Written By: Kristof 
E-Mail: Kristof.vanderauwera@pandora.be
 
Disclaimer: All characters expect Chris are copyright 1990/1991 Walt Disney
Company and are being used without premission. The writer of this fanfic has made 
sure that no money was made in the creation of this fanfic and that all material
is used with the upmost affection and respect to the Walt Disney Company and the
Tale Spin Team.
  Chris and others is the property of the writer of this fanfic and may not be
used without the writers prior consent. You may give copies of this fanfic as long 
as they are not altered in any way and proper credit is given to the writer.
  Rudder is the property of Dan Green.
 
Special Disclaimer:
 
My humble thanks to the High Flight Crew for giving me permission to use
the Windward theory. If anyone is unfamiliar with it, go read Tail Winds
NOW!
 
Special thanks to Dan Green, not only for letting me use character
'Rudder' and the continent of 'Eporue', but he's also a good chat
partner, great friend, excellent writer and ideal moral booster in
though times.
 
Even more special thanks to David Kimble for putting up with me every
time I bothered him when I got stuck in the middle of a sentence. Just
as Dan a good chat partner, great friend, yes-a writer-, moral booster
and soulmate. Wish ya the best Dave!
 
I'm not gonna forget all my other TS friends here, who indirectly helped
me write (you all know who you are!)
 
The poem near the end of story, recited by Kit and Chris is one I heard
during a playstation ad on TV, so don't send any comments about it: I
DIDN'T WRITE IT!
 
Somewhere around the 15th page you'll notice a short flashback in Kit's
life...I'm warning you ahead, it ain't pretty, and neither are his
flashbacks on the 19th page. If you are uncomfortable with such
material, feel free to skip it, you won''t miss too much of the story.
You will miss a lot of Kit's past though...
 
Ok, enough with the scaring part: ENJOY THE STORY (and please send me
feedback!)

  The ticking of countless clocks filled the large ballroom-sized room. Sitting in one of his easy chairs in his vast estate, a bear stares out sadly to the ticking of the nearest clock. His breath follows the rythm of each passing second and a sigh is heard each time the smallest of hands completes his circle, indicating another lost minute. Minutes his life was filled with…He had more than most people could possibly dream of, but the impossible happened: it didn't make him happy. He had heard it so many times but didn't believe it twenty years ago when he inherited his father's fortunes. But now…he has millions, companies and posessions to rival Khan's but paid the ultimate price. He gave up a life of family and happyness for a life of fortune. To just have a son…he'd give everything. It wasn't like he hadn't tried everything possible…his wife was just incapable of giving him any.

He stood up and poured himself a brandy in one of his expensive crystall glasses. Walking past the open fire, he pauzed, turned and stared towards the family painting. He remembered every line, every colour, but it made him sad everytime he saw it. His father, dressed in an expensive designer suit, holding his only son in front of him. Although it clearly wasn't the style of the young bearcub to wear such tight, expensive clothes, both were smiling happily…a forced smile the bear remembered. The painting reminded him of the twisted family life he knew, spending his youth with the nanny and later on in boarding school. It also reminded him of his father, who died exactly one year after the completion of the painting. Looking at himself on the painting, two faces appeared in his mind.

Was it right what he had done? Was a son worth destroying a boy's life? The faces of the two bearcubs kept haunting him.

A knocking ended his daydream. He turned around and saw his faitful lackey. He forced a smile on his face

"What's the matter?" His voice sounded a bit more friendly then when he usually talks to his servants and the lackey visibly relaxed

"Someone wishes to see you, sir. He presented himself as 'AC' and claims he has important business with you."

Charles forced a wry smile on his face. He sighed and looked down to his glas. He knew what this was about. Maybe now he'd get the chance to explain his actions…not that he hoped anyone would forgive him. He turned back to the waiting servant "Show him in…and make sure we're not disturbed"

"Yes sir" The servant turned around and left to collect the guest.

Charles sat down again and resumed his staring at the clock. Half a minute later, AC walked in. The servant stepped back, nodded to Charles and closed the large doors. With several clicks they firmly locked.

"Good morning…please sit down"

AC complied and noticed the sad look on the bear's face

"Thank you. How are you doing today sir?"

Charles put down his glass and smiled weakly

"You're the first one since my doctor to say that to me…most of the time people just sit there, nod now and then and congratulate me on my house and money…I know why you are here, so let's cut the social smalltalk"

"Fine…I don't believe you know what great magnitude your actions had. Frankly, I doubt your motives for adoption"

"I expected this…please follow me" Charles got up and slowly walked to a small door on the opposite side of the room. For AC, it seemed like half an hour passed before they finally reached it. Out of the pocket of Charles' jacket, the bear took a small golden key. As he turned it in the lock, a rasping sound was heard…the door hadn't been used in several years. The door swung open and both men entered. After AC's eyes had adjusted to the dim light, he beheld long lines of paintings and glass cases filled with memorabilia. Charles just stood there, staring towards the end of the long hallway.

"It's been three years since I have been here"

AC whistled

"This is my entire family since 1400 AC…With all related bloodlines. Every important member has his own showcase. All sons have their own painting. Follow me please…and note the following of the bloodline"

Charles walked slowly to the end of the long hallway and AC studied the walls. The more they neared the end, the more sparse the fullblood Vanderauws got and the more other families got involved. Charles suddenly stopped and AC beheld a frightening developement. Only one fullblood painting remained, and only one other family was left. AC read the name under the Vanderauw. On the gold plack 'Sir Charles Vanderauw-Coppenburg the third' was engraved. No other painting followed.

"You see AC…I have no heirs and will never have any the natural way. I don't know why, but I have my theory. My marriage was a fixed one, not one out of love. If I die, the entire Vanderauw family estate and heritage is lost to the state"

"I see your desperation towards Kit and Chris. Still that's no reason to tear up their lives"

"AND WHY NOT?" Charles suddenly lashed out "Would you rather see my family destroyed? Entire generations forgotten? The Vanderauw tradition is one preserved by efforts and sacrifice. There is no other way! It is a small price to pay…"

"Are you sure there are no other lost family members? These children already have theirs! Not officially, but emotionally. Rip them away from their family now, and they'll grow up hating you"

"I don't care. Family is more important"

"To them too. They're streetkids! They can't be tied down here"

"I am desperate AC…Desperate times call for desperate measures"

Charles said the last in a gruff, almost threatening voice. He turned around and faced the wall, staring at the painting of himself. AC scanned the last generation.

"Why did you take down that painting?" AC asked while pointing to a spot that was colored more brightly then the rest of the wall

"Ferdinand Coppenburg was a traitor…he joined a band of Sea pirates. He had no sons or daughters"

AC squinted

"No, he had one…Arthur"

"How can you possibly know that?"

"Because I devoted my life to finding my roots."

Charles turned and faced AC

"Arthur Coppenburg…AC? Could it?"

AC looked the other way, sighed and walked to the empty spot on the wall

"My dad might have done some doubtful things…but it was only him, I never shared his urge to kill and steal. I always remained a Coppenburg"

"Ferdinand was my wife's brother…if it's true what you are saying, then I am your uncle…officially you are my heir"

AC turned towards the door leading to the ballroom-sized room and started walking, Charles in hot pursuit

"I told you more than I should have" AC picked up his coat he left when he entered and opened the doors "I'll give you some time to think again about what you are doing to these kids and their family. You know where to find us. The complaint is filed this afternoon. There will be an official investigation and both of us don't want to see that happen. Hopefully until this afternoon…"

Charles came to a halt and saw AC leaving the room. Once again he sat down, looked at the painting and started thinking. The ticking of the clocks still dominating the room…

Although the sun was still starting to rise and the moon slowly disappeared, Chris was already awake. Several hours before, he decided he had had enough sleep and started a little walk around the eastern side of the island. Now he had almost completed his circle and approached a group of houses, clearly inhabited. As he turned the corner he saw the three dogs, packed and ready to leave.

"Hiya guys. Leaving today?"

One of the three looked up

"Yep. Nothing can keep us on this stinking rock."

"Not even your freedom?"

"What freedom?" the dog chuckled sarcastically "we have to jump at every order of Hawk, we are forbidden to go to the western side and now we want to leave, Hawk makes us work for our ride out of here. Rudder's a nice guy but he's not the one in charge here kid"

Chris suddenly turned red. The dogs had seen straight through his disguise. The dog noticed his surprise and laughed

"A professional engineer of 4 foot, wearing sunglasses without sun and showing up at the time two kids are missing? Gimme a break, we're not stupid! Just hope Hawk was too concerned with pestering us to notice"

"Yeah…that 100 grand is a nice prize wouldn't you say?"

The dogs arched his eyebrows

"You mean 500 grand…"

The cub looked at him, puzzled. The dog grunted and pulled him closer, sitting him down on his packed stuff.

"I hate to be the one to tell you this kid, but…"

Meanwhile, close to the settlement of the dogs, Rudder was inspecting his plane. It may not be one of the youngest, but it never let him down once. He bought it second hand, all equipement and upgrades included. The interior was a mess, but half a year of restauration and hard work later, Air Freedom made its maiden flight.

