CANNONBALL RUN 4: HIGH OCTANE By The Turbo Man

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE HEAT IS ON (AFRICA)

DISCLAIMER: I still own nada apart from my own characters. The Lancia Bertone Stratos 0 that Max Damage is driving from now on is a real vehicle. It was used in the Michael Jackson movie MOONWALKER and I thought it looked cool so I'm using it here.

Special thanks to my brother Luke for his help with some aspects of this chapter. Now, to the story.

In the betting room, Ian the Shark had taken the Lone Rangers, Ozzy Osbourne and Tom Jones aside.

"Okay, here's the deal." Ian was saying. "The record company is offering you guys and the other artists $20 million each if you agree to record the songs you're going to be playing as a Cannonball Run album. You know, like that NASCAR album Metallica and those other guys did songs for?".

"Hey, that sounds good." Rex said. "$20 mil each.".

"I'm not so sure." Pip replied. "There's got to be a catch somewhere.".

"How long are they going to give us to think about it?" Chazz asked.

"Probably until the end of the race." Tom Jones said. "Look, Ian, I don't know if I'll be available for that or not. I've got these guys who are opening a new hotel resort in Nevada pestering me to sing at their casino/hotel. They hardly leave me alone.".

"Yeah, and I was hoping to spend some time at home after all this is over." Ozzy said. "Sharon worries every time I leave the house. And someone's got to keep Jack and Kelly from killing each other!".

"Well, it's a lucrative offer." Ian said. "I just thought you'd like to hear about it.".

"Well, if you guys will excuse me, I'm going to check on my bet.". Tom said as he left the others and headed on to the desk.

"Hey, Donkey." he said. "Any word on the Hermes?".

"They were one of the first teams to enter Africa. Looks like you've backed a winner.".

"I hope so." Tom said.

Jack was talking to Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith.

"We need you to give us the info quick, Jack. We're on stage in five minutes." Joe said.

"Okay, your bet was on the Interceptor, right?". Jack asked.

"That's right." Steven said.

"He's pretty far up in the ranking right now, but the rest of the field are gaining. If Max isn't careful, he'll lose his lead.".

"Thanks. Okay, Joe, let's go.".

The two musicians joined the rest of their group and headed out to the stage.

"We're now going over to our African correspondents." Lazlow said to the camera.

"Here are Jack Black and Kyle Gass, collectively known as Tenacious D, and their good friend Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters." Kat said.

"Hi guys!" Jack Black said as he waved at the camera. Kyle and Dave were standing with him. All three were wearing Safari outfits.

"It's got to be above 95 degrees in the shade here." Jack said. "Not that there's much shade!".

"We're all hoping the Cannonballers will be okay. They've come from one weather extreme to another." Kyle said.

"When we saw the guys enter this country, they were giving it their all." Dave said. "We hope they brought some Evian with them for this leg of the race.".

"So, can you tell us who was leading?" Misty asked.

"I believe that Malice was the first vehicle we saw come this way." replied Jack. "They took to the sky as soon as they got here.".

"The Hermes wasn't too far behind." Kyle said. "They have no choice but to go on land, 'cause there's not much water around here.".

"Thanks you guys." Lazlow said. "Well, as usual, our prayers are with the Cannonballers. But we know that these guys are no quitters.".

"You g-g-got that right, Lazlow." said Max. "We'll bring you folks more details as we get them.".

"And now here are Aerosmith." said Misty. "These guys are doing one of their own songs for us. I spoke to the guys and they said that the song's title aptly describes the Cannonballers. The song is Amazing.".

I kept the right ones out

And let the wrong ones in

Had an angel of mercy

To see me through all my sins

There were times in my life

When I was goin' insane

Tryin' to walk through the pain

And when I lost my grip

And I hit the floor

Yeah, I thought I could leave

But couldn't get out the door

I was so sick n' tired

Of livin' a lie

I was wishing that I would die

It's amazing

With the blink of an eye

You finally see the light

It's amazing

That when the moment arrives

You know you'll be alright

It's amazing

And I'm saying a prayer

To the desperate hearts tonight

That one last shot's a Permanent Vacation

And a how high can you fly with broken wings

Life's a journey - not a destination

And I just can't tell just what tomorrow brings

You have to learn to crawl

Before you learn to walk

But I just couldn't listen

To all that righteous talk

I was out on the street

Just tryin' to survive

Scratchin' to stay alive

It's amazing

With the blink of an eye

You finally see the light

It's amazing

That when the moment arrives

You know you'll be alright

It's amazing

And I'm saying a prayer

To the desperate hearts tonight

Amazing by Aerosmith

Brock Yates was sitting at his desk. He was looking at a map, trying desperately to keep his eyes open.

J.J. and Victor were standing in front of him.

"Brock, you have to get some sleep. You've been on the go constantly since the South America bridge was attacked.". J.J. said.

"I know." Brock sighed. "I'm just worried about the racers.".

"Brock, Mr. X and his people can take care of it.". Victor said. "The Cannonballers will be okay.".

Brock stood up. "I guess you're right." he said. "Let's call it a day.".

The three men exited the office. None of them noticed Jennifer and Elizabeth lurking around a corner.

"Perfect." Jennifer whispered. "Now, all we have to do is plant our little wiretap, and the next time this 'Mr. X' is called, we'll know what the deal is.".

"Then let's do it.". Elizabeth replied.

When J.J., Victor and Brock were gone, the two androids crept towards the office. Jennifer took out a lock pick and effortlessly opened the door's lock.

In Africa, the Serpent was trying to escape from a pursuing police car.

"This bastard is so persistent it's unbelievable!" Blackadder yelled. "We have to lose him!".

"Don't worry, sir." Baldrick said. "I have a cunning plan which could get us out of this situation.".

"It better be good, Baldrick!" Blackadder warned. "In the past your so- called cunning plans have been as successful as the XFL!".

"Well, all you have to do is pretend our brakes don't work. That should get the cop to leave us alone." Baldrick said.

"That old trick! Baldrick, that is absolutely contemptible!" Blackadder said. After a pause, he added "But what the hell, it's worth a try!".

The cop car had come up alongside the Serpent.

"Pull over, mister!" the cop yelled.

"Officer, we've got no brakes!" Blackadder yelled. He pretended to pump the brake for effect.

"No brakes?" the cop said.

"Yes, no brakes! Help us!" Blackadder yelled back.

"Alright, hang on! I'll think of something!" the cop said as he accelerated ahead of them.

Blackadder and Baldrick both laughed as the cop headed away.

"Baldrick, it looks like there may be a brain in that head of yours after all." Blackadder beamed.

"Thank you, sir." Baldrick replied.

A warning light on their dashboard flashed.

"Hmm, looks like the road's blocked up ahead." Blackadder said. "Better slow down.".

Blackadder put his foot down on the brake. The Serpent did not slow down.

"What the hell?". Blackadder said. He pumped the brake a few more times. Nothing happened.

"Is something wrong, sir?" Baldrick said.

"Uh, Baldrick, did you get to say goodbye to your mother before we left to go on the race?" Blackadder asked.

"Yes, I did, sir." Baldrick replied.

"Good. Because our brakes really aren't working!" Blackadder said.

"What?!" Baldrick yelled.

Up ahead, a large truck had overturned on the road. The cop who had chased Blackadder had stopped beside it.

"For God's sake, move it!" he yelled to the people who were trying to move the truck. "There's a man coming who can't stop!".

The Serpent was fast approaching.

"Uh oh." Blackadder said. "The venom gun wouldn't cut through that in time!".

"Try the missiles, sir." Baldrick said.

"Okay, here goes!" .

Blackadder pressed a button and two missiles shot out of holes in the car's radiator.

The cop and the people near the truck dived for cover.

The wrecked truck was blown up completely and the Serpent continued on down the road.

"HAH!" Blackadder said to himself. "What's James Bond got that I haven't got?".

"Uh, sir, shouldn't we still be worried about the brakes?" Baldrick asked.

"Don't worry, Balders." Blackadder said. "We'll wait until we're out of fuel. Then we can fix the brakes.".

"Oh, right." Baldrick said. "Why didn't I think of that?".

"Probably because the capacity for thought does not exist in that miniscule brain of yours." Blackadder replied as they sped on.

In a clearing in the jungle, a large RV was parked. Sitting outside it was a teenage girl with long, blonde hair.

"Oh, man, this sucks!" Debbie Thornberry complained to herself. "Mom and Dad go off to check the wildlife, Eliza troops off to talk to the wildlife, and as usual I get stuck babysitting Donnie!".

A loud, chattering voice sounded and Debbie looked around to see her adopted brother Donnie chasing a group of small birds around the camp.

"Donnie, leave the birds alone will you?" she complained.

She leaned back in her recliner and concentrated on her portable TV set. She was watching the Cannonball Run.

"It'd be cool if we could actually meet one of these guys.". she thought to herself.

She heard the sound of an approaching vehicle and turned around.

The Hyperion had driven into the clearing. It stopped and the canopy opened.

"Excuse me, miss." Wallace asked. "Do you know the quickest way out of this jungle? My friend and I seem to have gotten lost.".

"Oh my God!" Debbie exclaimed as she got to her feet. "You're that Wallace guy aren't you? The inventor!".

Blushing a little, Wallace replied "Yes, that's right.".

"You're a Cannonballer aren't you?". She said.

"That's right." Wallace replied. Gromit smiled and nodded as well.

"I love you guys!" she said. "It must be a great adventure going all around the world.".

"Well it is. But don't you think it's an adventure just being here in Africa?" Wallace asked.

