A Little Becky Will Do Chapter 11 A Plan in the Making or, a tale spin fanfic

A Little Becky Will Do
By Douglas Helm and "Tuxedo" Will Wolfshohl

This story and our other Sailor Moon stories reside at our Shoujo Fiction dot com website. The complete story is available on ShoujoFiction.

Chapter 11 "A Plan in the Making or A Puppet on a String"

"Do-bee-do-bee-do..." Baloo Bear sang as he rolled the Seaduck over in a lazy barrel roll. Rebecca Cunningham (who was belted in the seat with Molly) giggled and clapped her hands. Her older companion gave her diminutive mother a dirty look.

"You seem pretty happy, Papa Bear. What's gives?" Kit asked and then speculated, "A party at Louie's?"

"Can I go?" Molly instantly demanded.

"There isn't a party, and even if there was, Pigtails, you wouldn't be goin'," Baloo commented. He glanced backwards just in time to see the golden bearess cross her arms and scowl at him. "Does that mean you want to go straight to bed when we get home?"

"No... DADDY," the six year old huffed.

"Then sit up straight and show me and Becky how much of a good girl you are," the gray bear instructed her. The cub frowned but did as she was told. Satisfied for the moment, Baloo turned back to Kit and answered the young bear's question. "No party, Kit, but Louie told me about the one last night. Apparently, a large group of ex-military types hit the Vulture looking for the same thing we're looking for."

"Somebody else is after the machine?" Molly deduced, eyes widening in panic. 'I don't want to be stuck with BECKY.' The kid was definitely cramping her style.

"What machine, Molly?" said subject chimed in curiously.

"The one that turned you into a little kid, stupid!" 'Jeez!' Molly hissed.

"Quit being mean! I ain't stupid!" the smaller bearess whined.

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"YOU ARE TOO!" Molly thundered, her shrill voice echoing off of the cockpit walls.

Rebecca took a deep breath and then said in the sugariest voice that she could muster, "I'm rubber, and you're glue. Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you!" Unfortunately for Kit, he laughed at the juvenile comeback. Molly gave the young navigator a betrayed look, which he failed to notice.

Baloo only sighed. "Take over for a second, Kit," he requested calmly as the two little girls continued to squabble behind him. Once the preteen had taken the yoke firmly in his paws, Baloo levered himself up out of his seat and retrieved both children. Tucking one under each arm, he headed for the cargo hold, closing the door on the way out with his foot.

Several minutes later, Baloo reemerged alone and settled himself back into the left seat. Seeing the questioning look on navigator's face, he explained, "That cargo netting makes a handy hammock. They're taking a nap, or at least being quiet." 'If they know what's good for them.'

Kit nodded and then asked, "Okay... So what did Louie say, Baloo?"

Before he answered, the big bear stretched, got into a comfortable position, and folded his arms across his chest, apparently not in any hurry to take control of the plane away from Kit. "It seems that these yahoos showed up at Louie's last night, blew a wad of dough big enough to choke an elephant, and let a few things slip, like the fact that their raid on the Iron Vulture went bust."

The cub listened to the rest of the story and then speculated, "This feels like a setup, Papa Bear."

"Sure it is, kid!" 'I ain't as dumb as Kahn thinks I am.'

"Huh?"

"Who do we know that's looking for the same thing we are?"

"Well Kahn, but didn't he say something about the government, Baloo?"

"Yeah, Kit, but I don't see the government hiring a bunch of mercenaries, do you?" When the twelve year old shook his head, the older bear continued, "Now there's a chance that somebody else found out about this, maybe one of Kahn's competitor's or somethin', but my money's on Shere Kahn himself."

"I dunno..." the younger man admitted while shaking his head in doubt. 'If I were their boss, I wouldn't let them near a place where they might blab about my operation.' Aloud, he remarked, "I doubt any mercenary group worth its salt would just let stuff about their last job slip." It was the same for Karnage's pirates when he was still with them. Loose lips meant severe punishment or worse, as some pirates had found out to their utter dismay. Kit frowned when he noticed Baloo smiling. "What?"

"That's just it, kid. Kahn, or more likely one of his cronies, planned it so I would find out," Baloo reasoned.

The young bear considered that for a minute or so before saying slowly, "So... let me get this straight... You think he told those mercenaries to celebrate at a place where you go to a lot so you would likely hear about whatever those goons let ACCIDENTALLY slip."

"By George, I think he's got it." The big bear winked.

"Doesn't seem like the straightest course, Papa Bear. I mean he wants it back almost as much as us. Why not just tell you?"

