31--The Ultimate Encounter, Ch.3

December 16.

Bedlama City Jail, Bedlama.

t a jail on Bedlama, Melodia was serving as a representative for the rest of the captured members of the Mob in the visitor’s room. She was sitting across from the appointed attorney, Rick Spelling. “I won’t be able to help you if you don’t tell me anything, Melodia,” he said with strained patience.

“You don’t even want to help us,” said Melodia. “No one who is on the straight side of the law and who is in Limbo would have any speck of desire to help us.”

“It is my job, ma’am. Now, tell me just what happened.”

“Steelheart could tell you that! I might trust you if you weren’t just appointed by that darned court.”

He sighed. “What can I do to show you that you can trust me?”

“Nothing in the universe, buster. Maybe I would rather trust someone who didn’t tell the court things that were detrimental to his client.”

“It is an attorney’s responsibility to bring facts, not lies, forward to the court. If it were found out that an attorney were lying, the Bar Association would be on him more quickly than a light ray can get from head to tail on a dog. Of course, however—”

“You need the Bar Association on you fat A! I don’t think that you would present the littlest lie just to save your client.”

“My ‘fat A,’ as you call it, is accustomed to only telling the truth. Yes, it bugs me when I lose a case, but it’s only because of the facts. But—”

“Curse you!” shouted Melodia, cutting him off as he was trying to tell her that he was not allowed to break confidence. “I’m through arguing with you, you fat A.H.S.O.B. Matron, we’ve finished.”

“Okay,” said Spelling. “Bye. I’m reluctant to defend you, but I’m doing it because the court told me to do it.” He left with the matron.

Melodia got up and slowly went to return to her cell. Another matron came in. “Wait, ma’am, another person’s here to see you.”

“Who is it?” asked Melodia.

“He told me to give you the code, ‘13-15-14-19-20-1-18.’ Do you want to see him?”

M-O-N-S-T-A-R, she thought to herself. Mon*Star! “Yes, ma’am,” she said.

The matron left. Soon, she came back with what appeared to be an average man. “You may see her now,” the matron said.

“Thanks,” said the person. The matron left. The ‘man’ transformed molecularly into Mon*Star, who had one of Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar’s transformation rings in his hand!

“How did you manage that?” Melodia cried.

“Just barely,” Mon*Star replied, stumbling to the table. He supported himself on the back of a chair. “Yes‑Man told me how because Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar had told him how. At least the dizziness is beginning to pass. I’m going to arrange a little plan, Melodia. We’re going to find a way to get you out of the law’s hands. If not before the preliminary hearing, then it will be afterwards. I also have a plan to make that defense attorney Rick Spelling look bad. The performers of this plan will come here in disguise and tell you of it.

“However, I think that we have big trouble. One of the people in the car that carried Steelheart was Captain N, Melodia.”

“Captain N? He’s supposed to be from VideoLand. Who else was in there?”

“Seymour, Zeek, and Perry Mason.”

“Perry Mason?”

“In fact, he and his pal, Hamilton Burger, have been appointed to prosecute this case, as they have had quite a lot of experience. You know there’s a shortage of capable prosecutors around here. They all prefer the big money on Earth.”

“Uh, oh. We’re really going to face the music if we’re not careful.”

“I hope Ludwig, MotherBrain, and Bowser Koopa are real. I also hope so about the Fearsome Five and F.O.W.L.”

“I hope so, too, Mon*Star. But how much of your plan do you know?”

“I think it’s slowly waiting to register in my brain and give me an idea. I don’t know much about what we’re going to do, or how we’ll do it, yet. I’ll think of it soon. In the meantime, tell the others I said hi. I’d better get out of here before I’m found out. I’ll see you later, Melodia.”

“Later, Mon*Star.”

“Let’s see how I work this thing again.” Mon*Star fit the Molecular Transformation Ring over his right fist and whacked that fist with his left fist. In a flash, he transformed back into the man who had come in. “Ah, perfect. Matron, we’ve finished.” The matron entered and escorted Mon*Star out. Another matron entered and escorted Melodia back to the cell with the others.

At the cell, the matron let Melodia back in with the others. “So, how’d it go?” asked Hardware.

“Oh, that blasted Spelling gave me some more of his wretched nonsense. One day, I am going to kick him out the door like a bat out of you-know-where.”

“Whoa! Being in jail is making you cranky.”

“You’re right about that!”

“You would not believe what I want to say,” said Windhammer. “I want to know who is behind this weather. I’m certainly not the one.”

“Mon*Star also dropped in, disguised,” said Melodia. “He said he was working on a plan.”

“Well, we need some plan to get out of here,” remarked Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar.

“We’ll find out what it is soon enough,” said Melodia.

* * *

Negaduck and Steelbeak’s Hideout, Saint Canard, Darkwing’s Earth.

At Negaduck’s headquarters, Liquidator was checking his rain‑cloud. When he finished, he turned to Negaduck. “Someone has turned the rain in one section of the galaxy to sleet, Negaduck. I’d like to see what’s going on there.”

“Well, then,” said Negaduck. “Go right ahead.”

“Thank you, Negaduck. Anyone care to join me?”

“I sure can’t do anything,” Mega Volt said plaintively. “That rotten Darkwing Duck ruined my power output. The last thing that I would want to even consider right now is riding with a wet dog through a soaking rain‑cloud. That would really set my sparks afire.”

“I’m regret not being able to come with you, either, Liquidator,” said Quacker Jack. “My wicked toys are not waterproof.”

“I’ll come! I’ll come!” said Bushroot. “The extra water will fortify me. Then, I’ll wrap Darkwing in a weed-bow and personally present him to High-Command. I’ll tell them how Mega Volt got him off-guard and Liquidator soaked my seeds enough to make the vines grow on that stupid duck. Oh, by the way, I saw his picture in a dictionary.”

“Oh, yeah?” said Liquidator. “Next to which word?”

“He was next to the word ‘dumb,’ ” Bushroot laughed.

“Oh, very funny, you deranged plant,” said Darkwing.

“Oh, shut up, bugle-beak,” said Quacker Jack. He got up, took out a pair of snap-teeth, and snapped it on Darkwing’s beak to make him shut up. “Ha, ha, ha! Let’s see you yak off at the beak now, Darkmeat.”

Negaduck laughed. “Get going, Liquie.”

“Yes, sir, Negaduck,” said Liquidator. “Grab on, Bushroot.” Bushroot grabbed Liquidator’s shoulders. Liquidator turned Bushroot into water, and they zipped up into the cloud.

