Enough Chapter 23: "A Bond You Can't Break"
Louie had thought over his plan with the others. Whether or not it would work was a different question.
How long would it be until Bradford stopped by their cell and noticed they were missing? Or one of the guards?
Louie asked them, "Okay, everyone ready?" The kids nodded. They shot through the hallway, making their way inside the housekeeper cleaning quarters. Louie motioned for his friends to follow them, and Louie snatched a keycard from the front desk.
He explained, "Bradford didn't have the chance to rob me of my existing keycard, but mine only gives me access to my room and a few other unimportant rooms, or rooms that are unlocked. The housekeeper keycard will give us access to any safes around FOWL, so we can find Webby's grappling hook. I know Bradford and the eggheads usually kept stuff lying around at first, but I'm pretty sure they must have upped their security, given the circumstances. Next, Webby will use the grappling hook to swing from the ceiling and monkey-bar our way to the exit. Got it?"
They nodded.
"Escapees!" A female egghead screamed, and suddenly, red lights started going off.
BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEEEEEP!
"Aw, crud." Louie hissed under his breath. He yelled, "RUN!" The kids raced into the hallway, dodging FOWL employees that were gaining at them.
"We need to search the safes, but we only have time to search one! It won't be long until they catch up!" Huey screamed worriedly.
Louie dodged a FOWL agent's hand, trying to think, "What about the safe in the library? Bradford knows I'm least likely to go there."
"Good idea." Webby gave him a thumbs-up and Huey nodded his head. Dewey didn't comment. Louie looked to the side of him to see what June would say, but just remembered that June wasn't there.
Because of him.
Louie took a deep breath to calm himself. They only had one shot at this. Racing into the library, he ran past a chocolate-colored book shelf with a colorful display of books, reaching a metal vault. He swiped the keycard in front of it, and people started banging at the doors. Dewey helped and grabbed the handle with his good hand, making Louie feel a stab of grief for his brother. Webby pushed a wooden chair in front of the door.
"This won't hold them off for long! Quick!" She shouted.
Louie opened the vault, shaking with anticipation. He filled with joy when he saw that Webby's grappling hook was indeed there, and grabbed it instantly, "Found it! Webby, catch!" He threw it at Webby.
Webby motioned for the boys to hold onto her, and she grappled onto the chandelier. At that moment the door swung open, and Webby flew above the FOWL agents' heads and swung onto another lamp hanging from the ceiling, swinging to the exit. FOWL was not far behind.
Webby stopped at the door, dropping down and putting her grappling hook away. She opened the door, and the kids raced down the stairs and closed the door behind them, breathing heavy. They ran through FOWL, but were stopped by Phantom Blot, or the Funso mascot.
"Are you kids lost?" He asked maliciously with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Uhhh…OH LOOK A DISTRACTION!" Louie pointed at a sign on the door that said 'Wash your hands before eating.' He ran outside with his family hot on his heels. Once the kids were outside, they knew they were safe. FOWL was smart enough not to go chasing children on the streets, as it would attract way too much attention.
"I know the way to McDuck manor." Huey motioned for them to follow him, "Come on!"
The kids ran down the streets, and Louie felt numb inside as he did. What would Donald think? What about Scrooge? Did they know what happened to Della?
He nervously stopped in front of the gate of the mansion, wondering what he'd say. He didn't have much time to though, because Scrooge soon swung open the door.
"Louie! You're okay! We were so worried about you! Where have you been?!" The elderly duck cried, and Louie stared at his feet.
"That doesn't matter now." Webby said, "We need to get to Funso's, to FOWL's base."
Scrooge furrowed his brow, "Is June behind you…?"
Louie panicked, "Well…let us inside and we'll explain." He fidgeted nervously with his hands as Scrooge led him and the other kids inside. In a flash, everyone was seated at the family meeting table, even Manny, Gyro, Fenton, Duckworth, and Gladstone.
"June is…June isn't herself." Louie scratched the back of his head, "There's this diamond. The-"
Scrooge gasped, "Curse me kilts! The Third Eye Diamond!"
"What? How do you know?!" Louie cried.
"Your father always mentioned it when he came home…"
"My father knows about this artifact?!" Louie asked.
"Oh Louie…" He sighed, "What did Bradford tell you about your father?"