"Yeah, right." Debbie scoffed. "This must be the twentieth time in my life I've been to Africa. My folks shoot these wildlife documentaries.".

"Hold on." Wallace said. "Is your father Nigel Thornberry?".

"Yeah, that's right.".

"I'm a big fan. Is he around here?".

Debbie rolled her eyes a little.

"He's out looking for some rare bird." She said. "He could be anywhere, but I'll radio him and tell him you were looking for him.".

Suddenly, Donnie jumped on Gromit from behind and started to pull his ears. Gromit pulled Donnie off himself and held him upside down.

Donnie chattered excitedly.

"Is that a language or a dialect he's speaking?" Wallace asked.

"Oh, just ignore him. He's just looking for attention." Debbie said. "Hey, can I have your autograph?".

"Alright." Wallace said as he took out a pad. "Who shall I make it out to?".

"Debbie." She replied.

Wallace wrote out the autograph. Wallace handed the pad to Gromit who left a paw-print on it.

"Here you go, Debbie." Wallace said.

"Thanks." Debbie said as she took the pad.

Suddenly, there was a loud whoosh as Malice, converted to flight mode, passed overhead.

"I have to go now, Debbie." Wallace said. "The competition is getting ahead of me.".

Wallace and Gromit got back into their seats, closed the canopy of the Hyperion and they headed of.

"Whoa!" Debbie said. "That was intense!".

Donnie chattered in agreement.

Debbie went over to the radio sitting on the table and spoke into it.

"Hey, Dad. Are you receiving me?" she said.

"Loud and clear, darling." Nigel Thornberry's voice replied.

"You'll never believe this, but I just met a Cannonballer. Some guy called Wallace. He said he's a fan of yours.".

"Well that's good, dear." Marianne Thornberry replied. "But we're a bit busy right now. We're keeping our eyes peeled for that rare new bird.".

"Well, good luck with finding it." Debbie replied.

The Hyperion sped through the jungle, getting a little bit ahead of Malice.

"Alright, Gromit. Let's give these guys a bit of trouble. But I don't think we'll use missiles this time.".

Gromit smiled a little as he knew what Wallace was planning.

Wallace pressed a button and a small cannon rose out of the back of the vehicle.

"Porridge shooter ready!" Wallace said. He trained the gun's crosshairs on Malice.

In Malice, Nemesis was driving.

"It's still hotter than an oven in this country!" Austin was saying.

WELL WHAT DID YOU EXPECT? Asked Death. IT'S THAT KIND OF CLIMATE.

Suddenly, a huge splat of porridge landed on their windscreen. Nemesis was blinded.

"RRRRRR!" Nemesis growled.

WHAT HAPPENED? Said Death.

"Direct hit!" Wallace yelled as he hit the afterburner on the Hyperion and they shot ahead.

Malice was going out of control.

DON'T PANIC! Death yelled. JUST USE THE WINDOW WIPERS!

Nemesis activated the wipers and cleaned their window. As his vision cleared, he saw that they were about to hit an approaching jet.

Nemesis quickly turned away and the black vehicle missed the plane.

In the plane were Captain Harris, Roger Ramjet and Proctor.

"That was close!" Ramjet said. "They nearly hit us! Do you think they were Cannonballers, Captain?".

"I don't care who they were! Get after them!". Harris yelled.

"Yes, sir!". Ramjet said as he turned the plane around and shot off in pursuit of Malice.

A jeep was parked in a lay-by near the road. Sitting in it was a pith- helmeted figure. It was the great white hunter known only as Van Pelt. Looking through a pair of binoculars, he saw the Cataclysm approaching.

He smiled a predatory smile.

As the Cataclysm passed him, he started up the jeep and pursued them.

"Van Pelt to Benedict. I'm chasing them now." He said into his CB. "I'll have these fools' heads on my wall when I'm finished with them.".

"Good. Don't let us down." Benedict replied.

"Don't forget who taught you everything you know!" Van Pelt replied.

In the Cataclysm, Rath had taken over driving.

"It'll be great to get back to Egypt." He was saying. "Even though we do have to go on.".

"There's not been much action for us recently." Armon said. "Things are getting pretty boring.".

"Oh, come on Armon." Mathayus said. "We're involved in a worldwide race for $200 million. How can you not be excited?".

"I just wish we could have a little fight or something." Armon said.

There was a loud shot from behind them as a bullet made contact with the rear of the car.

"You just may get your wish, Armon!" Rath yelled.

Van Pelt continued to fire at the Cataclysm. His bullets did not seem to have any effect.

"Bullet proof!" he said to himself. "Rotten sportsmanship, that's what that is!".

"Hold on, tight guys!" Rath yelled as he turned the Cataclysm around a sharp turn in the road.

Van Pelt's jeep followed, nearly going over the edge. He kept up with them.

"Well, if the body can't get hurt, let's try the tyres!" he said as he aimed his gun at the wheels of the Cataclysm.

"Oh no you don't!" Rath yelled. He quickly slammed on the brakes of the car.

Van Pelt quickly hit his brakes but that didn't stop the jeep hitting the back of the Cataclysm.

"I think he dented our fender." Armon said.

"Then wait a second and I'll exchange insurance info with him." Mathayus said as he got out of the car.

Van Pelt had already staggered out of his jeep. Seeing Mathayus he raised his pistol.

"I have no hesitation about shooting you dead!" Van Pelt said.

Mathayus drew his sword.

"HAH! Typical of you desert warriors! Bring a sword to a gunfight!".

"I'm no ordinary desert warrior." Mathayus warned.

As Van Pelt fired his gun, Mathayus quickly deflected the bullet with his sword. As Van Pelt fired a couple of other shots, Mathayus expertly deflected them too.

"Blast!" Van Pelt yelled. The gun clicked as it ran dry of bullets. As Van Pelt hurriedly checked for more bullets, Mathayus shoulder-charged him, knocking him to the ground.

Mathayus kicked the gun out of the stunned hunter's hand, and held his sword up to Van Pelt's throat.

"Now, I don't know who you work for, and quite frankly, I don't care, but I advise you not to bother us again. Okay?". Mathayus said.

Mathayus sheathed his sword and got back into the Cataclysm.

"Hold tight, now." Rath said as he started the engine. "I'll just give us a boost.".

Rath activated their nitrous, and the Cataclysm disappeared into the distance.

Van Pelt glared after them.

"You'll regret that!" he said. "No one makes a fool out of me!".

He got back into his jeep and started it up again.

The Burrito was driving along a dirt road. Shaggy was now at the wheel. The air conditioning had been turned on full blast.

"Whew!" he was saying. "Now I now how a hot dog feels.".

"Rou can say that again, Raggy." Scooby replied.

"Well, it's better than being in the Arctic." Daphne said.

"I don't blame Scoob and Shag, though." Fred said. "We're roasting in here. And we're nearly out of soda.".

"What?" Velma said. "How can we be nearly out?".

Shaggy and Scooby looked at each other guiltily.

"Uh, well guys..." Scooby said.

"You guys!" Velma said. "Were you at the soda before we left?".

"Yeah, sorry. But there's bound to be somewhere we can get soda." Shaggy said.

"In the middle of Africa?" Daphne asked. "Be serious, guys!".

"Rey! Rook up there!" Scooby said as he pointed ahead of them.

Parked not so far away, near a large boulder, was a large ice cream truck.

"Hey! How about that?" Shaggy said. "I'll bet they've got soda. AND ice cream. Our problem is solved.".

"Huh?" Fred said as he saw the truck. "Why is there an ice cream truck here?".

"Raybe rooking for customers." Scooby joked.

The gang couldn't help but laugh. Shaggy brought the Burrito to a halt.

He and Scooby got out and approached the ice cream truck.

Parked behind the boulder was a red Dodge Viper. Sitting in it were Marcus and Regis. Regis was holding a remote control.

"They've taken the bait!" Regis whispered triumphantly.

"Okay. Don't screw this up." Marcus replied.

"No problem!" said Regis as he pressed a button on the remote. An LED sign on the control displayed 'bomb armed'.

Shaggy and Scooby came right up to the ice cream truck. Shaggy went right up to the window, but noticed something odd. There were a couple of red drums in the van with wires coming out of them.

"What's that?" he asked himself.

He leant forward to get a better look. The drums had TNT written on them.

"ZOINKS!" he yelled. "Run, Scoob, it's wired to blow!".

"RIKES!" Scooby yelled.

The two friends ran back to the Burrito and got inside.

"Get us out of here, Fred!" Shaggy yelled. "That truck's full of explosives!".

"Holy smoke!" Fred said as he got behind the wheel.

"Come on! Go!" Shaggy yelled frantically.

Fred burned rubber and the van took off.

"You don't get away THAT easily!". Regis said. He pressed another button on the remote and the ice cream truck started up and sped off after the Burrito.

"Follow 'em, bro!" Regis said. "I'll make sure these guys are toast!".

"Right!" Marcus replied. He started up the Viper and they followed their remote-controlled truck.

The Burrito was going flat out, but the ice cream truck was gaining.

"First time I've seen an ice cream truck go that fast!" Fred yelled.

"Well, they have to get where they're going before the stuff melts!" Shaggy said.

Velma was looking out the back window of the van through a pair of binoculars. She saw the explosives.

"Jinkies!" she yelled. "There's enough explosives on that thing to fill in the Grand Canyon! Keep your boot to the board, Fred!".

"I am!" Fred replied. "But we have to do something!".

"What can we do?" Daphne said.

Velma noticed the Viper following behind the truck, keeping its' distance.

"AHA!!" she said. "It's being remote controlled. Shaggy, have you got that radio jammer I invented?".

"Got it, Velma!" Shaggy said, holding up a police radio-like device.

