Guardian
Where's Gyro??
--Duckberg, McDuck Manor, Kitchen
Gosalyn had just finished her pizza and was enjoying the company of the humble household butler known as Duckworth. He was really a cool guy and Gosalyn was very grateful for the hospitality.
Duckworth was enjoying their time together as well. This young woman was perhaps the most spirited person he'd ever met, even more so than Mr. McDuck. She was also very independent, which was a quality he greatly admired.
They were just about say their goodbyes when the door burst open to reveal a very worn out looking Mrs. Beakely, holding just about every dish from the dinner table in her two hands. "Duckworth…" she said not realizing Gosalyn was present. "Tootsie has been fed and the boys are in their room. I need…." She stopped when she saw the young girl. "Oh dear….are you feeling any better?"
"Yeah. Duckworth cheered me up," she said with her upbeat tone of voice. She looked up at the butler and smiled.
"Oh, that's wonderful. If you want, Bubba is out in his cave. You can go play a little while longer before its bedtime." Beakely walked over to the sink and put the dishes down. She gave a exhaled loudly looking over the amount work she was about to undertake.
"That's okay, Mrs. Beakely. I'm getting a little tired; it's been a long day. I'll probably go to bed early."
"That's fine, dear," she said smiling.
Gosalyn was hesitant about what she wanted to say next. She was never good at this. "Umm…Mrs. Beakely, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about the outburst at the table. I shouldn't have yelled at you." She had felt bad about it and knew the situation demanded an apology.
Beakely looked down at the young girl. "That's alright. I'm sorry Huey said something to offend you. I've tired to teach those boys some manners but it's never rubbed off."
"It's not your fault. And it's really not Huey's fault either. I guess I just need to learn to let some things go." Gosalyn was about to say her goodbye once again, but then she realized that Beakely had started working on the massive amount of dishes. "Um…Mrs. Beakely, is it all right? I mean, if it's not too much trouble…."
Beakely attention went back to the girl. "Yes, dear?"
"Do you need any help with the dishes?" she smiled innocently
--Duckberg, Luigi's restaurant
Fenton had been nervous all night. This was definitely not a normal situation. The father of his long time girlfriend, the woman whom he probably would be spending the rest of his life with, was head of the world's most secret super spy agency. Still, he was putting up a good front. "Hooter has no idea that I'm really Gizmoduck. I just need to keep up the innocent accountant act a little while longer and this night will be over," he thought.
Gandra was unaware of how nervous her boyfriend was. She was too busy enjoying a night with the two men in the world who meant everything to her. This was a real father/daughter moment, one of very few she had ever known.
Hooter was grateful Fenton wasn't asking too many question about his personal life. Granted, Gizmoduck knew all the particulars of what Hooter did for a living. But tonight, it seemed it was just a case of a father meeting his daughter's boyfriend, not the director of SHUSH meeting the secret identity of a superhero dating his only little girl.
The meal was coming to a close, and the dessert was about to be served. They were busy in conversation, when all of sudden Hooter's cell phone rang. Now, if the world was in perfect order, Hooter would have let it ring, but it wasn't. Oilrabia was in the middle of a crisis, and Agent G hadn't reported in. Carefully Hooter got the device out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID. It read "Grizzlikof."
"I'm sorry my dear, but I have to take this at once. I'll be back as soon as I can." He got up from the table.
"Hurry back, Dad. The cheesecake is on the way."
Fenton eyed the old owl. There was no doubt: this was something SHUSH-related. He decided to play along. "Yeah, Mr. Hooter. You don't want to miss it."
Hooter went out the back way, to where he hopefully would have a bit of privacy. He entered the back alley and looked around. After seeing no one in sight, he quickly called back his first agent. The phone rang.
"Yes Grizzlikof?"
"Director, I have urgent news from Oilrabia." The deep Russian voice came on the phone.
"Has Darkwing recovered the Princess?"
"No, Director. Darkwing has not checked in on his six-hour mark."
Hooter paused. That only meant one of two things. Either, Darkwing was incapacitated and could not check in or… "What do our satellites tell us?"
"Slug's death fortress is overlooking the only river in Oilrabia. We can see the Thunderquack, but it has been unmoved for some time. Director, this isn't looking good. Is there any way I can send a team?"
"No agent Grizzlikof. Oilrabia's government was quite clear. Darkwing and Launchpad; that was it."
"But what about someone else from the Justice Ducks, like Gizmoduck, or Neptunia?"
"I'm sorry old friend; Darkwing is the only card we have to play right now. I have full confidence in his abilities. We must be patient." Hooter tried not to let his concern show in his voice. The fact of the matter was he was between a rock and hard place on this issue. He didn't like sending Darkwing and Launchpad alone, but it was his only option.
Grizzlikof grunted. "Very well, Director. I will trust you know what's best. When will you be returning?"
"Tomorrow, late afternoon."
"Very good, Director."
"Now if there's nothing else…?"
"There is one thing, Director…I have not received my package from Agent G. I tried calling him, but he's not picking up. Is there anyway you can stop by his workshop and pick up the device I had made?"
"Agent G didn't answer your call either? What phone did you use?"
