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Episode Two
The Power of the Heart
The sun began to rise over the islands where Matthew and Baloo were. Baloo was snoring away on the bottom bunk bed in the McQueen while Matthew was working hard on the Sea Duck's engines. Both of the nacelles of the Sea Duck were empty, and their engines sat on a large blue tarp spread out on the ground near the plane. The entire two motors had been taken apart and just now got reassembled. Matthew made all the necessary repairs and a few tweaks to make the plane faster. He even added a better version of Overdrive, except this one, which will work the same way as the old one, but without the drawback of overheating the engines. It still had to be used for emergencies as it was still dangerous to use.
Matthew sweated as he tightened a few bolts with a wrench before wiping his forehead on his sleeve. He was tired and had dark shadows under his eyes from the all-night repair and tune-up of Baloo's engines.
"There, good as new!" Matthew declared as he stood back to admire his handy work. The engines no longer looked like used, patched-up engines. Now they looked brand new and shiny. "Now then…. Hope I can do this before Baloo wakes up..."
He closed his eyes and focused. "May the Heart be with you…." he murmured, stretching his hand towards one of the engines. After a moment, the engine gave a little wiggle. Matthew raised his hand just a little, and the engine rose off the ground very slowly. As Matthew stretched out his hand, the motor hovered away from him. As he drew his hand back, it drifted back towards him. With his hand movements, he directed the engine to suspend in front of one of the Sea Duck's nacelles.
Still holding his hand towards the engine, Matthew walked around the plane until he was directly in front of it. Then he stopped, facing the plane. He made a shoving motion, and the engine hovered backward into the nacelle. When it was far enough, Matthew made a halting sign with his hand, and the Heart disconnected him from the machine.
"That's one down," Matthew said, looking even more tired than before. "One to go..." he raised his hand and repeated the process with the other engine. Once he concluded that, he fell to his knees in exhaustion. But the job wasn't over yet. He took a moment to recover, then he stood up, picked up one of the propellers, and began to readjust it to the engine. He then repeated this process with the other. Once that was over, he climbed onto the wing and walked toward one of the nacelles containing an engine apiece. He connected the wires, cables, and the fuel tube to the motor and then bolted the engine down within the nacelle. He then did the same with the other one. Finally, it was ready for flight!
With his job done, he closed up the nacelles and laid down on his back on top of the wing. "It's finally finished…." then he conked out and fell into a deep sleep.
Meanwhile, back at Louie's Place.
Inside shack number twelve, Chris' bright blue eyes fluttered open, and then he slowly sat up in his bed, yawning and stretching. Kit, being roused by his brother's movements, did likewise.
"You're up bright and early." Kit commented as he got out of bed.
"Heh-heh, yeah, I always wake up at sunup," Chris said, getting out of bed and beginning to do some leg stretches. "No matter what time it is, as soon as the sun's up completely, I automatically wake up for some reason."
"Ah, you're just an early riser," said Kit. "So, since you've been looking for me your whole life, you and Dad must've had a lot of adventures together."
"Yeah, more than I can count, actually," said Chris.
"Tell me about some of 'em." Kit said with an air of one expecting to hear a series of thrilling tales.
"Uhhh…" Chris said, suddenly realizing that most of his adventures with his Dad had been in other worlds, and he was a bit young when he had last been here to remember any he might have had in this world. And he was forbidden to talk of other worlds. Then an idea came to him. He'd tell Kit one of his off-world adventures and make it sound as if it happened in this world. But he needed time to think the story through. "I will, but first, some breakfast," he said, pushing Kit towards the door.
"Oh, okay…." Kit said, clearly disappointed. "Let's go eat….I guess."
Louie's Place was quiet at this hour of the morning. The few people awake at the time sat at their table, finishing their breakfast, wearing the glum expressions of early morning as they sipped their coffee.
Louie himself was the only one who seemed awake. His cheerfulness as he darts here and there in the kitchen, cooking was a stark contrast to his sleepyheaded customers. He was even humming a jazzy and scatty tune while he cooked.
"Good morning, Louie." Kit said as the two cubs approached the bar and sat on the same stools they used the night before.
"Good morning, cuz!" Louie said cheerfully. "Ready for da most important meal o' da day?"
"You bet!" Chris said enthusiastically.
"Ha-ha, alright!" Louie shouted happily. "Hey Jim!" he called to one of his little monkey minions, who wore a chef hat and apron and was tending to other orders. "Get the Chris-Kit order ready."
"Yes, Louie, right away!" the monkey minion said, looking at the clothesline on which many orders hung. "Got it!" he said, having located the order and taken it down. "Two orders of Old Fashion, with a side of the pancake for each?
"That's right, now hop to it, Sonny Jim," Louie said as he started mixing drinks for another customer.
"Yes, sir!" the monkey minion said as he went to the refrigerator and got a few eggs, bacon, and some ground beef to make sausages.
"Can I have some coffee, Louie?" asked Kit, still looking a little sleepy.
"Sure, cuz. But, uh, I didn't know you drink coffee," Louie said as he poured Kit a cup and slid it across the bar towards him.
