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The following is a fan-based
FICTION
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Chapter 5 – Gaming Job (John)
Beta-reader: Ant0nius
The adventure in Atlantis, while ending on a positive note, placed me in a rather awkward spot.
For someone with quite the tremendous case of bad luck, it still was a shock to learn that Donald had been hired by Flintheart Glomgold as part of his expedition to beat Scrooge at the Crystal. I had been instantly pulled into the 'skirmish' between uncle and nephew as I was the one the former sailor had trusted the most in keeping the kids away from that kind of adventuring and… he eventually conceded that there wasn't much he could do to avoid the 'unavoidable'. I didn't catch on to what he was referring to by 'unavoidable', but even as the situation was resolved, that did not negate my own concerns about what happened. I kind of disappointed Donald with my behavior, and I should've known to be more careful about this. Things might have resolved themselves, but the lingering bitterness of having been close to some unpleasant endings was… well, chilling to say the least. Thankfully Scrooge had no plans for an adventure in the few days after this first one, and there was a fair reason for this: Donald's boat had suffered a critical problem. It may be related to something Dewey attempted a few hours before visiting Scrooge, which resulted in the boat's engine exploding, destroying a good portion of the rooms inside. Thankfully, nothing irreplaceable was lost, but it left us in the situation of living in the McDuck's manor until repairs were completed.
I did have some money on myself, but nothing that could contribute towards repairing the boat. Not when we were expected to fix the boat without the intervention of an external helper. Scrooge didn't want any unregulated strangers within the manor, bringing up that there were too many thieves around, lurking and waiting to jump at opportunities like this one. So, that left me and Donald going through this labor during the afternoons once I was done with my shift at work. Just as the first day after the adventure started, I encountered some trouble… ignoring the many what ifs tied to what happened back in that temple. So many times had I come close to losing focus while helping the kids around; especially when Scrooge and Dewey were forced to move on without us due to a trap destroying the main path to the treasury. I managed to keep my composure, but I sure came close to losing it due to how tense the situation had been. Launchpad was mostly out of commission, and when the fight with Flintheart's goons started, I worried for the kids. Of course, Disney logic saved the day by giving the kids the chance to shine and show off their skills but… there were some enemies that I figured they couldn't work well against. The Beagle Boys, Magica De Spell, Rockerduck - I could think of many others from the comics, and yet those were primarily the few I knew would be the most troublesome to face.
With a mind heavy with doubt, I started the shift slower than usual. And… the boss noticed.
"Bukharin, back on track fast, sonny!" The old duck ordered sternly, a nod automatically responding as I pulled myself out of this remembrance and back to the task at hand.
It was going to be a long day, considering how many cars and bikes needed some fixing by lunchtime. While this wasn't my preferred area of expertise, it was the first affordable job I could get hired by, due to a lack of specific requirements like my references. Since I left home without my Economics Degree, that left me unable to aim for something higher, so I was stuck with the humble workplace that wanted 'people that knew how to handle fixing a car without waving around some rich paper'. No problem for me, especially since it landed me this job, but I sure missed the chance of being in a better work situation. I had been promoted twice in the previous four years thanks to my consistent hard work, so it was still an annoying downgrade from what was normal for me a while ago.
Still, I didn't have a choice. It offered a surprisingly good wage despite my previous experiences with this career. I tied this to the fact that someone as economically-stable as Scrooge could have been used as a reference point to move the national economy, maybe even the international once, thus meaning that no crises got to the point where the taxes increased and wages fell. A little indirect blessing from the owner of the Money Bin atop Killmotor Hill, but still one that didn't spare me from this frustrating boss.
Donald didn't know about the full details of the job since I had been quiet about it beyond mentioning that it offered a solid income to complain about, and it was something I knew I could hold with enough perseverance.
I hummed quietly as I finally moved to fix a small bike which had suffered a severe case of getting struck by a car driven by a drunk guy. Luckily nobody had been driving the bike, so it was just a matter of getting it back to proper shape thanks to part of the money the driver owed to the owner's parents. Little could be salvaged due to the extent of the damage, so I moved to retrieve the replacement pieces which were best used to restore the bike. A simple task all in all, but not as the one that came up urgently while I finished fixing the back-wheel.
