Darkwing Duck: "Metal Attraction"
by Cherryne Edejer
Paris, also known as `The City of Light'. It was late evening. The now
darkened streets were illuminated by the lighted street lamps which had
first given the city its nickname.
That nickname was slowly but surely becoming inappropriate.
One by one, lights winked out across the city. Down the Champs Elysee, the
famous street gradually became dark.
On top of one of the street lamps that was still lighted, perched an oddly
dressed figure. His body wrapped precariously around the pole, he
stretched out an arm, straining to reach the bright bulb. He managed to
get his gloved fingers around it, and then began to unscrew it. The bulb
popped out. Satisfied, he carefully pulled off a sack slung across his
back and dropped the bulb in, where it landed with a `clink'. His work
done, he slid down the lamp post and made his way to the next streetlight.
"I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am the French waiter that is
extremely rude to you! I AM DARKWING DUCK!"
The figure whirled around, sack clanking. He was just in time to see the
smoke disperse to reveal the unmistakable silouette of Darkwing Duck.
Sparks flew from the figure's eyes.
"What are you doing here *Dork*wing?" Megavolt growled. He reached
up to pull the few strands of hair that stuck out from under his plug-like
hat in annoyance. "Geez, can't a guy take a vacation?" Darkwing pointed to
Megavolt's sack, where numerous lightbulbs were threatening to overflow.
"Oh? And what are those? Souvenirs, I suppose?" Megavolt looked hurt.
"What's wrong with that?" Darkwing raised an eyebrow, and Megavolt looked
rather embarassed. He hugged the sack protectively to his chest. "Besides,
I didn't -steal- them. I, uh, found them. Yeah, that's it."
"Yeah, *right*. This time you're going down... Sparky." Darkwing pointed
his gas gun and took aim.
"How many times do I have to tell you?! DON'T CALL ME SPARKY!!!"
Infuriated, Megavolt hurled a blast of electical energy at Darkwing.
Darkwing, caught off guard by Megavolt's lightning quick reflexes, yelped
and ducked. The blast caught the side of a building instead, scattering
bits of brick and cement everywhere. Megavolt ran for it.
Darkwing picked himself off the ground. He carefully dusted the mortar
fragments off his suit, then whistled briefly. The Ratcatcher swerved
around the side of a building and stopped in front of DW. Launchpad
got out of the driver's seat and climbed into the attached car, as
Darkwing strapped his helmet on. DW then took his place in the driver's
seat, revved up the motorcycle and set off after Megavolt.
"You sure we can still catch him, DW?" asked Launchpad. "He's got quite a
headstart."
"Don't worry, LP. The Ratcatcher can catch any criminal alive," DW said
darkly. In a more normal tone of voice, "Besides, Megavolt's on foot." He
tightened his grip on the handlebars. "This time, I've got him for sure!"
***
Megavolt was having a bit of trouble. He wasn't familliar with the streets
of Paris, so unlike the the streets of St. Canard. So he can be forgiven
for running into a wall---literally. After the stars had faded from his
eyes, he realized he was in a dead end. He was about to turn around when
the Ratcatcher pulled up behind him, blocking his only way out.
"I knew I shouldn't taken a vacation." he muttered, pressing his back
against the wall. "Try and soak up the local culture, and this is what I
get." Megavolt sighed. "That's the last time I accept anything that comes
in the mail... Even it is an all-expenses paid plane ticket."
By this time, Darkwing and Launchpad had climbed out of the Ratcatcher.
Darkwing called out to Megavolt.
"Give it up, Chuckles! There's nowhere to run!" Megavolt looked around
furtively. He was right. The walls were too high to climb and too thick to
zap. His eyes narrowed and sparks crackled along his fingertips. Well,
he certainly wasn't going to give up without a fight...
Darkwing and Launchpad jumped for cover as the first blast seared past
them. Hiding behind a dumpster, Darkwing loaded a gas cartridge into his
gun, muttering, "He can't keep that up forever. He's going to run out of
power." DW then took aim and fired.
