaped from their clutches before and I say it's time they pay for the misery they've caused us all! At the execution tonight, let's make a stand for civil society!"

"Now, Mr. McDuck, just so we're clear, does this mean you're joining the fight?" Lockjaw asked without breaking his smile. Scrooge smiled.

"Of course, lad. I'm not much of a fan of vigilantes taking the law into their own hands, but there once was a hero in Duckburg known as the Masked Mallard and tonight, I'm calling him out of retirement."

""The Masked Mallard?"" Lockjaw lost his composure for a second before pasting on his smile again. "As memory serves, you once were exposed as the Masked Mallard, Mr. McDuck. Are you referring to yourself, or are you talking about St. Canard's own masked mallard, better known as Darkwing Duck?"

"Oh," Scrooge groaned painfully. "You would have to bring that up…I'm afraid Darkwing Duck…is dead."

"Dead?" the dog clasped his hand to his throat.

"You heard me. Launchpad McQuack, his sidekick and a very close associate of mine, was one of the captives. He and his companions saw the explosion firsthand and one brought poor Darkwing's hat as proof." Scrooge dabbed his eyes and blew his beak.

"So you're saying that the only crime fighter who ever defeated Negaduck and many of the other super villains will not be there tonight?" Lockjaw's voice was a barely audible squeak.

"Yes, but that does not mean we give up hope!" Scrooge stood and pumped his fist in his hand. "Darkwing Duck died in the line of duty. I never met the lad, and I admit I probably wouldna liked him if I had. But bein' cooped up with those who knew him best, and hearing their praises for his fierce loyalty and tenacity, I'll say I might be willin' to join his fan club. Even Giz'maduck held him in high regard, despite their differences.

"St. Canard, from all that I've heard about your hometown hero, I can say with near certainty that Darkwing Duck loved you. He lived to protect you. He died to protect you. His sacrifice weighs heavy on our hearts, but he didn't die in vain. We will avenge him with all we've got. Don't let his memory fade. Don't let all he sacrificed die with him! Stand with me and the police in bringing justice back into this city. Stand up and fight!"

In a corporate building across from Canard Tower, the very duck Scrooge was lauding was painfully gasping for breath, willing his whirlpool of nerves and emotions to settle back into some semblance of normalcy.

He had given in to his conscience earlier by returning the cab to the taxi dispatcher's office, parking it in front with a large tip under the visor. He then had waited at a bus stop, only to learn that public transportation was shut down indefinitely out of fear. Home was too far and he'd lost the Ratcatcher transponder, so he walked the long way back to Canard Tower. He had been pretty certain Negaduck would reassume his position in the penthouse suite at the top of the landmark and had arrived in time to see Gizmoduck dragged off.

Unaware that Gosalyn and the others were inside the building, Darkwing sighed and reluctantly followed his fellow hero. The effort had nearly been disastrous, as Darkwing found Gizmo hooked to a power-draining unit, surrounded by mobsters with guns, including a pack of rats he'd vanquished on several occasions. The head rat had sensed him and fired his automatic in Darkwing's direction.

Darkwing's agility and superb hand-eye coordination had saved his hide and he abandoned his friend with a heavy heart, silently promising to return with help. Help; the last thing Darkwing Duck would ever ask for was something he sorely needed right now. He returned to Canard Tower, footsore and stoop shouldered.

He hacked the front desk computer and saw security footage of Gosalyn, Launchpad, and Honker facing off Negaduck and his henchmen. As he stared at the scene, he saw Gosalyn fire his gas gun at the opposite building. He surmised what she was planning and raced across the sidewalk, hoping against hope that he could somehow anchor the grappling hook and haul her to safety.

He'd heard her scream through the surrounding wall as he raced up the adjacent tower's stairs, foregoing the slow elevator. He'd thought he wouldn't get to a window fast enough, but he'd found an open office door with a fire escape next to it. It also, coincidentally, had Gosalyn's poorly aimed grappling hook dangling just within reach.

Darkwing had grabbed the grappling hook and flung it to save the day. Then, exhausted by his efforts, he crawled back into the office and slumped in a chair. His back chose that moment to protest staying upright, so he slid under the desk to stretch it out on the floor. He hadn't been resting long before he heard Goslayn calling to him. He'd tried to respond, but his voice faded in a gasp, inaudible over the wind blowing through the open window. Gosalyn had walked right past him without noticing.

Now he had to calm himself down. Her scream still echoed in his head. For him, the near failure almost overwhelmed his success. He could have severely hurt her with that hook. Or he could have missed entirely and seen her smeared on the pavement. He degraded himself for chancing her safety, but the hook was one thing he could use with near pinpoint accuracy and have a chance of catching her.

He offered a silent prayer of gratitude that he'd succeeded. If he hadn't been so sore from the escapade, he might have tried harder to reveal himself to her. His ego certainly demanded recognition and his heart ached with the need to hold her. Still, he was aware that Launchpad and Honker were in danger. Darkwing Duck wouldn't be able to offer much help right now, but Gosalyn could. All she needed was concentration, and, for once, he wasn't going to interfere.

"Search the area. I want to know where that kid got to," Negaduck growled to the Fearsome Four.

"But she's just a kid. What harm could she do?" Bushroot countered anxiously.

""What harm could she do?" You idiot! She threw water down the steps just as Megavolt was going up! If I hadn't been so quick on my feet, that water would have electrocuted all of us! And, that little brat caused three hired thugs to cry like babies because they had thumb tacks stuck in their feet! Not to mention, she was the ringleader of the Darkwing fan club and she had his gasgun! Do you have any idea what a kid like that could do to the morals of this city? Common citizens would revolt against us and free the hostages! Then what will we have left? I'll tell you, a big fat NOTHING!"

"At least we have the others," Quackerjack said.

"Quiet! You, take the building next door. Bushroot, check the ground level, Liquidator, check the sewer and waterworks. Megavolt, rally the troops. We're going to have us a bonfire tonight and we don't want anyone to miss it!"

Negaduck turned to Launchpad and Honker, wrapped up in Bushroot's vines.

"As for you two, you're going to draw out your little friend. Then you'll all have front row seats for the party! I couldn't decide how I wanted to exterminate you little pests, so I came up with the perfect solution. One even Morgana could appreciate... Too bad she didn't come around to my little persuasions. She would have made the perfect accomplice. Oh well, no use beating a dead witch..."

Launchpad and Honker exchanged worried looks.

A call buzzer went off. Negaduck grouchily answered, then shrank as Taurus Bulba's voice came over the line.

"How are your "arrangements" coming along, Duck? Have you invited our honored guests yet?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Negaduck said impatiently. "I've got two. My men are working on the third. We'll have her within the hour."

"What? You let the little girl get away!"

"No, we're just making sure she didn't give us the slip. She threw herself out the window and we're looking to see where she landed."

"Keep looking… That girl is one of Darkwing Duck's accomplices. She's sure to know some of his "tricks." Let me know when you catch her, so that I can be there to "escort" her…"

"Alright, keep your shirt on!" Negaduck barked. "Or whatever you've got."

"Don't try my patience, Duck! I could dispose of you in an instant. I could blast a hole through your puny skull and you'd never see me coming!"

"Likewise, Burgerbreath..." Negaduck growled under his breath. To the bull himself, he muttered sulkily. "Yeah, I got it. Grab the girl, call you. My men are already on it."

"Good. Until later, then."

Negaduck backed away from the call button, mumbling to himself. "Who does he think he is, ordering ME around? When this is over, that tin can better watch his back, because there'll be a dozen armor-piercing bullets in it! What are you looking at!" Negaduck snarled at Launchpad and Honker.

"Nn…nothing!" Honker stammered.

"You think I'm weak, is that it? You think you can get the best of me? I'll show you!"

"No, no!" Launchpad exclaimed. "I was just thinking you're more dangerous than Bulba!"

