All her life, Gosalyn Waddlemeyer had aimed to be average. Deep down inside, she was anything but. She could list pi to the twenty-first digit, play the piano flawlessly, and could talk her way out of any situation, but those were the things that could get you noticed. And that was something she most certainly did not want. It was already hard enough with her red hair making her stick out like a sore thumb. So, occasionally, she'd purposely miss a test question, or hit the wrong key, or even speak with improper English, no matter how much it hurt on the inside. If she was special, that could mean she would draw attention to herself, and maybe even find herself in trouble. So she played the part of background character, lest she end up facing NegaDuck for messing up one way or another.
And yet that drive to be average was exactly what landed her at NegaDucks's doorstep.
Her foot tapped anxiously. The claustrophobic bus rumbled through town, the sun just starting to rise over St. Canard. She was incredibly tired but she hadn't been able to sleep last night. Yesterday, that day that should've just been an average day where nothing special happened in her dull life, but had instead changed everything.
Eyes fixated on one dirty spot on the floor, she ran her hands through her red curls. Arson, he had compared it to. Well that was a first, and she had no clue whether or not it was a complement. She had hoped her painfully average image she had set up for herself would draw away from her bright hair and eyes. They were both a curse and a blessing she had been born with. But in St. Canard, it was most certainly a curse.
It was exactly what had drawn his eyes to her at first. What made her stand out amongst the other orphan girls at Binkie's Home For Perfect Little Girls. And then when she was so desperate to get him to pick anyone but her that she had spoken out of line, telling him that she was nothing special, he had just smiled. "Perfect," he had said. "Just the kind of girl I'm looking for."
At least she didn't get punished for talking back, she told herself. NegaDuck had come looking for someone to help him with a "special task," whatever that meant. Gosalyn Waddlemeyer had been chosen.
Certainly hundreds of other kids would've wanted to be chosen. Why did he have to pick the one that didn't?
Just the name NegaDuck had struck fear into the hearts of every St. Canard citizen. Years ago, there had been a rumor that he had disappeared. He hadn't broadcast for two weeks, nor had anyone seen him. NegaDuck's guards had done a great job on keeping the rumors shrouded in mystery. Then, out of the blue, he had reappeared, threatening anyone who had dared muttered the word "revolution" in his absence. To this day, no one knew where he had gone. And a few months after his return, Darkwing Duck entered the scene.
The familiar saxophone jingle from the digital billboards on the buildings outside broke her out of her thoughts. She looked through the window, up at the video. The Darkwing Duck logo rolled across the screen, the theme song playing.
Gos' eyes moved across the bus, searching for anyone else watching. A few others smiled at the dashing hero in the purple cape, while some booed and rolled their eyes.
Gosalyn herself didn't have a preference. Opinions made you stand out. Maybe she did sort of liked the concept of someone who stood up for right, but all those feelings had been shoved deep down, hidden from everyone, including herself. She pulled her knees up on the seat and tight to her chest. A tired sigh escaped her. "What adventures do you have for us today, Darkwing?"
Of course, she knew the program wouldn't last long. Once NegaDuck found out the show was playing, he would probably shut off all the screens. Gos wondered how long it would be before that happened.
True to her thoughts, less than five minutes in, the digital billboards glitched a bit before shutting off. Gos frowned.
The bus went on in silence. A glimmer of the phone screen caught Gos' eye. The woman next to her had pulled up the episode of Darkwing Duck and was watching it with earbuds. Gos fought the urge to watch over her shoulder.
One of NegaDuck's guards, stationed on the bus, began walking down the aisle. Gos bit her lip, wondering if he would see the woman's phone. He was approaching quickly. If Gos leaned forward just a bit, that would block the phone. But if she got caught, that would only add to the pile of things that made her less average.
Maybe she was better off just being the good little girl she was.
The guard came over and glanced at their seat. Gos stiffened as the guard's eyes shifted to the woman's phone. He tapped her on the shoulder. "Ma'am, come with me."
As the guard escorted the woman to the front of the bus, a seed of guilt grew inside Gos.
The angry bus driver's voice broke through the air. "NegaDuck headquarters!"
Her stop. She stood, patting down her purple skirt, and walked off the bus. She thanked the driver, but he only grumbled. The doors didn't hesitate to slam shut. She nearly jumped at the noise. Air blew past her as the bus left. No escape now. Even if she did decide to run, surely their dictator would find her. No one ever crossed NegaDuck and lived. She knew from experience.
She stepped up to the door, nervousness written all over her face. She had never dared stepped foot anywhere near his tower, and she had no clue how secure it would be. Raising her hand to knock on the thick, towering doors, she drew in a breath.
A mechanic whir startled her back, and a small microphone came out of the wall. It zoomed into her face, making her yelp. "Who's there! What do you want!" a voice snapped. She recognized it as Lord NegaDuck's, from all the times she had seen him on tv or listened to him on the radio.
Her voice caught in her throat, but finally she managed, "Uh- I'm Gosalyn. Waddlemeyer."
"Who?"
"The girl from the orphanage yesterday?"
"Oh yeah. You're early. Come on in." A loud beep followed and the doors opened.