* * *

Ludwig’s Doomship Invincible, orbiting Darkwing’s Earth.

Ludwig presently had his ship cloaked above Darkwing’s Earth. On his viewer, he was watching the toon villains’ activities. “The meeting between the Silver Hawks and the N‑Team was not according to plan,” said Ludwig, “but I look forward to one between F.O.W.L. and the Mob. Get Commander Steelheart on the line, MotherBrain, and tell her it’s for Captain N. I want to tell him that I’ll be in court tomorrow.”

“All right,” said MotherBrain, picking up the telephone receiver with one tentacle and dialing with another. Ludwig had tapped into the Limbo Telephone Service—in and of itself, this was not an illegal thing to do, but his methods could be viewed as criminal—and retrieved the number for the office at Hawkhaven. Steelheart soon answered on the other end. “Hello,” MotherBrain said. “I would like to speak to Captain N. It’s an acquaintance.” She handed the receiver to Ludwig.

Kevin answered on the other end after a brief delay. “Hello, Captain N. This is your good friend Ludwig von(Bowser)Koopa speaking.”

* * *

Steelheart’s Office, Hawkhaven.

Kevin clenched his fist out of sight when he heard his enemy’s voice. “Ludwig. What do you want?”

“I’ll make this short, Kevin. I’m going to appear at the preliminary hearing against Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar and the others tomorrow.”

“I knew you were up to something sinister.” Kevin felt tempted to add a few appropriate expletives. “I knew you were going to join F.O.W.L., your Brain-Team, the Mob, and the Plundarrians together. I challenge you to tell me that I haven’t laid out your scheme exactly.”

“In fact, you have,” answered Ludwig. “I sure wish you were wrong. That’s the closest anyone’s ever gotten to explaining my scheme to me. It would have worked, too, if Eggplant Wizard had put in the last number of the co‑ordinates correctly. I thought the Mob would have had you and your friends by now. That’s why I put one end of the warp at your precious Palace of Power. Now, I need a way to mitigate this situation. Good‑bye, Captain N.” Ludwig slammed the receiver down.

When Kevin hung up, he felt his control drop away. “Why, that little rat! I had to get everything right on the button.”

“Well, well, you seem angry,” said Mason, feigning shock. He was not shocked in the least, for he knew how Ludwig could get on anyone’s nerves. Kevin had more reason than many to hold a grudge against the villain, since Ludwig had almost succeeded in framing Kevin for a crime.

“Sorry, Mr. Mason. I’ve got to stop letting him get my goat. Steelheart, how far is it to third‑Earth?”

“About fifty-one hundred light-years. Why?”

“Because we’ve got to get over there as fast as anything can take us and explain everything to a Thunderian ‘T’ so they’ll help us,” Kevin said. “We also need to find Saint Canard and Darkwing Duck, because F.O.W.L. is one of the criminal organizations with whom Ludwig intends to join.”

“So this is as serious as you thought,” said Drake. He swore softly. “I was hoping that you were paranoid.”

“You and Tragg both are as bad with cursing as I am,” said Stargazer.

“I should hope not,” said Steelheart. “You do it about once a minute.”

“I’ll try to cut down,” said Stargazer.

“So, some of us should go to third‑Earth as quickly as possible,” MegaMan said. “Is that the case?”

“Right,” said Kevin. “And we don’t have a second to lose.” They proceeded to the elevator.

“As soon as we get down there, start that Mirage as fast as possible, Bluegrass,” Steelheart said.

“I finally get an order, and of transportation at that,” said Bluegrass.

Once in the hangar, Steelheart, Steelwill, Copper-Kidd, Quicksilver, and Bluegrass went to the Mirage. Bluegrass hopped into the cockpit and started up the vehicle. He shut his canopy and then shut the other four pod canopies as soon as the other Silver Hawks had entered their pods.

On the visitors’ floor, Kevin went to his car and unlocked the doors. Condor, Moonstriker, Hotwing, and Flashback took the passenger seats.

“We have to give you a parking permit,” said Flashback. “It takes too long to get down here.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Kevin said. “Everyone, hold on tight. We have to go like lightning.” He started the car and guided it speedily towards the exit. He was just slow enough to let the Mirage go by without bumping into the car. He followed the Mirage out of Hawkhaven and along a course towards third-Earth. He had no problem keeping up as the Mirage went to warp speed. His sensors told him that the Mirage was accelerating to warp 5. “If you notice, this thing can go pretty fast.”

“And it has no trouble going this quickly,” Moonstriker said, “whereas Seymour’s cab feels rickety at two hundred kilometers per hour.” Everyone laughed. “All we need now is to move the steering wheel to the proper side of the car.”

“Hey. In VideoLand, this is the proper side. They drive on the left throughout most of the areas that have space-age technology, as those portions have frequent contact with the Palace of Power.”

“So I gathered.”

“There are some spots where they drive on the opposite-of-left, of course. One example is Paper World, a land similar to suburban America in the mid-to-late twentieth century, and another is Tetris, which is quite far from the Palace of Power. Also, the Warp Wagon, a flying vehicle, was made with the steering wheel on the left hand side, though it really doesn’t matter which side it’s on in flight.”

Before too long, they entered third‑Earth’s solar system. Kevin slowed to sublight speeds along with the Mirage. Soon, he followed the Mirage to the surface. They landed in front of Cat’s Lair. When they all got out of their vehicles, the water was up almost to their ankles.

“This won’t hurt us, but it might hurt you, Kevin,” said Steelheart.

“Maybe,” said Kevin. He removed a corked flask containing a formula from his pocket. “We may need this. This chemical solution can open a warp zone linking any two places. All I have to do is spill it somewhere, and the warp zone will be created. If someone enters warp, all he has to do is think about where he needs to go, then the warp takes him there. He can also choose to make the door permanent or temporary.” He put it back in his pocket.

“Okay,” said Steelheart. “Now, let’s get up there before we’re soaked.”

“No problem,” said Kevin. “I’ll fix that.” Kevin pressed the ‘left’ directional button on his Power Pad. Instantly, the ten of them were zipped to the door of Cat’s Lair.

“Nice move,” said Steelwill.

“Thank you,” said Kevin. “Heh, unfortunately, I will not be able to do it again without recharging my Power Pad, though. The rain just shorted it out. I hope they’re home.”

“I think they are, most likely,” said Steelheart. She rang the doorbell next to the door.

* * *

Control Room, Cat’s Lair, third‑Earth.

