The mysterious black van in which Todd had been riding had arrived at the front gates of a large imposing building. The gates slid open and the van slid through. They drove to a spot in the parking lot and stopped. The bald eagle who accompanied Todd got up and slid open the side door. "Come along," he said to the turtle.
"Umm, OK." He followed the bird into the building and into an elevator. They went all the way to the top floor of the building. The eagle then led him to a closed door and knocks on it.
"Come in," said a voice from inside.
Todd and the bird stepped into a rather stately office. Sitting behind a large desk was none other than J. Gander Hooter, head of the secret crime-fighting unit known as S.H.U.S.H. "Todd Greenley, so good to see you," he said. "Perhaps you're wondering why I've brought you here."
"Yes, I am," said the turtle. "And how do you know my name?"
"We here at SHUSH have been following you closely since your excellent performance in defeating the evil agent Steelbeak last night," Hooter responded.
"Well, thanks, but I didn't really do anything," Todd said. "My shell did all the work."
"But it took incredible courage to stand up to that fowl," said Hooter. "A courage that few have demonstrated."
"I suppose you're right," said Todd. "But that still doesn't explain why you brought me here."
"Todd, after your heroics in dealing with Steelbeak, we think that you are just the right person to join us in our fight against the forces of evil."
"I don't think so," Todd said, shaking his head. "I'm just an average guy, not some kind of crime-fighting hero. Why don't you go get that Darkwing Duck?"
"He already works for us on occasion," Hooter said. "But he's getting kind of ... shall we say up there in years. We need someone young like you. And Todd, surely you wish to have a better and more exciting job than working at a video store."
"Yes," the turtle said. "But not one where I have to risk my life."
"If that shell of yours can survive an attack by Steelbeak, it should be able to survive just about anything," Hooter said, flipping through a file containing Todd's info. "And someone with your impressive academic credentials: straight A's through high school, graduated at the top of your class, should fit in fine with our prestigious organization." Hooter then set down the file.
"I suppose so," said Todd. "I guess it is time to make a change in my life and this just may be it."
"Welcome aboard, Todd," A smiling Hooter said. "I'll have one of my agents drive you home, and you can meet us back here tomorrow bright and early to prepare for your first mission."
"OK," said the turtle. "I can't wait to tell my friends about this..."
"I'm afraid you can't do that," Hooter said. "They call it a secret agent for a reason."
"Oh," said Todd. "Not a problem."
J. Gander Hooter picked up a telephone and dialed a number. "Agent Wilkins, can you drive our newest agent home? OK. Good-bye."
The bald eagle with whom Todd had rode before appeared in the office.
"Todd, this is Agent Wilkins," Hooter said. "He's going to give you a ride home."
"Nice to meet you," Todd said to the eagle.
"Nice to meet you as well," he responded. The two then walked out of the office and back to the elevator, heading down to the main floor and then back out to the parking lot and the same black van who had brought him here. The eagle unlocked the front door and got in. "You get to ride up front this time."
Todd smiled and entered through the passenger door. Agent Wilkins started the vehicle up and the drove back toward his house.
Oliver and Paula had gone to every house on Todd's street asking if anyone had seen their friend, and the two swans' search had been fruitless. They had now moved out of his neighborhood, into a cleaner and more suburban one. "I doubt anyone here has seen him," said Paula.
"It's worth a try," Oliver said.
"I suppose you're right..." Paula said. They walked down the street and headed for the next house. It had a "For Sale" sign in front and was completely deserted. They moved on to the next home.
The next house had a car in the driveway, so it appeared to be inhabited. Oliver politely knocked on the door. He was soon greeted by Binkie Muddlefoot, the neighbor of Drake Mallard. "Hello there," she said, looking to the pair of attractive young swans. "What can I do for you two today"
"We're wondering if perhaps you've seen this turtle," Oliver asked, showing her a photograph of Todd.
"Todd Greenley?" she said. "I see him every time I go to Blockbuster Video."
"Yes, I know," said Oliver. "But have you seen him around here lately?"
"No, sorry," said Binkie. "But you can ask my next door neighbor Drake about him. Todd's tutoring his daughter in math."
"Oh?" Oliver said. "Todd's tutoring again? I thought he quit doing that. I hope he isn't having money problems..."
"I'm sorry I couldn't help you two," Binkie said. "I hope that little Todd is OK..."
"It's no problem, ma'am," said Oliver. "I hope I haven't disturbed you."
"It's no problem," she said. "Good-bye you two."
"Bye," Oliver said. The two of them then moved on to the next house.
Oliver rang the doorbell. There was no answer.
Drake was sleeping comfortably on the couch, exhausted after his long night of crime-fighting. Launchpad had left the house for his own home to rest himself, after all he had been through the night before.
Oliver rang again. This ring awoke Drake. "Can't a guy get a little nap around here?" He got up and went to the door. He was surprised at the sight of the two swans. "Who the devil are--?" The female looked strangely familiar. "Wait a minute, aren't you the girl who tricked Launchpad into trying to reveal the secret identity of Darkwing Duck?"
Paula looked to him nervously. "Who are you and how do you know about that?"
"I'm Launchpad's best friend," said Drake. "You broke his heart, you know."
"Excuse me, sir," Oliver said. "I'm here for a very important reason. I'm wondering if you've seen this turtle recently." He hands the photograph of Todd to the duck.
"Why yes I have," said Drake. "Is he in some kind of trouble?"
"We hope he isn't," said Oliver. "We're friends of his and were just wondering when you've seen him last."
"He left my house at around 10:30 this morning," Drake responded. "Didn't see where he went, though."
"Oh," Oliver said disappointedly. "Well, thanks for your help anyway. And I'm terribly sorry about what Paula did to your friend. It's all my fault for breaking up with her."
"Well, I'm not the one you need to apologize to," Drake snapped. "Now get out of here so I can enjoy some rest."
"Fine," Oliver said. He and Paula then started the long walk toward their car. "What now?"
The van stopped in front of Todd's house and the turtle stepped out. "Thanks," he said to the eagle within. The bird waved and then drove off. Todd took out a key, unlocked the door and entered his house. Home at last. It seemed as if it had been years since he had last been in his own home. He flipped on a light and flopped down on the couch. He yawned a bit and then headed into the bathroom. He was about to take a shower when he heard a knock at the door. He headed out and answered the door.
Standing there were Oliver and Paula. He had not seen the two of them together in several months. "Hey, Oliver, Paula," said Todd. "You two got back together?"
"Yes," Oliver said. "Where were you all day?"
"Oh, I was, uh, just out... shopping..."
"Oh," said Oliver. "Well, you dropped your name tag." He handed the plastic tag to Todd.
"How foolish of me," Todd said. "Thank you." He set it down on his coffee table.
"So, what brings you two here?" He then asked.
"Just checking up on you," Oliver replied. "It's been a while since I've heard from you."
"I'm sorry about that," said Todd. "Things have been so busy at work."
"Well, it's good to see that everything's OK. See you later, Todd."
"Bye, you two."
"Bye," said Paula. The two swans left. "Now I can finally go and quit from F.O.W.L."
"Yes," Oliver said. They climbed into his car and drove away.
Todd headed into the bathroom once again and slipped out of his clothes. He turned on the water and took a nice long shower. He stepped out and dried himself off, which didn't take too long. He headed into his bedroom, put on a clean pair of boxer shorts and slipped into bed to rest up for his exciting new job as a secret agent.