Disclaimer: I do not own TaleSpin!
Chapter Seven
The Rescue Rangers
Far away from Cape Suzette, the Iron Vulture was hovering over the sea, and inside, a furious Don Karnage was storming through the Iron Vulture toward his cabin.
"Who flies that super-fast red plane?" he demanded, smacking Mad Dog (who has been following him) across the face. "I must know before I put my wonderfully ingenious plans into action!"
"Ow…" Mad Dog whined, rubbing the spot where Karnage had struck him. "What is your plan this time, boss?"
They had entered the dark room of Karnage's cabin before Karnage rounded on Mad Dog.
"HOW DARE YOU QUESTION MY GLORIOUS SELF! I OUGHT TO HANG YOU BY YOUR PINKIES!" exploded Don Karnage. He had been in a very bad mood ever since their last encounter with the 'super-fast red plane' as he calls it.
"Sorry, Captain." Mad Dog said in his usual whiny nasal voice. He hope his captain will forget to punish him later.
"Really, if that's how you treat your men, I can't wait to see how you treat your enemies," said a voice from the darkness, it was a deep, cool voice that sent a chill up even the furious Don Karnage's spine.
"Tell me, foolish shadowy-type person, what is your name?" asked Don Karnage, "So I can carve it on your tombstone!" he added, withdrawing his sword, taking a swipe at air with it and slicing Dumptruck's top hat in half!
Instead of a reply, he heard a motor roaring to life, and out of the darkness, came the blade of a chainsaw, which sliced his sword into a dagger!
"MY SWORD! MY BEAUTIFUL SWORD!" screamed Karnage, falling his knees as though he had just lost his firstborn son.
"Ah gee, get a grip, Karnage. Just be thankful it wasn't your head I chopped off." The voice said in a cruel tone.
"Alright, who are you?" Karnage demanded as he stood up.
A white feathered duck in a red hat, yellow and red outfit with a black cape and mask stepped out of the darkness.
"Back in St. Canard, they call me NegaDuck." NegaDuck looked around the room. "Not bad of place you have here, it's perfect for my evil plans."
"Really, and what are these insignificant plans of yours?" asked Karnage.
"Okay, first you will give me command over this iron bird of yours."
"Iron Vulture!" Karnage snarled through gritted teeth.
"Yeah, yeah," NegaDuck said carelessly, waving a hand dismissively. "Then, with the help of my friend, Megavolt, we will rebuild the Lightning Gun and take over St. Canard and then Cape Suzette!"
"You idiot!" Karnage screamed at him. "It will never work!"
"And just why not?" NegaDuck asked coldly.
"Because you need the Stone to power it up! And we do not have the Stone anymore!"
"Ah, but that's where a certain boy comes in. I think you know this boy quite well, considering he was your protégé."
Karnage looked livid, but calmed himself. "What does Kit Cloudkicker have to do with anything? He is a worthless orphan."
"Not anymore," NegaDuck seated himself in Karnage's chair as though he owned the place. "He is very valuable to two bears, and these bears will do anything to save his worthless hide. I already sent the Liquidator to capture our little bear cub friend."
"And what are your purposes in capturing my worthless ex-protégé?"
"Ah, I will reveal that to you in time. First, Megavolt will rebuild the Lightning Gun, and then when the Liquidator returns with that kid, we'll move on to phase two of my plan."
"Okay, but I'm de one who gives de orders around—" Karnage suddenly stopped speaking when NegaDuck pulled the string on his chainsaw, starting it up and wielding it dangerously close to Karnage's nose.
"You were saying?" NegaDuck asked testily, still holding his faithful chainsaw.
"Heh-heh," Karnage said nervously, holding his hands up in surrender. "You're da Captain…"
NegaDuck grinned evilly. "I thought so." He said as he put his chainsaw away.
Back in Cape Suzette
Mathew hummed a merry tune as he moved gratefully toward Rebecca's deck, holding a briefcase in one hand.
