Chapter Text
He’s sitting in the lab with Fenton, discussing the ins and outs of the PK car when he gets Darkwing’s text.
[iamthenight: Fenton I know you’re literally a room over, but can you turn the television down?]
“Hey, Fenton?” he calls, and the younger duck turns away from the whiteboard in front of him. His equations are forgotten in favor of Donald’s next question, “Did you get Darkwing’s text?”
Fenton takes out his phone and frowns at it in confusion. Donald has a bad feeling about this.
[alienpuncher: ???]
[BlatheringBlatherskite: ???]
He snorts at their similar messages and Fenton gives him a sheepish grin before he goes back to typing.
[BlatheringBlatherskite: I’m at the lab??]
There’s a moment where Darkwing doesn’t respond and Donald can almost feel the doubt radiating from the other side of the phone. Drake probably thinks they’re messing with him. Donald begins typing out Fenton’s alibi.
[alienpuncher: He’s sitting right next to me???]
But if Fenton is here…then who’s with Drake?
“You don’t think…” Fenton starts, he’s cut off as their phones buzz simultaneously.
[iamthenight: WELL THAT’S NOT A GOOD SIGN]
“Get to the car.” Donald rushes out and while Fenton summons his suit, he bolts towards the elevator. It’s fortunate he drove it to the bin or they might have lost precious minutes.
He taps his foot impatiently while the elevator ascends to the garage, the monotone music above him does nothing to calm his nerves. The moment the doors open he dives out and hustles over to his red car.
He starts it and pushes the button that will turn it into a plane. The wheels retract, and wings fan out from hidden compartments. Soon it’s hovering over the gravel, ready to fly.
Gizmoduck comes out of the stairwell and hops on top, grabbing onto the back of Donald’s seat. His white suit is splayed over the right side of the car and at Gizmo’s order, a hook shoots out to wrap around the car, effectively attaching himself to it.
“Ready?” Gizmo nods and Donald takes off.
“This is so cool!” He hears over the roar of the wind. Donald laughs at the pure joy in his friend’s voice. Gizmo has to tuck his head next to Donald’s, so the windshield protects them both from the worst of the wind’s sharp, whipping movements.
It’s been so long since he last gripped the wheel in his hands - off to battle a threat greater than anyone could handle alone. But he’s never been alone, has he? He may not have Uno, but – he glances over at Gizmo – he’ll have allies in Fenton and Drake and Launchpad and G - oh crap, Gosalyn.
Donald takes his phone out.
[Donald: I’m going out with Drake tonight, can Gosalyn stay over with the kids?]
That’s a good cover story, right? Beakley knows about Drake from when he and Gosalyn came over after the Beagle Boys and the Magica Incident. He hopes Beakley agrees to it.
[Beakley: I suppose]
Donald sighs in relief and shares a smile with Fenton who was watching the whole thing.
[Donald: Thanks Mrs. B]
[Donald: I owe you one]
Donald grins, happy to know Gos will be safe, and Fenton whoops as he urges the car to go faster, the land beneath them blurring into a smear of different colors. He should do this more often.
Eventually, they get close enough to see St. Canard appear on the horizon.
[alienpuncher: We’re almost there, what’s your status?]
The rush of adrenalin dies as he sinks back into his hero persona. The time for fun is over, it’s time to get down to business.
[iamthenight: I’m chasing NegaFenton with LP and Gos, we’re heading towards the warehouse on 51st street and SHUSH is standing by]
Donald pulls up the map on the GPS and directs the plane towards it before he responds.
[alienpuncher: I’m putting Gos in the car to go to the Mansion the second I reach you. I’ve already taken care of our cover story.]
[iamthenight: Thanks.]
He gets a text from an unknown number and updates Darkwing on his own agency’s movements.
[alienpuncher: You-know-what is also on standby.]
If the heroes go down, then it will be up to SHUSH and the Agency to stop the Negas. The two secret organizations are a last resort, and they’re not taking any chances.
Gizmo spots the warehouse before Donald does.
[BlatheringBlatherskite: We’re here!]
