Coldfire Stones

By Sharan McQuack, Launchpad's wife.

Based on "The Everlasting Coal" in Uncle Scrooge # 392. *

(*Why ISN'T it "Ducktales #1"? Afraid it might out-sell DW? It's SO fair to have reprints in somebody else's comic vs. new stories in a comic of his own, especially since collectors buy #1s. It STILL could outsell DW and probably will.)

It's amazing how what you don't want helps clarify what you do want. I was thinking of rewriting this story anyway...

One day, Launchpad showed Mr. McDuck a curious stone.

"I know you're interested in anything out of the ordinary and this qualifies." Launchpad said.

"I flew some medicine to a small village high in the mountains in a tiny country. Its people were grateful to me for bothering, they're poor and there aren't very many of them. They were dying and nobody else bothered." Launchpad began.

"They gave me this stone as a token of their gratitude. It's a stone that "burns" cold. They have a few stones like these. On hot days, they put one in a little bag on a string and hang the string around their neck. Keeps them cold all day. The stones are always "burning" cold and never get any smaller. Maybe they're magic? Anyway, I figured you could find a better use for them." Launchpad said.

Mr. McDuck saw the stone wasn't just cold; it "burned" cold like "dry" ice. You could not touch it directly, it was too cold. It neither melted nor shrunk in size. Mr. McDuck showed it to his big brains, who told him it could generate power. I have no idea how. It did not give off harmful radiation nor pollute. It was the perfect fuel. Was there more?

Mr. McDuck asked Launchpad to fly him to that tiny mountain village. Launchpad agreed.

Since it was summer vacation, the kids tagged along, too.

Launchpad flew Mr. McDuck there and landed in the only place he could: in the sandy and shallow bank of a mountain river. (1) Every place else was too rocky and steep for even Launchpad to land. They had to wade to shore, but hey, they're DUCKS. Not like they are made of sugar and likely to melt.

"The village is up that way, across a rope bridge. We have to hike the rest of the way." Launchpad said.

"I can see why nobody else bothered delivering that medicine." said Mr. McDuck, seeing the STEEP mountains ahead.

"Somebody had to. They would have died without it." Launchpad shrugged.

MEANWHILE, Flintheart had found out about this. It seems some of the big brains who work for Mr. McDuck are working both ends against the middle: they secretly sell ideas, inventions and info to Flinty. Very nice of them.

Flinty bribed an air traffic controller to tell him where our heroes were bound. Flinty followed in his plane. He wanted to either sell the coldfire stones himself- or collect money from the oil and gas co.s for NOT selling them. He'd decide later, when he saw which paid better.

Flinty and some Beagles found Launchpad's plane and followed from a discrete distance where Launchpad could not see Flinty's plane. (Flinty's plane has a VERY advanced radar system.)

Then, Flinty's pilot, Butch Beagle said:

"I'm sorry, boss- but I don't know how to land where they is no runway. I can make an emergency landing on a smooth, flat surface- but I don't know how to make a routine landing on a bumpy area with bushes and trees. Very few pilots do anymore. Almost none."

"WHAT? So we'll parachute down. We'll land on the far side of that rope bridge down there; they must be headed that way. We'll burn the bridge down. Hopefully, while they are halfway across!" Flintheart cackled.

Butch felt guilty about this. (But not guilty enough to quit his stinking job.)So he accidently-on-purpose banked the plane just before they jumped so they'd hit an updraft heading the wrong way. That's how Butch justifies working for Flinty. By doing stuff like that on the RARE occasion he can get away with it without getting caught.

The updraft blew Flinty and the Beagle Boys in the wrong direction. They landed in the deepest part of the river and had to swim for it. They were drenched by the time they reached the shore. That slowed them down quite a bit.

Then they climbed up after out heroes. Our heroes, having a wonderful view, spotted the Bad Guys coming. Launchpad chopped down the rope bridge. Mr. McDuck tossed a lit branch towards the rope bridge, setting it on fire.

Launchpad grabbed a fallen tree limb and used it as a lever on a boulder. He triggered off an avalanche of loose stones which blocked the edge of the gorge the rope bridge had spanned. Nobody could rebuild a bridge there now, there were too many rocks blocking the edge.

Flinty and his flunkies had to walk some distance before they found a place along the gorge where it was both narrow enough to span with a bridge and flat and empty on both sides of the gorge. Then, they had to find a tree to build a make-shift bridge with and carry it back to the gorge and put it in place. This took more time.