"Oh. Why, thank you." Negaduck smirked. "In that case, I'll let you live. For now…"

Meanwhile, in an upper story office across from Canard Tower, Gosalyn watched Megavolt and some baddies march Launchpad and Honker out to a waiting FOWL egg-shaped vehicle. Gosalyn checked all her concealed pockets, but other than the thumbtacks, she didn't have much left in the shape of weapons. She'd lost the gasgun in the fall. And a grappling hook wasn't much of a weapon on its own. The best she could do was throw things from overhead, which wouldn't do her friends any good since there was no guarantee they'd be out of the way when the tacks and hook landed.

"Boy, I'd give up a lifetime of allowances to have Dad here. He'd have a whole arsenal of goodies stashed and we could take out Megavolt together! Of course, he wouldn't let me have any fun either… Well, here goes…"

Grabbing the rope, Gosalyn propelled down the building's side, ducking into a dumpster to stay out of sight. Sneaking closer, she pounced on the shortest Eggman in reach and rammed a garbage can over his head. Pulling him out of sight of his comrades, she waved her sneaker under his beak until he passed out, then tied him up with the laces and borrowed his uniform. Joining the procession of Eggmen, she ducked behind a vehicle to check her appearance in the side mirror. The uniform was too filthy to go unnoticed. Gosalyn saw a water fountain nearby and scooted to it, rinsing off the garbage.

Just as she finished, a shadow fell over her.

"Very clever, for a little girl…"

Gosalyn froze. Taurus Bulba!

S.H.U.S.H. Stakeout

Several hours later, in the unused basement of an apartment complex across from Canard Tower...

"Canard Tower is vhere the key hostages are being held, no?" Gryzlikoff asked J. Gander as he peered across the street at the afore-mentioned. The basement was part of S.H.U.S.H.'s super secret hideouts staked across the city.

"According to our Intelligence, this is the last known location of Negaduck... and the accomplices of Darkwing Duck," J. Gander added gravely.

"My infrared binoculars show at least forty bodies inside," Dr. Bellum said. "Most of which are guards. One appears to be made of metal. It has the largest heat signature, but the pattern is nothing like anything I've seen before. With one exception…"

"Which is?" J. Gander said.

"FOWL's Top Secret Cybergenics experiment, Taurus Bulba."

"Vhat? Taurus Bulba is alive? Vhy haven't ve heard of this 'till now?"

"Calm yourself, Agent Gryzlikoff. I have been tracking Taurus Bulba's movements since FOWL regenerated him. He faced off with Darkwing once before disappearing on another continent. It required the cooperation of multiple agencies to locate Bulba again, and our former top agent, Derek Blunt, was covering him. Blunt's retirement was cover for following Bulba across the world. Bulba was unsuccessful in recreating a new body, but he had some minor success in making his current robotics more immune to circuit cross-firing and temperature change.

"He will be more difficult to defeat this time, Agent Gryzlikoff. Agent Blunt tried to stop him from leaving the Salad Sea and was nearly killed in the process. Blunt is recuperating well, but will be out of action for some time."

"Vhy didn't you inform me? I could have had my team working on counter measures..."

"I didn't tell you because I did not have the details until this evening. I received them during FOWL's raid on S.H.U.S.H. headquarters and hid the blueprints on a USB device in one of my buttons. Dr. Bellum, is your hand-held supercomputer operational yet?"

"Indeed! I only have a couple tests left and it will be running smoothly."

"Excellent! Now, Agent Gryzlikoff, we must devise a plan of offense against the remaining villains before dusk."

"Already in progress, Sir," Gryzlikoff replied.

"What the…?" Dr. Bellum exclaimed. "I thought I just saw somebody in front of my binoculars! But that would mean… Quick! Somebody is infiltrating our hideout!"

"To defense positions!" J. Gander exclaimed as he and Dr. Bellum ducked behind a plexiglass reinforced desk. The thirty odd agents raised bullet proof shields and concealed weapons from similar positions.

A grimy window creaked open and a head peered into the darkness. The agents tensed.

A flashlight shone around, landing on Gryzlikoff's face. Gryzlikoff had his mouth open in a silent snarl to resemble a stuffed bear, but the light remained on him until he blinked. The agents pulled back the hammers on their guns, ready to fire.

Morgana Explains

Meanwhile, Gosalyn was sitting on a bench in the FOWL vehicle next to Launchpad and Honker. She was forced to hand over the Eggman uniform, and she was shoeless. All she had were her shirt and socks, which didn't provide much as far as backup. She sighed.

"Sorry I wasn't much help back there…" she mumbled.

"Aw, don't take it too hard on yourself, Gos," Launchpad consoled. "You did your best, which was pretty darn good!"

"Yeah, Gosalyn. If Morgana had been there like you said, everything might have turned out differently." Honker added.

"Thanks, guys," Gosalyn snuggled closer. She sighed again and hugged her knees. "I just wish Dad were here."

"Well, it's probably a good thing he isn't, else it'd be his execution we'd be going to instead of our own." Launchpad said.

Gosalyn brightened. "That's it! That's where we'll see him!"

"Come again?" Launchpad frowned.

"Look, when I jumped out that window, it looked like I was a goner. Then this grappling hook snags me out of nowhere! It had to be Dad! Who else do you know who could throw a hook like that?" Without giving the guys a chance to answer, she continued, although she lowered her voice so the Eggmen standing guard wouldn't overhear. "And besides, it doesn't make sense for a villain to rescue me and not arrest me, and Gizmoduck's been captured so it couldn't be him. You were already in trouble and Morgana's locked up. He's the only explanation!"

"Gee, Gos. That's great news," Honker said cautiously. "But if it was him, I think he would have yelled at you for endangering yourself after he rescued you."

"Not to mention he'd try to save us," Launchpad added.

"Maybe he had other things to do," Gosalyn shrugged. "All I know is that somebody used Dad's grappling hook to save me, and he's the only one I know who could have done that!" Her voice dropped and she stared at her socks for a few moments before continuing. "I think I'd feel it if he were truly gone and I don't feel anything. So he must be somewhere!"

Launchpad and Honker didn't get a chance to respond. The prisoner transport had stopped in front of a building with decorative columns and the three ducks were promptly filed out between armed guards, with Taurus Bulba overseeing. They were led to a secure room and forced inside a prisoner cell.

Honker tapped Gosalyn's shoulder and pointed to the corner. Morgana was there, curled up on the floor. They went to her and gently shook her. She frowned when she recognized them.

Negaduck and Taurus Bulba discussed something out of hearing range, then Negaduck pulled up a chair at the security desk and settled in, mumbling to himself.

Morgana glanced around, and seeing no one near the cell, got to her feet and wrapped her arms conspiratorially around Gosalyn and Launchpad.

"I felt the energy surge of fear from the kidnappings and went to look for Darkwing," she whispered. Gosalyn clasped Launchpad's arm anxiously. "I tracked all of you and saw the explosion. I couldn't stand thinking of my poor Dark lying under all that debris… So i looked for a way to get to him and an entrance to a subterranean vault below the bank. I think it was one of the original buildings before St. Canard became a city and it was converted to a basement..." Morgana shook her head dismissively. " Not that any of that matters, but while I was down there, I found this…"

Morgana pulled a piece of fabric out of her sleeve.

"That's part of Dad's cape! I'd recognize that anywhere!" Gosalyn exclaimed.

"Me too," Launchpad added. "Though it's a little hard to see the color through all those burn marks."

"Thanks, Launchpad," Gosalyn glowered.

"There were digging tools and lanterns strewn about so I think the mole men were scouting the bank." Morgana glanced anxiously at Negaduck over her shoulder. He was filing his fingernails with a rasp. She continued. "There was nobody around, so either the moles found what they were looking for, or they abandoned the search. Or maybe Dark used one of his gadgets to save himself and scare them off. I didn't find anything else, but this scrap was on the basement stairs, which means…"

"He's alive! I knew it!" Gosalyn pumped her fists in the air. "This is great! Now all we have to do is get out of here and hold off the bad guys until he gets back!"