"Oh, Rebecca…" sung Mathew happily, as he placed a briefcase on top of her desk and opening it to reveal its content, it was money.
"What's this?" asked Rebecca, staring at the money as though hardly daring to believe her eyes.
"Oh, just fifty thousand dollars for the SeaDuck." Mathew said, sounding casual. "Now hand me the deed and I'll be on my way."
"But why? You have the Phoenix and it's exactly the same as the Sea Duck."
"I owe Baloo a favor, so I'm buying his plane back for him." Mathew explained. Rebecca suddenly frowned.
"Sorry, no sale." Rebecca said, closing the briefcase and shoving it back into Mathew's arms.
"B-b-but Rebecca, why?" stammered Mathew, confused. He had not expected Rebecca to refuse.
"If Baloo wants his plane back so badly, he'd buy it himself."
"Do you honestly think that bear have enough self-restraint to save up that much?" Mathew asked testily.
Rebecca sighed. "No, I don't and I prefer it that way, I don't want Baloo to leave."
"He's not gonna leave…"
"Mathew, he's only working for me until he can buy the SeaDuck back and then he's out of here." Rebecca explained.
"Rebecca," said Mathew, sounding a little desperate. "I'm giving Baloo two favors, I already gave him the first one and now I just need to buy back the SeaDuck for him."
"What was the first favor you gave him?—A gift certificate for free Krakatoa Sundaes at Louie's for a year?"
Mathew smiled slightly. "No… I appointed him Kit's godfather."
Rebecca stood there, frozen, stunned by what she just heard.
"That is quite a big favor you gave him," Rebecca said. "He always loved Kit as a son but for some reason, they never discuss Baloo adopting him. I guess Baloo feared that the people at the Child Welfare would refuse him custody of Kit and take Kit away."
"Well, he won't have to worry about that anymore," Mathew said with a smile. "I have custody of Kit and I prefer those two together, they're good buddies and I'd hate to separate them. Beside, since I made Baloo his godfather, if something happens to me, Baloo will have automatic custody of him."
"Are you sure it's wise to put so much faith in Baloo like that?" asked Rebecca.
"Yes, I'm sure." Mathew said seriously. "He may be unreliable and irresponsible at times, but he loves and cares for Kit so much that he'd be willing to do anything for him, even if it means giving up Sea Duck and becoming a little more responsible. Face it, he may be lousy when it comes to working, but when it comes to flying and being a friend, you really couldn't ask for anyone better. Flying and being your friend are his best qualities."
"I guess you're right," Rebecca said, nodding her head in agreement.
"Now back to business," Mathew said in a business-like manner, placing his briefcase on desk once more. Then he reached into his flight jacket and pulled out an official-looking paper and handing it to Rebecca.
Rebecca took it and read it. "So you two came to the agreement that if you buy back the SeaDuck for Baloo, Baloo must keep working for me or else the plane is yours, right?"
Mathew nodded.
"Very good, Mathew," Rebecca said, approvingly, impressed with the way Mathew handled things. "He'd get his plane back but he won't be able to leave and I'd get fifty thousand dollars! It's brilliant!"
"Yeah, I wanted him to have his plane back. As a fellow pilot, I know how he feels about his plane, but at the same time, I didn't want him to leave. Because if he goes, Kit would go with him and I know that Kit prefers it here, as I told Baloo, this is his home and this where he is the happiest, with you, Baloo, Molly and Wildcat."
"Well, since Baloo can't quit Higher for Hire without losing his plane, I guess you got a deal!" Rebecca said, snatching the briefcase of fifty thousand dollars out of Mathew's hands and handing him the keys and deed to the Sea Duck. "But if you don't mind my asking, where did you get all this money?"