[iamthenight: Our Negaselves are the only ones I see. Gos is by me, so put her in the car and we’ll get the drop on them.]
Donald steers over to where he sees a familiar purple shadow that he might not have noticed if not for the bright red hair of his companions.
[alienpuncher: Four on four? No fearsome five?]
Dare he hope it turns out to be that simple?
[iamthenight: Correct.]
Donald lands the car a few feet away, before sending one last text.
[alienpuncher: Then let’s get dangerous.]
He hears Drake’s outraged cry before he gets the mallard’s response.
[iamthenight: GET YOUR OWN CATCHPHRASE]
He smirks at his friend and hops out of the car while Gizmo unhooks himself.
“Uncle Donald?” Gosalyn runs up to him, surprised to see plain old Donald Duck show up to a fight with Negaduck.
“Hey, Gos!” He picks her up and puts her in the driver’s seat of the car, “You’re going to hang out with the boys and Webby while we take care of this.”
She protests, “What? But I want to help! What if you need someone to whack them on the head?”
Donald pulls his suit and shield out of the trunk. He slides them on and tosses his hat and uniform inside before shutting it again.
“I’m sure we’ll manage.” He comes back around to look at her.
She gasps at his outfit and the mask that’s still in his hands, “You’re the Avenger?”
He puts a finger to his bill, “The boys don’t know so please don’t say anything.”
She furrows her brow in indignation, “Hey! I’ve kept Dad’s secret this long, haven’t I?”
“You drive a hard bargain, Gos. I’ll bite.” He ruffles her hair.
“We’ll call Mrs. Beakley once everything’s been settled.” Darkwing hugs her.
“Be safe dad.” She mumbles into his shoulder
“You too.” He mumbles back, resting his head on top of hers for a second before pulling away.
Donald puts in the address of the mansion and all four ducks wave her off as the car takes to the sky.
“What’s the plan, DW?” Launchpad asks as Donald ties his mask on for the first time in years.
“Stay together and try not to let them split us up. This is our turf, so they don’t have backup or the advantage of knowing the city’s streets. Negaduck can’t beat me in a fair fight, so expect them to play dirty.” Darkwing takes charge. The other three ducks huddle around him.
“I’ll go in first and then you three follow to get the drop on them. Okay?” he finishes.
“Got it!” Launchpad enthuses
“That’s our plan? We go in guns blazing?” Donald questions. Then he thinks about it, and shrugs, “Eh, it’s worked for me before.”
“Really?” Fenton asks, shocked.
“Never underestimate the power of YOLO.” Donald advises, “Most of your enemies aren’t expecting it so it catches them off guard.”
At Gizmo’s incredulous look, he adds, “That, and it never hurts to be good at improvising on the fly.”
“Alright, everyone ready?” Darkwing interjects and at the other three’s nods, he vanishes in a cloud of smoke.
“I am the terror that flaps in the night…”
Launchpad cracks his knuckles, Donald does the same with his neck, Gizmo’s suit whirrs, and at the sounds of a roaring chainsaw, they leap into battle.
Donald’s foot collides with Negaduck’s face and his shield fires at someone who looks like Launchpad. He sees Gizmoduck collide with a slightly larger mechanical suit and Launchpad swings at a duck that looks like Donald.
It doesn’t take a genius to realize who’s who. NegaGizmo’s suit is all sharp edges and a blue logo screams out against the pitch black of the rest of the metal. NegaFenton’s bill twists in a snarl that’s made far more menacing with the multitude of small scars on it. Negaduck looks exactly like Darkwing, with a loud yellow and black color scheme rather than a soft purple and black. His jagged teeth grit in rage at Donald’s attack. NegaLauchpad yells in response to Launchpad’s war cry and his braided hair whips around as he whirls on the sidekick. He looks like he’s part of a biker gang with his low-cut hair, scruffy bill, sleeveless jean jacket, and ripped shirt.
