Mark Beaks rushed into the Waddle lab to hear voices.

"Is this some kind of joke?"

"Nerp, I'm telling the truth, bruh. Project: Behold is-"

Before Owlison could finish her sentence, Mark found them in the testing room. His heart raced as he analyzed the situation. There was Owlison, hands on her hips, next to a brown duck in a suit. He had a gun pointed at her. Mark's eyes widened. "Owlison! What's going on?"

"Oh, hey, Beaksy," she said, like she wasn't in a life threatening situation. Mark wished she would act more mature, especially now.

The other duck moved the gun towards Mark, and he threw his hands up. "Where's Project: Behold?" the duck said.

Mark raised an eyebrow. "Project what?"

The duck narrowed his eyes. "Don't play dumb with me. Where is the tech Waddle has been promoting for the past several months!"

Mouth gaping, Mark turned his eyes to Owlison. He honestly had no clue what Project: Behold was, let alone ever heard of it until now. "I... haven't been working on anything like that, unless Zan decided to name one of my projects that."

"It's like I've been telling you, Fenton. Project: Behold doesn't exist. It was just a marketing tool I used to get more investments. Yah know, get rich quick scheme."

"Owlson," Mark said, sternly.

She waved her hand at him. "Anywho, I made up a fake project to get people to give us money, and I knew I wouldn't have to worry about 'wet-blanket' Mark over here because he never checks his social media! Pretty genius, right?" She smirked, leaving both men irritated.

"You did what!"

"This is getting ridiculous. I'm calling my employer." Fenton, as Owlison had called him, dug in his pocket and pulled out his phone. He started dialing.

In the little moments of silence, Mark glared at his business partner. She was the most irresponsible person he had ever met, with even less integrity. They wouldn't even be in this mess if it wasn't for her.

Owlison's phone started ringing. She held it up to her ear. "Wassup, Owlison here."

It was worse than he thought.

Fenton glanced from his phone to the owl. "You- You're my employer? Why?"

"Yes, why Owlison? That seems to be the question right now," Beaks said, crossing his arms. This was probably the most annoyed he had ever been with her. This was life and death, and she thought it as a game.

"Simple. Now I can say Project: Behold was stolen, and Waddle gets to keep the money. Boom. Guess you could say I thought through my plan very well, eh?" She crossed her arms and held up her head proudly.

"Didn't think this one through," Fenton said, stepping closer towards her, gun still armed. Mark moved forward, but Fenton pulled another gun from his coat and aimed it at the parrot. "No one move unless I say you can."

Owlison glanced between Mark and Fenton, a slight tinge of worry starting to show on her face. "Woah, dude, chill out! I hired you, and your job is done. You can pick up your check on the way out!" She held up her hands defensively.

"I don't like being toyed with. Come on!" Fenton stood behind Owlison, pushing her forward with the nose of the weapon.

Mark's heart thumped loudly in his chest but he tried to keep a cool head. "Let her go!"

"Don't move I said!" Fenton too a shot with his other gun at the ground, just missing Mark's feet. The parrot took a step back. "That was a warning."

At the sound of doors opening and closing, Mark looked to the entry way. In walked Louie and that red kid, (Mark hadn't cared all that much to remember the other's name). Mark's heart sank. Oh no.

The boys were startled for a moment, processing the scene. Fenton looked surprised when he saw them. "What's this? Kids?"

Louie looked between Owlison and Mark, fear in his eyes. And Mark felt helpless to do anything about it. The red one took a step behind his brother.

After a moment, Fenton spoke again. "Alright. New deal. Owlison, the red kid, and I are going to the roof. If you try to follow, I shoot the boy. Now I've got a hostage."

Louie and Mark's eyes widened. Huey (Was that his name?) rose his hands up, shaky. "I'm not sure I agree with this deal, especially since I have no clue what's going on," he said.

Fenton ignored him. "Understood?" He moved his gun from Mark to the duckling.

"Why are we going to the roof?" Owlison asked.

"So I can toss you off it." They left, leaving Mark and Louie alone.

Trembling, Mark fell to his knees. His mind raced for a million options for what to do next. But each one felt futile. He took a deep breath and got to his feet.

