Three Weeks. 

            Three weeks had gone by with no word from Karnage-- not even any pirate raids, anywhere. It was like he had vanished from the face of the earth.  Becky alternated between tormenting the police and bursting into tears.  Baloo and Kit had flown here there and everywhere, but not  a single sign of Molly. 

            Mr. Wurkle had been unexpectedly supportive, arranging for some of his friends in the FBI to aid them, and so it was one day at Higher for Hire when Molly's teacher dropped by. 

            Baloo didn't have much use for teachers, normally, but Wurkle had been helpful.  The graying tiger walked in, and nodded to Baloo.

            "No news?"

            "None." Baloo said, "I mean, this isn't normal for Karney-- he would normally be sending a ransom note right away."  The horrible thought that Baloo had been keeping away popped up. "Yah don't think he-"

            "No.  I'm certain something else is occurring."  Wurkle said with certainty.  "Karnage does not appear to be a cold blooded murderer.  I think that Molly is part of one of his ridiculously complex plans.

            "You sound like you know him."

            "Not personally, but I did work in the shore patrol before becoming a teacher."  Wurkle shrugged.  "It's not his…style."

            "Ya got that right."  Baloo said, "I'm just surprised Pigtails hasn't gotten away."

            "Who says she wants to?"  Wurkle asked.  Baloo blinked, then swelled up as the meaning of Wurkle's words penetrated his mind.

            "Now just a cotton picking moment!  Pigtails would never work with Karny."  Wurkle shrugged.

            "Not as such, certainly."  He frowned, "But she was very upset, with good reason, I feel.  In that condition she might not be as eager to return as she would be otherwise…"

***

            "Hah!"  Karnage said, barely ducking his opponents sword.  Molly closed in, intent on the kill, as Karnage backpedaled, towards the edge of the hanger bay. Sitting on an airplane wing, Mad Dog and Dumptruck both were watching.

            "She doesn't look like the captain."  Dumptruck said,

            "She doesn't move like the captain either,"  Maddog agreed.   

            Molly made a final swing, but Karnage ducked it and swept forward with a leg, tripping the larger teenager to the deck.  Before Molly could get up, his sword point came to lightly rest just over her collar bone. 

            "You are much better, my Plundering Protegette."  Karnage said, "In fact, you are almost not as good as my own mangling self."  He smiled, "And now… we well prepare to get the final key in my master plan!"

            "Oh?" Molly said, standing up and sliding her sword into its sheathe, opposite her holstered gun and whip. "You're finally going to tell me?"

            "Why yes,"  Karnage smiled, looking behind Dumptruck and Maddog, to where the doctor sat. This would be the big test to see if the treatment had taken. 

            "You see, Shere Khan has finally built another sparkly knickaty knack that I will use to power a new lightning gun!"  Molly folded her arms at that. However she didn't seem at all disturbed at using the gun, but…

            "That won't work." Molly said.

            "It would have worked last time, except for the blundering bear!"  Karnage said getting a little annoyed.  Who was his protegette to say it wouldn't work?

            "And on the way out, the Cape Suzzette fighters will blow you out of the sky." Molly said.  "You let me fly with your…pilots, remember?"  She cocked her hips, "A blind man with one arm could outfly them."

            "Hey…" Maddog whined.

            "And what does that matter, we have the lightning gun!" Karnage said.

            "Which fires in one direction-- what's to keep someone from flying behind the Vulture and blowing it up from that direction?"  Karnage opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again.

            "I had not thought of that inconsequentiality".  He admitted at last.  "What would you do?" He asked, throwing the question back to her.  Molly chewed her lower lip and had a thoughtful expression on her face.

            "Well, we need a way to cover all the blind spot…. RACHET!"  She shouted, "GET DOWN HERE!"  As that worthy scrambled down, Molly turned to Karnage and smiled.

            "I have an idea…"

            "What is it?"

            "A surprise."

            "Oh goody! I love surprises!  Will it make big kabooms!?"

            "The biggest."  Molly assured him with a smile on her face.

***

            "Baloo."  Rebecca said, as Baloo came into the office of Higher For Hire.  The bear sighed at her appearance.  Becky's hair was disordered and lifeless, her eyes deeply shadowed.   She hadn't been sleeping much-- and she hadn't gone back to the apartment once since Molly had vanished.

            "Baloo." She repeated, "Shere Khan has something for you to ship-- some kind of secret package that he doesn't want to trust his regular lines with."  She gestured at the box, padlocked and heavy, sitting below the desk.

            "How much is he paying, Beckers?"

            "Twenty-thousand dollars."  Becky said in the same defeated voice, not a trace of joy at what had to be the most money she'd seen in the last several years.

            "OK…um… do you want Kit to stay here with you?"