"I don't know, Gosalyn," Honker countered gently, "Your dad's probably hurt pretty badly."

She glared at him.

"I was there. I'm not hurt," she countered before flexing an elbow and rubbing her head. "Yeah, so I'm a little bruised, with a headache and a cough. I've had worse playing soccer! Certainly none of that would keep him down!"

"That's my point! Your injuries are minor because he took the worst of it himself." Honker insisted, also glancing at Negaduck nervously.

"So what? I mean Dad's faced worse odds. Once, he fought twelve FOWL Eggmen all on his own, even with a sprained wrist and broken ribs and sore toe. And he still captured Steelbeak. Plus he carried you and me through boiling lava and still managed to fly us home, and he…"

"We know, Gos." Launchpad said gently. "Your dad's always been a fast healer, but facing all his enemies at once might be too much to ask of him right now…"

"Well, we'll just have to help him, then!" Gosalyn punched her palm with her fist.

Morgana put a hand on Gosalyn's shoulder. "I agree, but first we have to get out of this prison."

"Piece of cake." Gosalyn smirked. "First we'll wait 'till everyone's distracted, then you zap the locks and get us out of here!"

"Well, I'll give it a try," Morgana said hesitantly.

"But how will we know when all those bad guys are distracted? There must be thousands of them out there." Launchpad asked.

"That'll be easy enough," Gosalyn pointed to the adjacent room.

Megavolt and Quackerjack were setting up a TV on desk, under Negaduck's supervision. Negaduck felt their eyes on him and swiveled his chair around to face the captives.

"I hope you enjoy the show. Morgana's gonna be the star attraction!" Negaduck emphasized the last words and smiled cruelly. "Then the top officials, then the S.H.U.S.H. agents, and finally, everyone else. By this time tomorrow, St. Canard will be ours forever!"

J. Gander's surprise

Back at the super secret S.H.U.S.H. hideout...

"Agent Gryzlikoff?" a familiar voice called.

"Vhat are you shining light in face for, you idiot! Reveal yourself at once!" Gryzlikoff demanded, inching closer toward the flashlight wielder.

"But of course, Maestro," the voice replied sarcastically. Anybody would have recognized that tone and J. Gander was no exception.

"Hold your fire!" J. Gander shouted to his armed agents.

The shadowy figure slipped inside and Dr. Bellum turned on the lights, revealing their visitor. And an interesting visitor, he was, dressed in a trench coat, a baseball cap, and gloves. Bits of gauze obscured part of his face and his color was off, but the beak was unmistakable.

"Good heavens!" J. Ganderr exclaimed, having already guessed who the duck was, but hardly comprehending the change of appearance. "Darkwing, is that you?"

"In the flesh! Well, heh heh, what's left of it…," Darkwing glanced mournfully at the "borrowed" jacket on top of his shredded, blackened costume. Some of his facial feathers were gray with dust and soot, and he had bandaids from the taxi's first aid kit on his forehead and his neck.

"I told you he'd make it," Dr. Bellum grinned at a fellow agent nearby. Everybody in the room had their eyes on the masked mallard. J. Gander adjusted his glasses and stepped closer.

"Darkwing, it's good to see you again, but… How are you holding up?"

"A bit on the sore side, but still kicking, J. Gander."

"Good. I'm afraid we're going to have ask for your assistance one more time..."

"Anything for the good of the people," Darkwing bowed. His back cracked. "Ow…" He muttered softly. He straightened and pushed the kinks out. J. Gander eyed him with concern before continuing.

"As you know, FOWL and the Fearsome Five have teamed up with other villains from all around the country to take over St. Canard. I regret to inform you that one of those is your own arch-nemesis Taurus Bulba."

"Yeah, I already knew that," Darkwing said nonchalantly. "I've had to keep a low profile, but I've been watching the proceedings the whole time."

"That was you who called the cab company?" Gryzlikoff asked incredulously.

"C'est moi," Darkwing grinned. "I even picked the lock on the trailer. Plus, I followed you to the State Penitentiary, where I gained access to the emergency power switch, after some painful crawling through some very dusty and cramped air ducts, and set you free."

"Vhy didn't you free us from trailer earlier so we could get this thing over with sooner!"

"Because, Gryz, as you may recall, I was in an explosion yesterday! Thankfully I had some company else I'd still be under that rubble! And you have a lot of nerve talking, Fuzzy!"

Gryzlikoff growled. Darkwing glared at him, daring him to interrupt.

"You could have gotten out of there in no time if you'd tried the door sooner! I even knocked to let you know I was there! Any more obvious and we'd all be sitting ducks right now!"

Darkwing paused to catch his breath. Gryzlikoff's expression was smoldering, but he wisely backed down after the reminder. It was obvious the past twelve hours had been difficult for the mallard, to say the least. Darkwing continued in a level tone.

"Now, if you're done pointing fingers, I've already found Negaduck's location. Which, in case you didn't already know, is not in there."

He pointed at the building Dr. Bellum had been scoping. Gryzlikoff was about to voice a retort, but Hooter spoke first.

"As always, you never cease to amaze me, Darkwing," J. Gander smiled. "Lead the way, then, if you're able."

"I am and I shall! Now, before we get going, would any of you happen to have a glass of water? And maybe some aspirin? I seem to be missing some pockets here," Darkwing patted his suit under the overcoat.

Later, the S.H.U.S.H. agents and Darkwing positioned themselves around the Federal Gold Depository, where Darkwing had seen Morgana and the others imprisoned.

Earlier, Darkwkng had found his gas gun on the sidewalk near the unconscious Eggman Gosalyn had caught and he had easily surmised what had happened. He had then spotted his friends being loaded in the transport van. He would have gone after them immediately, but an Eggman happened to choose that moment to attack and Darkwing had gone into action. He appropriated the Eggman's radio and costume and tracked down his family. Darkwing had entered the building and found the holding cell, which was an unused vault with a barred door, but he had not been able to get past Negaduck without arousing suspicion, so he had left to seek help. And now he was back with S.H.U.S.H.

"Vhat is plan, comrade?" Gryzlikoff asked him.

"The plan?" Darkwing was jolted from his reverie. "Oh, oh right, the plan…Naturally, we can assume that this building is under heightened guard in case of a rescue attempt."

"Naturally."

"Therefore, we must assume that the only time we can break in there is when everyone is distracted."

"How are ve distracting them then?"

"Hmm. We could try the smoke bomb again, like I did at the prison, but Negaduck would be looking for something like that. Let's see, the execution is supposed to be held at Canard Tower, right? So that means…of course! Morgana will have to be transported there. Don't you see? Most of the guards will go with her, which means the remaining prisoners will have minimum security."

"But the primary target is the voman, thus she would need rescuing first!" Gryzlikoff insisted.

Darkwing nodded. "True, but once we rescue Morgana, the other hostages will be locked down, or worse. We have to save as many people as possible, because once we set foot at the tower, we'll have World War Three on our hands. These are the most dangerous crooks and super villains St. Canard has ever seen, plus more. We'll have to stay sharp."

"So vhat is plan, I ask again."

"Divide your team to cover this section of town and the tower. Once the hostages are rescued here, have everyone converge at the tower and wait undercover for my signal. Then, hit 'em with everything you've got!"

"And the signal is…"

"You'll know it when you see it…" Darkwing tugged a hat he'd borrowed from a S.H.U.S.H. agent over his brow and ran off.

The Battle Begins

Evening blazed with a deep red sky. Morgana was led to the transport van by the Fearsome Five. Before leaving with them, Morgana zapped the lock on the cell door. Just as Gosalyn, Launchpad, and Honker reached the stairs, Ammonia Pine met up with them.

"You!" Ammonia gasped. "How did you get out! Never mind. I'll ring you out to dry…"

Gosalyn slipped under her legs, distracting Ammonia long enough for Launchpad to sock her, apologizing for being unchivalrous. Honker wrapped duct tape around her, keeping Ammonia still and quiet. They left her in a closet.