"Hey Rudder! Is that rusty crate-hauler ready to get the freeloaders outta here?"

Rudder didn't even have to turn around to know who that was.

"Yeah Hawk. Just gotta pick up my crew and passengers"

"The sooner you get them out of my sight, the better…Where is your crew by the way?"

Rudder turned around to face Hawk and saw the metal canteen in his hand

"Are you drinking again?"

"Why not? Nothin' else going on around here"

"My navigator is still sleeping in W7 and my engineer went for a walk"

"You go find yer engineer, I'll wake that loudmouth navigator up. Sure sleeps long for a drifter…"

Without saying another word, Hawk left for cabin W7 and Rudder started towards the dog settlement, figuring Chris would have met them during his walk.

Kit was still soundly asleep, turning around in his bed. Hawk barged in, pulled away the covers and rolled Kit out of his bed. Kit jumped awake, just before hitting the ground.

"What's your problem?"

"We're waiting for ya idiot! You're slowing everything down. Get to work"

"Okay,okay…ughe,ughe…cool your tailpipe"

Kit scrambled to his feet, grabbed his jacket and went outside, followed closely by Hawk. When they reached the Conwing Classic, Rudder, Chris and the dogs were already waiting for them, a concerned look crossing Chris' face.

"What's wrong Chris? UGHE,UGHE"

Kit's coughing became louder and Hawk grinned

"Here, take a drink of this. That oughta cure that cough"

He handed Kit his canteen. Unsuspecting, the cub took a drink. Suddenly, Kit dropped the canteen, grabbed his stomach, leaned against the hull of the plane and threw up. Hawk laughed loudly.

"What the..?" Rudder got to his knees to meet Kit's face "Are you okay?"

The cub didn't answer. Rudder looked at Hawk and then at the canteen on the ground, still leaking the self-brewed alcohol. Rudder picked it up, got to his feet and held it under Hawk's nose.

"Did you give this poison to my navigator?" Hawk just kept laughing and Rudder's eyes shot fire "ANSWER ME!"

"Wow…calm down. How could I know this guy can't drink? Djeezes…for a moment there I thought you were going to hold his hand…What kind of navigator is he anyways? Sleeping late on the job, can't stand alcohol…"

"The kind that doesn't drink!" Rudder threw the canteen in the sea with a wide arc "We'll discuss this when I get back…"

He turned around and vanished in the cockpit. Chris had helped Kit in, followed by the three dogs. The engines of the Conwing, Hornet 20's, spurted to life and pushed the plane back. Several moments later, the solid but old plane was airborne.

Hawk grinned "That was all I needed to know" he mumbled to himself. He walked back to his house and took a small, rusted short wave radio out of his closet. It hadn't been used in years, but he figured it would only take half an hour to set it up and repair the headset. "Are you in for a surprise Cloudkickers…"

"You feeling better?" Rudder asked sympathetically when Kit entered the cockpit and took his seat. The cub was a little pale but seemed fine

"Yeah…you know, Hawk was right…it did clear out that cough"

"Glad you take it so lightly"

"I just hope I didn't blow our cover"

"Our cover was blown a long time ago Kit" Chris' voice made the pilot and navigator jump. Neither had heard the cub come in "The dogs knew the second they saw us. I…I heard something about that bounty Kit. Things are looking pretty bad"

"I know about the 100 grand Chris. Sure will take a while before…"

"500 grand" Chris interrupted "Dead or alive, preferred alive but not undamaged" Chris mused "double if brought in dead…" The last was a lot softer then the first part. Rudder cursed under his breath and Kit stared forward in shock, eyes wide open.

"Who could possibly spread such filth over the airways?" Rudder's question broke the long silence in the cockpit

"Who do you think?"

"KARNAGE" The two cubs replied in one voice.

"I'm not even going to think about that right now" Kit unbuckled and opened the door to the cargo hold "Where do you want us to drop you off?"

The dogs had been playing cards and looked up from their game. They frowned a little, clearly trying to make up their minds. They looked to each other, hoping to find the answer written on their neighbour's forehead but obviously found nothing. The oldest one, the one that had been talking to Chris, finally spoke

"Just drop us off at the nearest port. We don't care where we end up kid…"

Kit walked over to the trio and sat down in one of the passenger chairs

"Then why did you leave Freeburg? If you don't know where to go…"

The dog wrapped his arm around Kit

"I could feed you a line about freedom and the will to drift from place to place, but you're a drifter yourself so you know better…Truth is strange things are going on on the island. Ever since that last hurricane hit, about half a year ago, Hawk seized power and pestered everybody of the island. He forbid us to go to the western side. Those who tried just vanished kid…Rudder brought in less food, but Hawk wanted more and more equipment. From what I've seen out of the window of this plane, the western side IS destroyed, but why can't we go there? And then there are the mysterious explosions and lights…scared the living daylights out of the women and children. After they left, Hawk enforced a rule about kids on the island…god knows why. And then those mysterious packets he sends with Rudder…just take a look" The dog ended his explanation and pointed to several barrels, stashed away in a dark corner of the cargo hold. Kit slid out of his chair and slowly walked over to the half-rusted barrels marked 'Kerosine'. He gave them a quick inspection and banged the outside. A liquid sloshed inside. He reached for the opening dop.

"Are you sure what you are doing kid?" The dog warned, obviously knowing where this was going

"Why not? Doesn't seem to be anything but gas…"

Kit wrestled his fingers around the dop and gave it a twist. To his frustration, it refused to budge. The dog sighed and walked over to the cub who was desperately trying to open the barrel. He wrapped his hand around the dop and turned it around. With visible easy, he twisted it off. He bent over, smelled and quickly turned away.

"Wow…what a stench…" He put his hand in front of his mouth and nose to block out the smell of the strange liquid. Kit heaved himself on the barrel and took a whiff. He turned pale, slid of the barrel and reached for his stomach again. The dog quickly put the dop back on the barrel. Kit sat down on the metal floor, his back to the barrel.

"Dunno what that is…but Hawk gave me the same when we left" the cub finally managed.

"It wasn't smelling that bad…"

"Must be an allergic reaction. Could be why Hawk doesn't want any kids on the island…this sure isn't gas"

The cub stood up and walked over to a locker. He took of his jacket and reached in for his sweater. He put it on and put his jacket over it, trying to block out the chillyness he had been feeling.

"Gonna ask what this stuff is. Keep clear from the barrels in the mean time"

As the cub approached the cockpit, he heard the chatter going on inside. He put his ear to the door…

"…been looking pale all week. Just been sick both"

"Explains a lot. Didn't think he'd react to alcohol like that though"

Kit opened the metal door to the cockpit and interrupted the chatter.

"That wasn't alcohol. And what is that stuff we're hauling anyway?"

"I asked Hawk once, but he just started about having no privacy. I just drop it off in Port Green. Must be his home-brewed scotch."

"Give it up Rudder…I heard what's going on. I don't know why you don't realise it but this affair stinks. Literally. Whatever is in these barrels, it's coming from the island and is the reason why Hawk doesn't want any kids around. He's mixed up in something shady"

"Listen Kit, no matter what you might think, Hawk's on the level" the sudden snap made Kit jump. He never heard Rudder talk like that before "I've known this guy for twenty years! TWENTY YEARS! I owe him my life! I don't need no smart-assed kid to make him look like the devil crawling out of the sulfurpools of hell"

"Go smell yourself!"

"Trust me, I already did. Smells unappetising but not into any extremes. You're just allergic to alcohol"

"What happened to you Rudder? I had my share of scotch and self-brewed wodka with the pirates. I even outdrank Karnage. But that stuff…it is not alcohol."

"Are you sure you're feeling well?" Kit gave Rudder a quizzical look…why on earth would he ask that "You sound delirious! Just get into the hold, stay clear of those barrels and I'll get you to a doctor in Port Green"

"Listen here Rudder…"

"No you listen pipsqueek…"

Chris was listening to the argument and became more and more annoyed. Now that the two friends were in a face-off, he decided it was time to insert a little common sense.

"Hey hey! Am I missing something here? What's this discussion about anyways? Nobody is accusing Hawk of anything Rudder…there's no need to overreact. We know what you think of him. Fact remains nobody knows what is in these barrels and frankly it gives me the willies to haul something I don't know. I know you might think Kit's allergic to alcohol and that's all there is to it, but I want to be sure. Now excuse me for a second, I'm going to inspect the contents of these barrels myself" This said, the cub unbuckled and headed for the cargo hold. Kit and Rudder exchanged a quick look, Rudder put the plane on autopilot and both bears quickly followed the cub trooping to the barrels. The dogs, the Barkone brothers, quickly looked up when the three entered the cargo hold again. One of them quickly hid something behind his back which seemingly went unnoticed by the bears. The oldest one saw what was going on as he saw Rudder reaching for the dop on one of the barrels. He cast a quick look to his companions

"Are you sure about that? I mean…we don't know what's in there"

"I'm hoping to deny a theory here. Be my guest to join in"

Rudder twisted the dop off one of the barrels and smelled. He quickly covered his nose, his eyes tearing from the sharp smell. Kit and Chris smelled again, both falling to the ground naucious, grabbing their stomachs and breathing heavily. The oldest of the Barkone brothers smelled again, coughing from the smell this time. The two other brothers started coughing too, a thick cloud filling the cargo hold. Rudder opened the cargo hatch with a switch installed near the barrels. He looked for the Barkone brothers but only found one of them. He gestured towards the barrel and the open cargo hatch. Bear and dog joined forces and rolled the barrel out the hatch. The cloud cleared almost immediately and only now the true consequences were seen. Two of the three brothers were lying on the ground, gasping for air. The two cubs sat still against a wall, unconcious. As the two Barkone brothers got to their feet and Kit and Chris started coughing, a flash of light and the rumbling of an explosion filled the hold…the barrel had hit the sea beneath them. The three brothers bend over to see what had happened while Rudder got over to the cubs. The two coughed harder. Their eyes suddenly snapped open and both made their way over to the hatch, half crawling. The three dogs were treated to an unappetising view of stomach contents leaving the body… The oldest one wrapped his arms around the kids

"You two allright?"

