Chapter 10
The next day, Fenton tried to tap down his excitement in taking out the mini-sub. Just as Dr. Gearloose had said, there was still a lot of work needed to be done before it could be tried out in the ocean. Dr. Gearloose spent the rest of the day checking every system inside the sub: the life-support system, the radar, the computer board, the radio system, the propulsion system, etc. The last to be tested was the structure of the sub, a soft test because they wouldn't know how much pressure it could withstand until it was sent down to the murky depths of the ocean.
Today's test would be if the sub would function within the ocean and to figure out what bugs had remained and needed to be banged out.
It wasn't until that afternoon that Dr. Gearloose deemed it ready for its first test. Using a larger crane that was attached to the ceiling of the lab, they lifted the mini-sub and placed it inside an empty tank. This particular tank was one of the largest, set close to the wall where a large door could open up to the ocean. Fenton guessed that this tank was more for larger sea creatures, like dolphins and sharks if they were injured or sick. It was quite big, large enough that half of the tank jutted out of the confines of the lab, its glass sides looking out over the ocean.
After lowering the mini-sub into the tank, Fenton climbed in. Dr. Gearloose made sure he knew how to use all the controls before he allowed his intern to close the hatch.
Fenton wasn't claustrophobic, but being inside the tiny submarine would make anyone a little anxious. He took a few deep breaths, telling himself that the oxygen tank would feed him fresh air constantly up to eight hours. He heard the seal on the hatch click closed, so tight that not even a single molecule would be able to wiggle in. The oxygen tank turned on, pressurizing the sub in preparation for submersion.
Fenton watched from the round, front window that was a quarter of the sub's design as Dr. Gearloose pressed the button to close of the large tank, sealing him inside. Then the door leading out into the ocean began opening, letting in water. Bubbles of air flooded out and water gushed in, rocking the mini-sub and knocking it against the thick glass. Fenton reached for the controls more for comfort than the need to protect the sub. The sub was quite durable; a little rough waters wouldn't make so much as a dent in its body.
Once the tank was completely filled, he directed the mini-sub out of the tank and into the ocean. It was a little disorienting at first since he could go up and down in addition to forward, backward, and side-to-side, but after going up and down Fethry's reef by the lighthouse, he was handling the controls like a pro.
"Is everything functioning correctly?" Dr. Gearloose's voice came through the radio.
"Uh…yes. Yes, it is, Dr. Gearloose," Fenton said, scrambling to use the radio correctly. Although he had been able to act normal all day, now that he was in the mini-sub and preparing to abscond it for an hour to the Singing Rocks, he was feeling nervous. The air was fresh from the oxygen tanks, but the sub had a warm, moist feel to it from his breath and being in small quarters.
"Take it down a couple of hundred feet for a soft test. It's not ready for deeper voyages, but we should at least see how it does at an easy depth," Dr. Gearloose said.
Fenton wiped his sweaty hands on his shirt. "Roger that, Dr. Gearloose. Over and out," he said quickly.
"Don't talk like that," Dr. Gearloose ordered.
The radio went silent, so Fenton felt free to journey away from the lighthouse. Dr. Gearloose wouldn't be able to see him from the lab's observation area, so where he would go was up to him. The ocean didn't get deep enough for the test near the lighthouse, so Fenton would have to go out to sea almost a mile, according to the bathymetric map. However, he didn't head toward the closest drop-off but turned toward the Singing Rocks, which he knew the approximate location from what he remembered from Donald's tourist map. It would be a long ways from Dr. Gearloose's plan, but he could just tell his mentor that he had gotten lost or that there was a problem with something on the mini-sub. It could be true. The thought of having a test run where something didn't go wrong was very unlikely.
Setting his course, Fenton pushed the mini-sub's engine to its maximum speed of twelve knots, which wasn't all that fast in regards to land travel, but it was quite fast for a one-man underwater vehicle. It would still take a while to get to the Singing Rocks.
While traveling, Fenton went through the check list that Dr. Gearloose had created for him. He tested all the systems, marveling at everything that the mini-sub was able to do. Besides working on the engine, Fenton had little to do with building the machine, but was glad to be part of the test. Although he did get a shock when he turned on the radar and found a large mass moving toward him only to find out it was a large school of sardines.