"You drink coffee?! Yuck!" Chris exclaimed with a disgusted face, his tongue sticking out on the word yuck. "That's disgusting."
Kit was drinking his coffee as Chris was saying this, and Chris was amazed that Kit didn't gag or even shudder at the bitter taste. He just drank it casually, as if he drank it every day.
"That…" Kit said, setting down his half-empty cup of coffee on the bar. "...is a matter of opinion, Chris. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean others wouldn't like it either. Here, try it." he said, pushing his cup towards Chris. "I don't know how long it's been since you last tasted coffee, but your taste might have changed. Go on, try it."
Chris slowly and reluctantly picked up the cup and took his sweet time taking a sip. When he finally did take a drink, his face jerked away from the cup as if he'd burnt his tongue. He wore a disgusted expression with his tongue hanging out in a 'yuck!' sort of way.
"BAH! Bitter!" Chris said, shoving the cup back at Kit. "That's disgusting!"
Kit shrugged. "To each his own," he said, taking another casual sip. "I like it."
"Here's yer orange juice, cuz," Louie said, setting down a tall glass of orange juice in front of Chris.
"Perfect timing!" Chris exclaimed, picking up the glass. "I need to get that taste of coffee out of my mouth!" he drank it down halfway and then let out a big sigh of satisfaction. "Ahhh, that's good orange juice."
Kit looked at Chris and then at his cup of coffee. "It's not that bad…." he muttered.
"Ahh, brother," Chris said, putting his arm around Kit. "It is as you said: 'to each his own."
"Order up!" shouted Jim from the kitchen, and two plates with their order appeared on the kitchen windowsill, plus two more plates of pancakes.
Louie collected the orders in his long arms and set them down in front of Kit and Chris.
"Here ya are! Now eat up before it gets cold." Louie said with a smile.
Kit and Chris had never seen a more-delicious looking breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, and biscuits covered in gravy, Everything got cooked to perfection, and one could tell that the chef had put his heart into this meal.
"Oh wow!" exclaimed Kit. "This all looks so good! Even better than cereal!"
Kit and Chris picked up their respective silverware, Kit using a fork while Chris was using a spoon.
"You eat eggs with a spoon?" Kit asked after he had taken the first few bites of his scrambled eggs.
"Y-yeah," Chris said through a mouthful of scrambled eggs as he chewed and swallowed before adding: "Spoon's easier for me to use than a fork with scrambled eggs."
Kit shrugged and continued eating.
"Ahh…. now that's what I call a hearty breakfast!" Chris said as he and Kit both finished their breakfast. He patted his stomach. "I may need to jog an extra lap this morning to burn all of this off."
Louie chuckled. "Well, feel free to use my entire island as yer track 'n field."
"Okay, thanks, Louie!" Chris as he hopped down from his stool and made a run for the door. Kit jumped down and followed him.
"So, what do we do first?" Kit asked as they arrived at the docks. "Chris?" He looked around and saw that Chris was doing the side lunge stretch.
"First," Chris said, switching sides on his lunge stretch. "We stretch."
"Uh, okay…" Kit said, taking the same position as Chris and started doing the side lunge stretch too. "Um, do you and Dad do these exercises together?"
"Uh-huh," Chris said, switching sides again. "Every morning, after breakfast and before going off to search for you, we'd do all these exercises together. We even challenge each other to a foot race. But he always wins." He stood up straight and started doing the side trunk stretch. "His legs are longer, so he can run faster than me."
After they had done every stretch Chris performed every morning, which finished with a hamstring stretch, they stood up and started jogging along the island. After the first lap around the island, Kit was ready to stop. But Chris kept trotting, so Kit sucked it up and continued to jog.
Finally, after three laps, Chris stopped at the dock area where they had started. He was a little sweaty and panting a little but alright.
"Ah, what a great workout, wasn't it, Kit? Kit?"
Chris looked around and saw that he had left Kit behind. After a moment, Kit emerged from a few yards away, walking as if he was carrying a ton-pound weight on his shoulders. His sweatshirt, baseball cap, and fur got soaked through with sweat. And he was panting like a dog on the Dog Days of Summer.
"Kit!" Chris shouted, running over to meet him. As he got close, Kit collapsed face down in the sand.
"I can't take another step!" he gasped.
When Chris reached him, he knelt beside him. "Are you okay, Kit?"
"Y-y-yeah, gimme a minute…." Kit said, gasping and panting for breath.
"Guess you're not used to morning jogs," Chris suggested with an apologetic smile.
"Oh, I'm used to jogging….Just not a three-mile one, through an island jungle and sand. I'm used to the city park and the school's track field. How are you not out of breath and sweaty like me?" Kit asked as his breathing gradually stabilized.
"Well, I….I've been jogging with Dad over countless different terrains. I guess that helps me." Chris said, smiling sheepishly. "I guess I've jogged through rougher terrains than this island."
"Yeah, I guess that explains it. So…." Kit said, looking up at Chris with a confident smirk. "Wanna race to see who's faster?"
Chris smirked in response. "You're on, but the loser buys the winner a soda."