Both gave him a weak smile

"Just give us a minute or two…we'll be fine" Kit finally managed to say to their guardian angel

The dog cast a look to his watch

"No, actually, after a second long-time exposure it should take ten minutes to clear the effects" the two gave him a strange look. The dog smiled and turned to Rudder "next time, tell us when you open one of them barrels…give us time to give you these immune tablets.Better take one right now, it should help against some of the effects"

The dog held out a hand, holding 4 round yellow tablets. His brothers took one each. The cubs both reached for one, but the dog gently pushed their hands away. Rudder and the dog took one while the cubs gave them a strange look, still feeling naucious and dizzy from the gas. The dog looked back and forced a wry smile on his face "Still not tested for kids. Could kill you on the spot. Just go ly down and relax for ten minutes or so. If you still feel bad after half an hour, let me know"

Chris complied quickly, but Kit kept sitting where he did. He turned to the dog that was still holding him.

"Just tell me what that stuff is. It's no alcohol, that's for sure…but it's no gas either. And how did you know about it?" Kit's voice sounded odd, somewhat muffled. He cleared his throath and spit out some green slime

"First things first, I'm no wanderer…me and my brothers are undercover CSIA agents. For three years now, we've been investigating mysterious activity on Carmalina island. Offcourse, when we found the colony of wanderers, we thought we knew what was wrong…imagine our surprise when the lights started. Quick investigation revealed that the activity was stimulated from the island itself…by none other then Hawk…sorry Rudder. The lights appeared to find their origin in a mining operation on the western side of the island. They pump up a certain liquid out of a meteor impact crater. After processing, it is stored in these barrels" the dog banged the side of one of the barrels "and shipped to Port Green. One of the side effects of this liquid is its strong scent…we developed an immunising tablet but found out that the body produces its own antitoxins after a while. An adult body that is…"

"Kids become sick and remain that way…the parents were bound to notice" one of the other dogs chimed in "so Hawk pestered them off the island"

"The real purpose of the liquid remains unknown" the third dog mixed himself in the conversation "it's not strong enough to be nerve-gas and it isn't corrosive. It can be consumed…" he cast a look at Kit "but not retained by the body. It isn't toxic…we appear to know that now"

Kit chuckled "Glad to be of service. It does seem to be a strong explosive"

The dog picked him up and placed him in the top bed, one of the two attached to the metal walls. Chris had taken place in the bottom bed. The dog took a step back, so he had both in his field of vision.

"I'm not supposed to do this" he said gently and gave both cubs a round yellow tablet. Kit frowned

"I thought this wasn't save for kids"

"Would you rather have the hold spinning around you for the next half hour? You know scientists want to be one hundred percent sure…but it has to be tested sometime"

Seeing the logic of his reasoning, both cubs swallowed down the tablet. The dog smiled and signaled the youngest of the two remaining brothers. He turned back to the cubs

"I'm gonna leave Jacob here to monitor how you are doing. If you have any questions, feel free to ask him. If, for any reason, you might need me or my brother, ask for Ryan- that's me- or Kyle-that's him. Keep a good eye out Jake!" The two older dogs opened the door to the cockpit. Through the metal walls, Kit could hear the conversation with Rudder. The plane banked 180 degrees, followed by a heated argument in the cockpit…the voices faded away and Kit yawned. He rolled to the edge of the bed to check on Chris. The cub was soundly asleep and Jacob placed the covers over him. Kit laughed softly and Jacob looked up

"What's so funny?"

"If you're gonna pretend to moniter 's…at le'st use yer clipboard"

"Guess you figured out why there was an 's' on those tablets huh?"

"Gomma opnion 'bouzhat…"

Jacob smiled as Kit's eyes closed and the cub breathed steadily. He rolled him back to the middle of the bed and placed the covers over him, making sure both were comfortable. He kept smiling and took a seat, grabbing his clipboard and a pencil. The plane banked again and several minutes later Ryan appeared out of the cockpit. His first look was directed at the two beds. He cast a look at Jacob and found his youngest brother busily working the pencil.

"What are you writing?"

Jacob quickly put down the clipboard, paper first. A red blush appearing on his face. Seemingly unimpressed, Ryan walked past him and sat down while picking up the clipboard.

"Let's see what we have here"

Jacob made a grab for the clipboard but missed by a hair

"Come on, don't…"

Jacobs plead really made Ryan curious…a bit of playfullness that never seems to outgrow brothers. He turned the page and looked what Jacob had written. Instead of the writing Ryan expected, he saw a sketch of the two sleeping cubs. He took a long look and looked back at the sleeping two. The resemblence was incredible. It was only a rough sketch and it was clearly visible that the artist was interrupted in the middle of the drawing but the fine lines of the pencil captured every trace of the two. From the slumber in their facial expression, to the tensed rest in their bodies. Every line represented the silent and unspoken emotions towards the two. The emotions of a father…

"It's beautiful Jacob…it really is"

Jacob sat down next to Ryan

"You…you really think so?"

Ryan looked his young brother in the eyes

"You really miss your kids, don't you? I thought you were over that by now"

"It's just that…the youngest one was their age when I left…that means he has probably left the nest already"

"They grow up too fast don't they?"

"They sure do…hard to believe that they can be so lost at that age"

"I wish I could answer you. But work always got in the way of a marriage. I don't understand how you do it"

"I don't understand how you and Kyle let work get in the way. But then again…here I am, hundreds of miles from my wife and kids, haven't seen them in six years…wow" Jacob watched the ceiling, reminescing the past years "six years…always wonder where they went. Can't wait to get this job over with. Maybe I'll try to make some money as an artist…"

"Always knew it was a bad idea for you to try undercover work. Me and Kyle, we're single, we only have to care about ourselves. The past will never return, remember that. When you return home, your children will be gone, and you have missed their entire puberty. But it was your decision and keep in mind you at least saved these kids. When the job is over, we're delivering them to the authorities…they're run-away orphans. They belong to a certain Charles Vanderauw…"

"Really? I took the liberty of checking their pockets…tell me, what do you think of this?"

Jacob took a photopraph in hand he found in Kit's pocket. The boy must have had it for some time as it was wrinkled and somewhat torn. It displayed a touching moment of a large grey bear holding a brown bearcub close to him, seemingly shielding him from all evil, hurt and sorrow. At the bottom of the picture, a large handprint messaged "Your navigator…always" in black inkt. Ryan sighed as he realised the situation.

"Part of the job I hate Jake. Can't have them run away for ever. They'll have to face their fate. I'm sure the Cape Suzette board of adoption will make the sensible decision"

"You mean the profitable one" Jacob said grimly as he grabbed the photograph out of Ryan's hand "Perhaps you hadn't noticed that these aren't exactly rich man's kids. Frankly I don't think they fit the description we got"

"We can't keep hiding ourselves behind that! We have a responsibility. When this job is over…"

"You'll have a clear conscience and another medal. They will have lost their freedom and all they loved" He glanced at the photograph again but quickly put it away "Can't let that happen"

"You know they allow witnesses during a session…I'll file your complaint and see what I can do. But how about we focus on the job at hand for now?"

Jacob picked up his clipboard, seemingly ridden himself of every emotion. He glanced at the drawing and flipped the page. Staring at names, dates and calculations, he reached a decision.

"It's too much a risk to take out the processing plant: we don't know what that stuff is and I don't plan on finding out the hard way…not after what happened. I suggest we mop up the customer basis in Port Green…what do you think?"

"Can't risk him finding other clients…I say we arrest some customers and get enough info out of them to shut the plant down"

"Souds like a plan to me…just hope we're not taking any unnecessary risks…"

The door to the cockpit opened again and Kyle joined his companions in the hold. He sat down and sighed

"So…is Rudder flying to Port Green?" Ryan asked, knowing he had given Kyle the task of convincing the pilot

"It took a while to talk him out of flying back to Freeburg though…he's furious at Hawk. He wanted to take him on himself"

"Are you sure he'll fly on to Port Green?"

