Baloo stepped out onto the courtyard, the giant pool looming ahead of him, surrounded by dozens of hotel guests mingling with each other.
All: EWWW!!
He recognized some as esteemed businessmen who were sometimes in the newspaper or on newsreels. Others were very seedy and suspicious looking, eyeing people’s clothing for wallets or money purses, obviously seeking an easy
Gidget: …lay.
pickpocket.

"Figures," he muttered. "They’re all crooks anyway." The white stucco of the building reflected the hot midday sun, and the palm trees placed symmetrically around the pool provided little relief. Most people were at patio tables equipped with umbrellas. Waiters with trays sauntered though the crowd offering hors d’oeuvres or cocktails to their patrons.
Baloo: Hey, want a horse doover?
Rebecca: Stop it!

Baloo frowned. This place was far too upperclass for his liking. ‘I hope you’re having a better time than me, lil’ britches,’ he thought. He adjusted his tux. He hated dressing up, too, but the top hat was good for keeping the sun out of his eyes.
Katarina: He wears a tux at the pool?

‘At least there’s plenty of bathin’ beauties to admire,’ he smiled as he watched them go in and out of the pool. Beautiful women were fine anywhere by him.
Ted: They didn’t want to be anywhere by him!
(Gidget dumps a plate of ‘horse doovers’ over Ted’s head)

He noticed a cluster of them surrounding a lucky fellow in a lounge chair, batting their eyes at him in adoration and giggling
Scarlet: … because he’d forgotten to zip up his fly… again.
Karnage: Querida! Do not be jealous… if lady-type persons adore me, it is out of my hands (quickly zips up his fly)
Scarlet: Ha!

Baloo huffed. ‘Wonder who the lucky sap is,’ he thought enviously as he passed the group. ‘Probably some rich ol’ millionaire.’
Rebecca: Well, of course! What girl wants a penniless bum with no money? (drops her pencil)… uh, Baloo… would you please bend over and pick that up?)
Baloo (grumpily): Okay, okay…
(Rebecca watches and sighs happily)
All: EWWW!!!

Baloo heard the lucky sap say something. "Would one of you lovely ladies be so kind as to bring me a cocktail-drink? And make sure it has one of those paper umbrella-type-thingies in it, yes-no?"
Scarlet (sarcastically): How cute.
Starflash: Yes, it is!

Baloo stopped short and felt his
Yakko Warner: Good night, everybody!
All: Knock it off!
Baloo: Yeah, I’m so big I can’t even find it anymore!
Rebecca: Eureka!
Baloo: Wa-hooey!

jaw drop. He turned sharply around to the voice he knew all too well.

"Naw, it can’t be!" Baloo choked. He charged at the group, pushing the startled starlets
Kitten: Hey!
Baloo: Uh, sorry, Kiki. Didn’t see ya.
Kitten (mutters): Big dumb galoot.
out of his way as he did. When he saw what he had feared, Baloo clenched his teeth in rage.

"Karnage!" He bellowed, his voice hoarse with anger and disbelief.

Don Karnage looked at him calmly from his lounge chair. "Well allo, Baloo. I didn’t think they allowed riffraff into these things. Nice tux, by the way." He grinned. It was Karnage alright, but in place of his standard Captain’s uniform, he was wearing a sharp looking, and obviously very expensive beige suit. It was much like what all the other successful businessmen were wearing. Baloo wouldn’t of recognized him without really looking, especially with his face partially hidden by a fedora and dark sunglasses.
Gidget: Yeah, glasses really help to maintain that ‘incognito’ look. Ask Clark Kent.

He looked quite distinguished, but Baloo didn’t seem to notice as he grabbed Karnage by his lapels and lifted him off the ground, ignoring the screeches of protest from the pirate’s admirers.
Rabid Fan-Femmes: HEY!!!

"Who are you callin’ riffraff, you *thief!*" Baloo hissed as he smashed Karnage’s face into his.
All: EWWW!!!

"Calm yourself Baloo, and paws off
Gidget (as Karnage): …my beautiful bod!
the material! This suit is worth more than you are," he chided, removing himself from Baloo’s grip. "You could get yourself into a monkey-barrel of trouble harassing me like this, Baloo," he took a few seconds to straighten his suit while Baloo glared at him.
Gidget: …using his heat-vision.

"What in blue blazes are YOU doin’ here?! This is no place for pirates!" He tried to ignore the fact that his outburst had attracted a crowd.

Karnage however, decided to use them to his advantage.

"Well, my old friend, I’m afraid you are sadly mistaken." He walked pompously around the edge of the pool with his hands clasped behind his back,
Gidget: Wiggling his hips…
attracting everyone’s gaze. "I’m afraid *anyone* is allowed into this auction as long as they have a considerable fortune." He swivelled around suddenly and jabbed his finger at Baloo’s chest.
Rebecca: Hey! Only I’m allowed to do that!
"And as you know, Baloo, I am one of the most richest men in the world! So if anyone shouldn’t be here, it is you!"

Baloo was about to give Karnage’s face the proper
Gidget: …tongue-licking
rearranging when the hotel clerk came running out.

"WHAT is going on here?!" He demanded as he put himself between Karnage and Baloo.
All: Sandwich!

"This man is harassing me," Karnage said calmly.

"What do you think you’re doing letting a *pirate* in here!?" Baloo demanded.

The clerk made a motion for both of them to be silent. "Now sir, Mister Karnage has just as much right to be here as anyone else. Kurumu does not recognize foreign criminals.
Joe: Only the local ones. Foreign criminals are strangers and we never talk to strangers.
As long as Mister Karnage behaves himself, he is allowed to stay. *Aaannnd* might I add," he said. "That the rule applies to you as well. Don’t let me see you…
Gidget: Conjugating with anyone like that again…
Baloo: Hey, that’s none of your business!
Rebecca (seductively, stroking his arm): It’s MY kind of business…

confronting anyone like that again, or you’ll be kicked out!"

Baloo scowled at the clerk, but he was already addressing the crowd. "Alright, everyone, nothing to see here, just a misunderstanding." He started motioning them away.

Baloo glanced over to see Rebecca running up to him. "Baloo, what happened?" She asked fretfully.
Gidget: … stamping her little foot.
Joe: … ineffectually pounding his chest with her little fists.
Katie Dodd: … screaming like a ninny

Baloo motioned over to Karnage.

"That."

Rebecca’s eyes went wide, then darkened scornfully, but to her credit, she didn’t say anything. She knew there was nothing either of them could do about him.

Karnage smiled at them smugly and gave Rebecca a tip of his fedora.

"Always a pleasure, Madame," his voice dripping with sarcasm. Then he turned to go back to his fan club. Baloo had to fight against every urge in his body not to
Gidget: … grab Karnage and give him the French kiss of a lifetime!
Baloo: Hey, I don’t know no French. Never learnt it in school
Karnage: You are skating on thin ice-cubicles!

shove Karnage into the pool.

‘Now that would get rid of that smug look on his face,’ he thought wickedly, but Rebecca latched onto his arm and led him away
Gidget: …for a well-deserved massage.
Baloo: Now that’s more like it!
Rebecca: Here comes your masseuse now!
Dumptruck: Duh… next!

* * *

Kit crouched down in the truck bed, unable to see anything except the walls of the truck and his stinky companions
Ted: The Jungle Jerks!
. After the vehicle had finally slowed to a safe speed, Kit jumped out to retrace his steps. He had to find a police station and fast!
He looked around to find his bearings, and did a
Joe: …pirouette.
Ted: Grrrrr!

Joe: Here… have some steak. (tosses him a slab of raw meat)
Ted (mouth full): Mmmrrrrphmmmm….
Joe: Thaaaaat’s better!
double take. What had happened to the rich architecture and the prosperous atmosphere of the hotel? If this was Kraumu, then he must have come off on the wrong side of the tracks!

The streets were filthy with litter strewn about everywhere, and the building sagged forward from age and poor workmanship, and were almost medieval looking. Most startling of all was the people. After leaving such a high society shindig like what he had just been in, this was like stepping into
Gidget: …poo.

another world! They were poor and destitute, wearing shabby clothes and most of them had gaunt, hungry expressions on their weary faces.
Katarina (sings): The sun’ll come out tomorrow!
Joe: Po’ Kit… he never escapes his past. Poor people follow him wherever he goes.
They also weren’t very friendly looking.

Kit tried to figure out where he was, something he was usually very good at, but since he hadn’t seen how he had gotten there, it was going to be impossible to find his way back without using street signs or something, which unfortunately weren’t in his language. Kit looked around for a taxi, but there were very few vehicles and most of them looked ready for the scrap heap.
Gidget: Except for that 1957 Plymouth Fury…the former owner used to call it ‘Christine’.

No one looked at Kit. They occasionally bumped into him, by accident or otherwise,
Gidget: Heh-heh!
but didn’t acknowledge his presence.

Kit was worried. He wasn’t used to crowds being so hostile. He was quite adept at getting out of things by himself, and he’d been in far more dangerous situations than this, but Kit needed help.

"Excuse me," he piped
Ted: Piped? Piped?!
to people in the crowd. "Could somebody help me, please?" A few people gave him dirty looks, but mostly they ignored him. He couldn’t figure out for the life of him what would make these people so hostile! The bear cub touched the shoulder of an old jackal hobbling on a cane. A weathered but gentle looking face turned to him. "Sorry to bother you, mister, but could you help me find this hotel?" He took out his brochure.

The man’s face suddenly came alive and his eyes bulged. "Mooch mia FUNEETH!!!" He yelled at Kit as he loomed over him with a dangerous
Gidget: …guillotine.
Katarina: …safe
Scarlet: …piano

stare. "Cotch ak sa!" The old man pushed Kit away. Kit tried to retain a little dignity, but he could feel his cheeks go hot as he walked away. Utterly confused, he sat down on the curb to figure out what to do next.

Kit fought to keep down
Katarina: … his old lust for Tammy
Joe: You just had to include her, didn’t you?
Katarina (defensively): It’s tradition!
the panic fluttering in his chest. ‘This is no time to be scared,’ he told himself. ‘You have to find a way back to Baloo.’
Wildcat: Like, just follow the breadcrumbs, man. (finishes chewing something) Uh-oh.
Just then he heard someone talking, a voice that spoke in a very familiar syntax. He looked up in surprise to see a cheetah woman in a business suit across the street trying to talk to the locals without much luck.

The man who she was talking to yelled back at her as if annoyed, talking very loudly in foreign tongue. "Please sir," the cheetah said calmly. "Do you know where I can find this hotel?" She pulled out the same brochure Kit had. Kit inhaled sharply as he felt a surge of
Katarina (whispers) Tammy…
hope.

As the woman waved the brochure in front of the man, he suddenly jumped back and put his hands up as if to ward off evil. He spat on the ground before running away. The woman raised an eyebrow, but otherwise remained calm.

Kit ran up to her. "Excuse me, ma’am," he said hopefully. He noticed how much younger she looked close up. Far away, the tight bun and functional suit had reminded him of something his crusty old 8^th grade teacher Miss Sneerski would wear.
Wildcat: ‘Crusty’? So that’s where the breadcrumbs went!
Clementine: Come on, Wildcat… let’s go ‘star-gazing’ (leads him away)

"You speak English," she said. It wasn’t a question. It was more like an order. Kit was a little taken aback.

"Y-yes," he said. "I’m from Cape Suzette."

Her eyebrow rose again. "May I ask what you’re doing here?"

"I’m staying at the La Rosa, and I overheard that you were trying to find it."

"Do you know where it is?"
Baloo: Nope, haven’t seen it in years. (pats belly) The Big Guy keeps getting’ in the way.

Kit swallowed, trying not to let his pride get in the way. "Well, y’see, I’ve kind of lost my way." He sighed inwardly. Now she’d probably treat him like some dumb kid.
Gidget: Finally!
(Ted bitch-slaps her)

If the woman was disappointed, she didn’t show it. In fact, she didn’t really react at all. "I see. Well, no matter. My driver stranded me out here, but if he wants to keep his job, he’ll be back soon. In the meantime, I believe I can find the way back. We’ll go together, then."

Kit heaved a great sigh of relief. "Thanks, lady," he smiled.

"Thompson. Tara Thompson. And you are?"

"Kit Cloudkicker," he smiled again as he shook her hand. She didn’t smile back. For some reason her name sounded vaguely familiar.
Joe: It was written on the men’s room wall.
Muffy: Have you seen what’s written in the rest room?!
Joe: Yeah. Tammy’s name and phone number.

"Let’s go then," she announced as she marched down the street, and Kit had to jog to catch up to her. They stayed close to each other to deter the locals, Kit feeling a little safer with this confident lady to walk with. Side by side, Kit barely came up to her shoulders, and for some reason that made him feel more secure.

About 30 minutes later, the limousine driver came back. He looked at Tara sheepishly.
Gidget: Baa-aaa-aaa! (glances around, noticing the stares) What?

"Sorry ‘bout that, lady," he apologized. "I guess this city just makes me a little jumpy." Tara gave him a withering look, then climbed into the back. Kit went in after her, exhaling with relief as he slouched further into his seat. It felt so good to sit down, even though he’d only been on the streets for an hour or so.

"Drive!" She ordered. The cabby took off
Katarina: …his clothes.
quickly, not needing any persuasion.

"Thanks again for helping me," Kit turned to her.

"You’re welcome," she said levelly.

Kit glanced at the driver, then turned to Tara. "So why did he leave you out there?" He whispered.
Gidget (as Tara): It’s a habit. He always ties me to a parking meter when he goes into the store.

Tara kept her voice at its regular volume. "I told him I wanted to take a look at what Kraumu was like outside of the hotel. He didn’t relish the idea, and as soon as he dropped me off, he fled."

Kit blushed. Tara was obviously embarrassing the poor driver. He tried to change
Scarlet: … his pants.
the subject.

"So you’re here for the auction?"

"Yes."

‘Dumb question,’ he thought. Her name sounded so familiar¼he tried to pinpoint where he’d heard it. "Thompson! You’re in the Cape Suzette Thompson Clan, aren’t you?" He was impressed. That name was almost as well recognized in Cape Suzette business circles as Shere Khan’s.

"Yes, I am," she said tightly.

Kit noticed the change in her voice, and wondered what had triggered it. He recognized the name, but he wasn’t familiar with any female counterparts.
Gidget: They hadn’t covered that part in Sex Ed yet.

"Are you...Mister *Andrew* Thompson’s daughter?"