"Deal!" Kit said, and they shook hands on it.
They mark their start point and their finish point. At the start, Kit and Chris both got ready to run their fastest.
"Ready to eat my dust?" Kit said with a confident smirk.
Chris smirked back at him. "I was about to ask you the same thing."
"Okay, on your mark, get set… GO!" Kit shouted.
Both bear cubs took off running at full speed. At first, Kit and Chris were shoulders to shoulder, and then the next thing Chris knew, Kit was ahead of him!
"Man, he's fast!" Chris gasped in awe as he continued to run. It was clear that while Kit wasn't into jogging through rough terrains, he was a pretty fast runner.
Kit crossed the finish line first and jumped into the air with his arms up high. "Yahoo! I won!"
Chris crossed the finish line, gasping and panting as he bent over, holding his knees while he tried to catch his breath.
"You owe me a soda." Kit said happily.
"How….how did you get so fast?" Chris gasped.
"I guess I had plenty of practice from running all my life." Kit said, shrugging.
"Were you running away from things?" Chris wanted to know. "No one gets that good at running unless they've run away from things."
"Well, out on the streets, there's plenty of things to run from, and you have to be fast enough not to get caught." Kit said."Those runs did help me outrun the entire Air Pirate crew once. And now, it's making me the undefeated runner in the Cape Suzette Elementary School track and field."
"Wow, that's awesome," Chris said admiringly. Then he turned serious. "How long did you live out in the streets?"
"Oh, um…." Kit said, suddenly uncomfortable. It was clear that he was somewhat reluctant to tell the tale. "From the time I escaped the orphanage to the time I ran into the Air Pir—" he stopped dead, wishing he hadn't said that last part. He hit and scolded himself mentally.
"What? You ran into the Air Pirates?" Chris said in surprise. "Did they kidnap you? How long were you their prisoner? Did Baloo rescue you from them?" with each question, Chris got closer and closer to Kit's face until Kit got pressed against a coconut tree with their noses touching.
"Uh, yeah… Baloo did rescue me from them…." Kit said, drawing his face away from Chris and preferring not to answer the other questions, but Chris was persistent.
"You're avoiding my other questions, Kit," Chris said, poking him in the chest with a finger. "Answer me. Did they kidnap you?"
"No…." Kit said, not meeting Chris' eyes.
"What? You got away from them?"
Kit slid down to the ground, drew his knees, and hugged them. "No…"
There was a pause, and the realization hit Chris like a ton-pound brick. "WHAT?! You went with them willingly?!"
"Yes, Chris!" Kit yelled in anger. "I was a pirate! Ya happy now?!" He then buried his face in his arms wrapped around his knees.
Chris was stunned, shocked by Kit's outburst. "You…. You were a pirate? Kit, what were you thinking?! Pirates are criminals, robbers, thieves, plunderers... "
Kit's head jerked up from his knees, and he glared at Chris, who backed away.
"You think I don't know that?" Kit said in a low, fierce voice. "I knew what kinds of people I was joining."
"Then why in blue blazes did you join them, Kit?" Chris demanded.
"I…" Kit's face filled with remorse. "I stowed away in a plane, hiding in the cargo. That plane got hit by Air Pirates, and they found me. Karnage said I had spunk and offered me a place in the Air Pirates."
"Please tell me you refused the offer, and they took you anyway…." Chris begged him.
Kit gave a hollowed laugh. "I wish, but sadly, I joined them willingly."
"Again, what were you thinking?"
"Chris, you've lived with Dad. I didn't!" Kit said in frustration, punching the ground with his fist. "You have no idea what it's like to live out in the streets, alone, friendless, cold, and hungry. I had to pickpocket and steal food just to survive. That was my life before the Air Pirate. I was thinking about survival and the lesser evil. At least with the Pirates, I was fed, given a bed, and a roof over my head. I prefer that to the cold, starving nights on the streets."
There was a long silence between them. Chris stood there, looking horrified at Kit's little speech.
"Kit…" he said in a stunned voice. "You're right. I had no idea…." Chris knelt and hugged Kit. "That sounds terrible… but how did you end up being the nice person you are today? Normally a kid living through all of that turns out to be a street thug who's about as nice as a Thembrian soldier!" Although Chris did not know what Thembria was, he had heard his Dad use this expression to describe a mean and cruel person.
"Eh, Sergeant Dunder's pretty nice." Kit shrugged. "For a Thembrian anyway. And this Thembrian kid, Bobo, he was nice too!"
Chris looked at him in a way that plainly said he knew Kit was trying to steer the topic away from his past. Kit sat down on the ground and continued his story.
"I don't know. I just knew I didn't want to be like those bozos I met in the streets. But I was like them, I hated it, but I was every bit like them until I met Baloo," Kit looked up with a sad little smile on his face. "Meeting Baloo changed me, and I wanted to be more like him than Karnage, especially after seeing him outfly the Pirates." he laughed nostalgically on the last line. "Baloo took me in as his navigator, and then later, Miz Cunningham took me on when she took over the business, and I've been with them ever since. Miz Cunningham even helped me so I could go to school. She gave me some jobs so I could earn some extra money."