"John. Drop your work there and come here to fix these kids' car."
I frowned at the sudden shift of attention but… I knew better than to protest. Especially when the first time I did that ended up with me getting twice the labor just for 'doubting my boss' skill in leadership'. So, I moved to check the vehicle I was supposed to repair, and I noticed a couple of things in the process. It was an old car, really cheap nowadays so these 'kids' either received it from their parents or they bought it thanks to their first job. Regardless of that, I moved up to check how the engine was doing since I could already hear some weird noises from it. Much to my growing confusion, the engine sure was holding well despite the small indentation caused by several crashes from a quick estimation of what could have caused the damage. The inner workings were mostly functional, with some of the pieces dislocated from the correct positioning and thus causing quite the mess for the vehicle to handle in a normal drive. Nothing that couldn't be fixed, but it would definitely take a while.
During this process, I quietly listened to the two 'kids' onboard, the clients preferring to keep inside the car while I fixed it. I didn't spare them a look, having a really tight schedule to respect and I really didn't need to cause any trouble with the owner. Their conversation still proved to be interesting due to the topic being whispered in private.
"But seriously, we need to hire a programmer for the game. I trust your work, Max, but we need someone that has a solid grasp of that expertise."
"I know, P.J. but… it's tough."
"And expensive. Which is why we should ask for help from-"
"We are not bringing dad in this!" The strangely familiar voice snapped at the other before letting out a tired sigh. "Sorry, it's just… this is our moment to shine. I can't just have the old man always helping out and I really want to get this process started on our own strengths."
"I feel you, bro. But this… we need help."
I had my suspicions over the identity of the two customers, but I was given confirmation only after I was done with the job. It was only after I pulled down the hood of the car that I finally looked at them.
That's… Max Goof? Goofy's son looked older than he did back in the original Goof Troop, about a bit after college time. Same for P.J., Pete's son. Even though I didn't have many TV series from Disney connected to this kind of universe, Goof Troop had been one of the lucky few that were broadcasted in Italy, so I was familiar with those characters and knew their backstory up to the two movies that 'concluded' the story. Both looked saddened due to their current plight, but I remained quiet as I brought up the price to pay. Max perked, pulled out of the self-disappointment as he reached for his wallet and picked up the right amount of banknotes. Nodding slowly, I took the opportunity to slowly count the paper money before interjecting into their discussion.
"Sorry for intruding, but I couldn't help but overhear that you two were having some trouble with a game? A code issue, perhaps?"
P.J. hummed. "Yeah. Stuff that generally requires a competent programmer."
I nodded at this, thinking over this issue.
"If you want, I can give it a look. I do have some experience."
"You mean that you have worked on games?" P.J. asked and I slowly smiled.
"Not legit games but… I have dabbled on some codes."
"Why?" Max asked with a frown. "What do you gain from this?"
"How about I… get a small percentage of the money made if this succeeds? If I can't help, I get nothing in return."
"That's-"
"We'll take that deal," P.J. jumped with an excited tone. "This- Max, we need to try."
"I know it's just-"
"John."
Goofy's son paused. "What?"
"I'm John."
"Max," He replied calmly while his friend was a bit more cordial about it. As my shift was over, I decided to see what I could do with this little situation. They drove me to their flat or 'workplace' at the moment, and I found quite the small place to organize their game and… I was mostly correct on that assumption. It wasn't triple A game quality, but it was still something intriguing.
Still, the code itself was… flawed. Not necessarily bad, since I picked up some good foundations, but there were recurring mistakes which made use of what was there mostly glitched. It took me twenty minutes of harnessing the shortcuts command to replace all the flawed bits with more workable ones, and then alter some parts of the code which would have made the final product slower than expected. Max followed with attentive eyes, nodding silently as he grasped what I was doing in front of him. He almost pressed his face onto the screen with how focused he was, and I kept a small smile as I progressed through the work without leaving any mistakes behind. It turned out to be a simple cooking game, which almost reminded me of Cooking Mama considering how the code was set to give players tasks to prepare dishes. To my surprise as I looked for info about the game from my world, there was no mention here on this Earth, effectively making this the 'first Cooking Mama'.
