The Root of the Problem

Darkwing, Launchpad and Gosalyn continued their search through the long, deserted FOWL base. So far, their search had turned up nothing other than a few broken down robots and frayed sparking wires. Darkwing was keeping his eyes peeled, looking for any sign of what could be causing the weird signal he had been called to investigate. Meanwhile, Gosalyn was feeling more and more bored as they walked down the empty passageways and was wishing that something, anything exciting would happen soon. Launchpad, on the other hand, seemed like he was ready to jump out of his skin at any moment, frantically glancing back and forth in the dark passage.

The trio came to an abrupt halt when they heard some kind of noise coming from their left. It had sounded like a yell, but the echoes diluted the noise and made it hard for the three ducks to pinpoint. Then, they began to hear something like a soft murmuring, which disappeared after a brief moment.

"What was that?" The purple hero questioned as he took a few cautious steps forward. He was trying to figure out where the sound had come from.

"Maybe we're not alone down here." Gosalyn remarked eagerly with a sparkle in her green eyes.

"Gee, y-you don't think it's a g-ghost, do you?" Launchpad questioned worriedly, shivering where he stood.

Darkwing rolled his eyes at his sidekick. "There's no such thing as ghosts, Launchpad."

Another strange sound came from the distance and echoed all around them. Darkwing placed his hand under his chin, thinking the noise sounded familiar.

"T-Then, what's making that sound?"

"That's what logic and deduction are going to tell us!" The short mallard said as he started trotting in the direction of the sounds. "Come on!"

Gosalyn trailed close behind him, while Launchpad hesitated a bit. When the pilot realized he was being left behind, he ran to catch up to the others.

Darkwing stopped when he found an adjoining passageway to his left. Taking out his gas gun, he motioned for the others to follow him while he took the lead. They moved slowly forward in silence with everyone taking in the sights. They continued to look for any sign of misgivings until they heard something that sounded like screaming coming from behind them.

Everyone whipped around and peered into the darkness before them. The sounds were faint, but a few voices seemed very distressed while one of them sounded quite angry. Darkwing pointed his gas gun towards the darkness, taking steps back and waiting for something to appear. Gosalyn was at her father's left, putting up her fists and moving back at the same pace as him. Launchpad had one hand up by his mouth, looking like he wanted to chew it and moved backwards with the others.

For one long moment nothing happened and everyone started to relax a little. Then, Launchpad felt something bump into from behind and he screamed at the top of his lungs in fright. Another voice joined in on the screaming as the trio whirled around to see what they had run into. Launchpad was clinging to Darkwing tightly, while Gosalyn had grabbed on to one of his arms, scared by the sudden scream from Launchpad.

The crime fighter studied the source of the trouble to see a tall blueish figure that was constantly flowing and a skinny green figure that was clutching at the other in its hysteria. It took a moment for the noise to die down and for Darkwing to realize what it was he was staring at.

"Ow, my ears!" The Liquidator exclaimed, glaring at Bushroot, who's scream had been directed right into the canine's large dripping ears. He rubbed the left one in his pain as his other arms was caught up in the other villain's green vines.

"Heh, heh," Bushroot let go quickly and smiled sheepishly, hoping his partner in crime wasn't too angry with him. "Sorry, Likky."

"Aha!" Darkwing exclaimed triumphantly. "Liquidator and Bushroot! I should have know you two conniving criminals were behind all of this!"

"Behind all of what?" Bushroot asked in annoyance as he crossed his arms at the accusation.

"Well, uh," the purple clad crime fighter thought for a moment before continuing on with his normal confidence, "you two are obviously working with FOWL in this underground base and you're the ones who are making the signal that is screwing up SHUSH equipment."

Liquidator snorted loudly. "Bravo Darkwing Duck. The aggrandizing aggravation of St. Canard has once again proven why he is the biggest dunce in the entire crime fighting industry."

"It must be nice to be first at something." Bushroot added with a snicker.

"Wisecrack all you want, you meddling mutants," Darkwing declared as he raised his gas gun, "but you shall face justice for your crimes or my name isn't Darkwing Duck!"

"What crimes?" The plant mutant said with his hands spread in question. "We haven't done anything!"

"You expect me to believe that?" The short mallard spoke cockily. "The two of you are master criminals with records longer than the road from here to St. Canard. Logically, you must have something to do with this."

"I guess that makes sense," Liqudator started, watching Darkwing puff up with pride at the admission, "if you were taught logic from Wonderland that is."

The purple crime fighter deflated quickly and narrowed his eyes. "I've had just about enough of your smart mouth."

"And this dissatisfied customer has had enough of your false accusations." Liquidator shot back with a sneer. "Since our dimwitted defender of the night is so fond of facts, how about I give you a couple to test your theory on. First off, Bushroot and I have never worked for FOWL in any of our previous capers. Why would we do so now?"

"Well, you could be trying to make some new contacts." The masked mallard defended, gloating a bit at the sound reasoning of the claim.

"Ah, but the Liquidator is already familiar with several big time criminals in the FOWL organization. Who else could he possibly be trying to contact?"

"Well—" Darkwing started, but the watery villain wouldn't let him continue.

"Secondly, this base is clearly hurting the plant life in the forest entrenched directly above us." Liquidator pointed upwards at some of the roots poking through the ceiling to emphasize his point. "Why would Bushroot, the master of all things floral, agree to help with an operation that hurts plant life?"

"He's got you there, Darkwing" Gosalyn remarked sardonically.

"Please don't help them." The aggravated mallard replied back with a sour face.

"Lastly, why would the Liquidator, a master of profits and strategies, waste his valuable time invested in a dump like this?" The water dog motioned for the crime fighter to look around at the poor condition of the base. "There's no profit to be made in guarding a run down base with rock bottom property values, particularly when there's no one around to pay the Liquidator for his services."

"Gee, DW, maybe he's tellin' the truth." Launchpad piped up in a neutral manner. "It does seem kind of odd that the two of them would be down here working for FOWL when they've never worked for them before."

Darkwing opened his mouth to say something, but finding that he had no retort he let his face settle into an ugly glower.

"Okay, fine." The crime fighter waved his hands in frustration, hating to be proven wrong. "If you're not working for FOWL, then what exactly are you doing down here?"

"I'll leave that explanation to my leafy associate." Liquidator motioned at Bushroot and stepped back so that he was positioned front and center.