Baloo regarded his young navigator for a long moment before saying, "Kit, you're smarter than that!" When the preteen gave him a puzzled look, he explained, "Think! Kahn, and Karny for that matter, always gets OTHER people to the dirty work for 'em." He made a face. 'Like me...'

"Can't argue with that," Kit agreed with a tone of sourness creeping into his voice.

"Well, we know that Kahn snuck that doohickey out of Cape Suzette on the QT so the government couldn't get their paws on it. So he's gonna put as much distance as he can between that thing and his company and still keep control."

Kit pondered his mentor's words for several seconds before only shaking his head. After another moment of silence, he asked, "So what's the plan, Papa Bear?"

"The plan, Li'l Britches, is that you plot us - me, you, and Wildcat that is - a course to Pirate Island. We go in there tomorrow and nab the machine, or try to."

"And where are Molly and Becky going to be while we're off doing this? They'll wanna come along."

"I figure I can sweet-talk Crystal's mom into watching 'the little ones' for us." 'I hope we'll be back to get them.' It was going to be a risky and dangerous mission.

The preteen frowned and then remarked, "I don't know about that, Baloo. Becky promised her that Crystal could spend the night with Molly in a couple of days. She might not like being put upon so soon." 'Maybe Cindy could babysit them.'

"Yeah, I know. That's why we gotta be quick about this."

Kit agreed. They had little choice now. "Maybe I should try and hunt down Dr. Zivaldo and tell him we're bringing his machine back," he suggested.

"I dunno, Kit, ol' Kahny might not like you sniffing around his pet professor." Baloo then shrugged. "Eh... I don't s'ppose it would hurt. It'd save us some time... Probably let Kahn know we're going to get it too... if he don't already."

"And what if we can't get it back?"

The big pilot was silent for so long that Kit at first thought he wasn't going to answer his question. But then, Baloo almost muttered, "Well, I'll just be a dad again."

'Again?' Kit wondered.

# # # # #

Late afternoon sunlight painted the Cape Suzette cliffs fiery orange, red, and gold while a few puffy white clouds dotted an otherwise clear blue sky.

As Kit Cloudkicker closed the front door of the Higher for Hire office, he let out a long low sigh of mingled relief and exasperation. Giving a slight shake of his head, the young man crossed to the edge of the wharf and sat down, letting his feet hang over the edge.

'Man!' Kit thought, 'I just can't figure those two out... ' He grimaced. 'If we don't get that machine back soon, I might have to go join the Thembrian Air Force again to get some peace and quiet!' He paused, looked out over the harbor, drew in a deep lungful of salt air, and blew it out again. The preteen glanced over his shoulder as voices drew close to the open window by the stairs.

"But Baloo!" Molly's high-pitched voice whined. He watched the golden-furred cub pass by the window so deeply involved in her argument with her supposed father that she didn't even notice him outside. They passed out of sight as they went up the stairs even though Kit could still hear the six year old complaining.

Rebecca's face appeared at the window for a brief moment, her face revealing her unhappiness before she also disappeared up the stairs in Baloo's wake. Rebecca and Molly had kept their truce right through the end of supper. Their goodwill had evaporated though when Kit, foolishly perhaps, suggested to Baloo he should go look for Dr. Zivaldo. Molly had immediately wanted to accompany him, and since little Rebecca wasn't going to let her big sister have any advantage where "her boyfriend" was concerned, she immediately announced she was going as well.

'I'm glad Baloo squashed that idea,' Kit remembered as he turned his gaze back up the waterfront, more specifically to the old warehouse where he had met Dr. Zivaldo for the first time. 'I can't believe Papa Bear is actually bossing Becky around though... especially if he wants to make her an adult again. She'll be furious.' The gray bear had simply informed Rebecca that she was headed to bed now. Initially, Molly grew rather smug at that pronouncement. At least until Baloo informed her that it included her as well. He shook his head sadly at Molly's reaction. 'Baloo finally lost his temper!'

Kit had been torn between staying to watch Baloo and making an escape to avoid being dragged into the argument. The preteen eventually decided to use the opportunity make his escape. He leaving also gave the older bear some privacy to parent the two boisterous little girls. 'Besides,' Kit thought, 'Maybe I can get the doc to figure out how to reverse the process once we get the machine back!'

Baloo and he had briefly considered taking the eccentric fox along with them to Pirate Island but had almost immediately dismissed the idea. Shere Kahn wasn't likely to let them take Zivaldo and the mad genius was skittish enough as it was, without exposing him to the danger involved.