"Yes. Can we please not talk about this, Mister Cloudkicker?" Again, it wasn’t a request, but an order.

"Sure," he said uneasily.

Tara frowned as she regarded the young bear. The boy certainly asked a lot of personal questions, but he seemed like a nice kid. She had been impressed by how he had handled himself back on the street.
All: EWW!!!
He obviously was very mature for his age.

She just wasn’t having a very good day.

It all started when Tara first got off her plane, and her instincts, which she had learned by experience never to ignore, told her that something wasn’t right. Her first clue had been that none of the employees she had seen were of native origin. It was almost as if they were being kept away from the auction.

Her second clue had been the strong urging from the hotel clerk not to leave the hotel grounds. His excuse had been that the
Gidget: …Overlook (The Shining ref.)
Hotel was unfortunately located in a rough neighborhood. That was obviously a lie, since the La Rosa seemed to be set in the outskirts of the capital.

Her third clue had been her driver’s reaction to her request to be taken on a tour of the capital. "Are you nuts, lady??!!" He had squeaked in disbelief, and stared at her as if she was crazy. She noted he wasn’t a native either.

"Why not?" She had demanded.

"Because¼it’s not a nice neighborhood." Again, the excuse was obviously made up, and she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. She rarely ever did.
Karnage: Reeeeally? (wiggles his eyebrows)
(Scarlet hits him upside the head with a wet tuna)
Karnage: Querida…poopsie-daisy…
Scarlet: I beat you in a sword fight once and I can do it again.
Karnage: Yes, my wench of all things wonderful.

As he drove slowly through the city, her suspicions were at once confirmed. The entire city was destitute, the people living in horrible conditions. No wonder they didn’t want anyone to see this. She silently took pictures of what she saw with the camera she had taken along, the flashbulb illuminating the dark corridors and alleys like a gunshot.

"Is the whole city like this?"

"The entire nation, ma’am. At least from what I’ve heard, but don’t quote me on that."

She saw that he was getting more and more agitated as they went deeper into the heart of Kraumu.
John Travolta: Give her an adrenalin shot! (Pulp Fiction ref)
David Letterman: Uma…Oprah…Uma…Oprah…Uma…Oprah…
Gidget: You had better not show up at the Academy Awards ever again, you moron!

"Lady, could we *please* go back to the hotel now?" He begged.
Gidget: He was that horny.

"Not yet. Show me the government buildings."

"That would be the Czar’s Palace, but there’s really not much to see."

"It doesn’t matter. Take me there."

Again his protests led to no avail. As they pulled up to the Palace, she took a moment to gaze at its splendor. Or its once apparent splendor. Although it was doubtless this had once been a grand and proud building, it was now in shambles. The delicate Arabesque architecture with its sweeping arches and spired rooftops was now in decay, covered in the same grime that cloaked the rest of the city. It now had an ominous aura to it, like that of an abandoned house that was rumored to be haunted.
Velma: Come on, Scooby. Let’s investigate! Bring a candle.
She took a few pictures.

"Let’s go lady," the driver urged.

"Alright," she gave in, not admitting she wanted to get away from the building too. They started to head back to the hotel, when she had spotted something. A statue of some kind of deity. She wanted to get a picture for information about their religion. Perhaps that would shed a light on Kurumu’s condition.
Joe: She’s pregnant?

"Stop here, driver," She ordered.

"WHAT?!! Are you nuts, lady?? That’s suicide!"

"Don’t be ridiculous, it will only take a second."

As she got out of the vehicle, she glanced sideways at the driver, who had gone pale with fear. She also noticed that he hadn’t put the parking brake on. Tara frowned. He was a loose cannon, and would take off at the first thing that aggravated him. She’d better hurry.

It was too late. She gasped in surprise as a number of natives ran up to the limousine and threw themselves on it, banging at windows and yelling. Their yellow jackal eyes were full of hate and revenge. She held back a shriek as one of the attackers snatched her camera away and threw it onto the sidewalk.
Tara: No, not my camera! There go all my Kodak moments!
As the camera shattered, the driver made a panicked wail and sped away, leaving Tara alone in a potentially dangerous situation.

But now she was okay. The natives had for some reason, ignored her as the automobile sped away, so there was no reason to dwell on the past. Although her camera was useless now, she still had evidence that backed up her hunch, that Kurumu’s economy was in a lot of trouble. If the Czar’s Palace had been in better shape, she would have suspected bad leadership practices, but after seeing it, that obviously wasn’t the case. The people seemed to have a deep seated loathing for outsiders, which would explain why the non-native employees at the hotel were so jumpy.
Joe: There weren’t any toilets anywhere, that’s all.

She’d inform Khan about it as soon as she returned to Cape Suzette.

Kit found the silence rather uncomfortable, but Tara didn’t seem like a real conversationalist. ‘She sure isn’t very friendly,’ he thought. But she treated him like an adult, which he appreciated. Even Baloo and Rebecca couldn’t seem to give him that. He felt a surge of frustration. That was one thing he couldn’t stand! They *knew* how mature he was, how he preferred to be treated
Joe: … for lice infection.
as an adult. He was fifteen now, not a kid anymore!

Again, he noticed how young Tara was. She couldn’t be more than a half a decade older than he was. Maybe that’s why she treated him with a little respect.

Finally the road became a little more familiar, and soon they reached the Hotel. His sense of purpose returned. He had to find Baloo and Rebecca right away and then find a police station before Crocko and Professor Ratbert’s deal went through!
Joe: Why not find the police first?
Starflash: Because… I said so, that’s why!
Kit jumped out of the car while Tara reached for her briefcase.

"Thanks again, Miss Thompson, but you’ll have to excuse me. I’ve gotta find-"

"Kit! There you are!" A familiar voice boomed across the lobby. Kit turned and grinned at his buddy, but it fell when he saw the look on Baloo’s face.

"Where the heck have you been, lil’ britches? Becky and I’ve torn the joint apart tryin’ to find ya. You know better than to take off
Katarina: …your clothes
like that!" Kit’s happiness at seeing Baloo was replaced with annoyance. He was treating him like a kid again, and in front of Miss Thompson, too.

"Baloo, stop calling me lil’ britches in public, okay," he whispered through clenched teeth. Baloo didn’t seem to hear him.

"Who’s she?" He inquired, looking at Tara.

"Oh, she-"

Tara had already walked up to them, and she stuck out her hand. "Hello, my name is Tara Thompson. And you are?" She demanded.

Baloo cleared his throat and took off his hat as he shook her hand, trying to hide his
Gidget: ‘enthusiasm’? Maybe he should carry a pile of books.
Scarlet: Goooood night, everybody!
confusion. "Baloo, ma’am. Can I ask what Kit was doing out there with you?"

Kit cringed inwardly. Baloo was going to drop his
Scarlet: … pants
props when Miss Thompson told Baloo how she’d found him!

"Mr. Baloo, I can’t say why he was out there, but without him, I would have never found this hotel."

Kit felt his jaw drop.

Baloo seemed surprised as well. "Really? Well, good work lil’- uh- Kit." He said gruffly, patting him on the back
Gidget: -side.
.

"Well gentlemen, I have some business to tend to. Thank you again for your assistance, Mister Cloudkicker." She shook his hand. Kit couldn’t say anything. He looked to see any sign of duplicity in her face, but it was as stony as a statue’s.

As she turned to go, Kit got an idea.

"WAIT!" He called. As she paused and looked back at him, he ran up to her.

"Would you like to join us for dinner?"
Gidget (ominously): Did you ever read ‘To Serve Man’? It’s a cookbook!

Tara’s eyes betrayed her surprise, the first emotion Kit had seen her express. She looked at Baloo as if to get someone to acknowledge what Kit had just requested.

"Can she, Baloo?" Kit pleaded.

"Uh...sure, if she wants to," he was surprised as well, but didn’t see any harm in the request.

"Well, Miss Thompson?" Kit asked.

Tara said nothing for a minute, weighing her options. "Alright," she said.

Kit smiled. "Great!"

"Meet us out in the courtyard at 6:00," Baloo chimed in.

Tara nodded slowly, an odd look on her face, then went to the elevator
Gidget: …which opened and flooded the Overlook Hotel’s hallways with a tidal wave of blood…

Kit was relieved.
Gidget: He had held it for a long time until he could reach a bathroom.
Now he could make it up to her for covering for him. One thing Kit prided himself in doing was always to express his gratitude. Plus, then he didn’t have to be alone with Rebecca and Baloo, who would undoubtedly bring up last night and the plane fiasco.
Baloo: Ya mean the time we tried ta do it while flyin’ through Mirkle Pass?

Baloo walked up to him. "Okay, Kit. You mind telling me what you were doing out there?"

Kit remembered the deal. "Baloo! We’ve got to get to a police station!" He said urgently. "Come on, I’ll explain on the way." He took Baloo’s arm and pulled him into a cab.

* * *

Tara walked back to her room, her heart pounding. Why had she agreed to dinner?! Was she going insane? Tara sat on the edge of her bed, massaging her temples. Nothing made her more nervous than social
Katarina: …studies.
Joe: …issues.
Gidget: …diseases.
situations! She’d probably spill the beans about her mission without even knowing it!

When it came to board meetings and other business interactions she was just fine, but an informal dinner was something completely different! After so many years of being isolated in that huge house, she had grown introverted, and rather inept socially. She just didn’t know how to act informally.

Maybe she could still cancel. What in the world had made her say yes? She had just blurted it out! And now she’d have to open up, act friendly, and there’d be talking¼and people¼

She groaned and put her face in her hands as she tried to hold back the memory of the first and only time she had attempted to make a friend.
Katarina: … out of Popsicle sticks.
Joe: …and hang it from the trees for the three campers to discover…

Tara had been about 17, and was finally getting
Katarina: …laid.
settled into high school life. In Economics class she had been assigned to another business prodigy, a young man named Sylvester MacDonald. They had immediately taken a shine to one another, although they had very little in common. She was shy and rather tall and skinny and he was very popular, handsome and athletic, but there had been chemistry between them.
Baloo: Like rubbin’ two sticks together, eh, Becky?
Rebecca (sarcastically): Oh, you sweet-talker, you!

Slowly, they started seeing more of each other after school, sitting together closely, holding hands. She loved the way his paw felt on hers.

So finally, she decided to introduce him to her father. She had never had a friend over before, much less a boyfriend, so she wasn’t sure how her father would react. Tara, holding Sylvester’s hand, guided him to her
Gidget: …love canal.
All: EWW!!
father’s study.

"This will just take a second," she had smiled to Sylvester, who gave her a grin that made her heart go aflutter.

"Hello father," she had said. Her father stopped writing, but didn’t look her way.

"What is it, child? I’m very busy," he had said impatiently. Tara remembered realizing then how her father always seemed to be busy, and never seemed to call her by her given name. She then had a distinct feeling that this was a bad idea, that she should turn around before her father looked at her and Sylvester
Katarina: …making out. Yeah, baby!
. But she didn’t.

"I’d like to introduce you to my...friend, Mr. Sylvester MacDonald," Tara announced formally.

This time her father did turn around, and she’d never forget the look in his eye, the look of utter rage on his small face, already weathered by worry and misery even though he was barely middle-aged.

"What in blazes have you done, girl?!" He demanded.

She paled. "But Father, I-"

"Don’t even talk, you little floozy. How dare you bring in this...this...commoner into our house!" He stood up, and glared down at Sylvester.
Gidget (lisping): Thufferin’ thucatash!
Joe (lisping): Thop thpitting!

"GET OUT!" He boomed at him.

Sylvester, bless him, tried to stand up to the tyrant.

"Now, see here," he began.

Andrew J. Thompson, with an unexpected power, grabbed hold of his arm. Sylvester’s face contorted with pain. "Don’t you ever speak to my daughter again, or it will be the end of you!"

With that, Sylvester ran out of the house. Her father then turned on her.

"What are you trying to do to me, girl?" He said dangerously.

"Father, please," she begged. "I’ve never even *had* a friend before!"
Gidget (sings): Casper, the Friendly Ghost, the friendliest ghost you know…

"You’re a Thompson! You’re not supposed to have friends!" He spat. "Especially not commoner scum like that!" He glowered at her, a look of utter disappointment, something she was used to seeing. "I can see I’ve been far too easy on you lately."

Tara had wanted to say something back, like reminding him that he never saw her enough to be too easy on her, or that Sylvester’s parents were actually richer than he was, or just finally face up to him and tell her father how ridiculous it was only to mingle with your own family,
All: "Ewww!"
Tara: "I don’t wanna be inbred!"
Faye Dunaway: "She’s my sister…she’s my daughter…my sister…my daughter…(shrieks) She’s my sister AND my daughter!"

but she hadn’t. Her father had scared her far too much for Tara to even speak.

"I’m taking you out of high school. You will be taught at home from now on. That should keep you out of trouble."

And Tara hadn’t said anything, even though she felt like screaming and shoving her father’s face into the window. She just stood there, and put up her shields of indifference to tolerate it.

Tara winced involuntarily at the memory. It was so painful. But she didn’t cry. She never cried. She had been a very emotional child, crying very easily in fact, but her father had soon put a stop to that.

Perhaps that was why she had agreed to dinner. To prove to herself that she could make friends
Gidget: … out of PlayDough.
Scarlet: … out of Legos.
Joe: … out of sticks tied together and hung from the trees.
Heather Donohue allows crusty boogers to drip from her nostrils and whispers: "I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…"
. She was a grown woman now, and her father had no control over her anymore. She’d prove it!

She gave a last fleeting thought to Sylvester, the closest thing to a friend she had ever had. Tara wondered what had happened to him. Probably he’d found some wonderful girl and was now happily married with children.

She opened her briefcase to decide what to wear.
Scarlet: She keeps her clothes in her briefcase?
Gidget: No, she opens her briefcase to decide what to wear. She can’t think without opening her briefcase. It’s a mental thing.

* * *

"What do you mean you’re not going to do anything?!" Baloo demanded. "Isn’t the kid’s word enough?" He glared at one of Kraumu’s officers, who shrugged haphazardly.

"I’m sorry, sir. But we’re going to need more proof than that."

"Proof?!" Baloo demanded. "How are you supposed to get *proof* for something that hasn’t even happened yet?"

"Look, sir," the officer said, his words heavily accented. "We have enough problems already without having to listen to the double-forked tongues of foreigners!"

Another officer came in and put his paw on the first officer’s shoulders. He made a motion for him to leave. The new officer introduced himself.

