The Master of Sorrow
Chapter Four
“As you can see, there have been many changes and SHUSH has adopted many innovations within the past fifteen years.”
J. Gander was concluding his tour of the new SHUSH with Jacob and they came to the final stop: the SHUSH lab. The Director scanned his badge and entered a code on the security pad, which was followed by an approving beep. The metal door unlocked and they stepped inside.
“As I recall, when you were not out in the field you preferred to spend much of your time here in the lab,” J. Gander pointed out.
Jacob’s eyes scanned over the inside of the lab in silent awe. J. Gander was right. In his younger years, Jacob had considered himself quite the scientist, and had an expert hand in chemical engineering. When cases were scarce, he passed his time with SHUSH’s lead scientists in the lab, concocting experiments and bouncing ideas off one another.
Now, as he took in all of the changes that had taken place in his absence, he couldn’t wait to get his hands on what the lab now had to offer.
“I take it Dr. Medulla is no longer around?” Jacob asked curiously.
“No, I’m afraid not,” J. Gander said with a shake of his head. “He retired six years ago. Fortunately, we have his very capable student to--oh, look out!”
Jacob turned his head just in time to see an arrow tearing through the air at him. His eyes went wide and he instinctively ducked not a second too soon. The arrow pierced the wall behind him rather than his head. When Jacob stood back up, he stared at his old friend questionably.
“What was that??”
“As I was saying,” J. Gander continued, calm as if nothing had just happened. He motioned for Jacob to follow. “We have a very competent and capable scientist filling his shoes.”
“Ah, Director Hooter!” came a boisterous woman’s voice. They approached the female scientist with black hair, large glasses, and wearing a long white lab coat. In her hands was a seemingly harmless stuffed panda bear. “I’ve just finished the modifications!” she exclaimed as she pressed a button on the back of the bear. The tip of an arrow then protruded from it’s belly. “The last model that shot bullets kept getting jammed. Then I found the solution! Arrows never jam! Ah ha!”
“Jacob, this is Dr. Sarah Bellum, the head of research and scientific development here at SHUSH. Dr. Bellum, this is Agent Jacob Mallard. He is a senior SHUSH agent, and a dear friend of mine.”
Dr. Bellum’s eyes widened and she dropped the bear in her hands so she could reach out and excitedly shake one of Jacob’s hands. “Oh, the notorious Jacob Mallard! I’ve heard many stories about you from Dr. Medulla, and I must say it is a real pleasure!”
Jacob finally managed to pry his hand free and smiled with a light, somewhat uneasy chuckle. This lady seemed a bit…unstable. ”Ah, yes. The pleasure is mine, Dr. Bellum. I was just admiring your lab and what it has to offer. I would enjoy a tour of the current projects on which you are working.”
Her face lit up and she clapped her hands together. “Oh, right this way!” She waved for him to follow her towards a long table that took up half of one of the walls. On it were pieces of equipment, tools, gadgets, and blueprints. “As you know, there are always several projects on the table, but there are few that I am working on which may be Nobel Prize-worthy upon successful completion. Such as this!”
Dr. Bellum picked up a small, cylinder shaped device that resembled a complicated flashlight, complete with a hard plastic lens on the end and buttons along its surface. She handed it to Jacob, who looked it over curiously. “I call it the Transporter! Once it operates successfully, it will have the ability to merge space and open portals to other dimensions. Perhaps you‘d be willing to lend your own critical eye?”
Jacob raised a brow skeptical brow at her. “Is that so?” Already an idea was beginning to form in his mind. “Well, Dr. Bellum, seeing as how I have officially returned to SHUSH, I would be delighted in assisting you with this project of yours.”
“Oh, wonderful!” Dr. Bellum exclaimed excitedly. They were then interrupted by the beeping sound of a watch alarm. Dr. Bellum looked down at her watch. “If you gentlemen will excuse me, I have a meeting with the evidence technician. I will be in touch Agent Mallard!”