Chris smiled sadly as his brother opened up to him. He sat down next to him and hugged him. "You're lucky to have Baloo. I can tell he cares for you back in the plane." Then he released Kit and looked sadly at the ground. "I'm going to be completely honest with you since you were honest with me…. I-I know I told you that I would tell you about the incidents Dad and I had over the years trying to find you, but... I'm sorry, Kit, but I can't tell you anything."
"What?! Why not?" Kit cried in outrage. "You promised you'd tell me some of your adventures!"
"I...I know. But I was planning on mixing the stories up a bit so I wouldn't be disobeying the rules," Chris said with remorse. "But since you opened up to me, I just couldn't do it, and I don't want to lie to you."
"What rules?" Kit asked. "Chris, are you and Dad part of a cult? Are they holding you two against your will?"
"No! No, nothing like that. We're not into cults," Chris said, not meeting Kit's eye. "Let's just say we're like secret agents and leave it at that, at least for now. We've joined a certain group to improve our chances of finding you. You have no idea what information this group has access to, Kit. We wanted the information about your whereabouts. And we joined willingly to get that information."
Kit raised his eyebrow skeptically. "They allowed kids to be agents?"
"Not….not exactly…." Chris said, looking uncomfortable, fearing he might be saying too much already. "Kids are trained and taught at the academy and given practice missions. Look, I've probably said too much already. So don't ask me anymore. All I can say is that we've joined a secret group, and this group wishes to remain a secret. Dad and I joined, hoping to find you on one of our missions, but those missions are top secret, so I can't tell you about my adventures."
"Wait… you just said that kids are not exactly allowed to be agents and can only go on practice missions…." Kit said slowly. "How are you allowed to go on real missions with Dad?"
"They tried to make me stay at the academy with the other kids, but all I ever wanted to do was find my brother," Chris explained, smiling sideways at Kit. "I kept sneaking away onto the plane with Dad as he went off on one of his missions. Finally, Dad got tired of finding me in various compartments, and knowing there was no stopping me, he talked the higher-ups into allowing me to accompany him on his missions. In the end, they agreed, as long as I didn't hinder the mission."
"So….are you on a mission now?" Kit asked.
Chris shook his head. "Not this time. We're on a brief break from missions. Whether on missions or breaks, we're always going to places. Always on the lookout for hints that you might've been there."
"Well, you found me, now what're you gonna do, take me back? What if I don't wanna go?"
"You… you don't wanna come back with us?" Chris asked, looking devastated and upset. "After all those crazy dangerous missions and other adventures we went on to find you?! D'you know how many times I could've been a goner looking for you? Too many, that's how many!"
"Look, I'm sorry," Kit said, looking equally upset. "All my life, I wanted a home, a place to belong—a family! I finally found that in Cape Suzette, at Higher for Hire. That's my home. Baloo, Rebecca, Molly, Wildcat, and the Jungle Aces are all my family now. And I can't just leave them. I left them once for fame and riches and nearly got myself killed, burnt, and broken at the very least! And I would've been if Baloo hadn't been there to save me. I don't want to make that mistake again. I can't just leave them after everything we've been through together."
Chris looked as though he might cry for a moment, then he looked up at Kit, knowing all the futuristic toys and devices he'd be giving up for him. "What if….what if Dad and I move to Cape Suzette? Kit, please, we want to be a part of your family.
"I'd like that, but I'm not moving out of Higher for Hire." Kit said. "I'm too attached to the place."
"That's okay. We can either move in and work for Miss Cunningham or start our own business nearby," Chris said.
Kit chuckled. "You'd better not. With that fast plane, you and Dad have, you'd put us out of business before we'd even take off!"
"Eh, I don't think Dad'd be interested in hauling cargoes. He only likes cargo planes because they make a good flying mobile home or a camping vehicle with wings," Chris said, shrugging. "He'd make more money off of his mechanic skills. It's unbelievable what Dad can fix! And he doesn't just fix things! He makes them brand new! Like taking an old beat-up truck and turning it into a brand-new truck! That's how amazing he is at fixing things. That's how he rebuilt the McQueen!"
"Wow," Kit said in awe. "That sounds amazing. He'd be raking in the money as a general repair shop."
"Yeah, flying and cloud surfing are his talents, but repairing things to the point of being brand new again is his best talent."
"Hey, Chris. I've been meaning to ask, what's our real last name?" Kit asked. "I only called myself Cloudkicker because that was the name engraved on the corner of my airfoil." he drew out his airfoil and spread it out, showing Chris the name engraved on the corner. "I always thought this was Dad's, and Cloudkicker might have been his nickname or something."
Chris looked at the air board in Kit's hand. "No, Kit, this is yours."
"What?"
"It's yours," Chris repeated. "Dad still has his, and I got mine…" he withdrew what looked like an airfoil just like Kit's, except when he spread it out, it was a round-shape board, like a disc rather than a boomerang shape. "Before you and I were born, our family was into the air circus business. Cloud surfing was our most popular performance. Folks came from all over to see the cloud-skiing wonder—our Dad! Cloudkicker was going to be your stage name. Our grandfather started the tradition of assigning airfoils and a stage name to every kid born into our family, starting with Dad and his brother."
