Disclaimer: I do not own Darkwing Duck, Scrooge McDuck or any other Disney character.
Authors Note: Again, this fic ties in with "The Path Chosen." This is the story of the one called Guardian, the Duck in White.
Meant To Be: Chapter 6
Morning in McDuck manor. Though outside, the sun shines brightly against a clear blue sky, for the McDuck household a dark cloud looms. The incidents of the previous week still haunt the family.
Scrooge stands at his window in the front of the house thinking about the events of the last few days.
He sighs wearily to himself. What a mess it's all become. For a weeks time, his family has lived in fear of this unseen threat.
Somehow, Scrooge feels ashamed. He is not the type to be easily intimidated. He is after all, the one who panned for Gold in the Klondikes, braved jungles and deserts for the promise of buried treasure and gone to the ends of the earth for the mere chance of profit!Now he is hiding in his own home afraid – of what? A figure in the shadows, a voice over the phone? An unseen phantom?
Ah, but it's not his own safety is it? The children. The children's safety is what he fears for, not his own. This phantom had been in the mansion, undetected, with the children and Mrs. Beakley under the same roof. He had used Scrooges own business phone to make that creepy phone call to him at Gyro's.
"Well, I suppose there's no reason to be waiting around all day." Scrooge tells himself "I might as well get some work done!"
He turns to head for his study when "AAHHHH! Unca' Scrooge!" Webby's terrified cry comes from upstairs.
"Webby!" Scrooge shouts as he dashes up the staircase. He reaches the top as the little girl, clutching her QuackyPatch Doll to her chest comes running from the direction of her room. "Unca' Scrooge!" she throws her arms around him. She's trembling "I saw somebody in the mansion!" She cries through frightened tears.
"What!" Scrooge exclaims placing his hands on the little girls shoulders and gently pushing her back to look at her face. "Where?"
She points down the hall "I was coming out of my room and I saw somebody go into the guest room! The one at the very end of the hall! I didn't get a good look at him, but I saw him. Unca' Scrooge is it that Phantom! Is he going to hurt us!"
By now the entire household is coming to see what the little girl is screaming about. The boys come from there room just down from Webby's. All three turn to look behind them, towards the end of the hall.
"There, there, dear, I'm sure it was just your imagination." Mrs Beakley says taking her still trembling granddaughter by the hand.
"Maybe, maybe not." Scrooge says looking in the direction the children had just come from. "Mrs. Beakley, you and Duckworth stay here with Webby. Lads come with me."
Scrooge motions for the triplets to follow. They go to the last guest room, the one Webby says she saw somebody go into. The door is closed. Pressing an ear to the door, Scrooge listens. He doesn't hear anything. He looks back at the boys, who are somewhat nervous at the moment. Carefully, Scrooge tries the knob. The door is unlocked. He pushed it open, slowly and steps cautiously into the room. He looks around. He sees nobody.
He looks in the closet, under the bed – nothing.
The boys creep in behind him. "Looks like Webby is just seeing things," says Dewey, feeling relieved at not finding anybody there.
"Uh, maybe not," Louie replies weakly, he points to the small sliding window, the only window in the room. It's cracked open only slightly, but it is open. The family has made certain that every window in the house is shut and locked every night before turning in.
Scrooge feels sick at his stomach as he steps up to the window to close it. He examines the simple latch styled lock on the top of the wooden frame. It is unlocked. There are no marks, no signs of forced entry, but that window was closed and locked the night before.
It dawns on Scrooge that there is no reason for this Phantom to be lurking around the mansion. Wasn't it Gyros Super Elastio Alloy he was after the first time? Didn't he get it? So why was he still around – unless he didn't get what he was after, after all.
"Mrs. Beakley, call the police and you and the children stay inside till they get here. Duckworth, I want you to take me to Gyros right away. Something isn't right here."
A few minutes later the limo speeds up in front of Gyros place and screeches to a halt. Scrooge jumps out of the backseat and rushes for the door. He barges in to the little shack with Duckworth close behind. "Gyro! Gyro where are ya!"
"Right here Mr. McDuck, the inventor says poking his head out from behind a large machine that looked like a a cross between a tank a weed eater and a giant spider.
Scrooge pauses a moment to look at the thing "What is that?" he asks, not really sure he wants an answer.
"My latest invention. It's a landscaping machine, meant to take all the back ache out of yard work. Still has to be tested though." He steps from behind the machine "What can I do for you, Mr. McDuck?"
Scrooge stares suspiciously at the Landscaper, as if half expecting it to suddenly turn and attack him. Finally he turns his attention back to Gyro. "We've had another Phantom sighting at the mansion, Gyro. And it just occurred to me. If this person was after your Super Elastio Alloy Formula and got it, why is he still stalking me family?"
Gyro scratches his head pondering the question. "You have a good point there Mr. McDuck. Maybe whoever it is wasn't after the formula after all. Maybe they were looking for something else and just found the formula and took it."
Scrooge shakes his head "Than that means me family is still in danger. Gyro, think. What could this person be after that he would break into my mansion and your lab looking for it?"
The inventor can only shrug. "I honestly couldn't say Mr. McDuck. All I know is the Super Elastio Alloy Formula is gone."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Mr Gearloose. Very sorry." came a cold voice from the entrance. All three jump in surprise. They turn to see a giant cybernetic bull standing in the doorway.
The bulls face is partially obscured with a metal helmet. The sinister looking monocle that covers his right eye rotates in Scrooges direction "Forgive my manners, Mr. McDuck. Allow me to introduce myself." The bull says bowing in mock courtesy "I am Taurus Bulba!"
to be continued...