Old Secrets of an Ordinary Sailor

((Possible Spoilers) Hello again. This was another idea I had floating around in my brain. After season 2 of Ducktales I felt like getting it on paper. I haven't abandoned anything, this is kind of like releasing the pressure on my brain for the ideas to flow better.

This is, at the moment, a one-shot. But I could be convinced to continue if anyone seems interested. Or if anyone feels like taking the reins and continuing, feel free.

Donald Duck became my favorite of the anthropomorphic Disney characters, and I have spent a while recently obsessing over comics, games, and of course animations.

The Duck Universe is vast, and spans continents. Some of my favorite stories are the Paperinik or Duck Avenger tales. I am hoping they incorporate that somehow in the new Ducktales series, but I doubt they will. -More after the story.-)

-DD

It was 2 in the morning when his burglar alarm rang.

"Ach, me bin", Scrooge McDuck mumbled to himself as he rolled out of his bed and half stumbled, half ran to his coat and hat. Duckworth materialized next to him as he grabbed his cane and opened his door.

"Shall I alert the others, sir?" the gentleduck's gentleman inquired while floating and keeping up with his employer.

Scrooge was about to tell him not to bother until he reached the main stairway.

At the base stood his family. Della, his niece, practically vibrated with excitement despite the early hours. She had been reunited with everyone for a few short years, but that did nothing to quell her thirst for adventure and action. A late-night robbery got her fired up better than a cup of coffee.

Standing around her were her triplets, Huey, Dewey and Louie. Dewey, dressed in blue sweat pants and t-shirt mirrored his mother behind him, aside from the bags under his eyes. Huey, his red cap askew on his head, leaned against his mother for support as he snored. Louie stood on the other side of Della and glared straight ahead at nothing. He scratched under his green tank top and occasionally took a drink from some energy concoction the kids had wasted money on.

Mrs. Beakley appeared ready for anything, always alert no matter the time.

Webby, Beakley's granddaughter, hopped from one foot to the other in anticipation between her grandmother and roommate.

Said roommate, Lena LeStrange, stared bloodshot into her phone like some sort of zombie.

"I think they're alerted Duckworth", Scrooge said with fond sarcasm. It took over a decade, but his family was whole and bigger than ever.

But someone was missing…

The group turned their heads to an unholy sound coming from some creature at the top of the stairs. Its long ears swayed back and forth as it continued its horrible cry. They watched as the creature got louder and began hopping around in frustration.

Predictably, the creature missed a step and began hurtling down the stairs. The group parted as the creature hit the floor and slid between them to stop at Scrooge's feet.

Out from the hole on top came a dizzied face, and arms from the "creature's" ears. As he sat up a sailor's hat floated down, tossed during the fall, and landed on the head of Donald Duck.

"Stop fooling around Donald", Scrooge used his cane to grab his nephew by the back of his black sailor uniform and lifted him to his feet. The cane was spun around to poke the younger duck in the stomach, "Me money bin's being plundered!"

Scrooge rallied the others and lead them to his limo, "Duckworth, make sure they turned all their lights out! I'm not hosting a disco party!"

Duckworth tilted his head in compliance, "very well, sir."

DD-PK-DA

Donald drove the limo, having become his uncle's chauffeur since Launchpad moved to with his actor friend a few years back.

The others were in varying states of wakefulness, but no one wanted to pass up defending the bin. Except perhaps Lena who continued to stare at her phone and be led around by Webby tugging on her sleeve.

"Can't ye hurry any faster Donald?" Scrooge rapped the floor with the head of his cane.

"Keep your kilt on Uncle Scrooge", Donald squawked with a yawn. "The traps will slow them down. Plenty of time to get there."

"Never assume nephew", Scrooge admonished. It was one of the many lessons he's repeatedly tried to instill in his lazy kin. "I would not like to waste any of the devices if we could get there quicker. Do ye know the cost of bear traps? Why, during me time in the Klondike…"

Those riding in the back paid differing levels of attention to the old tale from Scrooge's past. Donald tried to coax a little more speed from the vehicle to avoid hearing another spendthrift story.