"His brother? Do we have an uncle?" Kit asked, getting a little excited, thinking there were more of his family left than he thought.
"We had an uncle," Chris said gloomily. "He died in the war."
"Oh…" Kit said, feeling the gloom himself. "What was his name?"
"He was Uncle Mark; that's all I know. Dad doesn't talk about him much. It's too painful for him. Uncle Mark was his twin."
"Yeah… um, can you tell me something."
"Sure, unless it's something I can't talk about."
"If Cloudkicker was going to be my stage name for the air circus show, then why are you and Dad using it as your last name too?"
"From what Dad told me, something bad happened in our air circus deal, something that made him drop our family name forever and adopt your stage name as our last name," Chris explained. "It was around that time that you disappeared, and he was just coming home from the war. I think he took on your stage name to feel closer to you."
"So what was our original last name, do you know?"
"Yes, it was Windward, but Dad legally changed our name to Cloudkicker, your stage name."
"Kit Windward…" Kit said as if trying to taste the name's flavor on his tongue. "Kit Windward, Chris Windward, Matthew Windward…." he tilted his head to one side, a look of uncertainty on his face as if he was trying and failing to like the name. "Yeah, I think I'll stick with Cloudkicker. So, what's your stage name, Chris?"
"I'm Skyglider because my board is more of a glider," Chris said. "And Dad is Cloudsurfer," he added, knowing Kit was about to ask.
"Cloudkicker, Skyglider, and Cloudsurfer….they all sound pretty cool!" Kit said.
Chris stood up because he had had enough with this Q and A ping pong game.
"If you have any other questions about our family, save them for Dad," Chris said as he started to make his way back to Louie's. "Let's do lunch now." He offered Kit his hand, and when Kit took it, he pulled him to his feet.
"What? Already?" said Kit, checking his watch and discovering it was noon.
"Yeah, time flies when you go out for a jog, run in a race, and have a chat with your brother," Chris said. "No matter what we do, the clock always moves forward and never stands still."
"Well… I guess we can always talk later." Kit said reluctantly, following Chris to Louie's Place.
Later.
Baloo stepped into Louie's Place just as Kit and Chris finished their free lunch, both having eaten a hamburger and fries with a cola. Both were seated at a table.
"Hey Papa Bear, how's the Sea Duck?" Kit asked, taking a sip of cola through a straw.
"Oh-oh man! She flew like a newborn plane, Little Britches!" Baloo shouted joyously. "Matt didn't just fix her. He made her brand new again, and she even smells new! Just like the McQueen does."
Chris gave Kit a 'what-did-I-tell-you' look from across the table. Then he looked up at Baloo.
"So…. where is my Dad?" he asked.
"Oh, he stayed up all night workin' on the Duck," Baloo said. "He's back in the McQueen, gettin' some well-deserved shut eyes."
"So I'm stuck here?" Chris asked, sounding a little apprehensive.
"Nah, he asked me ta fly ya back to Cape Suzette," said Baloo. "And he said not expect him to pick you up for a few days. Says he's going house hunting."
"Yeah, I guess we do need a new home," Chris said, nodding.
"What happened to your old one?" Kit asked.
"We were gone for so long that the bank took it due to overdue payments," Chris said. "Luckily, the McQueen wasn't tied in the deed with the hangar. So we've been living in the McQueen."
"Louie, old buddy!" Baloo called over to the bar, waving a hand. "How about some lunch over here? I'm starving."
"Sorry, cuz, no can do," Louie said. "Yer tab's too high fer me to ignore anymore. And you know what I say: "When the tab gets high, kiss the scoop goodbye."
"Aw, c'mon, Louie. I'll pay ya as soon as I get some extra cash."
"Now, where have I heard that one before?" Louie said in mocked puzzlement. "Did I hear that once or twice? Or maybe a dozen times? And don't give me that pathetic-looking mug, cuz, that ain't gonna fly this time."
"You'd send your old buddy away hungry?" Baloo said, shocked.
"Tell ya what, Baloo, pay your tab, and then you eat," Louie said firmly. "If not, well… it'd probably do you some good to lose a pound or twenty…." he laughed, although Baloo did not look amused.
"Fine," Baloo said, sounding a little irritated. "If that's the way you want it…. Kit, Chris, let's go." Baloo then marched out with two cubs in tow. "Can you believe that guy?" Baloo said as they exited the building and made their way to the Sea Duck at the end of the dock. "Sending an old friend away like that without a single bite ta eat."
"Well….you did run a pretty steep tab, Baloo." Kit said in a small and reasonable voice.
"Hey, whose side are you on, Kit?" Baloo snapped, and Kit meekly fell silent.
Chris, however, looked outraged. "WHAT?! I can't believe what I'm hearing!" he said, jabbing Baloo in the stomach with a finger. "He's on your side, but he can also see that Louie needs money to stay open, and your high tab is making it very difficult for him! So don't you go taking your anger out on Kit! It's nobody's fault but yours!" he finished with one final jab that sent Baloo falling onto his backside.