As they headed up the stairs, they ran into Tuskernini's three penguin companions. Gosalyn rammed them like a foot ball linebacker, knocking them down the stairs. Each one of the three ducks grabbed a lackey and added them to the closet collection.

"That's four down, four hundred to go!" Gosalyn grinned.

"And just where do you think you're going, Little Missy…" Negaduck stepped out in front of them.

Gosalyn threw her thumb tacks at Negaduck. He dodged and summoned the Fearsome Four.

Before any of the three could react, the Fearsome Four had them surrounded and bound. They were thrown in the van with Morgana. The Fearsome sat with them to keep an eye on them.

Gosalyn glared at Bushroot. "Why are you helping Negaduck? I thought you wanted to reform!"

The other Fearsome members stared at the mutant with varying amounts of curiosity and malice. He flinched under their gaze before answering in a hushed voice.

"I did try. But it's not easy being a guy with no income. Especially being a plant guy! I overdrew on my accounts and the bank took my lab. So I holed up with these guys and next thing I knew, I was back to robbing banks. Then Negaduck showed up and everything kinda went south from there..."

"What? Are you kidding? This is the most fun I've had!" Quackerjack giggled. "Not only does Negaduck come up with all the plans, he's already got resources out the wazoo! Thanks to FOWL, I've been cooking up my best line of toys yet!"

Producing his favorite banana doll, Quackerjack mimed its speech. "Show them what we've been working on, Don!"

Quackerjack pulled a string on the toy and a Swiss Army knife assortment of wicked tools popped out of its stuffing. It started ticking, indicating a bomb was hidden somewhere too. Quackerjack tweaked its arm, making a rude sound while it reset its arsenal.

Gosalyn and her pals exchanged nervous looks and they rode in silence the rest of the way.

Meanwhile, back at the Federal Gold Depository, S.H.U.S.H. agents pored over every inch of the building, finding the cage Darkwing had mentioned, but nothing else.

"There's no one here!" Gryzlikoff spoke on his radio.

"What? No kids or sidekicks or villainous fiends?" Darkwing fretted from his concealed corner, also inside the building.

"Like I said, no one!"

"Then Negaduck must have taken them all. We've got to get back to Canard Tower before the execution begins!" Darkwing gasped.

Soon the roar of a crowd filled the captives' ears. Negaduck and Bushroot hauled the prisoners out, with the rest of the Fearsome and Taurus Bulba surrounding them. They were taken to a hastily assembled, overly tall gallows.

Below the noose, a footstool and a pile of kindling sat with a large red bull's-eye painted around it. TV crews had set up around the platform and a platoon of armed Eggmen stood around them, guns and arrows aimed over their heads at the footstool. Moliarty's men stood in the front line with sunglasses and guns as well.

Gosalyn and her friends were pushed into a steel cage by the platform while Morgana was led up to the gallows. The crowd of villains cheered as the duck was pushed on the footstool and the rope was tightened. Quackerjack hung a painted bull's-eye sign around her neck, giggling when she glared at him.

Steelbeak stepped on the platform to deliver a speech about the villains' triumph, Morgana's capture, Darkwing's failure to save his friends, and the execution Negaduck had planned for the sorceress.

While Steelbeak talked, Morgana worked on her chains. She had a spell that would make the chains disintegrate, but she didn't want to draw attention to herself too early. She instead used it on Honker's manacles. Once he was free, Honker started to pick the lock on the cage with a couple of Gosalyn's tacks.

"Hurry it up, Honk," Gosalyn whispered. "We haven't got much time!"

Steelbeak ended his speech with flourish.

"And now, the spectacle we've all been waiting for! Light 'er up, Negster."

Negaduck grinned and approached the kindling with a blowtorch. "With pleasure."

Morgana gasped as the flames quickly climbed toward her. Seeing her fear, Bulba, standing on the ground below, turned toward the armed FOWL agents and crooks with a smile.

"Now!" he shouted.

The men opened fire and released their arrows.

"Quick!" Gosalyn cried to Honker as she watched the catastrophe being unleashed on the platform above their heads. Honker muttered about doing the best he could, but he stayed focused on twisting the pins in the locking mechanism.

As the arrows and bullets rained upon her, Morgana shed her chains. She cast a shield spell to protect her from the barrage and commanded the fire to extinguish. While the villains focused on stopping her, Honker successfully unlocked the cage. Gosalyn and Launchpad started to step out, but Honker pulled them back before they could exit and told them to wait and see what happened.

Morgana's spell worked. The bullets and arrows ricocheted and rained down on the crowd, scattering all but the staunchest and meanest. The fire fizzled and died down. But one spell did not work. The rope was still on her throat. Before she could reach up and remove it, Negaduck kicked the footstool out from under Morgana. The rope tightened. She choked, her eyes bulging.

Taurus Bulba, unaffected by the rain of bullets and arrows, looked up and laughed.

"At least one thing went according to plans."

"Yeah, and I'm going to make sure that "one thing" goes right!" Negaduck snapped as he climbed back up from where he'd taken shelter under the stairs and relit his flame thrower.

Suddenly, an anvil flew over the crowd and hit Negaduck in the head, diverting the flame to Taurus Bulba. The bull screamed as what little flesh he had caught on fire. He looked around desperately and spied the Liquidator near the platform, carefully dodging Megavolt as the other villains ran for cover. Bulba threw himself on top of Liquidator and both lay in a cloud of steam, temporarily dazed.

While the crime bosses recuperated and the crowd gawked, a knife tied to an arrow sliced cleanly through the noose, releasing the last hold on Morgana. She fell and rolled away from the fire, panting.

Seeing a heroic opportunity, Gosalyn threw open the cage door and flew up the stairs. She snatched the flame thrower from Negaduck and turned it on him, keeping him away from Morgana as she recovered.

Moliarty ordered his moles up the stairs after the girl, but Gosalyn heard him and waited until the moles were almost upon her before turning the flame on them. They fled, pushing past the Eggmen in their haste. The Eggmen stumbled back, straight into a crowd of frying pan, blender, rolling pin, and bat-wielding citizens.

"This is for Darkwing!" Someone yelled and the crowd swarmed over the fiends.

Meanwhile, Morgana teleported Negaduck to the cage Gosalyn and the others had been in. He laughed and produced the keys.

"Looks like I outsmarted you this time!"

Someone whistled. A laser beam zapped the keys, melting them. Negaduck dropped them barely in time to avoid being scathed and turned to see what had happened. Scrooge McDuck blew on his smoking cane.

Quackerjack snuck up on Scrooge with a mallet, but Gosalyn dropkicked Quackerjack's back. Quackerjack dizzily shook off the blow and sent his toy teeth after both ducks. One set of teeth hit Scrooge's belt and fizzled. Scrooge blasted the other toys with the laser beam. Quackerjack tried to get away with his spring-loaded shoes, but Agent Gryzlikoff caught his leg and crumpled him into a basketball, which he proceeded to dribble around and toss in a police car.

Scrooge turned to face Gosalyn, but she had already run off to take on some other villain. He saw his lanky friend, Gyro, also busy engaging several Eggmen with a modified gun that splattered them with eggs. Scrooge sighed, relieved that the inventor was safe for the moment and looked for someone else to foil. He saw a figure run into an alley around the corner from him and went to see who it was.

Megavolt escaped from the angry St. Canardians and rested in the alley.

"Phew! What's with these people anyways?" he gasped.

"I believe I can answer that!" Scrooge said, pointing his cane at Megavolt.

"You! You're not a superhero, you're just a billionaire."

"That's where you're wrong, Sparkplug! Even an ordinary citizen can be a hero in the right circumstances! Now put your hands up and tell me where you hid Gizma'duck!"

Megavolt laughed. "You're holding me up with a walking stick? Oh, that's rich! Speaking of rich, got a few hundred bills on you!"