"That…that he worked for FOWL and died escaping prison…"
"He died because of Bradford's game, Llewellyn!" Scrooge raised his voice, "He died because Bradford wanted the stupid jewel!" He closed his eyes, "Years ago today, your father was assigned a dangerous mission to acquire the Third Eye Diamond. Problem was, FOWL wasn't as advanced of an organization as it is now. They went into the mission blind, and failed…miserably. Your father paid the price with his life."
Huey gawked, "Why didn't mom ever tell us this?"
"Your father wasn't a nice person. But, he didn't deserve his fate. He could have lived. Ugh, Bradford! That penny-pinching buzzard! I always knew there was an organization called FOWL, but I never knew their head of command were literally residing at my Money Bin, until Launchpad told us!"
"Wait Launchpad kn-" Louie decided to not to question him, but instead spoke bitterly, "I can't believe Bradford got me to work for him! That must be how he knew what the diamond did! I…I…" He started to cry and stood up, burying his head in his hoodie, "I let you down. Again."
Donald got up and crouched next to his nephew, "No you didn't. Come on, we'll beat the bad guys together, okay?"
Louie nodded, sniffling.
"Let's not waste any more time." Beakley interrupted them, getting up as well. She said, "It's been a long time since I've allied with SHUSH. I left that agency a long time ago. But we will need backup to fight this force." She sighed as she dialed a number.
"Yes. This is Bentina Beakley, former agent of SHUSH. Code red: FOWL is back, with none other than the villainous Bradford Buzzard in the lead." She narrowed her eyes.
- Time Skip, FOWL Headquarters-
Bradford Buzzard drummed his fingers on the edge of his desk, chuckling, "They can run, but they can't hide…they will all be under my rule…no matter the McDucks, the whole WORLD will be under MY RULE!" His laugh started soft, but grew louder and louder, his shoulders shaking up and down as he maniacally eyed his monitor screen inside his private office. The whole room was dark, except for a faint red light. His eyes glowed yellow like those of a monster just waiting in the dark, preparing for the right time to kill.
"Cyber-spies!" He shouted suddenly, putting an end to his laughter.
Two eggheads with different colored (blue) uniforms came inside.
"Make my announcement reach all of Duckburg…" He smirked, pressing his palms together and tapping his fingers against one another.
Suddenly, everyone's screens in Duckburg got hacked to show the face of an evil buzzard.
"Good morning citizens of Duckburg!" Bradford said smoothly, "This is Bradford Buzzard speaking. Your city is safe no longer. Do not even think of getting the police, as anyone found doing so will be murdered brutally. Police, if you are viewing this message, you will notice that you have been locked inside the police station, and those of you who are traveling on foot or in cars, my base is fully armed with torpedoes and missiles I am threatening to launch at your forces. If you want to live, obey my orders. I repeat, this is Bradford Buzzard of…" Bradford rolled his eyes, "Ugh, Funso's." You will not complain, as you cannot. You will not look away, as you cannot. It is empowering. It is glorious. The Third Eye Diamond." He cackled as he took the diamond from his shelf and placed it on his desk, "You will ALL be under my control. Our minds will be ONE." The screen went green.
- Louie-
Louie watched as his phone screen went screen, and shut his eyes closed, screaming as he dropped the phone, "DON'T LOOK AT THE SCREENS!"
Beakley and the others tossed their screens aside as well. Webby, who was still holding her's, dropped it and yelped as she stumbled backwards, falling down on the floor.
"WEBBIGAIL!" Beakley screamed, "Are you alright?"
Webby opened her eyes, "Yeah, I think I'm fine…" Her eyes flashed green, then turned back to their usual color.
"Are you sure?" Dewey asked worriedly.
Webby rubbed the side of her head, "Sure. I looked away before it got me. What do we do now?"
Beakley told them, "I contacted SHUSH before they hijacked our devices. Let's go."
She grabbed a knife and some smoke-bombs as the others grabbed some other weapons. The ducks determinedly walked out of the mansion, making sure to ignore any green light they saw. Fenton/Gizmoduck joined them as well.
"Where are we going?" Huey asked.
"To FOWL!" Scrooge responded.
"What? Isn't that LITERALLY the most dangerous place?! You heard Bradford, it's armed with weapons!" Dewey said, putting his hands up in exasperation.
"Yes, but do you know how costly it would be to arm a whole base with torpedoes and weapons? Lad, FOWL doesn't have that kind of money. Surely the must have a weak spot somewhere. FOWL is so determined on not to have people enter from the front, they forgot about the back." Scrooge smirked.