Gathering her courage, she entered. It was bigger than she had imagined. Certainly bigger than anywhere she had ever lived. This would be the fifth home she'd lived in, first with her parents, then her grandfather, Taurus Bulba, and most recently, the orphanage.
The tower stretched upward, the bottom floors used for business and the upper floors as living quarters. And below... Well, Gos could only guess what horrors lay beneath her feet.
She stepped up to the front desk. She was surprised to find a young kid her age managing the desk- Er, sitting on the desk. "Uh, hi? I'm here to see NegaDuck?"
The boy looked her up and down and glared. "And what's that got to do with me, little girl?"
"I'm pretty sure we're the same age. Aren't you the person to go to about getting Lord NegaDuck?"
"If NegaDuck wants you, he'll come to you." He leaned over and flicked her in the beak. She stumbled back.
"Honker!" NegaDuck stepped out of the elevator, glaring at the boy. Honker gave a salute. "That's no way to treat our guests." NegaDuck came to stand by Honker.
Gos found herself even more terrified than she was before. This was actually happening. She gave a curtsy. "Lord NegaDuck!" It came out squeakier than she'd hoped.
"Come on, uh..." NegaDuck squinted at her.
"Gosalyn, sir."
"Come on, Gosalyn. I'll set you up in your new room, and then I have some work today. But tonight, I'll tell you your special task." He waved for her to follow. Gos went along, carrying her few belongings with her. As NegaDuck's back was turned, Honker stuck his tongue out at Gos.
They found themselves in the tight elevator. Gos' body was stiff, avoiding eye contact with St. Canard's dictator. Her breath was caught in her throat. Was this her life now? Living in NegaDuck headquarters and being teased by the ten year old in the lobby? She reminded herself she had only been here a few moments. She would last. Just don't do anything dangerous.
"Hey, just to make sure, you don't have some secret plot to kill me, right?"
Gos looked up at NegaDuck, confused. "What?"
"Well, you'd be surprised how often that happens." NegaDuck talked with his hand. "'NegaDuck, you killed my family, prepare to die!' or 'NegaDuck, you put my mom in prison, prepare to die!'" He rolled his eyes. "The threats just kind of get annoying after a while. So, you don't have some hidden backstory with me, right?"
Gos focused on the ground, fidgeting with her fingers. "You banished my grandpa and executed Taurus Bulba, the one who would've taken me in after that."
NegaDuck stared at her a moment before shrugging. "Huh. I thought the Waddlemeyer name sounded familiar. I just banish so many people, I couldn't be sure." He raised an eyebrow at her. "You're not gonna try to get revenge on me about that, right?"
She shook her head, eyes fixed on the ground.
"No negative feelings towards me at all?"
"Nope." Maybe somewhere she felt those feelings, but she legally wasn't allowed to disagree with NegaDuck. She was better off with just going along like the sheep she was.
"I knew those schools brainwashed kids to adore me, but I didn't think that much. Huh." The ends of his beak curved upwards in a subtle smile.
With a ding, the elevator opened. She followed after him out into the hall.
Finally they reached a door the end of the corridor, covered in faded graffiti, as if someone tried to wash it off. She watched as a drop of cleaner rolled down the door, leaving an ugly streak. Cleaned recently too. She gave a cautious look up at him.
"This is your new room." He motioned at the door.
"Uh... thanks." Her voice was quiet from fear. Would he take that as offensive? Should she speak up? Or maybe she was just the right volume he wanted. Taking a deep breath, she stopped her panicking. She had been overthinking every move her entire life. It got exhausting. Forcing herself, she opened the door and stepped into the cold room.
The room was barren and gray, save but a creaky steel bed frame against the wall and a few dresses in the closet. As she stepped across the room to the bed, a cold chill ran over her spine. The window was opening, allowing the smoggy, freezing air of outside in. She set her suitcase on the bed, which didn't even have enough decency to spring up at down, but rather thudded like rock. She forced a grateful smile. "Thanks." Wait, hadn't she already said that? Would he execute her for repeating herself?
"No problemo, kid." NegaDuck put his hands on his hips proudly, as if the room was the greatest thing in the world. "As you can see, I can't be generous when I want to be." He met her on the other side of the room, flipping through the clothes in the closet. Taking a yellow dress and hoodie, he threw it on the bed. "Here. Change out of that ugly dress you've got on when you have time."
Gos looked over herself. "What's wrong with this one?" Did she just talk back!
"It's purple. I hate purple. I considered banning the color, but I guess I can't tell light waves what to do."
Lifting up the yellow dress, she noticed a few similarities to his own uniform. She didn't know why he would hate purple so much, but she had already spoken too liberally. She nodded, setting the dress back down.
A knock came from the doorframe. A duck of intimidating size stood in the doorframe. "Hey, ND. Wassup?" He leaned against the wall.
"Launchpad, good, you're here." NegaDuck grinned, going to greet his friend. They fist bumped before NegaDuck turned back to Gos. "Gosalyn, this Launchpad, my number two. He'll be watching you while I'm gone. I've got some citizens to torture, so bye. See you guys later." He waved at them, leaving Gos alone with Launchpad.
She gave him a nervous smile and a short wave.
