Chapter Text
Gyro found himself standing on the landing strip behind McDuck Manor. He, Fenton, and Mr. McDuck and his three nephews were waiting for the arrival of a biologist that Mr. McDuck had hired for some business problem. On the outside he looked the same as always, arms crossed, shoulders hunched, face pinched. On the inside he was just slightly teetering on the verge of panic. Luckily no one would be able to tell he was upset. If anyone could, it would have to be someone who spent a lot of time around him. Someone who knew his behaviours. Luckily he never spent too much time around any singular-
“Dr. Gearloose?”
“Dr. Intern.”
“Pardon me asking, but are you nervous about something?”
Of course he of all people would be the one to...urgh! Fenton looked up at him anxiously, wringing his hands.
“Or, are you excited? I’m really excited! It’s not everyday you get to meet a famous scientist. A-another famous scientist, I mean! Talking about you.”
Fenton smiled widely in response to the seething glare Gyro was giving him. He laughed, pulling at his collar. Good thing he couldn’t be fired now, right?
“For your information I am not nervous. I am not feeling anything. I have no feelings.”
“Aw, that’s not true Dr. Gearloose.” When Gyro didn’t respond, or even look his way, his face fell. “Are you okay? Please be honest. I promise I won’t overreact.”
“You say that as if I would believe you were capable of such a thing.” He glanced at Fenton, saw the big-eyed, sad look he was making, and sighed. “Me and...the scientist-“
“Doctor Tebasaki?” Fenton helpfully interrupted.
“Yes,” he replied through gritted teeth. “as I was just about to say, we have a...history.”
“Oooooooh!”
Gyro snapped his head to the side and fixed his fiercest glare on Mr. McDuck’s oldest nephew. Huey was unfazed, eyes wide with wonder.
“Did you two work together to try and make a cyborg? Or were you trying to make a technologically enhanced superhero before the GizmoDuck armor?” He opened his little guidebook, the one Gyro never saw him without, and pulled a pencil out of his hat. “Dr. Tebasaki is a biologist, and you’re a robot scientist.“
“Doctor of robotics,” Gyro corrected. Build a superhero? Really? What did they take him for. Of course, that did sound like something that she would-
“You must have been working together to discover new ways to combine the powers of robots and people!” Huey said triumphantly.
“Wrong.” Gyro said. “Now stop talking.”
“Were you making half robot half animal hybrids for an army? That’s just the kind of mad scientist thing I can imagine you doing.” Dewey chimed in, appearing next to his brother.
“You really didn’t need to add the word hybrid in that sentence. You already specified that they were half-and-half.” Huey muttered.
“Just think of it,” his brother continued, “rabbits with laser eyes, frogs that can breathe underwater.”
“Frogs can breathe underwater!” Gyro and Huey said.
“We never worked together.” Gyro paused, then winced. “Not officially, at least.”
Louie hadn’t moved from his original spot, staring at his phone and looking bored. “So what happened between you guys? I know we’ll find out eventually, but the suspense is...nah, I can wait actually.”
“Since when were you willing to wait for anything?” Huey asked.
“Since the plane started landing.” Louie pointed upwards where the Sunchaser’s bulky silhouette had appeared.
It was growing closer and closer, weaving side to side as it all but nosedived for the landing strip. Everyone started running for cover. Fenton watched them run, making sure the kids and Mr. McDuck were all accounted for before he made his own escape. Except not everyone was running. Gyro was still on the tarmac, staring at the oncoming plane with sheer terror written on his face.
“Dr. Gearloose!” Fenton ran back to him, grabbed him by the shoulder. “Come on, we need to get to safety before-“
“Call the armor.” Gyro said without looking away from the oncoming plane.
“Wha-“
“Call the armor!” Gyro grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. “The plane is going down, you have to catch it! Or stop it! Or-!”
Fenton looked past him, screamed, and threw himself to the side. Gyro, still gripping his arms, was dragged along. The plane collided with the ground inches from where they’d been standing. It slid, sparks flying from where the metal ground against the pavement. The Sunchaser barreled down the strip, before finally hitting the fence at the edge of the field and getting stuck.
Gyro jumped to his feet and ran after it, followed by Fenton and the Duck family. He didn’t stop till he reached the plane. Doubled over and panting he looked up at the hatch.
“Dr. Gearloose, are you alright?”
He whirled on Fenton, his furious expression making him jump. “Why didn’t you call the armor?” He screamed.