Donald dodges a mechanical fist and follows it back to the sinister looking shield on his counterpart’s arm. NegaDonald’s eyes are lit with a dangerous glint and his suit is uncomfortably similar to Donald’s. NegaDonald doesn’t bother with a mask, preferring to show off his scarred face for all to see. The most prominent scar on his face is right over his left eye which is burning a hot blue.
“Hello, Donald.” His counterpart grins wickedly before throwing himself at the Avenger. They trade blows, a block (and a swear and a grunt) followed by a kick (and a punch and a laugh). NegaDonald is ruthless is his assault but Donald is a wily duck with just as much experience. They’re locked in a stalemate.
A stray shot from NegaGizmo grazes his head feathers and Donald turns just in time to see the two Gizmosuits rocket out of the warehouse with a shattering of the already broken glass windows. Fenton shouts and struggles against his larger counterpart. Donald spins around his opponent and fires a hook from his shield that wraps around Gizmo’s wheel. He starts to regret his decision when he’s pulled after them.
NegaDonald grabs him before he can get far, and he’s stuck fending the other duck off at an alarmingly fast-growing height. He yelps when NegaDonald digs his nails into whatever flesh he can find. Donald retaliates by elbowing him hard.
The sound of a saw interrupts the fight and the line abruptly goes slack. Donald blinks at the severed rope.
“Avenger!” Gizmo cries as the two Donald’s start plummeting towards the very hard ground below.
The two wrestle as they fall and a lucky shot dazes NegaDonald long enough for Donald to activate the propulsion system on his shield. Their descent slows, but NegaDonald recovers quickly and starts grappling with him again. They crash into a boat and he bounce off of its hull to land on the hard dock next to it.
For a few seconds, Donald sees stars. He groans and hauls himself back up, stumbling the whole way and nearly crashing back to the ground a couple times. He blinks away the black spots in his vision and looks around for his opponent.
“Donald?” He hears behind him and he doesn’t even think to lift his shield because he knows that voice. He trusts that voice, even though it makes no sense for him to be hearing it, and he pays for his split second of gullibility. “U-”
His body jolts and he sees green before his body registers anything else. “-no?”
He feels pain start to creep out from a spot in his side. He smells metal and sea salt. He follows the metal blade in his side up to see a familiar face with cold, green eyes. He hears a little, wounded noise from somewhere (someone, he realizes) when his assailant cruelly twists his weapon. He tastes bitter regret and swallows it down.
He fires the gun in his shield and the android in front of him is locked in place by his paralyzer.
“One!” NegaDonald yells and the Nega uses his shield to cut the android off of the weapon lodged in Donald’s side. He gasps and his vision blurs from the jolt of it.
He sinks to his knees with a pained whine and sees the two Negas make off into the night. The weapon props him up painfully, the metal preventing him from falling forward to completely face plant on the cold cement.
Pain overwhelms him, and he blinks back tears with gasping breaths. He doesn’t hear his shield clatter to the floor.
He does hear it start talking, “7:18 p.m.”
Donald pants and strains to listen to the foreign noise. Anything is better than focusing on the agony in his abdomen.
“iamthenight said, ‘Negaduck and NegaLP are down. Is everyone alright?’
iamthenight said, ‘I hate that they managed to split us up. Remember the rendezvous.’”
Donald is confused, too blinded by pain, to think before he remembers the text-to-voice feature he discovered two weeks ago when he was looking back through the Shield’s manual. It must have been damaged in the fall and turned itself on.
“7:21 p.m.”the emotionless voice continues.
“BlatheringBlatherskite said, ‘NegaGizmo is down. We ended up at a junkyard.’
professionalcrasher said, ‘What happened?’
iamthenight said, ‘Are you okay?’
BlatheringBlatherskite said, ‘Long story short we got into a “magnetic” fight and I resisted the “pull” better than he did. I’ve just got some bruises, but I’m out of a suit. How about you guys?’”
He can’t help the hysterical chuckle at his friend’s unusually monotone speech pattern. They’re all so lively that it’s absurd how boring the Shield is making them sound.
“professionalcrasher said, ‘D.W. got nicked by Negaduck’s chainsaw and I took some hits from a bat with nails but we’re in one piece.’