"I’m Sargent Hourbi. I must apologize to you for my officer’s lack of manners, but he is right. Do you have any evidence to back up what you’re claiming?"

Kit thought for a moment. "Well...the chairs will be knocked down in the storage room-"

"And that easily could have happened some other way," the officer interrupted.

"What are you, nuts?" Baloo growled. "Why the heck would we make
Gidget: …sweet love by the fireplace!

up something like that?!"

"I’m very sorry, but I can’t do anything without something more concrete. Now, all is not lost. If the treasure of K’ufu is stolen, then this ‘Crocko’ fellow of yours will of course be our chief suspect. Whether we can make an arrest or not remains to be seen."

"What do you mean?" Kit asked.

"Czar Ruben has ordered that no residents of Kurumu are to enter the hotel grounds. That includes us. I don’t know how they are keeping order there, but we are powerless. I’m afraid there’s very little we can do unless we are allowed in the hotel." The jackal made a hopeless expression.

Baloo was confused. "Now why in the world would they do that?" He persisted.

"In case you haven’t noticed, Mr. Baloo, we have very little love for foreigners."
Scarlet: Unless we’re well-paid and they’ve had their shots.

He gave them a severe look. "However, being a gentleman, I am obliged to be polite to you, but that is where it ends. I’ll tell the others about your claims, and we’ll keep a lookout, but that’s all I can promise. Now, if you’ll excuse me." He turned and left.

Baloo couldn’t believe it!

"Come on, lil britches," he said loudly. "We aren’t going to get any
Baloo: …action
help here!"

* * *

"They said WHAT?!" Rebecca shouted. "How can they do nothing?!"

She started pacing in the hotel room as both Kit and Baloo looked at her.

"It’s just how we said," Kit told her. "They aren’t even allowed near this place."

"Yeah, something sure ain’t right when they won’t even let the police look after something like *this!*"

Rebecca stopped pacing. "But this goes way beyond local police! If what you’re saying is true, then this is an international incident! Crocko can’t expect to get away with it!"
Gidget: He would have if it wasn’t for those meddling kids!
(Everyone gives her strange looks)
Gidget (defensively): Am I the only person here who knows who Scooby-Doo is?

"So, can we tell someone about it?" Baloo asked.

"Maybe. I’ll phone the operator and see if we can send a telegram or something. We’ll notify Cape Suzette. Maybe they’ll send someone over here!" Rebecca walked over to the phone and picked it up.

"There’s no dial tone," she said suspiciously. She looked behind the phone and saw that it wasn’t plugged in. She searched for a jack but there was nothing. "AND there’s no where to plug it in!" She exclaimed.
Baloo: Aw, honey, sure there is! Just relaaaax.

"Of course!" Baloo said bitterly, rolling his eyes
Wildcat: ‘Cause, like, he had no dice?
. "Now what are we going to do?"

"Maybe we should leave," Kit said gravely.

"We can’t leave now! What about the auction?" Rebecca protested.

"Becky, are you out of your mind?! The kid’s in danger!"

"Don’t you think I know that?!" She yelled back, then took a deep breath and calmed herself. "I already tried that. They won’t let us back into the airport until *after* the auction." She said more wearily. "Something about not being able to get air
(Everybody starts choking and clutching their throats)
control back until then."

"Sounds an awful lot like we’re trapped here," Baloo said.

"Maybe there’s someone here for the auction we can talk to," Kit offered. "Someone who we know we can trust, and can get word out about what’s happening."

"Yeah, but most of the people here are slicker than axle grease," Baloo commented.

"I know someone," Kit said. "We can trust Miss Thompson."

"That lady you helped? Why do you think we can
Joe: …trusse
trust her?"

Kit wasn’t about to tell him why. "I just do. It’s a feeling."

Rebecca gave them both a questioning look. "Who?"

"Tara Thompson. She’s having dinner with us tonight," Kit informed her.

Rebecca’s eyebrows rose. "Tara *Thompson?* as in, the *Thompson Clan?!*"

"THAT’s her?!" Baloo asked.

Kit shrugged. "I guess."

"What would she be doing here? I didn’t even know that Thompson women were allowed to enter business," Rebecca remarked with some criticism. The Clan was well known for being an "Old Boy’s Club." But Kit seemed to think he could trust her, which surprised Rebecca. He usually wasn’t so open with strangers.
"Well Kit, if you say she’s trustworthy then that’s good enough." She was gratified to see Kit giving her a pleased smile. Rebecca wanted to show Kit that she still trusted him, despite what had happened the night before.
All (singing): And here’s to you, Mrs. Cunningham…

"Until then, I doubt Crocko will try anything, but we should stay alert," Baloo warned. "There’s no telling what lengths he’ll go to get that stinkin’ box."

* * *

A beautiful lady-fox strolled down the hall, relishing the stares she got from her fellow guests. The vixen fluffed her fiery red hair and smoothed her dress as she pushed the buzzer, striking a seductive pose.
Scarlet: Katarina?
Katarina: Are you out of your mind?!
As the door opened, a giant, very scary looking goon with a vacant gaze glared down at her, holding a club.

She screamed at the top of her lungs as skittered down the hall as fast as her high heels could take her. A slightly soggy Don Karnage hastily tied his bathrobe as he hurried into the hall.

"Theresa, wait!" He put up his hand as he called down the hall, beckoning her back, but she was long gone.
Scarlet: Tramp.
Starflash: Slut.
Rabid Fan-femmes: Skag.

Karnage turned around and gave a contemptuous look to Dumptruck. In spite of his bulk, the pirate seemed to shrink under his Captain’s glare.

"THAT stunning creature was going to be my *DINNER
Gidget: See? You fan-femmes had nothing to worry about.
DATE!*" He punctuated his words with a mighty shove, sending Dumptruck sprawling back into the hotel room. Karnage slammed the door shut before anyone saw them.

Dumptruck looked at him soberly. "I’m sorry Cap’n, I was just answerin’ the door..." He was almost pouting, and he took refuge behind Mad Dog.

Karnage got his slapping,
Gidget: monkey-spankin’
hand ready. "Cannot I even take a shower without you two idiots blowing our cover?!
Mad Dog (whining): But boss… Dumptruck was the one who opened the shower door!
I told you to stay out of site!
Starflash: Yeah, only Karnage is allowed on my site!
That means no answering doors, <slap> no calling room service, <slap> *AND NO SPITTING OFF THE BALCONY*!!" <clunk>

His tirade was interrupted by a knock on the door. Karnage glanced hastily at it, then motioned to his crew. "Now get out of sight," he whispered fiercely.

The pirates filed into the bathroom, grateful at the chance to get away from him. Karnage sighed as he adjusted his bathrobe. When he looked through the peephole he was surprised to see a large crocodile standing there. Karnage opened the door.

"Don Karnage?" Asked the reptile.

"Yes, that is I," he replied warily.

The reptile tipped his hat. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Eldon Crockopolis, although everyone just calls me Crocko." His voice was thick with his Latin accent.

Karnage raised his eyebrows in admiration. Crocko was known everywhere as a ruthless mercenary, and he couldn’t help but be impressed. "What can I do for you?"

"I’d like to discuss a business transaction with you. We’ll talk about it over dinner, since something seems to have come over your date."
Karnage: Well, it wasn’t me, that’s for sure!

Baloo glanced around at his surroundings impatiently. "Where the heck did that waiter go? I’m starving over here!"

"Baloo, we just sat down! We haven’t even seen the menu yet," Rebecca scolded.

"Well, they sure aren’t being too quick about it," he muttered.

Kit took a sip of his water, then put it down hastily as he saw Tara approach. She was wearing the same suit as before and looked as rigid as ever, but something was different. She seemed edgier somehow.

She nodded at all three of them before she sat down. "Thank you again for inviting me to dine
Gidget: …on your dead cats.
with you," she said.

The trio exchanged glances. "Miz Thompson, this is Rebecca Cunningham, our boss." Rebecca smiled as Baloo introduced them. She shook her hand.

"It’s an honor to meet someone from such a well known family," she smiled.

"Yes, thank you," Tara said tensely, then hid her face behind a menu.

‘What’s with her?’ Rebecca mouthed to Baloo. He just shrugged. The lady had seemed friendly enough before, although obviously a little humorless. He wondered again what had possessed Kit to invite her.

"So what does your business deal in?" Rebecca tried. They jumped as Tara slammed down the menu abruptly. Her face was unchanged, but her eyes gave a haunted look.

"Books," she said after a while.

"Books?" Rebecca repeated.

"Yes, about ancient cultures."
Homer Simpson: Boooooorrrring!
Marge Simpson: Homer!

Rebecca frowned.

Kit cringed at the conversation’s awkwardness. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. If she acted any more secretive, Baloo and Rebecca would never think she could be trusted. What was she hiding anyway? Kit had sensed the cheetah’s defensiveness when he first met her, but nothing like this. And the look in her eyes disturbed him too, almost like she was being tortured.

Kit frowned. If he didn’t get her talking soon, Baloo and Rebecca would never take him
Gidget: To the circus
seriously again!

"It’s weird how the locals were acting, huh, Miss Thompson?" Kit changed the subject.

She looked relieved. "Yes, they were unusually hostile, even for Kurumians. But what I thought was even more unusual was how destitute the city was. It looked about to crumble apart. I was always led to believe that Kurumu had a relatively healthy economy, especially for a country that doesn’t practice a lot of trade."

Tara smiled to herself. She could be quite talkative when discussing something she was knowledgeable of.

"We’re noticing some strange things too," Rebecca said in a conspiratorial tone. "Like, the fact that there’s no where to plug in a phone in our suite."
Rebecca: And no Magic Fingers beds. I brought a bunch of rolls of dimes for the machines.
Baloo: Aw, Becky, with me around, ya don’t need no dimes!
Rebecca: Yeah, but you might get tired, Butterball.

They stopped talking as the waiter approached.

"Have you decided on your order yet?" He asked nicely.

"No we haven’t," Rebecca said. "Could you come back in a few minutes?"

Baloo seemed about to protest, but a sharp look from Rebecca stopped him. Instead, he put his chin on his paw and pouted.

As the waiter left, Tara started where their conversation had left off.

"Well, that’s just because when the hotel was refurnished, and phones were put in as novelties. Kurumu doesn’t have any phone lines. They don’t even have much of a postal system. There’s virtually no way of contacting the outside world."

Rebecca gave a look of despair to Baloo. How were they going to warn the rest of the world about Crocko?

Baloo sighed as Rebecca looked at him. He hated when she looked at him like that, like she wanted him to fix
Joe: … the toilet
everything. Of course she’d never admit to needing his help though. He glanced at Tara. She may be odd, but unfortunately they didn’t have a lot of options.

Baloo decided to be direct. "Miz Thompson, I don’t know what kind of business you’re in, but that’s not the point. We need a way to get word out of Kurumu about something very important. Do have a way?"

Tara tried not to show her confusion, and phrased her answer carefully. "Well, yes. If it was something significant enough, I could send a message." Khan always made sure there was a way to contact him. She could send a message with her pilot, who had left for friendlier ports but was to come back to Kurumu shortly.

Rebecca nodded at Kit as a signal for him to tell her. "Miss Thompson," Kit started. "The reason you found me out there is because I had to get away from some thugs who were after me. I overheard their plans to bribe the Professor and take the Box of
Joe: …Kleenex
K’ufu back with them."

Kit sighed with relief. He had been right about trusting her.

Tara felt her heart skip. If that happened, Khan would skin her alive! "Who was this?"

"Professor Ratbert was there taking the bribe, and the man behind doing the bribing was this Crocko guy-"

"Crocko? Eldon Crockopolis? Is that him?"

"I think so," Kit said.

"You know him?" Rebecca asked.

"Yes, I made it a point of knowing who my competition would be, and he’s one I made sure to keep an eye on. He calls himself a collector of rare antiques, but in reality he’s a cutthroat with a penchant for one-of-a-kind objects. As I recall, he’s wanted dead or alive in numerous countries."

"Which doesn’t mean anything here," Baloo added.

"I take it you went to the local police," Tara muttered

Baloo nodded. "They were about as useful as pocket lint," he said. "They won’t even go *near* this place!"

"Yes, they seem very adamant about keeping guests in the hotel. Perhaps they don’t want anyone to know how much trouble Kurumu is really in," Tara said.

"What is going on in this country?" Rebecca asked, exasperated.
Ted: Read the papers, you twit!

"Something rotten, I can tell ya that," Baloo said. "We’d better am-scray as soon as this auction is over before we get into any *more* trouble!"
Ted: Ooooh… Baloo’s bilingual. He knows his pig-Latin!

Unknown to the group, they were being watched by two very dangerous individuals. They were shielded behind some ferns, but the two observers could see Baloo and the others easily.

"That’s them. I believe you are familiar with those people." Crocko said.

Karnage narrowed his eyes, not letting anything show. "Unfortunately, yes," he replied. "And the boy was the one who eaves-troughed on you?"

Crocko absently strummed his fingers on the table. "Yes, the one called Cloudkicker. He overheard my plans, and so they must be eliminated. However, since I am in suspect, I thought you could handle it for me."

Karnage took a swig of
Gidget: …Tidy Bowl.
wine before answering. "And what do I get for sticking my head out?" Karnage demanded.

"I shall of course, give you a fair sum for your services. And, to show you that I am a generous man, I will let you in on a secret."

He pointed to Tara. "You see that tall woman?" He asked.

Karnage studied her. "The cheetah-girl? What about her?"

"She’s working for Shere Khan."

This time Karnage couldn’t help show his surprise. "KHAN is *here?!*" He whispered harshly.

Crocko hastily made a motion for him to be calm. "No, of course not. He just sent her to auction for him, but that’s not why I pointed her out." He waited for Karnage to listen.

"She’s Andrew Thompson’s daughter," he said.

"The Clan?"

"Yes. Would be worth quite the ransom I imagine. So Mister Karnage, I have shown that I am a generous and trustworthy man. Will you do this for me?"

Karnage gazed at the group a little more. It was tempting. He could finally get them out of the way for good¼.but that wouldn’t be gentlemanly, and he *had* to prove to himself that he could be honest if he wanted to.

"I’m sorry Mister Crocko, I would under normal circumstances, but at this time there are fractions that are beyond my control. I cannot kill them for you."

Crocko narrowed his eyes. "I see," he shrugged. "Very well, I will of course, expect you to pretend this conversation never happened."

"Of course," Karnage assured.