Launchpad rolled his eyes. "Can't believe I got stuck babysitting. I'm missing good Duck family drama for this." He put out his hand to her. "Hi."
"Hi." She shook his hand, her small one swallowed by his massive one. He squeezed a little tight, hurting her. She showed no pain on her expression.
They stood in silence, Launchpad ignoring her and Gos rocking on he heels awkwardly. After he uncomfortableness was almost unbearable, she broke the quiet. "So... come here often?" The only thing she could think to say.
"Occasionally. Half the time I'm in Duckburg."
"That's cool." She fidgeted with her hair. "Yeah, I've never been outside St. Canard so I don't know what that's like."
"The outside world is terrible." He smirked at her. "There's monsters and criminals. They walk around tearing people apart limb by limb. And they don't even have a dictator like NegaDuck to protect them. All the streets run red with the blood of the innocent, and people go to sleep to the sound of screams."
She stared up, wide eyed. "Really?"
"Nah, I just thought it was funny," he chuckled. "Dumb St. Canard kids don't know nothing."
She questioned whether or not she should correct his double negative, but eventually decided against it. He watched her, as if waiting for some sort of reaction. When she did nothing, he frowned.
"You're not nearly as fun to tease as the other kids." After looking around the room, he turned to go. "Alright, this boring."
"Wait." She moved after him. "I thought you were supposed to watch after me. What am I supposed to do while I wait for NegaDuck?"
He shrugged, not bothering to look back at her. "I dunno. Give yourself a tour or something. Just stay out of the basement." He turned the corner, leaving her alone.
She frowned, allowing her arms to sag. Moving to the bed, she kneeling at the head. The window sat just above. She ventured to look outside. All she could see was the depressing city, and beyond that, the wall that kept them all trapped on the small island. With a sigh, she sank on the windowsill. Somewhere inside, she wanted to go beyond those walls and be her own person. Away from NegaDuck's tower or the orphanage. She could never, she knew, so she locked away those fantasies.
Catching herself, she straightened. Her eyes darted across the ceiling, searching for cameras. Had one gotten footage of her looking fondly outside? Of her frowning? Smiling? She shook herself of her daydream, pushing off from the bed. With no other options, she changed into NegaDuck's preferred outfit and decided to wander around the tower.
As she traversed the halls, she found a strange knot in her stomach. Just being in this tower made her feel like she was out of line. People didn't explore NegaDuck's tower, especially her. She wasn't comfortable just popping into random rooms, so she just went around the same hallway multiple times. After getting bored, she went up and down the stairs multiple times. As she had never allowed herself any opinions of her own, she had no clue what her idea of fun was.
Muffled voices floated throughout the halls, from the rooms and downstairs. The halls were, for the most part, vacant, as most of NegaDuck's guards were probably on patrols and wreaking havoc around the city. She grew lost in thought, imagining herself back at the orphanage. The other girls would pick on her for being so weird and robotic, but Gosalyn thought they were the weird ones, with their "personalities," or whatever they called them. Even being teased there would be better than living here. The orphanage was familiar, which meant it was safe. The tower, however, was a whole new world to her, and one she had already knew she didn't like before she stepped foot inside.
She came to a stop. Lost in her thoughts, she had wandered into one room with the door left open. Her breaking told her to leave, that she wasn't allowed in her, but the room had her mesmerized. NegaDuck's throne room, where he broadcasted all his public safety messages from. Any seats in the room had been entirely flipped, save for the throne itself. Trash and candy wrappers lay strewn about, several stains marking the carpet. The cameras were disheveled, a few of them even fallen over. Broken glass from the lenses scattered across the floor. Too many ash marks littered the walls for her to count.
Her expression twisted in disgust and concern. Whenever she had seen the room on television, she had just assumed the mess was a prop for dramatic effect or something. Now seeing t in person, it was an actual disaster. She glanced back, as if someone might catch her if she stayed in this room too long. Eyes scanning over the floor, she contemplated cleaning up some of the wrappers. If Binkie ever caught her room at the orphanage looking like this, she would en up sleeping in the coal bin. Clicking her tongue, she thought it over. It couldn't hurt, right? She would just straiten up a bit and then be out.
...
Sweeping up the last bits of glass into a trash bin, Gos smiled to herself. She set the broom in the corner. Dusting her hands, she looked over the throne room. The room had done a complete 180. Though she couldn't do much about the graffiti on the back wall, she managed to cross out any bad words with an old spray paint can she'd found. She instead replaced it with smiley faces and encouraging adjectives. On the small table by the throne, she had placed a small flower in a vase, bright yellow and cheery. Her beak quirked up in a grin without her permission. She stood proud, enjoying the work she had done. She desperately told herself she had to stop smiling before someone caught her.
"What in the world?"
She stiffened at the voice, heart nearly jumping rom her chest. She quickly turned to face NegaDuck behind her. He looked over the newly cleaned room in astonishment. Inside she began panicking. "Uh, I found it this way...?" No way he would buy that.
He glanced at her, clearly not buying it, and stepped further into the room. He came to stand by the throne, eyes fixed on the little flower. "What is this?"
