"They aren't... dead, right?"
No one answered her question. In fact, no one could. The truth was right at her eyes - but her refusal to that made it even harder for anyone to reiterate.
Steelbeak was tricked. The chicken was originally assigned to capture the young sorceress by luring her to her own school, and even her team couldn't imagine that a small bomb attached to his body would cause that much destruction and left the four bodies there in dust.
Lena was not going to believe it. Dusts were not enough to prove that they were indeed what was left of Steelbeak, her parents and her teacher. However, everyone, even Lena, knew that this bomb type was designed to leave no trace of physical parts behind.
The silence continued, and Lena began bursting into tears, her screaming amplified across the whole campus. All of them could only watch as she tore her cape out of her own anguish, devastation, and pain.
A few days later, dusts were collected and buried into three different tombs: one for Ty, one for Indy, and one for Mr Starling. Lena was, once again, not to be found at the funeral of her parents. School schedules were abruptly cancelled for the following two weeks - the media framed this as a coordinated terrorist attack by a suicide bomber. The police couldn't investigate further due to the phone completely destroyed and the killer already found dead.
"But officer!" Huey argued. "We're the witnesses - we saw that Steelbeak was forced into committing a so-called suicide attempt! And that was right after a call!"
"I'm sorry, kid," he replied, "but all the evidence that we needed were all destroyed by the terrorist. There's nothing we can do to continue this investigation if the lead is gone. However..."
The triplet and Webby's eyes were fixated at him. The officer then continued.
"...I'm sure that the FBI and Interpol will soon be in charge of this case instead. After all, we aren't the ones that are hunting him down, they are."
Scrooge suddenly approached to the kids' back. "Officer, are the kids free to go now?"
"Yes, you may bring them back home now. Our jurisdiction is ending soon anyway."
The trillionaire was quick to get them back into the limousine. He had fired Launchpad right after the bombing happened, and now he was the driver. His face was emotionless, and he said nothing to the kids - even Webby - while driving back to the Manor.
"Dad, we were going to-"
"Darling," he interrupted heavily, "I know Lena means so much to you, but under no circumstance should you visit her during this time. She's not going to welcome you - in fact it would be better if you leave her alone for the time being."
"But Uncle Scrooge-" Huey began.
"Lad, no is no," Scrooge interrupted again, "I get it: consoling can help a grieving person, but at this point, losing another integral part of your own family? I'm not sure if she's going to be open with any of us after her parents' tragic death."
They went silent, knowing how Scrooge's decision was always hard to change. He did have a point though, and they had no choice but to listen to him.
oOo
Agony? No.
Grief? Not even close.
Indescribable? Probably.
It was too much. The death of what was left of her own family, although not related by blood, had descended her into a worse condition than ever before. Worse, the house that was the only attachment left to her now was going to be sold, and she had practically nowhere to go left.
There was not even one single call from Darkwing or Gizmoduck. And that was the last straw - it made her feel abandoned and betrayed. Those assumptions crushed her - she was not going to seek help any longer.
Something was developing inside her. Something was burning inside her.
The following day, she returned to the amphitheatre, and began searching for magical books, containing some of the darkest magic spells she could ever imagine of. Ignoring the imminent risks, she continued her research, venturing into even more advanced spells.
There were also some notes left there, notably one about a wheel with ten specific zodiacs - however, the centre of the wheel and every detail about it, including the zodiacs, were all crossed out violently. Though initially puzzled by this action, through further reading, she shed some light to this abnormality. Known in urban legend, there existed a book contained all prophecies throughout the entire galaxy, yet ways of finding this book were still unable to be made. Frustrated, she continued spending days and nights in order to salvage something there, somehow.
oOo
Back in large loony cab, I pretend how echo-y rats sound.
"Does this sentence make sense to you?" Magica asked as she was preparing a concoction.
"No," a male duck replied, "I couldn't see how that make sense either."
John D. Rockerduck was a former F.O.W.L. member. After the offensive war launched by the McDuck family, he defected from the organisation and secretly funded Magica's experiments during the war's aftermath. As he was only known from the past, it became easier for the businessman to hide in plain sight.
"You know," he continued, "I'm starting to wonder if we should have a proper underground base for our operations."
"Certainly something that I'll be interested in." The sorceress showed her interest to a potential relocation. "But first, I'm expecting someone."
Rockerduck was confused for a moment, but soon realised who she meant. Just then, the front door opened: it was Lena.
"I need your help."
Magica didn't even need to look to realise what was wrong: her niece had lost sleep on something that was considered very important.
"Get some sleep," she pointed to the couch, "then we'll talk."
Lena was too tired to resist, and so she immediately slept without a second thought.
/./
"Starling," Magica was on the phone, "how's the status?"
"A very critical condition," he replied, "the doctors said that the chance that they'll survive is extremely slim, and even if they do, their physical bodies will be permanently damaged on different parts."
"I need them to stay alive - no matter what." Magica said slowly, but loudly.
"Don't worry," Starling's tone was serious, "I know the suffering. They will live on - they have to."
"Good." She closed off the line.
Rockerduck was getting worried as well. "I better have to buy new equipment overseas. If that's the case-"
"Rockerduck," Magica interrupted, "you were part of F.O.W.L., you knew their ways of working. They're not going to have weak points, better equipment will be no use. Your intelligence was the only thing that kept the three of them alive."