"Regulations state to use the company line for ordering any new equipment. That is for security purposes," he stated as if he was reading it from a book.
That definitely didn't sit well with Hooter. "Agent G has never missed a call from the company phone. Something must be wrong on our shores too. Send a small team immediately to G's workshop. I want a full report."
Realization hit poor Griz…Hooter was right. "Yes, Director."
"And if anything more develops on the Oilrabia case, inform me immediately." With that, he hung up the phone. He had known something wasn't right when he got to Duckberg; now he knew he should have followed his instinct. He might have to call in Gizmoduck should Agent G not turn up. There was no doubt Scrooge would want to be updated as well. This was turning out to be a long vacation.
--St. Canard, SHUSH headquarters
Grizzlikof hung up the phone. Agent G was missing. His old partner, friend…his comrade. He should have realized it at once, and mentally kicked himself. His attention had been so focused on the Oilrabia case and Darkwing's disappearance. Quickly he picked up the phone again and dialed a number.
"Yes…I want a team of four ready to go, stat. We have mission in Duckberg…..I will be leading it." He hung up again and sighed. Hooter said to organize a team, but he didn't say who would be in charge of it. He knew by doing this, no one would be monitoring Darkwing in Oilrabia 24/7. He'd have to take Hooter's advice and just trust the masked hero.
--Duckberg, McDuck Manor, Guest room
Gosalyn sat on her bed, reading yet another comic she had brought with her. She was worn out, yes, but for some reason didn't feel like turning in. She had helped Beakely with the dishes, and, according to the old nanny, finished twenty minutes ahead of schedule, which made Gosalyn feel very good. She had said her goodnights to both Mrs. Beakley and Duckworth and headed straight for her room, hoping not to run into the boys.
Now she was just relaxing and wondering if Fenton was going to pick her up tonight or tomorrow. She hoped things were going well for him and she could only imagine what Gandra's dad was like.
A knock at the door disturbed her daydreaming. She put down the book, and walked over to the door. Carefully she opened it. "Yes?" she said and then saw who it was. It was the triplets. "Oh…um…"
Huey interrupted her. He stood with a saddened face, with his brothers behind him, looking at him with displeasure. It appeared that the bothers had forced Huey to try and apologize again. "Look Gos, I'm really sorry. I knew the Darkwing thing was off-limits, but it just came out. I didn't mean to hurt you."
Gos smiled. "That's okay, I can take it personally sometimes. Apology accepted." She stuck out her hand and Huey met it. They shook and all hard feelings dissolved.
"So what are you doing? Getting ready for bed?" Dewy asked.
"No, not yet, just reading some comics. You guys can come in and read some too if you want." The three boy's faces brightened at the invitation and all headed inside. Gosalyn passed out some of her books and leaned back on her bed as the boys began reading. However, Heuy didn't open his book.
He was curious about something. He knew she had no reason to answer his question - it was her personal life...but he felt the need to ask. "Hey Gos….Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," she said, looking up.
"It's about the Darkwing thing…" he said hesitantly.
"Do you really wanna start that again? After we just made up."
"No…no….It's just…it seems to matter to you a lot…and I was just wondering why? I mean…you said you take the Darkwing thing personally, but why?
Gos paused. It was an honest question, with no hurt or malice intended to her Dad. How was she going to answer this? Maybe a little bit of truth and little bit of leaving out the truth….
"Well…." The boys leaned in close "It's kinda hard to talk about. You see my parents died a long, long time ago in some kind of accident. I'm not sure how or why, 'cause my grandpa never talked about it. I was only a baby when I went to live with grandpa. He was really cool, an inventor like Gyro. He built some kind of a gravity gun that a bad man wanted. Grandpa was killed and I went to go live in an orphanage. It was horrible…every week hoping against hope that some couple will like you for who you are, only to be let down because you have to much 'spirit'…"
Gos looked up at the boys who showed genuine concern on their faces. They had no idea…
"Then that bad man stole the gravity gun from the government, but couldn't activate it without the proper code that only grandpa knew," she continued. "Grandpa hid the code in a lullaby he sung to me. People came after me…" She paused, remembering the experience and how scared she had been, but then she perked up. "But then Darkwing came. He figured everything out and saved the day. Even Launchpad showed up and helped out. I thought Darkwing died in the final explosion, but he didn't…" She always wondered how her Dad survived that, along with his numerous other lethal experiences.
Now this next part had to be really tricky; she couldn't tell the truth, that Darkwing's secret identity Drake Mallard adopted her. "I went back to the orphanage. Then, Darkwing saved me again. He knew this guy, this really awesome person who didn't really have a friend in the world." That part was kind of true. Before Launchpad, the Muddlefoots, and the Justice Ducks, Drake's only real friend was Elmo, but he had been missing for some time. "So…Darkwing introduced Drake to me….and that day, Drake adopted me. He loves me as much as Grandpa did, and he's the coolest Dad I know. A thousand times better than any parent that came to visit the orphanage.
"Darkwing changed my life. Because of him, I have Dad and a home, a room of my own…awesome friends, and everything. I owe Darkwing everything! So, when I hear someone bad-mouthing him, after he risked his life to make mine better, I take it a little personally. So, now you know."