Up in the control room, Lion‑O heard the doorbell. “Who could that be in this weather?” he asked. He started pulling up the cameras near the door.

“Maybe it’s a—” Snarf began.

The Mirage appeared on the screen. “The Silver Hawks!” Lion‑O cut in. “What are they doing here? I hope they’re rust-proof.”

“Let’s get down there and let them in,” said Snarf. “It’s cold and wet out there. Snarf, snarf.”

“Right,” said Lion‑O. “Tell Panthro to ready the guest rooms.”

“Yes, sir.” Snarf ran to find Panthro as Lion‑O ran down stairs to the front door. As soon as he arrived, he opened the door.

“Well, that took a good half a minute,” said Steelheart in a joking tone, with a smile, and looking at her chronometer. “I was beginning to think that you’d leave us out here forever.”

Lion‑O laughed flatly. “C’mon, get in here before you all soak to death.” The Silver Hawks filed into the foyer, followed by a young human he had never met before. “Welcome to Cat’s Lair, Silver Hawks.”

“Thank you, Lion‑O,” Steelheart said. “May I introduce a new friend, Kevin Keene, also known as Captain N. Kevin, this is Lion‑O, lord of the Thunder Cats.”

“Honored to meet you, Lord Lion‑O,” Kevin said.

“Just Lion‑O, please, Captain N,” Lion‑O said, shaking hands with Kevin.

“Of course. And just call me Kevin.”

“Thank you. What brings you here?”

“A terrible threat for galactic conquest has come to our attention,” said Quicksilver. “We thought we should tell you personally.”

“We can talk upstairs,” said Lion‑O. “You can dry off and go up there. In the meantime, I’ll round up the others that are here. We’ll have an impromptu meeting.”

“Thank you,” said Quicksilver.

“Steelheart, could you come with me, please?” asked Lion‑O. “Tygra and Panthro are whipping something up.”

“Certainly,” Steelheart said. Lion‑O led her up to Tygra’s lab. When they arrived, Tygra looked up from his work.

“Steelheart! What a surprise,” said Tygra.

“I’m afraid we had to come on rather short notice,” said Steelheart.

“Tygra, if you see Cheetara or Panthro, send them to the council chambers,” said Lion‑O. “I’m afraid that the Silver Hawks’ trip is more than just a casual visit.”

“If it were just a casual visit, I’d have called beforehand,” said Steelheart.

Panthro entered the room. “Tygra, where did you last see—why, hello, Steelheart! I sense some sort of emergency is cropping up.”

“Indeed it is, Panthro,” said Steelheart. “As soon as the ten in my group and all the Thunder Cats in Cat’s Lair are in your gathering chamber, I’ll tell you more than you want to know. Now, please don’t mind me.”

“Very well,” said Panthro. “Tygra, where did you last see my supply of Thundrillium hydroxide?”

“I have it,” Tygra said. “According to my research, if I coat this pan with it and use some water in the pan, along with some liquid mercury, I’ll get a waterproofing solution.”

“Interesting theory,” Panthro said. “How did you figure that out?”

“His theory is right,” said Steelheart. “I just went through heck a while ago, trying to convince Will of the same thing. We used that solution on the Mirage before coming over here. Apparently, the stuff works.”

“Interesting,” said Panthro. “Good thinking, Tygra.”

“Thanks for telling me it would happen, Steelheart,” said Tygra. “I’m glad it’s been proved. And thank you, Panthro.”

“Have you seen Cheetara recently, Panthro?” Lion‑O asked.

“Not recently,” Panthro answered.

“In case you see her, send her to the meeting room, if you please.” He left with Steelheart and guided her to the control room. “Tygra, Panthro, Cheetara, Snarf, and I are the only Thunder Cats here right now, Steelheart. The Wilytwins are out taking a report from us to the Thunder Cats at the Tower of Omens.”

“Okay,” said Steelheart. “Will they be all right?”

“I’m sure, Steelheart.”

“Well, we might as well ask my friends to come to your council chambers.”

A quarter of an hour later, Lion‑O, Snarf, all the Silver Hawks, and Captain N were seated in the council chambers. Panthro, Cheetara, and Tygra entered, one after another. “Sorry we’re late,” said Tygra.

“Perfectly all right,” said Lion‑O. “Be seated.” The arrivals took their seats. “Steelheart, you now have our undivided attention.”

“Thank you,” said Steelheart. “Before we get right down to business, I would like to introduce a new friend of ours, Captain N.” She indicated him. “He’s the one who figured out the plan that certain evildoers devised and that those evildoers hope to use against us in an effort to conquer the galaxy. Captain N, please enlighten us.”

“Thank you, Steelheart,” Kevin asked. “I would like to ask all of you to refer to me by my birth-name, Kevin, from now on. All of this started happening this morning.” He continued to explain the events of the morning. He next explained his theory about the villains’ joining. Finally, he told them that his theory had been proved by the villainous Ludwig von(Bowser)Koopa, the supreme architect of the plan to unite the villains and the successful annoyer of Captain N, the Game Master.

* * *

Brim*Star.

Liquidator and Bushroot emerged from Liquidator’s cloud and landed on Brim*Star’s surface. “So,” said Liquidator. “Here is where the problem is.”

“Who do you think did it?” Bushroot asked.

“Well, it appears that we are standing on Brim*Star, home of the evil Mob. When I finish correcting the problem, we’ll go down there and see.” Liquidator raised his arms and sprayed controlling water into the cloud. After a moment, the cloud started raining instead of sleeting. Liquidator had corrected his problem.

* * *

Control Room, Brim*Star Fortress.

Deep in the Star*Crater, in Brim*Star Fortress, Yes‑Man and Mon*Star watched Liquidator’s activity. “So, it is true,” Mon*Star said. “The Liquidator and Bushroot exist! That must mean that Negaduck, Steelbeak, Mega Volt, and Quacker Jack exist, also. Unfortunately, Darkwing Duck must also infest this universe. Let’s greet Liquidator and Bushroot, Yes‑Man.”

“Yes, boss,” said Yes‑Man. “Of course, boss. Whatever you say, boss. Most certainly. Yes, yes, yes!”

* * *

Liquidator and Bushroot descended to the landing at the door to Brim*Star Fortress. “I wonder if they will recognize us,” Liquidator said.

Mon*Star emerged from the fortress with Yes-Man. “We certainly will, Liquidator and Bushroot.”

“Wicked weather we’ve having, eh, Mon*Star, the Planet Master?” asked Bushroot.