Considering its worldwide success back home, I had some expectations it was going to be a flat success, one that was going to bloom with the passing of time, while generating a modest revenue early on. Still, the repair was over after that, with the polished version of the game 'started' and all the assets working as they should. I still decided to leave a personal 'touch' by smoothing out some of the processes that could be quickened some more. The result was satisfactory by the end of that session, and I was given some handshakes due to this as I was allowed to finally leave. I mentioned I didn't have a phone, so any news of that entire situation should be relayed by my job.
I didn't expect any news as soon as I walked back to the McDuck's Manor, and I found my attention stolen by the fact that the kids had gone for a hang out by the docks and had a close encounter with Ma Beagle and her boys. Two feelings arised from that news, with the first one tied to how Ma Beagle was supposedly the replacement of Grandpa Beagle from the comics. The second was more worrying as I asked Webby, who had been the one that enthusiastically narrated this to me as I prepared to help Donald with the boat, if there had been any issues and she looked positively excited yet a bit confused by my reaction. Despite her mostly calm attitude during the situation in Atlantis, the girl was a positive and bubbly duckling. Eager to try new exciting things and yet not as prepared to handle them with moderation when needed. A bit of a nutty but still socially-inept girl which seemed to have latched on to me since she took interest in telling me what happened today while I wasn't there without me asking. Maybe her grandmother told her to? I wasn't sure of it.
Still, these few days passed mostly fine… until Max visited the workshop again to show me what was supposed to be my own portion for helping him and his friend. The check would be easy to process at the local bank, but I was mostly perplexed by the number listed there.
Oh, that's… a lot of zeroes.
My brain flatlined for a moment, failing to realize that I had just received the key to a comfortable life. A small step into a stagnant development that left me stumped at best and deeply shaken inside at least. That was a lot more than I had initially expected to get just from fixing the code. It wasn't like I added anything revolutionary to it, so I initially assumed this was a bigger percentage than originally planned.
"That's-"
"A fifth of what the company offered us to gain the brand and us as part of the development team."
Oh, then that's a lot more than… wait, did he just say-
"I don't recall giving that kind of permission to be open for hire?"
"And you're going to refuse that? It's an offer you have to at least consider."
…
"I will," I nodded slowly. "I suppose they would want to talk with us at least once to finalize the contracts."
"Yes. It's two days from now."
It would definitely help to get that kind of job. It may be tough, but it was something I was experienced in and didn't have an infuriating boss to satisfy the whims of. Eventually, I conceded to Max's point. It was a good offer, and I decided to at least give it a try.
"I'll be there."
He smiled. "Great! See you at… wait, let me give you their business card."
I was handed the card and I waved silently while I studied it with a curious look.
Happy Friends Games, Creators of Legends of Legend… is this a reference to LoL?
Shaking my head at that correlation, I took some time to think about it while also bracing for the next set of adventures that would come up when Scrooge had anything interesting to bring his grand-nephews, Webby, and me with. Of course, surviving the 'daily life' at McDuck Manor was an adventure in itself.
I was slowly realizing how life had truly gotten quite intense ever since I started to live there. Not like I minded it, the liveliness of these days is… truly amusing.
AN
And thus John got himself a job and a tie with a part of this little-big universe that was mentioned briefly in the series. Because yes, Max, P.J. and Roxanne actually made a 'mini-cameo' in the episode Quack Pack through Goofy's pictures.
Next time… Dewey! (And let's just say we finally bring some of the classic McDuck/Duck Family lore in through John's cautious remarks of what he knows from the comics.)
REVIEW Q&A!
Coldblue2015: Let's just say that there is something of a pairing, and it's going to be an hilarious one. Still not Roxanne since she is currently paired with Max and it's confirmed that they might have remained together in a twist which makes the first Goof Troop Movie but removed from canon the second one.