Now Heuy felt really bad. This Darkwing guy was a real hero, and all he had had to say about him was negative stuff. "Gee Gos….Now I'm really sorry for what I said."
Gos smiled. "That's okay. Like I said, sometimes I just need to let some things go. But since you have a newfound appreciation for Darkwing, how about you three join the fan club?"
"Man…you are a dedicated president," Louie laughed.
"Darkwing deserves nothing less." Gosalyn nodded at that last statement.
--McDuck Manor, Scrooge's Study
Scrooge sighed. It had been a long night. He had had no idea that adding just one more duckling to his list of responsibilities could do so much to his nerves. "At least she's well-mannered," he thought.
He had talked with Huey after dinner and tried to make him see the error of his ways. Hopefully he had gotten through and the boy was making amends. Scrooge would have to see in the morning and just hope for the best.
Gosalyn was a great kid, he saw that now. That Darkwing fellow was a lucky one to have such an independent young woman. Scrooge understood why the masked duck was so protective, she was a treasure. But then, he thought that most of his experiences with kids were like that. Rough on the outside, but a diamond hiding away inside. He thought of his nephews when they first came to live with him, and when he hired Beakely and found out Webby would be living here. And then he remembered Bubba, and how Scrooge couldn't stand the prehistoric cave duck and yet now he thought of him as a son.
"I guess I'm just a big softy when it comes to kids," he said aloud, smiling.
The phone rang, and at first startled him. Then confusion hit McDuck. This was the private line in the study, and only family (plus Beakely and Duckworth) knew the number. Anything business-related went to the house line, where Duckworth would sort out the call and transfer it to wherever McDuck was. So it couldn't have been Fenton, or any of his businesses. And his family was getting ready for bed. Then he remembered one family member not at home…Donald! The thought of his nephew put him in a good mood. Donald hadn't called in over a month. And last Scrooge heard, his nephew's ship was over in the Middle East. He reached for ringing phone and answered, "I was wondering when you'd decide to greet your favorite uncle with a phone call."
"Mr. McDuck?" a voice said on the phone…one that was not his beloved nephew.
"Yes? Who is this?" McDuck didn't recognize the voice.
"You don't know me, but we have a mutual friend - Gyro."
"How did you get this number? And answer my first question."
"My name is J. Gander Hooter. And I work for an organization that is a sister company to the Duckberg Intelligence Agency."
Scrooge remembered that experience. Launchpad had to go undercover and impersonate a spy…alone. Scrooge remembered how worried he had been during that time, not knowing if the big oaf would come back or not. Remembering this feeling did not put Scrooge in the best of moods. "If you're looking for Launchpad to do another errand run, you can forget it. I won't tell you we're he is."
"Mr. McDuck, I work with Mr. McQuack and I know exactly where he is." Part of that was true. Hooter at least knew what country the pilot was currently in.
"Then what's this about?"
"When was the last time you saw your inventor?"
"Yesterday, he was upgrading the security system at my bin. I left for the day and he was still there. Why? Has something happened to Gyro?" McDuck grew concerned. He knew Gyro worked for the DIA but his work was strictly research.
"I'm afraid we can't get a hold of him. I'm sending a team over to his workshop to investigate at once."
"Good! I want to be informed about anything you find."
"Any information you can give us would be appreciated. And I'd also like to call Gizmoduck in on this one."
"Of course, I'll call him immediately."
"Also Quiverwing," Hooter added at the last minute.
Scrooge paused. Gosalyn? The thought of putting the wee lass in danger didn't sit right with him. "She's a kid. We don't know what happened."
"Quiverwing has been trained by the world's greatest detective, Darkwing Duck. And with a missing person on our hands, I'm calling in all available resources. Darkwing trusted Gizmoduck to protect her, and I have every confidence in his abilities."
"I don't like it…She's just a wee lass…"
"She's been up against things that you and I can only imagine. She's even saved the world a few times, and she's a full-fledged member of the Justice Ducks. This is what she does!"
Scrooge was used to being the boss and calling the shots, and apparently so was this guy on the phone. Hooter continued, "And if I recall, it's Gizmoduck that has current guardianship of the girl…not you."
"That may be, but I employ Gizmoduck and it's my money that funded that suit of his. I pay to keep the streets of Duckberg clean, and I will have a say in this matter." Scrooge was not going to back down.
Hooter sighed. "At least, I want her to help out with the initial investigation. If it does, in fact, look like an abduction, then I'll pull her off for safety and liability reasons. Satisfied?"
Scrooge smiled. Haggling could be applied to every aspect of life, which was something he learned a long time ago. "Very well. Where do you want to meet?"
"Your money bin. That's the last place anyone saw Gyro. That's where our investigation begins. Call Gizmoduck and Quiverwing. I'll be there in an hour."
Author's Note: WooT….Another chapter….and a long one. This story is turning out longer than I planed (like most of my other stories) but I'm very happy with it so far. Your reviews are very kind, please continue 'cause that is really what motivates me to finish. Thanks again.—BQ
BETA READER: MENDEIA
