Truth & Lie

Chapter 6

Stepping down the stairs let a huge echo ring down the wide, empty hallway. Gandra and Huey walked down the long spiral staircase. "So, where do you think this gem would be?" she wondered. Huey put a finger to his beak thinking. "I don't know. Webby once tried to create a system, but it proved flawed after she couldn't find the number one dime," he said.

They soon reached the bottom of the staircase. Gandra mentally sighed, looking down the long vast tunnel, unable to see the end. "Wow, that is a lot of chambers," she said. Huey walked around in circles. "This will take a while. Which chamber could it be in?" he asked himself.

"Whatcha doing?" someone shouted behind him. He yelped and spun around. "Webby! Don't scare us like that!" he exclaimed. Webby rocked on her heels. "Sorry," she apologized. When he lowered his heart rate, he asked, " Hey, Webbs. What was the name of that gem we found the other day?" The duckling in pink perked up.

"Oh, the Possession gem!" she said. He nodded. "Where do you think that would be? Gandra wanted to check it out," he explained. Webby tapped he foot, trying to remember. "I think I saw uncle Scrooge put it in chamber 2020," she said. She ran ahead of them. "Come on, I'll show you!" she called back to them. Gandra and Huey trailed after her.

...

"Wrong chamber!" Webby exclaimed, fighting off a unicorn, or as she called it, a sword horse. She kicked the unicorn away, back into its room and Gandra and Huey slammed the door shut. They breathed heavily. Webby rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry! I knew we should have taken a right when we went left," she said. "Could you imagine if this place was hard to navigate?" Gandra said sarcastically.

"Are you sure all this work is worth it to see that gem?" Huey questioned. "Come on, you're starting to sound like Louie," Gandra commented. "Well, he's not called the sharpie for nothing! He's got a point," he said. Gandra rolled her eyes. "Webby, what room did you say?" she asked. The duckling in pink looked around, taking in their surroundings. "Um... This way, I think," she said pointing. Gandra went in the direction and waved for the kids to follow her.

They finally came to a room with a tall pillar with the shining green gem on top. "Okay, go up there and get it," Gandra said. "You said you wanted to see it. We saw it, let's go," Huey said. He turned to leave but Gandra stopped him. "Wait. You can't even see it from here. Come on, please?" she pressed up. Huey sighed and walked back to the pillar. "Alright then," he said, before fumbling to climb the pillar. He had practice climbing from trees, but there weren't any branches for him to hold onto.

"Here, Huey!" Webby passed him her grappling hook. He thanked her and shot upward. He climbed up the rope until he reached the top. He admired the gem. It was so shiny and a beautiful shade of green. "Bring it down!" Gandra called. He looked back down to her then back to the gem. He picked it up and had a good handle on it. That is, until he remembered how heavy it was. He stumbled with it, then tumbled down the pillar.

"Huey!" Webby and Gandra exclaimed. Huey hit the ground hard. Gandra and Webby ran to his side. Webby helped him up "Huey, are you okay? Gah! That's a lot of blood!" she yelped. Huey felt his mouth and lifted his hand to his view. His eyes widened when he saw the red liquid. Gandra winced. "Does it hurt?" she asked. Huey shook his head, still amazed by his blood. She started dialing a number on her phone. "Come on," she said, leading the kids back into the main part of the mansion. "Let's get you help."

...

Bradford drummed his fingers on his desk. "Did you get it?" he asked on the phone. "No," Gandra said on the other end. "Why not?" he asked angrily. He could hear the aggravation in her voice. "Because the kid just busted his face! What was I supposed to do! Just let him sit there and bleed!?" Bradford put a hand to his forehead. "So you failed the mission," he said annoyed. "I didn't! I'll get it, just be patient!" she said. His temper rose. "You do not get to tell me what to do! I am your boss! You will do what I say, got it?" "Yes sir."

Bradford calmed himself down. "Where are you right now?" he asked. "I'm at the emergency room with him. The other kids are back at the mansion with Fenton," she explained. "Well, is he alright?" Bradford said. "Yep. He just busted his mouth, but I think he's good." Bradford thought for a few moments. "Sir, are you still there?" "Yeah. Just... get that gem alright! If our first plan doesn't go well, that's our backup." He hung up and sighed. Why did he have to work with such imbeciles?