Darkwing was right. As the battle wore on, Megavolt slowly felt his energy
supply being drained, but there was nothing he could do about it. He kept
on firing.
Because the alleyway in which the two parties were fighting was now filled
with smoke (both from DW's gas gun and Megavolt's electric blasts), and
because of his own tired state, Megavolt didn't notice a tiny, glass
ball, about the size of a pearl, roll into the line of fire...
There was a brief, brilliant flash of light. Darkwing shielded his eyes
from the blinding glare. When the light had faded, he risked a glance back
into the alleyway. Not surprisingly, Megavolt was gone.
"Geez! What *was* that?" asked Launchpad, rubbing his watering eyes.
"I don't know," seethed DW, "but there's one thing for sure." He tried to
keep his tone steady, to compensate for his rising temper. "Megavolt got
away."
"What?" LP cracked open an eye, looking down the now deserted alley. "Aw,
shucks. You almost had him, too." Darkwing growled.
"Don't remind me. And I was so sure he wouldn't have the energy to try a
stunt like that. Not after all those electric blasts he threw..."
High on the rooftops above them, a slim figure watched, idly listening to
the two ducks' conversation. It continued to watch them until the two
walked away. Seemingly satisfied, it quickly slipped away, hopping
lightly from rooftop to rooftop. It seemed to have something in its arms.
Only when it had deemed itself far enough away from its pursuers, did it
stop. It then released its grip on what it was carrying.
A sack rolled away, making clinking noises. Megavolt sat up indignantly,
rubbing his face on which, just recently, a hand had been clamped over his
mouth. He glared at the figure standing over him.
"WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?!"
***
Meanwhile, Darkwing and Launchpad were just walking out of the
smoke-filled alley. Launchpad had an unusally thoughtful look on his face.
"You know DW, I've been thinking..."
"Ah. That explains the smoke."
"Hey!" Launchpad whirled around to look at his friend, whose dark
expression instantly turned contrite.
"Oh... I'm sorry, Launchpad. I'm just upset that we didn't catch
Megavolt." Darkwing patted the taller duck's hunched shoulders, who
brightened up instantly. "What's your idea?" The pilot's brow furrowed,
unaccustomed to the burden of thinking hard. It wasn't something DW asked
from him often, who instead usually told him to shut up.
"Well, the only way out of that alleyway was through us, right?" Darkwing
nodded. "Well, I just thought that Megavolt would have to bump into us in
order to get away, it being so narrow in there and all. So why didn't
he?"
Darkwing stared at his friend. He didn't expect such deductive reasoning
from -Launchpad-, of all people. He felt embarassed. When Darkwing was
embarassed, he had one natural reaction: to cover it up.
"Uh, well, I was just about to suggest that we go check out the alley, to
figure out how Megavolt got away." As he turned back into the alley, he
swept his cape dramatically around him, so to hide his red face.
"Righty-o, DW!" Launchpad said brightly, following him in.
As he re-entered the alleyway, Darkwing whipped out his trusty magnifying
glass. Peering closely at the ground, he slowly walked to where Megavolt
had been standing, taking care not to walk into the wall; he had enough
embarassment for one day.
"Find anything, DW?" Launchpad asked, walking up behind him.
"Not yet---Wait a minute." He had caught something white out of the corner
of his magnifying glass. He ran his finger across the ground, then
held it up for Launchpad to see. "What do you suppose this is, LP?"
Launchpad stared at the coarse white powder smeared across Darkwing's
finger.
"Er... Dandruff? I could recommend a good shampoo for Megavolt." Darkwing
rolled his eyes.
"Dandruff doesn't sparkle, LP." He rubbed it between his fingers. "And it
feels a bit sharp... Glass, maybe?" He pulled out his magnifying glass and
examined the powder. "No, much too glittery to be glass. Much be the dust
from a gem of some sort. Diamonds, perhaps." A curious look came across
his face. "I don't recall Megavolt ever being interested in jewellry."
He stared at the dust in his fingers again. A faint recollection tugged at
the corner of his mind. "Diamonds... Oh, no. Not *her*..."
***
TO BE CONTINUED...
***
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