Jacob looked down at J. Gander questionably after the doctor made her exit. “A bit eccentric, isn’t she?”
“Perhaps a bit, but she is genius, Jacob. And enthralled to be working with you. I’m confident that the two of you will make some impressive breakthroughs.”
It was then that something else caught Jacob’s attention. On a platform across the lab was a very distinctive motorcycle painted in striking shades of purple. He recognized that motorcycle, and he suddenly felt a knot in the pit of his stomach. But he decided to play ignorant for the moment.
“And what is that monstrosity?” he asked and motioned to the Ratcatcher.
J. Gander followed his gaze, then turned back to him. His eyes suddenly seemed gentler and held concern. “That is the motorbike of Darkwing Duck. Saint Canard’s vigilante and frequent commission of SHUSH. The lab just completed upgrades to its arsenal.” He paused for a moment and studied the agent’s face, regarding him silently before asking in a quiet tone, “Jacob, you do know about him, correct?”
“Hmm,” was all Jacob grunted in reply, his eyes not moving from the Ratcatcher. J. Gander slowly nodded his head once, knowing that Jacob was aware of his son being Darkwing Duck. He could sense the uneasiness in his friend and see the conflict through his stoic exterior.
“Have you seen him yet?” J. Gander asked cautiously. When he got no response, he assumed the answer was a ‘no.’ “He is a good lad, Jacob. Very talented, and far too able for the ranks of SHUSH. He reminds me quite a bit of you. I‘m sure he would like to know of your return.”
Jacob then scoffed. “Well, John, that is debatable.”
Despite is aloofness, Jacob was curious about the mallard his son had become in his absence. Was he really a lot like him? Did he ever find out what had happened to him? Would he be relieved to find that he was still alive?
Then his thoughts were interrupted by a voice, but not J. Ganders. It seemed to echo around them.
“I am the terror that flaps in the night!” A cloud of blue smoke appeared in the opened doorway, and gradually faded to reveal the purple caped crimefighter. “I am the hangnail on the trigger-finger of crime! I am--!”
“Ah, Darkwing Duck. Impeccable timing, as always,” J. Gander cut him off.
Darkwing was a bit perturbed, having not been able to finish his entrance, but it was quickly dismissed. He had not yet noticed Jacob, who had turned his back toward the hero the second he’d heard his voice. Jacob pretended to be occupied with one of the machines in the lab.
“Well, J. Gander, I trust the Ratcatcher is upgraded and ready for action?” Darkwing asked as he sauntered to where his trusted motorcycle waited.
“Indeed, Darkwing. I’m confident that you will find the updates most useful.” J. Gander looked in Jacob’s direction, who had not yet made his presence known. This disappointed him. J. Gander was used to seeing his friend as a fearless, strong-willed individual, and it was unsettling to see this behavior from him now.
Fortunately, Darkwing noticed the agent’s presence on his own. From the back, he mistakenly presumed that Jacob was someone else.
“Chief Agent Mallard! Just the duck I wanted to see!”
Jacob blinked, and couldn’t stop himself from turning around. He leaned heavily on his cane, needing the support then more than ever as he stared into the eyes of his son. His expression was blank, not betraying the whirlwind of emotions inside of him.
Darkwing had to look twice to notice the subtle differences that separated Jacob from the Chief Agent. And when it hit him, his jaw fell open, and pure shock overcame him. He had always believed that his father was dead. That he had died on a dangerous SHUSH mission in a brave act of heroism fifteen years ago. He never considered the possibility that his father was still alive, believing that if lived that he would come back to his family and spare them the turmoil that had suffered since. But now, seeing him standing in front of him, all of his beliefs, everything he had thought of his father, were proven false. And he suddenly felt the shock begin to melt away into anger.
“You….?” Darkwing finally managed to speak. His eyes narrowed spitefully at Jacob, who stared calmly back.