"Um, you see," Bushroot started slowly, feeling uncomfortable being the center of everyone's attention, "I've been having bad dreams about the plants around Twin Beaks. Nightmares, really and they've gotten really strong recently. So, I decided to try and help them. The two of us came to Twin Beaks and the plants told us the trouble was coming from somewhere in this forest. That's how we found this place and, well, why we're here."

"I see." Darkwing spoke in a tone that said he didn't entirely believe what he'd heard. "If you're just here trying to help some plants then why is he here with you?" The short mallard was pointing to the Liquidator as he spoke.

"That's simple. I'm here to increase my profit margins."

"How so?" The purple clad duck asked with a tilt of his head.

"Bushroot said that in these dreams of his there was some gold left over from whatever operation was being held here. Once we put an end to the plight of the frightened flora, I intend to collect this money as payment for my services."

"Right." Darkwing muttered, staring at Bushroot as he said this. The plant duck was rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, looking at any direction but his partner in crimes. It didn't take much detective work to realize that was a lie, but the crime fighter decided they had more important things to worry about.

"So, in this dream of yours, do your plants tell you what's causing them to be upset?"

"N-Nothing specific." Bushroot answered with a slight quiver, not wanting to talk about the giant eye he'd seen in his dream or the burning yellow light. "Just that it's something unnatural."

"What kind of unnatural?" Gosalyn asked, perking up at the word. "Is it zombies or aliens or maybe some giant robots from outer space?"

"They aren't telling me that." The plant mutant answered in a voice that said he was very grateful that it wasn't any of the things she had just listed. "They just say it's unnatural. They're too scared to say anything else."

"Y-You don't think it's ghosts, do you?" Launchpad asked nervously.

"I-I sure hope not." Bushroot answered in an equally nervous voice.

"For the last time, there's no such thing as ghosts!" Darkwing and Liquidator exclaimed together. The hero and the villain stared at each other in disbelief for a moment before both of them had looks of discomfort on their faces. As much as they were both glad to have someone else around who agreed to that sentiment, they also didn't like that they agreed with each other on anything.

"Well, we're not going to figure this out just standing around here." Gosalyn said impatiently, crossing her arms over her chest. "You guys came from back that way, right?" The red-haired duckling was pointing behind them and the two villains nodded. "We came from back that direction, so that only leaves one way that we haven't gone yet." She pointed back the way they came and motioned towards the path that turned left and went farther up into the base. " I bet if we go that way, we'll find what's causing all this trouble."

"Sounds good to me." Bushroot said with a small shrug. "Let's go."

"Hey, hey, wait a minute." Darkwing cut in with a suspicious glance at the two villains. "Who said you were coming with us?"

"What, now we need a written invitation?" Liquidator snapped back in annoyance. "We are two innocent investors who are inside this base on business. Legal business, as the magnificent Liquidator sees it. If Bushroot is correct and the thing causing the trouble is unnatural, then what better way to deal with the problem then with the help of two rather unconventional beings?"

"He has a point, DW." His sidekick said with a shrug. "Their powers might come in handy in this situation."

"Take their side, why don't you?" The masked mallard muttered unhappily. He looked at the two mutants again and let out a big sigh. "Fine, you two can come, but just that I'll be watching you. If you try anything funny, you'll face the wrath of Darkwing Duck!"

"Oh, well, that's good enough." The aqua dog answered with a smirk on his face. "For a moment there, the Liquidator thought you were going to threaten us."

Bushroot snickered a little as the insult sunk in and Darkwing stared at the water dog in pure fury. He was about to launch a verbal onslaught on the villain when someone yanked his cape.

"Come on, Darkwing. We're wasting time!" Gosalyn spoke petulantly as she continued to pull on his cape. The crime fighter gave his two nemeses once last warning look before he turned around and followed the spirited red head.

The group made their way down the dark passageway and turned left to head upwards. It got much darker as they went deeper into the base and Darkwing was forced to take out a small flashlight and shine it in front of them so that they could see. The farther up they went, the more damage the passageway seemed to have taken. At one point, he thought his flashlight landed on a what looked like a dead body, but he shined the light away quickly, not wanting his daughter to see it.

Everyone stopped abruptly when a series of shouts and yells caught their attention. The group looked in every direction until Gosalyn pointed straight ahead towards a small glowing light.

"Look, it's coming from over there!" She shouted as she ran towards the light in the distance.

"Gosalyn, stop!" Darkwing ordered as he sprinted forward to catch up with her. The others followed close behind as they entered a large room with several broke control panels all over the room. There was a set of desks with small computers screens in the middle of a raised surface. Gosalyn was leaning over one that was still online and was fiddling with the controls. The crime fighter walked over towards her, figuring that this was probably the security room."

"Gosalyn, what have I told you about running off?" He demanded angrily with his hands on his hips.

"Never mind that now." Gosalyn replied petulantly, but her attitude quickly changed when she saw the look her father was giving her. "Heh, heh, what I meant to say was, look at this! I think it's footage from one of the security cameras."

They all looked at the blurry screen, trying to make out what was happening. Though the video was poor quality, they were able to make out a couple of things. The first were armed egg men, pointing their guns at a large figure looming before them. The second was Steelbeak, who was standing a little in front of the egg men. His hands were in front of his body and he clearly appeared to be pleading with the massive being in front of him. The figure got closer and everyone leaned in to see what had gotten the FOWL agents in the video so nervous.

Gosalyn was the first to recognize the figure, sucking in her breath. "It's Taurus Bulba!"

"You're right!" Launchpad's eyes widened as he saw the cyber being march forward. "What was he doing here?"

"I think we're about to find out." Darkwing responded grimly.

Something Steelbeak said caused Taurus Bulba's eyes to glow red. He roared in anger and a laser shot from the top of his helmet. Then, he began to blast all of his weapons, shooting at random and causing excessive damage to all the machinery around him. Steelbeak and the FOWL egg men scattered, running for their lives as the bull continued his rampage.

The carnage went on for a few minutes until the picture shook a little and Taurus Bulba looked behind him. He seemed to be a little surprised at something before a yellow light hit him and pushed him off screen. A few more beams of light, an angry cry from Taurus Bulba and the picture faded out.

Bushroot took a step back from the desk with a leaf by his beak. That yellow light looked exactly like the one from his dream. It cemented his fears that whatever was behind his plant's fears had something to do with the eye monster he'd seen in his dreams.