Megavolt shot a bolt of electricity from his fingertip. Scrooge met it with a laser beam. They dueled for a moment until Megavolt cut through the cane. Scrooge futilely whistled, but the cane did nothing except smoke.

"Now where was I? Oh yes, I was in the middle of a stickup!"

Scrooge raised his hands.

A smoke bomb landed between them.

"What gives? Doesn't anyone have an original entrance?" Megavolt complained as he backed away. Scrooge took the opportunity to duck out of sight.

"Sorry, Megavolt, but I am the originator."

"That voice…I know it from somewhere…Wait, don't tell me…You're…Miztec Mallard!* No wait, that's not it. You're Gizmoduck! No, not that either."

"You'll remember soon enough, when you're doing time!"

Darkwing launched a webkick into Megavolt. The rat shook off the blow and stared at his attacker dizzily. His jaw dropped and he scrambled upright.

"Ah! It's a ghost! Help me! Police! Someone! AAAH!"

Megavolt ran off.

Darkwing gingerly straightened his back. "Gee, that hurt more than I expected."

Scrooge emerged from a doorway. "Thanks, Laddie. I was runnin' out of ideas a'fore you showed up. How can I thank ya?"

Darkwing waved his hand dismissively. "T'weren't nothing. I believe my ol' pal Megavolt there would have run off even if I hadn't gotten the drop on him."

"Aye, he seemed more than a tad startled," Scrooge squinted at the mallard, adjusting his glasses. "Seems I ought to be recognizing you too, by your profile. Do I know you, Lad?"

"But of course!" Although he was tired, he couldn't resist an opportunity to make a melodramatic impression. Darkwing held a sleeve across his face and struck an intimidating pose. "I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am the pothole that tears your suspension! I am Darkwiing Duck!"

"Darkwing Duck!" Scrooge groped for his top hat, backpedaling. "Blow me bagpipes, I reported that you were dead!"

Darkwing doffed his borrowed hat and smiled. "So much to my advantage, Mr. McDuck. Now, I believe you'll find Gizmoduck and a dozen other hostages in a transport vehicle behind the tower. I've sent several S.H.U.S.H. agents to release them, but they might need a little help. Speaking of which, that was a nice cane!"

""Was." No matter. I've got a few tricks in my "futility belt" that'll come in handy. Thanks for the tip," Scrooge shook Darkwing's hand and glanced at the grime that transferred to his own. "Take care of yourself, Laddie. I don't want to report your death twice in one day."

"Will do, Mr. McDuck. Thank you for being a good citizen!"

Darkwing turned back toward the square and ran smack into Moliarty. The mole adjusted his sunglasses and blinked, then sputtered.

"You! How could you…Blasted! I knew I should have added more dynamite!"

"You set the bomb?" Darkwing said, crestfallen. "I thought it was Negaduck…or Steelbeak. Boy, so much for logic and deduction. And that was before I got blown up…"

"Actually my men and I simply made the bomb and planted it. The robbery and trap were Negaduck's idea for a distraction while the law enforcers were being kidnapped."

"Ah HA! So I was right all along (for the most part)! I knew my skills weren't that rusty."

Moliarty pulled a handgun out of his pocket. "Maybe not, but your powers of observation are still lacking. As much as I've enjoyed our conversation, it's time to make my grand escape! After I kill you, of course," he said matter-of-factly as he leveled the gun at Darkwing's chest.

"Just one question before you go, Moliarty," Darkwing held up a finger. "Why team up with FOWL and Negaduck? What could any of them offer you?"

"Actually, I planned on double-crossing them once the city fell, and taking over then. But in the meantime, my men and I were promised the subway. With it, we could take over neighboring cities without worrying about the sunlight getting in our sensitive eyes. Plus we were supposed to get a lifetime of sunglasses. Not that I fell for that, of course. Once all the surface dwellers are enslaved, they'll build city-sized tarps so my people won't need sunglasses anymore."

While Moliarty talked, Darkwing positioned himself so that he was near a trash can. When Moliarty returned his full attention to him, Darkwing flung the lid at him. Moliarty ducked, but the can itself lodged on top of him. Darkwing righted the can and covered it, tying the lid down with a chain he'd conveniently found nearby.

"Eh eh eh. Another cunning corporate criminal "canned" on the job."

Moliarty's men turned and fled. Darkwing picked up a second trash can and sent it rolling after them. It bowled all the moles over.

"Strike!" Darkwing cheered. Catching sight of a few cops nearby, Darkwing whistled to get their attention. As they collected the moles, Darkwing waved a hand goodbye. "See ya' around! I've got more work to do!"

"Wait! Who are you?" one cop called but Darkwing disappeared around the corner.

Between the police and the St. Canardians, the majority of the bad guys were caught. Those that escaped the crowd made their way to Canard Tower, where S.H.U.S.H. was holding their ground. Steelbeak saw the armed agents fighting his remaining Eggmen and slipped around the corner, trying to make a getaway on a stolen motorbike.

"Not so fast, Steelie!" Darkwing stepped in the path of the motorcycle with his gasgun raised. Steelbeak squinted, not recognizing the trench-coated black and gray figure.

"Who are youse supposed to be?"

"Why Steelbeak! You should know. After all the times I've scrambled your Eggmen, you should at least recognize my hallmark wit and timing..."

"Not again! What do I have to do to kill you!"

Nearby, Bulba straightened. "That voice…Where is he!"

Shoving away the police men who were trying to capture him, Bulba surveyed the crowd. Spying Gosalyn fighting off a water monster with a spatula, he flew over and grabbed her.

"Hey!" she protested.

"This time, you won't get away!" Bulba sneered in her face. He took the stairs three at a time and landed on the deserted platform. Ignoring Gosalyn's squirming, Bulba shouted.

"DARKWING DUCK!"

Darkwing looked up. Steelbeak gunned the motor and drove right at him. Somersaulting out of the way, Darkwing righted himself and stared back at his most feared foe.

"Oh no, Gosalyn!"

"Darkwing!" Gosalyn cried, her face a mixture of relief and fear.

Darkwing raised his gasgun at Bulba, but before the bull could even smirk, Steelbeak drove in-between them. Darkwing tried dodging him, but Steelbeak cut him off.

"Oh no you don't! You are going to pay for everything you've done, Dipwing Dolt! And dis time, I get de honors!" Revving the engine, Steelbeak charged. As Darkwing flipped out of reach, Steelbeak caught his coat and yanked him off his feet.

Darkwing kicked and squirmed, but Steelbeak's grip was too strong. Pausing the bike for a moment, Steelbeak wrestled Darkwing on top of the front wheel cover and tied him down with trench coat's belt. Verifying that the knot was secure, Steelbeak tied down the accelerator pedal and stepped back.

"Nighty night, Deadwing!"

The motorcycle careened toward Canard Tower. Darkwing shrugged out of the coat sleeves and slipped out from under the belt with relative ease, but stopping the bike was another matter. He reached for the handlebars and grimaced.

"This is no time for hesitating!" Darkwing told himself. He flipped over the handles and settled in the seat. Removing the tape from the pedals, he took control of the bike in time to steer clear of the building and scatter a few Eggmen. He immediately swerved back toward the platform.

"Hold on, Gosalyn, I'll save you!" Darkwing yelled.

Steelbeak, seeing his quarry escape yet again, turned and punched the person nearest him, which happened to be an unsuspecting Eggman.

Darkwing's attention was focused on Bulba and Gosalyn. He aimed his gasgun and fired. The canister flew into Bulba's face, but Bulba crushed it in his pincer. Gosalyn coughed and waved futilely at the tear gas smoking in her face.

"Whoops," Darkwing grimaced.

"Nice try, Darkwing, but you forget, I am stronger than ever!" Bulba changed his pincer hand into a laser. "Surrender now, or watch your precious Gosalyn get cooked!"