The young man rubbed his chin as he regarded the apparently abandoned warehouse about a block away from the Higher for Hire office's front door. Not long after the shrinking ray incident (he later found out), Dr. Zivaldo went to work for Shere Kahn. Nevertheless, as far as he knew, there was still equipment in there under tarps. That made it the most obvious place to begin his search. 'I wonder if he's still there?' Kit grimaced. 'I hope so. If not, how the heck are we supposed to find him?' Shere Kahn was unlikely to point out the scientist's new residence. Thinking of the ruthless tiger, another thought occurred to him, 'I bet Kahn has somebody watching Zivaldo.'

# # # # #

Dr. Zivaldo adjusted the thick-rimmed glasses on his nose and peered around nervously. He was in an alleyway, just across from his primary laboratory. 'Oh! That assistant Kahn gave me is useless!' The genius wrinkled his muzzle in distaste. 'She's smart enough but no imagination!'

He jumped at a sound behind him. Whirling, he stared into the murky depths of the dark alley. 'Kahn is watching me but I'm not as naive as he thinks. He can't know about all of my projects, can he?' Once his heartbeat had calmed somewhat, he turned his attention back to the nondescript warehouse. It was so tantalizingly close. 'Need to renew my creativity. I need to work on my other projects.' So many ideas danced around in his mind that he hardly knew which way to go. 'They can't understand!'

After several seconds of dithering, the diminutive fox scraped up all the courage his soul could muster and dashed across the dampened street to his front door of his secret laboratory. He glanced around again as he fumbled with his keys. 'Good... No one's seen me!'

The good doctor was wrong. At least two people watched as he entered the building. One of them was part of Kahn Industries security forces; the other was Kit Cloudkicker.

# # # # #

It was dark by the time Kit got back home. There he found Baloo waiting for him. The young bear thought his guardian might start scolding him but all he asked was, "So how did it go, Li'l Britches?"

Kit shook his head. "He's just as loopy as ever." The preteen stopped and glanced up the stairs.

"They're asleep, Kit," Baloo remarked.

"I just don't know why Molly is acting like this..." The child has always been rambunctious. 'She's never been this crazy.'

Baloo walked over to his easy chair and settled himself in it. "Li'l Britches, it's pretty simple. Molly wants her mom back. For that matter, so do I. And before you ask, I do think there's some part of the old Rebecca in there still. On the other hand... Well... Beckers let Molly have more of a run than I do and it's hard for the kid ta get used to that." Baloo knew from firsthand experience that children are limited on how they can express their feelings. Acting out is common. He gave the young man before him a long look. "I remember how you reacted when I tried to get on you about Dan." Kit flushed as the memories that came rushing back to him.

"Baloo..."

Baloo waved his protégé to silence and continued, "There's a mighty big difference between you and Molly, Kit. One of those is that you were used to looking after yourself so you developed the skills to do it. Molly is a loveable, energetic, and curious little girl but she's also not very responsible... Don't know many six year olds that are responsible come to think of it." He shrugged.

Kit sighed. "I know... So did you find them a 'sitter?"

"Yes. Do you think you'll have our flight plan ready by tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah. Got most of it done already," Kit replied. "It's the other part... I mean the doc gave me some notes. I can't follow them though."

"Why not show them to Wildcat, kid?" The cub blinked for a moment and then grinned.

"That actually might work!" Kit chirped. 'Let one eccentric genius look at another genius' work.'

# # # # #

That evening, a thick fog rolled in and covered the Cape Suzette harbor. Everyone at Higher for Hire was asleep or preparing for bed. Across town though in the office building of Kahn Industries, the lights were still glowing brightly. The wealthy entrepreneur lifted his head at the sound of a distant foghorn. He paused for a moment and then turned his attention back to the legal documents on his desk.

For several minutes, he sat and read steadily through the business contract until the ringing of his telephone drew his attention away. Reaching over, he lifted the receiver and said, "Yes?"

"Mr. Kahn," came the voice of one of his female executives, "Higher for Hire placed an order with our petroleum division for 1200 gallons of aviation fuel. They asked to have it delivered as quickly as possible to their cargo dock."

'Excellent.' The smartly-dressed tiger considered his options for a moment and then slowly smiled. "Please see to it that one of our tanker trucks makes delivery first thing in the morning."

"Yes sir," the woman replied and there was a click on the other end of the phone.