“L-Launchpad always crashes the plane. And - and he asked me not to use the armor to stop him-“
“I am your boss! I ordered you!”
“Gyro, what’s gotten into ya?” Scrooge pointed at his head scientist. “I’ve never seen you get so bent out of shape over the plane before.”
Gyro turned his glare on Mr. McDuck. Something he never would have done in his right mind. Luckily, before he could say anything and endanger his job, the hatch fell open. Then fell off the plane.
“Oh my gosh that was the best flight I’ve ever been on!”
Framed in the dark opening of the Sunchaser’s hatch was Launchpad and a smaller figure. A Polish chicken dressed in a long, black coat, with a huge swathe of white feathers atop her head.
“Oh that? That was nothing. You’ll have to come on some of my other flights if you wanna see a real crash.” Launchpad smiled, then stopped when he saw the worried crowd looking up at him.
He sat down on the edge of the hatch before sliding down and falling to the tarmac. He stumbled, but managed to stay on his feet. “Nothing to see here folks. Just another successful crash landing by your old pal Launchpad.”
Everyone looked at Gyro, expecting to see him throw himself at the pilot in an act of rage. But the scientist wasn’t even listening. He was looking up at the figure standing on the plane. She was looking back. The sun caught on her wide, round glasses, turning them white. A strong wind blew between them ruffling Gyro’s hair and setting Dr. Tebasaki’s coat flapping.
“This is so dramatic. I hope something like this happens when I get to see my long lost enemy.” Dewey said.
Launchpad, oblivious to the tension, turned back to the plane and held up his arms. “Climb on down and I’ll catch you, Doctor D.”
“Oh, no need for all that.” She answered.
She turned back and disappeared into the plane. A moment later she returned lugging a huge suitcase behind her.
“Catch this!” She shouted, tossing the bag off the edge.
Launchpad stumbled when he did. The bag was designed like a suitcase, but about four times bigger. While the pilot had it hefted over his head, Dr. Tebasaki leapt out of the plane. She landed on the raised suitcase before jumping off in a graceful front flip. Launchpad fell backwards, trapped under the bag, while the doctor landed feet first on the tarmac.
Dewey gasped. “I didn’t know scientists could actually be cool! I thought they were all big nerds like Gyro.”
“Hey!” Gyro and Fenton exclaimed.
“Sorry, Fenton, forgot you were a scientist now.”
“And?” Gyro asked, hands on his hips.
Louie smirked at Gyro. “No, what he said still stands.”
“Why you little-“ Gyro paused and looked over his shoulder.
Dr. Tebasaki was standing right behind him. They were both the same height, but she was leaning forward and crouching in such a way that she was looking up at his face. Her eyes were wide behind her glasses, and her eyebrows furrowed.
“Gigi?” She asked. “Is that really you?”
Gyro jumped backwards and bumped into Fenton, sending them both crashing to the ground. Before he could even try to stand he was grabbed by his upper arms and hauled upwards, but not to his feet. Tebasaki held him in a kind of fake French dip, Gyro forming an acute angle with the ground from how tense he was. The doctor looked down at him, a wide smile on her beak.
“It is! IT IS!” She shrieked.
Gyro was lifted clear off the ground and pulled into a spine-snapping hug. Dr. Tebasaki’s arms wrapped around his middle, trapping his arms to his sides as she spun round and round, cackling happily. Fenton and the others watched, not sure if they should laugh or try and rescue him. Eventually the doctor halted and released Gyro. He stumbled away clutching his head.
“I really can’t believe it,” Dr. Tebasaki said breathlessly.
She reached out to steady him, but Gyro jumped away. He tripped over Fenton, who had just gotten back on his feet, and they both fell. Doctor Tebasaki laughed and Gyro glared up at her, trying to look as dignified as he could with Fenton trapped under his back.
“I’m sorry, Gigi, I-“
“Don’t call me that.” He snapped, getting to his feet. He jabbed a finger at her chest. “My name, as far as you know, is Dr. Gearloose. When I’m not working, you can call me Gyro. Deal?”
Dr. Tebasaki blinked. “I’m...sorry, what?”
“You heard me,” Gyro adjusted his glasses and brushed dirt off his clothes. “This is my workplace. I have jurisdiction here, and you will refer to me with the respect I have oh-so-carefully garnered.”
She smiled, but it was strained. “We’re scientists, Gyro. Not...whatever job uses words like ‘jurisdiction.’ Aren’t you, you know, happy to see me?”