"He has to: we're past the point of no return. Unless he lands in Port Green, we don't have enough gas to return to Freeburg…He seemed to have another reason for not going to Port Green. Had something to do with the kid in the green sweater"

"We can't change our plans now…we'll land in Port Green and see what happens. We might have to keep the three at the docks though"

"With what you have given them they should sleep right through all of it. I'm not so sure about keeping Rudder here. The customers might get suspicious when he's not around"

"Good point. We'll have to take him along"

"Listen, you two are the muscles in this outfit, I'm just the brain. If it comes down to a fight, you'll rather have Rudder with you than me. I'll stay behind to look after the kids"

"Whatever you say Jake…as you said, you're the brains in this outfit"

Jacob walked over to the two sleeping bearcubs and looked at them with tender eyes. He brushed Chris' hair and whispered "I'm not leaving them…not again"

A surf broke slowly and quietly on the sand. The sun stood high, nearing the summit of it's voyage through the sky. Several seagulls cried out into the open sea, startling nothing more but a few stray fish. The wooden poles of the Higher for Higher dock stood tall in the sea, resisting every wave despite of their signs of the ages. Seaweed grew on the wood, making an interesting subject for the small golden bearcub. Losing her interest, she ran back into the office building, making airplane sounds and spreading her arms, willing to fly. As she came running in, a brown bearess picked her up. With the child on her arm, she continued her pacing. In a nearby sofa sat a large grey bear, tapping his fingers on the wooden coffee table, checking the clock every so often. The autumn sun, even at noon, cast a strange light in the dusty office. Leaning against a wall, AC looked at the scene with silent remorse. He looked at the grey bear, getting a killing glare in return. He couldn't take it any longer…

"OK, I admit…I should've asked first"

"Ya darn right. Why did ya pull a stupid stunt like that?"

"Just sueing the guy wouldn't have helped! He has enough money to buy off the trial. We have to make him realise what he's doing, and this is the only way"

"That's not the problem here AC. If he finds out your last name ain't Coppenburg, _we're_ going to get sued"

"Can you think of another way to win him over to our side? If he lets Kit and Chris go, he still faces the same problem and will start again with another kid. Don't be so short-sighted…"

"Now who's bein' short-sighted? Ever thought about the consequences? If we're in the pen, he'll have adopted Kit and Chris before ya can say shaboogie-woogie-blues!"

"AC…" Both men turned to face Rebecca. She had been awfully quiet throughout the entire morning, which usually ment she was thinking things over "I don't completely approve your scheme, and I will not be responsible for anything that happens next…but it seems like our only chance at this time. We have to get him to openly admit his cheating to the board"

"If he doesn't see through our scheme first"

"What scheme mommy?"

"uhoh…"

Molly had been awfully quiet, but she had sensed the tension rising. She knew something was wrong, especially after that radio announcement…she didn't quite buy that camping trip story her mother told her: if Kit and Chris went camping, how come all their stuff was still in their room? She turned stubbornly to her mother and pulled up her lip. Rebecca sighed

"Wildcat!"

"Yeah man?"

"Could you take Molly to that new zoo on the other side of Cape Suzette?"

"Sure thing" He took Molly of Rebecca's arm and put her down. "Already got two tickets…I was going this afternoon man. Come on Mollycat, I hear they have these really dangerous lion monkeys that eat full-grown bears for breakfast. Is it feeding time already?"

"Have fun you two"

Wildcat took Molly by her hand and led her out of the door. Rebecca knew very well her daughter wasn't stupid: unless Wilcat could really interest her in something else, she'd be back in less than two hours. She sighed and sat down at her desk. Staring at the front door, she wished for the big car to arrive…

Jacob paced up and down the hold of the Conwing Classic. He was regretting he volunteerd to stay behind. He knew very well he couldn't help them in a fight, but they had been gone for three hours and nothing happened at the docks…he considered going to the nearby bar for a while, but shook the thought off. He just couldn't leave these two kids alone in a dangerous environment. Coming to a halt, he thought of home. The way the coffee smelled in the morning, how his wife greeted him when he overslept again…and especially how his son smiled at him when he told him another story. A sudden feeling of regret overpowered him, tears forming in his eye. He grabbed his clipboard and forced himself to watch the calculations. Retracing his thoughts he verified them all and didn't see a single mistake. He flipped the page, planning on reviewing their plan of action. He cast another quick look at the cubs and saw Kit stirring…it was only a matter of time before he woke up again. Not willing to let that feeling overpower him again, he looked down at the page. His eyes met the sketch he made earlier that day. With a grunt of frustration he threw his clipboard in the corner, making a loud clattering sound. Noticing his mistake too late, Jacob looked back to the beds. Kit opened his eyes and sat up in his bed. Getting his bearings, he remembered what had happened.

"Not a sound sleeper, are you?" Jacob tried to mask his sadness with a joke.

Kit climbed out of the top bed and stretched, still sleepy. He looked at Jacob almost as asking 'what's for breakfast?'. The look reminded Jacob of his son…the feeling was back, stronger than before. No matter how the dog tried, he started crying. Holding his head in his hands, Jacob looked at the floor, unable to face the child in front of him.

"What's wrong?"

Kit's voice sounded so innocent to Jacob, only making things worse. When the cub sat down next to him, the dog pulled himself back together. He sniffed one last time and looked up, turning his head towards the cub.

"Sorry about that kid…but I'm not what you think I am. I'm not some though CSIA agent that doesn't give a damn about his own life" Jacob reached in his back pocket and took out a small picture affected by the ages. He gave it to Kit and the boy saw a young dog smiling back at him. With a look of realisation, Kit looked back at Jacob

"That's your son, isn't he? I know how hard it is to miss your family Jake…I have some sort of family too" Kit reached in his pocket, frowned and felt again. Jacob smiled ruefully and took the Baloo picture out of his pocket

"I believe this is what you're looking for…seems like an awfully nice dad"

Now it was Kit's turn to be sad. He leaned back in the passenger chair and looked at the ceiling

"I wish he was…but after what happened, he can never be a part of my life again. It's scary to think of a future without him"

"He's your father…why did you run from him?"

"I didn't. And he isn't my father either" Kit quickly tought of the time he said that to Baloo. How foolish had he been to deny one of the adults he trusted most to take care of him…at the time it seemed like giving up his greatest wish, now he knows that it_is_his greatest wish.

"I don't quite understand…but you must have your reasons"

"From what I remember I know there's a bar somewhere around these parts…'the Greenland'…not a place to go alone, but unless you want to drink the stuff in these barrels we'll have no choice. I'll tell you exactly what happened in there"

Kit stood up and walked to the door leading to the docks. The buzzing sound made him turn around

"I wouldn't bring your scanner…don't want to scare everybody away"

Scratching his head, Jacob realised why every undercover agent was so easely recognised. He switched off the police scanner and placed it on a chair. He walked outside after the cub, fogetting his CSIA ID badge was still on the scanner…

'The Greenland' was hardly the place for a jovial drink with friends or colleagues. The place was constantly under police surveillance to keep riots from happening. What went on inside the bar, or who visited it was not police bussiness. That made it a perfect meeting place for all sorts of criminals and corrupt bussinessmen. Throughout all this filth and scum, there was one bright side to this bar: they had a strict 'no pirates' rule which was enforced multiple times. This was the place Kit sought refuge after running from Fang…refuge he never found among the brutes and criminals. When entering the bar, Kit found that it hadn't changed a bit: the walls were still covered with a thick layer of dust and blattered paint while the sigarette smoke still ruled the air. Standard rule was that the place was packed at noon. Today was no different. An entire selection of world's most famous criminals stared at the entering duo. Putting on his tough kid act, Kit seemed less out of place than the dog he was with…or was with him as most people here thought. Jacob was suspicously staring at everyone in the bar, making mental notes of the criminals he met. Losing count, he walked towards the bar. He started slamming his fist down on the bar

"Hey! Can we get some service around here? I've got better things to do"

A silence fell over the bar as the bartender slowly turned around to face the impatient customer. Kit heard a soft metallic click

"What Jake here means is that he wants two root-beers PRONTO! Or he'll tear the place apart!"

The ambiance recommenced and so did the music. The bartender turned back to the customer he was serving and placed the carbine back under the bar. Kit grabbed Jacob by the shoulder and dragged him to an open table

"Sit down"

The hiss was completely different from the innocent voice Jacob had heard in the cargo hold. How could a child undergo such a transformation in a matter of seconds?

"What did I do wrong?" Jacob whispered, leaning over the table. Under the table, Kit swung his foot and connected with Jacob's knee

"For starters: don't whisper in front of this crowd. Nobody will mind what you say, but whispering makes you look suspicious…exactly the opposite of what we want to achieve. And why were you acting like an undercover agent at the bar?"

"Come on, it was nothing serious"

"Nothing serious? The bartender was about to shoot you for christ's sake" Kit turned towards the bar "Weren't you Frank?"