Crocko made a swift bow. "Good day then." He stood up and left the table.

Karnage watched him go. This gentleman stuff was harder than he thought. It was going against every fiber in his body not to take
Katarina: …a crap.
the opportunity.

He watched them a little longer. So he couldn’t kill them. Perhaps after the auction was over and he could return to his normal piratey-self, he’d kidnap that cheetah girl to get back in the swing of things.

After all, he had to make sure he wasn’t going soft.
Scarlet: I’d never let that happen, querida!

* * *

Dinner finally came, and everyone ate quietly, each deep in
Katarina: … manure.
Rebecca: I thought you said bon jour!
thought. Tara finished the last bite of her meal and wiped her
Gidget: …self with the tablecloth. She was too lazy to bother going to the ladies’ room.
Joe: They couldn’t spare a square?
paws clean.

"Mister Cloudkicker," she announced. "If what you say is true, then I think it’s safe to say your life as well as your friends’ may be in danger." She let that sink in. "If you’d like, I could see if your hotel room is secure. You’d be surprised how many places have sound holes and other devices to listen in on their visitors."

"Where’d you learn that?" Baloo asked suspiciously.

"It comes in handy when you travel as much as I do," she said flatly.

Rebecca looked thoughtful. She wasn’t sure if that was really necessary, but so far this Thompson lady had been a lot of help, and she certainly seemed to know a lot about Kurumu. "Well, maybe it would be a good idea, Baloo. Just to make sure."

"Alright," Baloo managed. "C’mon, we’ll take you there," he was already up from his seat.

As they entered the hotel room, Tara looked around carefully. There had been a seminar about this in business school, About how easy it was for the competition to snoop on you with relative ease if they knew what they were doing. She doubted that Crocko would bother bugging their room, but you could never be too careful.

"First you should look behind mirrors. Check for any holes."

"Are you sure that’s necessary?" Rebecca questioned.

Baloo frowned. "Can’t be too careful with Karnage around," he muttered.

Kit’s eyes widened. "Karnage is *here?!*"

Tara had to take a moment to place the name. "Karnage...the pirate?" She was surprised at Kit’s reaction. What experience had the poor boy had with him?
Joe: Awwww…po’ widdle Kit!
Ted: Go ahead… make my day.

A loud pounding on the door interrupted them. They all turned around with a start. The pounding got louder and more violent.

"Get away from the door!" Baloo ordered, but it was too late. With a thud, the door fell to the floor, revealing Crocko and his goons pointing pistols at them.

"Stay where you are!" The reptile ordered.

They stopped in their tracks and put their hands up grimly.

The crocodile looked angry. "I didn’t want to have to do this myself, too many risks. But, ‘c’est la vie’ I suppose," he shrugged. "We’re going to the basement, and I don’t want to hear a sound out of any of you in the hallway or I’ll shoot before you can even close your mouth," he said maliciously. "Say your prayers if you want to. You won’t be alive for much longer." He motioned them out of the door.

Rebecca started trembling as Crocko led them to the elevator.
Gidget: Where Michael Douglas and Glenn Close were occupied.
She glanced furtively around her. The halls were surprisingly small and cramped compared to the rest of the hotel. Baloo’s head almost brushed against the ceiling, and they could barely walk two abreast.
Baloo: Sure is fun tryin’, though!

Also it was usually deserted save for the occasional maid cleaning a room, and even they weren’t around now. Crocko had undoubtedly made sure that no one saw them
Joe: …pick their noses and eat the snot.

They silently shuffled into the elevator.

"You’ll never get away with this Crocko," Tara said assuredly. "As soon as you leave Kurumu, you will be arrested. There will be no place for you to hide the Box."

"Speaking of hiding things," Crocko sneered. "I was surprised to see that Khan would send such an inexperienced young *woman* to do his dirty work."

"Khan?!" Baloo shouted.

"You mean she didn’t tell you? No, I don’t supposed that old tiger would want anyone
Gidget: … but August. (ref to Liz Spenser’s tiger character)
to know," he grumbled happily.
Scarlet: ‘grumbled happily’?
Gidget: That’s like ‘laughed sadly’.
Joe: Or ‘screamed softly’
Starflash: Okay, okay, enough! Critics. (sniffs and turns her back)
Scarlet: Aww… have a Pop Tart. []
Starflash: With sprinkles!
Scarlet: Fine. []:::::

"You’re working for Shere Khan?" Kit said in disbelief. He couldn’t help but feel betrayed.

Tara looked at the crocodile haughtily. "How did you find out?" She demanded.

"My dear, very little escapes my
Gidget: …diaper.
attention."

The elevator came to a stop.

The thugs led them away into the basement, pistols pointed at their backs. Kit looked around, trying to find a way to turn on their captors. The concrete walls were covered with mildew and the entire room smelled rotten. The only part that was clean was a power generator humming in a corner that had been recently installed. He felt water dripping on his face, and looked up to see a water pipe, badly corroded, run the length of the ceiling. The floor was wet and slippery from the moisture.

After walking through a maze of corridors, they came to a stop in a tiny room poorly lit by a single light bulb. There was nothing in the room except some old rusted tools and rubbish in the corner. Baloo looked woefully at the walls. They were concrete, and looked mighty thick too. No one would be able to hear them.

They were lined against a wall, backs to the guns, execution-style.

Rebecca gritted her teeth. "You’ll never get away with this!" She tried to speak strongly, but doubted she had succeeded.

Crocko rolled his eyes. "Really lady, can’t you think of something more original?"
Joanna: Yeah, I’m with Lizard-Boy. You’re embarrassing me.

Kit saw his chance. With a quick movement, he tore the airfoil from under his coat, flicked it open and chucked it their captors.

The thug ducked, then frowned nastily as he dodged the foil and readied his gun. But Kit hadn’t been aiming at the him. He had aimed for the water pipes above their heads, and it was a perfect pitch. The airfoil hit the ancient pipe and put a giant welt in it. The pipe groaned as the water blew it open with amazing pressure, knocking over Crocko and his goons.

Baloo charged at the stunned Crocko and punched him right between the eyes. The reptile crumpled on the floor. Tara grabbed a rusty wrench from the corner and drove it down repeatedly onto one of the thug’s head, knocking him out cold as the man gave a final whimper. The other thug was back on his feet and snarled as he hurled a slaughtering punch to the pilot’s mid section. Explosive pain bolted through Baloo- he was surprised at how much it hurt. His knees buckled under him.

Seeing the attack, Rebecca growled dangerously and jumped onto the thug’s back, covering his eyes.
Joanna (disgusted): Oh, what a girly way to fight. You gonna scratch him and pull his hair too?
He danced around madly trying to shake her off while avoiding the water jet.

Crocko shook his head, dazed, and started reaching for his gun. He stopped short we he heard the metallic cocking of a gun and looked up to see Kit pointing a pistol right at him.

"I don’t think so," Kit said coldly, with a confidence he didn’t feel. Crocko froze, and seeing the gun, the thugs stopped and put their hands up. Kit motioned them to the wall as Tara retrieved the other guns.

"Are you alright, Baloo?" Rebecca asked softly as she helped him up out of
Gidget: …his clothes. *sigh*
the water.

"Sure, Beckers," Baloo whispered, then cringed. "Just give me a couple weeks."

Tara went over to Kit. "I will cover them. You get help." Kit gladly gave up the gun. He hated weapons.
Joanna: Give it to me! These chuckleheads don’t know what they’re doing.

"Sure," he said. Tara gave the other pistol to Rebecca as Kit headed off.

"Oh, by the way Mr. Cloudkicker," Tara called.

Kit turned around to see Tara smiling at him.

"Good work," she said.

Kit grinned proudly, then ran towards to elevator. Baloo slowly made his way to Rebecca, and she let him lean on her as he caught his
Joe: …zipper.
Ben Stiller: I’ve been there, man.
breath. He glanced over to Tara.

"So, you work for Shere Khan, huh?" He said weakly.

"Yes," she said. Not taking her eyes of Crocko. "It was his secret, not mine," she added

Baloo nodded. He’d leave it at that. He smiled weakly at Rebecca, who smirked back as she wrung the
Ted: …toilet
water out of her hair.

She leaned closer to him "I have to request that you don’t tell anyone. I could lose my
Scarlet: …virginity.
job, and my job is very important to me." She whispered so that Crocko couldn’t hear.

"You have nothing to worry about, Miz Thompson," Baloo said softly.

* * *

Later as the police rounded up Crocko and his men, Sargent Hourbi nodded his head to them.

"So they let you clean up, eh Hourbi?" Baloo called from the crowd that had materialized to watch the spectacle.

"It would seem so," the officer smiled.

Tara, who had been quiet for a while, turned to her new friends. "Thank you again for dinner. I should really get some sleep before the auction."

"Oh, okay," Rebecca smiled as Tara turned. "Strange lady," she whispered to Baloo.

"What do you expect?" He smirked. "She works for Khan."

Tara went towards the elevator, then stopped. She walked back.

"Mr. Cloudkicker, would you like to join me outside for a minute?"

Kit looked up, surprised. He looked to Rebecca and Baloo for guidance.
Gidget: As he should!
Ted: Grrrrr!!!
But Baloo just smiled. "Go ahead, Kit," he said.

"Sure," he said shyly as he followed her out.

They walked side by side along the now deserted pool. Most of the guests had either gone to bed or went to watch the arrest. The night was cool and the moon made the pool sparkle.

"I was very impressed with the way you handled yourself back there," she praised him.
Kit: Thanks! Every night I practice with the bathroom door closed.
(Tara gives him a cookie.)

"It was nothing," he smiled bashfully. He regarded her quietly. Kit considered himself to be a good judge of character. During the darker times of his life he had developed the talent of being able to see what was hidden beneath the surface. For some reason, he sensed a kindred spirit in her grim persona.

The recent events had taken some of the rigidness from Tara. Her suit now had damp marks on it, and a few strands of hair had come out of her bun, framing her face like a halo as she turned to him.

"You certainly can handle yourself in bad situations. You’d be a perfect addition to
Gidget: … my boy-toy collection.
Khan enterprises."

Kit sighed, disappointed. ‘So that’s what she wanted,’ he thought. The thought surprised him. What had he been expecting?

"Thanks, but I already know what I want to do. I’m going to be a pilot." He said apologetically as he fixed the collar on his coat.

"You could fly for Khan," she insisted. "He could use someone with such a strong fortitude as a test pilot."

Kit’s eyes widened. "A test pilot?" he said with disbelief.
Joe: Is that anything like a wine-taster?
Gidget: No, more like a crash-test dummy. (ducks flying bricks)

Now that he thought about it, that would be a little more exciting than hauling cargo. He couldn’t believe she was offering him a job at Khan Enterprises! He swelled with pride. He never felt so grown-up in his life...but if he took the job then he wouldn’t be with Baloo. "I’ll have to think about it," he said cautiously.

Tara tried not to smile, but failed. "You do that," she said.

A crash made them jump, and they turned to see a shabby jackal trapped under some garbage cans. They went over to help him.

"Are you alright sir?" Kit asked. He looked like some kind of bum, probably searching for food. Kit sympathized with him. He knew what that was like.

When the jackal looked up at him, he jumped back as if he’d been burned. "Don’t touch me, you foreign devils!"
Joe: Only domestic devils may touch me!

Tara held her breath. "You speak English?"

"Of course I can, you stupid girl!" he chastised. "I used to be a diplomat, you know. One of Kurumu’s finest!" He held his head up boastfully. "Until the *outsiders* came," he added with contempt.

Tara’s mind started reeling with questions. The man was obviously unstable, but he could provide some answers.

"What do you mean? What did the foreigners do?"

The jackal pouted. "Things were so much better before he came. So much nicer."

"Who?" Kit questioned.

The man’s eyes went wild. "Ratbert! As if we didn’t have enough problems," he started to walk away. "What with the economy about to crash and all..."

Tara and Kit looked at each other. She ran up to the man. "An economic crash? Tell me!" She clenched his shoulders insistently.

The man looked at her with surprise. "You mean you don’t know? No, I guess you wouldn’t. It doesn’t matter. Ratbert bailed us out, but not without a price of course." He smiled bitterly, then started to hum a tune.

"What did Ratbert do?" Tara said intensely. Things were starting to come
Katarina: Yeah, baby!
together.

"Haven’t you been listening?" He said with irritation. "He saved us. Gave us money to keep us going a little longer. In return, Czar Ruben, may his name be lost in the cobwebs of time, let him excavate our sacred treasure and sell it to outsiders who can’t even begin to realize its power!"
Joanna: Windbag.

"Economic fraud," Tara said levelly, face alight with understanding. "He’s bribed their leader and doctored the economy to suit his purposes."

"Can he get away with that?" Kit asked.

"Well...yes I guess he can as long as the Czar allows him to."

The jackal smiled rather evilly. "Well, not for much longer. The people are ready to revolt. That’s why Czar Ruben keeps him here. Ratbert gives him power. But not for much longer, not for much longer." He skipped away. "Kurumu’s children shall soon be free!"
Gidget: Close the gates!
He skipped off and jumped the fence, and running away into the night.

"Ratbert’s going to destroy Kurumu?!" Kit stated in disbelief.

"It would seem so..." Tara murmured.

"Is there anything we can do?"

"Only the Czar can do anything now." Without warning, she started to march toward the lobby. Kit followed her, only to be stopped by Baloo and Rebecca.

"Where’s she going?" Baloo asked. She was already outside and opening the limousine door.

"I’m not sure," he said quietly, knowing perfectly well what she had in mind.

* * *

Czar Ruben sighed as he looked out onto the quiet night, relishing the silence of the streets that were so often now mobbed with angry protesters. Ruben should have left his office three hours ago, but lately he’d been finding excuses to stay later. He no longer felt safe in his own home.

Ruben’s thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in," he said gruffly. His aide walked in.

"Sorry to disturb your Eminence, but there is a foreigner here and she insists on seeing you."

"I have had my fill of foreigners," he said.
Gidget: The taste does not agree with me.
"Send her away."

"I would have your Eminence, but she says that she is a representative of Khan Enterprises."

Ruben looked back sharply. "Shere Khan?" Even in an isolated country like Kurumu, the name ‘Khan’ carried reverence and fear. "I see," he said evenly. "Tell her to make it quick."

A moment later, a tall, serious looking cheetah marched in. They shook hands and he invited her to sit, which she refused.

"If I may, Czar Ruben, I’d like to get to the point right away."

Ruben raised his eyebrows. "Very well then. Continue."

