DuckTales © Disney
Scrooge breathed out as he concluded the old memory.
Huey, Dewey, and Louie were just silent. Taking in this new information.
"So, what happened to the spaceship?!" asked Webby.
"Did you relocate it to Area 51, or SOMEWHERE ELSE!, and, Reverse-Engineer it's technology?
Wait, if you did, then how come we don't have rocket packs, and laser guns?!"
"Calm down, Webbigail, dear." said Mrs. Beakley.
"Ah' did relocate th' ship to a secure location.." said Scrooge, his tone tired.
"Among other things, the ship helped me make advances in me' space program."
Scrooge breathed out sharply, feeling a pain in his heart. "an..we all know where that led us."
Donald looked down sadly. Dewey immediately understood what his uncle meant.
"and..what happened to Danny?" asked Dewey.
"yer' mother raised him as if he really were her own hatchling." said Scrooge.
Upon saying this, Mrs. Beakley walked up, and showed the children Della's photo album.
As Dewey turn the pages, they all looked at the many photos of their mom raising Danny.
"Ah' don't think Ah' ever saw yer' mother happier..than when she was with Danny." continued Scrooge.
"When we didn't go on adventures, she dedicated all her time to raising him.
Once, She even harnessed him to herself, and flew her personal biplane.
JUST so he could experience the "freedom" she felt as an early age."
"Awww..That is SO SWEET!" cooed Webby "I remember when my Granny-"
"NO, Webby." said Beakley, wanting her granddaughter to keep quiet.
"sorry."
The triplets all examined each photo intently.
They saw a picture of their mother bottle feeding Danny as a baby.
One of her spoon feeding him, while making funny faces.
(Dewey could just hear his mother's voices: "Here comes the AIRPLANE!")
They saw one of Danny as a toddler, and taking his first steps.
ALOT of him sleeping, and even more of Della holding and carrying him.
When they got to the photos of when he was near their age..their hearts sank a little.
The joy on Danny's face as he was with their mother. It was a joy they never knew.
They felt a little envious of this alien boy, who got to have what they never did.
..But, not enough to despise him, though.
He was their brother, and their mom clearly loved him.
Dewey most of all wanted to know him..just as much as he wanted to know his mother.
Dewey then smiled, as he recalled what Selene, the Moon Goddess once said to him about his mother.
(("Della was not just a good person..she was the greatest.
And she made everyone around her better."))
"When th' wee lad was old enough.." continued Scrooge." about Five, Ah' think.
Della started to bring him with us on our adventures.
Donald was against it, of course. but that Della was a stubborn one, an' brought him anyway.
But, she was no fool, she taught Danny how to defend himself beforehand, and for a'while..things were okay."
"but.." trailed Dewey, feeling something bad was coming.
Scrooge siged. "On..one expedition. We were climbing up a steep cliff to reach a temple.
But, Della lost her footing..and slipped. Donald an' Ah' tried to pull her up..but, her lifeline snapped."
The boys and Webby all gasped. "Then how did she-?!"
"Danny screamed, and in a panic he reached out to yer' mother.." Scrooge paused for a moment.
"and, to our shock..Della stopped falling. an', just floated in the air."
"what?" said Huey, in disbelief.
"It was Danny. he saved Della from falling to her death..using some kinda MAGIC." said Scrooge.
"an, when we returned..Ah' immediately consulted Amelia Le Strange, my expert on th' Arcane."
"What did she say?" asked Dewey.
"Madame Le Strange informed us that Danny's DNA was unique." began Mrs. Beakley.
"Most wizards, and witches require Arcane relics, such as Amulets, and Scepters to practice magic.
But, there are those who are so attuned to cosmic forces, that they don't need such items."
"One other of Danny's kind had such DNA, accordin' to th' blood tests." added Scrooge.
"Such power could be dangerous if left unchecked, so Ah' asked Amelia to tutor him in it's usage.
But, as his power and mastery of it grew..so to was Della's concern for him."
"Why?" asked Dewey. "What was mom so afraid of? she was..never scared of anything."
"You'd be surprised at what did frighten her, Laddie." said Scrooge.
"In fact, she was jus' about as protective over Danny as yer' Uncle Donald is to all O' you.
Particularly when after studying that ship, me experts concluded it went down from bein' attacked.
But, th' thing is..that ship wasn't built fer' combat. It was a Cargo ship,
Meant to carry large loads, and modified to travel faster than it was designed for.
Whoever piloted that ship..was TRYIN' to escape from something.
Somethin' that Della feared was goin' to find lil' Danny one day..and, take him away."
The boys and Webby cringed at this. "is..that what happened to Danny? did they..find him?"
"no." replied Scrooge. "Me experts found traces that the ship was caught in a Cosmic Storm.
Not unlike the kind that yer' mother was caught in when she..disappeared."
This remark made Donald frown sadly.