"Well, then. Use it!".

"Like, right!" Shaggy said as he pressed a button on the device.

In the Viper, Regis' remote shorted out as the signal from Velma's device jammed it.

The ice cream truck started to slow down and come to a halt.

"Come on! Work!" Marcus yelled as he frantically shook his remote.

Marcus tried to brake the Viper but they were nearly on top of the now static truck.

"Forget that! Bale out!" Marcus yelled.

Both men opened their doors and threw themselves clear of the car.

They rolled out of the way as the Viper crashed into the ice cream truck and the bomb detonated.

A huge explosion was caused. The smoke rose into the sky.

"Rat's one big bang!" Scooby said as he saw it.

"Hopefully no-one was hurt." Daphne said. "I hope no-one was, 'cause if I find out who those guys were, I'm gonna kick their asses!".

"No time to worry about that. Let's go." Fred said as he put his foot down.

Behind them, Marcus and Regis picked themselves up off the ground.

"Sure, Regis! There was no way your plan could fail!" Marcus said sarcastically.

"Oh, leave off!" Regis said. "Should I call Mr. Luthor and tell him we need another car?".

"Are you kidding? He'd have our heads!".

"Okay, I'll call Ansem then.".

"No! He'd kill us as well!". Marcus replied

"Okay, then...".

"DON'T CALL THE SKULL EITHER!" Marcus bellowed.

"Then what do we do?" Regis said.

"We'll just have to borrow transportation." Marcus replied. "Come on!".

The two started to trek along the road.

Roger ramjet's plane had caught up with Malice and was getting ready to engage them.

"Bogey on our six, Nemesis!" Austin said. "Try and shake 'em off.".

"RRRR!" Nemesis replied.

Nemesis manoeuvred Malice down towards the ground and the plane kept up with them.

"I won't lose these guys!" Ramjet said.

"Be careful!" Harris yelled. "We don't want to crash again!".

"Sir, your lives are safe in my hands!". Ramjet replied.

ARE THERE ANY MOUNTAINS AROUND? Death asked.

"I don't think so." Austin said.

THEN TRY THE AFTERBURNER.

"Raarrrrr!" Nemesis replied. The huge monster hit a switch on the steering wheel and the rear of the car opened up. A powerful afterburner was revealed, and Malice shot ahead at a great speed.

"They're getting away!" Proctor yelled.

"Not if I can help it!" Ramjet replied. He pushed the joystick forward and the plane accelerated.

Malice was going at an incredible speed. It was moving so fast that the car's inhabitants were pressed against their seats.

TURN IT OFF! Death yelled. FOR SANITY'S SAKE TURN IT OFF!

Nemesis tried to raise his hand but couldn't.

"The G-Forces are too strong!" Austin said. "We can't move!".

There was a loud bang as the vehicle broke the sound barrier.

IS IT A GOOD OR BAD THING THAT WE WENT THROUGH THE BARRIER? Asked Death.

"I'm not sure." Austin said as he struggled to try and lean forward.

Behind them,. Ramjet's plane was being pushed beyond its' limitations to try and catch up with Malice. The metal was starting to buckle, and a wing was starting to come loose.

"RAMJET!" Harris yelled. "We can't go any further. The plane will break up!".

"But, sir, we'll catch them!" Ramjet yelled back. "I won't let you or the good ol' US of A down!".

"Cut the bullshit, Ramjet!" Harris replied. "We're hitting the silk, and that's an order!".

Harris pulled the eject lever and the three men were ejected from the plane.

"Looks like a long fall again!" Proctor said as their parachutes opened.

Ramjet's plane eventually broke up completely.

Austin finally managed to lean forward and de-activate the afterburner.

Malice instantly slowed down and came to a halt.

All three racers breathed a sigh of relief.

"I nearly lost my lunch back there." Austin said.

ARE WE GOING TO TRAVEL ON THE GROUND FOR A WHILE? Asked Death.

"Yeah, let's do that." Austin said.

Nemesis began to descend the car.

Below, in a clearing, Eliza Thornberry was talking to two of her animal friends. Her monkey companion Darwin was with them.

"So, guys. How have things been going around here?" Eliza asked the meerkat and the boar.

"Well, Simba's been looking after his kids for a while, so we haven't really been able to visit him for a while." Timon replied.

"He's just nervous. He hopes he can be as good a father to his kids as Mufasa was to him." Pumbaa said. "But we're sure he'll have no trouble.".

A loud noise escaped from Pumbaa's rear end.

"OHH!" said Darwin as he held his nose. "Give some warning before you do that, will you?!".

Pumbaa looked a bit embarrassed.

"Darwin!" Eliza chided her friend. "You know he's sensitive about that!".

"It's okay, Eliza." Timon said. "It's less of a problem than it used to be.".

"Maybe I should cut out the bananas Rifiki keeps giving us." Pumbaa said.

There was a rustle from above them and they all looked up. Above them, Harris, Proctor and Ramjet were caught up in the leaves of a tree.

"At least we had a soft landing." Harris said.

"Hey! Are you alright?" Eliza yelled up to the three men.

"Yeah, we're fine!" Proctor replied.

"I'll radio for a pickup, okay, Captain." Ramjet said as he took out walkie- talkie.

"Yeah, do that. And let's hope someone is having better luck than we are." Harris grumbled.

By the roadside, a couple of game wardens were talking to Jimbo Curran and Ned Gerblansky. Both men were in big trouble.

"Look, officers, I swear, we didn't know that those lions were an endangered species." Jimbo was saying.

"MMMM, THAT'S RIGHT." Ned added, using his voice box.

"That's no excuse." one of the African cops replied. "This area is a game preserve, so you had no right to be here anyway.".

"IT'S NOT LIKE WE KILLED ANY OF THEM." Ned protested.

"No, not one of those lions was killed." Jimbo said. "Yeah, I hit one but it wasn't fatal.".

"Well you're still in a great deal of trouble." another cop said.

"Look, we had no choice about firing. They were coming right for us!" Jimbo said.

"Coming right for you?!" the first cop said. "You were behind them!".

Jimbo and Ned both hung their heads. They knew they were both in big trouble.

As the cops started to write up some charges, Marcus and Regis got into the Hummer and started it up.

"HEY!" Jimbo yelled as he saw them driving away.

"So long, suckers!" Marcus yelled as they drove off at high speed.

Meanwhile, Ms. Foyt was watching the progress of the field agents on the radar in the RV she and Benedict now had.

"Spider and Pitbull are on the trail of the Deluxo and the Behemoth Base. They'll catch up with them soon." Foyt reported. "Are you sure it was a good idea to separate them from the rest of the gang?".

"I wanted to see if any of those incompetents can do a good job." grumbled Benedict, who was standing outside the vehicle.

He took careful aim at a series of tin cans he had set up about fifty feet away from him. He fired a shot from his .45 and hit one of the cans perfectly. He carefully took out the other cans in the same way.

Foyt rolled her eyes. "Do you have to do that?" she said.

"I haven't had a chance to use my skills once on this mission so far!" Benedict replied. "I have to keep my trigger finger busy or it'll go stiff on me! I want to see some action!".

"Well YOU were the one who suggested not to use gunplay against Buckaroo Banzai." Foyt replied.

A blip appeared on their radar, which flashed, red rather than green.

"Aha!" she said. "Cannonballer coming our way. Feel like a little pursuit?".

"Certainly." Benedict said as he got into the vehicle.

"But before we go, I'll dispatch that agent Mr. Luthor sent us." Foyt said as she headed for the rear of the vehicle.

"I'm amazed that Ansem was able to bend him to our will." Benedict said as he started their vehicle up.

Foyt went into the vehicle's rear, where was seated a huge man, wearing a metallic hockey mask. It was the near-indestructible killer Jason Voorhees.

Foyt reached into her pocket and took out a radio microphone. It had been modified so the speaker's voice could be changed.

Foyt smiled and spoke into the mike.

"Jason, it's your mother." she said in the altered voice. "I brought you up to be a good boy, and you have made me proud. But now I need you to punish these evil Cannonballers. They are bad people. They break all the rules. You must punish them, Jason. Do you understand?".

The masked man nodded.

"That's my good boy." she said. "Now, go and make me proud.".

Jason stood up and drew his long machete. He turned and kicked open the rear door of the Road Trip. He leaped from the vehicle and headed off into the wilderness.

"Excellent." Foyt said, smiling.

Meanwhile, the Serpent had finally come to a stop.

"Alright, Balders!" Blackadder said. "I'll get the spare fuel from the boot and you check the brake to see what's wrong.".

"Alright, Mr. B." Baldrick said as he slid under the car.

"And hurry it up, we've got to make sure we aren't held back long!" Blackadder said as the Van Go sped past them.

The Infernus was speeding along a road. A little behind them, the bionic cop known as Inspector Gadget was flying after them, using his built-in Gadget-Chopper.

"These guys will have to get up very early in the morning to get past me." he said as he activated his police siren.

"Sounds like trouble." Chun-Li commented.

"Should we pull over?" Mai asked.

"He hasn't caught us yet." Mirai said.

She put her foot down, but Gadget managed to keep up with them. He flew over the top of the Infernus and landed ahead of them in the road.

He held up a STOP sign, and Mirai saw she had no choice but to bring the Infernus to a stop.

"Well, I guess it's plan A again, girls." Lara sighed.

"Okay, here we go." Mai said as she unzipped her jumpsuit to show her bust.

The other girls followed suit.

Gadget approached the car as the girls got out. His eyes nearly popped out when he saw the stunning girls, but he managed to control himself.