“I would like it even better if the Mob had water-proof limos,” said Mon*Star, “but at least I got a trophy of a frozen Tally-Hawk. Ha, ha, ha!”

“I’ve heard of that do‑gooding Silver Hawk,” said Bushroot. “He beamed your plans to Hawkhaven so that the Silver Hawks would be aware of your wicked plans.”

“Yes, beamed! Past tense. No more! He is finished, defunct, out of commission. I’ll keep him in case I decide to get a mantle. Windhammer turned that storm up there to sleet and blew that bird right into my hands. And how about that stupid, idiotic Darkwing Duck?”

“Ha!” said Liquidator. “Bushroot and I took care of Dipwing Dope.”

“How?” asked Mon*Star.

“We wrapped him and his pals up in one of my vines,” said Bushroot. “Now, we just have to worry about the Silver Hawks.”

“We may also have to worry about the Thunder Cats and the N‑Team, too,” said Mon*Star.

“We’ve heard of them,” Liquidator said. “But how do you know that they may be a threat?”

“The Silver Hawks met the Thunder Cats half a year ago, and they have just met Captain N and Perry Mason. Steelheart has just captured four of my Mobsters: Windhammer, Melodia, Hardware, and Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar. The four are going have the preliminary hearing of the People of Limbo vs. Windhammer, Melodia, Hardware, and Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar tomorrow before a judge named Princess Lana.”

“Isn’t she Captain N’s girlfriend?” asked Bushroot.

“Not yet, but she’s close to it, from what I hear.”

“Well, I ought to show up,” said Liquidator. “I’ll cause a major flood. A flood is worse than rain for sheer volume of water. The Silver Hawks will be rusted for sure. Ha, ha, ha!”

“Let’s get to work, pals,” said Mon*Star. “It appears that we have some work to do. Heh, heh, heh!” He led the way to the command chamber.

“Oh, great, my allergies are starting to act up,” said Bushroot. “I hate dust.” He sneezed.

“Sorry, Bushroot,” said Mon*Star. “Which of you is more diabolically minded?”

“Liquidator,” said Bushroot without hesitation.

“That would be I, most indeed,” Liquidator said.

“Okay, I need to talk with you,” Mon*Star said. “Yes‑Man, show Bushroot around. Give him the grand tour. Make sure you only show him the non‑dusty rooms.”

“Yes, boss,” said Yes‑Man. “Uh, boss?”

“What?”

“There are no rooms that aren’t dusty.”

“You mean to say that all the rooms in this place are dusty?”

“Precisely, boss.”

“Blast that lazy son of—tell that lazy Timestopper he should dust the rooms before I blast him with a Light*Star.”

“Yes, boss. Certainly.” Yes‑Man and Bushroot left the room.

“Liquidator, I have a problem,” Mon*Star said. “I don’t know how to get my comrades out of jail. My only idea would be to have someone transform into Rick Spelling, that defense attorney appointed to represent them, but the only person for the job would be Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar.”

“Hm,” said Liquidator. “Maybe not. Yours truly has heard about the Silver Hawks’ and Thunder Cats’ arresting adventures, and I seem to remember having once heard tell of Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar’s brother, A‑Tom‑U‑Lar.”

“Oh, you’re right. A‑Tom‑U‑Lar. His transformation capacity is much greater than Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar’s. Unfortunately, he is serving time. I remember he planned to acquire all the money in Dolare for me. That Steelheart stopped him. He also tried to rob all of Earth’s money from Geneva, Switzerland, and that was a tough nut to crack. Well, that time, A‑Tom‑U‑Lar got cracked by Condor. And the second-most infuriating experience A‑Tom‑U‑Lar had was when he was trying to take over Automata by transforming into a disk and got stopped by Steelwill. I’m telling you, it was almost by pure luck that he was finally caught. And it was that blasted young’un, Copper-Kidd, who finally caught up with him in the Star*Ship Casino! It got me awfully angry.”

“How much do you want to bet that A‑Tom‑U‑Lar is the right man for the job?”

“Heh, heh, heh! You’re correct, Liquidator. He’s the right man, all right. But how the devil are we going to get him out of the Penal Planet?”

“Don’t you worry your evil Star*Eye about that,” said Liquidator. “I’m the cause of that storm, and I made it so I can travel all over the galaxy. Would you like to come with me to free A‑Tom‑U‑Lar?”

“Hee, hee! You have great ideas, Liquidator.”

“Thank you very much, Mon*Star.”

“Yes‑Man, get back here!”

Yes‑Man and Bushroot entered the room. “Yes, boss?” said Yes‑Man.

“Did you get Timestopper on the job of dusting?”

“Yes, boss.”

“And has he started?”

“Oh, yes! But he was not too thrilled, Mon*Star.”

“Good. I hope he’s done by the time I get back. Now, prepare the Transformation Chamber.”

“Yes, Mon*Star. Certainly.”

Mon*Star ascended the steps to his throne as Yes‑Man activated the transformation machinery. Rockets tilted the planet so that the rays of the Moon*Star shone through the Star*Crater and bathed Brim*Star Fortress in red light. The claws around Mon*Star’s throne realigned so that they pointed toward Mon*Star’s head. The Moon*Star’s rays were then permitted to shine through the antenna and onto Mon*Star. The Planet Master began his transformation.

“Moon*Star of Limbo—” Mon*Star began. The Moon*Star’s rays intensified. Mon*Star’s Star*Eye shone. “—give me the might, the muscle—” Mon*Star’s torso and lower body transformed. “—the menace—” Mon*Star’s head then transformed, and the lighter abdominal plate formed over his stomach. “—of Mon*Star!” Mon*Star was now fully transformed. Using his elbow-jets, he flew down to the floor. “Let’s go, Liquidator.”

“What about me?” asked Bushroot.

“Come along if you want,” said Mon*Star. “The more, the merrier.” Mon*Star, Liquidator, and Bushroot returned to the landing platform. Bushroot touched Liquidator’s right arm.

“My form of transportation is almost entirely exclusive to water-beings, creatures made entirely of fluid,” Liquidator said. “Those who want to come with me must touch me so I can temporarily transform them into water-beings and let them enter the cloud with me.”

“I’ll take a chance,” said Mon*Star. He touched Liquidator’s left arm.

“Ready?” asked Liquidator.

“Ready,” said Bushroot.

“I’m ready,” said Mon*Star. Liquidator transformed them into water and propelled the three of them up into the cloud.

* * *

Landing Platform, Penal Planet.