"Whoever was after Danny's people..they clearly lost track of them." continued Scrooge.
"STILL, though. Della was always afraid that someone might steal Danny away from her.
An' if not from out there..then, most likely right here on Earth.
See, We all knew what an uproar it would be if the public ever learned of a living alien amongst them.
..So we, kept him sheltered here in th' mansion.
We kept existence a secret, known only to family and VERY close friends."
Dewey scowled at Scrooge. "So, he was just another one of your treasures that you kept locked away?"
"NO, of course not!" exclaimed Scrooge. "Ah' just said-"
"and, YOU." snapped Dewey, glaring at Donald. "You knew he existed.
You KNEW we had an adoptive brother. (shouting) WHY DIDN'T YOU EVER TELL US!?"
"Dewey, please. T-trytounder-"
"Okay, that's it..We've had ENOUGH!" said Dewey, angry as heck.
"It's time you told us right now: What. Happened. to our BROTHER!?"
"Yeah!" said Louie. "Is he dead?, did someone take him?, Was he with MOM when she disappeared?!"
Scrooge sighed, realizing he had no choice anymore. "no. He still lives."
Dewey, and his brothers all glared at Scrooge. "where is he?"
Scrooge breathed out. "In th' same place where Della found him."
Dewey continued to glare at his great-uncle. "Take us to him."
It was a long, silent flight aboard the Sunchaser to Scrooge McDuck's old airfield.
Given that it was the very same airfield where "The Spear of Selene" first launched,
both Scrooge and Donald had mixed feelings returning to that place.
It had lay abandoned for twelve years since "The Search for Della" mission failed.
At long last, the Sunchaser landed..and, Scrooge grumbled.
"stay with th' plane, Launchpad. we won't be long."
"You got it, Mr. McD." said Launchpad, oblivious to the tense feelings.
As the McDuck Clan and Friends disembarked, Scrooge took a moment to look at his old airfield.
It was in a very sorry state. The runway was nearly covered in sand,
and the main building looked to be crumbling like a rotting corpse.
Nothing but ghosts swelled here..Phantoms of the past.
As Scrooge walked towards the building, the others followed close behind.
"Is this where it happened?" asked Dewey. "Where we lost mom?"
"yes." replied Scrooge. "Ah' haven't been at this place for YEARS."
"and, our brother is HERE?!"
"It's not what ye' think, laddie." said Scrooge.
"Then, whatisitexactly, UncleScrooge?" asked Donald, who was just as puzzled.
"Ye'll see..Ye'll ALL see."
The group soon reached the building, and entered it. the interior looked even worse than it did on the outside.
Scrooge took a moment to look at the command center..where an aged supercomputer lay,
It's monitor long since broken, and whatever hardware it had rusted away.
Scrooge remembered pouring all his time at the infernal machine.
Now, it was nothing but a monument to his greatest failure.
"Ihatethisplace." said Donald, his tone bitter.
"ye' think ah' don't?" retorted Scrooge.
Scrooge continued walking, leading the troop through the dusty halls.
Everyone was silent. Even Webby, who could somehow feel the cold, sad feelings from this place.
Finally, Scrooge stopped at an old vending machine.
"Look, Uncle Scrooge. I could use a snack, too. But, I don't think now is-"
Scrooge ignored Louie, and began to tap at the numeric buttons with his cane in a specific sequence.
The sound of a rusty lock unhinging was heard. followed by a low rumbling.
The children all stepped back at a false wall moved slowly..revealing a hidden elevator.
The elevator looked clean, pristine. and, not at all like the rest of the building.
and, as it opened with a sliding door..the inside was a white, brightly lit compartment.
"come, now." said Scrooge, his tone stoic.
Webby was getting excited, feeling like she was uncovering another McDuck Mystery.
The boys just played along, wanting to see where all this was going.
It was a tight fit in the elevator (Donald ended up getting squashed by Mrs. Beakley)
But, Scrooge was able to press a button, closing up the elevator and sending them all on their way.
As they travelled down into the earth, the Boys and Webby eventually saw
an underground cavern from the glass tube that almost resembled a marine exhibit at a theme park.
And, nestled in a Rotunda..was the remains of a massive spaceship.
..JUST like Scrooge had described to them.
"This is where Ah' kept the ship that brought Danny to this planet." began Scrooge,
knowing just what the children were looking at.
"It is why I had the Spear of Selene built, and launched from this airfield." Scrooge then sighed.
Dewey nodded, feeling everything was coming together now.
The elevator finally came to a stop, and opened up.
The group burst out, and the Webby stared off at a long tube leading to the spaceship.
"This is SO COOL!" exclaimed Webby. "It's like the mother of all secrets!"
While the children ran forwards, Scrooge stayed at a slower pace with Donald and Mrs. Beakley.
"So, letmegetthisstraight.." began Donald. "Dannyhasbeenhere. ALONEforallthistime!?"