"Sure was" Frank didn't even look up fro the glass he was cleaning "we're allergic to two things here Mac: undercover agents and pirates. Don't give me ANY reason to doubt your insincerity, 'cause old Bessy is still where I left her" Inspecting the glass, he gave it another spit and decided it was clean enough for today. "Hey guys, you're not tipping me enough to bring drinks to your table! Free advice: get them before I spit in them"

Kit stood up to collect the drinks, leaving Jacob alone with his thoughts. It was clear why Kit wanted to explain things here: the boy didn't seem out of place to the dog, as if he had been doing this for his entire life. The way he talked to the bartender and pushed people out of his way on the way in reminded Jacob of an adult gone bad. So innocent he seemed a few minutes ago, so strange he appeared now, so mature…the maturity of a child without childhood.

As Kit took the drinks of the bar, Frank verified a few things on two papers behind the bar…the profile matched, and so did the attitude, but not the person he was with…that should've been either another bearcub, a black bear with white scarf or a large grey bear. Some other differences jumped to Frank's attention…this boy wasn't wearing a green sweater and showed no sign of having been a pirate. Frank shook the thought off: the world was a big place, why would the 500 000 bucks kid happen to walk into_his_bar?

Back in the cargo hold, Chris stirred awake. Trying to remember where he was, a strange feeling stalked him. He looked up, seeing the bottom of the other bed coming closer, almost crushing him. Panicking, he looked for a way out of it's dead grip, seeing the wall closing in on him too…Breathing heavily, he stretched his arms to fend off the closing bed. It had no effect. He closed his eyes and imagined himself being crushed…His chest getting tighter by the second, he started screaming

"NOOO…NOOOOOOO…HELP ME…NOOOOOOOOOO"

Rolling erratically to all sides Chris tumbled out off the bed, hitting the floor with a thud. Still breathing heavily, he leaned on his arms. He had escaped and the feeling subsided, fading to a distant memory. It had been over six years since he had last felt it. He got to his feet and felt his new outfit soaked with sweat

-nice going Cloudkicker…explain that. Where are you going to find new clothes now huh?-

Clearing his head, he slipped off the wet clothes and walked towards a closet. Reaching in, he felt his trusty red sweater. So many memories associated with that piece of clothing…especially the memory of his brother…where was he anyway?. Putting on the sweater Chris looked around the plane, only to find the discarded scanner and ID badge.

-why would anyone leave his scanner lying around?-

Racking his brain, Chris figured they must have gone somewhere filled with people who knew how to recognise an agent by his scanner…now to find such a place…. As he opened the door of the plane, twenty or thirty men started looking in his direction. Paying no attention, Chris walked out to the nearby bar hoping to find a clue there…as he closed, he noticed the men following him. The faster he walked, the faster they walked. One was listening to a radio transmission over LF-radio. He grinned and joined his friends. Silent whispers followed and seconds later, the men started in a dash after the escaping bearcub.

Chris saw only one exit…

Behind the bar, Frank was silently listening to a transmission over LF…the person talking presented himself as Hawk from Carmalina Island. Frank grinned…he knew all along. Glancing over to a table, he saw his moneypit sitting unsuspiciously in his chair…

Kit felt the tension in the bar rising and as guided by a radar he looked at the bartender. The grin on his face didn't look too promising

"Come on Jake, time to bail…our cover is blown"

The cub and dog stood up, prompting a whistle from Frank. Now, the entire bar was looking straight to the bartender who was holding a photograph of Kit and Chris visibly to the crowd. Mumbling started and Jacob knew the situation was about to turn bad. He grabbed Kit by the arm and ran for the exit. Nearing the double door, a group of seedy looking ferrets cut him off. Desperately looking for a way out, Kit only saw the rest of the bar's customers close in on them. Suddenly Chris stormed in, pressing himself against a wall. Looking away from their victim for a second, the ferrets were struck down by a group of Chris' pursuers. Seeing their chance, the threatened trio ran out to the docks, followed closely by the horde of moneystruck criminals. Jacob's first reaction was to grab his scanner for assistance. Finding nothing, he remembered he left it in the plane. Stopping dead in his tracks, Jacob turned around to collect it. Three men from the chasing group pinned him down, immobilising him completely. The two cubs started running as fast they could…the following group seemed to have found new energy in Jacob's capture. They neared the end of the pier and the start of the city. Two gestures later, the cubs split up, confusing their pursuers. The group split up in two and each chased one of the kids. Chris was no sprinter…he turned into several streets, only to find new pursuers. He dashed out of an alley and stood face to face with Rudder and the two dogs. They saw the group following him and the dogs too their guns. The group skidded to a halt. A face-off could no longer be avoided. A ferret stepped forward…

"Give us the kid and we'll split the profit"

Ryan's only answer was a growl. The ferret backed off a little and the four stepped forward towards the group. Their guns still ready, the two dogs managed to scare off the group and created a safe passageway for the two bears. They started running back towards the docks.

"Thanks a lot guys"

"Least we could do kid…luckily they didn't know we ran out of bullets two months ago"

Jumping fences and using tight passageways, Kit managed to lose most of his pursuers. The easy architecture of Port Green, divided in avenues and streets, made it harder for him to lose the rest. True, he was a good sprinter with incredible stamina, but all the twists and turns he took exhausted him. He glanced over his shoulder…these pursuers didn't seem ready to give up yet. He spotted a narrow passage between to houses ahead…it was going to be a tight fit, but better that than getting caught. He doubled his effort and sprinted away from the following group, nearing the passage. Throwing himself to one side, he managed to squeeze in, leaving the pursuers cursing in frustration. Kit couldn't supress a laugh. He popped out of the passage and turned a corner…it had to be him, but he felt like he wasn't homefree yet. Looking over his shoulder, he ran around another corner. Suddenly he felt a shock and fell to the ground. Realising he had hit someone, Kit looked up. His eyes met a police officer dusting off his sleeve.

"Hi O'Connor…" Kit's voice was filled with the sound of defeat

"Hiya Kit…"the officer pulled him to his feet "I told you I couldn't let you go twice…empty your pockets"

Kit reached in his pockets, gave O'Connor the photograph he was carrying and turned his pockets inside out. O'Connor sighed and placed the photograph in a bag he was holding. He looked down to the kid and closed his eyes, seemingly trying to fight an internal battle. He opened his eyes again…Kit was still there

"I hate to do this…hands behind your back son"

Kit complied and allowed himself to be cuffed. O'Connor made sure not to hurt the boy's wrists and gave him ample room to move his hands.

"Anything else you might be carrying?" instead of his normal threathening voice, he used a softer one

"No" Kit spoke silently. He didn't budge when the officer he knew very well started searching him. O'Connor's hands tapped the secret pocket in Kit's sweater. Feeling an object, he reached in. Kit stared down to his feet. The officer sighed and pulled out Kit's airboard. He knelt in front of Kit, showing him the board

"You_know_this is resisting arrest Kit…" the officer sighed again, his hand gently grabbing Kit's chin, pulling his head to meet his eyes "you do remember what's awaiting you downtown, don't you?"

"The same mess I left two and a half years ago I guess…"

"Plus this" O'Connor showed him the airboard again. After putting it away in the bag, the sheppard dog stood up and put his hand protectively on Kit's shoulder

"Come on son…it's a long walk to the police station. Meanwhiles you can explain me to why you came back"

It was indeed a long walk back to the police station. Kit's run had taken him all the way uptown. O'Connor noticed the boy's exhaustion and started to walk slower. He had always hoped never to run into Kit again. When they first met, Kit was charged with espionage and burglary. He had been a policeman for many years and such charges seemed impossible for him at the time. When he was lucky enough to catch Kit, he had let him go near the docks, making sure he found a plane to get away in. He did give him the warning never to come back again…he hoped this day would never come. Near the docks, O'Connor looked back and saw Kit at least ten feet away from him. He wasn't trying to escape, but just couldn't follow any more. O'Connor stopped and looked around for a bench, finding one, he walked towards it and gestured Kit to sit down. When the boy had arrived, the sheppard dog uncuffed one of his hands to allow a more comfortable sitting position. He took no chances though: he firmly put his hand in the free cuff to keep Kit from escaping. He gave the boy a few minutes to catch his breath…

"So…why did you come back?"

"I wasn't planning on it. It just sorta worked out this way"

"I heard your description on the radio. Is that why you're running?"

"Yeah…I'm not going to let him adopt me"

"No more worries about that. By the time they'll let you out you'll be at least twenty"

"You still haven't heard the full story"

"Remember: you have the right to remain silent"

"I always hoped that Baloo would adopt me…he never even got the chance. He doesn't have the money to bribe the state"

"Speaking of money, can you afford an attorney kid?"

"Nope…flat-broke all day every day. My plane is taking up all my money"

"Didn't know you loved flying"

"Bet you didn't know I was a pirate either…"

"Kit…please keep quiet. Anything you say will be considered a confession. You're not going to make this easy on me, are you? You are already facing eight years in juvenile prison for espionage and burglary. Piracy makes another ten years. Resisting arrest will cost you another six months…no attorney is ever going to get you out of that kid! I know this doesn't seem fair but you haven't heard_my_full story yet!