They reformed on a landing platform of the Penal Planet and resumed their normal state. “That was quick,” Mon*Star said.

“Bu‑bu‑but how are we going to get in?” asked Bushroot.

“Leave that to me.” Mon*Star pointed his right elbow-jet at the wall and opened fire. When the dust had cleared, a hole was visible. “After you.” Liquidator, Bushroot, and Mon*Star entered.

“Whom are we looking for?” asked Bushroot.

“A‑Tom‑U‑Lar,” said Liquidator. “Do you know where he is, Mon*Star?”

“Not really,” said Mon*Star. Liquidator’s legs ran right through a laser alarm without triggering it, but Bushroot was not so lucky. Bushroot triggered it, and the three of them heard the alarm blaring.

“Oh, that’s just dandy,” said Liquidator. “Great job, Bushie.”

“I couldn’t see it in time to stop,” said Bushroot.

“I’ll take care of the guards,” said Liquidator. “You could look for A‑Tom‑U‑Lar.”

“Good luck,” replied Mon*Star. “Let’s go, Bushroot.”

“Yes, Mon*Star,” said Bushroot, following Mon*Star. Liquidator heard a guard approaching from behind. He turned into a puddle on the floor.

“Oh, great,” said the guard. “A wind broke that wall, blew rain in here, and triggered the alarm. That’s happened seven times today.” As he turned off the alarm, Liquidator reformed. “What in the—who the devil are you?”

“I’ll tell you what I am. I am going to wash you away.” Liquidator kept this promise by washing the guard out through the broken wall. “Bye‑bye. Don’t forget to write. Hee, hee, hee!” Liquidator transformed into a puddle and slid quickly along the floor, catching up with Mon*Star and Bushroot quickly. He then reformed.

“Did you take care of the guard?” said Mon*Star.

“He’s having a really bad fall this autumn. I washed him out that wall.”

Bushroot tittered. “Good work, pal,” he said. Mon*Star got out a device. “What’s that, Mon*Star?”

“This is a device Hardware made,” said Mon*Star. “It’s supposed to find people. I just remembered I had it.” He keyed in ‘A‑Tom‑U‑Lar.’ A map formed on the device’s screen, showing them where they were and where A‑Tom‑U‑Lar was. “We’re right on track. Just make sure your roots don’t trigger any more alarms, Bushroot.” They watched their feet and triggered no more alarms. Before long, they reached A‑Tom‑U‑Lar’s cell. “A‑Tom‑U‑Lar, are you in there?”

“Who wants to know?” a voice a little deeper than Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar’s called.

“Mon*Star, the Planet Master.”

“Yes, I’m in here.”

“We’re getting you out of here, A‑Tom‑U‑Lar,” said Mon*Star.

“ ‘We?’ ”

“Liquidator, Bushroot, and me.”

“They’re real?”

“Yes, and they’re here with me.”

“Well, all the proof I need is to see them.”

“You’ll see us soon enough,” said Liquidator. “Stand away from the door, everyone.” He formed around the cell door’s frame and ripped it out.

A‑Tom‑U‑Lar emerged. He was an atomically unstable being whose shape resembled Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar’s, with red globes and with a belly showing the nucleus of an atom. “Wow,” he said. “Did you do that, Mon*Star?”

“It was Liquidator’s doing,” Mon*Star said.

Liquidator took on his canine shape. “I just ripped the door out from the weak points of the frame that held it in place,” he said. An alarm sounded a red‑alert.

“I didn’t do it, I swear,” cried Bushroot.

“It was a sensor device in the door,” said A‑Tom‑U‑Lar. “My transformation ring is in that cabinet over there.”

Mon*Star blasted the cabinet with his elbow-jet. A‑Tom‑U‑Lar’s transformation ring fell on the floor. “What cabinet?” asked Mon*Star. The four villains laughed for a moment. Mon*Star handed the transformation ring to A‑Tom‑U‑Lar.

Two guards reached the area. “It’s Mon*Star,” the robot guard cried. His means of locomotion was a single wheel.

“Don’t forget Dr. Reginald Bushroot,” said Bushroot. He grew weeds from his arms and tied up the two guards. “Ha, ha! We’ve got you now.”

“Take this,” said Mon*Star, paralyzing the two guards with a Light*Star. “Let’s beat it.”

“Right,” said Liquidator. “Want to take the Liquidator Express, A‑Tom‑U‑Lar?”

“Yes, whatever that is,” said A‑Tom‑U‑Lar. Mon*Star, Bushroot, and A‑Tom‑U‑Lar touched Liquidator. Liquidator turned his comrades into water and flew all of them through a barred window up to the cloud. Once in the cloud, he took them all back towards Brim*Star.

* * *

Brim*Star Fortress, Brim*Star.

The villainous crew resumed their normal substance on the landing platform of Brim*Star Fortress. “We’re back,” said Liquidator.

“So, why’d you free me?” asked A‑Tom‑U‑Lar.

“Melodia, Hardware, Windhammer, and your brother have been captured by Steelheart,” said Mon*Star.

“I know. So, let me guess. Do you want me to transform into the attorney appointed to represent them in court and then put down that defense attorney?”

“Absolutely, A‑Tom‑U‑Lar. Their attorney is Rick Spelling. And Liquidator has something in store for the court.”

Liquidator laughed. “I’m going to give everyone in that courtroom a wet reception.”

“You two need to get to our friends in jail and tell them of the plan. You will have to enter in disguise. Any ideas?”

“A plan has just rippled into my brain,” said Liquidator. “Why not capture Spelling, have A‑Tom‑U‑Lar transform into that lawyer, and enter, posing as him? I can be water in a glass that A‑Tom‑U‑Lar could carry into the room.”

“A genius,” Mon*Star said. “You are a pure genius, Liquidator.”

“The genius part will be to find out where that attorney is now.”

“Have you ever heard of Ludwig von(Bowser)Koopa?” asked Mon*Star.

“I have,” said Liquidator.

“So have I,” said A‑Tom‑U‑Lar.

“I have reason to believe that he is real,” said Mon*Star. “I saw Captain N driving the automobile that saved Seymour and Zeek the Geek after Melodia, Hardware, Windhammer, and Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar ripped off their cab.” A red‑alert alarm sounded. “What’s that, Yes‑Man?”

“There is a disturbance very close to Brim*Star,” exclaimed Yes‑Man, examining the computer readouts.

“Where exactly?”

“I cannot localize it. It must be a ship equipped with a cloaking device.”