"Sorry about that, officer. I didn't realise I'd gone over the speed limit." Mirai said.

"Miss, you were going WELL over the speed limit." Gadget said in a no- nonsense tone.

"Well, it's not like we meant to, sir." Lara said.

"Any of you got a licence tucked in those suits somewhere?" Gadget said.

Lara and the girls shared some concerned glances. It seemed their routine wasn't working.

Lara reluctantly reached into her suit and took her licence out. Gadget took it off her.

"Lara Croft, eh?" he said. "I heard you were a law-abiding citizen.".

"I do my best." Lara replied.

"Yeah, well even so, I'm afraid I'll have to give you a ticket." Gadget said. "Go-go Gadget notebook.".

The girls groaned as a robot hand holding a notebook came out of Gadget's hat.

"Oh come on!" Mirai said. "It was just a little lapse.".

"Going 200 miles an hour is considerably more than a little lapse, miss." Gadget said.

A loud rumble came from the road behind them. Gadget and the girls looked behind themselves to see Big Ray's biker gang coming down the road towards them.

Gadget looked a bit nervous. Lara, Mai and Chun-Li zipped their suits up as they anticipated trouble.

"Oh, boy." Gadget grumbled.

"Friends of yours?" Mai asked.

Mirai climbed inside the Infernus and shut the door.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Gadget yelled to her.

"I think we've got other problems right now." Lara said.

The bikers brought their cycles to a halt, with Ray and Ripper at the front. Ray glared at Inspector Gadget.

"Well, if it ain't Sergeant Gizmo!" he sneered.

"It's Inspector Gadget." Gadget corrected. "How are you doing, Ray?".

Ray and Ripper got off their bikes and walked right up to Gadget.

"You didn't think we'd forget that you got two of our good buddies sent up for five years, did you?" said Ripper

"Hey, look guys, I was just doing my job." Gadget said, holding his hands up in a protest.

"Yeah, with that damn toothpaste gun of yours!" Ray said. "You know what it does to a gang's reputation when some wimp with action figure gadgets catches two of your guys?!".

"We were a laughing stock for some time!" Ripper said.

"Ripper, be so kind as to show the Inspector what we think of that." Ray said.

Ripper reached forward and snapped off the robot hand coming out of Gadget's hat. Ripper held it up.

"Action figure gadgets is right, guys!" he announced to the other bikers. "They break REAL easily!".

The bikers all laughed.

"HEY!" Gadget said. "That cost a lot of money.".

Ray looked at Gadget's shirt.

"Did the shirt cost a lot as well?" he asked.

Gadget nodded.

"Doesn't look like it! Your fashion sense is terrible, Inspector!" Ray said as he lunged forward and ripped off the front of Gadget's shirt.

"Now, guys, if you're gonna be like that, I'm gonna have to use force.". Gadget warned. "Go-go Gadget blaster!".

A tube shot out of Gadget's sleeve, but before it could fire, Ray grabbed it and bent it so that it was pointing at Gadget's face. A jet of blue toothpaste was shot into Gadget's face.

Gadget sighed and shook his head. "I should get the toothpaste replaced with oil someday." He said. "But if I did, I probably would have been blinded.".

Ray took out a Desert Eagle pistol.

"Now, then, Inspector. Be so good as to dance for us!" he sneered.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size, biker boy!" Mai said as she stepped forward.

Ray and Ripper finally turned their attention to the girls.

"Well, hi there, sweet thing." Ray said as he moved up to Lara. "Maybe we can afford to show mercy to some Cannonballers after all.".

"Keep dreaming, creep!" Lara said.

"Oh, feisty, eh. I like that in a woman." Ray sneered.

"You guys should just back off, or you'll get hurt!" Chun-Li yelled as she adopted a martial arts stance.

Ripper laughed at her.

"What, you're gonna try some of the kung fu crap on us?! Oh, I'm SOOO scared!" he said sarcastically.

"Don't say we didn't warn you." Lara said as she kicked the gun out of Ray's hand.

Ray winced in pain. Lara quickly punched him in the jaw, knocking him to the ground.

"You're for it now!" Ripper yelled as he lunged forward. The other bikers got off their hogs and came forward.

"METAMORFORCE!" a voice suddenly yelled. There was a flash of blue light from inside the Infernus.

The bikers looked confused.

The door of the car opened and Mirai stepped out. She was now wearing a strange costume and a visored helmet. She had transformed into Moldiver.

"Wowsers!" Inspector Gadget said.

"Okay, boys.". Mirai said. "You wanna play rough, then bring it on!".

Ray pushed Gadget aside and lunged at Mirai, but before he could touch her she shot forward and drove her fist into his stomach with such force that he was pushed backwards into the other bikers, knocking them over like bowling pins.

"Shit!" Ripper said. He quickly reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun. He opened fire on Mirai, but the bullets did her no harm.

As Ripper's gun clicked empty, his jaw dropped. "What are you?". He said to Mirai.

"DUH!" Mirai said. "I'm a superhero.".

Chun-Li quickly gave Ripper a karate kick to his mid-section. Lara hit him as well, knocking him to the ground.

As this happened, Mai helped Gadget to his feet.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Fine, but I'm a little puzzled here." Gadget said.

Lara and Chun-Li dumped Ripper on top of the rest of the dazed bikers.

"I think we should get rid of this garbage." Chun-Li said.

"Leave that to me." Mirai said.

Mirai launched herself into the air, and then headed for the ground. With incredible strength, she ripped a chunk out of the earth, with the bikers still on it.

"So long, boys!" she yelled as she threw the mound away into the distance.

"Well, girls, they won't be bothering us for a while now.". Mirai said triumphantly.

"Great work, Mirai." Lara said.

Inspector Gadget approached the other girls.

"Well, I'd like to thank you ladies for helping me out back there." Gadget said. He grabbed his notebook and started to tear it up. "I think I can afford to let that lapse slide.".

"Thanks officer." Lara said. "By the way, who were those guys?".

"The Dregs, a biker gang from California. It's unusual seeing them out in Africa. They have been known to work for criminal syndicates, though. I'd watch your backs if I were you.".

"Hey, they're no match for Cannonballers!" Mai said. "Let's go girls!".

The four girls got back into the Infernus and drove off.

Inspector Gadget saluted as he watched them go.

In the Phantom, the air-conditioning was going full blast.

"It's amazing that the people who live here can put up with the climate." Riku said.

"Well they're used to it." Kairi said.

"Is anyone near us?" Sora asked Cid, who was driving.

"Not so far." Cid said. "Is there a gas station nearby?".

"Nairobi's not too far away." Sora said, looking at the map. "We can stop there.".

On a hillside, Nigel Thornberry addressed the camera as his wife Marianne filmed him.

"Dear viewers." he said. "We are here in Africa to investigate reported sightings of a very rare bird. This bird is said to be very large. If we can find it, it will indeed be a breakthrough for naturalists everywhere.".

He paused. "How was that, dearest?" Nigel asked.

"It was great, darling." Marianne replied. "I hope the girls will be alright. Debbie must have been excited, meeting a Cannonballer.".

"Yes, I'm sure she was, but I'm excited just being out here.".

In the distance, the two could hear a horn honking. They both turned around to see the BF Injection approaching. Dundee was honking the horn and Steve was standing up in the passenger seat, waving to the couple.

"NIGEL! MARIANNE!" Steve yelled.

"My God! It's Steve!" Marianne said.

The dune buggy reached the couple and stopped.

Above them, in the sky, the Creeper was swooping through the clouds. He spotted the Cannonballers below and started his descent.

"Great to see you guys!" Steve said as he shook Nigel's hand. "How are things going?".

"Very well, thank you." Nigel said. "So you're Cannonballers?".

"That's right." Mick said. "It's very exciting. You seen any interesting wildlife out here?".

"Well, we're looking for this very rare bird that we've heard rumours about, but we've seen nothing so far." Marianne said.

Steve looked up into the sky and saw a winged creature swooping towards them.

"Crikey!" he yelled. "That must be it!".

The others all looked and saw the Creeper bearing down on them. Marianne had turned to face it with the camera still in hand.

"It's moving really fast!" she said.

"Be careful dearest!" Nigel said as he stepped in front of her.

Suddenly, the Creeper snatched Nigel up in its' arms and started to fly away.

"AHHHH!" he yelled.

"Nigel!" Marianne yelled.

"No worries, Mrs. Thornberry!" Mick said. "We'll get him! Get in!".

Marianne and Steve got into the BF Injection. Mick started the vehicle up and took off after the Creeper.

The Creeper looked at the struggling human in his arms. It wasn't a Cannonballer, but he was getting hungry so it wasn't a total loss.

"Now see here, birdie!" Nigel was saying. "Could you please let me down?!".

The BF Injection was running on the ground beneath the Creeper.

"Okay. Here goes!" Mick said as he pressed a button. "I'll reel that big budgie in!".

From one of the headlights of the dune buggy, a hook on the end of a long line shot out and upwards.

The hook attached to one of the Creeper's legs. The creature snarled as the line pulled tight. Nigel looked down and saw Dundee below them.

"Thank God for that.". He said.

Dundee pressed a button and reeled the Creeper in. The winged demon struggled to get free but had no luck as he was brought down to ground level.

Mick pressed another button and machine guns extended from either side of the BF Injection and aimed at the Creeper.

"Okay, ugly. Drop him!" Mick said.

The Creeper, seeing he was defeated, let go of Nigel.

"Oh, Nigel. Thank God you're alright!". Marianne said as she went forward to hug her husband.

"It's alright dearest." Nigel said.

The entire group looked at the captive Creeper.

"Very odd looking creature, isn't it?" Nigel said.

