As far as impulsive acts went, this probably ranked up there with the time Huey and Dewey had stolen the submarine and Launchpad to visit cousin Fethry. Webby didn't know what they'd said to convince the pilot/driver to proceed and she was too agitated to come up with a lie, even if she'd been adroit at it. Fortunately, Louie came to the rescue. If anyone was good at fabrications, it was he and Webby had no idea what he'd said, but it was enough to send them on their merry way.
The notion that they were headed off into the unknown without proper supplies or adults was not lost on her. However, she couldn't have tolerated a longer waiting period. Seeing Mrs. Beakley for a few seconds had not been enough. She wished Wren hadn't taken back Lena's amulet; perhaps there would've been something in the books about how to summon her grandmother's spirit. She knew she shouldn't be toying with forces beyond her comprehension. While she knew that, she couldn't stop herself.
"Webs, calm down," Louie said, rubbing her back. They'd left Lena at home, as well as Scrooge, Della, and Wren. Louie's phone vibrated in his pocket and he scowled at it. When he didn't answer, the Sunchaser's radio crackled to life.
"What in blazes do you think you're doing?" Scrooge demanded. "Bring this plane back immediately! I said we were going after the funeral-who told you to requisition the Sunchaser?"
"Louie said we needed to go on a family expedition," Launchpad said. "He told me he cleared it with you-it was going to be a surprise-"
Scrooge squawked. "He did not! Come back to Duckburg this instant!"
Louie darted forward and unplugged the comm. He smiled innocently at Launchpad.
"Wrong number."
"He sounded pretty concerned," Launchpad said. "Maybe we should turn back."
"Relax, it's all part of the system," Louie said. He ignored his phone vibrating in his hoodie pocket. When that stopped, Webby's phone vibrated and she grimaced. She couldn't ignore it, could she? Louie would tell her to ignore Scrooge and go ahead with this anyway. She wanted to. Would having Uncle Scrooge there make a big difference?
"He's pretending to be upset so that the surprise is bigger later," Louie added.
"I'm not sure about that…" Launchpad said, frowning.
"I know my uncle," he said. "And I know how he operates. Calm down, LP."
"Should I call him back?" Launchpad's anxiety seemed to be mounting and, unable to help herself, feeling horribly guilty for having stolen the Sunchaser, Webby answered her phone. As she did, Louie groaned, facepalming.
"Webby-" he started.
"Webbigail Vanderquack!" Scrooge snapped. "I dinnae care whose idea it was, but you're coming back this instant!"
"I need to find the Stone. I need to talk to Granny," she insisted.
"It's too dangerous for you to go without adult supervision!" he objected. "Come home. Now."
"I already plotted out-" she started and he interjected.
"You dinnae have the experience to go willy-nilly about the world searching for artifacts."
"If we have the plane, how do you propose to bring us back?" Webby asked and wondered at her cheek. Her heart raced and she winced, knowing her grandmother would've chastised her for that. For one thing, Scrooge McDuck had been her grandmother's employer. For another, he was now her guardian.
"Do you really think that the Sunchaser is my only aeroplane?" he countered. "Or that I cannae find another pilot on short notice?"
"Hang up already!" Louie pleaded, grabbing the phone from her. Her stomach flip-flopped as he ended the call and, stepping up to the cockpit, threw the phone out the window. She imagined she could hear the sound it made as it crashed through the clouds and then plummeted to Earth. Seeing the Terra-firmians was one thing. This was something else entirely. This was a strident act of disobedience.
"Was that Mr. McDee?" Launchpad asked. "You weren't arguing with him, were you?"
"No, not at all," Louie said, shooting Webby a dirty look. "They were discussing things. There's nothing to worry about it. Take it easy. It's smooth sailing from here on in."
"I thought we were flying…" Launchpad said, baffled.
"Sailing, flying, you're the one in control. We're just sitting back and enjoying ourselves. Why don't we watch some Darkwing Duck? You love Darkwing."
"I do love Darkwing…" Launchpad mused. "All right. If you're sure."
"Yes!" Louie exclaimed. "I'm very sure!"
As soon as Launchpad went back to his instrument panel, Louie growled at Webby and pulled her aside. "You knew Uncle Scrooge was going to try to call us back."
"I know, but I felt guilty."
"There's no room to feel guilty when you're already in trouble!" he hissed. "Worry about the consequences later."
"If we don't have any supplies, shouldn't we worry about the consequences now?" Webby asked, casting a glance at their empty storage. Her heart pitter-pattered.
"So we pick some up. No big deal."
"I don't know…" she said. "Uncle Scrooge said the Sunchaser isn't his only plane. And doesn't this plane have GPS?"
Louie rushed forward and glared at the instrument panel. He searched the dials frantically, looking for the GPS. He didn't seem to know what it looked like, however, because his eyes widened in panic.
"Don't you have a badge that tells you the parts of the airplane?" he demanded of Huey. He glanced at his phone again and it kept vibrating. It didn't look like Scrooge was letting up any time soon. Louie wasn't going to toss his phone out the window, however, and they both knew it. Webby had the sense that Gyro could override Louie blocking his uncle's number, too.