Arriving a few minutes later, the ducks piled out of the limo and separated into teams.

Della gathered the triplets together, Mrs. Beakley reigned in Webby who continued to drag a still zonked out Lena, and that left Scrooge with Donald. Scrooge opened the doors and deactivated the internal traps and the three teams moved in separate directions to try and find the intruder.

The Duck and McDuck checked the large safe door and found it still locked. Scrooge opened the door and looked inside. From what he could tell, no coins or greenbacks had been so much as touched by a stray breeze.

"They might be in one of me collections", Scrooge moved with purpose to the elevator. Donald followed behind, casting his sleepy gaze into the shadowed hallways.

"Why don't you turn the lights on and flush out whoever is here?" Donald questioned his uncle from his post leaning on the wall of the elevator.

"What?" Scrooge turned to Donald like his nephew grew a second head. "And give away the element of surprise? If ye need light lad, I have a candle right here." He pulled a small stub of wax with what looked like thread sticking out of it. "Five dollars."

Donald waved what barely passed as a candle away. "You just don't want to pay the extra nickel on the light bill", he groused under his breathe.

The duo moved down a few floors and exited into a dark, empty hallway. Della and the boys were on one of the floors above, searching through the offices in case the intruder or intruders were after information from McDuck Industries vast resources. Team Beakley had moved down to his private collections, the items Scrooge wouldn't display in the museum. Scrooge would bet his nephew's next paycheck that it was one of his treasures that was being targeted.

Uncle and nephew carefully tiptoed down the hall and found Mrs. Beakley carefully listening next to a closed doorway. Webby, with her night-vision goggles in place, scanned down the hall to cover their party. Lena had given up and fallen asleep on the floor nearby.

Beakley motioned for Scrooge and Donald to approach. The two placed the side of their heads to the door and heard definite movement within.

"This dinnae make sense", the elder duck whispered. "The keypad and scanner dinnae look to be tampered with. The room has no windows and only this entrance. How did they get inside?"

"What would be in here that they would go to all the trouble?" Donald questioned.

Scrooge paused for a moment to plumb his steel trap of a memory. There were personal treasures, maps and charts, cursed items, ancient weapons…

He pushed the others away and frantically typed his 30-digit passcode. Next, he scanned his left eye, then his right, then the front face of his Number One Dime, then turned it around and scanned the back. Finally, the door opened.

The four rushed in (Lena remained in a deep sleep) and were nearly blinded.

There was only one intruder. He stood tall, an inch or two taller than Mrs. Beakley. He was clad mostly in red with a flowing purple cape. His face appeared slightly scarred in the light of a nearby floating orb. He had been rummaging through cabinets and drawers when the group entered.

The thief did not appear surprised at their sudden entrance and turned to them with a grin.

The audacity! Scrooge turned to his nephew wondering why he had not moved to apprehend this cretin and paused in shock.

Knowing Donald most of the younger duck's life, Scrooge thought he had catalogued every expression and response his nephew was capable of. Facing an intruder in the money bin, Scrooge expected Donald to be every bit as livid as he was legendarily known for. Barring that, bill chattering fear or sheer apathy because sometimes even his face was too lazy to work.

But the change in his demeanor was unlike anything he had seen in his nephew before.

After the initial shock Donald's eyes squinted in clear, laser-like, focus. The vein that usually throbbed in rage was nowhere to be seen. His hands, usually grasping the air looking for something to rend, were clenched with purpose.

Scrooge marveled in that split second. Gone was the obstinate berserker. In his place was the protector of family, the fighter that took on armies of Beagle Boys and shadow creatures, the Navy Boxing Champion during his tour of duty.

Donald grabbed the nearest item, an old WWII disc emblazoned with the red, white, and blue, and took a purposeful step forward. "RAIDER!"

The thief waved his hand, "Avenger old friend! Good to see- WARK!"

