"Of course! The one time I get abducted, I lose my hat."

Louie sumped in his seat, trying to rest his eyes amidst the kid's blabbering. Gus had parked in the back of a sketchy gas station to go call his "Dr. Quantum" to set up a meeting place, leaving him and the kid in the car alone.

LittleLightning Mouthhad gotten the gag off as soon as Gus left the car.

"Hey."

Silence.

"Hey!"

Louie squeezed his eyes shut.

"HEEEEEY!"

"H'boy." Louie scrubbed the side of his face and stared up at the ceiling. "Whaaat? What do you want?"

"Do you have my hat up there?" the little voice chimed.

Louie closed his eyes again. "No."

"Aw come on! You didn't even look."

A "Dewey" headache, as he so affectionately referred to it as from all the times Dewey's motormouth made his head hurt, began to spread across his temples. He groaned. "I don't need to. You don't need it anyway, it's like ninety degrees out. You'd get a heat stroke or something."

"Pfft, if you think that hat is just for warmth, you have no imagination."

"Imagination doesn't prevent heatstroke."

"For your information, that hat has an aluminum lining. It also has a cooling fabric inside so that I can wear it year round." Phil had a "matter of fact" tone that reminded him of Huey's back in the day. "It protects the brain from electromagnetic rays and alien mind-control devices."

Of course it does.Louie heaved a sigh. "Believe me, the aliens would not want to mess with you, kid."There's waaaay too much going on in that head of yours."What is it with you and aliens anyway?" He looked over his shoulder to see Phil sitting curled in the opposite corner of the car, hands still tied in front of him.

Phil scooted himself up onto the edge of the seat. "Don't you remember the moonvasion? What am I saying? If course you do! You're old."

Louie raised an eyebrow and glared at him.

"I mean, sure, the moonlanders turned out to be good guys, but they almost took over the world! Who's to say that can't happen again with life from another planet?! I've done the research. There's at least a 90% chance it will happen someday. I'm sure of it." The kid's eyes held a mixture of hope and excitement, like hewantedthe world to be overtaken by mind-controlling aliens.

Swallowing hard, Louie shifted a little further away from him.This kid seriously has a screw loose."The moonvasion was like eight years ago. How in the world do you remember it? Much less care."

"You're right. I was three so I don't remember it happening. But for years my dad watched the news stories and kept newspaper clippings around. He was kinda obsessed. He also used to be an astronaut so I've grown up learning everything there is to know about space."

Ah, no wonder he was right outside NASA. That place must be a spawning ground for elf-like weirdos with aluminum hats.

"Someday I'm going to be an astronaut spy! I'll rocket off to all the planets and do recon on the alien lifeforms." Phil bounced in the seat, staring off into space all starry eyed.

"Yeah, yeah, that's great, kid." Louie rolled his eyes and settled back in his chair with a yawn.

"That is… if my brain doesn't get wiped by your beefy friend," Phil retorted in his know-it-all tone.

Louie cringed.H'boy. He's gonna make sure I never sleep again with all the alien talk and guilt trips.Taking a deep breath, he leaned his chair back until he was eye-level with the kid. "Let's get one thing clear, he'snotmy friend."

"Then how come you two talk so chummy?"

"Chummy?!" Louie's eyes shot wide open. "You do realize that my hand is just as cuffed to this car as your little grippers are tied together, right? I'm not just imagining it?" He gestured to his left hand as it dangled, cuffed to the car's grab handle.

Phil laughed. "Oh come on! That bulldozer has been gone for ten minutes and you haven't even tried to get loose. I bet you could pull that handle off and get us out of here if you really wanted to."

"Ho, ho, ho! I've played that card a million times, kid. It's not working." Louie kicked his feet up on the dash and slipped his free hand behind his neck.

"You are in league with each other then!"

"I told you, I'm just as kidnapped as you are." He rested his eyes, yawning again.

"Then why won't you stand up to him? Or at least, try to escape?"

A heavy knot grew in his stomach. "Look. If I escaped, Gus would be right on my tail again, or worse, he'll go after my brothers. It's not worth it." He tipped his over his eyes.After all, Gus is right. This is what I signed up for. My brothers shouldn't have to pay for it.Heat rose in his cheeks at the thought of what they must be thinking.At some point Huey's got to realize that I'm not worth the lectures. This is the life I chose. He needs to get his own.He squeezed his eyelids shut, trying to push his brothers to the back of his mind.They can't help me now. This is where I embrace the angle or lose.

"What about me then?"

Louie took a breath but his lungs felt like they were half full of water. The pieces were coming together but Phil was the only factor that didn't fit the puzzle. Gus took him, no doubt, as a contingency plan, to keep Louie from outsmarting him.

I could get us both out of this car, but that doesn't ensure either of our safety. Gus could find us again and I can't beat him in a fight. I could just let the kid go and tell Gus that he escaped… but that would risk leaking the story to the authorities and we'd be caught before we could even start this little venture Gus has planned.

Gus was right in saying that this is what I wanted. If we can revitalize this serum and make it separate from Von Drake's, make it our own, then it's an endless cash flow from here on out. Even if I do have to partner with Gus Goose, this is exactly the thing I need to get out from under the McDuck rules and set myself up for life.

He could easily convince Gus that he was onboard and stay out of the danger zone with him. However, this kid? He was the one piece that caused problems for both of them.

He lifted the edge of his hat and peeked past his eyelids at the little boy.I mean, could a mind wipe really be that bad? For heaven's sake, the kid is obsessed with space aliens. Wouldn't it be a blessing? He could find a new hobby and maybe actually get friends or something so he could stop sneaking into other people's RVs for fun.

Philbert just sat there with his eyebrows raised.

Bleh, and of course this little weirdo kid has to resemble me. It's like a sick joke.

Heaving a sigh, Louie turned and pushed his hat back over his face. "Blergh. Morals, Louie, come on." His mom's reading voice ran through his head."Ethics is concerned with how your actions negatively affect those around you."

He scratched his chest.I never really got good grades in ethics… but she had a point then and she has a point now.

"Please, Llewellyn? I just want to go home."

Louie grunted. "Watch it, Philly Cheesesteak. Sit down and be quiet." With his eyes still covered by his hat, he reached over and grabbed the kid by the bill before he could argue. He tilted his head, peeking at him from under his hat. "You're safer in this car. I promise I won't let the big lug wipe your mind, okay? I know we're not chums, you and I, but do you think you can manage to trust me for at least a little while?"

Phil stared at him for a long moment before slowly nodding.

Louie let go of his bill. "Good. Now, be quiet and get some sleep, you loudmouth loony." He smirked and rested his arm behind his head again. The car went quiet for a few minutes and for a second, Louie thought he might actually be able to sleep… until the little voice spoke up from the back again. This time, he sounded more quiet and sincere.

"You promise?"

Louie's hand curled under his head. The thickness in his throat threatened to swell until he couldn't swallow. After a few quiet moments, he mustered his response. "Yeah, Space Cowboy, I promise."

"Alien scum."

Louie just smirked and closed his eyes as he drifted off into a light, fitful sleep.