"It's not really my money," Mathew said. "Scrooge McDuck owed me a favor a couple of years back; I once saved his three grandnephews from falling into a pit of lava. He was so grateful, he said if there was any way he could repay me, just give him a call. Well at the time, I had plenty of money to do me a few more years in my search for Kit, so I said I'll call him back later. Yesterday, I went to Duckburg and asked him for a hundred thousand dollars. Very reluctantly, he granted my request and made it clear that that one favor was a one-time deal, no more favors from him. Therefore, I have fifty thousand dollars for the SeaDuck and another fifty thousand to save in the bank for a rainy day. You know, to pay for Kit's dentists and doctors, and if he ever ends up in a hospital, at least I'd be able to pay for it."
"That's a great idea, Mathew; you're going to make a wonderful father." Rebecca said.
"Well, I love him and I want to be able to provide for him as well as making him happy."
BOOM!
The whole building shook as though an earthquake was happening.
"What's going on?!" Rebecca asked in alarm.
"I don't know!" Mathew said, managing to keep his balance.
"Baloo! Hey—LEMME GO! Help! DAD!" Kit yelled from upstairs.
"Oh, no, Kit!" Mathew took off up the stairs toward Baloo and Kit's bedroom and threw open the door.
Baloo was trapped inside a giant bubble made of water and Kit was also in a bubble but his head stuck out of it so he could breathe.
"The Liquidator!" Mathew gasped as he saw who was holding his son, it was a dog made of water! "Let him go!"
The Liquidator turned, smirking to Mathew. "Here's a message from NegaDuck," he said. "Give us the Stone, or the kid gets it!" He turned to leave through the window.
Mathew quickly reached into his flight jacket and withdrew a black gas gun with three purple rings below the barrel, which was given to him by Darkwing Duck. He then withdrew a white canister from his pocket and shoved it into the barrel of the gas gun.
"Suck gas, evildoer!" Mathew said, quoting Darkwing Duck's famous line while taking aim at the Liquidator and shot the canister at him.
The canister hit the Liquidator as he turned around to face Mathew; it went through the surface of his belly, and settled inside him.
"Is this supposed to hurt me?" the Liquidator asked, mocking Mathew's efforts.
"No…" For some reason, Mathew was smirking. "Worse, you see, that canister contains clay mix, which if mixed with water, it turns into clay, and since you're made of water, your body is flowing that clay mix everywhere…"
"WHAT?!" yelled the Liquidator, examining his free hand, it was no longer blue water, but wet gray clay! And looking down, he saw that it had spread all over, his entire body was now clay!
Mathew, still smirking, pocketed his gas gun. "I gotta remember to thank Darkwing for giving me one of his spare gas guns."
He walked over to the Liquidator, now frozen, the clay had dried remarkably fast. The bubble Baloo was trapped in burst and Baloo fell to the floor, coughing.
"Who—what was that?" Baloo fluttered, still coughing.
"That was the Liquidator, a villain from St. Canard." Mathew replied, taking a hammer from a toolbox in the corner of the room, he walked over the statue of the Liquidator and breaking his clay-made wrist with the hammer, thus, freeing Kit from his grasp.
"Thanks Dad." Kit said gratefully, standing up.
Mathew scooped Kit up in his arms and hugged him.
"Why did that water…thing try to take me?" Kit asked with a nervous glance at the broken pieces of clay on the floor.
"Yeah, I'm wondering that myself." Baloo said, straightening up.
"I don't know…" Mathew confessed. "Do you have anything valuable?"
"Me? Are you kidding? The only things I have are this sweater," Kit picked at the collar of his green sweater for emphasis. "This cap," he pointed at the blue cap with the red brim on his head. "And this airfoil." He withdrew the airfoil from the inside of his sweater and flipped it open.
"Well, I can't think of any other reasons why the Liquidator would attempt to kidnap you." Mathew said.
"'Give us the Stone'…" Kit muttered, repeating the Liquidator's words with a thoughtful express. "The Stone…" and then it hit him! His eyes got very round with a mixture of shock and surprise. "Oh my gosh! They're after Shere Khan's Stone!"