"What do you think we should do with it, Mick?" Steve asked.

Mick reached into the back of the BF Injection and pulled out a length of rope.

"Let's just tie it up here." He said. "We can't afford to spend too much time here.".

"Just let me soften him up a bit first." Steve said as he jumped on top of the Creeper and started to wrestle with it.

"Crikey! He's got spirit!" Steve yelled.

"He just never changes, does he Nigel?" Marianne said, laughing.

"I guess not, dearest." Nigel replied.

Later...

The Creeper had been tied to a tree. It growled to itself angrily.

It heard the sound of a vehicle approaching and saw Marcus and Regis, driving the stolen Hummer approaching.

"Hey, Marcus, look!" Regis said, pointing. "It's the Creeper. Think we should untie him?".

Marcus brought the Hummer to a halt.

"Okay." he said.

Both men got out and started to untie the Creeper.

"So you screwed up as well?" Marcus sneered at the creature. "So much for that reputation of yours!".

The Creeper growled louder as he was set free. It turned to face the two goons angrily.

"I think you made it mad, Marcus." Regis said nervously.

The Creeper turned around and scratched a message into the tree trunk with its claws.

It stepped aside so Marcus and Regis could see the message. It read: I QUIT.

The Creeper gave both men the finger and took off into the sky.

"Well done, Marcus." Regis said sarcastically.

"Oh shut up!" Marcus said. "We don't need that winged freak anyway! Now come on, let's catch ourselves a Cannonballer.".

The Phantom was driving through Nairobi, and Cid spotted a gas station by the side of the road.

"Just what the doctor ordered." He said. "Okay guys, I'm gonna stop for some gas.".

"An excellent decision, my friend." Said Sora, now wearing the Chaos mask.

Cid pulled the Phantom into the station, and the four racers got out.

"Let's see if we can find out the best way through the city." Riku said as they went into the station.

As they went in, the Direwolf pulled into the station too.

"Our luck's in." Domino said, smiling as they saw the Phantom.

"Let's show them that no one messes with Team Rocket!" Jessie said as she reached under her seat and pulled out a tyre iron.

As the Rockets got out of their car, none of them noticed that across the street, lurking in an alleyway was Jason. His gaze was fixed on the Cannonballers.

Jason remembered the voice in his head. "They must be punished, Jason.".

With that in mind, he drew his long machete and started to cross the street.

"Okay, here goes!" Jessie said as she got ready to hit the Phantom with the tyre iron.

"Hold it right there, young lady!" a voice yelled.

The Rockets turned around to see Cid and Sora come out of the station.

Jessie lowered her tyre iron and sneered.

"Well if it isn't the master mechanic!". She said.

"Yeah, and a great humanitarian too." Meowth said sarcastically.

"So, what's your problem?" Cid said.

"YOU'RE our problem, old timer!" James said, getting right in Cid's face.

"We just wanted to thank you and your friends for squealing on us to the cops back in the Arctic!" Domino said. "We've had the fuzz on our backs ever since!".

"Well, just returning the favour from when you vile villains nearly ran us into that ice face." Sora said.

Meowth sneered and jumped up, snatching the Captain Chaos map off Sora's head.

"You wanna see what I think of Captain Chaos, kid?!" Meowth said, smiling.

Riku and Kairi came out of the station. Riku had his sword ready.

"Don't even think about it, kitty!" Riku said.

"Yeah, I'll take that back!" Sora said as he grabbed the mask back off Meowth.

"Uh, guys!" Kairi said. "Who or what is that?".

She pointed behind them and they all turned around to see Jason approaching them.

"I don't like the look of that guy." Domino said as Jason raised his machete and came forward.

"Fear not!" said Sora, who had donned the Chaos mask again. "I shall protect you!".

"Yeah, right!" Jessie sneered as she took out one of her pokeballs. "The day I need a masked dork to protect me is the day pigs fly. Go, Seviper!".

James threw one of his pokeballs as well. "Go, Cacnea!".

As usual, when Cacnea came out, it launched itself at James.

"OW! GET OFF ME!" he yelled.

Jason approached them, waving his machete menacingly.

"Seviper, body slam attack!" Jessie yelled.

"Cacnea, leech seed!" James yelled.

Seviper rammed itself right into Jason and knocked him over, but almost instantly, the masked behemoth got back to his feet and knocked Seviper off to the side.

Cacnea's leech seed struck Jason on the top of the head and there was a glow as it started to drain energy from the masked man, but again, not much seemed to be happening. The masked man kicked Cacnea away with great force.

"Uh oh!" Jessie said. "Domino, did you bring any pokemon?".

"No." Domino said, sweating.

"Uh, Meowth..." James began.

"Don't even think it!" Meowth yelled.

"DUN! DUN! DUN!" Sora yelled as he rushed forward. Jason swung at him, but Sora quickly dodged to his left, and got in a punch at Jason's ribs. He then quickly leapt back before Jason could strike him again.

Jason was beginning to get frustrated. No matter what he attempted, this kid was too fast for him. He decided a different approach might work. Instead of going for the upper body, he'd target the legs.

Jason tried this, but Sora leapt back. Jason then began changing from targeting the upper to lower, to upper body again, all to no effect. All the while, the two began to get closer to the other racers. At this moment, Sora was just in front of Team Rocket, who were busy clutching each other and giving "we're doomed", looks.

"Uh, do you think you could get him AWAY from us?" Jessie asked.

"Be calm, citizen, the situation is under control." Sora said, before Jason slashed at him again. When he ducked this time, Jason's blade cut through Jessie's hair.

"Uh-oh." Meowth and James both said. Jessie's expression quickly turned sour, as her eyes filled with tears of rage at the sight of a lock of her hair on the ground. She gave Jason a look of fury.

"How dare you?! You have ruined PERFECTION! FOR THIS YOU'LL PAY!"

Before you could say Camp Crystal Lake, Jessie had suddenly lunged forward and tackled Jason to the ground, sending his machete flying. She began to pummel away on his hockey-masked face, and then started banging his head against the ground.

"YOU HOCKEY GOALIE GOON! HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT ME! I'M GONNA-" She yelled as she continued to pummel him into unconsciousness.

"Man, I can't believe I'm gonna say dis," Meowth began, "but I kinda feel for dat guy."

"Hell hath no fury like Jessie when someone damages her hair." James said, nodding in agreement.

Eventually Jessie quit pummelling Jason, who was by that stage knocked out about 5 times over.

"Whoa!" Riku said. "That's one lady I would never mess with!".

Domino went forward and helped the exhausted Jessie to her feet. "Are you alright now?" she asked.

"I'll be fine." Jessie growled.

"You're quite a good fighter, lady." Kairi said to Jessie.

Jessie and the other Rockets turned to Sora. "So I guess we should thank you for trying to save our lives." Domino said.

"It was my pleasure, citizen." Sora said.

They all heard engines roar as the Hermes and the Van Go rushed right past the station.

"Damn! We'd better get going!" Cid said. "Come on guys!".

"We've gotta fill up first, Cid!" Riku said.

"Then I guess you'll just have to catch us up, then!" James said as the Rockets got back in the Direwolf and drove off.

"No problem." Cid said as they disappeared.

"What do we do about Goalie Boy?" Kairi asked.

"Just leave him there." Riku said. "The cops'll pick him up.".

"Come, friends, gas the car up. We have no time to waste!" Sora said.

"Come on, Dad! We can't let these guys get ahead of us!" Bart yelled in the Hermes.

"They won't, I assure you!" Homer replied.

Homer pulled a lever just under the steering wheel and an oil slick was shot out of the rear of the car.

"Yeah! That should slow 'em down!" Lisa said.

The Van Go skidded on the oil and nearly went off the road. The Shoveler quickly regained control.

"These guys are really starting to tick me off!" he said.

"Starting to tick YOU off?!" growled Mr. Furious. "I've been holding in my rage for a while now, but I think I'm about to explode.".

"Up for some aggressive driving, Roy?" Shoveler said.

"Ooh yeah!" Mr. Furious said. Shoveler brought the vehicle to a halt and they swapped sides. Mr. Furious started the car up again, and they took off after the Hermes.

The Hermes was still speeding through the city. There was a police roadblock up ahead.

"I think you should use the scatter gun again, Homer." Marge said.

"Okay, here goes!" Homer said as he opened fire. Some of the police cars were destroyed by the powerful gun and the Hermes just passed through.

"Let's get after them!" one of the cops yelled as they got into the remaining cars.

There was a loud whoosh in the air as they prepared to drive off.

"Incoming!" one cop yelled. They saw in their mirror what appeared to be a flaming ball with a skull in the middle of it flying towards them. It was the Bowler's trusty bowling ball.

It smashed into some of the remaining cop cars, taking them out. The Van Go then sped through the block.

"Okay, now let's catch up with these guys!" Sphinx yelled as Mr. Furious gunned the engine as they headed off in pursuit of the Hermes.

Meanwhile, on a long street, the Stinger 2 was driving along fast.

Toto's 'Africa' was playing on the radio.

"I still don't know what the hell this song's talking about." Tommy said to Chili, who was driving.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Especially that bit in the chorus: I bless the rains down in Africa. It hardly ever rains in this continent.".

"Well maybe they do give praise when it does rain, which is why it says that in the chorus." Tommy said.

"Maybe." Chili replied.

There was the honk of a horn from behind them. Chili looked in the mirror and to his surprise saw a very sleek, silver car behind them. It looked like some car from the future.

"What the hell is that?" he said.

"It's a Lancia Bertone Stratos 0." Tommy said. "Car made in the 70s. Whoever's driving it must be loaded.".

