Author's Note: Yes, it's another AU. I like them. So sue me.
Fairest will be over in three chapters, which means I'll be left with Welcome to Dragonburg, Synthesis, and this. And Synthesis is kind of up in the air, so…yeah.
Webbigail Vanderquack was very good at what she was- a bounty hunter. Right now, her target was Magica de Spell, who'd been elusive, as had her niece, Lena de Spell. The two didn't work together, as far as Webby knew, but if you could find one, you'd inevitably find the other, the saying went. She admitted she was curious about Lena. The name sounded familiar, in an odd way, and Webby had learned to trust her instincts.
They were all she had, after all.
She had no friends, no family. At five, she'd been kidnapped by FOWL agents on the one day a year that she and her grandmother left the manor, Mr. McDuck's birthday. She barely remembered her grandmother, truth be told. And Steelbeak hadn't encouraged her to think of her past. From the time he'd had her, he and Black Heron had molded her into a killer. All previous obsessions and concerns were whittled away. She forgot everything she knew about Mr. McDuck and his family or stored it where no one knew about it.
She was lonely but didn't dare get close to anyone. The only people she got close to were her targets and that never ended happily.
She was fifteen years old and she was looking to get her first notch on her killer belt. She'd never killed anyone before and she was anxious over it. She shouldn't be-FOWL had stressed that-but she was. Deep down, where she buried her knowledge of the McDuck family, was a small ball of goodness and light. While she was careful never to let it show, she nurtured it from time to time. She didn't want to become so cruel that there was no way back.
Considering how much she had changed in the past ten years, Steelbeak thought it unlikely anyone would recognize her as the long-lost Webbigail Vanderquack. Just in case, she didn't use that name. Instead, she was known as Snow Goose, despite not being a goose. To accommodate the role, Webby had dyed her feathers all white, including that persistent bit of blonde that kept creeping in.
She wasn't sure how she'd feel if anyone recognized her in Duckburg. She was at a diner and scanning the other patrons. A group of triplets was arguing over something on the menu a few booths down. A rooster fussed with a lightbulb at the counter and a superhero she recognized as Gizmoduck was nursing a root beer float. All in all, no one paid her the slightest bit of attention.
Something about the triplets was nagging at her, something oddly familiar. It was the same thing as it had been with Lena; like she ought to have known them. That didn't mean she was compromising her mission for them. It meant she could stand to keep a close eye on them, just in case.
She nursed her own drink. Rumor had it that Lena le Strange/de Spell had been spotted in Duckburg, but she'd been here for forty minutes and the girl had yet to make an appearance. Surveillance work could be deadly dull. It was possible that the intel Webby had was wrong and Lena didn't frequent this diner. It was also possible that she was looking in the wrong place in general and Duckburg was not where her prey was. With Lena, FOWL had uses for her. With Magica, they wanted her dead. She was too headstrong and powerful to control, and they knew she'd spin the situation to suit herself.
Lena looked to be more malleable. At least, that was the hope.
Webby glanced down at herself; she was wearing all black. A black mini skirt, black plastic vest, and black knee-high boots. No wonder the boys kept sneaking glances at her. She ignored them. No, if her target wasn't here, then she was wasting her time. There were hideaways in Duckburg according to Steelbeak and Black Heron and she intended to poke in them until she found her quarry.
Paying the bill, she departed the restaurant and stood on the outside steps to figure out her next move. A few seconds later, a boy wearing a blue shirt darted up to her and she frowned. It was one of the triplets who had been arguing over the menu earlier.
"Hi," she said. She'd had years to swallow back the rest of that-hi, I'm Webby.
"Hey," he said. "I'm Dewey. Look, I know this is probably ridiculous and you're probably just gonna blow me off, but I wanted to give you my number. I know, normally the girl gives the guy her number, but you don't strike me as the kinda person who would do that. And you're really pretty and... I'm gonna stop now. I'm rambling."