"Don't boast me like that, Magica," he replied harshly, "her adopted parents are going to prove their resourcefulness when their current state gets better. We'll wait for five hours - that should be enough."
/./
Five hours later...
Lena instantly woke up. For the first time ever, she experienced no dreams. She looked around, and saw Magica already sitting right next to her, with Rockerduck at her front.
"Gah!" She exclaimed. "What's Rockerduck doing here? Is this a F.O.W.L. trap?"
"You still have something left inside you," Magica said thoughtfully, "and for that I'd say congratulations. Also no, that man defected to my side."
"I thought it was Glomgold who went with you." Lena replied sharply.
"We parted ways after that, and that's where Rockerduck comes in."
He cleared his throat, then began. "For the past five months, we've been conducting our operations under the name of my shell company - you don't need to know its name, but we've been searching for remnants of F.O.W.L. and execute justice on them... the right way."
"Basically, what the police wouldn't dare to."
He then pointed to a room - and Lena could clearly see beheaded bodies, eyes rolling in the floor, hanging skulls, and traces of blood were still present inside that room. She shook a little bit.
"Apologies," he quickly continued, "didn't mean to scare you."
"Anyways," Magica interrupted, "with that out of the way, what exactly do you need my help for?"
Lena hesitated. She was requesting help from an abuser, that mercilessly did nothing but torturing her and forced her to execute the work as she pleased, for the past thirteen years. Two years after that, she got resurrected, she had a better family and she had lived the best life ever.
Had lived.
It was in the past. A past that was gone, in an instant. Was it destiny for her to never get love and affection?
She was never going to be the same again. No longer having any hesitation left, she reached out to a book and flicked to the page in question.
"Have a look at this." Lena slammed it to the table, letting Rockerduck see it too.
The two observed closely at the wheel and the note. Suddenly, they exchanged alarming looks. Lena was confused.
"What's wrong?"
"Everything, Lena," Magica replied hastily, "are you sure you wanted to find that book?"
"Yes, I am certain." Lena replied with a determined voice.
Magica turned to Rockerduck, and he nodded.
She sighed. "There's something I want to show you."
She and Rockerduck led the way to the camera room, where the operations were being monitored. Some of them displayed live footage of the Beagle Boys taking down F.O.W.L. minions in the street, and brutally decapitated their head, which certainly made Lena horrified.
"Since when did they take that kind of extreme measures?" Lena asked.
"Since I took over their group, Ms Sabrewing. They're all part of our clan now." Rockerduck replied, rather casually. "But that's not what we wanted to show you. This is what we wanted to show you."
He pointed to a screen that was monitoring a hospital room. Though the screen delivered blurry images, Lena could immediately recognised the two that were laying at the bed.
"My fathers."
"The man that's supposed to be your teacher? He's a member of us as well," Magica said, "and he managed to block the bomb's inevitable destruction before it can cause more damage to their skin. However, they didn't have the proper protection, and so they still got exposed by the bomb particles."
Lena looked back at her creator. "Are you doing this now because you wanted to dissuade me from my quest?"
"You don't understand the risk." Magica shook her head. "I have abused you before, but that doesn't mean I'll let you go on a suicide mission like that. No."
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ME, MAGICA!" Lena yelled. "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND MY PAIN! MY SISTER'S DEAD BECAUSE OF THAT PIECE OF SCUM! I WANT REVENGE!"
She silently cried. "And you're not even gonna let me get my revenge?"
Magica was astounded. She couldn't believe what was unfolding inside her niece's conflicting emotions. Now she looked just like her before: a thirst for vengeance against what happened in the past.
"Stand up."
She grabbed Magica's hand, and was quick to wipe her tears.
"I'll help you with your quest," she continued, "but under one condition. You must exact your revenge. Else, that book is not going to be rightfully yours - or anyone."
Lena smiled. "Thank you, Aunt Magica."
"Now, let's help me pack up things. We're moving out of this old hut tomorrow."
oOo
"How's the status?"
"Seized and ransacked, Director." It was a female's voice. "Funso's under permanent closure. They also found the underground base."
"How about the Library of Alexandria?"
"Not under any government supervision," she replied, "and not even under Interpol's radar."
"Good," Bradford said, "tell every agent to relocate back to where it started. It's time for F.O.W.L. to end it."
"Roger that."
The vulture closed his phone, his eyes still focused on a camera screen: the McDuck Manor. He never looked happier: everything he planned to execute had already been achieved. In his mind, they were deluded by their slim victory, and the cost was three lives. Only thing he needed to break from them? Their bond.
He turned to Black Heron and threw her a note. She read through, and looked back at Bradford.
"At all cost?" Black Heron asked.
"At all cost."
"You do know that sounds like what a villain would say, right?" She plainly commented.
Bradford slammed a computer screen. His body shook, his face full of hatred.
"Villain, eh?"
She was frightened at the look of his face, which prompted her to just nod and leave the room immediately. Now alone, Bradford looked closely at a piece of paper that contained a wheel with ten specific zodiacs violently crossed out, along with the one that was supposed to be at the centre of it.
"Prophecies... time to find out."
