Chapter 9
Gyro hesitated for a moment as he stared at the colorful lights ahead, but did not turn away. He took a step: one step that seemed like so many. This was his first time entering Toontown since he had left Loony Labs and gone to The Outskirts, and there was a feeling of uncertainty within the chicken as he walked into the Donald's Dreamland playground.
His outfit was dark and concealing, with a hood pulled over his head so as to shadow his face. His hopes were to not be recognized if he happened to encounter anyone who knew him. The week he had spent away from it all had done nothing to alleviate the bitterness that filled him to the brim; choking him endlessly. The chicken's longing for vengeance was still as strong as ever.
As Gyro entered the sleepy playground, he glanced around himself cautiously. There were few toons about at the moment, and they all seemed to be acting ordinarily, so he found himself feeling a little more confident. The scientist set off at a brisk pace toward the pet shop in the distance.
He met no disturbance upon the way, and soon found himself pushing open the doors and entering the place. Three clerks stood behind a desk at the far side of the shop. One of them, a tan dog, looked over at Gyro immediately as the chicken came inside. The others, a green dog and a purple cat, remained engrossed in the magazines they were reading.
As Gyro approached the desk, the tan dog inquired in a friendly tone, "What can I do for you today?"
"I'd like to adopt a doodle," Gyro responded briefly.
The dog nodded. "Of course, sir. Just slip around the desk here and I'll allow you to peruse the kennel."
The scientist walked over to the edge of the desk and slipped past it, then followed the tan dog to the back of the shop. A large kennel had been placed there, and several doodles were inside of it. At the sight of the visitors the colorful little creatures started yapping noisily and jumping excitedly toward the kennel wall.
"Just let me find the key here, and I'll let you in," the clerk told him, starting to rummage in his pockets.
"No need, I'll just look at them from out here," Gyro replied hastily. He had never been very fond of the critters that the residents of Toontown had chosen as their pets.
"Really?" the tan dog responded, frowning a little as he stopped his search. Then he shrugged and said, "Just let me know when you've chosen one."
The chicken nodded wordlessly and turned his attention to the doodles in the kennel. He observed them for a few moments before deciding which one was his least favorite and informing the tan dog of his choice. The clerk then spent several minutes searching for his key before finally giving up and borrowing the purple cat's copy.
In little time at all the scientist found himself leaving the shop. He was now carrying a cardboard crate that contained an energetic green doodle, which he had been forced to pay an absurd amount of jellybeans for. But jellybeans really didn't matter anymore, he supposed, and he didn't exactly have time to go to a pet shop that was any farther away if he wanted to be in time for his meeting.
The chicken kept walking until he had left Donald's Dreamland altogether, and continued onward in a southwestern direction. It was not long before he spotted a magnificent estate lying on the very top of a hill in the distance. As he drew nearer, Gyro could make out more details. The house itself was a huge white brick manor, and surrounding it was a beautiful garden filled with exotic plants and expensive statues.
After reaching the beautifully carved wooden front doors of the manor, the scientist rang the doorbell and paused. After a few moments, the doors were opened by a green bear dressed in attire that suggested him to be a butler or something of that sort.
"What is your purpose here?" the bear asked him in a superior sort of tone.
"My name is Gyro Gearloose. I have an appointment with Scrooge McDuck," Gyro answered a little distractedly as he took in what he could see of the manor's lavish interior behind the bear.
"Yes, of course, come in. Mr. McDuck will see you in his office upstairs," the butler informed him dutifully.
After stepping inside, the chicken nodded and headed for a flight of white marble stairs. The toon forced himself to ignore the grandness of the place and focus his attention solely on the task ahead. After reaching the top of the staircase, Gyro stared around at an assortment of doors. He was starting to wonder how he was supposed to know which one was an office before he spotted one with a gold plated label on it that read "Scrooge McDuck".
As the door was closed, Gyro knocked. Then, reminded of his appearance, he made sure to let down his hood so that his face would be more visible. After being told to enter by the person inside, the chicken did so.
The office was of a relatively normal size, and not quite as fancy as Gyro had been expecting given the extravagance he had witnessed throughout the remainder of the manor. The main feature of the room was a long, wooden oval desk, which was situated on the far side from the door. The walls of the room were covered with various frames containing pictures and documents of some importance, and against the farthest wall sat a filing cabinet and some shelves with various objects on them. The desk itself was neatly organized, with stacks of files set into specific piles on its surface and some other objects being placed in seemingly specific locations. In front of the desk were two black metal chairs, and behind it was a large black satin armchair in which Scrooge McDuck himself sat.
"Gyro Gearloose, I presume?" Scrooge said as his attention turned from his present work to the visitor.
"Yes," the scientist affirmed.
"Take a seat," the rich duck told him. After Gyro had sat down in one of the metal chairs, Scrooge asked him, "So, you requested a meeting with me to discuss a certain proposal of yours?"
Gyro nodded. "I am proposing that you provide funding for my current operations in The Outskirts. I am in need of a lab, as well as certain equipment and other supplies."
"Hmmm, and what would I receive in return?" Scrooge asked then.
"I am not entirely sure what you are interested in," Gyro admitted then. "But I would propose that in return for your funding of my operations, some of the time and funds would go towards the development and production of weaponry for you, which you would then potentially be able to sell."
At this, the chicken was relieved to see a glow of interest appear in the duck's eyes. "Your proposal seems adequate. Good weapons can be easily sold for high cash amounts to the right people. I question, though, why I should fund you in particular for the making of them."
"Well, I suppose you could call me something of an expert in weapon design, particularly the Sadness-inducing sort," the scientist answered. "I mean to demonstrate something of my design here today for you, if you'd like."
After getting a nod of approval from Scrooge, Gyro took a small bag out of his pocket. Inside of it were three dark gray tablets. "These tablets are formed from a basic formula for a substance that is able to induce Sadness," the chicken informed the duck. "Such a substance can and has been used in the designing of actual weaponry. I brought along a pet to display its effectiveness."
Gyro turned to the cardboard crate and took off the lid. Immediately, the green doodle sprang out and started to yap with excitement. The scientist took one of the tablets out of the bag and then approached the doodle, holding it out in his hand in an offering way. Ever trusting, the doodle ate the tablet from off of the chicken's hand, probably just thinking it to be a dark gray jellybean.
A change in the doodle's behavior was evident, as he stopped moving around excitedly and started seeming sluggish. The critter lay down on the floor, his bright gaze turning dull and bored. After a mere five minutes or so, the tablet appeared to have done its job as the doodle was completely depressed and no longer anything like his old, energetic self.
Gyro looked away from the doodle and over at Scrooge McDuck, feeling satisfied. "So, do we have a deal?"
The duck had been gazing with both fascination and horror at the doodle as the tablet did its job. He was obviously impressed by its effects. Now, upon gazing back at his visitor, he replied pleasantly, "Yes, I believe we certainly do."
Gyro smiled with relief as he realized that he had accomplished the task in gaining the funding necessary to begin his operations in The Outskirts. He had mixed feelings about having to work for someone seemingly more powerful than him once more, but he had no other option. There was a lot of work ahead of him, now, but he was motivated to begin. It might take him a long time to perfect his plans, but eventually Toontown would fall.