Webby frowned. He was kinda cute if you were into that sort of thing. And his awkwardness around her was refreshing and honest. She took the slip of paper and shoved it into her pocket-yes, her skirt had pockets. It was amazing. Maybe she'd call him, maybe she wouldn't. She shouldn't be getting close to anyone, but...there was that strange sense of deja vu again.
"I'm gonna head back inside, but it was nice to meet you, and, bye!" he said, darting back in and probably back to his brothers to tell them what had happened. Rolling her eyes, she crossed the street from the diner and kept one hand on the piece of paper. She really ought to throw it away, but she was reluctant to. It felt important.
With her first potential lead a bust, she decided she'd head into one of the dens of villainy within the city. There were the Beagle Boys, who would be too stupid to give her any good intel. Then there was Flintheart Glomgold, but she'd been warned to stay away from anyone too close to Scrooge McDuck. Steelbeak didn't want his investment stolen away from him, after putting so much time and effort into training her.
Mark Beaks probably wouldn't know, so she crossed him off her list. She glanced down at her pocket again and thought about it. Who else would know where teenagers hung out but other teens? She already had an in-the blue attired boy, Dewey, who had given her his number. Feeling ridiculous, she crossed the street again and moved with confidence she did not feel toward the booth where the triplets were still holed up. They were arguing over the jukebox now and they silenced as she approached. Dewey's eyes were wide and for no discernable reason, she blushed. He was the first person she'd encountered who saw her for her and wasn't looking for whatever attributes he wanted in her. Or so it felt to her. She might have been putting too much thought into it.
"Can I join you guys?" she asked. "I'm looking for someone and it'd be easier to talk at the table than to stand here."
The boys moved over, and she scooted inside. Dewey sat to her right and the other two introduced themselves as Louie (the boy whose attention was mostly secured to a smartphone) and Huey. Their names sounded vaguely familiar and she frowned, trying to place them. Why should they mean anything to her? She'd had a board...a board with the names of everyone…
It was gone. She scowled at herself. Maybe it meant nothing, but she didn't think so.
"You never gave me your name," Dewey said.
She grimaced. They'd never given her a civilian name and her real one wouldn't do...or would it? What were the chances they'd recognize the name?
"Hi, I'm Webby," she said. Besides, if she gave them her code name, it'd be obvious she wasn't normal. The last thing she wanted to do was arouse suspicion. That didn't mean that the back of her neck didn't prickle when people passed too close to her.
"So, where are you from, Webby?" Louie asked, scarfing down cheese fries like they were going out of style.
"I was born here, but I've been all over," she said.
"You don't say," Louie said, and Huey groaned.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," he chastised his brother. "You know, I think our housekeeper mentioned she had had a granddaughter named Webby."
"Weird, huh?" Dewey said.
"It's gotta be a coincidence," Huey said and Webby, who had tensed and was contemplating fleeing, straightened. Their housekeeper must've been her grandmother. She felt an odd pang and pushed it aside. It would interfere with the mission. But if their housekeeper was Mrs. Beakley, then it stood to reason that the three must have some ties to Scrooge McDuck.
Huey, Dewey, and Louie. Why did those names sound so familiar?
Hubert, Dewford, and Llewellyn. Huey, Dewey, and Louie. She bit back a curse. She was supposed to stay away from anyone associated with Scrooge McDuck and these three were his grand-nephews. Moreover, they'd heard her name before. Wishing she'd brought her backpack, so she could use nerve gas to disable them and make her getaway, she nodded along to Huey's words so as not to appear like she was freaking out. Even if she was.
"It's kinda sad," Dewey remarked. "If she were still alive, she'd be about our age."
"What makes you think she isn't?" she asked, curious.
"Mrs. Beakley thinks she is, but that she's beyond SHUSH's reach," Dewey said. Webby froze again. SHUSH. FOWL's sworn enemy, with agents she was to apprehend and then execute as soon as possible. She was getting in over her head here. She needed to beat a quick retreat and assess what she had. However, she hadn't gotten what she'd come here for, which was information on Lena de Spell.
"Have you ever seen a picture of her?" she asked, wondering now whether visiting Duckburg had been a huge mistake.