He was three-quarters of the way to the Singing Rocks when he came across his first bug. And it was a dozy of a bug. After turning on the outside lights and testing the catch poles and nets (in case the sub had to bring in a fish or something else in the ocean) Fenton stretched his legs to the back of the sub and felt water on the floor.
At first, Fenton panicked. He was nowhere near land and Dr. Gearloose would have no idea how to find him if he radioed for help, that is, if the radio worked this far out to sea. They hadn't tested the radio's long-range ability, so he could very well sink without anybody knowing where he was. And even though the ocean was relatively calm, he wasn't certain of his chances of swimming back to shore.
Why did he go looking for the mermaid today in an untested mini-sub?
After his initial panic, he went looking for the leak, figuring it must not be so bad if only a puddle of water had formed within the time he entered the water. After a little search, he found the source: a seam where the rudder was welded onto the submarine. It wasn't as tight as Dr. Gearloose must have thought since droplets of water were running down the metal interior.
At the rate of the drip, Fenton guessed he would run out of air before he drowned, and had plenty of time to make it to the Singing Rocks and back to the lab before he was in any danger. Little did he know that a single leak on a submarine could get worse a lot quicker than he would have thought. The weight of the ocean pushing on the submarine's exterior turned that drip into a trickle to a stream. Fenton realized his mistake too late, now seeing that he didn't have much time before the submarine was completely filled with sea water.
What to do? He would not make it back to the lab. And due to his course correction, he was miles from the shore, although it was closer than the lighthouse. But he was certain that his best bet would be to find the Singing Rocks. It was enough land that he could anchor the submarine—even if it was filled with water—and radio for help. Although it wasn't much dry land, it was enough for him to survive on for a few hours until Gyro brought a boat to pick him and submarine up.
Determined to make it to the Singing Rocks, he kept going, keeping his eyes open for the landmark among all the water. Ten minutes passed and the ocean was lapping at his knees before he began to get nervous. According to his calculations, he should be in the approximate area. But that's if he remembered the map correctly. And if he had kept the submarine going in the right direction. He had foolishly set out on this venture thinking that even if he got his coordinates wrong, all it would do was waste a little time as he tested the mini-sub.
If he turned now, maybe he could get close enough to shore that he could swim the rest of the way. But if he lost the mini-sub, that would more than likely result in the termination of his internship. The mini-sub was far more valuable than the time and effort he gave Dr. Gearloose and McDuck Enterprises. But what else could he do?
There was a tapping against the outside of the sub.
Turning to the radar, Fenton wondered if he had scraped against something. That would have been odd since he wasn't anywhere close to the bottom, but there was tons and tons of floating debris in the ocean.
But nothing showed up on radar.
The tapping came again.
He looked up and saw a pair of large eyes staring at him through the bubble glass dome of the submarine.
It was the mermaid, her white and blue curly hair floating like seaweed around her face.
For a few seconds, Fenton was stunned, not having expected to see her at that moment despite the reason for his venturing this far out to sea.
And once his eyes landed on her, she disappeared.
"Hey. Hey!" Fenton called, straining to see around the bubble window before he started pounding on the glass. "Hey, please come back. I need help. Come back."
He was so surprised when the mermaid came back—this time taking up most of the view of the window—that he fell in his seat. She looked at him expectantly. Or was it curiously? She tilted her head questioningly.
"I'm taking on water. Please, I need help," Fenton called.
Her face showed consternation and she pointed upward toward the surface as if it were obvious.
Yes, if he did go to the surface, he could get out of the sub, but then he would lose the vehicle.
"I need to save the submarine. I have to anchor it to some rocks or it'll sink and be lost," Fenton said. To emphasize his words, he mimed everything. "Can you take me to the rocks where you saved me?" He was shouting, and for the first time, he wondered if she could even hear him in the submarine. It wasn't sound proof but sound probably didn't travel out of it easily.
The mermaid nodded and pointed just right of the submarine. If she was pointing to the Singing Rocks, then Fenton was a little off-course.
With the mermaid leading the way, Fenton followed in the submarine. He watched the mermaid in fascination, mesmerized by how she moved through the water. Her body undulated up and down, more like an otter than a dolphin, and her long tail made her seem like the Chinese dragons from old artwork. However, he had to look away when his seat squished beneath him, saturated with water. He sensed that the vehicle was slowing down the more water it took on, but luckily, the ocean floor was rising closer to the surface. He sighed in relief as he saw a large rock formation jutting out. It was the Singing Rocks.