The silver car came up beside the Stinger 2. It was being driven by Max Damage.

Max picked up his CB and spoke into it.

"Hey there, losers!" he said. "Wanna give that piece of junk a workout?!".

Tommy looked angry as he picked up his CB.

"You watch what you say about my wheels, Flash Gordon!" he replied. "We could take on that Star Wars reject you're driving anyday!".

"Wanna prove it? Then let's go!" Max yelled back.

"Hey, hold it right there!" another voice said.

The Road Kill pulled up next to the Stratos.

"If we're gonna drag, there's no way you're gonna leave us out!" Memphis said into his CB.

"HAH!" Max said. "I don't care how many people get involved! I'm gonna smoke the lot of you! You Cannonballers ain't so tough!".

Dom turned to Memphis. "Okay, buddy. Smoke him!".

"Okay, are we ready?" Chili yelled.

"Ready!" Max said.

"Ready!" Memphis replied.

"Then let's go!" Chili yelled as he flicked the nitrous switch on the dashboard.

Yeah - No - Stop - Go

Yeah - No - Stop - Go

Yeah - No - Stop - Go

Yeah yeah

No no

Stop stop

Go go

Run run run the red light

Got no license for love

Burn burn burn the headlight

But we can't see far enough

Go around and round and round

never cross the finish line

Round and round and round

I'm tired of wasting my time

Long long way to drive

The back seats turned to ice

Give me all you got or none at all

The black and yellow car took off.

"You won't lose me that easily!" Max yelled. He pressed a button and two jets of flame shot from the Stratos' exhaust pipes as it was shot forward.

"Oh no you don't!" Memphis said as he put his foot down on the Road Kill's accelerator. The black car started to gather lost ground on the Stratos.

Max looked in his mirror and saw the Road Kill catching up with him.

"Perfect!" he said as he pressed a switch. A small hatch opened on the back of the silver car and a small missile was fired at the pursuing vehicle.

Memphis quickly swerved to the right to avoid the missile.

"Dirty trick there!" Memphis said. "But it's not gonna stop me!".

Pinning the needle

Cruising for midnight thrills

Stuck in the middle

We were just spinning our wheels

Pushin' the pedal

Listen to the tires squeal

We were layin' rubber (Layin' rubber)

Layin' rubber (Layin' rubber)

Yeah

"You concentrate on the driving, I'll take care of these missiles!" Dom said as he activated a laser gun inside the radiator.

Max continued to fire some more missiles at the Road Kill, but Dom was taking them out with the laser weapon with very little difficulty.

"Damn!" Max said.

Max slowed the Stratos down a little and allowed the Road Kill to steer in front of him.

"Gotcha!" he said as he pressed a button with a lightning bolt drawn on it.

An electric ray was fired from the Stratos. The Road Kill's electric system was hit and the laser weapon shorted out.

"Hang on! I can handle it!" Memphis yelled as he activated the car's blast shield. They were slowed down a little and Max pressed his turbo booster and shot ahead of them to catch up with the Stinger 2.

Walk walk walk the fast lane

Slow me down to a tease

Talk talk talk a nice game

But she never never gives me the keys

Go around and round and round

Drivin' me around the block

Around and round and round

Ya never hit my favourite spot Long long way to come

To get nothing done

One foot on the break

One on the gas

Up ahead, the Stinger 2 had already attracted the attention of the police and they were being chased.

Tommy leaned out the window and gave the finger to the pursuing vehicles.

"These guys haven't got a hope in hell of catching us!" he said triumphantly.

"Any sign of that guy in the silver car yet?" Chili said as he kept his foot to the floor.

"He's catching up." Tommy said.

The Stratos fired a red energy beam from it's headlights, taking out the wheels of the police cars that were in its' way.

"One side, pigs! These guys are mine!" he said.

He put his foot down and got right behind the Stinger 2.

He pressed a button and a battering ram came out of the front of the car.

Max gave the Stinger 2 a ram from behind.

"That old tactic?" Chili said disdainfully.

"Try the rear guns!" Tommy said.

Chili activated a switch and two machine guns rose from the rear of the car.

They opened fire on the Stratos as the Stinger 2 accelerated forward.

"You're gonna have to do better than that!" Max yelled.

"Did you miss us?!" Dom said through the CB as the now-shielded Road Kill came up alongside the Stratos.

Pinning the needle

Cruising for midnight thrills

Stuck in the middle

We were just spinning our wheels

Pushin' the pedal

Listen to the tires squeal

We were layin' rubber (Layin' rubber)

Layin' rubber (Layin' rubber)

Yeah Yeah - No - Stop - Go

Yeah - No - Stop - Go

yeah - No - Stop - Go

Yeah yeah

No no

Stop stop

Go go

The Road Kill rammed into the side of the silver car.

"Back at ya!" Max yelled as he rammed the black car back.

"I think we should teach this guy a lesson in respect." Memphis said.

"Do it!" Dom yelled.

"Okay!" Memphis said. He swerved in front of the Stratos and pressed a button, releasing some spikes from a rear panel of the car.

Max tried to swerve to one side, but it was too late. The Stratos' tyres were punctured and he had to stop the car before it crashed.

"DAMN!" he yelled. He glared after the rapidly disappearing cars.

"This is just a temporary setback!" He said. "I'll get you guys yet!"

He then mumbled to himself "Thank God the car ain't wrecked. Mr. Luthor would kill me if I trashed a car from his own collection!"

The Road Kill caught up with the Stinger 2.

"Great work, guys!" Tommy said.

"Thanks." said Memphis. "But now, we have to be going!".

Memphis put his foot down and the Road Kill sped off.

"We'll see about that!" Chili said as he pressed their nitrous switch again and they took off after the black car.

One foot on the brake

Then I rev my wheels of love

Burn burn burn the tires out

Pinning the needle

Cruising for midnight thrills

Stuck in the middle

We were just spinning our wheels

Pushin' the pedal

Listen to the tires squeal

We were layin' rubber (Layin' rubber)

Layin' rubber (Layin' rubber)

Yeah Yeah- No- Stop- Go- Yeah- No-Stop.

Layin' Rubber by Kix

Weeks later....

The Typhoon was speeding along through the Sahara Desert, with at least twenty cop cars behind it.

Alex looked out through the back window and looked worried.

"These guys just aren't gonna back off." she said.

"Don't worry, guys. They won't stop us!" Dylan said. "I see a good opportunity to lose them up ahead.".

Up ahead, a sandstorm was blowing towards them.

"Go through a sandstorm!" Austin yelled. "Are you barmy?!".

"It's no problem!" Dylan said. "Nat, give us a boost!".

"Okay." Natalie said as she pressed a red button.

Behind them, the cop cars were coming to a halt as they saw the sandstorm coming.

"Those guys must be crazy!" one cop said. "There's no way they'll make it through that storm!".

The rear of the Typhoon shot out a jet of flame as they were pushed forward at great velocity.

"Hold tight, people!" Alex yelled. "We're goin' full throttle!".

The Typhoon was propelled forward through the sandstorm and kept going.

"Zero wind resistance!" Natalie yelled as the car shot through the storm.

"WOO-HOO!" Everybody else yelled.

Up ahead, in a small town, a huge half-pipe had been set up. Standing near it were extreme sports-men Tony Hawk and Mat Hoffman.

"I can't believe you talked me into this, Tony!" Mat was saying.

"Hey, when I was here last year, these kids picked up the knack of skateboarding pretty fast. I'm sure they'd love to see your bike skills." Tony assured Mat.

"Well, if you say so." Mat said. "He turned to face some of the village kids.

"Okay, does anyone here speak English?" he asked.

Before anyone could answer, there was the roar of an engine as the Behemoth Base drove through the town.

"What's this?" Tony asked, confused.

The huge vehicle came to a halt, and Johnny, Steve-O and Ryan exited the vehicle.

"Tony! Mat! Great to see you guys!". Ryan yelled.

"Hey, guys! How are you doin'?" Mat said as he shook their hands.

"What brings you guys to this neck of the woods?". Tony asked.

"We're Cannonballers." Johnny said. "When we saw you guys here we thought we'd stop just to say hi.".

Steve-O nodded to the half-pipe.

"What's up here?" he asked.

"Well, we made a charity visit here to teach some African kids the tricks of our trade." Tony said.

"Yeah, I'm not sure how it'll go though." Mat said.

"We're sure you'll do fine guys." Ryan said.

"Hey, why don't you guys show these kids some of your stuff?" Mat asked.

"Do we have time?" Steve-O asked.

"Why the hell not?" Johnny said. "We can afford to stay here about half an hour or so.".

"Than let's go!" Ryan said as he went back to the vehicle to get their skateboards.

Ms. Foyt and Mr. Benedict were chasing the Black Knight in their RV.

Benedict was leaning out the window and fired a couple of shots at the vehicle, damaging it's body.

"These guys just won't let up!" T-Bone said.

"Hold the wheel, steady, Ms. Foyt!" Benedict yelled.

"I am!" she replied. "You just keep firing. They can't hold out forever!".

"I've got an idea!" Raye said. "Can you drop behind that RV, Razor?".

"Sure can, but what's your plan?" he asked.

"Just do it, and you'll see!" Raye replied.

Razor decreased speed and dropped behind the RV as it got closer to them.

"What are they doing?" Foyt asked herself.

"Okay, now what?" Lita asked.

Raye pointed to a can of fuel that was attached to the rear of the RV.

"Can you make a hole in that can?" she asked T-Bone.

"No problemo!" T-Bone said. He fired a laser blast that made a hole in the can so it started to leak fuel.