“Romulan? No, wrong story. But, if it isn’t Romulan, what is it?”

“It‑it‑it’s decloaking, boss.”

“Put it on the screen.”

Yes-Man activated the screen to show a black patch of space. A shimmering effect appeared briefly, but it then disappeared.

“It’s gone, boss.”

“They were waiting to see if we were going to open fire on them,” Liquidator said.

“Exactly,” Mon*Star said. He turned to say something to A‑Tom‑U‑Lar and Liquidator when, suddenly—

“They’re back!” screamed Yes‑Man. Mon*Star turned to the screen. This time, a starship of great size shimmered into view.

“What is it?” asked Mon*Star.

“Unknown, boss,” said Yes‑Man. “It looks like a big ship.” To their surprise, a warp opened in front of the wall. Ludwig von(Bowser)Koopa came out and, because the warp was facing the wall, he ran into the wall and fell on his back.

“Eggplant Wizard! You are so stupid that a rock could beat you in an IQ test,” said Ludwig. Eggplant Wizard came out of the warp and went out around the warp. The warp closed.

“I am very sorry, my Prince Ludwig,” Eggplant Wizard said.

Ludwig got up. “Well, I’ll let it slide this time, since you appropriately addressed me.” He turned to the others. “Good day. I hope that my intrusion did not interrupt your activities. And I apologize for my assistant, here. He has the IQ of a rock, but he’s exceedingly loyal. Allow me to introduce myself. I am named Prince Ludwig von(Bowser)Koopa.”

“Welcome to Brim*Star,” said Mon*Star. “I am Mon*Star.”

“I am Liquidator,” said Liquidator.

“I am Dr. Bushroot,” said Bushroot.

“I am A‑Tom‑U‑Lar,” said A‑Tom‑U‑Lar.

“I am the extremely stupid Eggplant Wizard,” said Eggplant Wizard.

“Now, then, down to business,” Ludwig said. “I apologize for my rude entrance. Another assistant of mine used the surprise-decloaking mode. He is also of questionable intelligence. Anyway, as I understand from my observations, you, Mon*Star, have a problem.”

“Yes, I do,” said Mon*Star. “Commander Steelheart has captured Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar, Melodia, Hardware, and Windhammer and tossed them behind bars, with the assistance of people you might know.”

Ludwig interrupted when Mon*Star paused. “My enemy, Captain N, and his friend, Perry Mason. Yes, I have observed. They all need to be stopped.”

“As well as the Silver Tweet-tweets, Dunder Kitties, and Justice Dopes,” Mon*Star said.

“Exactly,” said Ludwig. “Have you a plan to free your captured comrades?”

“We do. It involves a visit that A‑Tom‑U‑Lar and Liquidator could make to the jail where my comrades are being held captive. They would tell the four of our plan, and they would enact their plan on the trial date.”

“Very good, very good,” said Ludwig. “Well, then, I may have a shortcut.”

“Oh?” said Liquidator. “Did you know that I made a large cloud in order to go anywhere in this galaxy?”

“Yes, I thought that was yours,” said Ludwig. “But there is probably a quicker way: warp zones.”

“Warp zones?” inquired Liquidator.

“A warp zone could be referred to rather loosely as a wormhole, or a rip which is in the universal seam and which leads to other places. Both a warp zone and a wormhole consist of two holes and a tube, and they both lead to other places. But they are not the same. The incorrectness comes in where the time element is concerned. Say one created a wormhole with the holes, say, an hour apart, and one did it at 12.00. Then, one travels through one part of the wormhole at 13.00. One emerges at the other hole, and getting back to the other hole takes an hour. One arrives to see oneself entering the hole. The wormhole maintains a very slow time continuum. It would take an extremely long time for the time of the wormhole is 12.00:00 to get to 12.00:10.

“All the theorizing and such for wormholes is very complex for me to explain in layman’s terms, but, to cut it short, warp zones, also called warps, can take a person anywhere at any time. A free warp, created by special chemical compounds and ions which tear the cosmic threads permanently or temporarily at the user’s will, could take a person from here to the Palace of Power in an instant, and it could take you there from any conceivable time before now to any conceivable time after now. You name when and where, and you have it. Again, the theorizing and hypothesizing for warps is too extensive for me to get into in rather informal conversation.

“Anyway, I don’t know how quick your transportation is, anyway, Liquidator.”

“It’s awfully darn quick,” Liquidator said.

“Speedy,” said Bushroot. “I was amazed that we got here about a second after we took off.”

“Same here,” said Mon*Star.

“Same over here, also,” said A‑Tom‑U‑Lar.

“Excellent,” said Ludwig. “Be that as it may, I’m planning to go to the preliminary hearing against Melodia, Hardware, Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar, and Windhammer tomorrow. And you?”

Mon*Star laughed softly. “All of us are going.”

“Excellent,” said Ludwig. “Would you please meet me there tomorrow morning? I’m going to provide verbal abuse for those do-gooders. Except for you, of course, A‑Tom‑U‑Lar. You must make the switch and be there to fill in for the defense attorney tomorrow.”

“Yes,” A‑Tom‑U‑Lar said. It is the only conceivable way to rescue my brother.”

“Okay, guys,” said Ludwig. “Tomorrow, then.” Ludwig got out a flask and dropped it on the floor. A warp zone leading to his flagship appeared next to him. He and Eggplant Wizard went through it. Moments later, the ship turned away from Brim*Star and shimmered out of view.

“They’ve engaged their cloaking device,” reported Yes‑Man.

“Should we go now?” Liquidator asked.

“Yes,” said Mon*Star. Liquidator and A‑Tom‑U‑Lar left.

* * *

Bedlama City Jail, Bedlama.

A few minutes later, Liquidator and A‑Tom‑U‑Lar arrived near the door of the jail on Bedlama where the four captured Mob members were being kept. There could never have been any better opportunity for them. They had landed behind a pillar as Rick Spelling approached the door. “Is that he?” Liquidator asked.

“Yes, that is he,” answered A‑Tom‑U‑Lar. Liquidator extended his leg across the walkway. Spelling tripped over it and fell flat on his face, getting knocked out. A‑Tom‑U‑Lar fit his Transformation Ring over his bolt-hand (left hand), clapped his right and left hands together, and transformed into a mirror-image of Spelling. Liquidator quickly hid the lawyer. Then, he went to a nearby water fountain, turned it on, and formed some of the water into a glass. Liquidator handed the glass to A‑Tom‑U‑Lar and made himself small enough to fit into the glass.