Gosalyn kicked the gun and twisted around, trying to tear her shirt out of Bulba's grasp. Bulba fired accidentally, slicing the platform steps in half. Bulba switched back to the pincer and squeezed it around Gosalyn's arms and torso.

"Don't worry about me, Darkwing!" Gosalyn cried, still struggling in the vice. Bulba squeezed harder, making her gasp.

"But…" Darkwing paused to protest.

Negaduck snuck up behind Darkwing with a hatchet.

"Darkwing, behind you!" Gosalyn cried.

Darkwing spun around just as Negaduck threw a punch. It landed in his face. Stumbling blindly, he didn't get his fists up in time to block a kick. He fell flat on his back and Negaduck pounced on top of him.

"Nice to see you again, Old Friend. I knew you'd show up here sooner or later. Now I get the pleasure of seeing you in pieces, personally!" Negaduck laughed as he hefted the hatchet.

"No!" Bulba shouted, throwing himself across the gap that separated him from the ducks and landing right next to Negaduck. Bulba wrenched the weapon out of his stunned grasp and tossed it aside.

"Nobody damages Darkwing Duck unless I give permission! Is that understood?" Bulba throttled Negaduck. Unable to respond, he nodded dizzily. Bulba dropped him and glanced over just as Darkwing made a grab for Gosalyn.

"As for you," Bulba snatched him off the ground with his free hand. "I have something special in mind. A bit of payback for these hideous robotics." Bulba glared pointedly at his mechanical arms.

"Nice of you to drop in," Gosalyn said sadly, still dangling in Bulba's grasp.

"No problem, Sweetie," Darkwing gasped as he tried squirming loose.

Bulba took a moment to tie his charges up on opposite ends of a rope and string them around his shoulders before transforming into a jet. He flew to the top of Canard Tower and cut the rope before dangling both ducks over the edge.

"Couldn't we talk this out?" Darkwing stammered. "I'm sure we could reach a compromise."

"NO! I've been plotting my revenge for the last nine months. I'm going to crush you both like bugs. Then I will pick up the pieces and put you in a cybernetics lab, where I will regenerate you so I can rip you apart again! I will enjoy killing you multiple times, and then I will disintegrate you so that there's nothing left to identify you with!"

"Boy, and I thought Quackerjack was crazy…" Darkwing commented to Gosalyn.

"Say goodbye to your little girl!" Bulba threw Gosalyn over the edge.

Darkwing yelped in alarm.

Bulba laughed. "Time to join her, Deadwing Duck."

Bulba tossed Darkwing. Darkwing panicked for a moment before pulling out his gasgun. He searched for the grappling hook until he remembered leaving it earlier in the adjacent building. He reached for his cape, but it wasn't there.

"I knew I should have changed my suit!" Darkwing complained and resumed screaming.

A thumping noise caught his attention. Gizmoduck caught him in one arm. Gosalyn was in the other hand.

"Gizmoduck! You saved our lives! How can I ever thank you?" Darkwing smooched his helmet.

"Dad!" Gosalyn hissed in embarrassment.

"Whoa, easy there, Gizmobuddy! I just cleaned my visor! And speaking of cleaning up, you could really use a shower and a medic, whoever you are!" Gizmoduck squirted Darkwing's face with an hose from the back of his suit.

Darkwing sputtered and shoved the hose away before realizing what Gizmoduck had said.

"Whoever! Don't you recognize me?" he exclaimed.

Gizmo held up a mirror. Darkwing had seen his reflection in the cab mirror and cleaned up somewhat in a public restroom, but he hadn't looked at himself since the bruises had started coloring and swelling. That, plus the bandages, distorted one side of his face.

"Yipe! I'm more rags than hero!" he exclaimed.

A roar startled all three of them. Bulba plunged past them, a claw snagging Gizmo's propellers. Bulba powered on his rocket thruster and veered away, choking them with the smoke.

Gizmo's helicopter blades snapped off.

"Um, I don't suppose you have a spare chopper or a trampoline on your suit?" Gosalyn asked.

"No!" Gizmoduck cried.

"I didn't think so..."

All three plummeted and screamed. Then a hook caught Gizmoduck's suit and yanked them onto a fire escape. Gizmo, Gosalyn, and Darkwing looked up from their rough landing and saw Gyro Gearloose, the creator of the Gizmosuit, and Agent Gryzlikoff with a gun that looked like a modified torpedo launcher and a pulley supporting their weight.

"How did you…?" Darkwing started.

Gryzlikoff smirked. "A good agent is alvays prepared. The director vould not appreciate cleaning your sorry carcass off of street!"

"Gee thanks for the sentiment, pal!" Darkwing stood and cracked his back.

"Gyro! Boy am I glad to see you!" Gizmoduck exclaimed, clapping the inventor's shoulder.

Gyro grinned. "Likewise! I brought a repair kit for the Gizmosuit so I'll have you shipshape in no time!"

Gizmo was perplexed. "But what are you doing here, Gyro? Shouldn't you be in Duckburg?"

"Mr. McDuck told me to bring everything I've got, so I did! The police are using some of my inventions as we speak!"

Darkwing shook Gyro's hand and nodded appreciatively to Gizmoduck and Gryzlikoff.

"Thanks, to all of you. My city and I owe you our gratitude."

"Your city?" Gryzlikoff said sharply.

Gosalyn grabbed their attention. "The city can thank you later! There's still more to do!" Rubbing her hands together, Gosalyn smirked. "Let's can these crooks!"

While Gyro stayed to do a quick repair job on the Gizmosuit, Gryzlikoff, Darkwing and Gosalyn rushed out of the building, only to find Bulba waiting for them with all his weapons aimed.

"How nice of you to drop in. Now hand over Darkwing Duck, and I might let you live," the bull demanded.

"While ordinarily I might jump at opportunity..." Gryzlikoff sneered at Darkwing, who along with Gosalyn, glared at him. "Standard procedure says niver negotiate with terrorists! If you want him, you'll have to go through me."

"If you insist." Bulba swatted the bear aside and snatched Darkwing off the ground.

"Hey, get your hands off of him!" Gosalyn shook her fist.

Bulba grabbed her too. "Excellent. Soon my revenge will be complete, and St. Canard will be mine!"

Suddenly Darkwing and Gosalyn disappeared.

"What!" Bulba spied them standing next to Morgana. She smugly blew on her fingers.

"You wretched woman! I shall have my revenge!"

"So will I!" Negaduck faced off Bulba. The Fearsome Five, minus Quackerjack, assembled. "You've had your fun. Now it's our turn!"

Negaduck signaled Bushroot, who obediently wound several vines around Darkwing's legs, dragging him toward the Fearsome. Gosalyn grabbed his arm. Before Gryzlikoff could follow her lead, Bulba snatched Gosalyn and yanked Darkwing from her grasp. Bulba then tried pulling Darkwing loose from the vines, but Bushroot held on tightly. Bulba cut the vines with his laser, making the plant duck yelp.

Negaduck, not to be outdone, set the rest of his gang after the bull. Megavolt fired tremendous bolts of electricity, nearly zapping Darkwing in the process. Liquidator tried dousing Bulba while Negaduck lit his blowtorch. Bulba glared at the four and hoisted a squirming Darkwing in the air by his throat.

"Take one more step, and you lose your prize," the bull said, his voice soft with malice.

The Fearsome Four paused.

Steelbeak and Moliarty were not about to give up. With their remaining henchmen, they surrounded the Fearsome.

"Hold it right there, Bub! I want revenge too!" Steelbeak shouted, bulling his way between Bushroot and Liquidator. He signaled to the lackeys, who all removed the safeties from their guns. Steelbeak then leveled his own hand gun, panning it around the inner circle. Megavolt trembled and held up his hands. Negaduck glowered, daring him to pull the trigger.

Bulba laughed. "You honestly expect to intimidate me? That puny pistol would barely dent my armor, which your own lab made possible."

"I'm not aiming at you, Bolthead..." Steelbeak growled softly.

