To Tame A Spark 08

Darkwing sped through the black hallways towards the holding cell. Top priority was to keep Megavolt contained and that job had fallen to him. The corners of his beak pulled upwards in a predatory grin. This was where he belonged, where he thrived. Hooter's offer still dangled before him mockingly and he shoved it to the side.  Drawing his gas gun, he moved with more caution trusting his instincts and the night vision specs. Without them he’d be doing everything by touch, since the director had ordered that even the emergency power be cut.

The place was eerily deserted and quiet. The hallways were transformed from secure strongholds to something ominous.  It was more than a little unnerving that the place he had become so familiar with morphed into another unpredictable environment that might prove hazardous to not only his health, but those around him. As of now, he had no need to worry about innocent bystanders. When the evacuation order was given everyone simply vanished, impressive, even by his standards. He bet his best fedora that the place was riddled with secret passages…

At the sound of indistinct muttering, Darkwing plastered himself into the nearest accommodating space, a door frame. Not ideal but workable. The conversation was now becoming audible.

“She gave us the slip,” one was growling. “Quinton’ll kill us.”

“Before or after the good doctor?” The other questioned dryly.

“Doesn’t matter, dead is dead. I coulda swore Quinton hit her, but there ain’t a drop of blood anywhere!”

Darkwing concluded they were talking about the wounded lab assistant J. Gander had mentioned. He waited a few minutes longer hoping he could glean something more about this doctor they supposedly had as a hostage.

“C’mon we’d better head back before the fireworks start.”

The vigilante continued to make himself as non-existent as physically possible as the other shuddered and said, “I think Steelbeak is loosin’ it if he thinks we’re gonna waltz right outta here with Megavolt.”

“Well, the only thing we’ll be loosing is our heads if we disobey orders. Let’s go. We have to face the music sooner or later.”

“I’d rather it be later,” the other grumbled. “I guess it’s a fair consolation prize to watch that electric freak take McCain apart.”

The voices were growing faint again before Darkwing made his presence known. He fired a smoke canister and let his voice echo around the live hallway.

“You bad eggs are a wandering a little far from the nest, don’t you think?”

The two FOWL agents whipped out their firearms and unloaded their bullets into the fog. Darkwing had been correct in assuming they had their own night vision. Guns would slow him down but there were only two of them. However, it sounded like he had his timetable laid out for him if he wanted to save this McCain person from a sparky demise.

He could hear Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum snickering as he made his way behind them. Idiots, did they really think he was that easy to get rid of?

“Marco…” Tweedle-Dee called practically giggling.

“Marco!” Tweedle-Dum took up the chant.

Tiring of their antics, Darkwing tapped them on their respective shoulders. They whirled too surprised to act and were greeted by cold eyes swathed about by black.

“Polo!” he muttered before cracking their heads together.

~~
Gander ran a hand over his tired face, “How bad is she, Sara?”

“Quite horrible, Director, had they hit her in any other place, there would have been less damage to her core memory, core power source, mobility and to all of her ports for downloads and uploads. It’s utterly tragic that her own body acted as shrapnel once the bullet made contact. Outside damage is minimal, it’s the inside that looks like a St. Canard traffic jam during rush hour.”

Hooter came around the table to inspect the woman lying prone, particularly her left side. He fingered the frayed wires coming from what he could only think to describe as a wound. “It’s amazing she was able to go for as long as she did.”

Dr. Bellum shrugged with a deep sigh, “Megan was just a successful prototype that went beyond our imaginings, sir.”

The older bird’s face hardened, “Considering where we got the plans for her design, its amazing we haven’t had any complications before this.” He paused. “What are the odds of recovering our encrypted files she has stored?

“Zilch to none,” she stated matter of fact, “Unless we can find someone more familiar with this type of technology…You have to admit it, John, the man was out of his mind to be sure, but it’s hard to say which label defines him the most, insane or brilliant? Most of the components used to create Megan were already configured and while I studied each in depth before we assembled her, the intricacy of it all is beyond me.”

“Indeed.” John continued to think, “Perhaps then, one must be a little insane to create life beyond the normal means…”

Dr. Bellum was content to let her thoughts wander to the day and the state in which they had found Megan in that demented lab. Her body was still in many pieces, scattered hap hazardously about. But her face had been complete and with a certain amount of tender craftsmanship that made the scientist wonder.

“Maybe not insane, director, “she said as she delicately traced the A.I.’s cheek, “Perhaps…more …haunted.”

John seemed to be too distracted, pondering the mortar holding the walls together, to process her comment. “Whatever his motives, my dear, I believe its been far too long since I’ve paid him a visit. He’s been awful quiet considering his present circumstance…

The scientist spared him a concerned glance. “Just be careful, John. He may be mad, but he’s deceitfully intelligent.”

“I’m aware, Dr. Bellum, of this particular scoundrel’s capabilities. If I can’t get him to see things my way… I’ll make him an offer he’d be loath to refuse.”



The last thing Maria could coherently remember was leaving Megavolt's cell in one piece and sending her samples to Megan Quackman through J. Gander's secretary as instructed. She was then deemed too sleep deprived to even consider driving herself home. A kindly doctor, whose name eluded her at the moment, escorted her to a quiet employee lounge with a couch. She barely heard the apology about all the beds being taken in this wing. Her body just wasn't used to the graveyard shift and she was soon fast asleep...And thrown into a chaotic mess.



Again, a random series of fragmented dreams assaulted her from all sides, most about Megavolt. Sometimes she was a spectator, other times she saw what Megavolt saw, and sometimes he was cowering before her in small ball begging her to stop. To stop what, she didn’t know. The streets of Brazil in Rio after dark loomed over her, haunting her still. Two men were dragging her kicking and screaming towards an alley. Then she was running, holding her side while bullets whizzed past. Somewhere someone laughed. Electricity was humming idly behind her eyelids and deep in her bones. She was invincible! None would dare harm her! The current continued to hum almost purr until it came to rest at a place in her mind. It whispered her name...



She sat up with a gasp just as the lights went out.