"First of all, I know all about your economy and how close to bankruptcy your country is. I also know all about how Professor Ratbert bailed you out and in return you allowed him to have the auction."

Ruben kept his temper in check. So she’d been snooping around. "And what is the point you’re trying to make?" He said curtly.

"Mr. Ruben, your position at this moment is very uncertain. I realize that letting the world know about your problems is not allowed according to your beliefs, but if you continue to allow Ratbert to use you as a puppet, your countrymen will rise up and overtake you."
Aunt Louise (flirtatiously) to Karnage: Why don’t you rise up and overtake me?
Karnage: Madam! There are some things even I would not do!
Starflash: Yeah, hands off, grandma!

Ruben glowered at her. He didn’t appreciate being told how to do his job, especially by a foreigner. "And what do you suggest I should do? If I seek foreign aide, my people will rebel because I have went against our beliefs. Either way I am destroyed."

"It doesn’t have to be that way," she insisted. Tara leaned in closer. "Let Khan Enterprises help you. We can establish a trade to jumpstart your economy, and we’ll keep it under wraps. Don’t let that criminal Ratbert run your country."

Ruben had enough. "Miss Thompson, as far as I’m concerned, every foreigner is a criminal. I come to this conclusion by both my beliefs and my experiences. As far as I see it, Khan would be just as bad as Ratbert, if not worse. At least with Ratbert I have some amount of control." He couldn’t believe he was defending that scum. "We are doing just perfectly. You can tell Khan I have no interest in his assistance. Kurumu will do fine on it’s own, as it has for *thousands* of years."

Tara frowned. "I see. If I may say, Mister Ruben, you are making a grave mistake. Isolationism is no longer a viable option. And you are deeply disillusioned of you believe Kurumu can get along without help." A snap of thunder punctuated her words.

Ruben snarled with contempt. "Get out!" He ordered.

She stood to go, then flicked a card on his desk. "Very well, If you change your mind, send a letter to this address. That is, if you ever get your postal system working."

"Get out," he repeated. When she left, he collapsed in his chair, staring at his card. His first reflex was to tear
Katarina: … his clothes off.
it to pieces, but something made him put it in his desk away from view.

"Filthy foreigners," he said crossly. Outside, the rain started to poor violently.

* * *

The day of the auction, the courtyard was cleared as rows of folding chairs were assembled before a poorly constructed wooden stage. People moved slowly and carefully to their seats; the chairs were placed so closely together that they barely had room to put their legs out in, and the ground was wet and squishy from the storm last night.

The auction was to start at 10:00 sharp. Soon the chairs were full and the courtyard was buzzing with
Katarina: …farts.
conversation.

Baloo took his seat, his stomach touching against the back of the chair in front of him. Kit and Rebecca took their seats beside him.

"Tight squeeze, huh papa bear?"
All: Sandwich!

"Tighter than Khan’s change purse," he grumbled. "Why did this thing have to be so darn early?"

Rebecca ignored Baloo’s
Joe: … groping.
griping. "After last night, I’m just glad to be here. I just have this feeling that the worst isn’t over," she said tensely.

"Awww, don’t worry about Crocko, Becky. He’ll hear about whoever won the Box from a guard outside his cell," he soothed. Although he was feeling a little jumpy too. There was no way of knowing how many hired hooligans Crocko still had loose.

He looked up to see Tara Thompson take her seat many rows ahead of them. She looked at Baloo and gave them a small nod, but looked unsettled about something. She quickly took her seat.

Baloo took a sideways glance at Kit. After last night, he was dying to know what had happened between her and Kit. He was starting to wonder if Kit had developed
Gidget: … any man-hair.
a crush on her. He smiled inwardly. One thing that Kit never seemed sure about was women.

‘Just like the rest of us,’ Baloo smiled.
Rebecca: Just the way I like it. I need the edge.

"She’s probably feeling guilty about getting found out," Rebecca mumbled, answering his thoughts.

"What do you mean? Just cuz she works for ol’ stripes?" Baloo was surprised at himself for not figuring out earlier that she was the tiger’s employee. She was like a Khan-in-training. ‘Probably taught the first day of the job-it’s part of being a businessman, scowl a lot and act like a robot.’ What he couldn’t figure out is what Shere Khan would want with some useless ancient box. "She was just doing her job not saying who she was workin for," he explained.

Rebecca frowned. "That’s not the point. If Khan is footing the bill it means she has an infinite amount of money backing her up. They shouldn’t let her bid!"

"Maybe you’re right, but we promised we wouldn’t tell, so it’s not our problem," Kit reminded her.

Rebecca turned to Kit, feeling a little startled. The Kit she was used to would have *never* forgiven Tara for concealing the fact that she worked for Khan. He was sounding so adult lately. She felt a twinge of nostalgia for the little lost kid in the thread-bare sweater and backwards cap. She noticed what a handsome young man he was becoming, and he was already taller than she was.
Gidget (sings): And here’s to you, Mrs. Cunningham…

Rebecca sighed, remembering how Molly’s growth spurt was alarming to her as well.
Ted: Freak.

"You’re right, Kit," she admitted. It was time she started to treat him like an adult, she realized. Even though that’s the last thing she wanted him to be.

Kit smiled, but his grin turned into a dreadful scowl. Rebecca recoiled at the change, then realized he was looking behind her, and she turned to see Don Karnage saunter up the aisle, flanked by Mad Dog and Dumptruck. The later could barely get down the aisle with his burly build. They all wore expensive looking suits, but unlike Karnage, the other two pirates looked uncomfortable and ridiculous dressed up. They didn’t look too happy about the current situation either.

Karnage ignored them, but Mad Dog and Dumptruck flashed menacing grins. Baloo and Kit looked ready to attack them. Instinctively Rebecca put an arm between the two and the pirates.

"Easy fellas," she soothed. "Whether we like it or not, they’re aloud to be here."

Baloo and Kit exchanged glances, then reluctantly took their seats.
Karnage: Thief! Thief! They took our seats!

Tara watched the scene play out in a sideways glance. When it ended, she returned her gaze to the front. Those pirates worried her. She couldn’t figure out what they would want here. The artifacts were worth something, but not a lot, and they were certainly not acting like she would expect pirates to act like.

But there was more pressing matters at hand. Now that Tara knew Professor Ratbert was a crook living off the problems of an endangered society, she wanted to stop it. For some reason, she felt she had to help this country. She figured the plight of being oppressed by a malevolent dictator had struck a chord in her.
Gidget: I like that! Character motivation.
Joe: I don’t get the joke.
Gidget: There isn’t one. I’m making a point. I missed the ‘malevolent dictator’ part the first time when I read it.
Joe: Okaaaay…

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much anyone could do unless Czar Ruben stopped protecting Ratbert. Tara marveled at the ruler’s misguided
All: Ew…
Rebecca: I’ve seen bigger.
pride. Didn’t he see that going to such lengths to keep his problems a secret would destroy him?

‘Let it go,’ the cheetah chastised herself.
Scarlet (as Tara): Punish me! Punish me, Master!
(Starflash throws a spitball at her.)
‘You’re only here for one thing. To get the box for Mr. Khan, and you’re going to do it!’

Her thoughts were interrupted when Professor Ratbert climbed onto the stage. He glanced at the crowd with a greedy glint in his eye and smiled. Obviously news of Crocko’s arrest hadn’t affected him very much.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he rasped in his nasal voice. "It is my pleasure to
Scarlet (as Ratbert): …treat my body as an amusement park.
welcome you to the auction of the Treasure of K’ufu...." he prattled on about how he had obtained the treasure on his own and that the natives had let him give them away with their blessing, all of which Tara knew was a bald-faced lie.

After going on for fifteen minutes, he finally concluded. "Then let’s bring out the merchandise, shall we?" He rubbed his hands together eagerly.

Workers wheeled out a dirt-encrusted stool. "This lovely stool probably belonged to one of the palace’s slaves. A high-ranking one it seems, since most weren’t even allowed to sit down!" He laughed loudly, then cleared his throat
Gidget: …of phlegm
when he realized no one had joined him. "We’ll start the bidding at four hundred. Do I hear four hundred?"

Someone in the back raised their paddle.

An hour later Baloo was shaken awake by Rebecca.

"Whu-" he said, half asleep.

"You were snoring," she whispered.
Baloo: But I made up for it the night before, right, babydoll?.
Baloo noticed she was holding a bag she hadn’t had before. "What’s that?" He inquired.

Rebecca smiled and pulled out
Gidget: …a bag of sex toys
what appeared to be a statue of a lion with eight spider-like legs.

"You got THAT?!" The statue was uglier than the Thembrian High Marshall’s wife!
Thembrian High Marshall’s wife: Hmmph!

Rebecca nodded, pleased with herself. "Got it half an hour ago." Baloo was surprised. He honestly didn’t think she stood a chance against all these business bigwigs. "How much did it go for?" He asked.

Kit seemed about to say, but Rebecca hastily put a hand over his mouth.

"Never mind," she whispered.
Rebecca: My career as a call-girl must remain a secret… for now.

Baloo felt alarm klaxons go off in his head. "What do you mean ne-" both Rebecca and Kit shushed him.

"And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for," Ratbert announced. "May I present to you, the box of K’ufu!"

Everyone gasped as the box was brought on stage. It was quite beautiful. Unlike the other artifacts, it had been cleaned and buffed until it shined. It was made out of a dark wood with red jewels
Gidget: …and snot
encrusted all over it. The box was ornately decorated with ancient text, and the seal was unbroken.

"No one knows what this box contains," Ratbert said excitedly. "But considering its container, it may be something very important." Ratbert snickered to himself. He would have to be an idiot to give a potential fortune away. Ratbert had opened it the very second he discovered what it was, only to find some ancient grocery lists and some other junk. He’d replaced the seal with one he had doctored to look older, and he intended to bring in quite the profit for it.

"Let’s start the bidding at one thousand Shaboozies." He said avidly.

A hand in the back put his paddle up. "One thousand," he called.

"One thousand from Number 27. Do I hear more?"

Rebecca watched with interest as the bidding became increasingly higher. She didn’t have to worry about trying for it. She’d spent all her money on the statue. Rebecca looked down at the hideous object. She had to admit she’d got caught up in the excitement
Gidget: …of the purchase of her brand-new dildo.
. ‘I’ll regret this in the morning,’ Rebecca thought. She noted that the Thompson woman hadn’t bid yet. ‘What’s she waiting for?’ the bear questioned.

Tara sat rigidly in her seat, calmly listening to the price of the box increase by the second.

"Fifty-thousand Shaboozies!" Called a middle-aged deer from the crowd.

"Fifty-thousand! Do I hear sixty?" Called Ratbert

Don Karnage put up his paddle. "Sixty thousand Shaboozies," he said calmly. Everyone turned to stare at him, and he reveled in the attention.

"Sixty thousand from Don- from Number 56," corrected Ratbert.

"Seventy thousand!" Yelled a bulldog in a dove coat.

"Eighty!" Called another.

"Ninety-thousand!" Karnage said indignantly.

"Ninety thousand, ladies and gentleman," Ratbert said happily. "Do I hear one hundred?"

Tara put up her paddle.
Katarina (as Tara): Spank me!
"One hundred thousand," she said calmly.

Everyone turned to look the new bidder.

"Uh, hundred thousand Shaboozies from Number 64," Ratbert said, surprised.

The bulldog put his paddle up
Gidget: …his rear.
again.

"A hundred and ten!" He demanded.

Once again Tara sat back with some amusement as she let the bidders bring it higher. This way they’d think she had given up. She allowed herself a smirk. Auctions were so *easy!*

It didn’t take long for the bidders to raise to sky-high numbers.

"Five hundred thousand! Do I hear more?"

"Five fifty!" Called a well-dressed giraffe.

"Six hundred thousand!" said Tara. She was only going to bid even numbers for now. They were more impressive.

Ratbert eyed at her suspiciously. "Number 64 is back in the race. Do I hear six fifty?

No one bidded right away. "Anyone?" He asked.

Baloo watched with rapt interest. It was getting pretty intense. Not only was Tara bidding, but Don Karnage was too. He was surprised and delighted to see that ol’Karnie was looking a little miffed. It was obvious he wasn’t going to win, but he wouldn’t go without a fight.

"Seven hundred thousand!" Karnage announced.

Tara grew tired upping the bid by these piddling sums. She’d better get this thing in the big leagues.

"One million," she said.

The crowd gasped. Even Ratbert didn’t say anything.

Karnage hesitated for a second, unsure.

"One million, five hundred thousand!" He called

"Two million," Tara announced.

Ratbert smiled happily. "Two million for number 64! Do I hear more?"

No one bidded. Karnage growled nastily as he sat down.

Ratbert was satisfied. "Two million going once...twice...sold to Number 64!"

Kit applauded excitedly. "She did it!" He exclaimed.

"Waita go, Miz Thompson," called Baloo.

Nobody noticed Karnage whisper to his men. They silently got up from their seats and snuck away
Katarina: …for a quickie.

Tara was already heading to the stage to claim her prize. She shook Ratbert’s hand, successfully holding back her
Gidget: …vomit
disgust.

"What’s your name, young lady?" He asked her, beaming.

"Thompson. Tara Thompson."

He smiled. "I see we have a celebrity here. Your father is going to be very proud of you, eh, Miss Thompson?"

Kit wondered if he was the only one to notice how Tara’s face changed. Her eyes went hard, and she frowned a little.

"Yes...he should," she said softly, then grabbed hold of the box. She started to walk off the stage with it.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out. The air erupted with an ear-splitting din. Volleys of shots echoed throughout the courtyard, then a woman screamed as fierce looking men with rifles and cutlasses appeared everywhere and started to terrorize the assembly.

Out of nowhere, Don Karnage reappeared on the stage, now dressed in his Captain’s uniform and looking as roguish as ever.
Fan-femmes: *sigh*
He momentarily savored the chaos his men were creating before he made his way to the microphone. Everyone stared up at him, paralyzed with fright.

Karnage pushed an agitated Ratbert away from the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, his voice carrying over the courtyard like a crashing wave. "I apologize for ruining this affair, but I have decided to take the Box of K’ufu for myself. Adieu."
Gidget: Isn’t it ‘Adios’? I don’t think he’s French.
Starflash (Quickdraw McGraw voice): I’ll do the thinnin’ ‘round here, Babalooey!
Baloo: Who, me?
Rebecca: No, Butterball. Come back to bed. We can play Urban Cowboy. Now… where is that mechanical bull?
Baloo: Hubba-hubba! Hot diggity!