"W-what are we going to do?"

Mark glanced up towards Louie. "I... I don't know."

Louie started pacing around in circles, talking to himself. It would've made Mark smile in a different situation. "We can't go after them because then he'll kill my brother, but if we don't go after them, he'll kill Miss Owlison. Oh my gosh, someone is going to die. This is horrible. And after I called him stupid! I'm a failure! I failed! What are we going to do!"

Mark took him by the shoulders. "We're not going to waste time by going on about nonsense! You didn't fail and no one is going to die! Even if Owlison brought this on herself, but still! We're going to figure this out."

"But I am a failure if Huey dies! I'm supposed to protect him!" The boy threw his arms up, freaking out. "Even you think I'm a failure! That's why you gave the internship to Huey!" He ran a hand through his hair.

"Louie, I've got to be completely honest with you... I didn't give the internship to you because I thought you did do a really good job on everything."

"Did- Is- That's- Ummm..." The boy had a confused expression and he tilted his head. "What?"

Mark got to his feet. "Come on, we don't have time for this. We have to go save Owlison and your brother."

"But-"

"We can have a heart to heart later. Right now there are lives at stake." After a moment, Louie nodded and followed after him.

"So what's the plan?"

"I'll think of it on the way there."

"Oh yeah, that makes sense, just like how you hire people!" There was noticeable aggravation in Louie's voice. Mark rolled his eyes.

...

Huey bit his beak, praying his brother would come save him. "Move it kid!" the older duck shouted when Huey moved too slow. The red triplet gulped. They stepped out of the stairway door and onto the roof. Huey raised a hand over his eyes, adjusting to the bright sunlight. He felt the grass under his feet, enjoying it in case these were his last moments. Noted: the grass on the roof of Waddle was soft and warm. It was kind of comforting. He wanted to ask how they grew grass on the roof, but he figured that would be an inappropriate question right now.

Huey exchanged a glance with Owlison. She looked just as scared as he felt. But he tried to put on a brave face. He was probably failing, but whatever.

Fenton walked them to the edge of the roof. He pushed Owlison a bit, causing her to stumble. Thankfully, she didn't go over the edge, but she did get a view. "That... is a long way down." She spun around to face her captor. "How about you leave me alive and I will double your pay?" She forced a smile,and Huey hoped he would take the deal.

When all Fenton did was glare at her, she frantically said, "Triple! I will triple your pay! Triple triple? That's 9 times as much!"

"How about you don't hire people to do stupid jobs for you?" Fenton said, smirking. Note to self: Huey did NOT like this guy.

Owlison gulped. Louie get here quickly.

"Hey!" All eyes moved towards Mark Beaks, who stood by the air vent.

In one quick movement, Fenton grabbed Huey and held a gun to his head. "What did I say?" Huey struggled, heart pounding so hard he thought he would burst. His beak trembled as he shut his eyes tight.

"Let's not do anything too rash now," Beaks said, stepping closer.

"I told you what the terms were!" Fenton pressed the barrel to Huey's head harder. Some of his old bruises started to feel sore again. Huey winced and kicked at his attacker, but it was futile. "Quit squirming red, or I'll end it now." Huey did as told.

Beaks and Fenton narrowed their eyes at each other. Fenton took a few steps away from the edge of the roof. Huey looked for Owlison, who was slowly edging away.

A shout came from somewhere, sending a jolt through Huey's body. Fenton yelped, and in the chaos let go of Huey. The red triplet did a roll and landed hard on the grass. The boy shook himself, breathing heavily, trying to decipher what was happening. Louie had jumped on Fenton's back, wrapping his hoodie over his eyes.

"Louie!" Huey cheered, a wave of relief washing over him.

Fenton tried to shake of his attacker, stumbling backwards. The bounty hunter stumbled backwards, Louie still on his back. And they were heading straight for the ledge.

"Louie! Watch out!" Huey jumped to his feet, breath accelerating.

Fenton tripped over the edge and Louie's eyes widened as he realized what was happening. The two let out a yelp as they fell over. Fenton fell first, then Louie. "Huey!"