Fenton maneuvered to the surface before opening the sealed hatch. It was a big difference breathing fresh air compared to the circulated oxygen of the submarine. He quickly went to work taking out a thick rope with an anchor, tying one end to the sub and securing it to the Singing Rocks. After that, he disengaged the radio from the submarine console, climbed back out and sealed up the submarine once more. He was certain that within the hour, the submarine would be filled with water, and it would thus loose its buoyancy and sink. But with the anchor, all it would do it drift along the Singing Rocks where it could be retrieved.
But first he needed to talk to the mermaid.
He looked around, but there seemed to be no sign of her. For a minute he thought she may have left him as suddenly as she appeared, but as he called out, "Hello? Um…excuse me. Miss mermaid? Could you come up—" she popped out of the ocean just to the side of him. "Ah! Oh, there you are."
She smiled, climbing up on the rocks alongside him.
Fenton sat down with the radio in his lap. He knew he should be using it to call Dr. Gearloose. It had been over an hour since he left the lighthouse, and he was due to return soon. But he had been searching for the mermaid for so long, he didn't want to delay talking to her.
"This is…I don't know what to say," Fenton said, embarrassed. It felt as if he were talking to a beautiful girl he wanted to ask on a date back in school. Technically he was talking to a beautiful girl, but never in his wildest dreams did he think that the girl would be of a different species than him. "I want to know so much about you, but I don't know where to start."
The mermaid bobbed her head but she didn't say anything. She jutted her chin out to him in a gesture that was obvious that she was waiting for him to speak.
"Uh…I guess we'll start with the basics, since I'm assuming that you know English," Fenton said, rubbing the back of his head. "What's your name?"
The mermaid grimaced then started to move her mouth but no sound came out. She gestured to her mouth in a self-deprecating way, then shrugged.
"So…you can't talk? You're mute?" Fenton guessed, his heart sinking.
The mermaid made a deep sigh, looking as if she had a long story before shrugging. Then she pointing to him, her eyes expectant.
"What? Oh, I guess you want my name," he said. "I'm Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera." He then realized that with the mermaid unable to say anything, their conversation was considerably stunted. He was also reminded at that point that the mermaid did not wear clothes. Flushing with embarrassment, he turned his whole body a few degrees away and was determined to only make eye-contact. "I have been looking for you. I wanted to thank you for saving my life."
Nodding, the mermaid tilted her head so she was more in his line of sight.
"I was looking for you before, when I fell into the ocean, because I kept seeing you at the lighthouse. You know, the lab where I work. With all the windows," Fenton said, trying to keep his eyes from straying. He was not one of those type of guys, but it was hard to concentrate. "It's just, I've never seen a mermaid before. Humans think you're all myths, that you don't exist. Does that make sense?"
The mermaid nodded, straining her neck to be more in his sight. She then tilted her head and gave him a wry smile, shrugging.
"Oh…I guess…I'm a little…uh…" Fenton muttered, trying to explain. "It's just that…in human society…girls wear…clothing to uh….cover up." His face blushed an even brighter red.
The mermaid then rolled her eyes, her expression similar to someone who has been lectured time and time again about this same thing. She lowered herself back into the water but with her head and shoulders above the surface, the rest of her slightly obscured. She made a gesture as if to say, "Is this better?"
"Uh…thank you," Fenton said, more embarrassed. He supposed that mermaids didn't have a nudity taboo. Either that, or they were unable to make clothing underwater. From what he recalled, clothing easily fell apart when subjected to a harsh environment like salt water. "Well, I guess the biggest question I have for you is…why are you here? Why did you come to Duckburg? But I think that might be too hard to explain without words." He didn't mind that his questions would go unanswered. Just being around the mermaid, to see her when he wasn't sleep-deprived or had a bump on his head made him feel so much better. In fact, if he never saw her again, he would be remiss, but at least he wouldn't go around thinking he was crazy.
At his words, the mermaid became very animated, her hands waving around excitedly and her beak moving as if she were talking, but no more sound came out as before. A look of frustration crossed her face, and it was like before, after she had saved him by taking him to the Singing Rocks.
"What? Can you act it out?" Fenton asked, feeling as if what she had to say was important.
She looked around, her eyebrows furrowed before she grabbed his hand and tugged it, gesturing out to open waters.