Liquidator whistled as the screen went back to static. "Well, at least we have the insider knowledge of who tore this place up." He turned to Bushroot with a question in his hollow eyes. "Say, Reggie, is Taurus Bulba still here? He does fit the category of unnatural. Perhaps his presence here is what's bothering the plants."

"I'll ask them." The mutant scientist said softly, even though he knew what the answer would be. After his thoughts were confirmed, he shook his head. "No, he's not down here anymore." He paused as he received a bit of additional information. "They are saying he has something to do with the thing they're afraid of. They think that Bulba was what made it angry in the first place."

"Can you ask them to be a bit more specific?" Darkwing asked impatiently.

Bushroot shook his head firmly. "Sorry, but there still too frightened to be very specific. They just keep saying that it's unnatural."

"Some help they are..." Darkwing muttered childishly. The plant duck frowned at the statement and was about to protest it, when the little red head jumped between them.

"Never mind the plants. Didn't you guys notice something about the room in that video?" Gosalyn asked with her arms crossed.

"Um, that FOWL isn't much for décor of any kind?" Launchpad guessed with a shrug. The little duckling slapped a hand on her face at the suggestion.

"No! Didn't you see all the buttons and gadgets against the walls behind Bulba? It had so much stuff in it and it was way bigger than any of the rooms we've been in so far!" Gosalyn explained quickly before turning to Liquidator and Bushroot. "You two haven't found a room that size before, have you?" Both of the mutants shook their heads to show that they hadn't. "Then, there's only one place it could be." She pointed to the wide hallway to her left, which they had yet to explore. "I bet that the main control room is probably at the end of this hallway."

"Of course!" Darkwing added, as he pieced the puzzle together. "If Bulba wanted to destroy this base, then what better place to start wreaking havoc than the main control room? His weapons probably damaged a bunch of equipment in there and that's what's causing the weird signal. Once we access the control room, we can shut down all the malfunctioning equipment and the base will be completely disabled."

"Hm, the grand Liquidator does not think it will be that easy." The water dog commented seriously.

"Oh? And does the "grand Liquidator" have any reason for his doubts?" Darkwing questioned stubbornly, not liking to be challenged on his ideas.

"I have more of than a reason, Darkwing Dunce. I have video evidence." The wet canine commented casually as the crime fighter listened to him impatiently. "Didn't you see the light that hit Bulba right before the camera cut out?" The masked mallard nodded in response and the Liquidator continued. "Weaponry experts everywhere would say that was a very high tech laser, which was probably a part of a high tech security system designed by FOWL. Taurus Bulba may have damaged the base, but it doesn't look like he disabled the security system in the room. If the security system is still active, the Liquidator believes that St. Canard's local crime fighter will be in for more than he bargained for."

Darkwing was loathe to admit that the villain had a point, but he couldn't deny that it made sense.

"We could try cutting the power to this entire structure." Bushroot piped up in a helpful voice. "If these videos are still running and the walls are still sparking with electricity, then there must be a power source somewhere. If we turn that off, the security system will be shut down and then it will be easy to get to the control room."

"No, no, that will never work." Darkwing said dismissively as he paced back and forth in the small room. He snapped his fingers and stood up straight as he thought of something. "I know! We could cut the power source to the base. That way the security system will be disabled and we can reach the main control room."

"Wow, great idea DW!" Launchpad said enthusiastically, not noticing the sour expression on Bushroot's face.

"All in a nights work." The crime fighter said pompously before he started walking back the way they came. "Come on gang! Let's find that power source and shut it down."

Just as he was about to reach the entrance, the metal door came to life and slid down right in front of him. Darkwing yelped at the bang it made and jumped back towards the others. Once he recovered, Darkwing went back to the door and tried to lift it back up, but it was no use.

"W-What happened?" Launchpad asked nervously.

"It looks as though someone didn't like the idea of us cutting the power source." Liquidator commented neutrally.

Gosalyn gulped. "Or something."

Bushroot put a leaf by his bill as if he intended to chew it. He shared a nervous glance with Launchpad. "Y-You d-don't think it's a—"

"Don't say it!" Liquidator snapped impatiently as the purple crime fighter came to stand with the group.

"Looks like there's only one thing for us to do now." Darkwing said grimly, gripping his gas gun tightly. "Everyone stay close and keep your eyes open. Don't wander away from the group." He added, keeping his eyes on Gosalyn as he said it.

Everyone nodded and they headed down the one passageway they hadn't explored yet. They moved as quietly as they could, searching for any signs of misgivings with their eyes. Just as they were about to relax, the door they entered through slammed shut behind them. Everyone jumped and whirled around at the sound.

"W-Why did it—"? Bushroot whimpered nervously, sharing dismayed glances with the others.

A creaking sound in front of them alerted them to the door slowly moving down before them, threatening to trap them in the room.

"Run!" Gosalyn shouted as she sprinted ahead of the group. The others hastened to follow her.

Doors continued to slam down behind them until they ran out of the small passageway and into a large circular room. The final door to the passageway shut as everyone in the group, except the Liquidator, hunched over to catch their breath.

"Now I know what Indiana Duck feels like." The red-haired duckling muttered as she stared at the closed door behind them.

"It's so dark in here..." Bushroot whispered to the others, wrapping his thin arms around his body. He had never liked being in total darkness and that feeling had increased with his plant mutation. "What is this place?"

The Liquidator's hollow blue eyes glowed in the dark room, scanning their surroundings. He took a few steps away from the others to examine the room. "It seems that we have completed our mission objective and are in the control room."

Darkwing started to walk up beside Liquidator when he heard a noise that made him stop. He raised his gas gun and listened carefully for the source of the noise. It sounded like something was sliding on the floor, but he wasn't sure what. It only sounded like something electrical was whirring, but no one could see where it was coming from.

"S-Something's in here, isn't it?" The plant mutant stammered out with a tremble.

"I-It could be the g-ghosts!" Launchpad added with a shiver.

Darkwing's temper flared at the sentence, all caution thrown to the wind as he turned around to face the pilot.

"For the last time, there's no such thing as ghosts!" Darkwing practically shouted, waving his arms about wildly. Aggravated, he turned to the one person in the group he thought would agree with him. "Right, Liquidator?"