"Oof!" grunted Baloo, rubbing his belly. "That's quite an arm ya got there, Chris."
Kit was looking at Chris in awe, amazed at the backbone Chris had displayed in his defense of Kit.
"Wow, how did you get so tough, Chris?"
"Years of adventuring with Dad," Chris said proudly, taking up a superhero pose with both fists on his hip.
"All of which you can't tell me for some reason…." Kit muttered, annoyed.
Chris looked a little upset at that. "Kit, you will hear about my adventures. Just not right now."
"Now, cool it, you two," Baloo said, stepping between them. "I don't wanna feel this heat back ta Cape Suzette. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, we still need to deliver the cargo before we head home."
Kit and Chris glared at each other across Baloo's big belly, and then they both smiled. It seems that they just couldn't stay mad at each other.
"There, now that's more like it," Baloo said, walking over to the Sea Duck and opening the passenger side door of the cockpit. "All aboard!"
Kit and Chris climbed into the cockpit while Baloo stepped in after them, closing the door behind him.
The first thing Kit noticed when he looked around the cockpit was that it had acquired a new smell. It was that brand new car smell that the McQueen had. And after looking around more carefully, he saw that the pilot and co-pilot seats no longer hold patches. They got repaired to the point of looking brand new. The whole cockpit was shiny and sparkly. And the throttle has been modified to include the new maximum airspeed of five hundred miles per hour!
"Wow…." Kit said in awe. "This is the Sea Duck? She looks like this is her first time out of the factory!"
"If you think that's impressive, wait till ya hear the engine!" Baloo said happily, sitting in the pilot seat.
Chris nudged Kit with his elbow. "What did I tell ya? That's Dad's special talent, fixing and repairing things to the point of being brand new again."
"Yeah, you weren't kidding!" Kit said, opening the door to the cargo hold. Everything in there seemed to be as new as the cockpit, and Kit noticed an extra tow rope line at the end of the cargo hold.
Chris appeared at Kit's shoulder. "Oh good! Dad added another tow rope for us to cloud surf together!"
"Yeah, I'd like to see how you cloud surf on a round board." Kit chuckled.
"And I'd like to see how you cloud surf on a boomerang-shaped board," Chris said in response.
"You can do that on the flight home. Right now, we need to deliver that cargo," Baloo said from the cockpit. "Hey, Kit, you did call Becky to let her know the cargo's running a day late, did ya?"
"Yes, Papa Bear, and she called the client to let them know too," said Kit, returning to the cockpit and taking a seat.
"Nuh-huh-uh, that's the navigator's seat," Baloo said as Kit got the map out.
"But I am the navigator, Baloo." Kit said, looking up from his map with a look of confusion.
Baloo smiled. "Not today, yer not," he said, picking Kit up out of his seat and set him on his lap. "Chris can handle the maps while you fly the plane."
"What? R-really?! You mean it?!" Kit squealed with delight.
"Hey-hey, we can't let your brother leave you behind in the dust, now can we?"
Kit smirked at that. "No, we can't. I'm gonna show him what I've got!"
"If you're trying to outshine me in flying, you've already failed before you even started to take off," Chris said in a bored voice, sitting in Kit's usual seat and getting the maps all situated. "You forgot to do the pre-flight checks."
"So did you, remember?" Kit pointed out.
"Yeah, but I didn't know Dad would let me fly at the time."
"Well," Kit shrugged. "Better go do the pre-flight checks while I'm still thinking about it."
Kit got down from Baloo's lap, walked around Chris' seat, and exited the co-pilot door. Chris spent a few minutes studying the map, looking at all the different countries.
"So," Chris said after he finished studying the map. "Where do we need to get this cargo to?"
"The cargo needs ta go ta New Fedora," Baloo replied.
"WHAT?!" cried Kit from outside, and he came back into the cockpit, looking furious.
"Man, that's a good set of ears ya got there... Now, Kit, it's just a cargo run," Baloo said, trying to calm Kit down.
"Nuh-huh, Baloo, count me out." Kit said firmly. "I'm not going!"
"Why? What's so bad about New Fedora? They got a nice-looking airfield and everything," said Chris, while reading up on New Fedora on the map.
"Yeah, the same airfield where I nearly became a barbecued pancake." Kit said with his arms folded.
"How'd you barbecue a pancake?" Chris asked, scratching his head in puzzlement.
"Easy, you put the cake through a ring of fire," Kit said, illustrating the movement by moving one finger from his left hand through the hole of his thumb and index finger of his right hand, making it look like his finger is going through a hoop. "Then you let it free-fall to the ground, and—SPLAT!" he clapped his hands together to indicate squashing something. "And you have a barbecued pancake."
Chris stared at Kit for a long moment, and then it clicked. He gasped in horror. "YOU? You were almost a barbecued pancake?!"
Kit looked down at the floor. "Yeah, that's what I said."
