Dumptruck tossed the children, not too gently, into a small cell with two barred windows overlooking the sky. Kit recognized it from his time as pirate. Dumptruck then set the key wring on his belt and turned his back. Seeing his chance, Kit made a swipe and waited until the pirate was out of sight.

"Coast is clear," he said, peering through the bars. "Now all we have to do is…Eliza, you okay?" His friend hugged her trembling self on the bench. She nodded, but the jerking manner said otherwise. Kit touched her shoulder. "It'll be okay."

"No, it won't!" she sobbed. "There's no way my uncle's going to pay a ransom that ridiculous."

"Are you sure?"

"After I snapped at him, why would he?" Eliza lowered her head into her knees. "I'm sorry, Kit. I wasn't even sure he would pay for you. I just had to think fast."

"We'll worry about that later." As he spoke, Kit jingled the key ring.

Eliza's back straightened abruptly, her mouth forming an O-shape. "How?"

"I snitched them off Dumptruck before he left." He rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. "I might've learned a trick or two from pirating. Hey!" In that moment, Eliza threw her arms around Kit and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Kit, you're fantastic!"

"Yuck!" Kit wiped his cheek with his sleeve, covering a blush. "Let's just go."

The children crept through the corridors, ears open, eyes on every corner. The Iron Vulture seemed to go on forever. It was like being in the belly of a massive beast, all light and hope from the world cut off.

"Got a plan?" Eliza whispered.

"Yeah, get to the radio and call for- wait!" Kit pulled her by the hand behind a crate at the sound of whistling. The children huddled, holding their breaths as the pirate walked by. Luckily, he was too lost in his whistling to notice anything. Once the pirate was turned the curve of the corridor, Kit led Eliza onward.

"Anyway," Kit continued, "We radio for help. Someone's bound to hear."

"I hope so," Eliza shuddered. The silent corridor was unnerving, and one question lingered. "Kit, why did Karnage call you his protégé?"

Kit winced and bit his lip.

"Sorry," said Eliza. "If you don't want to talk about it- "

"I was one of his pirates." The footsteps behind him paused. Eliza had stopped in her tracks, eyes like saucers. Kit shrugged. "I guess we both had secrets."

"But how?"

"I never knew my parents. Grew up on the streets, learned to navigate with the hobos. One day I was hitching a friendly flight when Karnage attacked. I thought he was gonna throw me overboard, but he said I had spunk and offered me a place with his crew. Said I'd like his family." Kit slunk his head. "Some family. When I got sick of Karnage, I ran away and found Baloo."

Eliza processed this new information, looking back to when they first met at recess, when he showed his disdain for pirates. To think, at one point she would've joined the pirates in a heartbeat. "Kit, I didn't know how bad you had it."

"Not anymore," Kit smiled. "I've got Baloo, Miss Cunningham, and Molly. They're my real family." Eliza's footsteps stopped again. When he turned, she was staring at her feet. "You okay?"

"It's just," her voice softened. "What if I was wrong about Uncle Shere? He's scary but that doesn't mean he's a bad person. And I doubt Karnage was much of a parent."

"No, he wasn't."

Eliza compared the last two days to the previous month. How much more involved he had gotten in her life. He cared about her future even if they disagreed. That was more than she could say for Karnage trying to make Kit a pirate. "Uncle Shere never raised a kid before, but he still tried to make the best of it. While I barely gave him a chance." She clasped her forearm. "After what I said, I wouldn't blame him for not wanting me back."

"He sure sounded worried over the radio."

"True." Eliza lowered her eyes. The reminder heightened her guilt. "Speaking of which, we should get going."

"Oh, yeah." Their footsteps were the only sounds as both minds weighed with each step. Finally, Kit broke the silence. "I don't know if it helps, but Baloo and I had a fight once."

"Really?" Eliza stared. "But you seem so close."

"Doesn't mean it's perfect." Kit wrung his hands. "While I was cloud surfing, I started showing off to another pilot when a storm started. Baloo blew up at me for taking chances, and I kept making excuses."

"Sounds bad."

"It didn't stop there. That other pilot wanted me in his crazy stunt show. Baloo tried talking me out of it, but I was so stupid, I thought he was tying me down." Kit cringed. "I said some things I still regret."

Eliza grimaced. She could think of a few things she would gladly take back. "Then what happened?"

"I ran away to join the show anyway, but that pilot really was crazy." Kit's brows crossed. "A phony too. So I quit, but I wasn't sure Baloo would want me back. But," Kit smiled, "he came right when I needed him most."

Eliza smiled back. "That's good." While Kit's story was encouraging, Shere Khan and Baloo were two different people. She wasn't sure the latter would be as forgiving. Still, if she could make it up in any way...hard to say how if she cost him his life-earned fortune. "Next time I see Uncle Shere- "

"Sh!" Kit hissed, dragging her by the sleeve behind another crate. He had caught a third set of footsteps approaching faintly approaching. Once again, they stiffened like statues in their hiding place, waiting for the pirate to pass. "Come on," Kit whispered, leading her away from the crate. They didn't notice the board leaning against the crate. In their haste, they bumped into the board, knocking it with a clatter echoing down the corridor.

"Hey, what?" the pirate lurched.

"Uh oh," the children yelped simultaneously.

Kit clasped Eliza's hand. "Run!"

FYI: Kit's backstory is revealed in the comic "The Long Flight Home." The fight with Baloo is from the episode "Stormy Weather."