Meanwhile, our heroes had reached the mountain village. The villagers hailed Launchpad as a hero. This annoyed Mr. McDuck no end.

"This is my boss, Scrooge McDuck. He's looking for more of those coldfire stones, like the one you gave me. I want you to do everything you can to help him find some, please." Launchpad said.

"Yes. I'm interested in finding more of those amazing stones. Where did you find them?" Mr. McDuck asked.

"They came from further up the mountains. Our ancestors climbed them to see what was up there. Finding nothing but interest except the view and those stones, and being unable to bring back the view, they brought back the stones." the Village Elder said.

Meanwhile, Flinty and his Flunkies have been captured by a bunch of mountain bandits, the nemesis of the mountain villagers. The bandits are a bunch of bullies, thieves and no-goodniks who are always trying to steal from the villagers. They are always looking for gold, gems- anything of value to steal.

But there are no gold or gems in these mountains and the villagers have the advantage of the high ground and the advantage of numbers. The villagers also have mean (to no-goodniks) sheep dogs.

You'd think the bandits & Flinty and co. would get along just fine, being birds of a feather...but bad guys don't trust anybody, especially stranger bad guys.

The bandits figured Flinty and co. were there to steal something (true) and the bandits wanted to know what so they could steal it first. Flinty and co. refused to tell the bandits what they were looking for.

The bandits jailed Flinty and the Beagle Boys in an old fort the bandits used as a hideout. The bandits tickled Flinty and the Beagles until they talked. Then the bandits left Flinty and co. locked up with no food or water and went off to steal the coldfire stones.

Elsewhere, our heroes have questioned the Village Elder about exactly where the coldfire stones were found.

"They are on top of the steepest and tallest of the surrounding mountains. But be careful, there are bandits in those mountains, operating out of an old abandoned fort they have taken over." the Village Elder told them.

"The coldfire stones WOULD be on the top of the steepest and tallest mountain." Launchpad sighed.

Especially since Launchpad knew, from lots of previous experience, how impossible Mr. McDuck can get when he smells an opportunity to make lots of money.

Mr. McDuck drove them up the side of the mountain, without food or rest, until Launchpad finally starting eating a sandwich on his way up because it was the only way he could get Mr. McDee to stop and rest awhile. Even if they were running low on water and a mountain stream was straight ahead.

Night soon came.

"We're cold, Unca Scrooge." the kids chorused.

"I'll see if I can find some plants to burn. We're above the timber line." Launchpad said.

Launchpad headed towards the stream, where the few plants that grew in those stony mountains could be found. Launchpad accidently splashed into the water while picking some bushy dead plants to burn.

"Brr! Even for a mountain stream, that's COLD!" Launchpad said.

"Here's why, Launchpad! A coldfire stone!" said Webby, spotting a small stone that was making the water colder.

"Like we need something that cold NOW?" Huey asked.

"Actually, we do. I have a miniature generator with me. I took it along so I could test if these coldfire stones can really generate power BEFORE I buy them." Mr. McDuck said.

"How much heat can we get out of that tiny thing?" Dewey asked, for the generator was the size of a cell phone.

"Let's see, shall we?" Mr. McDuck replied.

"It's working, Unca Scrooge! I feel warmer already!" Louie said, a few minutes later.

They all did.

"Turn it down, Mr. McDee! I'm getting too hot!" Launchpad said, shortly after that.

Mr. McDuck had naturally turned the heat up all the way on the tiny device. He now turned it down to the lowest ebb and it still kept them toasty warm all night. Being pooped, they all fell asleep. Next morning, once it started to warm up, Mr. McDuck turned the device off. Once it had cooled enough, he checked on the coldfire stone and it was unchanged.

Later, the Bandits where searching for the coldfire stones Flintheart and the beagle Boys had "voluntarily" told them about. A WARM breeze attracted their attention. What could be so warm in these chilly mountains, especially this early in the morning? Did it have any connection with the power-generating coldfire stone they had been told about? The bandits went to investigate.

Elsewhere our heroes are searching for more coldfire stones. Having found two more stones in the stream, they are following the stream to its source. Guess where the mountain stream comes from? Why, right next to the mountain fort where Flinty and the Beagle Boys have been imprisoned, where else?