"Sorry, Lil' Britches, I know ya have bad memories of New Fedora, but a job's a job," Baloo said, patting Kit on the shoulder. "Besides, Becky will blow a gas leak if we don't deliver the cargo today."
"Yeah… okay…." Kit said in a resigned voice, then he turned around and went into the cargo hold.
"Kit, where are you going? I thought you were gonna fly…." Baloo said.
"Not to New Fedora, I'm not. I'm going to take a nap." Kit said. "Don't wake me up until we're bound for Cape Suzette," he said, slamming the cargo hold door behind him.
Chris and Baloo stared at the cargo hold door for a few moments, and then Chris said: "Can I fly?"
Later, when the Sea Duck was midway between Louie's and New Fedora, all was peaceful with Chris piloting the Sea Duck, seated on Baloo's big belly until the sound of gunfire and bullets hitting metal.
Ping, ping, ping, ping!
"Pirates!" yelped Baloo, throwing Chris into the passenger seat and taking the controls.
"Oof!" Chris grunted as he landed in his seat.
"Helloooo! It is I, the plundering wonder, Don Karnage!" Karnage spoke in a sing-song voice over the radio. "You may have escaped the fearsome and noble pirate, Don Karnage, yesterday. But today...! Today we will be looting you. Why don't you just surrender, Baloo? You'll make it so much easier for my wonderful self."
"Heh, that's the first time I've heard the words 'fearsome' and 'noble' in the same sentence like that," Chris chuckles. "Kick it into gear, Baloo!" he yelled, punching a fist into the air.
"Wrong terminology, but hey, you don't have ta tell me twice," Baloo said, putting the Sea Duck into full throttle, and the Sea Duck sped up. Baloo performed a couple of loop-de-loops to shake off the Pirates.
"YAAAAHOOOO!" Chris hooted as the Pirates tried to chase them but could not match the Sea Duck's newly increased maximum airspeed of five hundred miles per hour.
Chris then glanced out of his window and did a double take. He saw something that made his heart stop, his eyes widening in horror.
"KIT!"
"What? Kit? Where?" yelped Baloo, looking wildly around.
"Down there, Baloo!" Chris cried, pointing out of his window.
Kit's limp form was free falling out of the sky, heading straight down to one of the islands below!
"KIT, NOOO!" cried Baloo in anguish as he pointed the Sea Duck into a nosedive, racing the falling bear cub. But the Pirates got in his way, flying around him and shooting at him, forcing Baloo to pull out of the dive and perform some evading maneuvers to avoid being shot down.
"Kit! No!" Chris cried as the rescue mission looked more and more hopeless. Then a look of fierce determination crossed his face. "No, I will not lose my brother!" he jumped out of his seat and ran to the door to the cargo hold, pushed it open, and saw that the loading bay doors at the back of the plane were wide open. He ran down the cargo hold, pulling out his round disc of an airfoil as he went.
"May the Heart be with you!" he shouted as he threw the disc ahead and then jumped onto it.
When his feet touched the board, it glowed with a blue aura and flew quickly out of the plane. He swooped down after Kit, but he was intercepted by Dumptruck shooting at him, and he had to duck to avoid getting shot.
"GRRR! GET OUT OF MY WAY!" he roared, stretching out his hand. Out from under his sweatshirt flew something that looked like a flashlight. Chris caught it in his outstretched hand. The moment his hand closed on the handle of the flashlight-like device, it became the hilt of a blue blade of laser! And in that instant, his clothes changed. Instead of his sweatshirt, Chris was now wearing something like a tan-colored karate gi.
He swooped and zigzagged through the air while swinging his blade around, which made a humming sound every time the energy blade was swung, batting away all the bullets fired his way! When he was close enough to Dumptruck's plane, he sliced it in half with his laser blade.
Dumptruck gulped as he realized there was no longer a plane holding him up. "Der, I hate when this happens…WAHAHHAHHH!" he screamed, falling out of the sky before pulling on the cord of his parachute.
Chris wheeled around midair, directing his hand down at Kit, who stopped falling and hung in the air as if by invisible ropes. Chris beckoned motion with his hand, and Kit flew through the air towards him. He tossed his blade aside and caught Kit in his arms.
"Kit! Oh, Kit!" Chris cried, hugging Kit before realizing that Kit was unconscious. But Chris didn't have time to be concerned, as another round of gunfire began to rain down upon him! He quickly put Kit on his back and recalled his blade of laser, which flew through the air, right into Chris' hand, who grabbed it by the hilt and gave it a swing to deflect the bullets.
Chris shot through the air, swinging his blade and slicing pirate planes and sending them falling to the ground or into the sea below. Finally, it was just him and Karnage left. He soared through the air on his glowing airfoil towards Karnage's plane, landing on top of it. He stood there in front of Karnage, pointing the tip of the blade at Karnage's throat, who held up his hands and gulped.
"Heh-heh-heh, now, now," Karnage said, laughing nervously. "Let us not be hasty pudding… P-perhaps we can strike a deal, yes-no?"