Huey jumped for his brother, reaching for his hand. The boys latched hands, dangling off the edge of the company building. Huey was not just holding Louie, but Fenton too since he had grabbed onto the green triplet's ankle. Huey had Louie, but who had Huey? He glanced back to see Owlison and Beaks, keeping him from falling.

"I'm going to kill you!" Fenton growled, drawing all their attention back. Louie kicked at him idly. Huey could feel his grip slipping. He threw his other hand on, holding them up with all his might.

"I've got you Louie," Huey said in a strained voice. The boys locked eyes, and for the first time in a long while, Huey saw real fear in his brother's eyes. The red triplet gave a sad smile. "I've got you."

Fenton let out a laugh, making Huey raise an eyebrow. "Oh man, it's been a while since someone put up a fight. Being a bounty hunter has it's perks, but this is the most fun I've had in a long time!" Louie and Huey exchanged a worried glance. He gave Huey a smirk, putting the boy on edge. "I'll be back." Fenton let go of Louie's leg and dropped down.

The red triplet's eyes widened, his arms feeling lighter. He saw Fenton land on one of the trampolines below, saving him from a gruesome fall. He looked up, then turned and walked away.

...

Owlison and Beaks pulled Louie and Huey up. Once on solid floor, Louie bent over to catch his breath. His mind was so jumbled with fear he couldn't make any clear thoughts. All he could do was convince his heart rate to go down.

Once they had all calmed down a bit, Huey broke the silence with, "So... you think he'll be back?"

"I hope not," Louie said, with a slight chuckle. He flopped down on the grass and sighed.

Beaks and Owlison remained standing. "So, Zan, did you learn your lesson?"

"Yuppers, next time I'll tell you when I hire a bounty hunter against me."

"Also, oh I don't know- DON'T COME UP WITH TERRIBLE MARKETING PLANS WHERE YOU LIE TO EVERYONE!"

"Yeah, and that too." Louie rolled his eyes at her.

Beaks sighed. "Alright, we've all had a stressful day, I'm going home." He started walking back to the stairway.

"I'ma do the same. New intern, you coming back on Monday?" she asked, shooting Huey finger guns.

He took off his hat and fanned himself with it. "Nope. I resign. It's crazy here."  Louie chuckled.

Owlison put a hand on her hip. "Fine, that's fair. Sorry for risking your lives and stuff."

That reminded Louie of something. He jumped to his feet.

"Hey, Lou, where ya going?" Huey asked.

"I'll meet you down there and call Feathry or Launchpad to pick us up," Louie said, stepping in the stairwell.

He raced down the stairs, trying to catch up with the inventor. He caught him two floors down. "Mr. Beaks?"

"What's up, kiddo?" Beaks turned his head to the boy, but kept waking.

"What did you mean when you said you didn't hire me because I did a good job?"

"Well..." Mark thought a minute, shoving his hands in his pockets. "You remind me a lot of myself when I was your age. Trying to work hard and impress people who don't care. You're persistent. Like me."

Louie tilted his head. "I don't follow."

"It sucks working here. I mean, we were just almost killed because of Zan's recklessness. So... I tried to keep you from getting the job because I knew if you got it, you would stay here. You would be persistent and just think if you worked harder, maybe you could impress someone. But the smart thing to do is just get a different job."

Louie knit his eyebrows together, confused. "But then... why didn't you quit? What's so bad about being CEO?"

"Being CEO of Waddle was never my dream. I wanted to be a lawyer. I got a job here to pay the bills, and then I got stuck. Hehhe, I ask myself everyday why I still work here, and sometimes I think the answer is right in front of me..." His eyes wandered to a poster on the wall. It had a poster of Owlison that read "Remember: You're replaceable!" He smiled at her image, blushing a bit.

"So what you're saying is... I don't know, I still don't get what moral you're trying to teach me."

Beaks sighed. "Just... achieve your dreams. Don't settle. Don't get a job here. It's terrible."

"Got it." Louie smiled, now knowing that the parrot didn't hate him. That felt nice. "Thanks."

Beaks pulled a piece of paper and handed it to Louie. It was his business card. "Give me a call if you ever need anything."

"Uh, oh yeah. Can I use your phone to call my cousin? I don't have one."