Darkwing was standing behind the dripping dog and thus could not see the expression on his face. The Liquidator was gazing up at something that had appeared out of the darkness and his hollow blue eyes had gone really wide. He swallowed loudly and pointed a shaky finger at what he saw before him.

"Actually, the Liquidator is ready to retract his previous statement..."

"What? Not you too! What's gotten into..."

Darkwing trailed off and went pale as he saw what it was the liquid dog was staring at. The arm holding his gas gun went limp and he too pointed at the thing before them with a shaky finger.

"Oh, well, this certainly changes things..."

Gosalyn, Launchpad and Bushroot all looked in Darkwing's direction at the sound of his unusual quavering voice. It didn't take them long to notice what it was that had made Darkwing's voice get shaky. At the sight of the massive glowing shape in front of them Gosalyn gave a small shout, while Bushroot and Launchpad really screamed, hugging each other tightly as they continued to stare at the scene before them.

"W-What is that thing?" Launchpad demanded as he trembled with Bushroot.

The thing before them began to materialize more fully and the entire group gaped at the sight of it. The ghost manifested itself in the shape of a massive head with sickly brownish-yellow skin in the front with no ears, mouth or nose. The only thing it had was a large, glowing red eye with a yellow slit for a pupil. The top of the head seemed have traces of red and blue running along the top of it, but in the darkness it was too hard to tell what any of it was.

The red eye narrowed and a deep, low rumbling filled the room as the speakers came on full blast and filled the room with the words, "Intruder alert! Intruder alert! Destroy all targets immediately!"

As the red eye began to glow yellow, Bushroot recovered his senses and pushed Launchpad away quickly. "Move!" He shouted as loudly as he could in his quavering voice, snapping the others out of their stupor. Everyone was quick to heed his advice, running to either the right or left as a hot, fiery yellow beam was shot from the eye. The blast left a huge steaming indentation in the floor where all of them had stood just moments before.

Darkwing gulped as he assessed the damage done by the beams. "Yikes..." He mumbled as he turned his gas gun back on the thing, trying to think of what to do. He noticed that Launchpad and Bushroot were both on the other side of the monster, while Gosalyn and Liquidator were nearby him. He raised his gun to try to fire at the unnatural being, but the outline of the monster wavered slightly and then disappeared from his view.

"Darkwing, look out!" He heard Gosalyn shout before a he felt a sharp, hot pain on his tail feathers.

"Yikes!" He shouted again, jumping into the air and danced from foot to foot, frantically trying to cool off the burning spot on his tail feathers. A large splash of water drenched him from head to toe, cooling down the effected area and leaving him dripping wet.

"Thanks..." He muttered halfheartedly at the Liquidator, who was grinning at the masked mallard's pitiful soggy state. Ignoring the dampness of his outfit, Darkwing flipped around to see what had fired at him, only to barely dodge a small red laser that was aimed right at him. He jumped to the side to dodge that only to have to jump in the air again to dodge another one.

"I-It's the skulls from earlier!" He heard Bushroot shout from across the room and Darkwing looked up to see what he meant. He could see trios of skulls lined up across the wall, glowing an eerie white color. Whenever the mouths opened, a red laser shot at either Gosalyn, Liquidator or himself. On the other side of the room, he noticed the same trio of skulls had appeared on the other side of the room with Launchpad and Bushroot dodging them as quickly as they could.

Above them, the monster seemed to be flickering in and out of sight. From what the masked mallard could tell, it had moved closer towards the ceiling, its single eye back to its red color while it observed the chaos below. Darkwing had the sinking feeling it was studying them all and looking for the best opportunity to strike them down with its deadly eye beam. The purple powerhouse, tired of dancing to the monster's tune, raised his gas gun at one of the trio of skulls in front of him and narrowed his eyes.

"Let's get dangerous!" He said in a strong tone as he fired his gas gun at the skulls. The gas canister seemed to go right through them and crashed into something solid behind them. The trio of skulls disappeared, revealing a simple laser gun that had been attached to the wall. The sparking electricity coming from the now disabled gun revealed a large control panel beneath it.

"Holograms!" Darkwing shouted as he reloaded his gas gun to take out another the laser guns. "The skulls are just holograms created by that monster to scare us!" The masked mallard fired another canister at the skulls, making the image disappear and disabling another laser gun.

The Liquidator took his lead and started spraying water at the machinery to disable it, causing several of the guns to short out. Darkwing continued to reload his gas gun and fire, but the more laser guns that the two of them disabled, the more laser guns seemed to be activated.

"This is pointless!" Liquidator shouted over to him, not using his advertising slogans for a change. "These things are just distracting us from taking out the real threat in this room. We've got to destroy the source of these guns or else we'll just be stuck shooting at these holograms forever until that thing decides to shoot at us again."

"Right." Darkwing shouted back as he aimed at a new target. "We've got to take out the control panel as quickly as possible. On the count of three, we shoot this thing together! One, two—"

"Darkwing, behind you!" He heard Launchpad shout at him as the monster above them shot its hot yellow beam directly at him and Liquidator. Hero and villain alike hastily scurried away from the incoming beam barely avoiding direct contact with the deadly beam.

The purple powerhouse rolled to the floor, coughing a bit at the smoke the beam had made after it was shot. Liquidator was standing beside him keeping a wary eye on the monster as its eye resumed its normal red color. Glancing around at the destruction, his breath caught in his throat as he realized he couldn't see his daughter anywhere.

"Gosalyn!" He shouted desperately, trying to see her through the smoke and steam. "Gosalyn, are you alright? Answer me!"

"I'm over here Darkwing!" She shouted back at him. He moved his gaze to the direction of her voice and spotted her standing on top of the control panel. Dread filled him as he realized that the holograms were all focused on her and thus, so were all their guns.

"Gosalyn, get away from there!" He cried fiercely getting to his feet, determined to get there before the guns started firing.

"Don't worry Darkwing! I have a plan." Gosalyn yelled back at him with a grin. Turning back to the skulls above her, she said, "Hey, down here you lame B movie rejects! I've seen childrens' programming that's scarier than you. You think you can hit me with those lame-o laser guns of yours? Let's see ya try!"

On cue, the laser guns started firing at where Gosalyn was standing, damaging the control panel beneath her feet. As she started running on top of the control panel, the guns followed her, causing so much damage to the machine that eventually all the holograms faded. The laser guns collapsed with the destruction of the machine.