Raider was cut off by the single starred disc flying fast with unerring accuracy into some device on his wrist. Sparks flew from it into Raider's face, shutting off the light orb and blinding him from Donald's approach.

The disc ricocheted back to Donald mid run. The duck caught it and slipped it on his arm by the straps and continued to move like a rocket toward Raider.

The last thing Raider saw before being knocked back by the feathered powerhouse was determined eyes above the rim of a charging star.

Scrooge turned on the light and him, Beakley, Webby, and a now awakened Lena watched wide-eyed as the two combatants grappled and fought around the stored items. Raider used his size to his advantage in the close-quarters, But Donald was quick and had years of experience fighting towering foes.

Bentina Beakley, like her employer, was wondering where this side of the slothful sailor had sprung from. She was privy to S.H.U.S.H. files pertaining to his history, even though his file had a bit more holes than most. She had even heard that he had past association with the mysterious "Agency", but the Agency and S.H.U.S.H. kept their dealings separate and highly confidential.

This was not the man she had slowly come to respect. This was a fighter with more secrets than anyone believed.

Della, Huey, Dewey, and Louie had heard the commotion and finally made it behind the onlookers. The triplets squeezed past and similarly stood gob smacked by the sight of their normally lazy uncle moving like a viper, trading blows with the assumed intruder.

Della took it in stride. She moved in front of the group and picked up one of the scattered items, an antique looking clock.

"Hey, bologna beak!" She chucked the clock at Raider while her kids shook their heads in embarrassment at their mother's lame taunt.

Raider leapt over a rushing Donald. He released his cape, letting Donald get tangled in it, and caught the thrown clock. "Thank you my dear, exactly what I was looking for."

Donald let out a muffled shout of protest as Raider fiddled with the damaged controls on his wrist. An energy seemed to cover the thief and he looked down to his still struggling adversary.

"It was good to see you again Avenger. Family life suits your dulled edge", Raider taunts as he slowly begins to fade away.

Donald rolls out of the cape and onto his feet, hurling his weapon in one full motion.

Raider laughs as the disc passes through his immaterial form and imbeds in an old red and gold suit of medieval armor.

"Ha! The damage you inflicted may have kept me anchored to this time, but with this that is no longer an issue", the villain boasts. "And your retired friend is in no position to help. I've won this one Avenger."

Donald glares at the smirking figure until all trace of him disappears. Seething, he turns and marches straight to his uncle. They lock eyes while everyone else gives them plenty of space, unsure of what could happen.

The calm Scrooge McDuck expected shouting, flailing, and maybe even threats.

THIS Donald however, does none of that.

His anger and frustration are kept tightly bottled. Staring deep into his uncle's eyes Donald can voice only one thing. "You told me you had gotten rid of the time clock", the quiet statement seems to echo around their audience.

"I said I would take care of it", Scrooge lets a little pride show at being sharper than his nephew once more. "I would see that no soul other than meself would know what happened to it."

And he did. There were no records and no witnesses. After Donald found out about his trip through time with Dewey, Donald had been even more livid than usual about the dangers. Mrs. Beakley had later told him she had expected the ordeal to come to blows.

Scrooge had agreed that the clock was powerful and dangerous. He promised his nephew that he would handle everything.

Through clever wordplay (not lying, he would always make it square) Donald was finally convinced he could trust his uncle to get rid of the clock.

Scrooge had made sure no one could follow any record of its existence in his possession. Under the cover of night, and carrying every magic surveillance deterrent he knew of, Scrooge used a rowboat and carried the clock to his bin. He knew where every mine and pitfall were covered and walked through the entrance. He sealed the clock in an almost impregnable lockbox in one of his most secured vaults. He had spent hours learning tricks from Gyro Gearloose so he could erase all trace of his visit from technological means. He would later blame the slight gap on lazy programing, no one questioned it.

He took every precaution, so, "how did this hoodlum know it was here?"