The ducks rushed to the back of Funso's, where an owl in black spy attire awaited.
"Owlson?! You're the new head of SHUSH?!" Beakley was just as shocked as everyone else.
Owlson nodded, "Yes. After the unfortunate death of the former leader, I decided to take over."
"Hm, you actually do have the right materials for a SHUSH administrator." Scrooge admired her hard-working attitude.
Owlson smiled, "Thanks." She motioned to a group of SHUSH agents, "The team and I have devised a plan. There is a counterpart for this diamond that Bradford is using called the Blueflower Gem. I was told to keep it safe, and never to use it unless the situation was dire."
Louie snorted, "Villains intent on taking over the world? Sounds pretty dire."
"Agreed. I have the Blueflower Gem with me, and we can show it to the controlled victims to heal them. Hopefully that should help." She said worriedly. "Gizmoduck!" She shouted, and Gizmoduck very messily cut a circular opening through the back wall with his laser arms.
Owlson rolled her eyes, "Will do."
They stepped inside the building. All the lights were off.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" Webby asked. The lights suddenly turned on, red. Bradford was in the middle, slowly clapping.
"Ah, I've seen you've found me. Good job. Well, I might as well have you watch." He smirked, "I will rule the whole world with this diamond and I-!"
"You already said that, no one likes a villain who can't come up with good quips." Dewey crossed his arms.
"Gah! I'm not good at this, okay?!" He the cloth of the Third Eye Diamond sitting on his desk, "Look deep into my beautiful gem!"
A few SHUSH agents screamed as their eyes turned green. Owlson tried, "Attack!"
"Oh, I don't think that's a good idea." Bradford clicked his tongue as green-eyed people emerged from the shadows.
"What the-" Beakley gasped. She fought off a dog and threw a smoke bomb on the ground so she could escape to the far side of the room, as the others struggled with the controlled victims.
"We're outnumbered!" Launchpad grunted as he waved a crowbar around wildly as if his life depended on it. (which, frankly, it did)
"Louie! Do something!" Dewey shouted.
"Why me?!" Louie cried as he shoved off a figure with his foot.
"Because! You're the schemer! You come up with the plans! That's why you're so crucial in our group!" Dewey yelled. Louie blinked in surprise. Of all the people to say this, he wouldn't expect for it to be Dewey.
"Um…plan…planplanplan…" He snapped his fingers, "That's it! Beakley, go to the highest point in the room, and get the gem."
"What? Why?!"
"Trust me!" Louie hissed. He tensed for a few moments, wondering if they trusted him, or would ever trust him. Beakley thankfully did as she was told, climbing onto a pile of crates. Owlson handed her the Blueflower gem.
"Great! Webby, toss her your grappling hook!" He shouted. Webby tossed the grappling hook to her grandmother, and she grabbed it with her left hand, holding the gem in her right.
"Now swing!"
Beakley smirked, swinging across the ceiling with the gem. In an instant, all the people's eyes turned back to normal.
"WHAT?! NO!" Bradford hissed, "YOU! YOU WERE LOYAL TO ME! NOOOOOOOOOO!"
It was Louie's turn to smirk, "I'm loyal to my family."
SHUSH agents escorted Bradford out of the building while some other victims claiming to be police members took care of the other FOWL employees.
Della groaned, lifting her head from the ground, "Huh? What happened?!"
"Mom!" Dewey happily ran over and hugged her.
"Louie?" She eyed her son, "Are you okay?"
Louie felt his eyes fill with tears, "yeah, I-" He looked away, "This was all because of me. I messed up, big time."
"Louie, everyone can mess up. And it's okay, really."
"Yeah Louie! Plus, you planned out the whole thing, didn't you?" Webby asked.
"See? Come on Louie, go back home with us." June said. Louie felt his face heat up as she tugged on his sleeve.
Louie looked at all the hopeful faces staring at him. At all the loving faces begging him to go back. They loved him, and they forever would. Family was a bond you couldn't break. A slow smile spread across his beak, and he agreed.
Yeah, didn't want to make the whole 'Louie saves Della' thing since that is literally so cliché, but I did make it so that Louie came up with the scheme that saved them, because I felt like that would really fit well. Welp hope you enjoyed.
Bye!
-puppydogs68