"I can't swim that very well," Fenton said. "Do you want to take me somewhere? Is it close? Or are you trying to help me get back? I don't need help. I can call for help on this radio, and my boss will come and get me. And anyway, that's not the direction of Duckburg. Duckburg is in the other direction." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder.
The mermaid shook her head and tugged his hand again. Once more, her beak formed silent words.
Fenton now found it odd that she was forming the words with her mouth. That didn't seem to be something that a mute would have done. Perhaps she hadn't always been a mute. It was too bad he didn't know how to read beaks. "I'm sorry. I don't know what you want. Ah, how about this." He pulled out his phone. "Could you type it out for me?" Fenton turned on his phone and brought up the texting app. He showed the mermaid how to touch the screen on the digital keyboard.
The mermaid stared at it in fascination and pressed on the screen a few times, smiling as random letters popped up in the text. She examined the phone, obviously never having seen one before.
When Fenton saw that she wasn't typing out any legible words, he was about to take the phone away before the mermaid's expression changed from playful to focused. She concentrated hard before typing out a single word.
Fethry
"Fethry? You know Fethry?" Fenton said, his voice rising in pitch.
The mermaid nodded eagerly, her face turning to that of concern.
"Do you know where he is? I mean…I…when was that last time you saw him?" Fenton spouted out before remembering that the mermaid couldn't answer. He took a deep breath and let it out, smoothing out his hair. "Oh, what am I getting myself into?"
The mermaid pointed to the phone and gestured to the rocks. She then acted out bringing something to the Singing Rocks.
"You want me to bring Fethry here?" Fenton asked, guessing what she was trying to say.
The mermaid nodded emphatically, her eyes widening. She made the same gestures again, this time with much more gusto, splashing in the water as she did.
"Okay, I'll try," Fenton said, calming her down. "I don't know where he is. I've been looking for him, but I think his family may have…" He wasn't certain if he should tell the mermaid about Fethry probably being locked up in an insane asylum by his family. Would the mermaid even understand? "He's a hard man to find. But I'll find him. If only I could have gotten ahold of his journals, too. I actually thought that his journals would lead me to you, but that might be t—What is it?"
The mermaid started gesturing for attention, her eyes lit up. Her actions were so wild that Fenton became confused.
"Slow down. I don't know what you're trying to say," Fenton said.
The mermaid calmed down and then made a few hand gestures as if she was holding something, and then she mimed opening it.
"A box? Oh, a book," Fenton said, finally realizing why she was excited. "Fethry's journals?"
The mermaid nodded.
"You know where Fethry's journals are?" Fenton asked, his heart picking up.
Once again, there was a nod.
Fenton smiled and laughed, not quite believing that it was that easy. But then again, why did he need the journals? He had found the mermaid.
"Well…uh…can I see them?" Fenton asked, remembering how sad Huey was when he couldn't find them in the hiding spot. Perhaps the mermaid would let him return them to Huey.
The mermaid nodded.
"Uh, could you go get them?" Fenton asked, looking forward to reading them. Perhaps they contained all the secrets of the mermaid, and all his questions would be answer. However, the mermaid shook her head.
"What? Why not?" Fenton asked.
The mermaid shook her head and shrugged. Looking around, she pointed up to the sun and then followed its path where it would sink under the horizon, then pointed to where it would rise and traced its path to where it was at that moment.
"You want me to come back here tomorrow?" Fenton guessed, watching the mermaid nod. "I can't."
The mermaid frowned.
"I want to but I can't." Fenton pointed to the submarine that had now sunk below the water. "The submarine, I was supposed to test it. It's not going to be ready to take back out for several days. And I don't own a boat. I don't have the money to hire a boat. Do you know about money? I just can't come out here tomorrow. I don't have anything to bring me here."
The mermaid looked worried but then she acted out swimming as humans swam.
"I'm not that good of a swimmer," Fenton said. "Its miles to shore. I can't swim that far."
The look on the mermaid's face was pure judgmental.
"Okay, okay. Don't blame me," Fenton said. "What about somewhere else? Could you meet me near the shore? What about at the lighthouse? Could you bring the journals there?"
The mermaid's eyes widened, and she looked a little afraid. She shook her head.
Fenton frowned, not sure what that meant, but wasn't going to argue with a mute mermaid. "Okay, then let's find somewhere else. Where is an isolated beach where we both can meet?" He looked up pictures of beaches around Duckburg, most of which were public places which would have a lot of people around, especially since it was summertime. All the other pictures, even if they were isolated, he wouldn't know where they were.