Darkwing's eyes widened. The barrel was pointed at his head. He tried to swallow, but Bulba's grip on his windpipe prevented it.

Meanwhile...

Morgana freed Gosalyn while the villains were focused on each other. Before Gosalyn could talk her into launching a counter attack, Gyro and Gizmoduck bolted through the doors, nearly running into the females. They paused paused to apologize, but, noticing the direction of Gosalyn' and Morgana's gaze, the two gentlemen looked and froze in horror.

As Gryzlikoff picked himself off the ground, he saw J. Gander, Scrooge, Launchpad, and Honker coming from different directions toward him. He signaled to them and rejoined Gosalyn and Morgana. Scrooge saw his fellow Duckburg friends and hurried over to them.

"Giz'maduck, DO something!" the zillionaire exclaimed.

"I intend to, Sir!" the one-wheeled wonder said softly as he rolled forward.

The villains were too wrapped up in each other to notice their audience.

"Oh no you don't. This was my scheme, I get to kill him!" Negaduck raised his own gun in Steelbeak's face.

"You shoot me, you kill Darkwing! And I knows you'd prefer to off him by more painful means, as woulds I! So, we can play nice or we can get ugly! Either way, I'm gonna get some enjoyment out of this..."

"I think not!" Bulba converted his legs to a jet tail, starting his rocket booster. "I've had enough playing around!"

One thing Bulba had forgotten about his transformative abilities, though, is that his arms became the wings. He promptly lost his grip on Darkwing, who tumbled to the pavement, gasping for breath.

Bulba tried to correct his mistake, but Liquidator splashed him and Bushroot snagged him with more vines. In order to fight them, he had to return to his usual shape.

Meanwhile, Gizmoduck was launching an attack, knocking a fair share of moles and Eggmen into S.H.U.S.H., police, and military hands as the recovered forces surged on the remaining villains. A second battle was on, with the numbers in the heroes' favor.

Steelbeak ignored the commotion and grabbed Darkwing, pulling him into a one-armed hug.

"I may not walk away from here, but I'm still getting rid of youse!" he hissed to his squirming captive.

Negaduck, also, hadn't given up on his quarry. He cocked his gun at Steelbeak. "So, you got what you wanted, heh? Question is, do you value revenge or your miserable life more?"

"Forget it! He's mine!" Steelbeak countered, swiveling away from the shorter fowl. Negaduck jumped him, pulling one of Darkwing's arms out of his grasp.

"He's mine!" Negaduck snarled.

"No!" Steelbeak shifted his grip to Darkwing's other arm.

"Yes!" Negaduck jerked back. Darkwing gritted his teeth in pain.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"STOP!" another voice commanded their attention.

Bulba was standing again on two legs with a pile of stunned heroes at his feet. He commanded everyone's attention with his sheer might and bulk. Bulba grabbed the unsuspecting Launchpad and threw him over to the bantering villains.

"I'll be taking Darkwing... You get his companions," Bulba sneered.

The battered Gizmoduck lurched upright from under a disoriented Eggman and an equally dizzy Gryzlikoff and drove forward to intercept.

"Halt, Villains! Unhand those two gentlemen in the name of the law!" Gizmoduck held up a hand.

Unfazed, Bulba grabbed Gizmoduck. Dumping the dumbfounded duck unceremoniously, he extracted Darkwing from the other villains' grip.

"Why do you get Darkwing?" Negaduck demanded.

"Just try to take him from me," Bulba grinned dangerously. Steelbeak and Negaduck glared at Bulba, the heroes, and each other.

"I'll take him!" They both shouted and grabbed for Launchpad. He yelped. The tug of war started again.

"YOW! Now I know how a rubber band feels!" Launchpad cried.

Gizmoduck tried to butt in. "Gentlemen, may I offer a truce?"

"NO!" Both shouted and punched him, inadvertently activating his boxing glove springboard. The villains stumbled back, releasing their victim. Launchpad raced for cover.

A few yards away from the chaos, Gosalyn was thinking hard. She had to save Launchpad, and she knew better than to try to do it on her own. She came up with an idea, one her dad would probably do in the same situation. She threw a smoke bomb for a distraction.

Gizmoduck punched both Steelbeak and Negaduck in the gut, doubling them over. Bushroot grabbed for Giz, but Scrooge jumped him. Gosalyn started to join Scrooge but Launchpad and Gyro went to his rescue.

Morgana called to her. "Gosalyn! Give me the gas gun! Darkwing might have a chance if I can teleport it to him!"

Gosalyn loaded it and gave it to her. Morgana teleported it to Darkwing, who just had enough presence of mind to grab it before Bulba noticed.

Darkwing popped a gas canister in Bulba's one good eye. The bull yelped and instinctively reached for his face, releasing Darkwing. Darkwing delivered a hard kick to the fleshy part of Bulba's jaw before flipping out of reach and throwing another smoke bomb.

Steelbeak, Megavolt, and Liquidator went after Gizmoduck. Negaduck snuck up behind the hero with a bush knife. Darkwing saw Bushroot trip Scrooge and tie him up with his vines. Darkwing cartwheeled, flipped over the heads of friend and foe, and webkicked Negaduck into Bushroot. When he landed, he launched his patented double flip web kick at Steelbeak, knocking him into Megavolt, who tumbled into his already sprawled teammates, Liquidator diving out of the way in time to avoid electrocuting them all. Gizmoduck saluted Darkwing and went to arrest Steelbeak and Four while Gyro pulled Scrooge to safety.

As Darkwing supervised the reassembling of his friends and allies, Negaduck slipped around his fallen gang. He crept past Gizmoduck and snuck up on the unsuspecting Darkwing. Morgana, Launchpad, and Gosalyn shouted a warning just as Negaduck shoved a pistol into Darkwing's back. Darkwing held up his hands and slowly turned around to face him.

"Show's over, Deadwing. I had intended on ripping you apart piece by piece and getting everything on camera, but I'll settle with smearing you all over the pavement!"

Darkwing gulped, before a slight smile spread across his face. He pointed over Negaduck's shoulder.

"Oh look! It's the Cute Little Lost Bunnies!"

"Where!" Negaduck spun around, bumping into a fuming Bulba.

Bulba shoved him aside and advanced on Darkwing. Meanwhile Liquidator tripped Gizmo, making him slip past Megavolt and slide straight into Darkwing. Darkwing got to his feet first and helped him up. Both heroes stood their ground as the Fearsome Four regrouped around them, with Steelbeak and Bulba.

The six super villains minced closer. After a tense pause, they moved as one, lunging at the two superheroes. More smoke filled the air and all of the fighters disappeared from view.

Gryzlikoff, Launchpad, and several brave military officers and S.H.U.S.H. agents jumped in to help, but the scuffle threw them all clear of the mob. Honker held Gosalyn back from jumping in to land her own punches. Scrooge McDuck bashed Steelbeak on the head with his cane. The rooster dizzily tried to retort, but Darkwing jerked him back into the fray.

As the blue-colored smoke plumed out, the mass of noise and motion continued. Then there was a sizzling noise, screams, and finally quiet. The smoke cleared and Darkwing stood victorious on a pile of bad guys (with Gizmoduck at the bottom of the pile, looking the worse for wear).

For the first time that day, Darkwing was fully recognizable to most of the assembled allies. Negaduck's hat had ended up on his head, giving him the familiar profile. The coat he'd been wearing over his own tattered suit was in shreds on the ground. The remainder of soot and dust had been rinsed away by Liquidator, finally revealing the trademark purple jacket, the intact teal turtleneck, and the mask. The bandages had fallen off and, aside from a black eye, he looked almost normal, minus his own hat and cape.

Bulba, Steelbeak, Negaduck, and Megavolt were wrapped up in Bushroot's arms, sitting in a Liquidator puddle. Darkwing had tied the villains together and thrown them on the Liquidator, short-circuiting Megavolt and stunning all the villains (plus Gizmoduck). The watching St. Canardians and law enforcers applauded.