"One," Huey said and stared at her. "You know, you look a little like her."
Webby shrugged. "I guess anyone could look like her if you squinted."
She wasn't sure how to skillfully navigate the conversation back to a safer topic now that she'd started down this road. Huey was eying her.
"Who are you looking for?" Dewey asked, surprising and gratifying her by switching the topic to the original one.
"A girl named Lena," she said. "Lena de Spell, Magica de Spell's niece. I heard she might be around here."
"You mean that weird teenager with the pink streak in her hair? Yeah, we've seen her," Louie said. "She's not very friendly."
"Where have you seen her?" she asked, swallowing back rising excitement. She jumped to her feet. "Can you bring me to her?"
"Woah, woah, calm down," Louie said, looking up, alarmed. "I just said we've seen her, not that we know her schedule. Why is this so important, anyway? Does she owe you money?"
"I need to find her," Webby said and thought quickly. "She's in danger and I need to warn her."
"In danger from who, exactly?" Huey asked.
"FOWL," she said, which was technically correct. When Webby captured Lena, she'd be in danger from FOWL. They might even attempt to kill her if she didn't prove her worth. Knowing Steelbeak, Webby would be tasked with that.
Black Heron had loved that they had swept Agent 22's granddaughter out from under her. She'd never missed an opportunity to gloat about it and denigrate Beakley to her. Then again, rumor had it that her mechanical arm was Agent 22's doing and that might be why she was so bitter. Steelbeak had done nothing to discourage that rumor.
"How do you know about FOWL?" Huey asked.
"How do you?" she asked. "You mentioned SHUSH."
"They have meetings sometimes at the manor," Dewey commented. "We tried to listen in once but Uncle Scrooge booted us."
Yes, they were definitely the Duck triplets. Her stomach flip-flopped. Thinking about her grandmother being in such close proximity to her was making her uneasy. Steelbeak had stressed that she not make contact and to forget about her. Webby didn't think it was that simple.
"Why don't we show you around town?" Dewey suggested. He seemed desperate to keep her with them.
"Or you could do that and make it a date," Louie commented, and Dewey reddened.
"I wasn't suggesting a date!" he shot back.
"Sure sounds like you were," Louie countered.
Huey rolled his eyes at his brothers and then smiled at Webby. Webby smiled shyly back. Maybe while they were showing her where teenagers frequented, she'd stumble upon Lena. It was worth a shot.
"Okay," she said. "We can go for a walk around town. But it's not a date."
"Told you," Dewey said.
"Not yet," Louie said, smirking. "Give it a few minutes."
"We'd better pay, but you're coming with us, right?" Huey asked, and she nodded. Their information ought to be better and fresher than whatever FOWL had. Plus, ground surveillance was so important. She could worry about checking in later.
"She's here, in town," Bentina Beakley said, looking up from her laptop. She was sitting near Scrooge McDuck at the dining room table. "I know she is."
"How do you know?" Scrooge asked. "You haven't seen her for ten years."
"Here," she said and turned the computer around to face him. The screen showed a grainy camera image of three boys and a girl gathered about a booth. They were getting up to leave and although Bentina wasn't happy that Webby had made contact with the Duck triplets first, what really worried her was that she had no idea what her granddaughter's temperament might be like after ten years in captivity. She'd been such a sweet, innocent, loving child. None of that was visible now.
"See? She looks like her mother did as a teenager," Mrs. Beakley continued. "You remember Wren."
"Vaguely," he said, frowning. "What do you plan to do?"
"I'll keep an eye on her through the cameras," she responded. "I know FOWL has told her to stay away from us, which means I'll have to be careful how I approach her. But I'm not letting her slip through my fingers, not again."
"Do you think she remembers you?" he asked, and it was a sobering thought.
"I don't know," she admitted, and her heart ached. "But there's no point in ruminating on it. We'll deal with that problem as it arises.
"I know that she may not be the same child she was ten years ago, but she's still my granddaughter. I would fight all of FOWL's agents at once to bring her back."
Scrooge frowned, eying the screen again. "Aye, and that may include Webbigail too."