"He's a damn time criminal! He probably traced its existence to this point, so it wouldn't affect the timestream when he made the grab!" Donald finally exploded in his uncle's face. The intensity was enough to knock the top hat off the elder duck's head.

"How do you know all this Donnie?" Della questioned her brother. All those present appeared to wonder the same thing.

"And how'd you learn to fight like that? I don't think any of that was covered in the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook", Huey asked in awe. Dewey and Louie stood next to their brother with beaks wide open still in shock.

Webby appeared to be bursting with unasked questions.

She had seemed over her little crush and hero-worship of him years ago. He told her all his adventuring "achievements" were really Della's and Uncle Scrooge likely used him to cover it up while she was missing. When Della returned and finally got settled, she was victim of the young lady's relentless quest for their family's history.

Now however that fervor returned with a vengeance. And the same intense focus was reflected in her grandmother's glare. When they stood side-to-side like that you could definitely see the relation.

Lena seemed less interested but still pointed her phone at him and was looking at her screen.

Wait, phone?

Donald suddenly burst into action startling all those around him.

His dash towards Lena was misinterpreted by Mrs. Beakley who quickly moved between them to defend the teen.

Donald dipped low and Bentina moved to block the expected slide. In a jolt Donald leaped over her, using her shoulders as a springboard. He landed and swiped the phone from Lena's fearful hands. While moving out of range he erased all footage from his fight with Raider and everything after.

Looking up he noticed the three adults had moved in front of the others, to protect them.

From me.

"S- sorry Lena", he stuttered. The mix of uncertainty and apprehension in their faces twisted like a hot blade in his gut. He moved forward to give the phone back, but Mrs. Beakley further pushed the younger girls behind her.

The act broke Donald's heart.

He slowly put the phone on the ground and began to walk out, ignoring his sister's call of "Donnie" and took off in a sprint once he was outside the room.

He had messed up. He had spent so long out of the game his old instincts worked against him.

Making it outside he moved to hide under the bridge connecting to Duckberg.

Seeing Raider again was a surprise but seeing him so close to his family made his blood boil.

He pulled out his phone looking for a number, Raider's taunt about his friend still rang in his ears.

The sound of the limo's engine starting let him know they were going back home. Good, they weren't going to look for him. He didn't feel like he was ready to answer any of their questions at the moment.

He found the number at the same time the limo drove overhead. A small stone was dislodged and fell on him, leaving a nasty bump. Those kinds of things never seemed to happen when he had worn the mask.

He mumbled to himself, "who gets stuck with all the bad luck?"

Nursing his goose egg, he dialed the number and tried to relax on the rocks.

He reached her voicemail, "hey, it's Donald. There was a run-in with a friend of ours. I know you're usually busy reporting the news, but I would like to talk if we can. He mentioned you being retired? He didn't specify so I was hoping to hear about it from you. Talk to you later, Lyla."

-DD

(This story is set a few years after Della returns, and of course Donald has returned from the moon. Lena has been properly adopted but retains the LeStrange name. Everyone is over any kind of Donald vs Della parenting drama that seems to be setting itself up in the series. Pretty much everyone is a little older and a little wiser.

I'm incorporating some PK into this, Donald's untold (to his family) past. I am mostly going off the different medias, but I do make occasional assumptions.

Webby, being a young girl, could have a slight crush/hero worship of Donald. Similar to a boy band craze. And given this Donald, who tries to downplay his heroism traits, I see pushing it off on Della.

Donald being a champion boxer in his navy days doesn't seem like to much of a stretch. And he never seems to talk about his stint, so keeping it to himself makes sense to me.

As always, I try to encourage everyone to support official releases of the subject matter, which in this case would be Donald Duck, Ducktales, and anything related to them.

Sorry, you might need to look up a few things to get the full scope at this time.

To anyone who made it this far, I hope you enjoyed.)

Sorry for the couple of reposts. Using my phone to FFN seemed to take some words away and added weird stuff. Hopefully this last post fixes it.