Port Green was once nothing more than a flat rock in the middle of nowhere. The state needed more housing so they started building here. Most inhabitants were forced to live here. Now we are the centre of the modern mondaine world but criminality is keeping us in a choke-hold. Every day we get butchered out there kid. I see friends and colleagues die on the streets…shot by street-punks with illegal weapons. We are currently under marshall law kid. That means it no longer has to be proven you're guilty to lock you up and throw away the key. It's mighty hard to fnd a well-willing judge these days. Things are looking very bleak for you Kit"

"O'Connor, listen to me" Kit's voice sounded husky and the sheppard dog thought he saw a tear in the boy's eye "I can't change what I was, but I've walked straight for over a year. I found a family…I even have a brother now Jerry. I'm sick of having to deal with my past every time I walk out the door. I have a job, a family…I have a future outside criminality. If they lock me up, the best I can be is another drifter…I don't deserve this Jerry"

"I know you don't…"

Kit heard a click and saw that Jerry had freed his own hand out of the cuff. The sheppard dog stood up and Kit knew that it was time to walk on to the police station. Only a few more blocks to the end of his future…

"Hands behind your back…"

Kit complied, but not as fast as last time. He heard another click…to his surprise he could still move his hands. He looked over his shoulder and saw Jerry hanging the cuffs back on his belt.

"I can't believe you talked me back into this"

"What seems to be the problem officer?" both dog and cub turned around to the new voice. Kit heard a buzzing sound and was pleased to see Jacob wasn't hurt.

"Depends on who wants to know. Under marshall law I can't give away that information to a civillian"

Jacob showed O'Connor his scanner and CSIA ID badge. The sheppard dog visibly relaxed and even smiled a little

"Had to arrest the kid to keep him out of trouble. Is he wanted? I can guarantee his good intentions…"

"I saw what you did…thanks a lot, I know he's wanted around here"

"Just make sure he makes something out of his life. I don't think there's any problem if I surrender him to you…here's his stuff" Jerry handed Jacob a bag marked PGPD "keep him at the docks next time or warn me before he enters the city" he knelt before Kit again and looked the boy in the eyes "promise me you'll fly straight from now on son"

"I promise Jerry. Thanks a lot, I owe you my future…and my past"

"Just doing my job…and maybe a little more, who knows" He stood up again and faced Jacob "good day further sir, I have some real criminals on the loose here"

This said,the sheppard dog turned around and disappeared in the crowd of 9th avenue…Jacob and Kit stared at his leaving form for a while, knowing this had been an extremely close call. For Kit it felt like losing a good friend, and gaining another at the same time. He turned back to Jacob

"You really would've bailed me out huh?"

"Offcourse" Jacob gave him a look saying 'wouldn't everybody?' "Just tell me one thing kid…" He knelt, almost mimicing Jerry's stance "I know the accusations against you…is it true?"

Kit looked away, almost disgusted with himself. Jacob didn't try to push him, but he didn't leave either. Long moments passed before Kit finally spoke "That's one part of my past I'll never learn to live with. I did my time…but I can never forgive myself for what I did here. It was after I met Fang…"

PORT GREEN, TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO

The moon stood high tonight, creating a strange atmosphere in the deserted streets. During daytime the avenues were crowded with businessmen in identical suits, at night they served as the arena for the ongoing battle between cops and criminality. Two figures, one tall, one small and determined to make a difference tonight, walked towards a shadowy group. They weren't cops…

The strange mix of criminals gave a very short greeting to the two newcomers but kept one hand in their jacket…the small figure couldn't imagine they were keeping it warm there…The tallest figure, a leopard stepped in the dim streetlight, closely followed by a young bearcub, not older than 10 years. Only the leopard known as Fang knew this group consisted of the ten most dangerous assassins from the ten crime syndicats. He told the boy with him this would be his breakthrough in the spy business. So far he had only stolen several design plans…he still had no idea why he had to steal those CT-37 plans. Fang told him they made good money on the black market, but the boy hadn't seen one cent.

"This better be good Fang"

The low grumble of a masked elephant quickly stirred the boy out of his daydream…if it could be called that at 1 AM…He had no clue what this was all about, but for Fang's sake he hoped he was eloquant enough to talk his way out of this one

"Gentlemen…" the leopard started, slowly looking around the circle "the days of opression are over. Tonight marks the beginning of a new era…the era we've all been waiting for. We will no longer run from the cops, they will run from us. Police interference will no longer be a factor to consider in your planning. This will not be accomplished by fighting amongst ourselves, and your presence here tonight is a step into the right direction…For tonight we will take the impossible target: we shall level the police headquarters"

The elephant laughed loud, looking very amused underneath his mask "Fang…you crack me up! Idiot! We've been trying to get into the HQ with entire forces…all it has gotten us are a lot of KIA's and arrested brothers! Why would we go on a suicide mission? Where's that miracle guy you promised?"

"Right here" He pushed the boy forward. The group started laughing, their voices resounded in the empty streets. The cub looked up to the elephant, determined to prove himself. He kicked the elephant in the shins. In the same motion, the cub jumped away from the attacking elephant and disarmed him, aiming the gun to his head. The group murmured amongst them and the elephant smiled, taking his gun back

"Fast for his age…and dangerous too. That oughta fool the cops long enough for us to enter"

"He's not going to fool anyone: he'll force his way in and_you_are going to wait for_his_signal! He's leading this operation, not you. I'm sure he's capable of that after stealing these last night"

Fang took a bundle of papers and showed them from a distance. The CT-37 plans were considered pure gold in the eyes of this mix. Fang looked them all in the eyes

"How many men did you lose on that mission? It only took him half an hour…and no, they're not for sale: I already have a buyer. You'll be hearing more from him real soon" He put the blueprints away again "do we have a deal?"

"Deal" each member of the mix repeated the word to express their consent in this mission. Fang smiled…so much for part one of his plan

"I'm telling ya Jerry, I have a bad feeling tonight. Something is about to happen"

"I know what you mean, don't feel too good tonight either. And offcourse it's our nightshift…"

Kit pressed himself against the wall and was relieved to see that the two guards hadn't seen him. -Keep your eyes open Cloudkicker, you almost ran into those sheppard dogs!- Finding a way into the police HQ had been a breeze: the vent to the airconditioning tubes wasn't electrified, a thing he had noticed a lot in places like these. This was going to be the easiest job he had ever done since he got into 'the business'. Looking carefully behind every corner, he made his way to the security room. Luckily Fang had showed him a layout map of the place before he entered…how did he get that anyway? Crouching behind a corner, Kit took a look into the last corridor…again those same two sheppard dogs. -they must be the only guards here- Suddenly one of them grabbed his stomach and ran into a room…the toilets Kit remembered from the blueprint. His partner quickly ran to the closing door

"Jerry, you allright?"

Seeing his chance, Kit darted in the corridor and silently passed the only guard, catching part of their conversation

"Jerry, what's the matter?"

"God I'm sick…."

"I told you not to come to work today"

-Good- Kit thought -only one capable guard in the corridors, shouldn't be a problem- He silently opened the door to the security room a crack. Peeking in he saw three guards working the monitors. He felt in his pocket and took a little round cannister in his hand. He threw it into the room and closed the door again. Glancing over to the guards he heard the silent hiss of the sleeping gas escaping. After a few seconds, the green gas had done his job and the cub entered, unobserved by the worried guard. Looking around the room, searching for the main control panel he noticed all the guards lying still on the ground…and smiled a strange grin. Finding what he was looking for, he hopped over one of the motionless guards and pressed a button. On the monitors, he could see the front door opening and the eleven men entered. Kit heard a strange silence in the room…-what the?-

He turned to one of the motionless guards and listened -NO!- the guard wasn't breathing. He checked the other guards, only to notice they were all dead. Desperate, the cub looked at the monitors…the eleven were killing off the cops gruesomly. Only one thought entered his mind: that guard is still in the corridor! Kit threw open the door and made as much noise as he could. The guard looked away from the door and saw the cub in the security room

"HEY! What are you doing here?!" The sheppard dog walked towards him. The opposite of what Kit had hoped. He started screaming

"RUN! THEY'LL BE HERE ANY SECOND! GET OUT!!!"

The guard came to a stop. A loud bang followed. Kit's eyes widened in shock and sheer disgust as the guard fell to the floor, deadly hit and reaching desperately in the air for someone to save him.

"Jerry….Jerry…help…me!" It was almost a soft whisper, but the cub heard every trembling tone

Another bang followed and Kit looked away, not willing to see what happened. To avoid more atrocities, he ran back into the security room and collapsed in a corner, crying. The sounds of battle filled the corridors but were only a blur to the kid in the corner. He felt betrayed and sick to be partly responsible for this…fully responsible for this. He had let the murderers enter and killed three cops in the process. Why should he deserve any pity? The fight seemed to last forever…above the little crying form, the monitors witnessed every kill, the dim glare casting long shadows on the ground…the shadows of the dead security guards.

With one last sob, the boy pulled himself together, revenge on his mind. He checked the control panel and saw that everything was being recorded, as was the custom in these places. Quickly pressing several buttons, he ejected the security tape…he had done it countless times before on other missions. The authorities would be very interested in this. It ment he would be accused too, but it seemed to him a reasonable price to pay…as long as the rest would do their time too. He quickly put the tape away in his secret pocket and looked for a work schedule…Finding one, he searched for anybody with the first name Jerry. Only one Jerry in this HQ at the time: Jerry O'Connor. Kit darted outside and locked the door to the toilets. He heard steps around the corner and ran back to the security room.

