Chapter 2: A Storm Is Coming

Never in their lives had they expected so great a disaster. They thought that President Raccoon banned explosives from being used as parcels a long time ago, but somehow a letter managed to get through the lock by striking the Bear home. Talking on the phone, Alex II said, "WHAT? Oh, no...thanks--we will be there and we'll find out what happened." He hung the phone up and went over to PowerPaws and the others. He continued, "That was the LAPD. They said that Xochitl and Disco Bear's house was blown up, but they are okay and at the hospital, suffering from minor injuries and 2-degree burns. They also said that someone sent a letter to them with a bomb inside."

"Oh, great," said Charles. "Now, we got to watch out. So put on notices to every postal station to check for any suspicious mail, to make sure that mail don't get out."

"I think we need to get to the bottom of this, or Bentley's new movie will be in disaster."

"Who said my movie's going to be in danger?" said Bentley. "All I know is that it will be filmed in the Evergreen Forest. That way, nothing harmful will come to me--especially bombs."

PowerPaws then thought of something. She said, "Speaking of bombs, does anybody in here know about the Bomb Bandit? There's been a rumor going around that he escaped from jail."

"He did?" asked Bert. "He's not after me, is he?"

"Mr. President, you have security guards--they could protect you from the Bomb Bandit."

"My security guards are moles! They can't see ANYTHING!"

"...well, you might be better off dead, then. The Bomb Bandit might one day put a tiny bomb in an envelope, send it to you, and blow up the White House faster than you can say 'George Washington'."

This kind of news sent a shiver up Bert's spine. He muttered, his voice quavering, "I'll...be at home...when you need me..." He ran off screaming, but Bert Jr. caught him by the collar of his sweater. He said, "Dad, you're always scared of anything that can blow up. But you've got to be strong and we must extinguish the menace, whatever or whoever that is, before it ruins my birthday party next week."

"Do I have to? But, how can I--"

"Relax--you're the president of this country, and I can be sure that you will lead the team very well. If you try to face one of your biggest fears, you won't freak out as much as you do."

Bert thought for a moment, before saying, "All right..I'll try."

PowerPaws walked away, saying, "You guys stay here and be on the lookout for anything suspicious. I'll go over to the hospital to check on my sister and brother-in-law, and see how they're doing."

At the hospital, PowerPaws visited the recovery room, where Xochitl and Disco Bear were lying. It was there that she found out the true nature of the envelope that almost killed them. Xochitl said, "Upon checking the mail we received that morning, I checked the envelopes to see who they came from. Of the last envelope, there was a scrawled message that said 'Rest in pieces, TTC' and below it a small picture of a bunch of dynamite bundled together."

"The mark of the Bomb Bandit," whispered PowerPaws. "How did he track you down?"

"I...I don't know. He might've heard about me in the news or every other media involved in relaying news. But all I know for certain is that he's after us for one reason--to avenge his being thrown into the iron bars. I've faced him before, long before I met the Time Toon Cops. However, I...I...I can't bring myself to confront him again. Right now I fear that he might be too strong for me to handle."

PowerPaws sighed. Now that the world's most dangerous criminal has caused her sister so much harm, she had to find a way to get back at him for what he did to her--but if only she knew where he was hiding. Just then, a group of doctors came in and took Disco Bear away. One of them said, "Oh, boy, this big guy's gonna need extreme surgery in a situation like this...and for those burns..."

Xochitl wept and sobbed, "There goes my wonderful husband--I hope he makes it through when the surgery is over..." She turned to PowerPaws and said, "As soon as I get my strength back, I'll catch up with you and the cops. But I have to leave sweet DB behind..."

"You won't have to leave him behind," said PowerPaws. "With a video walkie-talkie, you can keep track of how he's doing and you can talk to him if you feel like it."

Xochitl smiled, before hugging her sister and whispering, "Thank you, Eugenia...thanks for everything..."

Meanwhile, Gerry (now known as the Bomb Bandit) was witnessing the scene through a handheld magic mirror, which appeared to be stolen from a fairy tale museum. He laughed and said, "With that Xochitl girl down and out, the Time Toon Cops won't stand a chance! Now, let's see..." He looked at the newspaper again. Sitting by Xochitl's side was PowerPaws, with her husband Cyrus Snooper behind her, his paw on her shoulder. "The next couple I should strike is dear sweet PowerPaws herself...and her snazzy feline spouse." Then, he laughed evilly, as he went on his way to make a bomb so he could implant it into their house in Hollywood.