J. Gander uneasily cleared his throat to interrupt the silence. “I will leave you two gentlemen to your much-needed conversation.” He passed Jacob a sympathetic glance before leaving the lab.
The silence remained for several seconds even after J. Gander left. It was Darkwing who spoke first, his arms folded over his chest and a stand-offish scowl on his face. “So, back from an extended vacation, are you?”
“Don’t make assumptions with only a portion of the information, boy,” Jacob warned in a stern tone. “You cannot even begin to image where I have been and what I have seen, so you’d do well to bite your tongue.”
“Well then, enlighten me,” Darkwing sneered coldly. “Do tell! Because you obviously weren’t dead, as we were all led to believe. Wherever you were, it must have been more important to being here.”
Jacob squared his shoulders defensively and clenched his jaw. He had faced many attacks in his lifetime, but none made him more nervous that the one facing him now. “I can see why you would think that,” he answered, keeping his voice strong. He wanted Darkwing to understand. To know the truth, but not the entire truth. “Something happened fifteen years ago, and it prevented me from returning at that time--”
“Were you a prisoner?” Darkwing cut him off in a condescending tone.
The older mallard narrowed his eyes. “No. Not physically, at least.”
“So no one was stopping you from coming back,” Darkwing snapped accusingly.
At that moment, Jake had been walking down the hallway and happened to pass by the opened door of the lab. When he passed, he stopped and did a double take when the familiar voices reached his ears. It was then he spotted Darkwing and Jacob having a rather heated conversation. With a crafty expression, he slid just out of sight and listened.
“Did you even stop to think about what was happening while you were gone??” Darkwing snarled. His voice was amplified by anger and confusion. But most of all, there was hurt. “Did you ever consider that we might have needed you??”
Jacob’s hand visibly tightened around the handle of his cane. This was what he had feared--that his son would assume the worst of him and that he would have to face his firing squad of questions. “Are you assuming that I intentionally stayed away?”
“’Are you assuming that I intentionally stayed away??’” Darkwing repeated in a childish voice. “What do you think??” When he received stubborn silence from his father, he glared spitefully back at him. “Did you even know that Mom had killed herself because you were gone? That Carrie was killed in a car accident? Did you know that I was suddenly left with no one when I needed you the most?”
Jacob couldn’t bring himself to answer. While the answer to all of his son’s questions was ‘yes,’ he couldn’t bring himself to tell him the truth. The truth would devastate him, for it was the answer did not want to hear. It would only verify Darkwing’s fear that his father was not who he believed him to be. Jacob wanted to tell him the truth. That he couldn’t return for the safety of his family, knowing that the man responsible for his disappearance would bring them harm. He wanted to tell Darkwing that it was Jake who was responsible for everything that has happened. But he knew he wouldn’t be believed, and it would ruin his ultimate plan for revenge.
Darkwing folded his arms and scoffed bitterly. “I thought so.” The hero turned and began to storm away in the opposite direction.
“Drake--” Jacob began to stop him.
“That’s Darkwing Duck to you,” Darkwing corrected him. He paused to look over his shoulder at him. “It’s too little, far too late. You should have just remained missing.”
Darkwing marched out of the lab and into the hallway. He wasn’t sure where he was going, but he had to get out of the lab and away from his father. And as he stomped down the long hall, his breathing became more labored with each step. His scowl began to melt into a bewildered expression, and he could feel the sweat on his brow beneath his fedora. Before he knew it, he was leaning forward against the wall, panting heavily and his heart pounding within his chest. His nerves were strained, and he could feel his hands trembling. Questions were racing through his mind and he suddenly felt exhausted. He fought to keep his knees from buckling and he felt as if he would pass out at any second.
Then a firm hand came down onto his shoulder. Darkwing gasped and pulled away, expecting Jacob had followed him. But when he spun around he was met with someone else.
“Whoa, easy there, kid,” Jake said in a gentler voice.
