As Louie examined the integrity of the cell door lock, Cheesesteak's words faded into the background. The monologuing propelled him into a familiar "Huezzz" as he liked to call it. Blah, ba-blah, ba-blaaaah, aliens this… aliens that…."Uh, yeah, yeah, sure kid." He smirked, recognizing the lock after spotting its fatal flaw.Picking this lock will be nothing compared to the bin.I just need something to…He rifled through his pockets only to come out empty handed.

For no reason he could explain, he looked up, and when he saw Philbert, it wasn't the alien-obsessed kid he saw at all—it was Huey.He'll have what I need."Do you have anything in that hat of yours that could pick a lock?"

Philbert blinked, rocking back on his heels with a growing smile. "Oh, my hat? No, I don't think so. Why?"

The strange trance over Louie broke, and he was back in the present, seeing Philbert in all his yellow.What in the world came over me? Huey's not here. I know that.He scratched his head, staring at the floor. "Uh, I don't know. I guess I just instinctively thought… nevermind."Well, there goes that escape plan.

A wave of loneliness washed over him, one he'd managed to ignore and shove aside for the past twenty-four hours—or however long it had been since he'd last seen his brothers. His throat tightened. He leaned his arm against the cell door, and pressed his forehead into the bars.Ugh, I hate all the mushiness. It's not like I need them. I can handle this. I got myself and Cheesesteak into this mess… I can get us out. On my own.

"I do keep this in my hat, though."

Louie lifted his head as Philbert walked over with a crumpled piece of paper. The primary colors were unmistakable. His breath caught in his throat. He took the paper and smoothed out the corners. "Where did you get this?"

"My dad!" Philbert beamed. "Like I was saying in the car, my dad and I collect space memorabilia. This newspaper clipping is what started it all for him. After that, he started gathering everything he could on the moon and the moonlanders." Philbert plopped down criss-cross-applesauce-style right next to him, gripping his knees and rocking back and forth with the boundless energy of an ADHD kid. "Isn't it amazing? A whole family went to space and stopped an alien invasion!" The kid smiled up at him with eyes as big as flying saucers.

Louie looked back at the picture—a snapshot of a memory that felt both distant and deeply familiar. There was his entire family, gathered around the towering gold rocket lodged into the mountainside near McDuck Manor. After they'd defeated Lunaris in space, a mob of reporters had crowded in to snap photos of "The World's Greatest Adventure Family" in front of the rocket. He let out a dry scoff and propped his chin on his hand. "We never could manage to be normal."

Louie shot him a sidelong glance, then waved to himself in a subtle gesture.

Phil's eyes grew wide as realization dawned. He jumped to his feet. "No! You're pulling my leg."

Louie let him take a minute, watching as Phil's gaze darted between the little kid in the green hoodie in the picture and the real one standing right in front of him.

"Your—you—I—you…" Phil spun in a dizzy circle, bursting into laughter. "You're Scrooge McDuck's nephew?!"

Louie quirked an eyebrow, smirking. "There you go. In the flesh."Great, now he's gonna nerd-out about Scrooge McDuck along with all the alien nonsense.

Phil practically collapsed on the floor, holding the picture inches from his face and examining every detail. "That means… you're LouieDuck?!"

Louie rested his hands on his knees and chuckled. "Wait—you're telling me you're a fan, and you didn't recognize me from all that Silver-Tongued Serpent talk?"

Phil shrugged, looking a little sheepish. "I dunno. I only know what I see in the papers… or what my dad tells me."

Louie tipped his chin, his interest piqued.Always… this kid with his dad."Who is this dad of yours? He sounds like the two of you are really close."I wish I had that. I could have probably found my dad by now if Gus hadn't found me.

The kid rolled over onto his side, still transfixed by the picture. "Cosmo Duck. He's the greatest dad there ever was. For as long as I've been alive it's just been me and him. I guess you could say he's my dad and my only friend." He grew quiet for a minute. "I think I might be his only friend too…."

Louie watched as Phil's face shifted from excitement to something quieter. He sighed.And here I am, envying him.Reaching over, he ruffled the feathers on Phil's head. "Hey, that's not true. We're friends now, don't you think? I mean, we've traded insults, got kidnapped together, shared moments like this… if you ask me, that's definitely friend material, Cheesesteak."

Phil's eyes lit up as he sat up, grinning. "You're right! And you even gave me a nickname! I've never had one before. I mean—the one you chose is… kind of terrible—but friends make up goofy nicknames, right?"

Louie folded his arms across his chest. "You betcha, Cheesesteak. It's sticking."

Phil's grin turned mischievous. "Then I just need one for youuuuu," he teased, his voice sing-song.
"Oh, no. If you dare say my real name out loud, I will revoke our friendship, got it?"Don't test me, kid.

"Well, how about Llewella?" Phil laughed with an impish grin.

Louie grunted. "That is almost worse."

"Aw, c'mon! You named me after a dumb sandwich. I have rights!"

"Fine, pick whatever you want. But I bet it won't stick. Finding the right nickname takes skill. It has to be witty, playful, and roll off the tongue."

"Don't worry," Phil said, standing up and stuffing the clipping back into his hat. "I'll find the perfect one. After all, we're best friends now!"

Louie couldn't say a single thing to counter that. How could he?He may have had a dad but I grew up with everything else a kid could ever want… a family and more friends than I wanted.