BlatheringBlatherskite said, ‘That sounds awful, are you sure you’re alright?’
iamthenight said, ‘We might need stitches.’
professionalcrasher said, ‘D.W. needs stitches.’
iamthenight said, ‘LAUNCHPAD’
professionalcrasher said, ‘Sorry but you’re bleeding a lot.’
iamthenight said, ‘Forget it, has anyone heard from Donald?’”
Donald coughs and regrets it as it jostles his wound. How is going to explain this to them?
“BlatheringBlatherskite said, ‘No, I’m going to go look for him.’
iamthenight said, ‘They were headed towards the docks when I last saw them.’
BlatheringBlatherskite said, ‘Got it.’
“Shield,” He weakly commands, “text the group chat what I say.”
“Order confirmed.” It responds
He can’t think of anything at first. He settles for a “Sorry guys.”
“BlatheringBlatherskite says, ‘Why? What happened?’
professionalcrasher says, ‘Donald?’
iamthenight says, ‘DON’T YOU DARE’”
Donald huffs, they’re responding a lot faster than he can keep up with, “They got me”
“BlatheringBlatherskite says, ‘There was more than one?!’”
“They ran off,” Donald confesses, “but I don’t know where.”
“iamthenight says, ‘FENTON HURRY UP’
BlatheringBlatherskite says, ‘I’M GOING AS FAST AS I CAN’
iamthenight says, ‘RUN’
BlatheringBlatherskite says, ‘YOU TRY RUNNING WITH A BROKEN ARM AND LEG’”
Donald winces in sympathy at that.
“iamthenight says, ‘I THOUGHT YOU JUST HAD BRUISES’
BlatheringBlatherskite says, ‘I LIED’
iamthenight says, ‘QUIT TEXTING AND FOCUS’
professionalcrasher says, ‘Fenton it’s all you dude, DW needs to lie still but he won’t quit panicking!’”
Oh Drake…if Donald dies here it will haunt the poor mallard for a long time. He’s spent so long getting to know the other hero and he’s found a good friend in him. From helping him navigate fatherhood to having someone to play chess with when he has bad days…
It’s not just Drake he’s grown close to.
He’s been hanging out with Fenton more, teaching him the ropes and sparring with him led to regular meetups. The younger hero is excitable and kind, he’ll be a hero everyone will adore. Donald always looked forward to their meetups. Where Drake is calm and acts like a rock for Donald, Fenton energizes and excites him with his personality alone.
Then there’s Launchpad. Just as kind as Fenton and constantly reassuring Donald that his boys are alright when they go on adventures. If it hadn’t been for him, he may not have ever reconnected with Uncle Scrooge.
“I love you guys.” He says, the blood loss loosening his tongue.
“professionalcrasher says, ‘Donald hang in there! Talk to me! What happened?’”
What happened?
“I fell for the oldest trick in the book.” He sighs. How could he have fallen for it? He’s had multiple enemies try to get the drop on him by masquerading as a friend. Heck, he’s even pulled the same trick on others.
…But none of them had ever tried Uno.
He doesn’t want to think about that.
“I’m using the shield’s voice command to text you guys and it keeps reading out your texts in a funny way.” He says instead.
“professionalcrasher says, ‘Keep talking, tell us what happened!’
“He had a friend with him and for a second I thought…” He trails off, his eyes misting over and losing focus. He’s tired.
“professionalcrasher says, ‘Donald?!’
“I got stabbed.” he realizes, somehow forgetting that very important fact.
“professionalcrasher says, ‘Where?’”
“Stomach.” He starts to drift again, and he can feel something swallowing him, some kind of finality he’s never experienced before. Somehow, he knows that Death has come for him, “Can you tell my boys I love them?”
He doesn’t hear their responses.
At 7:36:24 p.m. SHUSH ambulances arrive.
At 7:37:02 p.m. the Duck Avenger dies.
At 7:37:68 p.m. Fenton finally makes it to the docks, just in time to see Donald’s body before the paramedics swarm him.
At 7:39:46 p.m. A heart starts beating again