She knotted up her fingers. She was definitely dead. "Well, I- uh- I thought the room was messy, so I cleaned it. Binkie made us keep thing clean back at the orphanage." Hopefully that would be enough of an explanation.
Much to her surprise, he let out a laugh, only adding to her uneasiness. "Binkie Muddlefoot might like it like this, but not me." With one swift movement, he knocked the flower off the table. It smashed to the ground, spilling dirt about. She frowned. "Look, I get that you've been trained to do whatever people tell you to, but can you tone it down on the obedience a bit?" He began rubbing the dirt into the carpet as he spoke.
She watched him confused. "So... you want me to obey you by not obeying you?"
He waddled over to one the broadcasting cameras. "I do whatever I want all day long. And now you can too, since you're the princess of St. Canard, I guess." She didn't know how much she like that title. "Take this camera, for instance." He pat the side of it. "It's probably worth a couple thousand dollars and brand new too." With a smirk, he shoved it over. It landed with a shattering sound, making Gos flinch. "And now it's broken because I felt like it. You better believe that's coming out of the taxpayer's pocket." He took her by the shoulders, nudging her forward. "Now you try it."
"But what if I get in trouble?"
"I'm the highest guy on the ladder of power, kid. You're not going to get in trouble."
Hesitantly, she moved towards one of the chairs. With a hard kick, she knocked it over. It tumbled with a simple thud. She stared at it, frowning.
"What did you think?"
"I didn't like it. I think I preferred stuff clean."
Patting her on the back, NegaDuck grinned. "Look at that! We disagree on something. I think destroying stuff is fun, and you, for some reason, think keeping things clean is fun. How does the freedom of your own choices feel?"
She looked at him, unsure. She did feel somewhat relieved. "I think I like it." She allowed herself a smile.
He nodded. "Now, don't going being too free, or else I'm going to put you in prison." NegaDuck gave a somewhat threatening giggle. She didn't quite agree, but she didn't know whether or not voicing that would be being too free. With one last pat on the back, he motioned for them to leave. "I'll destroy this room again later. Come with me, I wanna tell you about the task I've got for you."
Dread rose back up in her again at the mention of the task. She could only hope it would be quick so that she could leave this place as soon as possible.
...
Together, Gos and NegaDuck walked the streets of St. Canard. He had changed out his uniform Nd into casual clothes. Outside of his threatening mask and mysterious hat, Gos found it a disorienting sight. He looked older than she expected. It occurred to her that NegaDuck wasn't even his real name, just an alias he'd set up for himself. He said he didn't want to scare people as they went through town, at least not this time. She tried not to look up at him as they walked.
He picked up on her avoidance. "What?"
Her hands combed through her hair. "Nothing. It's just weird to see you not in uniform." Despite her best efforts, she still took a few glances at him.
As if reading her mind, he sighed. "You want to know my real name, don't you?"
She nodded.
"It's Jim."
"Really?"
"Nah, but that's just the name I use so people stop asking me. A very run of the mill name. It's short for Jimmy." She opened her mouth to comment but refrained.
They come up on a group of kids, crowded outside a window decorated in televisions. NegaDuck came to a stop, watching them. Gos stood on her tips toes to see what everyone was looking at. Her eyes widened. Darkwing Duck.
Her eyes moved from the screens to Jim, wondering what he would do. Knowing him, it wouldn't be past him to imprison all these kids, or maybe set fire to the tv store. But he simply stared, eyes narrowed.
As long as she was allowed, she watched the show. The vigilante fought off several enemies, earning a quiet cheer from the kids. They all knew just as well as Gos did that even mentioning Darkwing could get you arrested. Now she understood why NegaDuck hated purple.
On screen, the Darkwing actor slipped, knocking over the camera. His mask slipped some. He stumbled to his feet, waving a hand. "Keep rolling," he said to those behind the readjusted camera. Gos felt something familiar about the actor. She squinted at the television, trying to think. She gasped, turning to Jim. "Is that you!" she said, a little too loud. Some kids glanced back at her, but quickly returned back to the show.
Jim glared at her. "What? No, that's ridiculous. Why would I create the thing I hate most? That's just dumb."
"Why do you hate Darkwing so much, anyways?"
"Because he inspires hope. It's hard enough keeping a tight grip on this city without some stupid purple weirdo inspiring people to fight against evil. He's gonna put evil right out of the business!" Jim moved his hands angrily as he spoke. She looked up at him, confused. Giving up, he sighed. "Whatever. Why can't this show be as popular on the other side?" he mumbled.
"What's the other side?"
"Nothing. Back to your special task." He shook off the last conversation, regaining his composition. He gestured to the kids in front of them. "This is your task."
She glanced at the kids, wondering if he was pointing at the wrong thing. "What?"
"I need someone to tell me how the youth of St. Canard are behaving when my back is turned. I'm not exactly hip with the kids, but as an average kid yourself, you can let me in on all their secrets. For example, if they're watching Darkwing Duck..." He thumbed at the kids, looking to her expectantly.
"I tell you?"
"Exactly."
"How long am I doing this?" Gos wanted to move out of the tower as soon as possible.
"Forever. I adopted you."