The tiger worked the phone for a moment to get a signal and then he dialed another number. When the other end was picked up, he declared, "The instructions I gave you today... Make sure they are carried out by dawn tomorrow. Also, send word to the Air Pirates that I accept their latest offer with the caveats we discussed." Hanging up the phone, Shere Kahn settled himself back in the chair.

'Things are coming together... Karnage asked for a third party and so I will suggest one... a fat one...' The businessman smiled ferally. 'I'm sure the pirates will be satisfied with the payment. I'll easily recoup my losses after Dr. Zivaldo modifies it.' He had briefly considered double-crossing Karnage but the Air Pirate Captain and his surly men occasionally had their uses. 'I doubt Karnage will double-cross me... but just in case, I'm going to have a little insurance for Baloo Bear and his crew...'

Setting the matter aside, he turned back to the document before him. Business waited for no man after all.

# # # # #

Little Rebecca yawned as she left the bathroom. It was still before dawn; everybody but her was asleep. Only a foghorn and a buoy clanging in the distance could be heard. She paused at the bedroom she was sharing with Molly and considered the events of that day. 'Louie's was fun!' Her tummy gurgled happily at the memory of the special sundae. 'I was a very good girl. I wish I could've cloudsurfed with Kit but Big Sis was being naughty!' To be fair to the golden cub, the six year old hadn't really been that bad. In fact, the quarrel that the pair had got into on the way home had been equally Rebecca's fault. Nevertheless, the five year old would never admit to such a thing, or how much she loved and admired her new big sister. She just wished the older girl treated her a little kinder. She figured that would come in time.

The petite bearess considered sneaking downstairs to cop a cookie but then decided against such a thing. She also considered going to snuggle with Kit in his bed. However, if Molly caught her, that would cause trouble. 'And waking up Uncle Baloo would be BAD.' With that thought, she reluctantly went back to bed. She crawled in beside Molly who was muttering about Frosty Pep and Danger Woman. She lightly hugged the girl.

'Frosty Pep is yucky!' Rebecca thought sleepily. 'And why does Uncle Baloo want me to grow up? I don't want that funny machine to be used!' She vaguely remembered it, remembered being bigger, but that didn't seem so nice. She was having much more fun now. She had a sister and an uncle now. She felt truly loved. 'Uncle Baloo said we could go play with Crystal soon. I hope she's nice.' She had a vague idea of whom Crystal was, as if she'd met the bunny girl before. Had she been friends with Crystal's mommy? She couldn't really remember for certain and it was late.

Snuggling under the covers, the brunette bearess fell back to asleep completely unaware that someone else was up at the same time she was. And they were very close to Higher for Hire.

# # # # #

There was still patchy fog in Cape Suzette. The early morning sun was only a smear of white across the eastern horizon. Kit Cloudkicker frowned at the fog but then shrugged. The young man was standing beside the open cargo hatch of the Seaduck. Wildcat, ace mechanic, was currently astride the starboard wing, his head buried in the engine's guts.

"How's it going?" Kit called out. He made sure his voice was pitched loud enough for Wildcat to be able to hear him.

The lion's head popped up. He looked around for a moment, spotted Kit, and then gave a thumbs-up. "She's all topped off and ready to purr like a cuddly kitten!" Wildcat declared.

Kit tuned the mechanic out as the man continued to croon softly to the starboard engine, like a mother talking to a child. 'Gosh, I hope Becky and Molly get along okay at Crystal's today.' Baloo was gone dropping the two girls off. Thinking of the large bear made Kit check his watch. 'He should be back any time.' After glancing once more at the overcast sky, he entered the plane and made his way up to the cockpit.

Settling into the co-pilot's seat, Kit pulled out his charts and consulted them, rechecking the course he had plotted. Flying from Cape Suzette to Louie's wasn't going to be a problem unless the seaplane and its crew encountered heavy weather. That was unlikely. Fair weather was forecast when he filed their flight plan - a milk run to Louie's and back - with the Cape Suzette Aviation Administration. What was really worrying Kit (and Baloo although he was hiding it better) was the unpredictable weather around Pirate Island.

He could understand why Don Karnage had selected its location for his main base. The Air Pirates had built it on an island with an active volcano. But that wasn't the only reason. The island presented all sorts of menaces to navigation. Mixing together treacherous sea currents, high cliffs, volcanic haze, and magnetic anomalies, it had the potential for some hellish storms of a level that Kit rarely encountered anywhere else.