"MARS FIRE IGNITE!" Raye yelled as a blast of flame shot from her fingertips.

The spilled fuel caught fire.

"Uh oh!" Foyt said as she looked in the rear view mirror. "We have a problem!".

"Any suggestions?" Benedict said.

"Well, I think it would be best if we abandon the vehicle." She replied.

"Alright!" he said.

Both villains jumped from the RV. The vehicle continued on its' way before the fire caught up with it.

The RV exploded in a blinding flash.

In the Black Knight, the racers cheered.

"Okay, let's go!" Razor said as he put his foot down.

Foyt and Benedict sneered as the vehicle disappeared.

In a deep jungle area, the XXS Tomcat was following a hidden path.

"Where exactly does this road lead, Mr. McDuck?" Gyro asked.

"One of my old diamond mines is around here." he said. "I have a map of it. It runs for at least fifty miles. We can avoid a lot of hassle if we go through it.".

"Aha!" Gyro said as he saw the opening to a mine shaft ahead.

Scrooge looked up and frowned a little.

"That's odd." he said. "I could have sworn the gates had been locked.".

"No sense worrying about that now." Gyro said as he drove through the entrance to the mine.

Hiding amongst some of the equipment outside the mine were Freddy and Jim.

"Brilliant!" Freddy said. "I thought McDuck would go through the mine!".

"How'd you know it was here?" Jim asked.

"Luthor is one of McDuck's main rivals, so of course he has details of all McDuck's assets. Are the charges set?".

"Yeah, but let's wait and see if anyone was following McDuck." Jim said.

After a few minutes, the Maelstrom and the Van Itty also entered the mine.

"That should do it!" Jim said. "I'll bury them!".

He pressed the plunger on a detonator, and explosive charges were set off, sealing the entrance to the mine.

"Perfect!" Freddy said. "Let's go!".

Deep down in the mine, Scrooge had heard the explosion.

"Someone's trying to trap us in here!" He said.

"So it looks like someone else had been here." Gyro said. "Great!".

"Dinnae worry, Gyro." Scrooge said, pulling out a map. "I've got the map here, so just follow my instructions and we'll find our way out.".

"If you say so, sir." Gyro replied.

In a tunnel above them, the Van Itty had stopped.

"Follow them into the mine!" Blue Raja sneered at Invisible Boy. "Great idea!? Now we're stuck!".

"Well I thought it would work!" Invisible Boy protested.

"Hang on, guys!" Doc Heller said. "There is a way out. We just need to get lower so we can use the drill.".

"Drill?" Blue Raja and Invisible Boy chorused.

"Yes, I prepared the car for any emergency. There's a drill for tunnelling. But as I said, let's get a bit lower down so we can use it.".

"Okay, let's go." Blue Raja said as he started the van up again.

Below them, the Maelstrom had kept going when it had heard the explosion.

"What are we going to do, Buckaroo?" Tommy asked.

"Don't worry." he said. "I have a good sense of direction. We'll find our way out.".

"We could just..." New Jersey began.

"Look, Sid. We'll only use the 'thruster if we really need to." Buckaroo said.

"Well you said at the start of the race that you wished we could use it." New Jersey reminded him.

"Yeah, but then I was afraid we could get disqualified for using it.". Buckaroo said. "Now just give it a rest for a while.".

Back in the village, Steve-O and Ryan had finished performing skateboard stunts on the half-pipe. Mat did a jump on his BMX on the ramp, and all the spectators cheered.

"Well done guys!" Johnny said as he applauded.

Someone tapped Johnny on the shoulder.

He turned to see one of the villagers. The villager whispered to him in a suspiciously American accent.

"You'd better get out of here fast. The cops are coming! They'll be here in about ten minutes!".

"Who are you?" Johnny asked. Johnny then noticed a gold medallion the man was wearing and realised that the man was Undercover Brother.

"Just think of me as your guardian angel." UB said.

"Okay!" Johnny said, giving the master of disguise a thumbs-up.

"Come on, guys! Let's vamoose!" Johnny yelled to Steve-O and Ryan.

All three men got back into the Behemoth Base and drove off fast.

"Good luck, guys!" Tony yelled as he and Mat waved goodbye to their friends.

As the Behemoth Base drove off, two motorcycles entered the village and drove up to Mat and Tony. It was Spider and Pitbull.

"Either of you pretty boys see any Cannonballers?" Spider said.

"Why, are you cops?" Mat asked.

"Do we look like cops?" Spider growled.

"No, actually you look like Lynyrd Skynyrd rejects." Tony smirked.

"Oh, yeah? Well you know what I think you guys are?!" Pitbull sneered. "Little wimps!".

He nodded at Mat's BMX.

"You do stunts on that?! That damn thing's only good for paper rounds!".

"You think so?" Mat said as he mounted the BMX.

Mat went to the top of the half-pipe and performed an incredible jump.

Tony looked at Pitbull and said "You think a chopper could do better?".

"Sure it can!" Pitbull said as he went to move his chopper over to the half- pipe.".

"Damn it, Pitbull, don't be stupid!" Spider yelled.

"I gotta put this wimp in his place!" Pitbull replied.

With a roar, Thor passed through the village. Noticing it, Spider revved up his bike and took off in pursuit.

"The boss'll love it when I drag that fat boy's ass down the freeway!" Spider said to himself.

Pitbull had driven his bike onto the half-pipe and revved it up.

"Okay, here goes!" he yelled.

He drove the chopper up the side of the ramp, but as he tried to jump, the chopper's weight made it drop like a stone.

"SHIT!" Pitbull yelled as he hit the ground with a thump.

"All brawn but no brains by the look of things." Tony said to Mat as the dazed Pitbull crawled away from his wrecked bike.

Pitbull managed to get to his feet and noticed a jeep parked across from him. He rushed across to it and got in.

"HEY! That's our transport!" Mat yelled, but it was too late as Pitbull had hotwired the vehicle and drove away.

"Aw shit!" Tony said. "But never mind, we can afford a new one.".

A few miles outside the town, Captain Harris and Proctor were chasing the Buckshot in their cop car.

"I can't lose these guys!" Conker was complaining.

"Hold on, Conker." Crash said. "I know what to do.".

Crash lowered his window and jumped out of the Buckshot.

"I hope that moron knows what he's doing." Conker mumbled to himself.

Crash jumped in the air and began his spin-jump attack.

Harris looked up and saw Crash coming for them.

"What the hell..?" he said.

Crash jumped up and down onto the cop car, causing it damage as he did so.

"Sir, we're taking damage!" Proctor yelled.

"I know that you idiot!" Harris replied. "I'm stopping before any other damage is done!".

Harris brought the cop car to a halt as Crash spin-jumped ahead of them to catch up with Conker.

As Crash landed on the roof of the Buckshot and climbed back inside, Conker smiled.

"Great work, buddy." he said.

"Thanks!" Crash said as they sped on.

Meanwhile, underground, the Van Itty had started to drill its' way back to the surface.

"Good going, fellas!" Doc Heller said. "We'll reach the surface in about ten minutes.".

"Not soon enough for me." Invisible Boy said as Blue Raja worked the car's drill.

"Don't worry." Blue Raja said. "If Furious and the others cross the finish line before we do, we still win.".

The XXS Tomcat had reached the end of a long tunnel and had emerged into the daylight, on a mine car line.

"There Gyro, I told you I knew the way out!" Scrooge said. "Alright, let's go.".

"Roger." Gyro said as he activated the jets and the XXS Tomcat took to the sky.

On the road, the Phantom and the Direwolf were once again going head to head.

Kairi was blasting the cannon at the other car this time.

"I thought these guys were grateful Sora fought that guy back in Nairobi." she said.

"Well all's fair in love and war, Kairi." Cid said. "And this race sure as hell ain't love!".

"Just keep it up, citizen Kairi!" Sora said as he kept his foot down. "They will back off sooner or later.".

El Diablo accelerated right past the two warring vehicles.

"Adios, losers!" Strong Bad yelled.

He looked in the back seat of the car. Both Homestar and Marzipan had fallen asleep.

"Okay, now that those two won't be whining, I'll check my e-mails." he said.

The Cheat made a little noise of uncertainty.

"Don't worry. I'll keep one hand on the wheel." Strong Bad said as he activated a computer screen on the dashboard.

As his home page came up, he took one hand off the steering wheel and typed in his e-mail address.

A message appeared on screen. Strong Bad read it aloud.

"Dear Strong Bad, YOU SUCK! I like the cheat! The cheat rules, he should have his own show! Yours etc. cheatluva!".

Strong Bad looked outraged.

"Oh is that so?!" he yelled. He took his other hand off the steering wheel and prepared to type his angry answer.

The Cheat yelled as the car nearly swerved off the road.

"OH, CRAP!" Strong Bad yelled as he frantically grabbed the wheel again.

Marzipan woke up suddenly as she felt the car swerve.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Uh, sure." Strong Bad said. "We nearly hit an antelope, that's all.".

The Cheat raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, knock it off!" Strong Bad said as he drove on.

The Phoenix was being chased by the Dragon.

Gonzo was now driving the Dragon and had come right up behind the Phoenix.

"This car wasn't called the Dragon for no reason, pal!" he yelled as he pressed a button.

A flame thrower was activated and started to flare at the Phoenix.

"Damn! That's not good!" Michael said.

"Let's get out of here!" K.I.T.T. said.

"No problem!" Michael said as he put his foot down.

The Phoenix accelerated away.

"Don't let him get away, Gonzo!" Miss Piggy yelled.

"He won't!" Gonzo said as he activated their turbo.

The Phoenix was way ahead of their pursuer now.

"You okay, buddy?" Michael asked.

