The Legend of Gizmoduck


Part 99


Spaceship Removal


In a distant paddock, a strange black obelisk was sticking out of the ground.

"What on earth is that thing on Grover's Farm?" Scrooge McDuck asked as they flew on up the road.
"It must have been what crashed this morning." Gizmoduck said.
"Take us over, Gizmoduck." Scrooge said.

They landed on the grassy flatland not far off from the crashed ship. Scrooge studied the saucer buried a quarter of the way into the earth. It was blackened, mottled and lumpy.
"What's that stuck to the hull?" Lena asked.
Gizmoduck analysed the material. "They appear to be barnacles. The ship must've been in the sea for a long time."
"What's it doing out here now?" Lena asked.

"S.H.U.S.H. must've tried an aerial attack on Felldrake." Scrooge considered. "Though how they got their hands on a deep sea relic is beyond me. Can you make out what the damage is?"
"No unprotected biologicals could survive reentry into the atmosphere. They burnt to a crisp." Gizmoduck said.
Scrooge was puzzled for a moment. "...The ship, man, not the blasted barnacles!" Scrooge walked forward with a grumble. "Come on. They might be in need of a hand."

They got to the edge of the dirt mound and Scrooge waved. "I'm Agent Scrooge McDuck. Could you do with some help?"

A black mist poured out of a vent from the side of the ship.
"It's another vampire!" Lena's voice vanished into the mist as did the air from Scrooge's lungs.


A few moments later they were standing on the deck of the spacecraft.

"Sorry about that." A tall thin duck-looking agent was standing beside them. "But the gravity shift would've been weirder for you if we'd thrown you a ladder. I'm Captain Mm-..." He stopped.
"Agent M." Scrooge nodded to him. "You helped us with that outbreak last week."
Agent M looked at Launchpad. "Thanks for coming over to help. I mean; 'welcome aboard'." He looked at Lena.
"Oh, I'm Lena." Lena shrugged. "Just... here for the ride!"
"Nice asymmetry. My eldest would love that hairstyle."

"Why can't you pull up?" Scrooge asked.
"Our pilot's gone into shock." Agent M answered. "And we're not going anywhere if he's not."


They crossed the radial passage to a room labelled 'tea room'.
"It's not your fault we crashed, Reggie." A feminine voice in the room said. "The system we designed was too slow to react to return fire."

As Scrooge stepped into the doorway, the person talking had dark curly hair standing in front of the table. Another step into the room and Scrooge saw a shrub with pink floral petals for hair seated beside Agent Hooter. Scrooge's memory flashed back to the nightly battles he'd been having in the last few weeks.
"Doctor Sputterspark." Agent M got her attention and she turned. "This is Agent McDuck, Mr McQuack, and Lena De Spell. Agent Hooter, Agent Bushroot."

"Bushroot! He's that villain from the Darkwing Duck TV show!" Launchpad said.
"So everyone tells me." Bushroot muttered.

"Mr McDuck, this was how those vampires were escaping detection for so long." Gizmoduck added.
Bushroot snorted and looked slowly up at them. "Maybe if you cleaned your visor more often...?" He had a tired and weathered expression on his face. "I'm not hostile; anybody who says otherwise has an aversion to good study habits."

"Pardon us, Agent." Scrooge apologised to Bushroot. "We've just had some trouble with Earth vampires here in Duckburg recently. Seeing another one just caught us by surprise."
"Earth vampires?" Bushroot repeated in question.
"It's your appearance." Hooter cleared his throat. "Plant form falls into the earth discipline."
"Aye; it's an expert skill to change your shape like this."
Bushroot put his face in his hands.

Hooter looked at Launchpad. "Mr McQuack, do you have any idea how we might get the ship back up into the air?"
"You'll want to reverse your propellers." Launchpad answered, putting his hands on his hips.
Bushroot flinched. "B-but what if the anti gravs send us up in space again?"
"It's simple." Gizmoduck said. "Negative the multiplication factor of the weight of the spaceship, sustain it long enough to reorient and-."
"There! That's when we'll crash!" Bushroot said.
"I could do it, but not while I'm wearing this suit." Gizmoduck said quietly aside to McDuck.

"What about the thrusters, doctor?" Hooter asked. "Agent Bushroot achieved a very certain outcome when he was using only those."
"Only the thrusters? Against gravity?" Agent Bushroot said.
"Do it all the time." Launchpad said. "We call it... 'take off'." He drew his hand in front of him. "After that it's clear skies ahead. Especially today." He put his hands on his hips. "Great flying weather now the fog's lifted."
"I have to agree." Doctor Sputterspark said. "Gravity's our friend, not our enemy. We have to work with it. We just need enough momentum to let the aerodynamics of the Condoris actually mean something."