A‑Tom‑U‑Lar proceeded through the door. Disguising his voice as Spelling’s, he told an officer his business at the jail was to visit his clients. The officer led him to a visiting room and asked A‑Tom‑U‑Lar which one he wanted to see. A‑Tom‑U‑Lar chose Melodia. The officer went to get her. In a few minutes, he returned with a complaining Melodia. He then left and shut the door.

“All right, buster,” Melodia said. “What do you want this time?”

A‑Tom‑U‑Lar no longer disguised his voice. “First, and foremost, my dear Melodia, I am not Spelling.” A‑Tom‑U‑Lar transformed to his original self. “Do you understand that?”

Melodia’s attitude brightened immediately. “Well, I’m glad of that! But why did you come here? And how did you escape from the Penal Planet?”

“Well, I escaped with the help of my new pal here. Liquie?” Liquidator leapt out of the glass and reformed.

“What?” cried Melodia in surprise.

“I am the Liquidator,” said Liquidator. “I assume that you are Melodia.”

“Yes, I am,” said Melodia. “I never knew that you existed. I thought you were just a cartoon character. And they draw your nose all wrong, too. Yours is much more attractive than the way they draw it.”

“Ah, yes,” said Liquidator. “Thank you. I came out here with my leafy pal, Dr. Bushroot, to correct a sleet problem caused by your friend, Windhammer.”

“He did that in order to freeze the Silver Hawks’ spy satellite, Tally-Hawk, and the squad that we know now is the VideoLand Police Squad,” said Melodia. “It worked on the bird-brain, but Steelheart came and arrested us. She discovered our plot from Seymour. We had hijacked his cab earlier, and Steelheart rescued him with the assistance of Perry Mason and Captain N, her new allies. I assume that you have heard of all five of them and of Seymour’s assistant, Zeek the Beak. Or Zeek the Geek, as the Mob calls him.”

“Yes, I have heard of all of them,” said Liquidator. “Now, as to why we are here. With the assistance of your boss, Mon*Star, we have come up with a plan to free you. Ludwig von(Bowser)Koopa has just paid us a visit, along with a stupid animate vegetable named Eggplant Wizard. A‑Tom‑U‑Lar, here, is going to pose as your stupid lawyer tomorrow, and he is going to make Spelling look bad. And when I say bad, I mean bad! He’s going to toss as many objections as possible into Mason’s and Burger’s works tomorrow, but he’s not going to cross-examine everything.

“Then, when the defense case begins, I am going to flood the place. On the stand, Ludwig will forewarn the people in the courtroom that there will be a flood in the future, but no one will believe him, because the court is on a planet which drains water away from the courthouse immediately. In the confusion, Ludwig will free you of your bonds, and we’ll ask Mo‑Lec‑U‑Lar to seal the door to the courtroom shut, so everyone will be flooded and will drown. Yes, you’re in good hands with the Mob!”

“Okay, I’ve got it,” Melodia said. “Now, you guys have to beat it before you’re caught.”

“You heard her, Liquidator,” A‑Tom‑U‑Lar said. “Now would be a good time to leave.”

“Okay,” said Liquidator. He then got back into the water-glass. “See you later, Melodia.”

“We’ll bring you an extra Sound Smasher, Melodia, in case you need it,” said A‑Tom‑U‑Lar.

“Okay, A‑Tom‑U‑Lar,” said Melodia. A‑Tom‑U‑Lar transformed back into Rick Spelling. “See you later.”

“See you later, Melodia,” said A‑Tom‑U‑Lar. He disguised his voice. “We’ve finished, guard.” A‑Tom‑U‑Lar took the glass with Liquidator. The guard opened the door and let A‑Tom‑U‑Lar out. Then, another guard entered and took Melodia back to her cell.

When A‑Tom‑U‑Lar and Liquidator returned outside the building, Liquidator changed back to his normal form. He put the water-glass on the fountain’s drain and released his conscious control on the glass so that it turned back into water and went down the drain. They returned to Brim*Star via the ‘Liquidator Express,’ their job done.

* * *

Meeting Hall, Cat’s Lair, third‑Earth.

Later, at Cat’s Lair, the Silver Hawks and Thunder Cats were continuing their serious conversation. “So you mean to say that these decidedly nasty evil-doers will try every effort to link up and smash us into the ground?” Lion‑O asked.

“If we don’t unite before they all do, they may succeed,” Kevin said. “I think that timing is everything.”

“So, where are the Thunder Kittens, Bengali, Pumyra, Lynx‑O, and Snarfer?” asked Bluegrass. “Why ain’t they here?”

“We sent the Thunder Kittens in their rain-proof Cat-Suits on their Space-Boards to the Tower of Omens, where the other Thunder Cats are, to deliver a message and to bring back a message from the others. They should, in fact, be back—” The door opened and the Thunder Kittens came running in, still in their Cat Suits, which were dripping wet. “—any minute now. What’s the rush, Kittens?”

“And why didn’t you take off your Cat Suits before coming back in here, like I asked you?” Tygra asked.

“We were in such a rush because of Lynx‑O’s observations,” said Wilykit. “Read this.” She handed Lion‑O an envelope.

Lion‑O opened the envelope, took out and unfolded the letter, and read it aloud. “ ‘Dear friends: You won’t believe the discovery we’ve made. The galactic cloud is under the control of some mysterious force, as it has stopped dead in a strong solar wind, and the gravity forces of the galaxy’s black holes are not affecting it. We have reason to believe that the being controlling the cloud resides about 40 thousand light-years away from Hawkhaven in a direction directly opposite of third‑Earth is. You may wish to investigate it further. Yours truly, Bengali, Pumyra, Lynx‑O, and Snarfer.’ Well, there’s the icing on the cake, Kevin. It seems that we should join forces.”

“Right,” said Steelheart.

“If you don’t mind,” Wilykit said, “could my brother and I be updated on what’s happening?”

“Thunder Kittens?” said Tygra with a certain impatience. “Your dripping suits?”

“All right, Tygra,” Wilykit snapped. “We’re going. C’mon, Wilykat.” They left to a place where they could take off their Cat Suits.

“Kits,” said Tygra. “Sometimes, they can just be trouble.”

“Please don’t be too hard on the Thunder Kittens, Tygra,” Kevin said. “They got to the Tower of Omens, they got a report, they delivered it to you Thunder Cats, and, most importantly of all, they’re safe. At least they didn’t get caught by Mumm‑ra, the Luna‑tacks, or the Mutants on the way.”