Darkwing gave a sigh of relief, exhaling the tension that had built inside of him during the past several minutes. “Oh, Agent Mallard. I thought you were someone else.”
Jake raised a curious brow, using ignorance to his advantage. “Oh?”
The hero heaved his shoulders and made a weak attempt to regain his composure. “I just discovered that my father has returned after fifteen years of everyone believing he was dead. Needless to say, I was less than thrilled to see him back.”
“Ah, yes,” Jake answered with a nod. “I’ve had the privilege of meeting the famous Jacob Mallard this morning.”
There was a pause, then Darkwing shook his head in disbelief. “I don’t get it, Agent Mallard. He could have returned at any time. No one was stopping him but himself. But he decides to show up now, after everything has already fallen apart??”
“You mean he didn’t give you answers?”
Darkwing scoffed. “I can’t believe anything he says. For years everything has been a lie. Why should I believe him now?” He hesitated before adding, “But I do want answers. To everything.”
Jake watched as the crime fighter struggled with the conflicting emotions stirring inside of him. He was confused, and vulnerable. And most of all, he was another pawn for Jake to use against his adversary. And now this pawn was in the perfect position for play.
The agent softened his expression ever so slightly. “Do you really want answers, Darkwing?”
He heard himself growl lowly, “Yes, I do.”
“I can get you answers.” Jake waited until Darkwing’s eyes met his own. “If you want to know what really happened, I can find out. I can look into the SHUSH files and hopefully provide you answers to your questions.”
Darkwing blinked curiously. “You can do that?”
Jake gave a small, arrogant smile. “I’m the Chief Agent. I can do whatever I want.”
Darkwing nodded firmly. “Do it. Why don’t you stop by this evening? That way you can bring me what you’ve found.”
There was a short pause before Jake smiled and answered, “I’ll be there at 6.”
“Great. Eheh, I suppose I don’t need to tell you where I live?” Darkwing assumed with a sheepish grin.
“I won’t be late,” Jake smirked in reply. Then he reached out and tenderly placed his hand on Darkwing’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Drake. You’ll get the closure you need.”
Back In the lab, Jacob was hunched over a sink, splashing water onto his face. The confrontation with his son had left him more nerve-wracked than any other confrontation in his life. He had anticipated it to be bad, but not a disaster. Now he doubted if his relationship with Darkwing could ever be mended.
He shook his head, sending water droplets flying from his feathers. The sound of Darkwing’s voice outside caught his attention. There was another voice, one that sounded familiar. Curiously, Jacob walked as quietly as possible to the door and peered out. Down the hall, he saw Darkwing conversing with his enemy. Then Jake reached out and placed his hand on Darkwing’s shoulder in a comforting manner….
Jacob felt his blood boil. He knew the game his rival was playing. Now Jake was taking advantage of his damaged relationship with Darkwing. His hatred for Jake raised to new levels just then. And he felt a wave of anger toward Darkwing for falling under Jake’s manipulative nature.
But Jacob was not going to let this development change his plans. He was determined not to be derailed and had to stay on track. Now that he was back within SHUSH’s walls, he could move forward. First, he had to rendezvous with a certain public enemy.
In the abandoned asylum he used as his hideout, Negaduck sat behind a desk that was covered in various firearms and weaponry. He leaned back in his chair, polishing a semi-auto assault rifle. Not expecting any visitors, he was startled when he heard Jacob’s voice boom through the vast hallways.
“NEGADUCK!”
The villain jumped, and the rifle discharged. The bullet ricocheted off of a fun safe, then bounced off of a light fixture before zipping right towards his head. He managed to duck at the right second, and the bullet shot through the top of his fedora. Negaduck looked at the hole left in his precious hat.
“Oooo….” he growled angrily. He turned his head to see Jacob standing in the doorway. The masked mallard glowered, annoyed as he placed the fedora back on his head. “Don’t you ever knock??”