The pirates started firing their guns again, and the chaos resumed. The people ran away screaming in terror from the pirates, leaving only trampled
Gidget: …children and puppies
chairs in their wake as they charged toward the safety of the hotel.

Karnage turned to Tara. "I will be taking that box if you please." He smiled dangerously, his voice soft with malice.

Tara stood dumbfounded for a moment, then frowned at him with contempt. Normally she would have seen that nothing could be done in this situation except to comply, but for once she didn’t think things out. She had worked too hard for this, and it was far too important to let go.

"No," Tara said icily, wrapping her arms around it protectively.

Karnage frowned at her reaction, but then grinned wickedly. "Well, we’ll just have to do it the fun way then," he unsheathed his sword and pointed it at her, and smiled in enjoyment to see her go pale as she took an involuntary step backwards.

Rebecca, Baloo and Kit were all heading for the hotel when Kit looked back to see Karnage waving his sword at Tara. He turned suddenly and charged towards the stage.

"Kit, No!" Baloo called after him, and he and Rebecca hastily followed.

Karnage was inching his way towards Tara. "It doesn’t matter, cheetah. I know who you are, and I intend to take the both of you back to the Iron Vulture with me."

Tara took another step back, clutching the box as is her life depended on it.

The pirate Captain’s ears perked as he heard rapidly approaching footsteps, but was too late to stop Kit from tackling him. They both went down hard, and Karnage was momentarily dazed, the wind knocked out of him.
Katarina: Peeeugh! (holds nose)

"Kit!?" Tara said in surprise.

"Run, Tara!" Kit called as he inched toward Karnage’s sword. She hesitated, then ran for the stairs. Karnage got his bearings back, and shoved the cub off of him violently.

"Get her!" He bellowed. A few of his crew stopped harassing the crowd and ran after her. Tara backed up to the stage and stared in astonishment as the pirates headed straight for her, yelling and waving their weapons.

Then suddenly, Baloo was front of her, armed with a folding chair. He swung it around in violent arcs, warding off the pirates as Rebecca ran up to her.

"Where’s Kit?" She demanded. Before Tara could say anything, a shadow descended over them. The two women looked up to see the Iron Vulture looming overhead. The giant hovercraft got bigger and bigger as it lowered closer, looking all the world like it would open up and swallow them all.

"Oh, great!" Rebecca said with a mixture of dread and annoyance.

Just then, Kit jumped off the stage. Karnage limped over to the side, still hurting from the tackle.

"Stop them you thickskulled numb-heads!" He ordered. A few of the pirates picked up chairs too, and closed in on the group. Baloo promptly got his weapon ready, and stood protectively in front of others as he started dueling with another pirate. They smashed the chairs together, and Baloo had the upper hand at first, but he was losing endurance.

With I mighty shove, the pirate forced the chair out of Baloo’s hand. It went sailing straight towards Tara. Before she could react, it smacked her square in the forehead.

Tara didn’t feel anything, but suddenly the world started to spin and she lost control of her limbs. She stayed conscious just long enough to see the pirates overwhelm the others
Gidget: …with their manly-man sweat.
and Karnage’s boots walk up to her. He bent down, sneering at her before taking the box out of Tara’s non-functioning arms as she submerged into blackness......

* * *

Inside the palace of Kurmu, the head office was overwhelmed in chaos. Ever since word had gotten out about the Box of K’ufu being stolen, Czar Ruben and his assistants had been running around like their heads were caught off.

"I can’t believe this is happening," Ruben muttered to himself while he was pacing. He shook his head, cursing himself for not insisting more to Ratbert that a police force should have been stationed at the auction. Outside, the angry mob’s demanding cries were getting louder by the second. Somehow news of this treachery had reached the people, and now they were hungry for revenge.

"Where is that Ratbert?" Ruben insisted. "I called him here half an hour ago!"
Gidget: But the phones aren’t working!
Starflash: Will you hush! HIS phone works!

"He is on his way, your Excellence," the assistant informed him.

Ruben kept pacing, not hearing his aide. "This is a very bad! I need the money now if I’m going to calm down that mob outside," he said to no one.

His thoughts were interrupted by an irate Professor Ratbert marching into his office.

Ruben sighed with relief. "Finally, Ratbert. I need to know what happened at the La Rosa..."

Ratbert glared at him angrily. "What kind of backwater country are you trying to run here, Ruben? There was no one to even stop that pirate from taking what he wanted!"

Ruben stared at him with disbelief. "What in K’ufu’s name are you talking about, Ratbert? You insisted that our forces be kept away from the Hotel!"

"Oh, your police are useless anyway!"
Joanna (looking at Archer): I could have told you that.

He said in annoyance. "And could you please do something about that
Gidget: …wet farting
noise outside?"
Ruben shook his head in irritation. "Never mind that! Where is the money?"

"What money?" Ratbert asked.

Ruben felt his temper rise. "The money you made on the auction. That was our agreement!"

"Our agreement was that I’d give you the money once *all* the treasure was auctioned off. You’re not seeing a cent of it until we get it back into that Thompson girl’s
Scarlet: …pants.
hands and I get *my* money!"

"We said nothing about auctioning ALL of the treasure! You must give me what I ask for," he demanded.

"Or what?" Ratbert challenged. "You’ll arrest me? And let your people know you got swindled, and then let Kurumu fall? I don’t think you will!" He sneered arrogantly. "Now if you’ll excuse me, I-" Ratbert’s tirade was cut off as he was knocked unconscious by Ruben’s replacement paperweight.
Khan: That paperweight cost…three thousand dollars.

Ruben stood hatefully over Ratbert. That had been the last straw. He could no longer stand being an outsider’s puppet.

"Something wrong, Excellence?" His aide opened the door, his eyes widening at the sight of Ratbert’s body crumpled on the floor.

"Call the guards and take this filth to the dungeons," Ratbert ordered. Never had his assistant so readily obeyed orders.

Later, when his temper calmed down, he stood to reflect. The noise outside was getting louder.

"So this is it," Ruben said to himself. "The once proud Kurumu will now collapse." He admitted finally that Kurumu couldn’t stand on its own. His eyes trailed to the card left by Tara Thompson, which had somehow materialized on the top of his desk. ‘Or maybe it’s not,’ he thought.

His aide peeked his tiny head into Ruben’s office again. "Will there be anything else, Excellence?"

"Yes," Ruben said. "Send for my messenger. I have a statement to be taken to Khan Enterprises."

* * *

Tara groaned as she slowly regained consciousness. She heard a deep, distant rumbling
Rebecca (off-screen): Balooooo… (giggle)…be quiet!
Baloo: Told you ya didn’t need no dimes for the Magic Fingers machine!
Rebecca: For once in your life, you’re right! Ooooohhhh!!!!

rhythmically pound through her head, which was already pounding quite well on its own. She winced as she tried opening her eyes, her head throbbing from the effort.

When she tried to cradle her head in her arms, she found she couldn’t move them. They were bound above her, and she could feel the cold iron manacles biting into her wrists.

The chains chinked as she tried to move them. Tara slowly became aware of other things as her head began to clear. She was sitting, and her back was against a cold, damp wall, and could hear the distant hypnotic rumbling of some kind of machine.
Rebecca: Oh, Baloo! YEEEEESSSS!!!!!

"I think she’s waking up," she heard someone say.

"I’ll get the Captain," a whiney voice said. Tara decided there was no point in pretending she was unconscious, so she slowly opened her eyes. She was surprised to see that she was in some kind of dungeon. Outside the bars was a weasel that looked vaguely familiar, but before she could recall the memory, he stood up and walked away. How had she gotten here?

Finally the memory flooded back. "Karnage," she whispered.

"The one and only," she glanced up to see the pirate leader walk into her cell, leering at her. She tried to focus on him, but she was seeing double. The hit to her head must have been pretty bad.

Eventually her vision cleared enough for her to get a good look at him. A tall, grand red wolf, a rare color for his kind. Or perhaps he was a fox, though he was rather large for that, and there was no mistaking the carnal, wolfish grin he gave her.

Tara tried to fling her hair out of her face, which had somehow came out of its bun, but the sudden motion made the world spin and she had to fight down a wave of nausea. She was so weak! She could barely lift her head.

Instead, Karnage did it for her, lifting her chin up with his finger as he knelt down in front of her, gazing at Tara’s face thoughtfully.

"That was a pretty bad bump on the head you got," he said. "I was starting to wonder whether you’d wake up at all." He wiped the hair out of her face, and Tara had to resist the urge to spit in his. "No matter. Gibber did a good job bandaging it up, didn’t you, Gibber?" He called to the pirate who had accompanied him. The pirate stood outside the cell and shrugged timidly.

Tara realized that there was a wrap around her forehead. She wondered fleetingly how bad the wound was, but first she needed to know what was going on.

"I am a hostage?" She asked, her voice hoarser than she would have liked.

He nodded his head. "That you are. I plan to get quite the ransom for the *Great* Andrew Thompson’s daughter. Quite the ransom!" He looked very pleased with himself.

Tara kept staring at him, trembling. How dare he do this to her! Somehow, she remained calm, and gazed coldly at her captor.

"I might have a concussion," she informed him. "I need medical attention as soon as possible,"
Gidget (as Tara): Drugs! I need drugs!
Wildcat (takes a plastic bag with white powder out of his overalls pocket): Okay, but it’s my last stash!
she felt a little silly making demands, but it was necessary.

Karnage only smiled cruelly. "Well then, your old man had better hurry up then, eh?" he unsheathed his sword again, then pointed it at her menacingly, and was rewarded by a flash of terror in her eyes. So she wasn’t as fearless as she made herself out to be, he smirked thoughtfully. He was used to Khan employees putting up a brave front, and it was always a delightful challenge to try to break it.

Karnage would have liked to stay a longer and terrorize her some more, but he had to get to the radio and ransom her off.

"It is time for you to join the others," he said loudly as he got up.

Tara winced at the volume of his voice, but now her heart was beating faster. What others?

"What are you talking about?" She demanded.

"I have captured some old friends of mine. I believe you’ve met them," he said cooly.

"Kit?" She breathed. "And Baloo and Miss Cunningham?" She didn’t wait for an answer. It was obviously them. A wave of guilt and panic rushed over her. "Where are they? What have you done with them?!"

"Not that I have to tell you, but they’re in the cargo bay. I haven’t quite decided what I’m going to do with them yet," he said as he started to walk away.

"Are they alright?"

"You should be more concerned about yourself, Miss Thompson," he said levelly. He motioned to Gibber, who was standing guard on the other side of the cell. "Release her," he said quietly. Gibber ran in hastily, and unlocked her arms. They fell to her sides, exhausted from being held up so long.
Joe: And her B.O. was awful… they couldn’t take it anymore.

"Get up," Karnage ordered her.

Tara got up slowly, and stood for a few seconds, but then the world started spinning again and she felt her knees buckle.

"Whoa," The Captain said as he hastily grasped onto her torso to stop her fall. Tara groaned. The last thing she wanted to do was get help from this pirate, but she held onto his broad shoulders like a life preserver while she got her bearings.
Scarlet: Floozy!
Karnage: Querida, I was only helping-handing her, that is all!
Scarlet: You’re too good for this world, querida (kisses him).
"It is no good if you cannot walk," he said with annoyance. "Shall I get Gibber to carry you?"

Tara looked up in shock to see Gibber smiling lasciviously. Obviously he liked the idea.

"No!" She said with sudden energy. She let go of Karnage and took a few shaky steps, proving she was able to hold her own.

"Good," Karnage said. "Gibber, take her to the cargo bay. I doubt she’ll be able to put up much of a fight anymore, eh, cheetah?" Tara refused to answer as she followed Gibber out of the cell.

She stayed behind ‘Gibber’, staring at his back and taking the time to think. If she wasn’t in such rotten shape,
Gidget: Damned herpes.
Tara would have made a break for it. She was sure there was no way this sorry-looking pirate or anyone else on this vessel would be able to catch her had she been in full health. She was after all, a cheetah.
Bearcat: Cheetahs never prosper (ducks the flying bricks).
But right now she was feeling too ashamed of herself to think of taking the chance.

‘This wouldn’t of happened if you would have given him the box in the first place," she thought bitterly. ‘You acted without thinking, and what has it got you? A concussion and a sprained wrist, that’s what. If Mr. Khan ever found out what you did he’d fire you on the spot!’ And that wasn’t the only thing she was feeling bad about. Why had she run when Kit tackled Karnage? She was well aware Kit was no match for him. She should have stayed and helped. Kit had become rather like the little brother she had never had. If anything happened to that Kit, she’d never forgive herself
Gidget: …for a day or two.
.

Kit fidgeted nervously against his bonds, keeping an eye on Hacksaw. That was one pirate he had learned during his brief stint with the air pirates not to cross. Beside him, Rebecca and Baloo stood stiffly, ignoring the jeers they received from the other pirates.

"How’s it goin, lil’ britches?" Baloo whispered to Kit. It was impossible to keep Kit tied up for long. He always found a way out, and they were was counting on Kit to get them out of this.|
Ted (sighs): What would they do without him?

"Won’t be for a while, Papa bear," he said apologetically.

Rebecca kept glancing around, becoming increasingly nervous. The pirates were giving her looks she sure didn’t feel very comfortable with, and she edged closer to Baloo.
Baloo: Wa-hoo!

"Baloo, we have got to get out of here," she said tensely.

"I know, Beckers. We’re working on it," he said to her calmly. "As soon as we get the chance, we’ll make our way to the Duck."

Rebecca turned toward their captured plane. When they had been taken to the cargo bay, Baloo had almost had a heart attack when he saw his baby there.
Baloo: Man! I’m a daddy! Who’da thought?
The Sea Duck wasn’t the only one. The Iron Vulture’s cargo bay was practically bursting at the sides with hijacked planes. The pirates had made a side trip to Kurumu’s airport before going to the hotel. Every plane she could think of was right before her, like an air show she and Baloo had went to once.

They stopped their conversation when Captain Karnage walked in, smiling arrogantly at them.

"Well, Baloo. Once again you have become my captives. And this time, I’m making sure you stay that way."

Baloo’s face darkened with anger. "You’re nothing but a lousy stinkin’ crook, Karnage! I knew you wouldn’t be able to keep up that high society act for very long."