"Stone? ...Shere Khan…What kind of stone is this… 'Stone'?" asked Mathew, his fingers did an air quote on the last word.
"It's a sub-electron amplifier, which means it can create an unlimited amount of electricity." Kit explained. "It's what powered up Lightning Gun."
"Sounds like something Megavolt would want." Mathew remarked.
"Lemme guess, another villain from St. Canard." Kit said, rolling his eyes.
"Yes, but this guy is a person with electrical powers and with the Stone, he could be more dangerous than he already is, probably would be Public Enemy Number One if all that electricity weren't frying his brain…"
"Don't tell me you brought some of St. Canard back here with you." Baloo said, looking a little worried.
"I'm not sure, Baloo," Mathew said with a serious expression. He looked down at Kit. "It appears that they're after Kit, and if that's the case, you and Kit must leave here as soon as possible."
"But what are you gonna do?" asked Baloo, with a hand on Kit's shoulder.
"I'm gonna call the Organization Phoenix and we're going to get to the bottom of this."
"The Organization Phoenix? What's that, Dad?" asked Kit.
Mathew sighed, he did promise that no secrets shall be kept between them and he was bound to his promises.
"It's a secret society of those that fights for the survival of the world." Mathew said, patting Kit on the head. "I'm in it, along with Darkwing Duck and Launchpad, the Rescue Rangers and Gizmo Duck. This world is in danger and we are fighting to protect it."
"Not that's it's my business or anything but why is this group called the Organization Phoenix?" Baloo asked.
"Because my Phoenix plane used to be our main means of transportation. With overdrive, it was our fastest plane." Mathew said with a little bit of pride. "Gadget and I worked on it and together, we made a turbo engine we call overdrive."
"Who's Gadget, Dad?" Kit asked.
"She's a member of the Rescue Rangers and the Organization Phoenix," Mathew answered. "She's the team's inventor, she's always inventing something and she's a good pilot too."
"Golly, you really think so?" said a female voice from behind them.
Mathew, Kit and Baloo turned around to see a female mouse in a purple jumpsuit, she was about Rebecca's height with long blond hair with a pair of pilot goggles on her head.
"How did you get in here?" asked Baloo, astounded.
"I came in through the front door," she said simply.
"Gadget! What are you doing here?" asked Mathew in surprise.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! YOU GET OUT OF HERE THIS INSTANT!" exploded Rebecca's voice from downstairs. "AND GET OUT OF THE REFRIGERATOR!"
"Chees-ssss-ssse!" They heard a voice say.
They ran out of the room and into the office and they saw two people at the refrigerator at the corner of the office.
"Sorry about this, ma'am," said a chipmunk, who was about her height, wearing a brown flight jacket and a fedora hat, looking kind of like Indiana Jones. He spoke in a squeaky chipmunk voice. He was trying to pull a fat Australian mouse out of the refrigerator. "Monterey Jack's got a cheese addiction, he can't help himself."
"Chip… Monty?" Mathew said in surprise from the upstairs' banisters. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Looking for you, mate." Monterey Jack said, once he got his cheese, the cheese attack was over.
Rebecca looked up at Mathew. "Mathew, you know these people?"
Mathew nodded. "They're the Rescue Rangers." He turned his attention to the Rescue Rangers. "What's up, guys? Where's Dale?"
"He's out gathering the other members of the Organization together and they're going to meet us back at the headquarters," said Chip. "We're leaving in a few minutes in the Phoenix."
"Say mate, is that yer son?" asked Monterery Jack, pointing at Kit who stood beside his Dad. "He looks just like you! The resemblance is just uncanny."
"Yes, Monty." Mathew said proudly, with a hand on Kit's shoulder.
"I'm sorry to tell you this, Mathew," said Chip, "But you're gonna have to bring the kid along with us, we believe a new group that NegaDuck formed is after him."