She took a step back in surprise. "What?" She hoped her voice didn't come out too shaken.
"Yep. How does NegaDuck's daughter sound?" He winked at her as she struggled to keep her emotions about it under wraps. "Well, I guess you can't tell other kids that, because then they won't trust you, but you get the point." He turned his attention back to the kids watching the show. "Actually, thinking about it, the Darkwing broadcast should've been shut down by now. Wonder what's up."
Just as the words left his mouth, his phone started ringing. He answered. While he was distracted with his phone call, Gos bit down on her lip, caught in a small mess of panic. At this point, she had come to terms that no one would adopt her, let alone NegaDuck. Her life would never be the same again.
But as she always did with her feelings, she sucked it up, stuffed it deep down, and kept her mouth shut.
Jim hung up. "Looks like they've tried shutting off Darkwing, but they're having trouble with it. They think someone from an outside source is stopping them. To think, it's been years and we still have no clue who's even broadcasting these Darkwing episodes. I've got to go down to the severs and figure out what's up. Wanna come?"
Nodding, she went along like the good little girl she was. She put on her smile, not too bright and not too forced. Just average.
...
After he changed back into NegaDuck, he took Gos down to the server room. Launchpad was already there waiting for them.
Stepping inside, NegaDuck put his hands on his hips. "Alright, what's up?"
"I checked the security cameras. Looks like someone broke in here recently, but they did a pretty good job covering their tracks. The hacked the cameras, so there's only a small bit of footage with the person." Handing his leader the monitor tablet, Launchpad looked over NegaDuck's shoulder. Gos stood on her toes to see the recording.
The person was dressed in black to hide their identity. They were short and stubby and not at all graceful, tripping through the window. They moved towards the camera before it cut to static.
"Shouldn't be too hard to find this intruder. Search the area for any evidence." Snapping his fingers, NegaDuck motioned for Launchpad and Gos.
Gos found herself in a row of lights and boxes. She didn't know exactly what the machines did or what she was looking for, but onward she went. Slowly, she swept over the area, the puttering of he slippers keeping her company. The whirring of computer engines added as background to her thoughts. If she did find some sort of clue, would she give it to NegaDuck? What if her one clue unraveled into him catching whoever was broadcasting the Darkwing episodes? She wasn't sure she wanted Darkwing to go away. But those were her opinions getting to her, something she couldn't afford. Humming, she focused on the task at hand.
Her head turned all around, double checking if she missed anything. her humming changed to singing. "...Little girl blue, inside of you is a rainbow..." Down, at the end of the row, something caught her eye. She stopped singing.
Stepping closer, Gos took a better examination. A thin flash drive, plugged into one of the server boxes. Scribbled in black marker, it read T.M. She looked it over, taking it out of the server box. "Wonder what this is for..."
"So, Gosalyn." NegaDuck's voice yanked her from her investigation. She quickly slid the drive into her pocket before he could see. "Did you find anything suspicious?"
She shook her head. Did she just lie? To NegaDuck!? Thankfully, she was a master at hiding her emotions with years of practice.
Launchpad popped around the corner. "I just got a call that they were able to get Darkwing Duck off the TVs. I guess it was just a small bug."
"Huh. Problem worked itself out. Nice." NegaDuck ruffled Gos' hair, grinning.
Her thoughts went back to the drive. So, it was important then?
...
When they finally got back to the tower, Gos was ready to fall into bed and sleep the rest of the night away. They had taken a few stops on the way back for NegaDuck to threaten some jay walkers. Launchpad had split up with them to his own place.
They stepped into the lobby. Gos let out a yawn, turning to go to the elevator. She expected NegaDuck to follow, but instead he turned to go the other way. She stopped and turned to watch him go. Her beak turned to frown.
"Aren't you going to put me to bed?"
He glanced back at her. "Why would I do that?"
Rubbing her arm, she shrugged. "I don't know. It's just a thing that dads do."
"Oh." He stared at her a moment longer before turning back in his own direction. "Well, that sounds lame, so nah. Night, Gosalyn." He disappeared around the corner.
Once she was sure he was gone, she let out a disappointed sigh.
"Ha, he just left you hanging." Honker snickered from the front desk.
She couldn't stop herself from glaring at him. "What are you still doing here? Don't you have your own family?"
Honker shrugged from his spot. "Yeah, but they're all boring. It's much more fun to hang out here and watch you humiliate yourself." He jumped down to meet her. "Dad's one of NegaDuck's guard, my mom runs that dumb orphanage you were in, and my brother's a total egghead."
At the mention of his mom, a thought sprang into Gos' mind. "You're mom's Binkie Muddlefoot? And what did you say the rest of your family was called?"
"Herb is my dad and Tank is my brother." He narrowed his eyes. "Why are you so interested in my family anyways?"
"No reason." Tank Muddlefoot, she caught. T.M. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but it was all she had to go on.
Honker began circling her like a hungry wolf. "What? You think you can outrank my family in NegaDuck's army?"
She took steps back, shaking her head. "No, no-"
"You think just because he adopted you, you're some high and mighty princess? News flash, kid. You're not. He didn't even bother to see you off to bed. The Muddlefoots are second to no one except NegaDuck... and maybe Launchpad, but that's it, got it?" He got all in her face, forcing her to bend back.
