Aww phooey, Louie! - justducky3

"Does this jumper make my butt look big?" Dewey spun around, stretching his neck and looking over his shoulder.

Louie and Webby answered in unison.

"Yes, definitely."

"No. Not at all!'

Dewey glared back at them. "I'm getting mixed signals here."

Louie shrugged, turning to the mirror to fix his tie. "Why does it matter? You're pretending to be a janitor for ten minutes."

"Melroy Jenkins already has an awkward-sounding name. He doesn't need a caboose along with it."

"Trust me, Dewey, the more average you look, the better. Spy work takes more than blending in. You want to be completely unnoticeable." Webby messed up his perfectly curated hairstyle and shoved the matching hat on his head.

"Heeeeey! My hair!" He pouted and tried to fix the pieces that stuck out from the hat.

Louie rolled his eyes. "Don't be Huey about it. We don't need two hair divas on our hands."

Dewey sulked, folding his arms against his chest.

Webby stepped back to take a look at her work. "It's perfect! This is the average custodial look. If anyone asks, you're the new hire that's tasked with cleaning the bathrooms." She grabbed him by the arm. "Now, come help me get the cleaning cart from out of the back so we can sneak it in."

Defeated, Dewey followed her. "Fine. Hey, we'd get your hands on a cart like that anyway?"

"I have my ways." She winked with a shrug as they climbed out of the RV.

Louie pulled his suit jacket on and fixed the lapels in the mirror. Peace and quiet. He waited a second before going to his hiding place to check on the growth serum.

"LOUIE!"

He nearly jumped out of his skin when Webby peeked her head in. He stepped in front of the small compartment and smiled at her, his heart beating out of his chest. "Yeah?"

"Give us five minutes and then you need to go keep the receptionist busy. Got it?"

He nodded and then watched from the door of the RV as her and Dewey fumbled to get her into the cart. Huey had already gone in to schmooze the director and so far the plan was working. Once Dewey disappeared down the back alley with Webby in the cart, Louie closed the door to the RV and slunk back to his hiding place.

For years he had used that little space under the cabinets to hide things from his brothers… candy, money, his limited edition Mantis Boy comics, you name it. He felt around until he felt the vial wrapped in a towel. He pulled it out, unwrapping it, and staring at his distorted reflection in the glass.

Huey's words echoed in the back of his mind. "...you're the problem."

I don't care what he thinks. I don't care what any of them thinks. This time it'll be different. This one little vial will fix everything. Soon enough, I won't need to rely on anyone… Scrooge, Uncle Donald, Mom, my brothers… anyone. I'll be in charge of my own life and building my own fortune.

Mark Beaks agreed to a partnership with him. The billionaire was quickly losing traction and popularity in the media. Louie's plans for the growth serum would greatly improve his ratings and Louie could do anything he wanted with whatever amount of funding he needed. Beaks was desperate and just the tool Louie needed.

Louie glanced at his watch. Show time. He wrapped the vial back up and slid it into its secure hiding place. Standing and dusting off his jacket, he hopped out of the RV and headed for the DASA building.

Distracting a simple receptionist? The Silver Tongued Serpent had that in the bag! No problemo. He waltzed inside but froze when he laid eyes on the receptionist. Jane?! What is she doing working at DASA!He slipped back through the revolving doors and hid behind a bush. "Of course! It has to be the one person in Duckburg who knows my MO. I knew this plan was sketchy from the start. Stupid Huey logic."

He pulled his phone out, calling Webby. She picked up on the first ring. "What are you doing? Are you trying to get us caught? We're in position. Where are you?"

"Abort! Abort!" he murmured into the phone. "Jane's the receptionist. This is never going to work."

"Just play off of it. Huey went to the interview as himself. Why can't you?"

"What are you talking about? They'll never-" As he spoke, a new angle formed in his mind. "Nevermind. I've got it. But for this to work, Webby, you and Dewey need to switch places."

"Switch places? Are you crazy?"

Dewey laughed faintly in the background. "Ha! You have to be Melroy Jenkins!"

"Just trust me on this. She'll know I'm up to something if she sees Dewey, but she shouldn't recognize you if she's not looking for you."

Webby sighed. "If you say so, but Dewey's not going into that filing room without me."

"Agreed. I wouldn't trust him to handle that on his own either."

"Hey-"

Louie hung up on Dewey's disgruntled voice and stood out of the bushes, brushing some leaves off his shoulder. He walked back through the revolving doors and straight up to the receptionist desk, resting his elbow on the polished granite. "Jane Eagle? Well, I barely recognized you. Did you get highlights? Your hair looks exquisite!"

Jane looked up from her computer, her eyebrows raising. "Louie Duck? Well, I'll be! It's been ages since I've seen you. It's been a few years since Funzo's. What can I do for you?" She smiled.

A smile is always a good sign. "Oh, I'm just here to pick up my mega-nerd brother. He's got an interview with your boss."

"Oh yes! He scheduled it a bit last minute, but as soon as he told me who he was, I was happy to squeeze him in. You and I are old friends after all." She winked with a soft smile.

Louie's skin prickled. Wait… Huey knew Jane was the receptionist I'd be talking to the whole time and he didn't tell me? I mean, I was tired, sure, but I think I'd have remembered that! It could have compromised the operation… but he probably wanted that. He tried to focus back on Jane by smiling and leaning his chin against his hand. "I wanted to thank you in person for doing that for him. He's been dreaming about interviewing him for his college enrollment essay for months. He just didn't think it was possible. You made all of his little nerd dreams possible, Jane. You're the best."

"Oh, Mr. Duck, you are still the flatterer you used to be," she laughed.

Hearing the scraping roll of the janitor cart wheels behind him, Louie moved his head to stay in Jane's line of site. "What can I say? Once a charmer, always a charmer."

"What are you up to these days? Are you headed off for college yourself?"

He shrugged, rubbing his fingers on his jacket. "Eh, college is overrated. I'm working on a couple of entrepreneurial ideas. One of which, I'm sure will grow into something big."

A loud voice boomed from behind him. "You don't say!"

Louie cringed at the very sound of the voice and slowly turned around. "Heh heh. Ohhhh, hey, Gus."