In searching for coldfire stones, our heroes see first the fort and come to check it out. They see thru tiny barred windows, Flinty and the Beagles looking hungry, dirty and miserable.

'We can't just leave them there, Mr. McDee. We are the good guys and that means we gotta ACT like the good guys.' Launchpad said.

"True. We can't act like anything we do is OK when WE are the ones doing it- not and call ourselves "the good guys." Mr. McDuck replied "But it won't do us any good to try to free them if it gets us all killed."

"The place is deserted. Whoever captured them is gone for now. We'd better free Flinty and co. before the bandits who captured them come back!" Launchpad said.

"Agreed. The mountain villagers did warn us that there were bandits operating out of an old fort. Imagine! Risking our lives to save Flintheart and the Beagles Boys. Sounds like the kind of stupid, reckless thing YOU would do!" Mr. McDuck commended.

"Listen, a certain multi-zillionaire duck of my acquaintance has been known to risk his life to save some poor snook up to his eyeballs in Trouble upon occasion. Once or twice, the "poor snook" in question has been ME!" Launchpad replied.

Mr. McDuck ordered the kids to stay put outside the fort. They promised to do so.

So, Mr. McDuck and Launchpad attacked the bandit's fort in true Launchpad style: they came down running, Launchpad kicked the door in. Mr. McDuck found the keys for the cells and unlocked them. The Beagle Boys fled as soon as their cell was open, but Flinty is just a tad older than they are.

Flintheart was too hungry, tired and bruised to move. So Launchpad picked up Flinty, flung Flinty over his shoulder and carried him off, running. Perhaps Mr. McDee should think about that before he screams at my Launchpad again?

"I think I hear somebody coming, Mr. McDee!" Launchpad said.

"It's just your imagination!" Mr. McDuck retorted.

Then they both saw and heard the mountain bandits returning to their fort.

"We better hurry! My imagination is going to get here at any moment! This way!" Launchpad said.

And he led Mr. McDuck towards...

"The sewer? Who are you, Ed Norton? You seem to have some fixation towards sewers!" Mr. McDuck replied.

"Hey, they are an UNGUARDED way in and out of almost anywhere! I don't like narrow places with low ceiling ... but if we can get out in one place, who cares? We can always wash, later!" Launchpad replied.

Meanwhile, the kids heard the sound of running water and went to investigate. They found the sewer of the fort and were about to scram when they saw the bandits coming...and also saw the control knob for the sewer. The knob that controls how much or how little water comes out of the sewer. The kids turned the knob on full force and got out of the way.

A wave on oncoming dirty water headed towards the bandits. Being dogs, and thus having a better sense of smell than ducks, they bandits smelt it before they saw it. There are times when having a good sense of smell is a definite disadvantage. This was one of them.

Back in the sewer,

"Hey! Where did all the water go to?" Launchpad asked.

"Who cares? It's easier to run with it gone! Run faster!" Mr. McDuck replied.

Launchpad did so.

The bandits saw the dirty, smelly, disgusting water rushing towards them and did everything they could to avoid it. Not only because it was gross, but because it was DANGEROUS, there was so much water heading so fast, drowning was a very real possibility.

Launchpad and Mr. McDuck found the kids.

"Unca Scrooge! Did ya see? We turned the sewer control knob on full force and sicced a bunch of dirty water on those bandits!" the kids said, justly proud of themselves.

"Very good. But now that we KNOW there are coldfire stones on this mountain, and 434that they work, let's get out of here while the getting is good. I can buy this mountain and as its owner, put the BANDITS in jail." Mr. McDuck said.

So Launchpad led them back to the plane and they departed post-haste.

And they did come back, after the local authorities, on orders from Mr. McDuck, put the bandits in jail where they belonged. It's amazing how the authorities did not know about the bandits before. Right.

Guess where a LOT more coldfire stones were found? Right near the mountain fort the bandits had used. So close the miners Mr. McDuck hired to find and dig up more coldfire stones used the old fort as an office and as living quarters.

The End.

(1) OK, so there can be quicksand in the mountains. I don't believe Launchpad is dumb enough to land in quicksand. More to the point, I LIKE and respect and admire Launchpad and I suspect many others do to and that Launchpad could make Disney mucha lira if they stopped making him look like a dope. What the worst thing that could happen if you tried that, Disney? I could be right?