That is, until he found a place he recognized. It was a part of the shore that wasn't beachfront property. Instead, it was a tangle of a species of trees that could grow in salt water, and people hardly ever went there except the occasional kayaker or snorkeler. It wasn't a usual tourist spot and only the locals went there.
"Do you recognize this area?" Fenton asked, showing the picture.
The mermaid studied it before nodding.
"I have some snorkeling equipment in my mom's garage, so I can meet you there, but I don't think I can find Fethry by tomorrow," Fenton said. "I don't know how long it will take for me to find him. I hate to do this to you, but could you just check this area for me every day at sunset. I mean, when the sun is starting to sink below the horizon. If you don't see me, I'm not coming that day. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I don't know how else to stay in contact with you."
The mermaid nodded reluctantly but she didn't look very confident. In fact, she seemed scared.
"Fethry is really important to you, isn't he?" Fenton asked.
The mermaid worried her bottom beak, her eyes wide as she looked up at him. She looked small and defenseless at that moment, as if she were holding onto something heavy. She nodded.
"I'll do my best to find him," Fenton said. He had been digging into Duckburg history and finding out so much about the McDuck clan, but he was certain that this mermaid either had something to do with all the mysteries or she knew some information. "Are you okay? Do you need any…help? Is there something I can do for you?"
The mermaid looked away.
"You didn't come to the lighthouse just to meet me, did you?" Fenton asked. He lowered his tone, almost pleading. "There's something else going on, isn't there? What is it?"
Something almost like pure terror entered the mermaid's eyes, and she was shaking her head almost minutely before lifting her head to meet his gaze. Her beak set in a determined grimace, she pointed behind Fenton.
"What? What is it?" Fenton asked, looking behind him. He almost expected to see something there. When he turned back to the mermaid, she pointed again firmly.
"Uh…the ocean? No…the shore? Land? Duckburg? Duckburg! It's about Duckburg?" Fenton almost shouted, this game of charades feeling more important than just a party game. "You know something about Duckburg?"
The mermaid, her hand cupped like a scoop, gestured as if Duckburg was right in front of her. In one swift movement, she brought her hand down where the invisible Duckburg was, creating a large splash as her fist hit the water. She looked up into Fenton's face as if to find out if he understood.
"Duckburg…something bad is going to happen to it," Fenton guessed, his stomach dropping to the center of the earth.
The mermaid nodded.
"Then…then the legends are true," Fenton said, his eyebrows coming together. "The stories…the mermaid that want to destroy Duckburg…they're all true?"
The mermaid swam a distance away from Fenton.
"And you knew all this time?" Fenton asked, not realizing his voice had turned accusatory. "Why didn't you warn someone? Or are you involved in it?" What was going to happen? What was going to happen to Duckburg? Could it be stopped? He thought about his friends, his family, his mama and abuela, and everyone else he knew in the town. Thousands and thousands of innocent lives were on the line if another disaster was about to befall Duckburg. It was this worry, this fear, that had deepened his voice.
The mermaid turned and dived downward, the last of her was part of her coral-colored scales and the green sail along her back.
Fenton hadn't realized how that sounded coming out of his mouth until the mermaid had fled. "Wait! I'm sorry. I didn't…I'm not…Please, come back."
But the ocean was just as silent as the mermaid had been. And the worst of it was, had he just burned the bridge he had built. Because he had raised his voice, was the mermaid never going to see him again.
Gyro was a professional and expected the same from his interns. He didn't monitor the time Fenton had left, expecting the intern back at a certain time. The test would take as much time as it needed. In the meanwhile, he wasn't going to waste precious hours of the day marching back and forth in front of the observatory windows, looking for the mini-sub to return. Instead, he buried himself in his work, letting the radio be his warning for when the intern needed the bay doors open.
So when the radio crackled to life, filled with static, Gyro expected the intern to announce he was back. To his surprise, the next words were as far from that as could be.
"Uh…Dr. Gearloose…I'm afraid that the mini-sub has sunk," Fenton said through the static.
"WHAT!" Gyro shouted, picking up the mic. "What happened, intern?"
"Well, there was a leak," Fenton said. "And there wasn't enough time to get back to the lab. Luckily I found some rocks to anchor to, but the submarine is completely water logged."
"For the love of…At least we water-proofed the interior," Gyro said. Belatedly, he asked, "Are you okay?"