Gosalyn jumped off the smoking machine and gave a whoop. "Piece of cake," she said as she admired her handiwork.

Darkwing put a hand over his palpitating heart and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Anger and relief were vying for his attention and he wasn't sure which one to act on. Thankfully, the Liquidator made the decision for him after he whistled and said, "True ingenuity. That little girl could be a great asset to my business if I could enlist her."

The masked mallard turned around and gave the liquid dog the best keep-away-from-my-daughter death glare that he could manage. Apparently it was a pretty good one because the smile disappeared from the Liquidator's face and he immediately put his hands up in front of him, taking a step backwards as he did so. A satisfied smirk settled on Darkwing's face as he turned away and started running for towards his spirited little girl. It was only then that he started hearing shouts from the other side of the room.

Launchpad and Bushroot were facing sideways from the control panel near them, waving their arms above their heads and shouting taunts at the eerie figure above while keeping an eye on the lasers behind them.

"What are they doing?" Darkwing muttered aloud before he saw the giant eye reappear and glow yellow, positioning itself so that it would not only hit his two allies on the floor but inadvertently hit the control panel behind them. Thinking it was a very risky move, but knowing there was no way to reach them in time, the hero regrouped with his daughter and the Liquidator, hoping beyond hope that he was not about to watch his best friend get roasted alive.

As the creature finally fired its beam, Launchpad and Bushroot dodged to the left, narrowly avoiding being caught in the deadly ray. The beam hit the control panel causing a large destructive blast that knocked both the pilot and the plant duck into the air, flinging them both towards the back of the room.

"Launchpad!" Darkwing and Gosalyn shouted at the same time as they watched him make a hard landing on the floor.

"Reggie!" He heard Liquidator shout at the same time before he got their attention and started gliding towards their fallen comrades. "Come on, let's go!"

Darkwing ran as quickly as he could to reach his fallen sidekick with Gosalyn and Liquidator close behind him. Just as he was about to reach Launchpad, the short mallards feet hit something that caused him to do a face plant into the floor.

"Ouch..." He muttered as he straightened out his flattened beak. The purple clad duck looked behind him to see what had tripped him, only to find nothing there. Puzzled, the masked mallard got back to his feet and slowly reached out towards the place where something had tripped him up. His hands found a smooth, rounded surface that seemed to be connected to another large control panel in the back.

"Did the terror that flaps in the night trip over his own feet?" The wet dog said with a chuckle. "Perhaps he would be interested in a pair of Liquidator night vision goggles if we survive the night." The Liquidator's advertisement brought him back to the matter at hand and he turned his head to see that Launchpad and Bushroot were both getting back on their feet. Relieved, he signaled them both to head towards the group before turning back to the watery villain.

"I didn't trip over my feet!" Darkwing responded with only mild irritation at the comment. "There's something down here, you just can't see it. Feel it for yourself if you don't believe me."

Liquidator cocked a watery eyebrow and leaned down to touch the object in question. He traced his watery hands along the surface with a puzzled expression. "Well, it seems the masked mallard isn't a complete klutz, but speculative viewers everywhere want to know if our local crime fighter has any idea what the item in question may be."

Darkwing continued to study the object for any clues of what it was. He couldn't shake the feeling that this thing was important somehow.

"Hey, do you feel that?" Gosalyn asked as she tore her hands off of it as the object jerked a bit. "I think it's moving!"

Launchpad and Bushroot joined them and Gosalyn gave them a brief explanation of why they were huddled around this spot. Launchpad bent down to touch it, following its length to the back of the room where a giant control panel was stationed.

"Gee, it feels like some kind of television cord." The pilot told the group with a scratch of his head. "Only a lot bigger and more powerful."

Darkwing snapped his fingers in triumph at his best friend's statement. "That's it! This thing is a power source! Do you know what that means?"

"Um, that monster up there gets great television service?" Launchpad said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"No!" Darkwing exclaimed in excitement. "It means that this cord is supplying the power for that ugly monster up there. I was wondering why he didn't just shoot that eye beam at us all the time. It must take an enormous amount of energy to charge that attack and this cord is what's supplying that energy. If we cut off the supply, we should be able to stop this thing it's its tracks."

"That's weird." Gosalyn said as she followed the cord up to where their enemy should be. "What kind of ghost needs electricity to function?"

"I-I think we're about to find out." Bushroot replied shakily as he pointed a leaf up towards the ceiling where the monster in question was beginning to come into view. It might have been his imagination, but he thought the thing looked angrier than before.

As the creature moved closer to them, Darkwing felt the cord move underneath his fingers. That clinched it for him and he knew if any of them were going to get out the base alive, they had to remove this cord at all costs. "I need time to come up with a way to remove the power source. We've got to keep it distracted while I come up with a plan."

"The great Liquidator offers his assistance in the matter." The liquid dog slid in front of the group and gave a small cocky bow. "With his unbelievable speed, the Liquidator will be running circles around this massive monstrosity in no time flat. Plus, not having a flesh and bone body will certainly be an asset in this case."

The masked mallard watched the monster above them warily and waved his hand impatiently at the Liquidator. "Yes, yes, we all know from your slogans that your powers are top notch. Just get going before we all start thinking that your advertising is all hype."

"'Hype?'" The aqua dog repeated indignantly as he glided away. "I'll make you eat those words before the night is over Darkwing Dunce."

"Be careful!" Bushroot called after him as the other villain sprayed the creature above them with a large splash of water to get its attention. The monster narrowed its eye and turned it his direction. The Liquidator continued to taunt it until the slit pupil glowed a softer yellow color and launched a smaller beam that followed the wet dog from behind as he slid around the floor.

"Well, what do we do now, DW?" Launchpad asked with a quick glance at the creature above them. "Liquidator can't distract that thing forever and I don't think that thing's gonna be too pleased when we start pulling on this cord."

"Then, we'll just have to do it before that monster notices." The purple powerhouse replied as he pulled up his sleeves and tried to get his arms around the invisible power source to no avail. It was just to bulky for him to get his arms around and pull on his own. "The cord is the root of the problem. We've got to get rid of it or we're not getting out of here in one piece!"

"'Root?'" Gosalyn repeated slowly before she clapped her hands together in excitement as she turned to the nervous plant duck near Launchpad. "That's it! Bushroot, can you ask some of your plant friends above us to lend us their roots? I bet they'll be powerful enough to unplug this cord!"