"Mr McQuack." Agent M said. "If we bring all directional thrusters online-."
"Why are you asking him; that's my job!" Bushroot glared at Agent M. "He's not a vampire, anyway! It'll take him years to learn the controls!"
"I'd say ten minutes." Agent M said quietly. "The problem is the more we split that job the greater the rate of clumsiness."
"You know, I don't have to be here!" Bushroot's face was flushed deep green as he glared at Agent M. "I can catch a bus."
"If-." Agent M began.
"Stop." Hooter interrupted. "Agent M; please try a different tack."
Agent M sighed. For a moment there was a loaded silence. "...Gizmoduck? We could use your help down in the engine room."
"Sure."
"Apparently Agent M can't think of a less confrontational method of communication right now." Hooter said after they'd left.
Bushroot snorted.

"Mm, yum!"

Scrooge looked over at Lena. She was standing over by the tea table beside the door, a bite taken out of a cupcake.
"This one's 'really' good, you should try it, Mr McDuck." Lena said, enjoying the tea snacks. "You guys are really lucky to get to play with this giant toy of yours."
"Mr McQuack," Doctor Sputterspark said. "I'd love it if you could come look at the controls."
"Sure." Launchpad followed after her.

Scrooge turned back to the look of betrayal on Bushroot's face. "It can't hurt just to let Launchpad help you off the ground, lad." Scrooge defended. "He knows crashes better than anybody."
Bushroot rubbed his face. "I'll help, I'll help." He stood up.
"Sit down, lad." Scrooge noticed him shaking.
"I got it out of the water... I can get it out of the dirt."
"Aye, but you're in shock." Scrooge eyed him. "Let Launchpad get this ship back up and park it at my place until you're steady again."
"Thank you. But he still can't fly this ship without me." Bushroot left the room.

Hooter let out a long sigh, "In that private library of yours, is there anything on fledglings?"
Scrooge tapped the end of his cane on the floor. "Not everything is S.H.U.S.H.'s business, Hooter."
"That's exactly something Darkwing would say!" Hooter argued.
"You shouldn'a be handling fledglings."
"I certainly don't want it for myself."
"Ye' not letting a fledgling Earth vampire around my family!"

"McDuck, tell me; what sort of vampires feed on emotions and electricity as well as sunlight?"
"A Heart vampire?" Scrooge straightened. "Why don't those two get along?"
Agent Hooter shrugged. "Bushroot likes a straight talker-."
"Aye, you can't be too popular, then." Scrooge retorted.
"I've explained my position..." Hooter moved to check his phone.

There was a sound of motors off in the distance, the sound of metal heaving to.

After a moment of looking at his phone, Hooter stood up. "McDuck, how were you able to restore us to the 21st century?"
"Me, I can field that." Lena interrupted, abandoning the tea table. "Darkwing Duck forced the crystal to reverse Felldrake's casting."
"Darkwing; my goodness, this is getting serious." Hooter left the room.

Scrooge followed Hooter out into the corridor. "What do ye' mean by 'serious'?"
Hooter turned back to him. "That's confidential, agent."

With Lena right behind him, Scrooge hurried after Hooter to the control room. Launchpad was standing beside Doctor Sputterspark.

"Now we just ease the nose back down a little. Easy does it." Launchpad said.
"That does it, Reggie." Doctor Sputterspark said. "You can turn on the antigravity grid now. We're now in hover mode."
"We've got an altitude of forty three metres." Launchpad reported.
"That's too low." Doctor Sputterspark said.
"It's too late to adjust it." Agent M said. "We've got to make repairs first."
"Let's double back out of this forest." Launchpad said.
"Okay, I can do that." Bushroot said timidly from his seat nearby.

"Hooter." Scrooge refocused on him, "I went into a fight with him just now; I have a right to know what the matter is."
Hooter raised an eyebrow. "An agent can't continue forever, McDuck. One gets tired and starts losing efficacy."
"Vampires don't get tired, Hooter." Scrooge corrected him. "They take a bite out of you and keep going."
Hooter straightened. "He's not a vampire, Agent."
"Quit being stubborn, Hooter! If it wasn't for Morgana-."

"Slow the left thruster," Launchpad dictated. "We want to make a slight course adjustment. Take your time, Bushroot, we've got plenty of airway to tidy it up."

"Darkwing Duck is S.H.U.S.H.'s best agent, McDuck." Hooter said in a severe tone. "Whatever you report to S.H.U.S.H. management, they're aware of the underlying issue and they have already taken steps to address it." His tone became cheerful again. "The new Assistant Director will consider your report after she gets back to the office on Monday. Maybe she can think up something new that'll help. Now, please excuse me." His voice took on a business tone. "Everything's in hand here; I'm required to report in for priority two assignment."

Scrooge glared after Hooter for another moment.

"We're home, Mr McDee." Launchpad turned to him. "We're parked right over your backyard."

"Well, so much for the sunny day." Lena shrugged.

"Come on, Agent Bushroot." Scrooge resolved. "I have a book that might help you."