Gosalyn ran up to hug Darkwing, followed by Launchpad and Morgana.

"You did it! You're alive!" Gosalyn kissed his face all over.

"Way to go DW!" Launchpad cheered.

"You saved St. Canard and defeated your worst enemies to boot!" Honker cried excitedly as he joined them.

"Oh, Dark. My hero," Morgana planted a big kiss on him. Darkwing just kept smiling.

"Sensational! The whole world will know of this by morning!" Tom Lockjaw, the news anchor, exclaimed. "Darkwing Duck, the recently declared deceased daredevil of derring-do, has just captured St. Canard's most notorious crooks and saved the city from dominion! Darkwing, do you have any comments for the folks at home?"

"Just "thank you" to everyone who helped make this victory possible." Darkwing said with a slow sweeping bow and uncharacteristic humility.

"Darkwing, are you feeling alright?" Gosalyn put her hand on his forehead.

"OW! Don't do that!" Darkwing whimpered, before remembering he was still on camera and in front of a microphone. He forced a grin. "I'm just fine, Sweetie. This is the happiest day of my life!"

"Hey, could someone give me a hand over here!" Gizmoduck exclaimed. The police couldn't pull the villains out of Bushroot's arms. A police officer was trying to untie Bushroot, while Gryzlikoff, Gyro, and Scrooge tried pulling Gizmo out from under the pile, but there was too much weight.

"Eh, eh, eh," Darkwing set Gosalyn down. "Guess I have to do everything."

Producing a sponge, he soaked up the Liquidator and shoved him in a jar he'd gotten from the trash cans in his fight with Moliarty. He handed the jar over to a police officer and untied the fancy knots he'd made from Bushroot's arms. Launchpad, Gryzlikoff, and the police grabbed each villain as he was released.

When the last knot was undone, the criminals were handcuffed and hauled off separately with armed guards. Bulba was the heaviest and most difficult to move, but once Gizmoduck was free, he, Gyro, and Darkwing used wrenches to remove the weapons from Bulba's suit and took out a few extra bolts to be on the safe side.

Gizmoduck finally used his own robotic arms to lift Bulba into a heavily armored van and escorted him to prison.

Epilogue

Later, while city officials finished cleaning up, and Darkwing had changed into a spare costume from the Thunderquack, he and the two Duckburg residents shook hands in front of a purple car.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr, Duck," Gyro said wholeheartedly to Darkwing. "You've given me some great ideas to implement in future inventions. Not to mention waterproofing the Gizmosuit and adding a circuit breaker."

"I'm sure Giz will appreciate the improvements," Darkwing said lightly, hiding a frown. He managed a real smile with the next thought. "By the way, thanks for saving me and the kid up there..."

"My pleasure," Gyro waved goodbye and went to shake hands with Launchpad and Gosalyn. Darkwing and Scrooge were alone for the moment.

"It was an honor working with you," Scrooge said to the hero. "I almost hate to leave, but I think I'll leave crime-fighting up to the likes of you and Gizmoduck."

"No problem, Mr. McDuck," Darkwing said. To his credit, he didn't flinch or scowl at the mention of Gizmoduck and "crime-fighting" in the same sentence. "The law is in capable hands. Next time you're in St. Canard, tell Launchpad ahead of time and he will arrange for me to meet with you." He grimaced slightly when he realized he hadn't come across as humbly as he'd wanted to. "That is, if you're up to it..."

"Will do, lad. Now, I think it's well past time for a dip in me money bin." Scrooge climbed into his car and waved goodbye as his loyal chauffeur, a dog by the name of Duckworth, closed the door for him.

"Bye, Mr. McDee! Bye Gyro! Bye Duckworth!" Launchpad waved, even though he'd said goodbye a few minutes earlier to his old friends.

Now that all the excitement had calmed down, Darkwing's closest friends swarmed around him.

"What a show! We ought to have a party!" Launchpad said.

Darkwing shook his head. "The only thing I want now is to go to bed. I was up all night yesterday, and all day."

"Well, when you've recovered from your ordeal, let's have a date," Morgana smooched Darkwing's forehead lightly. "Shall we say nine tomorrow, my place?"

"Whatever you say, Morg," Darkwing said dreamily.

The mayor approached, followed by J. Gander, Gryzlikoff, and Gizmoduck, who'd just flown back from the prison.

"Congratulations on your stunning victory, Darkwing. I'll be the first to admit, I didn't think you had it in you, but you've proven yourself to everyone in this town. We will always be grateful," the mayor extended his hand. Darkwing shook it heartily.

"Thankyou, Mr. Mayor. I'm just doing my job as usual." Darkwing stepped back and twirled his cape around himself, peering over the hem. "But never fear, for as long as Darkwing Duck is around, the city is in safe hands."

"Pah!" Gryzlikoff grunted. "As if anything is safe around you."

Everyone looked around nervously. Why now, of all times, did Gryzlikoff have to ruin the festive atmosphere?

"You are most disaster-prone, irresponsible, unorganized, irritating, egotistical buffoon I have ever had displeasure of knowing!" the bear turned away with a smirk.

"Gee, do you think you could be a little gruffer, Griz? I wouldn't want anyone to think you're going soft." Darkwing crossed his arms.

J. Gander raised a finger to stop the ensuing argument, but Gryzlikoff was still on a rampage.

"I am not ever going to be soft on you! You are most loathsome duck I have ever met!" Gryzlikoff continued. Then he paused and sniffed. "Just don't go pulling stunts like that in future, no... I may have been teensy bit worried…"

Their eyes met and, for a few moments, they understood each other. Darkwing cleared his throat to say something, but nothing came to mind.

"Not that I am caring for you," Gryzlikoff clarified. "I'm still top agent and you are interloper. But I am thinking I would be missing the rivalry between us, Duck, should you be…gone." His voice choking, Gryzlikoff yanked Darkwing off his feet in a great bear hug.

Launchpad called out "group hug," and Gosalyn and Honker joined in. Darkwing's back cracked under the pressure and what little breath he had left was squeezed out of him.

When Gryzlikoff released him, Gizmoduck scooped him up, squeezing just as tightly and bawling in relief. J. Gander, along with a few other important officials lined up to shake Darkwing's hand once Gizmo released him. The mayor shook so heartily, he made Darkwing lose his feeble balance.

Everyone stood still, wondering if their greetings had been too much for him, but Morgana pulled him to his feet and kissed him. Gosalyn stuck out her tongue in disgust. Then Launchpad slapped Darkwing's back in congratulations. Darkwing fell on his face. This time everyone laughed as he pulled himself back up. Eventually, Darkwing joined in the laughter.

I started writing this after I saw "Steerminator," back in the 90's.

I've always wondered how Negaduck and Bulba would handle each other and was kind of disappointed they never were brought together. I tried giving most of St. Canard's major repeat offenders at least small parts in the story.

NEW: Miztec Mallard is Darkwing's Mexican counterpart from the Disney Adventures comic "Busman's Holiday," circa. June 1995. Now that I know what Miztec looks like (an exact replica of DW except for lighter shade of purple, billed helmet with mini wings, and a scalloped cape), I will go back to the old version of my story and add these details. I saved my original draft and may post it under a different title some day if anyone is interested.

Just some quick facts about this version of the story and why it took so many drafts to write. I originally had Miztec Mallard in Morgana's place as a hostage. Morgana was kind enough to volunteer to fill his place, although it meant I had to add some parts to fill in the gap (the mole scenes and a longer Bulba scene). The other major change is Darkwing's part in the story. I originally had him disappear in the bank explosion and revealed him at the end during the big battle scene. The focus of the story was primarily on Gosalyn and the captives. As it is, I'm glad DW got to show off his skills and, although the story turned out longer than I intended, I'm happy with the way it turned out.

I'm still willing to make changes, so feel free to offer any suggestions. Thanks for reading!