After checking, and rechecking, their purposed flight path, Kit put his maps away and only then realized that someone else was in the cockpit with him. He looked to his left and found Baloo sitting quietly in the left seat, a faint smile on his face. "I was starting to think you were going to burn a hole in those maps the way you were scowling at them, Li'l Britches."

Kit blinked and then shook his head slightly. "We have one mile visibility, calm winds, and a 4000 foot ceiling. Visibility unlimited above that. Altimeter two-niner-niner-four."

"Got it." He reached and set the altimeter.

"I just wish there were an easier way to get there... or maybe that we didn't have to go at all."

"I know, partner, I know," Baloo agreed with a heavy sigh. "Well, the sooner we go, the sooner we get back. I think Crystal and Becky will hit it off pretty good but I pulled Molly aside and made a few things clear."

"Like what, Baloo?"

The gray bear regarded him for a long moment and then explained, "I promised her that I was gonna do my best to get the machine back, to get her mom back, so we can get her mom back to normal but until we do, I expected her to be on her best behavior. I also told her I'd be very unhappy if I found out she was naughty today."

"You did tell Crystal's mom we might not be back today, right?"

"I told her that I'd get back as soon as I could but it was hard to say exactly because we're likely to hit some rough weather on this 'run'. I also promised her that Becky had no problem with Crystal spending the entire weekend next weekend to make up for her inconvenience." The big bear grinned. "So, Mr. Cloudkicker, you better hope we get the machine back... or you'll have THREE little girls to entertain next weekend."

Kit quite seriously considered telling Baloo exactly what he thought of him at that moment. The cub didn't however but it was a close call.

# # # # #

"Here ya go, fuzzy," Louie said as he handed Baloo a rather large picnic basket.

"What's this, barkeep?" the bulbous pilot asked while gingerly lifting the lid of the basket before looking at his longtime friend.

Louie removed his hat with his foot and fanned himself slowly with it. The morning sunlight was warm but not overly hot. The orangutan looked past Baloo to where his men (several gorillas) were going over the Seaduck. Baloo, Kit, and Wildcat had stopped at Louie's Place to top off their gas tanks just in case.

"Call it my contribution to helping get Rebecca back," the ape declared, giving the gray bear a serious look.

"Thanks, Louie. You didn't have to though."

The orangutan grimaced slightly and then shook his head. "Rebecca's a friend, but more than that, I owe her. She pulled you out of that tailspin you were in since THE funeral." Baloo looked away for a moment and then let out a long sigh before he turned back to nod while meeting his longtime friend's eyes. "I didn't say nothing then. You're a big boy but I didn't like it. Rebecca helped set you get back on course. The fact that you aren't even tempted to keep her this way to replace... well..." He shrugged and replaced his wide-brim hat.

"I was, Louie... for about three seconds," Baloo admitted. "It'll be hard to get Becky back to normal but it's the right thing to do." He owed that to Molly and Kit as well. He made a face. "She reminds me so much of my little girl..."

Louie regarded him for a moment and then offered lightheartedly, "Y'know if you wanted another kid, you could always marry Rebecca."

This made Baloo laugh; his face lightened. "Naw, Louie. We're friends but I don't think either of us wants that type of relationship. I know Molly wanted that but I don't think she's found my... 'daddy skills' to be up to her expectations." The ape chuckled at that.

"Well fuzzy," Louie began, "Who knows... Maybe with your luck, you'll stumble on a younger FEMALE version of Kit to raise one day." He had to laugh as his friend's face paled at the prospect.

# # # # #

Aboard the Kahn Industries Ship Sutherland (one of the conglomerate's pocket battleships) about twenty miles from Louie's island, Captain Garth Weber was working in his day cabin. He and his ship had been entrusted with an important mission. The lion was sitting at his desk in his sea cabin updating his log when a knock came at his door. "Enter," he called out after marking his place.

The door opened and his executive officer came in. "Captain," the XO announced, "Radio reports that our target is moving again. Signal strong."

Captain Weber glanced at the clock on the wall and then nodded. "Very well, Number One, adjust our course appropriately. All ahead flank. Then have Radio contact Kahn Tower..." The XO quickly pulled out a small notebook from the pocket of his uniform poised to write. "Message: Target is moving. Continuing to track as instructed. Position... Fill in our position. Course: Fill in our course. Will advise. KIS Sutherland."

"Aye aye, sir!"

'I wonder if we'll actually find Pirate Island?' the lion thought, 'That would be nice. I'd love to help eradicate that pit of vipers once and for all!'

Coming next in Chapter 12 "Return for Plunder"