"Peachy, although I'm getting a little burned and thirsty," Fenton said in his nervous way. "I'm going to need you to pick me up."
"I'll contact Mr. McDuck's nephew. He has this rickety boat, but it should be enough to tow the sub back to the lab," Gyro said, looking up Scrooge McDuck's nephew. He had used the man's services before and had no complaints. Besides, with tourist season in full swing, it would be hard to find a boat on short notice, but Donald always seemed to be available.
"Uh…I'm a little off-course but I think you can find me," Fenton said. "I think my coordinates are—"
"Don't worry about it. The mini-sub has GPS," Gyro said.
"Oh, it does?" Fenton asked. "I didn't know that."
"Please. As if I would let any of my inventions leave this lab without knowing exactly where it was at all times," Gyro said. "You'd be surprised how many of my inventions have escaped and needed to be hauled back."
Fenton laughed nervously.
Gyro brought up the GPS tracking system on his computer, both his eyebrows leaping an inch when he saw where Fenton and the sub were, at a landmark that the locals had been calling "The Singing Rocks." "Wow, you weren't kidding when you said that you were a little off-course. That's…a lot off-course."
"I couldn't really tell," Fenton said, his voice going a notch higher. "The sea currents make piloting the sub so confusing. I guess I didn't check my map enough."
"That's why I put in the GPS," Gyro said. "You should have been looking at that, not a silly map. How else would you get back to the lab?"
"I guess I didn't think," Fenton said.
"Well, try to learn how while you wait to be rescued," Gyro snapped and turned off the radio. "Interns!" He quickly dialed Donald Duck, gave him the information on his intern and the submarine's location and then hung up, returning to his latest project. But as he worked, he couldn't help but think that Fenton's story seemed a little…off.
The Singing Rocks weren't anywhere close to where Fenton was supposed to be testing the submarine. And when he checked the ocean charts that tracked ocean currents, it didn't seem likely that Fenton could have been swept in that direction. He would have been going against the current almost the entire way.
It was yet another bothersome warning sign from his intern, and while Gyro had sent two emails to Mr. McDuck, he couldn't ignore what he was paid to report. Picking up his phone, he dialed the number he swore he would never use. Mr. McDuck hated to be bothered.
"Yes?" the grumbling voice of Mr. Scrooge McDuck answered on the first ring.
"Mr. McDuck. This is Gyro Gearloose," Gyro said.
"Gyro? Are you calling about the mini-submarine I ordered you to build for me?" Mr. McDuck asked, sounding surprised. "Don't tell me it's ready. You're several months ahead of schedule."
"No, that's not why I'm calling, although we may have a delay on the submarine based on a recent problem," Gyro reported. "No, I'm calling about the emails that I've sent. I have more suspicions about my intern in regards to—"
"What emails?" Mr. McDuck demanded.
"I sent you two emails," Gyro said irritated. He hoped that nothing was going on with his email. "I sent one on Friday and one yesterday. About my intern seeing something stran—"
"How do I get into the email thingy?" Mr. McDuck asked, his voice slow as if he were doing something else. "Is it the picture of a piece of paper?"
"No, it should look like an envelope. Or is it some other icon? Hold on, let me check my phone," Gyro said, not quite sure what the icon looked like.
"What's an icon? Hold on. I'm clicking on this thing called Internet Explorer," Mr. McDuck said.
"No!" Gyro shouted, his body tense. "Don't click on that."
"Too late."
"Now it's going to take forever to load."
"Isn't this the thingy that I want. It's Internet, right? It's what I want," Mr. McDuck asked, his tone slightly irritated.
Gyro heaved a heavy sigh, not sure how much he needed to explain to someone who was older than the oldest computer.
Several minutes later and after a lot of explaining, Mr. McDuck finally located his email. The phone on both lines remained silent. Gyro kept his phone on speaker so he could work while he waited for his employer to read through his emails. It took a lot longer than he thought it would.
"Gyro, you there?"
"Yes, Mr. McDuck," Gyro said, at the ready.
"You said that your intern has seen one? Are you sure?" Mr. McDuck asked, the question loaded.
"I don't know, but I would say that his behavior since then has definitely been…peculiar," Gyro said honestly.
"And what's his name?"
Gyro actually had to think before answering. "Uh…Fenton. Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera."
"Stay right there. I'm coming over."