            "No, I'll be OK with Wildcat… and take Kit with you-- I want to make certain nothing happens to it." Baloo nodded at that, and picking the package up, headed for the door.

            "Beckers?"

            "Yes Baloo?"

            "She'll come back."

            Later, on the Sea Duck, Kit and Baloo were watching the water. They'd taken as much of a detour as they'd dared to, and were taking the time to see if they could spot any sign of Molly.

            "Nothing."  Kit said. 

            "Yeah, that's about the size of it, Britches-- let's stop at Louie's and see if he's heard anything."  Kit nodded and checked the chronometer. 

            "We've got enough time,"  The younger bear agreed.

            At Louie's the mood was equally glum. Louie felt like a near uncle to Molly and her face was pasted on the flight wall, with a reward under it. 

            "No news, Cuz."  He said. 

            "Damn." Baloo sat down heavily.  "Becker's falling apart, Louie."

            "Do you blame her?" Louie asked, "Kid's about the only thing she has left, leastways in blood."  Baloo nodded morosely. 

            ***

            "Are you certain they have it?"

            "Yes Ma'am, I saw it dropped off from a Khan car at Higher For Hire."

            "Good!"

            "Um…are you going to tell the boss?"  The female voice replied cheerily.

            "No, he doesn't need to have his nap interrupted-- and I know exactly where they'll be!"  Molly snapped off the radio and turned to Maddog.  "Get five pilots-- and put one of them in the two seater.

            "What about your plane?" 

            "I won't need it."  Molly grinned, "I'm going to catch a ride."

            ***

            Baloo and Kit were coming out of Louies, when they suddenly saw someone frantically running towards them down the beach.  It was a…girl-- no, it was MOLLY!

            "Get the plane started, get the plane started!"  She screamed.  Baloo and Kit paused for a second, then darted for the Sea Duck as five pirate fighters came up and over the treeline, opening fire on the parked aircraft.  Baloo and Kit piled in, Molly coming right after, as Baloo beat all records starting up the engines. 

            "Hang on!"  He said, as the Sea Duck pulled back and started to take off, bullets whipping past it.  For a second Kit thought he head Molly muttering something about 'she told them to miss', but that was obviously just the sound of the bullets.  Baloo did a triple loop, which had everyone holding on for dear life, and pulled straight up into a cloud bank.

            "There!"  Baloo said, "That'll lose them. Pigtails, what happened to you?"  He said, looking at her.  Molly was wearing shorts,  boots, and a shirt that was tied down across her midriff, leaving her stomach bare.  Some kind of backpack, a whip, and goggle completed her dress. "Becker's is gonna ground you forever, once she gets over being happy to see you."   Baloo said.  There was a slight flash from Molly's eyes.

            "Yeah, I just had to get back to my home economics class."  Molly said.  "Don Karnage heard something about you having a secret package, and I managed to sneak out."  She looked around the cabin.  "What was it?"

            "Don't know." Baloo said, "It's in that box, over there."  Molly walked over to it and hefted it easily. 

            "Big locks."  She said.

            "Huh?  Oh, yeah!" Kit said.  Why doesn't she have boyfriends? He thought, if it wasn't for the fact that she was his sister (in spirit if not blood), he'd be right in there trying to get ahead of the pack.    Molly strolled into the cargo bay.

            "Pigtails?" Baloo asked, "Where are you going?"

            "Back."  Molly said, hitting the door release.  The wind started to whip through the plane.

            "HEY!"  Baloo bellowed, "What are you doing?"

            "Picking up my package!" Molly shouted back.  Kit advanced on her.

            "Molly, you don't have to do this-- we can take you back to Cape Suzzette!"  He said, trying to grab her.

            "I don't want to go back to Cape Suzzette-- Tell mom that everything's ok…and stop trying to grab me, I warn you!"

            "Molly, I'm not going to let you-OOFFF!"  Kit had tried to grab her and Molly brought her knee up so hard that Kit's head actually hit the roof of the plane.

            "I'm sorry Kit." Molly said, as Kit sagged down into the traditional Dance Of The Dying Cockroach .  She leaned down and gave him a kiss on his cheek, then dove out of the rear of the plane, as Baloo, who had managed to wedge the wheel with his "autopilot" came charging out, just in time to see Molly dive out into a thousand feet of empty air.

            'PIGTAILS!"  He bellowed, horrified, but then Molly did something and her backpack opened up into a para-glider, with a small rocket thrusting away.  She circled the Sea Duck once, then dove into the white mists of a cloud and was lost from sight.  Baloo looked down at Kit, still pale and wheezing.

            "Well, Papabear." Kit said, "are you going to tell Rebecca, or shall I?"

            There was nothing to say to that, as both men turned stunned gazes to the now empty air.


 
 

            My dear, I hypnotized her. You are responsible for making her inner child ah, ah…Axe muderer!