"I could use some repairs, I'm afraid, Michael." K.I.T.T. replied.

"Then you'll get them!" a familiar voice said over their radio.

"Bonnie?" Michael said. "Where are you?".

"Up ahead." Bonnie's voice said. Michael looked ahead of them and saw the FLAG semi, with its' ramp already lowered.

"Just what the doctor ordered." Michael said as he drove the Phoenix up the ramp.

The ramp closed behind them and the rear door of the semi closed.

"Okay, guys." Bonnie said as she stood in front of the car. "What can I do for you?".

Michael got out of the Phoenix.

"Well we got a bit of heat applied to us back there." Michael said. "The turbo booster could use some repairs too.".

"Okay. I'm sure we'll have you guys fixed up before we reach the next bridge.". Bonnie said.

"That's good to know, Bonnie." K.I.T.T. replied.

Outside the truck, the Dragon drove past.

Gonzo scanned the road, confused.

"Where could they have gone?" he asked.

"Never mind that now." Kermit said. "The important thing now is that we keep ahead.".

"Okay, boss." Gonzo said as they sped on.

Meanwhile, Spider had finally caught up with Thor and had overtaken the huge vehicle.

"One of our friends from back in Cali, boss." Eddie said.

"No problem." Hagar said. "It's only one guy.".

Spider had taken out a handgun and had started to fire at Thor.

"EAT THIS, FAT ASS!" he yelled.

"Shall we give him a taste of our turbine blast, Eddie?" Hagar asked.

"Yeah, let's." Eddie said.

"Activate!" Hagar said.

Eddie pressed a green button and in the front nose of Thor, a mighty turbine started to rotate, causing a huge blast of air to be released.

Spider struggled to hold on to his chopper, but as the blast reached full power he was pushed forward so fast that both he and the bike were sent flying.

"So much for that!" Hagar said smiling as they drove on.

Spider picked himself off the road as Thor passed him. He shook his fist after the vehicle.

After a few minutes, Pitbull pulled up in the jeep he had stolen.

"Need a lift, buddy?" he said.

Spider growled and got in beside his friend.

"Get after 'em!" Spider said. Pitbull drove off after the Cannonballers.

"Okay, folks!" Misty said. "It's now time to go over live to the Cannonball bridge. Oprah Winfrey is there standing by.".

"Hi everybody!" Oprah said as she waved at the camera. "It's confirmed! Our racers have begun to cross the bridge.".

"Who is leading right now, Oprah?" Lazlow asked.

"I believe it was the Titan." Oprah replied. "The Phantom and the Direwolf weren't too far behind, and they're still fighting each other.".

"Thanks, Oprah." Kat said. "Well, here's hoping the racers can keep from killing each other.".

Deep in the diamond mine, the Maelstrom had been driving around for hours but had got lost.

"So much for the great sense of direction." Tommy said.

Buckaroo sighed. "Okay, it looks like we'll have to use the 'thruster. But only this once.".

"Okay. Just stand back." New Jersey said as he took out some electrical wires, attaching one end of them to the oscillation overthruster and the other end to the dashboard. There was a brief burst of electrical sparks, but the connection was made.

"Okay, just put in the co-ordinates for the Cannonball bridge and we'll reach it in about thirty seconds." New Jersey said.

"Okay." Buckaroo said as he put the co-ordinates into the 'thruster and accelerated down the tunnel at top speed.

Before they knew what was happening, the car shot disappeared from the tunnel in a blue flash as it entered the 8th dimension.

Buckaroo and friends gazed at the crackling landscape of blue energy as they travelled through the dimension.

"Still looks impressive no matter how often I do this!" Buckaroo said.

With a whoosh, the Maelstrom materialised in front of the Cannonball bridge.

"Whoa!" Tommy said. "That was intense!".

"Okay, let's get out of here!" Buckaroo said. He began to follow the rest of the racers across the bridge out of Africa.

The four Cannonball commentators saw Buckaroo's appearance on their screen.

"That was incredible!" Max said.

"I'm not sure if that's allowed." Lazlow said. "But let's let someone else worry about that. Our racers are now heading for Europe and expectations are still high!".

"And now, here are the Backstreet Boys, Avril Lavigne and Christina Aguilera performing the song Nowhere Fast". Misty said.

Lying in your bed and on a Saturday night

You're sweatin' buckets and it's not even hot

But your brain has got the message

And it's sending it out

To every nerve and every muscle you've got

You've got so many dreams

That you don't know where to put 'em

So you'd better turn a few of 'em loose

Your body's got a feeling that it's starting to rust

You'd better rev it up and put it to use

And I don't know how I ever thought that I could make it all alone

When you only make it better

And it better be tonight

And we'll fly away on those angel wings of chrome in your daddy's car

Waiting there for you tonight

I'll be there for you tonight

Even if you don't have anywhere to go

You go down on the pedal and you're ready to roll

And even if you don't have anywhere to go

You go down on the pedal and you're ready to roll

And your speed

Is all you'll ever need

All you'll ever need to know

Darlin', Darlin'-

You and me we're goin' nowhere slowly

And we've gotta get away from the past

There's nothin' wrong with goin' nowhere, baby

But we should be goin' nowhere fast

Everybody's goin' nowhere slowly

They're only fighting for the chance to be last

There's nothin' wrong with goin' nowhere, baby

But we should be goin' nowhere fast

It's so much better goin' nowhere fast

Ah...

Stalkin' in the shadows by the light of the moon

It's like a prison and the night is a cell

Goin' anywhere has gotta be heaven tonight

'Cause stayin' here has gotta be hell

Dyin' in the city like a fire on the water

Let's go runnin' on the back of the wind

There's gotta be some action on the face of the earth

And I've gotta see your face once again

And I don't know where I ever got the bright idea that I was cool

So alone and independent

But I'm depending on you now

And you'll always be the only thing that I just can't be without

And I'm out for you tonight

I'm comin' out for you tonight

Even if you don't have anywhere to go

You go down on the pedal and you're ready to roll (ready to roll)

Even if you don't have anywhere to go

You go down on the pedal and you're ready to roll

And your speed

Is all you'll ever need

All you'll ever need to know

Darlin', Darlin'-

You and me we're goin' nowhere slowly

And we've gotta get away from the past

There's nothin' wrong with goin' nowhere, baby

But we should be goin' nowhere fast

Everybody's goin' nowhere slowly

They're only fighting for the chance to be last

There's nothin' wrong with goin' nowhere, baby

But we should be goin' nowhere fast

It's so much better goin' nowhere fast

Godspeed

Godspeed

Godspeed

Speed us away!

Godspeed

Godspeed

Godspeed

Speed us away!

Godspeed

Godspeed

Godspeed

Speed us away!

(We're goin' nowhere fast!) Godspeed

(We're goin' nowhere fast!) Godspeed

(We're goin' nowhere fast!) Godspeed

Speed us away!

(Ah...) (We're goin' nowhere fast!) Godspeed

(Ah...) (We're goin' nowhere fast!) Godspeed

(Ah...) (We're goin' nowhere fast!) Godspeed

Speed us away!

Ahhhh!

Nowhere Fast by Fire Inc.

At the bridge, the FLAG semi stopped and let the Phoenix out.

"Good luck, Michael!" Bonnie yelled.

"Thanks, Bonnie! We'll be okay!" Michael said as he drove the car across the bridge.

On the bridge, the Direwolf had got ahead of the Phantom and was speeding along.

"We're ahead of those brats again!" Domino said. "Let's hope we can keep them and the law off our asses!".

"Hey I handled that masked nut, I can handle these losers!" Jessie sneered as they drove on.

In their office, Lex Luthor, Ansem and the Red Skull were crowded around their speaker phone.

They heard Brock Yates' voice speaking on it.

"Hello, Mr. X. Are you there?" Brock's voice said.

Luthor smiled and turned to a videoscreen that showed Jennifer and Elizabeth's faces.

"Your wiretap is coming through loud and clear, my dear." Luthor said to Jennifer. "It's good to know that some of my agents can bring me results.".

"It was no trouble, Mr. Luthor." Jennifer replied.

"Quiet a minute!" the Skull said. "I want to hear this!".

Mr. X was now speaking on the phone.

"Brock, I assure you that the money is still safe. No one apart from you and my agents knows that I have it, and my agents can be trusted. Now how are things back at the Dome.' Mr. X said.

The phone was hooked up to Luthor's computer and a sample of Mr. X's voice had been recorded.

Ansem pressed a button on the keyboard.

"Now to find out who our Mr. X is." he said.

The computer went to work and a few seconds later, a picture of Mr. X appeared on the screen.

"Excellent." Ansem said as he read the data aloud. "Raymond Needham. Ex- CIA, now in the employ of Brock Yates.".

"Well, that's good to know, Mr. X." Brock said on the phone. "I'd better be going now. Bye.".

"Bye.".

The dial tone sounded as the phone went dead.

"Could you tell where the call was placed, sir?" Elizabeth asked.

Ansem enlarged another window on the computer and read it.

"Some apartment in the Royal Hotel in New York." he said.

"Perfect!" said Luthor.

He looked up at the two androids on the video screen.

"You two pull out of the North Pole and head for New York. I'll send Sektor, Cyrax and Smoke to help you.".

"Roger!" Jennifer and Elizabeth chorused. The screen went dead.

"Well, gentlemen." Luthor said to his cohorts. "Assuming our field agents can hold the Cannonballers back long enough, the money will soon be ours!".

The three villains laughed.

TO BE CONTINUED...

NOTE" I hope this chapter was okay. I've got stuff planned for the other chapters, so watch this space! Please read and review.