"Of course there is," Huey said, a tad testy. "But I don't-"
"Just yank everything out!" Dewey cried, dashing to meet his younger brother.
"Don't yank everything out!" Huey objected. "You'll make us crash!"
"Did somebody say crash?" Launchpad said.
"No!" the children exclaimed.
"Okay, let's look at this calmly," Huey suggested. Dewey was looking for a crowbar to begin wrecking the Sunchaser. "If we crash, we won't get anywhere near the Stone. And it might be hundreds or thousands of miles from where we need to be. So no wrecking the plane, Dewey. And I'm not sure where the GPS is."
"He could be tracking us right now!" Louie objected. "We need to get that disabled right away!"
"He could be tracking us on our phones, too," Huey reminded him. "And you might've thrown Webby's out the window, but there's still ours. Not to mention Launchpad's phone. We're not high enough up that calls won't go through. Unless you're planning on throwing out four phones and sending us plummeting to our deaths?"
"Okay, so this wasn't well thought out," Louie allowed. He growled at his phone. "Stop ringing!"
"Yeah, that'll work," Huey said sarcastically.
"We should turn back," Webby said, despondent. "He'll catch up to us anyway."
"No, we can't give up. We're in enough trouble. We have to go through with it," Louie protested.
Sighing, Huey answered his phone. "Yes, Uncle Scrooge? Oh...it's Uncle Donald."
He frowned as Donald chewed him out. Though Webby couldn't distinguish the individual words, she got the gist. The triplets hung their heads as their father figure berated them and then, to compound matters, Della got on the line to chime in. This was followed by Scrooge again.
"We're not going back," Huey said firmly. "But...we can wait for you to find us."
He put the call on speaker.
"Webby, I'm surprised at you," Wren said. "I thought you had better sense than this."
"And you left me behind," Lena snapped. "Thanks, Webs."
"I'm sorry…" she whispered. "But I have to have the Stone. You don't understand. Talking to her for five seconds wasn't enough."
"Lass, you canne go running off like a chicken without a head," Scrooge scolded. "Launchpad, land the plane."
"Crash it?" Launchpad said.
"Don't be daft! Don't crash!" Scrooge said and then sighed. "You're going to crash it anyway, aren't you?"
"Anything you say, Mr. McDee!" Launchpad announced cheerfully and Webby could practically hear Uncle Scrooge facepalming.
"As for you lot, stay where you are," Scrooge continued. "We'll bring supplies and, since Webbigail forced the issue, we'll go hunting for the Stone. But you do as I say, exactly as I say, and no exceptions. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Uncle Scrooge," they chorused.
Things could've gone worse. At least he hadn't ordered them to retreat this time. And Webby's need for the Stone burned within her. She knew she was being selfish and putting the others, as well as herself, at risk. She also knew Lena was upset over being left behind. She hadn't meant to abandon her; it'd been a spur of the moment thing. Ever since her grandmother had died, she'd reacted spontaneously or without much forethought. She was becoming more and more impulsive, which was the triplets' behavior more than hers.
She lowered her head.
"Webbigail, I dinnae think the Stone is the panacea you think it is," Scrooge said softly. "Don't get your hopes up."
"Yes, Uncle Scrooge," she murmured.
"Do not crash," Scrooge snapped at Launchpad.
"I heard 'crash'," Launchpad replied.
"Curse me kilts! Don't you dare crash the Sunchaser or I'm taking the repairs out of your salary for the next ten years!" Scrooge snapped.
"Aye, aye, Mr. McDee," Launchpad said, though Webby thought she heard the sadness in his voice. Maybe he'd really been looking forward to crashing. He was a strange man-child.
"Stay," Scrooge commanded and then the call ended.
"Like we're pet dogs," Louie scoffed.
"I know this isn't how you pictured things going," Huey said, wrapping an arm about Webby's shoulders. "But at least we're headed in the right direction."
"Yeah," she said, unable to muster any enthusiasm in wake of Scrooge's anger and his voicing her own worries about the Stone. "We'll get there."
Whether the Stone would be there or whether it'd do anything remained to be seen. Of course, there was also the problem of Poe and Lena. She sighed, looking out the window. That phone had had her grandmother's voice on it. It'd only been a couple months and she was already losing her grandmother's voice. While she didn't resent Louie for what he'd done, she was morose.
"And we're all with you," Dewey added, joining them. "I promise."
Webby's beak twitched toward a weak smile. "Thanks, guys."
It didn't ease the hollowness in her chest or the misery that threatened to overwhelm her. It didn't bring her grandmother back or erase what the Bloodhound Gang had done to her. But it was something and for that, she was grateful.
The flight over was quiet, aside from the adults grumbling. Lena mostly stayed out of the way and skulked over by the furthest wall with her phone. When they gained a certain altitude, she was forced to abandon it. She was too irritated to read, an activity she associated with Webby. Della and Donald were discussing punishments for the boys, Scrooge was grousing to the pilot about the whole situation, and Lena glared at everything.