She nodded. "Got it. If you don't mind, I'll be off to bed now." She maneuvered around him, heading off to the elevator.
He scoffed behind her. "Probably to go cry, little girl."
She shook her head, hiding a smirk. He had answered her question perfectly.
...
The next day, NegaDuck had several PSAs concerning a certain purple caped hero to give, so Gos had that part of the day to herself.
Drive clutched in hand and hidden from camera, she made her way down to the lobby. Thankfully, Honker wasn't there to tease her. Stepping behind the desk, she found several binders. Selecting one, she yanked it from its spot and plopped it down on the desk. Flipping through, she smiled. Information on everyone in St. Canard, such as phone number, heights, or, what she was most interested in, addresses. After digging through the M's, she finally picked out Muddlefoot. Digging around the desk, she found a pack of sticky notes and a pen. She quickly scrawled it down, then slipped it into her pocket, along with the drive. Now to find this Tank Muddlefoot.
After cleaning up after herself, she made her way to outside. The air was anything but fresh, but it still beat the stuffy indoors.
By now, she had the whole city layout practically memorized. Her whole life, save maybe when she was living with Bulba, she had traveled the city by foot. Not much time had past when she found the Muddlefoot's streets.
The girl waddled up to the front door and raised her fist to knock. She stopped herself before she did. If the Muddlefoots were anything like their son, they might not take too kindly to a stranger at the door. She could always play the "NegaDuck's daughter" card, but she wasn't comfortable with that title yet. Sneaking around back was probably her best option, though stealthiness, especially in a dress, wasn't her strong suit.
Walking the perimeter, she checked all the windows from a distances. It appeared no one was home. They were probably doing all their respective jobs. Breaking a widow would be hard to cover up, so that wasn't an option. Giving up, she decided to go around back.
The backyard was guarded by a fence made of spiked bars. She figured it was a little excessive, but she was the one who was breaking and entering. As long as her dress didn't get caught, she would be fine. With a jump, she hoisted herself up. Fortunately, none of the spikes caught on her dress. Unfortunately, her hoodie did.
Suspended in the air by her hoodie, she let out a startled yelp. In trying to free herself, she kicked at the air. She was making too much noise, she knew, but she had no other way of getting down. Footsteps from somewhere drifted to her ears. She struggled harder, and finally she heard a loud tear. The hood ripped, dropping her hard on the ground.
The back down in front of her flew open. "Who goes there!" A kid stood there, aiming a blow dryer at her. She sat up, throwing her hands in the air. His expression shifted from fear to confusion when he saw it was a kid, just like him.
"Hi," Gos said stupidly.
The kid composed himself, raising the blow dryer higher. "Don't even mess with me, or else I will... dry you so hard. Got it?"
She simply nodded. "Is this your house?"
"You try to rob us and you don't even know who lives here?"
"No, I'm not here to rob you. I'm looking for Tank Muddlefoot."
He changed his voice to be lower and grittier. "Who's asking?"
"I've got something important for him." She smirked. "It's you, isn't it?"
He lowered the blow dryer, sagging defeated. "Yeah, I'm Tank."
She got to her feet and looked the boy over. Despite just threatening her with a blow dryer, he seemed more tame than the rest of his family. Digging in her pocket, she secretly drew the drive out. She handed it to him in a covered manner. "This wouldn't happen to be yours, would it?"
His eyes widened at the object, snatching it up before she could stop him. He readjusted his glasses, looking it over. "Where did you get this?"
"Is it yours?"
"Yes, but no one's supposed to know that." He glanced around before turning back to the door. "Come inside. My family won't be back for a while, so we should have time to talk."
She followed, finding his house only slightly less messy as NegaDuck's throne room had been. He led her upstairs to his own room, the only tidy room in the whole house. He shut the door behind her and closed the blinds.
"Let me ask you again. Where did you find this?" He looked into her eyes very seriously.
"Uh, it was plugged into one of the servers at the edge of town."
"How did you know it was mine?"
"Because you wrote your initials on it."
He began pacing. "Maybe that was a bad idea." He shook himself of his thoughts. "Who are you?"
"I'm Gosalyn, but my friends call me Gos." If she had friends, they would.
"Well, Gos, I'm afraid you've gotten yourself into some very messy drama. If you want to live, you can walk away and pretend you never met me and you know nothing about this. OR, I can tell you what's really going on, and you run the risk of execution if Lord NegaDuck ever catches you. Make your choice now."
She bit her lip, unsure. If she did learn whatever dark secret he was about to tell her, that would yank her from her average citizen facade. She would land herself in the fate that Bulba and her grandfather had ended up in. But then again, that average persona she had built for herself had shattered two days ago, when NegaDuck had adopted her. So her choice wasn't whether or not to remain on the sidelines, but whether or not she would work with or against NegaDuck.
"I..."
"My secret isn't for the faint of heart, and I totally understand if you want to leave. You've gotten yourself this deep, but you don't have to go any further."
"No, I want to know," she blurted. Deep down, she wanted to regret the choice with all her might. All she had to do to get by was stay on NegaDuck's good side. Why wasn't she doing that?