"Gee, I don't know if I can. I mean, they're pretty scared of this thing." He informed them as he rubbed his leaves together nervously. Both Gosalyn and Darkwing shot him piercing glares that made him quickly stammer out, "What I mean is, I'll give it a try. Hold on."

Bushroot closed his eyes and asked the trees above him if they could lend him their roots. He was hit by a wave of fear from all of them, one that threatened to overwhelm him. Pushing the feelings down, he did his best to reassure them that it would be the only way to defeat the monster they were so afraid of. They all hesitated for a moment longer before they agreed to help him pull out of the cord.

Thanking them profusely for their bravery, he raised his arms and motioned them downward. The ceiling above them bulged before large tree roots burst through the tiles, making their way down to the floor as quietly as possible. The botanist directed them to wind their roots tightly around the cord. When they were arranged as best as they could be, he gave the signal for them to start pulling.

Darkwing, Launchpad, Gosalyn and Bushroot all heard snapping sounds from above them as the roots began to pull the power source away from the monster. The intercom in the control room started buzzing with an ear piercing static that all of them took for the creature's screams. Covering their ears as best they could, they all watched as the monster near the ceiling thrashed about, shifting in and out of visibility. A final loud snap and the large black cord came into view as it crashed down on the floor.

The monster above them, now sparking from behind from the removal of its power source, flung itself unceremoniously into the ceiling, causing part of it to cave in and collapse.

"Look out!" Liquidator shouted to the others as large pieces of tile and dirt began to fall to the ground.

Darkwing and the others scattered quickly to avoid the debris that threatened to crush them. The masked mallard covered his beak with his cape as dust billowed around the room. He scanned the room quickly in search of his companions. Launchpad was standing not to far from him with Gosalyn riding on his back. Relieved that they were okay, he then searched for the two mutants and spotted Liquidator helping Bushroot back to his feet.

The purple powerhouse then turned his attention back to the sparking monster laying on its side on the floor. It was swaying back and forth in an attempt to right itself with a gaping hole in its back where the power cord used to be. The light from the ceiling exposed the traces of red and blue he had seen earlier to be wires that were now sparking with electricity.

Darkwing noticed that Liquidator had moved up beside him and had turned his right arm into a hose pointed directly at the sparking hole in the back of the monster's giant head. The shorter mallard nodded at the move and loaded his gas gun.

"All right Liquidator, let's put this thing's light's out." Darkwing raised his gas gun and aimed for the gaping whole. "Three, two one, fire!" He shouted as the two of them launched their attacks. The water and gas canister hit at the same time, causing an explosion on impact. A shrill sound came from the intercoms in the room before the creature lay still and everything grew quiet again.

A moment passed in silence as everyone waited to see if the monster was really dead. When it didn't move again, everyone in the room let out a victory cheer. Darkwing moved over to the fallen creature and knocked at it a couple times with his fist, a big smile on his beak as he launched into a speech.

"Once again, good has triumphed over evil at the hands of Darkwing—" The masked mallard was cut off as he got a big splash of water in the face. He sputtered for a minute before glaring at the smirking source of the water.

"This commercial interruption was brought to you by the Liquidator to remind all the friendly viewers at home that our local crime fighter would not be triumphant tonight if it weren't for the extraordinary powers of the Liquidator or the help of his leafy associate." Liquidator gestured towards Bushroot who merely nodded along.

"This is because I said your advertising was all hype, isn't it?" The purple clad duck muttered towards the wet dog as he wiped his face off with his cape. "Fine, your powers aren't false advertising and they were really useful. Happy?"

Liquidator crossed his arms over his chest smugly and nodded as the others came closer to the monster. Bushroot, Launchpad and Gosalyn walked around to the front of the creature and stared at the now lifeless eyes.

"I wonder what this thing was supposed to be?" Launchpad whispered softly, as if he was afraid the thing would come to life again if he spoke too loudly.

"I don't think I want to know." Bushroot whispered back just as quietly. "I just want to get out of here."

"How are we gonna get out of here anyway?" Gosalyn asked as she looked over towards the place where they came in. "The doors are still shut tight."

"Simple." Darkwing replied as he pointed to the hole in the ceiling. "My grappling hook should be able to reach that pretty easily. Come on, let's get out of here."

The masked mallard shot his grappling hook into the air, through the hole in the ceiling and latched it to ground. Darkwing started up the rope with Launchpad and Gosalyn close behind, Bushroot extended his arms upward, pulling him and Liquidator back up to the surface. The three normal ducks shielded their eyes from the bright light of the sun as it came over the horizon, while the plant duck nearby stood a little taller in the sun's rays.

"Oh, that's so much better!" Bushroot said with a long stretch. "I'm so happy we're out of there. I hate being coped up in dark places like that."

"That makes two of us." Launchpad said amiably. "If I never see the inside of that place again, it'll be too soon."

"All poll data shows that we've all had a rough night and are relieved that it's at an end." The Liquidator added with a tired yawn.

"Looks like it's not over yet." Gosalyn told the group, who looked at her curiously. She merely pointed in the direction of a group of figures rushing towards them, their pounding feet echoing through the forests.

Darkwing prepared his gas gun as they came closer, wondering if they were about to get in a fight with some FOWL agents. When it became clear that it was a group of SHUSH agents instead, Darkwing breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his gun. The lead agent, a tall bulldog in the standard SHUSH uniform stopped and saluted the shorter hero.

"It's good to see you again, Darkwing Duck. When the signal that was disrupting our equipment was shut down, J. Gander sent us to investigate what remains of the base. You can leave the rest of the investigation to us." Before Darkwing could say anything more, the bull dog gestured to the small Thunderquack hovering above his right shoulder. "J. Gander will be able to answer any questions you might have regarding the events of the night. Now, if you'll excuse us, we need to get to work."

The bull dog gestured towards his team and they started lowering roped down into the hole to get inside. In the mean time, the small Thunderquack positioned itself where Darkwing could see it. The windows of the plane drew back and a small computer screen popped up. The masked mallard, remembering the two villains who he'd teamed up with in the base, turned around quickly to get them out of the view of the computer screen before J. Gander came on. To his surprise, both of the mutants had already slipped away unnoticed. The trio glanced around to see if they could find the pair of villains before a voice from the computer got their attention.