“There’s no time for pleasantries,” Jacob said as he sauntered inside. “Now, put your toys down for the moment. We have business to discuss.” He began to wander aimlessly around the room that had previously been an office. “Step one was a success. I’m back in SHUSH.”
“Oh, goody….” Negaduck muttered, unimpressed. He picked up a knife and began to file his nails with it, all the while watching Jacob with narrowed eyes. “So what?”
Jacob let the villain’s snide remarks roll off of his back. “I will have unlimited resources for us to use. And now I am in the perfect position to ruin Jake’s reputation at SHUSH.”
“Screw his reputation!” Negaduck suddenly snarled as he slammed his fist on the desk. “His reputation will be the last thing on his mind when I rip his head from his shoulders!”
“Patience. All in due time,” Jacob calmly retorted. “You will have your chance to reap your bloody revenge, Negaduck. I promise you that. But before he meets an untimely demise, I want to take away everything important to him, just as he did me. You assist me with that, then I will assist you.”
“Pah! You may need *my* help, old timer, but I certainly don’t need yours!” Negaduck sneered, dismissing the fact that he had yet to be successful in taking his own revenge against Jake. “What assistance could you possibly provide me?”
Jacob turned to face him, a sly smile on his beak. “What would you say if I could get you back to the Negaverse?”
Now he had his attention. Negaduck looked up from sharpening the large knife, not able to hide the curiosity on his face. Still, he remained skeptical and scoffed. “How’s that? The portal collapsed on itself, thanks to that caped crusading clown son of yours.”
“On the contrary, SHUSH is in the process of completing a device that will open a gateway to parallel universes. I’m personally going to be overseeing the finishing touches of this device. You help me, Negaduck, and you will be rewarded. I give you my word.”
The masked mallard glowered and rose to his feet. He stalked toward Jacob and came to a stop in front of him, his suspicious eyes piercing his own. “Your word? Why should I believe your word is worth anything?” he growled insultingly.
Then Jacob did something seemingly completely out of character. He started laughing hysterically, his deep voice pulsating with amusement, the loud, raucous sound reverberating off of the walls around them. It was a laugh that bordered on insane.
Abruptly, he cut himself off, his hand shooting out to clench itself tightly around Negaduck's small throat.
"Don't talk to me about trust!" Jacob spat contemptuously. "I may be at least twice your age, but I have more honor flowing through my veins than you could ever hope to achieve in a thousand lifetimes. I am NOT a common thief, boy, nor am I even one feather like your father. I may look like him, but I assure you, I would rather die than live a life parallel to that devil's spawn."
He released the villain, his look serious and deadly, but there was also a tenderness there - a sadness. His voice grew solemn and weary. "You don't have to like me. All I ask from you is respect."
Negaduck adjusted his collar and his cape, not faltering from Jacob’s outburst. No one had ever stood up to him, the city’s public enemy, and demanded such respect. It made him see the older mallard in a different light then, and he had seen something familiar in his dark eyes. Something that he had seen in his own. They had more in common than they had differences. And they both understood that neither could achieve their revenge on their own.
“I’m not gonna idly sit by while you have all the fun,” Negaduck rumbled menacingly.
Jacob gave a trademark smile that revealed a cunning beneath his cool exterior. “Perish the thought. I want to expose him as the rat that he really is to SHUSH. That’s where you can have some fun, boy. Draw him out in the way that you do best. I’ll show up as well, and if everything goes according to plan, I’ll be able to catch him in a confession to his sins. Only this time, he won’t get to repent.” His black eyes glinted, a mixture of excitement and insanity shining through. “You think you’re up to it, Mr. Public Enemy?”
Negaduck met his eyes, the eagerness and desire reflecting off of his own. Then, as fast as a lightning strike, he grabbed the knife off of the desk and hurled it across the room. It pierced a photo of Agent Jake Mallard directly between the eyes.
He turned back to Jacob, his arms folded over his chest. “Damn straight, I am.”