"Alright. There's no going back." He put his hands out in front of him dramatically. "I... am the one who's been broadcasting the Darkwing Duck show!" He raised the flash drive. "Thanks for returning this to me. I knew I'd lost it but I didn't know where."
"You're the one who's been putting on Darkwing? But- You- Your family-" She stared at him in disbelief.
Tank took a spot on his bed. "When it comes to NegaDuck's leadership, my family kind of said, 'if you can't beat them, join them.' But not me. One day, I'm gonna put a stop to his evil tyranny, and St. Canard will be free." He looked up determinedly.
She wanted that more than anything in the world, but even in his presence, her body wouldn't allow her to show it. "do you think that's possible?"
"If I didn't, I wouldn't be risking my life to inspire people. They just needed a figure to look up to, so I gave them Darkwing."
She frowned, not quite getting it. "Where do you get the Darkwing episodes anyways?"
He shrugged. "I'm not really sure. It's on some weird radio frequency, but I haven't exactly tracked down the source. I'm just the messenger."
"Huh." Gos put her hand to her beak, thinking it over.
"How did you get to the servers, by the way?" Tank listed his head curiously.
She frowned, uncertain how much she wanted to tell him. "I was there with NegaDuck. He, uh, adopted me." Telling him everything worked, she guessed. She covered it up with an awkward smile.
He sat up, taking some steps backs. "You're not working for him, are you?"
"Undecided."
He nudged her towards the door. "I can't have undecided people knowing this sort of stuff. I'm sorry, Gos, but-"
"Wait!" She was few inches from the door when she resisted his shove. "I can be like an inside man? You want any information?"
"Not anything from you. What if it's a lie?"
"NegaDuck doesn't even know I'm here! I mostly on your side!" She ducked around him, running back into the room. "Like... his real fake name is Jim?" Not her greatest example.
"I don't even know what that means." He crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow.
"He keeps some secret stuff in the basement?" She now realize how little NegaDuck had actually told her.
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Fine then. Prove it." Stepping up to her, Tank smirked. "Tonight, you and I will break into Jim's basement to see whether or not you're lying."
She poked her index fingers together, uncertain. "Oh, tonight? Don't you think that's a little soon?"
"Unless you're lying to me, nope." He nudged his glasses keenly. "And if you set up some sort of trap, when they catch me, I'll tell NegaDuck that you were considering betraying him too. So neither of us can turn on the other." Stinking up his beak proudly, he eyed her. "So. What do you say?"
Gos gave in. "Alright."
...
With the night sky hanging over St. Canard, Gos knew it would be time to meet Tank at the front door soon. She paced her room, thinking a plan over. Would she need anything? She'd never done anything this crazy in her entire life. Maybe she should bail. Tank would probably be mad, but at least she would be safe.
She looked to a clock she had hanging over her bedroom door. It was just past ten. He'd be waiting for her soon.
A knock on her door stopped her thoughts. She hurried to open it.
"Hey, kid." NegaDuck smiled down at her.
"Hi, NegaDuck. Can I help you with anything?"
"Well, I thought about what you said last night, and so I figured I'd put you to bed tonight." He fully stepped into her room.
She smiled, but inside she wished he hadn't picked right now. "That's great, but it's totally okay if you don't." Her eyes moved from him to the door, longing to go.
"Don't worry, this isn't going to be a regular thing. Only on holidays or something." He sat down on the bed and pat the spot next to him.
Figuring she could get this over with quickly if she just went along, she climbed into bed, tucking herself under the blanket.
NegaDuck frowned, thinking it over. "Let's see... How do these things go?"
"Well, you can tell me story or sing me a song..." She clutched the blanket tighter. "Short ones, of course." Her eyes landing on the ticking clock.
"Um, okay... Once upon a time there was a little girl who went to sleep. The end." He raised an eyebrow at her. "How was that?"
"Great! Couldn't have told it any better!" Eager to get out, she smiled. "I guess I should get some sleep now." She shrunk farther under the covers.
Accepting that that was enough, he got up and walked to the door. "Well, that was boring, but if that's what you wanted. Night, Gos. Like you."
"'Like you?'"
"Yeah. I don't love anyone. But you're alright, so I like you, I guess." Flicking off the light switch, he left.
She frowned, eyes readjusting to the dark. She couldn't leave right now, or else she would run into NegaDuck. With a sigh, she accepted she would have to wait some.
After five minutes had went by, as told by the clock, Gos wondered whether or not it was safe. Hesitantly, she pulled herself out of the blankets and inched towards the door. Creaking it open, she peeked through. Once she was sure the hall was clear, she allowed the door fully open. Shutting the door behind her, she snuck across to the elevator.
Down she went until she reached the lobby. Once again, not one of NegaDuck's guard stood watch on the floor. Camera's stared down at her from above, making her jump. Had the operation already been blown apart?
After staring at them longer, she noticed they had been turned off. How? We're the ones in the front off too? Hesitantly, she stepped to the front door and opened it.
Tank stood there, grinning, a backpack strapped to his back. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it," he said as he entered.