It wasn't her fault she couldn't maintain Mrs. Beakley's form. Webby couldn't have given her credit for the little time she'd managed. No, she'd turned it back on her. Not in so many words, but in an effective enough way that Lena had no doubt she was being spurned. She wasn't good enough. The story of her life.
They had arranged a rendezvous point about halfway to the Stone's reported location. Once there, this plane would return to Duckburg and they would continue in the Sunchaser. Lena wasn't sure why she was here, anyway. They hadn't let her stay back at the manor, but Lena didn't see the point in her accompaniment. What could she accomplish? Webby wasn't listening to her.
As for the Stone, Webby deserved it more than Lena did. Poe was on Lena's shoulder and she ignored him. Poe had never protected her from Magica's wrath. Even if he wanted to turn over a new leaf now, that didn't indemnify him from his absence her entire life. If anything, it made him more culpable, because he had no valid excuse.
Rationally, she knew some, if not all of this, was Webby lashing out after Mrs. Beakley's death and her rape. She knew the Webby she loved and cared for was still in there. She had to give her time to grieve and return to what passed for normal. Yet although Lena knew all of this, that didn't stop her from resenting it. Webby had such a great support system. Even without her grandmother, she had a family in the triplets, Donald, and Scrooge. What did Lena have? A raven and a moody girlfriend. Whoop de fucking doo.
She knew that brooding only exacerbated the issue. Hell, she had plenty of experience in brooding. It wasn't like there'd been much else to do when Magica had taunted her or brooded herself. It must've been a family trait.
"You all right, lass?" Scrooge asked and she cut her gaze to him. He sat beside her in a plush, better than first class could ever hope to get on a commercial airplane, seat. For someone whom she'd never seen drink alcohol, he was nursing a Scotch, which surprised her. Webby must've shot his nerves to hell. Lena raised her eyebrows but didn't comment on the booze. She'd imbibed alcohol herself before, to Magica's disapproval. Of course, anything that earned Magica's disapproval in those days was tempting.
"Peachy," Lena said. She didn't look at him but stared out the window at the clouds.
"You know, Magica isn't your legal guardian," Scrooge said softly.
"I'm not part of the Duck family. Don't even try," Lena said flatly.
"You are," Scrooge said softly, insistently. "And we've not been treating you fairly. And I'm sorry."
Lena folded her arms across her chest. "Well, once Poe's restored, you can go back to whatever."
"No," Scrooge said. "You're a member of the family whether you like it or not. Besides, you cannae tell me you'd rather be homeless with someone you dinnae know than live in the manor with people who love and care about you."
"'People?' Plural?" she shot back.
"Yes, people, plural. You'd be surprised, Lena."
"I'll bet," she said sarcastically.
"How about another outing? Just you and me? We dinnae have to invite Webby if you don't want to."
Lena flushed, strangely touched. She ducked her head to conceal a smile. "If you're not too busy counting your money, old man."
"Nah, I figure I'll let Louie count it for me and then see what happens when he tries to steal it from the Bin," Scrooge teased back.
Lena rolled her eyes and let him see her smiling. "You've got a deal. If you don't die first. You are really old, after all."
"I may be older than you, lass, but I'm tougher than the toughies and smarter than the smarties," he shot back.
"So, you're a candy?"
"Wait, what?"
"Smarties are a candy. They taste like chalk."
She stopped, seeing his baffled expression. "Never mind. You really are out of touch."
The rendezvous point, she could see, was coming up soon. Scrooge left her side to confer with the pilot and she was grateful Della didn't take his seat and attempt what would've been an awkward tete a tete. Speaking of awkward, she'd forgotten Wren, who was standing in the corner and looking like she wanted to blend in with the scenery. Lena didn't know how that was possible.
There was another delinquent parent. Only this time, she had even less of an excuse than Poe did. Needless to say, Lena did not think well of her. She didn't know why she was here. It wasn't like Webby listened to her. She was more inclined to agree with Lena than with her absentee mother.
To Lena's disgust, Wren sat beside her.
"You know, this is your fault," Lena said, not mincing words.
"I know," Wren said, surprising her. "I take full responsibility for this."
That took her aback.
"I need to talk to her again if she'll listen."
"Same here," Lena sighed. She twiddled her amulet around her neck. Somehow, she had to prove to Webby that her powers were sufficient to retain Mrs. Beakley's incorporeal form without the Stone. Maybe the Stone would help, but it wasn't a permanent solution. They didn't even know how long the Stone would last or if its effects wore off. There were so many things they didn't know...magic was hard to predict and often mercurial.
"I hope everyone's all right. I've heard some less than reputable things about Launchpad's flight record."
Lena snorted. "They're all true."
Wren blanched. "You're kidding."
"Nope."
"How could he retain such a dangerous pilot and driver?"
She shrugged. "Ask Moneybags. I'm just along for the ride."
"I think I will," Wren announced, jumping to her feet just as they landed. Beside them, she could see the Sunchaser had landed as well, although it wasn't in mint condition anymore. Lena was unsurprised. She'd have been shocked if Launchpad had stuck the landing.
Now came the fun part, dealing with the fallout.