Karnage shrugged indifferently, tugging at his dark blue Captain’s coat. "Yes, you’re probably right. But it’s all for the best. That gentle-manliness-type-stuff really did not suit my style. And I must say, it is quite refreshing to be back in the pirating busy-ness." He looked around at his full cargo bay, looking very pleased. "Nice to see I never lost my touch," he said proudly.

"What are you going to do with us?" Rebecca demanded.

Karnage got a dangerous glint in his eye.
Karnage: Ow! Get it out! Get it out!
"I have not decided yet, but rest assured I’m going to have a fun time thinking of something, but now I have a ransom to collect, so if you’ll excuse me," he swivelled on his heel and marched toward to radio, where a group of pirates were sitting
Gidget: … as a peaceful protest against Karnage’s habit of smacking them at will.
Karnage: I do not smack them at Will! He’s my second mate.
Katarina: He’s my mate, period.
.

"How is it going?" Karnage said more quietly.

The pirate grinned nastily. "We got a hold of him, your marvellousness. You should be able to talk to him momentarily."

Don Karnage clapped his hands together. "Excellamundo!" He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Now all we need is the girl. Where is Gibber?"

"Over there, boss," Mad Dog said. Behind Gibber came a Tara, looking battered and bruised.

Baloo and the others stared at her with shock. "Karnage what kind of a barbarian are you? Look what happened to her forehead!" He demanded hotly.
Joe: Aw, no… not on the night of the senior prom!
Scarlet: No, it’s a unicorn’s horn, not a blemish. She’s safe.

"Its not as bad as it looks," he waved his hand dismissively.

"Miss Thompson, are you alright?" Kit asked with concern.

Tara nodded wearily. "Yes, Mister Cloudkicker, I’m alright." She made her way towards them, looking uncharacteristically sheepish. "I want to apologize to you three for getting you in this situation."

They looked at her with confusion.

"What do you mean?" Baloo asked.

"If I hadn’t resisted Karnage, he wouldn’t have threatened me. Then you wouldn’t of came to help me, and the three of you would be safe back in Kurumu." She was truly ashamed of herself.

"Don’t blame yourself," Rebecca intoned. "Karnage would have kidnaped you anyway."

"No, it’s my fault. If you only knew how much it means to me to have that box! To prove that I’m not..." She stopped quickly before she revealed too much. "Mr. Cloudkicker, I can’t believe you risked your life to save me," she said.

Kit smirked. "That was pretty heroic, wasn’t it?" He admitted proudly.

"It was pretty stupid too, kid," Baloo smiled wanly.

"No one has ever done anything like that for me before," she said, her voice filled with admiration.
Kit: Hey, when you got it, you got it!
"If we get out of this alive, I swear I’ll find some way to repay you," she promised seriously.
Tammy: Slut.

Kit felt himself blushing from all the attention. "You’re welcome, Miss Thompson," he finally said.

"Call me Tara," she grinned.

"Tara," he smiled too.

"Captain!" The pirate at the radio called. Karnage rushed over to the radio.

"He’s on," the pirate announced.

Karnage grinned wolfishly. "Ahh, good." He took the microphone in his hands. "Allo, Mister Thompson, and how are you today?"

"Not too bad...Captain Karnage," a rather snooty voice said calmly. "Now may I ask what this is all about?"

"Of course, Mr. Thompson. I, the spectaculous Don Karnage, have kidnaped your flesh and bone and am holding her for ransom!"

There was no answer right away on the phone.

"Are you pulling my leg, Mister Karnage?"

Karnage paused, confused at the question. "What are you talking about?"

"My daughter is working at Khan Industries as we speak. How could she possibly have been kidnaped by you?" His voice didn’t sound the least bit worried, in fact, it sounded quite amused.

The pirate Captain’s temper was starting to slip. "You think I am making this up? I will prove that I have your daughter in my
Gidget: …crack.
clutches! Bring her over!" He commanded.

Tara was grabbed roughly by two pirates and towed toward the radio. Her heart was beating wildly against her chest. Her father, the man she had gone out of the way to avoid for so long, now had her life in his hands.

‘Please father,’ she begged silently. ‘For once in your life act like one.’

Karnage pulled her roughly towards him. "Talk to him!" He ordered.

Tara took the microphone cautiously. "Hello father," she said slowly.

There was a long pause on the other line. At first she thought he may have been stunned beyond belief. "Father?" She asked, a little more anxiously.

Everyone was concentrating on the conversation so much, no one noticed Kit slip out of his bonds and start untying Baloo and Rebecca.

"Father?!" She said, unable to keep the panic out of her voice.

Finally he answered. "Is that the best you can do, Karnage?"

Karnage and Tara exchanged confused looks, then he swiped the control from her.

"Are you trying to pulling the wool over my leg? Cannot you recognize your own daughter’s voice!?"

"That doesn’t sound anything like my daughter! Now if you don’t have anything else to bother me with, I have some important business to attend-"
Gidget (as Tara’s father, whispering in Clinton’s voice): Hey now, Monica…no biting now…

Tara was overcome with betrayal, and took the microphone away from Karnage.

"Father, it’s me! Can’t you remember what I sound like?" She tried to think of something that would make him believe the truth. "Remember the time when I introduced Sebastian McDonald to you?"
Gidget: He’s the heir to that chain of burger joints.
Katarina: McDonald’s!!!! AUGGH!!!!! (runs away screaming)
Scarlet: Now see what you’ve done!

"Nice try, madam. But anyone could have found out about that unfortunate incident. And if my daughter was to be captured by pirates, I’m sure the *illustrious* Shere Khan would be able to save her," he sounded quite bitter now. "Better luck next time, Captain Karnage." He signed off.

Karnage blinked a couple times. "What kind of father is *that?!*" He asked her in disbelief.

Tara didn’t hear him. She felt her heart twist, she couldn’t breathe. All her life, he’d been a horrible father, and he’d ended it by completely denying that she was his daughter. All those wasted years...

Karnage took no notice of her state. "Ah well, perhaps Khan can be persuaded to..."

The sound of a plane starting up made the pirates turn their heads. Karnage’s eyes went wide with shock as he saw the Sea Duck slowly taxiing toward the mouth of the Vulture. He could see Baloo at the controls.

"That fat bear is getting away! Stop them, you idiots!" He barked. The pirates were already charging towards the plane, throwing themselves onto it. Other pirates were getting their rifles ready, but they couldn’t get a clear shot as the yellow seaplane ducked behind the other hijacked aircrafts.

Inside the plane, Baloo wiped the sweat of his brow as he sped the plane along as fast as he could through the impossible maze of planes.

"Are you sure this plan of Kit’s is going to work, Baloo?" Rebecca said uneasily.

"It’s got to, Beckers," Baloo said seriously. "Or we’ll all be pluckin’
Katarina: Ew…
Baloo: Hey, now, I didn’t mean that!
harps in a minute."

Rebecca: What makes you think you’ll be plucking a harp? (slyly) You’ve been a very bad boy, Butterballs, er Butterball.

Karnage was still barking orders when he saw the mouth of the Iron Vulture starting to open. He could just make out a figure standing at the controls on the other side of the cargo bay.

"Come on!" He ordered as he grabbed Tara’s wrist and pulled her with him roughly. Tara didn’t protest as she followed obediently, too stunned to care what happened to her.

When Karnage reached the controls, his face darkened with rage.

"Cloudkicker!" He said with contempt. The cub’s back was to him, slowly pulling the lever down. Karnage showed his teeth and growled under his breath as he unsheathed his sword. Finally he was going to get rid of the annoying bear cub once and for all!

"Well, looks like you messed up, my boy. You should have known better than to stay behind without protection."
Kit (whispers): My Trojans…

Kit turned around, and the pirate could now see that Kit was holding a rifle.

"Yeah, that would have been dumb," he said coldly. "Now hand over the girl, Karnage!"

The Captain’s face blanched for a second and hastily pushed her towards Kit. "You made a big mistake, boy. Once you are on the Sea Duck, we will blow you to smithers."

"I’ll take my chances," Kit said. With the rifle in one hand, he grabbed hold of Tara’s arm with the other and headed towards the Sea Duck.

Baloo steered carefully, avoiding rifle fire and hoping to evade the pirates. When he saw Kit and Tara approaching in the rear view mirror, he slowed down just long enough to let them catch up. The pirates didn’t notice them slip through
Gidget: Col. Spigot’s crack.
the side cargo door. They were to busy trying to get into the cabin. Rebecca screamed as one of the attackers managed to shatter the pilot-side window.

Kit allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief as he made it into the cargo hold.

"We made it," he said happily to Tara. She said nothing, and kept staring straight ahead as if she was in a cataleptic state, looking all the world like her insides had just been kicked out. Kit wanted to console her, but right now he needed to get up to the cabin and help Baloo. He led Tara over to one of the seats and buckled her in. "Don’t worry, Miss Thompson. We’ll get you out of this." Tara didn’t respond.

Kit went up to the front just in time to see the Sea Duck fly out of the mouth and make it into the air. Kit felt a wave of relief. They had a far better chance of getting away from the air pirates now with Baloo in the pilot’s seat.

So Kit was shocked to see that it was Rebecca in the pilot seat. Kit frantically looked around the cabin and found Baloo slumped on the floor, semiconscious.
Ted: What a surprise.
He saw the broken window and the pipe on the ground and figured out what had happened.

Kit hastily sat in the co-pilot seat.

"Is he alright?" Rebecca asked tensely.

"He’ll be okay. You’re flying great Miss Cunningham," he said reassuringly, seeing how nervous she was. Rebecca was shaking so hard she could barely hold onto the controls.

"Kit, you have to take over for me."

"What?!"

"Baloo can’t get us out of this, and there’s no way I can get away from those fighter planes. You’re our only hope!"
Joe (rolls eyes): Help us, Obi-wan...

Kit was stunned. Could he really be hearing what he thought he just heard?!

‘Well, Kit, you wanted a chance to prove yourself, and you sure as heck got one, didn’t you?’ his brain started chiding him.

A volley of bullets clipped through the right wing. They both looked out to see pirate fighters start to box them in. Kit didn’t need any more persuasion. He quickly buckled himself in the pilot seat as Rebecca did the same in the co-pilot’s.

Kit’s brow furrowed in concentration. He knew exactly how to handle pirates. Why wouldn’t he? Kit had spent over a year with them, and he and Baloo had been in more dogfights with the air pirates than either of them could count.

"You can do this Kit," she said quietly. He had little time to revel in the glory of flying. Karnage’s fighter had flown dangerously close on the right side, and he was able to see in. Kit caught Karnage’s sneer as he looked into the cabin. A moment later the radio snapped on.

"Give it up, *Clownkicker!* Baloo may be able to flee from my clutches, but you will never escape!"

"Wanna bet?" Kit said roughly as he pushed forward on the yoke. They were pulled into their seats as the Sea Duck dove head-first towards the ocean.

Rebecca tried not to scream. "Don’t do it Kit! It’s too dangerous!" She said frantically, wishing to high heaven that she had gotten the co-pilot controls fixed.

But Kit knew he could do it. At the precise moment, he gave more throttle, just like Baloo did.

"Kit, pull up
Scarlet: … your pants!
!!" Rebecca shrieked, then covered her eyes with her hands.

Kit’s heart was beating so loud he was afraid it would burst, but on the outside he was utterly calm, face taunt with concentration. "Just a little longer..." he whispered. Then he pulled up sharply, performing a perfect ‘Pelican Dive.’ Rebecca peeked out from her hands, a little surprised she was still in one piece. She looked back in astonishment to see three fighters were now bobbing helplessly in the water.

Rebecca stared at Kit, her eyes like golf balls
Gidget: Oh, that’s attractive!
Lisa Simpson: What’s wrong with that?
. "I can’t believe- you actually- you just-" she couldn’t get a straight sentence out.

Kit just smiled wanly at her. "Those pirates never learn," he smiled, then he tensed again. "But we aren’t save yet." Rebecca looked ahead of them to see that there was still four planes still in the air, and approaching them rapidly.

Kit pulled the yoke up suddenly, causing the pirate’s attack formation to scatter. Then he swooped down over them, landing almost right on top of one of the fighters. The pirate ducked instinctively to avoid getting his head taken off, and when he finally sat back up, he was already barreling toward the ocean.

"Let’s see if they still follow in a climb," Kit said. Rebecca gritted her teeth as the G-forces mashed her into her seat. One of the planes followed him, and at last it the engines stalled and the plane went down.

There was only two planes left, Karnage’s and Mad Dog’s, and Kit wasn’t going to take his chances against those two pros. He hastily performed a half-roll and made his way toward a cloud bank, the pirates only managing to get a few bullets up the belly before they disappeared.

Don Karnage gave a last long look toward where his prisoners had escaped, then smashed the radio with his fist in frustration.

Baloo moaned as he regained consciousness. "Aw man, I feel like I just fell into a washing machine," he said.
Rebecca (purring): It was good, wasn’t it?

He nursed the bruises he had gotten from slamming against the bulkheads.

"Are you okay, papa bear?" Kit asked

"Yeah, I guess...what just happened? Last thing I remember is one of the pirates shattering the windsh-" Baloo stopped in mid sentence.

"Kit, what are you doing in the pilot seat?" He demanded.

Rebecca made a motion for Baloo to calm down.

"It’s alright, Baloo, I let him," she said wearily, still a little dazed.

Baloo looked at her in astonishment. "But you were..."

"There was no way I could have gotten away from the air pirates, so I got Kit to take over, and he flew us out of it."
Ted: Yep, yep, yep… Kit’s da man.

She gave a reassuring squeeze to Kit’s shoulder. "I was wrong, Kit. You are ready to fly. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody except Baloo handle pirates like *that!*"
Mad Dog: He was sooooo gentle!
Karnage: Remind me to break your kneecaps when we get home.

Kit blushed. "Aw, it was nothing," he said.

"Now that still doesn’t mean you can fly on your own yet," She said more sternly. "But I suppose we can let you gain some experience before you get your licence."

Kit smiled to himself. Things had certainly turned around for him. He had found a way to win Rebecca and Baloo’s trust back, and he didn’t want to do anything to ruin it.

"Thanks Miss Cunningham, but I can wait until I get my licence. I don’t want to get into any trouble or anything."

And that was truly how he felt too. This adventure had put a few things in perspective for Kit, and he realized how ambitions could be so misleading. It was better to just wait. When the time came, Kit was sure he’d be proud of himself for that.

Baloo and Rebecca both looked surprised, but Rebecca smiled.

"Thanks Kit," she said.