Gyro hesitated. He crossed his arms and turned his head to the side. Dr. Tebasaki looked down, rubbing at her upper arms. In an attempt to alleviate the tension Fenton stepped forward and offered his hand.
“Welcome to Duckburg, Doctor Tebasaki. It’s an honor to meet you. I’ve been reading up on all of your scientific journals since Mr. McDuck said you would be coming here.”
The smile she gave him was bright and warm, and her handshake was tight as a vice. “You read my journals?” She placed a hand on her chest, touched.
Fenton waved his hand, sore from her grip. “I did! Your research on the nesting grounds of phoenixes was phenomenal.”
“Aw, thank you! Good to know it was worth the third degree burns.”
Gyro gave her a look from the corner of his eye.
“Oh! And the attack strategies of leprechauns was incredibly insightful.”
“Thanks. I’m still working through all the bad luck jinxes they put on me.”
Gyro stared at her.
Fenton gasped. “The crystal sharks of crystal cove! I was amazed by the photographs of the skeletal structure.”
“Weeeell, I was trapped inside one for three days. Had a lot of free time to-“
“I’m sorry,” Gyro interrupted, “you were eaten by a shark?”
“Yeah that...that wasn’t in the journal.” Fenton added nervously.
“I couldn’t include it.” Dr. Tebasaki shrugged good-naturedly. “The journals are for the findings and what they mean for science. Not for ‘dramatics’ as the board called it, or how bad the inside of a shark smells, or how many of its teeth I had to get removed from my-“
“Dol!” Gyro yelled. “How did you even end up that close to a shark?!”
“Well you see,” she steepled her fingers together, “when sharks get hungry they do this thing called ‘eating,’ and-“
Gyro hit her with a glare so sharp Fenton nearly expected knives to shoot out of his eyes.
“I cannot believe you.” He said at last.
“I can’t believe you get to call me Dol, but I can’t call you by your nickname.”
Gyro’s eyes widened. “I- What I said was doc not Dol. You know, the way imbeciles shorten the word doctor as if it’s too hard to say.”
“Right.” Dr. Tebasaki replied.
Fenton marveled at how her smirk was so similar to Gyro’s. She turned to him and smiled, the genuine glee on her face erasing the Gyro-like features he’d seen just before.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”
“O-oh! Right!” He offered his hand again, then retracted it nervously. He wasn’t really sure what to do. “Dr. Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera, at your service. I’m a robotics scientist myself, but I do admire any fellow scientific mind.”
Dr. Tebasaki laughed, bringing the back of her hand to her beak. “Aren’t you lovely!”
Fenton blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. Gyro grumbled unhappily to himself.
“It’s a pleasure to know I won’t be working with only non-stick-in-the-mud scientists for once.” She beamed as Gyro gave an exasperated sigh. “And, it’s not often I meet someone else with as many names as me.”
Fenton tilted his head. “You have two last names too?”
“I do!” She put a hand on her chest and gave a small bow. “Dolmadakia Tebasaki-Gearloose at your service, Dr. Crackshell-Cabrera.”
Fenton blinked. He looked between her and Gyro. Gyro didn’t meet his eyes, instead looking off to the side with a miserable, embarrassed expression on his face.
“Are you two…” He trailed off, not sure what word to place in the blank.
“Rivals?” Dewey asked, popping his head out from behind Fenton’s legs.
“Clones?” Huey asked, poking his head out from the other side.
“Related.” Louie said, still browsing his phone. “They’re related.”
“Dr. Gearloose, you have a....a…?” He looked from Gyro to Dolmadakia, still struggling to find the right label.
“Siblings.” She said. “We’re siblings.”
“Twins.” Gyro muttered.
Huey gasped. “Your hair,” he pointed at Dolmadakia, “it kinda looks like how Gyro’s used to.”
She gasped, putting a hand to her head. “No way. Gyro showed you pictures of his bowl cut?”
“It was not a bowl cut!” He yelled.
“Sure, sure. Yeah.” She waved her hand at him.
“It was not!”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Dol, it was not a bowl cut.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
He stared at her, mouth hanging open. The sight sent Dol into hysterics. She doubled over, laughing madly and clutching her sides. Gyro closed his mouth and crossed his arms, fuming.
“Okay, while you’re here you gotta tell us all the embarrassing childhood stories about Gyro that you have.” Dewey said.
“Going through the sister for blackmail material. I’m impressed, Dewford.” Louie grinned.
Dol straightened and wiped her eyes. “Those three seem like fun,” she said to Gyro while pointing at the triplets.
“Stay away from them. They're nothing but trouble.” He replied.