"How'd you get past the cameras?" Her tone was hushed, lest she summon one by speaking too loud.
"Trade secret." With a smirk, he tapped his beak. Giving up the mysterious tone, he added, "I just hacked them."
She led him to the elevator. They stood there for a while, as Gos hesitated to press the basement button.
"What are you doing?"
"Disobeying NegaDuck is illegal," she said. She frowned at the button, as if that would will it to not be illegal.
"I asked you if you wanted to back out earlier. It's too late now." His hand moved past hers and he pressed the button. The doors shut on them.
Down they went, Gos rocking on her heels.
"There's an eclipse tomorrow night." Tank readjusted the collar of his shirt. "Maybe if we're still alive then, we could watch it together."
"That'd be nice."
The elevator halted and the doors parted. Gos stepped ahead of Tank, the two taking in their new surroundings.
The space was too dark to see much, and the ground was made of cold concrete. Gos shivered, stepping through the dark.
"I can't even see anything," she whispered.
"Hang on, I think I've got a flashlight." She could hear him shuffling through his bag.
Something brushed against Gos' shoulder, making her release a scream.
"What? What is it?"
"I think I touched something, and it's too dark to see what it is so it's terrifying!" she said in a dramatic cry.
"Here, I can help," a third voice said. The kids froze.
A red light appeared before them, and controlling it, a tall woman.
The kids let out a scream, tripping over each other to get away.
"Wait! I'm not going to hurt you!" The woman tried to calm them down, unsuccessfully.
"That sounds like something someone who would hurt us would say!" Tank shouted, glaring at her.
She put her hands on her hips, sighing. "Let's start over. Hi, I'm Morgana."
Gos and Tank stopped screaming long enough to look at her suspiciously. Climbing to her feet, Gos decided they weren't going to get anywhere being scared.
"Hi, I'm Gosalyn."
Morgana smiled. "What a pretty name! And you are?"
"Tank," he said, fixing his glasses.
"Well, Tank and Gosalyn, it's nice to meet you." Morgana clapped her hands and the room lit up with small red fires hung on torches. It was still as bare as ever, but it was reassuring to know it wasn't just infinite darkness.
Dusting off her dress, Gos looked around in awe. "What is this place?"
"Welcome to my humble abode!" Morgana waved her hand it as if it were some beautiful mansion to be admired.
"NegaDuck keeps a lady in his basement?" Tank exchanged and glance with Gos.
"You know Neggy too? What a small world we live in!" Smiling, Morgana clasped her hands together. "Also, I'm not just any lady. I'm a magic lady."
They eyed her curiously.
"No, for real, look." She twiddled her fingers, red sparks of magic jumping between.
"Why does NegaDuck keep you down here?" Tank asked, probably eager to get to the point.
"Because, my short friend, I can see the future!" Throwing in some jazz hands, she struck a pose. "Sort of. A little bit. I usually can't get specifics, but I can get a very vague sense of the future."
Tank didn't seem convinced. "That's called just being a person who understands cause and effect."
"No, I'll prove it." Hands on her hips, she smirked. "You may each ask me one question, and I'll answer it for you."
"Just give us a moment to think about it." Gos pulled Tank off to the side to discuss.
"Okie dokie," Morgana said.
"Alright, we've got two questions total we should ask," Gos started.
"How do we even know she can really see the future? She's given us no proof." Tank frowned.
"How about I ask her an easy one, and then if it happens, then she's telling the truth. Then you can use your question for something we actually want to know."
"Good plan," he said with a nod.
Gos turned to Morgana. "Alright, we're ready."
"Ask away," Morgana said.
"What's going to happen then seconds from now?" Gos smirked, proud of her question.
"Tank's going to ask me a question after I answer this one."
Tank rolled his eyes as Gos frowned. "I probably should've picked a better question. Alright Tank, you go ahead."
Still unsure, Tank sighed. "How do we defeat NegaDuck?"
"Oh, that's a tricky one." Morgana paced, tapping a finger to her beak. Her eyes glowed red with magic as she thought.
"See? Magic," Gos whispered to Tank.
"Alright, I think I've got something..." Morgana's feet came to a halt. "Four kids, like you guys. Um, they've got titles... Broken, Murderer, Deceitful, and Coward." Her eyes shifted back to normal. "And that's all I've got."
"What? That didn't tell us anything!" Tank protested.
Morgana shrugged. "I told you, I only get little bits."
Tank sagged back towards the elevator. "Well, this was a waste of time."
"Wait," Morgana called after him. "You guys will come back to visit, right? It's gets really lonely down here, and NegaDuck only comes down if he wants something."
Gos gave Morgana a friendly smile. "Of course!" She skipped after Tank.
Once they were in the elevator, Tank pressed the button back to the main floor. "Why'd you say yes? Do you know how risky that is?" The doors shut, and it moved upwards.
"But she's lonely and lives in NegaDuck's basement!"
"Well, you better be prepared for that risk, because things will never be the same again. Our aim is to get rid of NegaDuck, but it's gonna be hard."
Gos frowned, doubt getting to her. She tried to shake it off, shoving it down with all those other feelings. And with the doubt gone, she felt a little braver.
"Then bring it on."
End of season 1!