“You’ve got a point,” Tygra said with some reluctance. None of the others could resist smiling.

Kevin took his warp formula out of his pocket. “Lion‑O, where is this place most easily entered?”

“In the foyer, where the front door is,” said Lion‑O. “Why?”

“I have a chemical formula that will create a hole in space that can serve as an extremely short passageway between two very distant places. This is that formula. When one spills it on the floor, a door called a warp is made. When one enters that door for the first time, one decides where one wants to go, and the formula puts the other door at that other place.”

“That sounds like a good idea. We should create one of these warps to Hawkhaven.”

Kevin led the way back to the foyer. He went to a hard wall and spilt the warp formula in front of the wall. A warp formed in front of the wall. “One of you Silver Hawks can now enter this door and decide where the other end should be,” he said.

All the Silver Hawks thought for a moment or two. “Aha,” Steelheart said. “I know just the place. One moment.” She entered the door and then came back after a couple of seconds. “Got it. I told it to take us to the Command Center.”

“Let’s go, then,” said Kevin. “We haven’t a moment to lose.” They all entered the warp and found themselves in the Command Center of Hawkhaven.

“That’s all well and good, lady,” said Bluegrass, “but how are we going to get the Mirage back?”

“Well, we—um, good question,” said Steelheart. “Do you have another warp formula with you, Kevin?”

“No, ma’am. However, I know the chemical formula. When I give it to you, you will be able to make a warp zone anywhere.”

“Very good,” said Steelheart. She handed him a computer padd. “Write it here, please.”

“Okay,” said Kevin. He wrote the chemical formula on the padd and handed it back to Steelheart. “This formula is for a basic spatial warp zone. It is nowhere near powerful enough to create a time warp.”

“Thank you, Kevin,” said Steelheart.

Kevin took out the vial in which he had the original formula. “There are probably minute traces on the liquid on the bottle. That may show you what to look for.”

“Thank you very much,” Steelheart replied. She took the vial. “Tygra and Will, come with me to the lab. I suspect that we haven’t a moment to lose.”

* * *

Steelheart, Steelwill, and Tygra went to the elevator. They went down to the lab, entered the chemical formula in a computer, and set it to work blending warp formulas. It did not take very long for it to mix up the first two. “Tygra, could you please use these in the hangar downstairs and tell one of them to take you to one Cat’s Paw and the other to the other Cat’s Paw?”

Tygra took them. “Certainly, Steelheart.” He went downstairs to the hangar and poured both warp formulas onto the floor in front of a wall. After brief hesitation, he passed through the left warp and ended up in the left Cat’s Paw of Cat’s Lair. Then, he returned to Hawkhaven’s hangar, entered the right warp, and emerged in the right Cat’s Paw of Cat’s Lair. Finally, he re‑entered that warp and returned to the hangar of Hawkhaven. He went upstairs to the lab. “I did it, Steelheart. Now what?”

“Now, someone will have to go out there and recover our vehicles,” Steelheart said.

“I think that I have rainproof Cat-Suits that will fit Kevin and Copper-Kidd,” said Tygra.

“That’s good,” said Steelheart. “Kidd can fly the Mirage with someone guiding him, and Kevin drove out there previously.” She pressed a button on an intercom. “Kevin and Copper-Kidd, come down to the lab at once, please.” Within two minutes, Kevin and Kidd were in the lab. “Kevin, did you memorize the way between here and third‑Earth?”

“Yeah,” said Kevin. “I also got it into my on-board navigational computer. There wasn’t really very much to memorize. Why?”

“I’ve noticed that your automobile accelerates quickly. I want you to get your car and Kidd to get the Mirage.”

“Yeah,” said Kevin. “Hm. How will we do that, though? The rain nearly neutralized my Power Pad. I’ll have to recharge it before it’ll work again.”

“Then follow me, please,” said Tygra. “I’ll get you some protective gear.” Kevin and Kidd followed Tygra downstairs to the two warp zones. Tygra went into the warp to the left Cat’s Paw of Cat’s Lair. He then went out of the Cat’s Paw and brought back two Cat Suits, one sized right for Kevin and the other sized right for Kidd.

“All right,” Kevin said. “Let’s—”

The Thunder Kittens came in. “Something is going on around here,” said Wilykit. Kevin, Tygra, and Kidd were lightly amused. She was not, and her challenging tone made this clear. “What is so funny, Father?”

Uh, oh. She was serious about this. Tygra knew he had to tell her what was going on, or she would explode. She only called him that when she was quite serious, indeed. “I’ll explain,” Tygra said. “Kevin and Kidd, you two get started. Please.”

Kevin and Kidd nodded. “Let’s go, Kidd,” Kevin said.

* * *

Kevin and Copper-Kidd put on their Cat Suits and exited the Cat’s Paw. They crossed the bridge to Kevin’s car and the Mirage and entered their vehicles. Kevin sealed his door and started his car. Then, he gave a signal to Kidd by flashing his headlights twice. He turned on his wipers to high-speed. After starting the Mirage, Kidd returned the signal. Kevin started up his car and took off into the sky. His scanners showed Copper-Kidd following quite well. Once he was out in space and out of third-Earth’s gravity well, he took off into warp speed. He soon reached cruising velocity and set his cruise control.

He then popped a CD with the most bombastic classical music into his CD player. He really enjoyed listening to that while driving, and now he could do it whenever he wanted.

He took a moment to think about his feelings, which had just become completely jumbled. When he saw the fiery determination in Wilykit’s eyes, something strange happened to him. He felt attracted to her. The thought both intrigued and terrified him.

It intrigued him because he did not know he could feel that way toward anyone, even Lana. Though Lana had strong determination, hers could not compare to the determination Kevin had seen in Wilykit.

It terrified him because he knew he loved Lana enough to marry her. That he could have such strong feelings for Wilykit made him scared of losing his love for Lana. Of course, this would never happen. Still, he saw a real part of himself in Wilykit, a part that he only now recognized as being of himself. Only because he had seen it in Wilykit. He also saw all of it in Wilykat, but that was after he had seen it in Wilykit. He resolved not to let this interfere destructively with his relationship with Princess Lana, though.

Kevin also sensed that another person was quite attracted to Wilykit. Copper-Kidd’s look was all that gave it away. Kevin could tell Kidd really liked her. However, Kidd was probably quite reluctant to express it. He had most likely not faced love before, and he seemed a bit shy and uncertain in expressing it. Kevin knew the feeling.