"Lemme guess," Mathew growled. "The Fearsome Five?"
"Nope, the Sinister Six," said Monterery Jack.
"Yeah," said Chip. "NegaDuck got rid of Quackerjack and Steelbeak and replaced them with Don Karnage and Fat Cat. He just now replaced the Liquidator with Darkwarrior Duck, he's even got Magica De Spell from Duckburg on his team."
"Who's Darkwarrior Duck?" asked Mathew, confused.
"He's another one of Darkwing's evil self from another dimension." Chip explained.
"Oh, man, NegaDuck just made the situation more dangerous for us." Mathew groaned.
"Yeah, but you know our motto," said Gadget.
"Yeah, I know…" Mathew sighed "'No case too big, no case too small.'"
"Mathew, we have to go now," Chip said urgently. "Bring everybody with you. After the Liquidator's failure, NegaDuck is likely to send more minions to kidnap Kit. And he's got lots of them, ogres, the Beagle Boys, the Air Pirates, Brushroot's plant army and Fat Cat's cat army."
"They want me for a stone I do not have?!" Kit asked angrily.
Gadget placed a hand on Kit's shoulder. "They don't know that you don't have it, Kit, they just assumed you have it because you knew about it and you were the one who stole it from Karnage in the first place.
"But…" Kit said, sounding a little scared. "It got destroyed with the Lightning Gun months ago! Nearly a year! It should be at the bottom of the ocean if it still existed."
"Come on, guys, we can chit-chat later, right now we need to get to the HQ." Chip said.
"Right you are, mate." Monterery Jack agreed.
Mathew picked Kit up and held him his arms, he turned to look at Baloo and Rebecca.
"We're going to have to take my plane and get out of here," he said. "I'll explain later!" he added as Baloo and Rebecca seem ready to protest.
They left Higher for Hire and boarded the Phoenix, Mathew and Kit in the cockpit while Baloo, Rebecca and the Rescue Rangers took the cargo hold.
Kit got out his maps and navigational tools. "What's our course?" He asked his Dad, preparing to draw lines from Cape Suzette to wherever they were going,
Mathew did not answer him, instead he started the engines and made the perfect take-off as usual.
"Dad?"
"Huh? What is it, Kit?" Mathew asked, looking at Kit.
Kit looked relieved. "Oh good, you're not ignoring me."
"Why would I do that?"
"I dunno." Kit shrugged. "You didn't answer me when I asked what our course is."
"It's a secret area, Kit, you wouldn't be able to find it on the map."
"Oh," said Kit, looking disappointed as he put his navigational things away.
Mathew looked sideways at Kit, he hated seeing him disappointed, all the kid wanted to do was help. Kit was looking out his window, looking a little sad that he had been denied the chance to be helpful to his Dad. Mathew tried to think of a way to cheer his cub up, and then it came to him.
'If he's anything like I was as a kid, this will over excite him…' Mathew thought.
Mathew reached over, lifted Kit out his seat and set him on his laps.
Kit's eyes widened, was this going where he thinks it is going?
"Kit," Mathew, took both of Kit's wrists and held them up to the flight sticks and Kit closed his fingers around the flight sticks with a disbelieving expression. "You take over from here, Lil Buddy,"
"You're letting me fly your plane?!" Kit squeaked, his excitement evidently building.
Mathew leaned back in his seat with his hands behind his head.
"Yeah, just hold it steady, fly straight ahead and don't get off course. Think you can handle that?"
Kit sat up straight in Mathew's laps so to see over dashboard at the windshield.
Flying felt incredible to Kit, he loved the feeling of piloting the plane. He was so happy that his Dad would let him fly his most prized possession—The Phoenix.
Mathew watched his son fly his plane with a proud expression.
I was right; he does have the same love for flying as I do. Mathew though, he patted Kit's head gently, Kit looked up at him with an overjoyed expression. He'll make a great pilot someday.