"Trooper! Great job kid! You make your old man proud"

Kit's eyes shot fire. This was the man who thought he knew everything there is to know about him, but didn't even know his real name. It was also the man who betrayed him, who tricked him into murdering.

"You didn't tell me you were going to kill everyone!" Kit's voice trembled with anger, but he knew very well he couldn't attack Fang directly

"Aww come on Trooper. Don't be so sensitive, you're a spy! Besides, we didn't kill everyone: we only have 34 bodies including these three -nice job by the way- and the force in here is always 35"

"Jerry O'Connor stayed home today, health reasons"

"Is that a fact?"

"I checked it on the roster"

"Great!" Cheerfully and whistling a merry tune, Fang took a small communication device out of his pocket "You can stop searching guys: according to our spy the 35th cop stayed home" Still whistling, Fang stepped up to the control panel. Kit's heart skipped a beat

"What are you going to do?"

"I just gotta see how you killed these three guards. Never got the chance to check your other killings" Fang said it casually, as if expecting nothing less. Kit's eyes widened

"Other killings?"

"Yeah…you didn't think that was sleeping gas I gave you on your other missions did you?"

"You told me it was…"

"Oops, must have slipped my mind. You only used sleeping gas in your training period…didn't I tell you?"

"YOU LET ME KILL ALL THESE PEOPLE AND IT 'SLIPPED YOUR MIND'?!"

"Calm down Trooper…you're a member of the family now"

'Member of the family'…it sickened Kit to think what that included. If his feelings of anger had caused a fire before, they were now going to cause a nuclear disaster! Fang didn't seem to care what 'his' spy thought. He still merrily rummaged around the control panel. His tune suddenly stopped and he looked around the room, scratching his chin

"Where is that damn security tape?"

"You mean this one?" Kit showed Fang the tape he stole. Fang was suddenly less pleased about his protégé's work

"Gimme that tape boy" the merry voice was gone and made place for a low growl

"I think I know a few better places to deliver this"

Kit darted into the corridor and headed for the front door. In no time, Fang had caught up with him and tackled him to the ground. The ten other assassins formed a circle around the downed boy. While Kit was trying to get his bearings back, Fang quickly swiped the security tape

"You had a future here kid…if you release this tape you'd be accused too. Now you'll be the only one to be guilty to at least 34 murders…I'm going to give you a break because it's your first time. You have ten seconds to get out of here"

Kit got to his feet but made no effort to run "Come on Fang"

"Ten"

"Nine"

"Don't do this to me!"

"Seven"

"Six"

The bearcub ran as fast his legs could carry him while Fang continued his countdown. Once the cub was out of hearing distance he stopped and the eleven burst out in laughter

"He bought it!"

"What are you going to do with that tape?"

"Just edit it a little…make us unrecognisable…clear out the kid a little…and then call the cops"

"Too bad…he_was_good"

"Taught him myself Jack…taught him myself"

PORT GREEN: TODAY

Kit had placed his head on Jacob's shoulder and cried his lungs out. No matter what the dog tried, he wouldn't stop. After hearing his story, he was sad too. He understood why Kit was so mature…so lost. In twenty minutes, he told the saddest story of his life and exposed his soul to a complete stranger. Jacob knew how the boy had to be feeling now and decided to give it one more try

"Kit…look at me"

Sniffing and sobbing, the boy looked up, tears streaming down his face

"I can't possibly start to imagine what you have been through, but I look at it this way: you got betrayed, no question about that, but it taught you something. Not never to trust again, because you told me that story, but it helped develop your consience. They'll never get you to do that again, because you know now it's wrong! I know these are confusing feelings, but don't take it out on yourself. Imagine what would've happened if you hadn't helped Jerry. Could you still live your life as a spy and look in the mirror every day?"

"I AM THE REASON THIS CITY IS UNDER MARSHALL LAW! I AM THE REASON THE PIRATES GOT THOSE CT-37'S!"

"AND WHAT ARE YOU NOW? THE REASON YOUR BROTHER IS OUT OF THE ORPHANAGE. THE REASON BALOO GETS UP EVERY MORNING! The reason I wanna quit this job and go back to my family…you're so much more than a dark past Kit. Give yourself a little credit. Fang would've killed these cops anyway. He would've stolen these plans without you! There was no way you could possibly know you were carrying toxic gas. Fang lied to you since the day you met him, and where has it gotten him? He's wanted all around Usland and Eporue. He can never show his face again and you are free Kit! Maybe not as free as you had wished but you have the freedom to decide for yourself what you want to do. I will defend you on that adoption board meeting. You will see Baloo again…I promise you that"

"I still can't believe I'm responsible for this mess"

"In my eyes Kit, you're partly responsible but not enough to convict you. You didn't know that was toxic gas, you didn't know why you had to open those doors, but when you found out you acted! That absolves at least some of the blame"

"I know this is considered a confession…" With a sniff, the boy offered Jacob his wrists, knowing for sure the dog would arrest him now. Much to his surprise, the undercover agent just hugged him close. The embrace seemed to last forever as Kit still silently sobbed. What Jacob said made sense, but Kit's conscience would never be at peace…

"Don't worry Kit…I'm glad you told me what happened. It seems more like a testimony than a confession to me…" He got to his feet and took one step back. He scratched his chin and looked at the boy "Hmmm…you don't strike me as a professional killer…I think I'm gonna let you go for now" He took the cub by the hand and led him back to the docked Conwing "Do you have plans to leave town?" Jacob tried to make it sound as less serious as possible…unfortunately it was now his duty to keep an eye on Kit until they reached Cape Suzette. He just hoped a trial wouldn't be necessary…

"My flight plan takes me back to Carmalina Island, as does yours" Kit knew what was going on, but he learned it wasn't always the best course of action to let adults in on that. Jacob sighed and closed his eyes for a second

"I'm not going back to Carmalina with you…neither will Ryan or Kyle. We have strict orders to stay here, deliver our arrestants to the authorities and await further orders…you'll have to stay here until questioning ends. Hard to make a report out of this mess"

"I'm under arrest aren't I?"

"Protective custody…arrest is such a big word"

"Yeah, sure…"

Silently the two made their way to 'Air Freedom', a name that sounded less and less appropriate. In front of the plane sat at least twenty persons of different species and race, all on their knees and hands on their heads.

"Kit!" the cub looked in the direction of the shout and saw his brother running at him. A long embrace followed when they met "I'm so glad you're allright!"

"Had fun busting crooks?"

Chris smiled and pointed to the arrestants. In the distance, Kit saw Ryan with a black eye and Kyle with a bleeding nose

"You had to be there to believe it! First, I run into them on 5th avenue, they just scared off the pursuers and a few blocks later we met these guys…man what a fight"

"Where's Rudder? He's not hurt, is he?"

"No, offcourse not. He's in the cockpit, resting a bit. Man that guy can fight"

"You seem a little wound up yourself…why don't you join him?"

"Yeah…okay! You're going to tell me what happened to you later right?"

"Yeah…now come on, scram"

Still smiling and unsuspicious of what had happened, Chris ran to the cockpit. It felt to Kit like he was hiding something underneath all that joy…

Jacob placed his hand on Kit's shoulder and stared to Chris. Kit came crashing back to earth and turned his head to face Jake

"Guess I'd better join the rest on the ground"

"No need to kid…that's a different case. Just stay close to me, okay?"

"Okay…"

How could that agent treat him better than the others? They were suspects, he was a wanted killer…it made no sense to the boy, but he didn't really mind either. He followed Jake to his colleagues as they began questioning. As could be expected, most of them refused to speak without their lawyer. The questioning continued for more than half an hour, and Kit wandered away from Jacob to glance around the group. One of them quickly looked up

"Hey…pssst…Trooper, get me out of here" Kit was surprised to hear his old alias and looked in the direction of the sound. He quickly spotted the elephant…how could he not notice? "Come on trooper, hurry up" the elephant whispered, just loud enough for Ryan to hear

"Hey! No talking!"

Kit looked at the elephant but couldn't quite place his face. He imagined him in a mask…

"Jack?"

"Yeah,yeah…get me out of here"

"JACK, LONG TIME NO SEE!"

The three dogs looked in Kit's direction, seeing the elephant curse

"What are you doing here?"

"You know him kid? That's one of our main suspects…"

"Say Jack…about two years ago…FANG FAKED THAT TAPE, DIDN'T HE?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about"

"Okay…it's your choice. Do you think we can fly this weight to Cape Suzette?"

"I don't know" Ryan started

"Maybe we can, and maybe we can't" Kyle continued, having controlled the bleeding

"You know guys…if he doesn't cooperate, we can put him on trial here" Jacob's words had a miracle effect on the elephant

"Hey! This city is under marshall law! You can't do that!!"

Jacob decided to take it one step further "Sure we can…" He turned to his colleagues "Do they still have death penalty here?"