“Reminds you of some other siblings, hmm?”
Gyro glared at her. This time her smile dimmed, and her face fell. Before Gyro could react, however, Dol had already turned her back on him. She approached Scrooge and offered her hand.
“Mr. McDuck, I’m terribly sorry for not coming to meet you first. I haven’t seen my baby brother in a long time and got a bit distracted.”
“Ack, no harm, lass.” Scrooge shook her hand. A brief flash of surprise traveled across his face when he felt how strong her grip was. He recovered quickly, but his eyes were wary. “I really must be thanking you for offering your services for free. I would have thought one of the world’s leading scientists in mythical biology would charge a fortune.”
“Well, like you said, I’m only one of the leading scientists.” She adjusted her glasses. “I don’t do this for money. I do it because...just because I enjoy doing it, really.”
Fenton glanced at Gyro. He’d been quiet since Dol had walked away. He was staring at her back, but not with a glare this time. He was squinting and his eyebrows were furrowed. It was the same expression Fenton had seen him wear while reading lines of code for hours on end. Fenton looked away when Gyro’s eyes darted towards him. He just managed to catch the last part of Dol’s conversation with Scrooge.
“Thank you, sir, really. I’m so excited for this opportunity...and everything that Duckburg has to offer.”
She looked at Gyro over her shoulder, who pointedly ignored her. He leaned down to Fenton and whispered, “what exactly is she here for again?”
Fenton frowned. “You weren’t listening when Mr. McDuck said?”
Gyro grimaced. When his boss had entered the lab last week he had been in the middle of an experiment. Scrooge had claimed to be there for a staff meeting, which really meant that he wanted Gyro, Fenton, and Manny to stand in front of him while he made an announcement. Gyro had been upset at being pulled away from his work for something frivolous. To spite his boss he made a point to not listen to anything he said. He ran calculations in his head, thought about the next step in his experiment, wondered what he would have for dinner.
When Scrooge had said the name Tebasaki it was like a spear had been hurled through Gyro’s thought bubble. He was back in the moment, confused, and filled with dread.
“What did you just say?” He asked.
“To get the lab ready for the new scientist. Ah know you’re not one for sharing, but it’ll only be for a little while.” Scrooge answered.
“No. The name. What was the-“
“Dr. Tebasaki!” Fenton said, tapping eagerly at his phone. “She’s the leading scientist in the study of mythical species anatomy.”
Gyro looked at Scrooge pleadingly. “Why would you need to bring her here when you already have two scientists? I’m sure we can handle whatever it is that you-“
“I need a biologist, Gyro. This is a very delicate procedure that requires an expert. Plus, she offered to come here for free. How could I turn down an offer like that?”
“Of course she would do something stupid like that.” He’d muttered to himself.
Back in the present, Gyro mentally screamed. She must have found out that he was here. With all of the news stories surrounding Scrooge and his family it was only a matter of time before Gyro himself had been captured by a tabloid’s camera or filmed on the hourly news. No wonder she was working for free. Nothing got Scrooge’s attention like that four letter word.
“I forgot.” He replied.
Fenton looked at him quizzically. “Well uh, Scrooge didn’t give specifics on what he needed her to do. He said he’d show us once she got here.“
Gyro looked back up, staring at his sister with that same piercing look.
“What’s your game, Dolmadakia?” He mumbled to himself.
Fenton frowned. He hadn’t know Gyro had a sibling. In fact, it seemed like nobody had. If he had to guess, he’d say the last time they had seen each other was probably...probably...
There was a shout. Every head turned to see Webby running towards them. The little duckling was waving her arms and shouting a panicked mantra of “I need a doctor!”
Scrooge kneeled as she came to a stop in front of them. “What’s happened, lass?”
“I need a doctor, quick!” She cried.
Gyro stepped forward, passing his sister. He gave her a sarcastic smile. “Well, as the resident head researcher, and Scrooge’s longest working scientist, she must be referring to me.”
Fenton watched him kneel beside Scrooge. This was...weird.
“What can I help you with, pink kid?”
“No offense, Dr. Gearloose, but I need a doctor-doctor.” She answered.
Gyro’s smug smile morphed into a glare. “What did you just say?”
“There’s a medical emergency!” Webby waved her arms frantically. “One of the harpy’s hurt its wing and it needs help.
Gyro felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Dol adjusting her glasses, the round lenses catching the light and bouncing it into his eyes.
“No offense, Gigi, but it looks like you’re in my wheelhouse.”