"Sure, we can strike a deal," Chris said, glaring down at Karnage. "The Sea Duck is off-limits. Stay away from the Sea Duck, and you get to keep your head. Deal?"
Karnage was trembling with fear, gulping again, and then said. "W-w-well, you drove a hard bargain, but deal! We will no longer plunder the Sea Duck. Pirate's honor."
Chris dismissed his blade, tossing it away. The light edge vanished, and the hilt flew through the air and straight into Chris' robe.
"Remember your vow, Karnage, or it's your plane next," Chris said, his glowing airfoil lifting off Karnage's plane and flying toward the Sea Duck.
Karnage's face filled with rage as he watched Chris fly through the air towards the Sea Duck. "You dare humiliate ME, boy?! Me, the greatest plunderer of all time?! Take this! And that and that!" he yelled as he opened fire on Chris and Kit.
Chris heard the gun going off and whirled around, narrowly dodging a bullet or three.
"YOU IDIOT!" Chris roared furiously, and in the next moment, he was back in front of Karnage again, a glowing blue blade of laser held high over his head. "I gave you a chance to walk away, and this is how you repay me?!"
Karnage yelled out in fear and jumped out of his plane, just as Chris swung his blade, slicing the aircraft in two.
The two halves of the plane fell to the ground and crashed in an explosion as a sobbing Karnage parachuted to safety.
"My plane….! My beautiful, wonderful plane...!" Karnage whimpered before crying his heart out in grief for his downed plane. "I am now a grounded pirate…! Waah!"
"Idiot pirate," Chris muttered, dismissing his blade again and hoisting Kit higher on his back before flying towards the Sea Duck, passing through the loading bay doors. Once he got inside, his clothes changed again, but instead of his tan-colored gi, he was now wearing his Franch sky blue sweatshirt again.
Stepping off his board, which lost its' glowing aura the moment he stepped off, he carried Kit piggybacked to the bed in the cargo hold and laid him down upon it.
"All through that, you didn't even wake up once!" Chris said over Kit. "You can't be THAT much of a heavy sleeper…." Chris could see that Kit was breathing, and there didn't seem to be injuries on him anywhere. He looked Kit over more thoroughly. Upon turning Kit's head from side to side, Chris discovered a dark bruise on the side of Kit's head. "Oh, that's right, he wasn't strapped down to the bed when Baloo suddenly had to do a maneuver to evade the pirates, and he must've been thrown around in the cargo hold, eventually hitting his head on something, knocking him out. No wonder he was unresponsive to the gunfire and free-falling."
"How's Kit?" Baloo asked from over Chris' shoulder. "Is he okay?"
"I think he'll be okay, but he might have a headache when he wakes up," Chris said, turning Kit's head and showing Baloo the dark bruise there. "He must've bounced around in the cargo hold while you were dodging bullets and hit his head."
Baloo looked upset with himself as he fell to his knees beside Kit's bed and hugged the cub. "Oh, Lil' Britches, please be alright!" He then turned to Chris. "Get the first aid kit from the cockpit, Chris."
"Yes, sir!" Chris said, dashing across the cargo hold into the cockpit, and came running back with the first aid kit in hand. "Here you go, Baloo."
"Thanks," Baloo said, taking the first aid kit and getting to fix Kit's head. When he finished, Kit wore a neat turban of bandages on his head.
Meanwhile, Chris moved the cargo crates around, driving them back to their original positions. It was a miracle they were still in the cargo hold at all. He then discovered Kit's baseball cap on the floor beneath a crate. He also found a yellow patch hanging on the lever that opens the loading bay doors.
Chris then returned to Kit's side and laid the cap on the bed beside Kit's pillow. He then took Kit's arm and held it up, uncovering a hole in the elbow of the sleeve where the yellow patch was.
"He must have hit the lever that opens the loading bay doors with his arm and fell out when it was open." He then removed Kit's sweatshirt, leaving him in just his white undershirt. He then took the sweatshirt and the patch alongside him to the cockpit.
Baloo covered Kit in a blanket, and then he strapped Kit down on the bed, making sure Kit would not be playing popcorn in the cargo hold again. And, to ensure the crates would not hurt his precious Lil' Britches again, he strapped them down securely to the floor. Then he returned to Kit's side, patting the side of Kit's face lovingly, then he looked towards the cockpit, making sure Chris wasn't watching, and saw that Chris was sitting in the navigator's seat, busy darning the patch back onto the sleeve of Kit's sweatshirt. Baloo then bent over Kit and kissed him on the side of the head before whispering:
"Get well soon, Lil' Britches."
Kit's face split into a smile as he slept.
Author's Note:
Episode two has been edited and re-uploaded on April 2, 2023. I hope you enjoyed that.
The way Chris can fly on his round disc of an airfoil got based on the superhero show, Static Shock. Except Chris uses the Heart to make his airfoil fly while riding it.
This story will have a few Star Wars elements but none of the characters from Star Wars. To be clear, Matthew is like a Jedi and Chris is like a Jedi student, able to use the Heart (the Force) and wield Lightsabers, all of which would be called something different. I will not say what here, but you'll have to stick around for the next episode to find out!