"Are you alright, Darkwing Duck?" J. Gander asked from the computer screen. It seems he was still at SHUSH headquarters, while his agents were sent in to clean up the area.

"No need to worry, J. Gander." Darkwing said egotistically. "Not even a giant monster can stand up to the one and only Darkwing Duck."

Gosalyn rolled her eyes as the head of SHUSH nodded on the computer screen. "I had faith that you would be able to handle the situation Darkwing. You do bring a certain element of cunning that my agents do not possess."

"Naturally." The short mallard preened, looking at his finger nails nonchalantly.

"Um, excuse me, Mr. Gander sir." Launchpad cut in, bending down so that the head of SHUSH could see him. "I was just wondering what that thing was exactly. You wouldn't have any idea, would you?"

"As a matter of fact, I do have a theory, yes." J. Gander nodded genially on the screen. "Would you mind telling me what this 'thing' is that you met down in FOWL base."

Darkwing and Launchpad took a moment to describe what the creature looked like and the old bird nodded without a hint of surprise.

"Then it is as I had feared. FOWL was working on a sentient super computer."

All three of the ducks exchanged looks of disbelief before Darkwing said, "That thing was a computer? I thought it was some kind of hybrid mutation or something."

J. Gander shook his head slowly and continued, "The monstrous design of the machine was made to scare away potential attackers from the computer, while hiding its true form. The computer itself was designed to run the entire base by itself, while assessing threats to itself and other FOWL agents. If its full potential had been reached, it would have continued to demolish the forest around us to expand the base and been able to launch its own attacks against the enemies of FOWL."

"Okay, but there's one thing I don't get." Launchpad said with a scratch of his head. "Why would FOWL want the thing to be able to think on its own in the first place? Wouldn't that just make the thing more trouble than it was worth?"

"That has something to do with Taurus Bulba." J. Gander replied as he began to clean his glasses. "As I'm sure the two of you recall, Taurus Bulba was rebuilt as a cyborg by FOWL. They had hoped he would be grateful for their work and serve as one of their top agents. Well, after he failed to get his revenge on you, Darkwing, he left to get his revenge of FOWL. He's started crusading against them and has greatly decreased their numbers."

Darkwing, Launchpad and Gosalyn all shared a troubled look at this information. None of them were fans of the FOWL organization, but they also knew that nothing Taurus Bulba did ever led to anything good.

"Their lack of numbers has given them a severe personnel shortage. The organization needed to find some way to operate a few of their bases without having to send a large number of agents to run things. That's when they began building that super computer, hoping that it would be able to compensate for their recent losses.

"The computer itself would have been programmed to run the base and follow the orders of the High Command. This particular facility was meant to be a weapons facility, from which FOWL could launch missiles and any number of deadly weapons at any target that refused to give into their commands. They were planning to hollow out the trees in this forest and use them to hide their missiles and other weaponry in. They built several robots to help with the process of digging up and hollowing out the trees from below. Once that task was finished, several other FOWL robots were supposed to remain in the base to help maintain the computer.

"The computer was equipped with the latest in FOWL technology. If it had been completed, the eye laser beam would have had several different types of beams it would fire, instead of just the two you saw. It would have had an invisibility shield covering it completely, so that it could remain undetected even if enemy agents had made it into the room. It would have also had the ability to produce more holographic images, not just to scare away intruders but to lure them into traps that would destroy them.

"Obviously, the plan did not proceed as they had hoped." The old bird spoke with a grim expression. "It seems that before the project was finished, Taurus Bulba found them once more. The computer model was not finished and the damage done by Taurus Bulba must have disrupted the programming the FOWL agents had hoped to give it. Without the proper programming in place, the machine went out of control and attacked both friend and foe alike."

"Luckily, Darkwing Duck was here to put that malfunctioning malcontent machine in its place." The hero said with his typical flare, before it deflated as an idea struck him. "Say, J Gander, FOWL wouldn't happen to be building any more of these machines, would they?"

"I believe it's highly doubtful that they will try again, given the damage they've received from Taurus Bulba and the money they have wasted on this project. We should be safe from FOWL's plans for the time being."

"That's a relief." Darkwing wiped his the sweat from his forehead before recovering his typical swagger. "Not that I was worried or anything. Darkwing Duck is capable of handling ten of those sentient computers any night of the week!"

J. Gander nodded at the sentiment. "Thank you for all your help Darkwing. Your unique crime fighting style never ceases to amaze me."

"Anytime J. Gander. Darkwing Duck will always be ready to handle the tough cases."

"Thanks again, Darkwing Duck. I will contact you the next time we need your help." The computer flashed off and the small thunderquack flew away, back to SHUSH headquarters. As soon as it was gone, Darkwing began preening and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yep, yep, yep. Just another unorthodox case solved by the infallible and ingenious Darkwing Duck."

Gosalyn made a loud harrumph and tapped her foot on the ground, glaring at her father. Darkwing looked sheepish, tugged at his turtle neck and spoke again in a forced tone of voice.

"With some help from his trusty sidekick and his spunky number one fan."

Gosalyn cleared her throat again and made a hand motion to tell him to continue. He glared at her and continued on in a sullen voice.

"And with the help of two handy mutant criminals. Happy?" The purple clad duck hissed. Gosalyn only smiled innocently and nodded.

"Gee, where do ya think those two ran off to anyway?" Launchpad asked with a scratch of his head.

"They probably went home once they saw all the SHUSH agents roaming around here." Gosalyn said before turning to her father. "Do you think we should find them?"

"No need." Her father answered her with a yawn. "We're going the same way they are and we'll be in the Thunderquack. If they cause any trouble, we'll be sure to spot it when we're in the sky."

"You sure about that?" The red-haired duckling asked with her eyebrow cocked. It wasn't like her father to go easy on criminals.

"Positive." He spoke in a tone that said he didn't want to discuss the matter any longer. He didn't want to have to say out loud that he was actually trying to do the two of them a favor by letting them get away when they were both criminals wanted by the law. He yawned loudly. "Besides, going back to St. Canard sounds like a really good idea. I could use a nice long nap."

"Heh, that does sound real good." Launchpad nodded agreeably. "Maybe I can catch a few winks while I'm flying the Thunderquack."

"Please don't scare me." Darwking pleaded with him.

"How could you possibly want to nap after all this excitement?" Gosalyn demanded, practically bouncing up and down with energy. "We got to go through an abandoned base and defeat a living super computer with a giant laser eye! I can't wait to go over to Honker's house, play some video games and tell him all about it."