Baloo was still scratching his head.
Ted: Damn lice (ducks a flying brick).
"You mean to tell me that Kit outmaneuvered those sky sharks? Most pilots with *years* of experience can’t do that!" He went up to Kit. "Just don’t let it get to your head, lil’ britches," he smiled.

Kit remembered Tara in the cargo hold. "Could you take over for me, Papa bear? I want to go check to see how Miss Thompson is doing," he said.

"Oh that’s okay Kit, I can check," Rebecca said.

"No, I think I’d better," Kit insisted.

Rebecca gave him a bewildered look. "Oh, okay Kit." She watched him go into the cargo hold. When the door closed she turned to Baloo. "Now what do you suppose that’s all about?" She asked him.

Baloo just smiled.
Katarina: … because he had gas.

Tara had barely noticed the life-and-death struggle with the air pirates. She was too busy playing the conversation with her father over and over in her head. She was completely overwhelmed. Her father had let her down for the last time, leaving her to the mercy of the air pirates.

A sickening feeling tugged at her stomach as doubt started to take shape in her head. Had it been her fault? If she had spent more time with him, would he have remembered what she sounded like? If she had done what he asked, would he have turned his back on her? If she had been a boy, would her life with her father have been happy?

Everything! The auction, her career, her life! Had all been geared toward proving she could hold her own
Gidget: …bladder.
to him, and now it had blown up in her face.

Her confusion turned to anger, mostly at herself for being such a fool. Tara should have seen long ago that winning his favor was impossible. He was ready to discard her without a backwards glance.

She felt hot tears stain her face for the first time she could remember. For a while she simply sat fascinated at the tears she was shedding. Tara hastily wiped them away when the door opened, trying to regain some of her composure.

She was dismayed to see that it was Kit approaching her. After her disgraceful actions back in the Iron Vulture she could barely look him in the eye.

Kit stared at Tara in astonishment. He had heard what her father had done to her, so the reaction was understandable, but to see the unshakable Tara Thompson reduced to tears was a downright shocking!

"Uh, Miss Thompson?" He asked. "How are you feeling?"

Tara kept her eyes downcast. "I’ll be fine," she said softly.

Kit floundered, not sure of what to say next. He wasn’t sure what her relationship with her famous father was like, but obviously what he had done to her had affected her deeply.
Gidget: Gee? Ya think so?
Ted: You wanna die, Gidge?
Gidget (meekly): No.

Instead, Tara spoke up again.

"I-I want to apologize again for not being more grateful to you at the time for saving me from those pirates back there. I just wasn’t in any shape to say anything," she said, her eyes riveted to the floor.
Scarlet (as Tara, shrieking): I’m blind! I’m blind!

"Well, it’s not like we were going to leave you behind," Kit tried to joke.

Tara took a deep, shuddering breath. "After how I’ve acted, I deserved to be left behind," she said wretchedly.

Kit couldn’t believe how she was beating herself up about this.

"Tara, *no one* deserves that!" He said in a louder voice. Tara finally turned to look at him, and her pretty tear-stained face pulled at his
Karnage: …Now that’s enough of those un-tasty jokes!
heartstrings.

Kit scratched the back of his head absently. "Tara, I don’t know much about you or your father...and I’m not too sure about situations like that, but if he couldn’t see what a wonderful, smart lady he had for a daughter, then he doesn’t deserve to call you that," he concluded.

Tara’s expression changed. She seemed to be thinking over something. After a while, some of the helplessness in her eyes were replaced with newfound
Joe: …plasma.
insight.

Suddenly things made sense. All this time she had been trying to prove to herself that she was no longer being controlled by her father, when all along she was *still* doing everything she thought would win his approval.

But now it was crystal clear. Nothing she could do or could have ever done would make her father treat her the way she wanted to be treated. It just wasn’t going to happen. She was wasting her time even thinking about it!

"You’re right Kit," she breathed.
Ted: Of course he is!
"You’re absolutely right.
(Kit buffs his nails, smiling smugly)
He’s treated me terribly my entire life, and I blamed myself for it all this time!" A smile played upon her face, and Kit was surprised at how relieved she looked
Gidget: Taking a dump will do that.
. "But at least it’s over. I should have broken ties with him a looong time ago. Blast, I’m a fool!" She unbuckled her seat and stood up. "Well, no more! As soon as we get back, I’m severing all ties with my family. I don’t need them!"

Kit was startled to see that his words had such a positive effect on her, but probably Tara’s reaction was simply a long time coming. The pirate incident had finally forced her to confront how she *really* felt about her family.

He smiled at the irony of it all. Higher For Hire had become the family he had always dreamed of. He had finally found his niche, and now Tara had found hers by severing her
Gidget: G-string.
family ties. He also couldn’t stop noticing how pretty her hair was now that it was free from its bun.

Meanwhile, Tara was feeling better and more confident by the second.

"...I can even change my name! How does...Tara *Morgan* sound to you?"

"I think it sounds good," he said timidly.

Tara finally stopped talking and turned towards Kit, her face turning serious.

"Kit, I don’t know how I’m ever going to thank you for what you’ve done for me." She put both her paws on his shoulders. "You’ve saved my life more times than I can count now Kit. I can’t believe how lucky I am for meeting you." She hugged him tightly and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
Gidget: Butt-kisser.

Kit felt the heat rise in his cheeks,
Kit: I, uh… gotta go to the bathroom!
and a goofy smile spread across his face.

"You’re welcome, Tara," he said.

* * *

Shere Khan looked up slowly as Tara walked into his office. He noted that Tara no longer had the military-like persona to her. Her hair wasn’t in a bun, but a long ponytail. Her suit was a little more feminine too. Obviously the trip had taken some of the starch out of her, and he wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.

"Good morning, Miss....Morgan," he said with a little difficulty.

"Good morning sir. I’ve come to hand in my resignation."

Khan allowed himself a raised eyebrow.

"If I may explain sir, my actions in Kurumu were extremely unprofessional. I failed in my mission to obtain the Box, and therefore have not performed my job, so it is with the deepest regret that-"

He raised a paw for her to stop "Now wait just a minute, Miss Thomp- Morgan." He motioned for her to sit. "I have recently received a letter from one Lionel Ruben. I believe you’ve met him?"

Tara’s eyes betrayed her surprise. "Yes sir, I have. I was acquainted with him after Eldon Crockopolis was arrested."

"He informed me that it was *you* who convinced him to seek foreign aide."

Tara couldn’t hold back her confusion. "*Convinced,* sir? He was deeply offended when I called upon him and had me extradited from the building," she absently scratched her bandaged head to relive her sudden need to fidget.

Khan shrugged his massive shoulders. "Well obviously your words had an effect on him. I was contacted recently by his messenger that he wants to open up
Joe: … a prostitution ring
trade negotiations with Khan Industries."

Tara was completely taken aback. "He did? But, isn’t that going against his belief..." she stopped talking, fearing the tiger might think she was contradicting him.
Baloo: Hey, is that anythin’ like ‘conjugatin’---!
Rebecca (clamps hand over his muzzle): No, Baloo.

"I’ve already found a way around that, Miss Morgan. We are preparing as we speak to start a sugarcane processing plant in the capital city. He said he wanted you to be the representative for Khan Industries."

"ME?" She said in astonishment, totally forgetting herself.
Ted: She had amnesia?
Baloo: And she don’t remember nothin’ either.

"You," he assured. "I’m very pleased with your performance, Miss Morgan. I would be quite dismayed to see you leave. The profit you have just given Khan Industries more than makes up for the loss of the Box."

"I–I’d be honored, sir. Thank you."

"Very well then, if that’s all..." He started to swivel his chair around.

"Just one more thing if I may, Mr. Khan," she said.

He looked back at her with a hint of impatience.

"I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for these wonderful people I met in Kurumu. They saved my life."

"You mean the Higher For Hire shipping company? Yes, I heard they had assisted you. They have already been rewarded with a very generous sum of money."

She smiled. "Thank you very much sir." She intended to do a lot more in the future to show her gratitude, but
Gidget: …now was not a good time to remove her clothes.
this was a good start.

Khan took a deep sigh. "Miss Morgan, if it means anything, I believe that you are a hundred times the businessman that your father is, and I think he knows that."
Scarlet: Aha…jealousy! The old man couldn’t cut it, so he blames her.
Rebecca (know-it-all) Well, fifty-percent of good business is making contacts.
Kit: Sucking up, you mean.
Rebecca: He refused to have friends and just sat in that musty mansion all day.
Launchpad McQuack (nods wisely): He needed friend power!

"Yes sir," she said softly. "I’ve realized that my father’s opinion doesn’t matter to me anymore, and I’ve decided I no longer want to be
Joe: …frozen in carbonite.
Gidget: …involved with the family dog.
affiliated with the Thompson Clan."

"Good," he said.

"Thank you, sir," she said as she stood up and left to go.

"One more thing, Miss Morgan," he called.

Tara stopped.

"The loss of my airplane is coming out of your
Gidget: …ass.
salary."

Tara sighed. She should have known Khan would never have let her off the hooker that easily.

"Yes sir," she said wearily, not seeing the slight smile playing on her employer’s lips.

As she walked out of the building, she smiled to her fellow employees warmly. She felt so free now that no one’s opinion except her own mattered. Tara was happy now that the whole pirate ransoming incident had happened. If that negative experience hadn’t happened to her, she’d probably still miserably be trying to win her father’s favor. If that Karnage character was here right now, she’d kiss him!
Scarlet: Tramp.
Starflash: Jezabel.

Tara watched the sun setting on the harbor, thinking how wonderful it was to be reborn.

* * *

The head priest felt his heart beat faster as he quickened the chant. The ancient chant of rejoicing that had almost been forgotten during the "Time of Tragedy." He led the other black-robbed priests to the ancient temple, and made a circle around a small altar. The torches played with their shadows, making dancing figures on the ground and walls.

The head priest made a motion for the vestment to be brought forth. Two hooded individuals carried the Box of K’ufu towards the altar. It hadn’t been easy getting the box back from the sky robbers, but after the foolish foreigner had found that the box carried nothing of any earthly value, he was quick to discard it.

The priest smiled to himself, of course, how could the man have known without being a Kurumuian, that it wasn’t what was *in* the Box that was important, but the Box itself!

The Box was set on top of the altar, its lid opened
Joe: releasing that disgusting ghost from The Ark of the Covenant.
Katarina: revealing a piece of paper: "Peace on Earth" was all it said… (lyrics from "One Tin Soldier")
Gidget: where the jack-in-the-box shot out, until Anthony wished him into the cornfield.
.

The chanting became more rapid.

Suddenly, a beam of blue light erupted from the ceiling and shone directly on the box. The priests outstretched their arms as a sign of welcoming to the gods.

The head priest raised his head to the heavens triumphantly.
Scarlet: …I give you…the Caramilk secret!
Katarina: …burritos!
Joe: …the telltale heart! Ba-boom! Ba-boom! Ba-Boom!
Carla Tortelli: Stop it!!!
Kit: …Rebecca’s top secret ‘Trespassers will be shot’ calendar that she keeps locked in her desk!
Rebecca: WHAAAAT?!!

Now the "Golden Age of Kurumu" had finally arrived.

* * *

Rebecca scratched her nose she got off the phone. She was feeling quite relaxed being back in her office, especially after spending some much needed quality time with her
Joe: …stock broker.
daughter Molly.

"Baloo, Kit, could you come here for a second?" She called to the two bears as they came down the stairs wearily. After Higher For Hire had received the reward money from Khan, they had gone out celebrating at Louie’s, and they were paying for it today.

"Yeah, what is it Beckers?" Baloo said roughly, wincing at the sunlight.
Wildcat: …’cause, like, he was part vampire, man!

"That was Tara I was talking to on the phone," she informed them.

Baloo rubbed his
Gidget: …nether regions
eyes. "Hmm?" He said. It was the only response he could think of.

"Why didn’t you let us talk to her?" Kit asked.

"She sends her apologies, Kit, but she’s on a very tight schedule trying to get this Kurumu thing figured out."

Kit frowned. He had found out yesterday when the reward money came that Tara was moving to Kurumu for a while to oversee development. He didn’t want her to go
Gidget: … pee-pee.
Joe: … to hell.

"What did she have to say?" Baloo asked.

"It turns out this Czar Ruben is really a good man who loves his country deeply. When the economy went under, he secretly asked to Professor Ratbert for
Gidget: …a quarter for the tampon machine.
help, but when Ratbert double-crossed him, he went to Khan Industries."

"But I thought Kurumu wouldn’t accept any foreign aide," Kit said.

"Well, it seems Mr. Khan made it so, technically, Khan Industries is working for Kurumu. They even made a contract that said Khan had to get everything running within six months. It’s a cover-up, but it’s the only way the people would accept help."

"Smart thinking," Baloo said. "So now Kurumu’s saved?"

"It looks like that," Rebecca said.

"And Ratbert’s rotting in a jail cell with Crocko for the next fifty years," Baloo smiled. Well, hooray for Khanie then. If you need me, I’ll be out hammock swinging,"
Gidget (as Baloo): …with some married couple I just met at the auction.
Baloo called as he went outside.

"Oh, Kit, she also told me to tell you something," Rebecca added.

Kit was expecting that. "What is it?"

"She said that if you ever want to fly for Khan, she can get any position you want on his air force," she smiled.

Kit tried to sound excited by the offer, but just couldn’t put up the effort. He was just too tired. "That’s great Miss Cunningham. I suppose that’s something to think about."

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused at his lack of
Joe: … intelligence.
Gidget: … bouncin’ and behavin’ hair.
Scarlet: … pants!
enthusiasm. "This is a wonderful opportunity, Kit." Rebecca knew how much Kit loved it
Katarina: Especially with Tammy!
at Higher For Hire, but she also knew he was destined for greater things than hauling
Gidget: … ass.
cargo.

"Yeah, I just don’t know if I’d want to work for Khan," he admitted.

"Well, it’s up to you, Kit," she shrugged as she went back to her folders.

Later, Baloo walked over to Kit, who was sitting at the end of the docks, watching the sunset. The sun was situated perfectly in between the gap in the cliffs, making the water turn into vivid shades of pink.
Gidget: Carrie had her period?

"Anything on your mind, lil britches?" He asked.

"Sort of," he said simply.

"Okay," Baloo smiled, then sat down
Gidget: … on top of

beside Kit as they both watched the sun
Gidget: …until their retinas had completely burned out.
sink below the horizon.

The Living End--mb

***

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