Beaks hesitated, then grabbed a phone from his pocket. "I'm not sure I'm allowed to do this, but I'm the CEO so... Keep it. Free of charge."

Louie took the smooth device in his hands. He rubbed his thumb over it and looked at Beaks in disbelief. "Really?"

"Really."

Out of nowhere, he hugged Beaks. He even took himself by surprise, but he shook the feeling off. "Thanks."

...

Later that night, everyone was asleep at Duck Manor. That was, until Webby snuck into the boys' room and woke up Dewey.

He sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes. "W-Webby? What's up?"

"Shhhh," she said, holding up a finger to his beak. She nodded towards the door, guest urging for them to talk in the hall. Dewey yawned and followed her out.

Once he softly closed the door behind him, he turned to his friend. "What is it?"

She grinned. "I remember where Feathry put the box!" she whisper shouted.

His eyes widened. "Really? Are you sure? Last time you seemed sure but then it wasn't in the garage."

"Well, I'm sure this time. I think." She rocked on her heals, eyes on the ground.

"Where is it?"

"In Feathry's closet!"

"What?"

"Yah, well, I was trying to remember, and I'm pretty sure he put it in there." She waved for him to follow and started heading towards the direction of his cousin's room.

"Are you crazy? We'll wake him up and then he'll want to know why we went in there!" He waved his arms.

She kept walking. "I can't hear you!" she whispered in a singsong tone.

Dewey sighed and went after her, arms sagging. "Phooey."

They poked their heads into Feathry's room, careful not let the floorboards creak underneath them. Dewey was better at it than Webby. Probably from training not waking Donald all those nights he got up to go to the bathroom in the trailer. And it helped a little that Fethry snored really loud. Made Dewey thankful that Huey just kicked. He would probably be unable to get any sleep with his cousin.

They made their way into the closet, which was bigger than Dewey expected. Webby pointed up at a shelf. "Look!"

Dewey squinted at a scribble on the box. The label said, "Della's Stuffz." Huh. Convenient. He reached for it only to discover he was too short.

"Give me a boost," Webby said, putting her hand son his shoulders. She started hoisting herself up before Dewey had even readied himself. He bit his beak to keep from yelping. She now stood on his shoulders, his knees shaking underneath him. She wobbled a bit. "Keep steady."

"Got it," he wheezed.

She grabbed the box, adding to the weight on the blue triplet. He would've fallen over if she had stayed on him one more second. She jumped down and set the box down. "Let's see..." She shuffled through the contents as quietly as she could, which to be honest wasn't that quiet.

Dewey decided to do it instead. It was mostly clothing. Sweaters, overalls, tank tops, and some skirts. There was also a picture frame which held the same image he had seen in the garage. A few other miscellaneous objects. There was a journal that Dewey thought to grab. He could search it for clues later. On top of the box was a note. "What's this?"

"Let's see..." Webby took the paper and squinted at it. A second of silence passed.

"You can't read, can you?" Dewey tilted his head, curious.

She turned pink and handed the note back. "I can, I just... It's dark, okay?"

"Okay, okay!" He held up his hands defensively. Webby crossed her arms. She watched him expectantly. He turned his attention back to the page. "It says, 'Dear Fethry, I can't take this anymore. By the time you're reading this, I'll already be gone. I'm leaving my things to the three most wonderful boys in my life. I'm sorry for the lies, but you've already seen me for the last time. Don't call. I've already got something set up at the Spear. Goodbye. -Della."

He looked at Webby. "What does that mean? The Spear? The three most wonderful boys?"

She shrugged. "I'm just as lost as you. Maybe she means you and your brothers?"

"Maybe..." Dewey folded the note and put it in the journal. "We need more answers."

"And we'll find those answers. Together."

...

Fenton paced the floor of his base, lost in thought. He needed to up his threat level. He was a highly trained bounty hunter, and he had been beaten by kids! That couldn't happen again. Though it was fun to have a challenge for once, it was a little disappointing to have it come from preteens. He needed something. Something no other hunter would have.  Something like some sort of gizmo. Fenton was never one for science though, but it would set him above the rest. Maybe there was somewhere he could get one.

End of Episode 3! Thanks for the support!