"Your forgetting one very important factor, young lady." The masked mallard said as the trio began walking back towards the Thunderquack.

"Which is?" The spirited duckling inquired cautiously, not liking the tone her father had taken.

"Your homework." Darkwing said with a finger in the air. "You know that tomorrow is a school day and your studies should always take priority over frivolity."

"Says who?" Gosalyn demanded.

"Says me, the all knowing and ever wise Darkwing Duck. I'm always right, you know."

"Are not!" The little red head shot back in annoyance.

"Are to!" The purple clad crime fighter retorted.

"Are not!"

"Are to!"

"Are not!"

"Are to!"

The argument continued for sometime as Liquidator and Bushroot watched them walk away, having stuck around to listen to the conversation between the head of SHUSH and Darkwing Duck. The green plant mutant heaved a sigh as the three heroes disappeared from sight, leaning against the trunk of a tree and wiping off his forehead with one hand.

"I'm sure glad that's over."

"The night certainly exceeded the Liquidator's expectations in terms of excitement." The water dog admitted and his sloshed over to his partner in crime. "So, inquiring minds want to know if your leafy friends are now at ease with that giant super computer disabled?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, they're just fine." Bushroot spoke absently, twiddling his leaves together.

Liquidator cocked a watery eyebrow at the less than enthusiastic answer. "Your savvy business partner thought you would be happier when we accomplished your goal. What's the matter?"

"Oh, well..." the mutant scientist trailed off and rubbed the back of his head, trying to collect his thoughts. "It's just, I'm a bit worried, you know, after what we just heard. I know we're villains, but Taurus Bulba is one of those big time legendary criminals. He may have disappeared for now, but what if SHUSH is right? What if he's planning something major in his down time?"

"And if he is?" The ex-salesman shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands. "Criminal records everywhere show that Taurus Bulba's plan would likely involve either getting lots of money, killing Darkwing Duck or both. The Liquidator doesn't think his grand scheme will involve targeting other villains like us."

"But he's already taking down FOWL!" Bushroot protested, wringing his hands together. "Who's to say he won't take down the rest of us too? What if he wants to be the one and only villain in all of St. Canard."

"Then, the local mechanical bull will find himself in some hot water. The Liquidator, a first class super villain in his own right, doesn't intend to go down easily. He's also quite sure that this statement will apply to many other villains in St. Canard." The aqua dog saw that his fellow mutant still didn't look convinced. He sighed and placed his hands on his shoulders, looking him straight in the eyes. "Personality experts everywhere claim that you worry too much, Reggie. There's no way to know what Taurus Bulba is up to and what good will it do you to continue fretting over it? If something does happen, then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." He patted Bushroot on the back. "Until then, we should focus on what's really important: coming up with our latest villainous scheme and increasing our profit margins!"

The pose along with boisterous voice eased most of Bushroot's tensions and made him smile. The water dog's confidence, though sometimes galling, was a source of comfort for the plant mutant. "I guess you're right..."

Liquidator smiled widely at the admission before placing his hands on his hips and sighing dramatically. "Speaking of profit margins, it really is too bad that those SHUSH agents had to show up here."

"Huh? How come?"

Liquidator cocked his head in confusion at the statement. "Well, because of the gold you told me about that the FOWL agents left behind. I'm sure the SHUSH agents must be collecting it all by now."

"Oh, that." Bushroot nodded quickly and looked away, flustered. "Yeah, it is too bad about that. Really too bad."

The hasty speech around the topic of the gold made Liquidator frown as he was beginning to suspect that the whole thing had been a hoax. He opened his mouth to say just that when Bushroot walked swiftly past him in the direction of St. Canard.

"Well, as you like to say Likky, time is money. Let's go home now, shall we?" Bushroot whipped around before he got a reply and started speed walking away. He only got a few paces away before his roots caught on something and he did a face plant in the dirt.

"Owwww!" The mutant scientist whined as he straightened up and rubbed his root feet.

"Did you trip over a tree root?" Liquidator asked with a hint of amusement.

"It's too hard to be any tree root." Bushroot remarked as he placed his hand over the object with moss grown over it. "I think it might be a handle of some kind. Lend me a hand. Maybe we can pull it up."

His partner in crime obliged him and wrapped his hands around the handle. Both of them gave a mighty pull and they heard the sound of hinges creaking. One more pull and they managed to pull open the door to a hidden cache. Liquidator sloshed over to the other side of the door and grinned widely at what he saw. He bent down and picked up a small bag of money.

"Well, well, looks as if the Liquidator will increase his profit margins after all." He picked up another bag and opened it with a greedy look on his face. All of his previous misgivings over the gold incident were forgotten as he looked down at all the bags of money.

"Wow, look at all that." Bushroot whistled in amazement before he turned back to the wet dog beside him. "Are you going to be able to carry all this back to St. Canard?"

"Am I made of H20?" The Liquidator countered with a grin on his face. "With the help of a few of your leafy associates, I'm sure we can haul this loot back to the sewers and I'll be able to carry it the rest of the way to St. Canard. I think they'd be willing to help us out after what we did for them today."

"You'd be right." The plant duck said with a grin as he beckoned some of his trees closer so that they could pick up the loot.

"Criminal studies everywhere show that the ever crafty Liquidator will always find a way to maximize the profits of himself and his associates." The watery dog ended smugly, smiling his winning smile at his partner in crime. "Come on, Reggie, let's go home."

Bushroot watched as the trees picked up the last of the loot and then he asked one of them to lift him up on their branches as they moved. They did as he asked and the trees moved behind Liquidator as he slid gracefully through the forest. The mutant plant duck relaxed in the bows of the tree, happy that the nightmare in Twin Beaks was finally over.

Author's Note: Well, that's the end for this fic! I'm sorry this took so long to complete, but I've been really busy lately.

The parts with Taurus Bulba were actually inspired from conversations regarding the FOWL Disposition arc from the BOOM! comics. During the discussion, the idea was brought up that Bulba had destroyed FOWL before he went on to build the crime bots and take over the city. This split FOWL up into two organizations, one that was more like the old, high tech FOWL and another that was more into the super natural. Anyway, this story is supposed to take place in the short time before "The Duck Knight Returns" begins. I really want to do a story related to that and thus, this came into being.

Again, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!