"It's complicated, Nephew." said Scrooge.
"Well, UNcomplicateit!"
"Donald." spoke Beakley. "This is very hard for your uncle to even think about.
Could you PLEASE show some compassion, and let him tell you in his own way."
Donald sighed. "fine.."
The interior of the spaceship wasn't anything like the children were expecting.
The halls were so much cleaner, polished and refined.
It looked as if Mrs. Beakley had a really good go at this place.
Scrooge finally led them through a sliding door, into a large laboratory.
The interior of the room was huge, filled with technology that would make even Gyro Gearloose blush.
"As you can tell, Ah' had this renovated for me' personal use after it was moved." explained Scrooge.
"Everything relating to me' Space Program originated here. THIS was where the Spear of Selene was conceived."
"Way to make this sound weird, Uncle Scrooge." said Louie.
Dewey looked around. "So..where is he?" asked the blue shirted duck.
"Over here." said Scrooge, pointing to something with his cane.
Everyone approached what looked like a metallic Sarcophagus with a glassy lid.
It was hooked up to tubed that were icy, and emitting cold mist.
Dewey wiped at the glass..and, could make out the silhouette of someone shaped like a child.
He couldn't see very clearly, but there was clearly someone in there that matched his height.
All eyes looked to Scrooge..who looked away, feeling ashamed.
"As ye' know..after Della disappeared, Ah' nearly went bankrupt sending more ships out
in a desperate attempt to bring her back home.
Donald already left with your eggs after my first failed attempt."
Scrooge then sighed. "but..Ah' wasn't alone. Danny was at my side.
We both hoped against all odds that we would find Della, and bring her back home.
But..with each failure, we sunk further into despair.
Ah' tried to be strong, but Danny..it was killin' him havin' his mother gone."
Dewey, Huey, and Louie all looked down sadly. They knew exactly how their adoptive brother felt.
"Then, those thievin' buzzards blocked me funding." said Scrooge, seething with rage.
"When that happened..Danny just couldn't cope. He made only ONE request of me. one that Ah' was reluctant to honor."
"You froze him." said Dewey, figuring it out.
"Danny couldn't handle bein' without her." said Scrooge.
"He complained 'bout waking nightmares..all he wanted to do was jus' sleep.
So, with a heavy heart..Ah' granted his wish. On the condition that Ah' only wake him..
..If Della is here to greet him."
Dewey swallowed hard. Then, he and his brothers looked at the capsule
containing their adoptive brother once more.
They never met him..and, yet they felt a kinship with him.
Like them, he loved their mother, and missed her terribly when she disappeared.
But, he didn't have brothers to help ease his pain..so, now he was frozen in time.
Probably dreaming of happier times. OR, a version of the present where their mom came back.
"Whydidn'tyouTELLMEyouhadDannyonice!?" exclaimed Donald, angrily.
"Don't even try that with ME, Donald." snapped Scrooge, who pointed his cane at his nephew.
"YER' th' one who left him with me in the first place!, AN' BESIDES..You wouldn't accept me phone calls!"
Donald wanted to argue..but, could think of no counter argument.
As much as he hated to admit it, most of the blame for all this was on him.
Webby stared at the shadow that lay within the icy coffin.
She silently mused on what she learned, and couldn't help but sympathize with Danny.
Like Danny, she lived nearly her whole life in McDuck Manor.
She could understand what it felt like to be alone. To be..different.
Webby then heard a voice in her head..it sounded like Lena's voice.
(("do it."))
Webby didn't hesitate. She rushed forward, and pressed a button on the control panel.
"WEBBY, NO!" exclaimed Mrs. Beakley.
*HSSSSS!*
Icy vapors billowed out as the glass lid unhinged.
The Nephews stepped back, but Webby just stood facing the glass.
"WEBBIGAIL!, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, LASS!?" exclaimed Scrooge, shocked.
Webby didn't hear them. She watched as glass quickly thawed..and, she saw Danny's sleeping form materialize.
In an instant he shot his eyes open, gasping as he slammed his palm against the glass, cracking it.
*CHIK, SHROOOOOM!*
The lid swung open..and, out tumbled Danny, who fell to the ground before Webby.
his body shivered, he then took deep breaths of air into his lungs.
The first he's breathed in Twelve Years.
The room fell silent. Dewey approached, standing near Webby as she knelt down.
Danny raised his head up, and looked straight at Webby.
His vision was still blurry..but, he managed to utter one word.
"m-mom?"
[End of Part 3]
[Author Notes]
I just know someone is going to make a Captain America joke, now..
Okay, in this chapter continued where the prior one left off,
explaining more of Danny's origins, and how it all fits into Della's story.
I also drop a plot bomb by implying Danny can do "magic",
as well as revealing the full name of Amelia as being "Amelia Le Strange"
(If you are truly a fan of Carl Bark's work, then you will know where I am going with this.)