"I think so…"

"OK, I CONFESS! The entire business two years ago was a setup. We agreed up front to blame it on the kid…Fang switched the cannisters just before you entered and faked the tape to make it look you killed them all"

"I KNEW IT!" Kit's eyes read nothing but blind rage. He stepped up to the elephant and took him by the collar…a strange sight "Did he ever give me toxic gas?…DID HE?"

"NO! IT WAS THE FIRST TIME!" the elephant knew he was defeated and started with full confessions "Fang said it was an initiation rite…he wanted you to kill your first man but he knew you would never do that. So he gave you toxic gas without you knowing. You even screwed up that one!"

"What do you mean?" a puzzled look appeared on Kit's face and the elephant cracked a mocking smile

"He had to kill them himself…the smoke escaped through the ventilation shafts. These guards were only stunned…I though you were a pro"

"So I haven't killed anyone?"

"NO. Unfortunately…admit it kid, you don't have what it takes to kill someone. SCREWUP!"

"OK, THAT DOES IT!" Ryan's booming voice interrupted the elephant and Jacob stepped forward, clipboard in hand

"Sign this"

"What is that?"

"Your confession…"

Kyle uncuffed the elephants hands and give him a pen. He quickly scribbled something at the bottom of the page. Jake put his hand on Kit's shoulder

"Guess you're free to go…with this confession we oughta be able to clear your name"

"Wait until Fang heard what happened: he'll strike when you'll least expect it"

"Where is Fang anyway?" Kyle asked as he cuffed the elephant again

"Carmalina…you think Hawk thought of this? You guys are so gullible…"

"At least now we know better…WHAT IS THAT STUFF?"

"Boy, police brutality…"

It was now Kyle's turn to grab Jack by the collar

"Spill it, unless you wanna find out how brutal we can get" It was the first time Kit heard Kyle hiss like that

"Is this legal? Some police friends you have here Trooper"

Kit cracked the same mocking smile as Jack did earlier

"First of all *Jack* the name is Kit…Kit Cloudkicker. And second, we're under marshall law remember? That means they can do anything to get a confession out of you"

"Help…" the elephant started sweating

"Oh, this is going to be sweet…" Kyle said as he cracked his fingers. He curled his right hand into a fist and brought it back

"OKAY, OKAY…no need to get physical" Kyle waited, but didn't stop threatening "it's a liquid explosive…THAT'S ALL I KNOW" the dog relaxed

"Go on. What's the chemical formula?"

"DO I LOOK LIKE A SCIENTIST TO YOU? I just sell the stuff…that's all, I swear"

"How much have you sold already?"

"200 gallons to the pirate squads. They can't use it! It explodes on impact, not when heated making incorporating it in guns useless"

"Why?"

"'Cause if you bump the gun too much it blows. Their test plane flew through turbulence and blew up…it's too unstable"

"Then why would you sell it?'

"Because if it's processed the correct way it makes one hell of a grenade! The liquid stabilises after some time, leaving you with nothing but contaminated water…they have to pay twice to have it processed on Carmalina"

"When will that processing begin?"

"We had some setbacks in the factory. One of the grenades blew up in the arsenal, levelling half the place and the entire western side of the island. It's almost rebuild…they can start processing any day now"

"The liquid produces several side effects. Any known antidotes?"

"There are ways to speed up the production of antibodies in an adult body. Kids have to wear gas masks to survive the stuff"

"What happens after long time exposure?" Kit didn't really want to know but he asked anyway

"Adults pull themselves through it after a few minutes…the time needed to produce antibodies. Kids suffer irreversable damage to the lung tissues after more than half an hour of exposure. And that isn't cummulative. They need to be exposed for half an hour straight. They'll also experience nausea and disorientation, again something adults will never experience…it isn't quite child friendly if that's what you asked. At least you won't be messing with Fang's plan this time"

"Just keep quiet and sign" Once again Kyle uncuffed Jack and gave him a pen. With a sigh, the elephant signed the confession and sat down again. Kyle cuffed him again

"Ouch…calm down pal…are you familiar with the convention of Genova concerning prisoners?"

"Cool it! I don't ask you wether you respect the human rights…" Kyle shot back

After hearing what would happen to anyone that didn't cooperate, the arrestant's tongues started get looser. One after one, they started full confessions, mostly repeating Jack and blaming him for the entire affair. It took at least half an hour to hear one…and there were twenty arrestants. Hearing after hearing it went on until finally Kit gave up and went to the cockpit to join his brother, relieved and tired at the same time. Rudder was reading the latest issue of the Port Green Times while Chris lay snoring in the copilots chair, a happy smile on his face

"Strange how he doesn't seem to have troubles sleeping" Kit said to Rudder as he joined him in the hold. Rudder smiled and put his paper down

"Maybe he has less to worry about"

"I envy him…he can wake up every morning knowing what he was and be completely satisfied with it. Life is so easy for him"

"As it should be for you…you can learn a lot from him kid"

"You should know me better than that" Kit smiled as he sat down "I'm too stubborn to learn"

Rudder laughed and picked up his paper again "Want the funny pages?"

"Naw, gimme the headlines"

The black bear rummaged a bit through the paper and gave Kit two pages. The boy took them and leaned back in his chair.

"My god…is it the eleventh already?"

"Yep. Eleven november…why?"

"Nothing…just thinking"

"'Bout what?"

"You really wanna know?" the black bear nodded "Okay, I'll tell you. Once again I won't be spending my birthday in a place I can call home unless we wrap this mess up in a week"

"The 18th huh? How old does that make you? 13,14?"

"13. Kind of special birthday wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah, it's the day most parents fear…difficult years coming up kid"

"Already had my share of difficulties Rudder…nothing I can't handle" the cub didn't even look up from the paper. He was lost in an article about the Geramny war machine getting up to speed

"Still wouldn't go to lightly over it Kit. Puberty is nothing to mess with you know. Harder than anything you ever faced"

"Aww come on Rudder. I fell two thousand feet AND survived without any permanent damage"

"Except for that scar on your leg" An offhand remark, but one with a strange impact

Kit stared in front of him, an unreadable expression on his face. He looked down to his scarred right leg and put it over his left to hide it. It was the only reminder of how stupid he had been before, and one he would never get rid of…one he was ashamed of

"You still have these good eyes huh?"

"Just noticed it…hard to see most times but in this light it was clearly visible. What happened?"

"Tried to be the hero once more and almost paid with my life. Baloo was devastated, Rebecca was worried sick and Molly was heartbroken…I just keep hurting people emotionally. Good thing they haven't noticed that scar yet"

"They're gonna eventually…are you going to tell them what you just told me? Or are you going to rephrase it?"

"Gonnna tell them I guess. If what I think is going to happen will happen, I better tell them soon…"

"You lost me there kid"

"I know…g'night, it's getting late" Kit put down his piece of the paper and walked to the two beds sticking out of the wall. With a yawn, he climbed in the top bed. "Why's Chris sleeping in the cockpit anyway?"

"You don't know too much about your brother, do you?" Rudder walked towards the two beds "It's a pretty narrow space under you…he can't stand narrow spaces…"

"He's claustrophobic? He never told me that" Kit sat up

"Hates heights too"

"Never noticed that before…you should see him cloudsurf"

"Kid…" Rudder leaned with his elbows on Kit's bed…only Baloo had ever gotten so close "maybe you hadn't noticed it, but your brother idolizes you. He'd do anything if you just ask…that includes keeping his balance on a thin metal board three thousand feet above ground while trying not to show his fear. You know, he had a long talk with me…even begged me never to tell you, but this is not a healthy situation. In the orphanage he had the biggest room, not because he was spoiled or popular, but because otherwise he couldn't even sleep. He should be fine in the cockpit with windows to look out of, but he can't stay too long in the hold…not without hallucinating he gets crushed by the walls"

"Wow. He could tell me that, he should_know_that. Now I know why he acted so strange the first time we went cloudsurfing…why he didn't want to use his own board. He must have sabotaged it, hoping I would notice in time…"

"That's why I stil feel I'm responsible for that argument with Miss. Cunningham" Chris stood in the doorway to the hold "I never intended it to go so wrong…shows what I really know about mechanics"

Kit hopped out of bed and walked over to Chris. He gently led him into the cokpit and shut the door. Rudder knew when he wasn't invited…

"Chris…sit down" Both cubs took one of the seats and turned them around to face eachother "why didn't you tell me you had acrophobia and claustrophobia?"

"Aw come on, you know! Ever since I met you I wanted to be like you. My life was so boring…so safe. You had it all: the excitement, the adventure, the adrenaline…"

"The sleeping in doorways, the constant run of the police…the constant betrayal. A few hours ago, just after losing that mob, I got faced with that again Chris. And if it hadn't been for Jerry I wouldn't even be sitting here!"

"Where else would you be?"

"Does it sound so obvious for you? Okay, I'll tell you smart-alleck: I would be in jail serving at least 12 years! If that's what you want to be, be my guest, but be warned that a cell is extremely small! No exceptions"

"See?! I told you I wouldn't last long on the streets. You are so free it's poëtic!"

"Oh yeah? How so?"

"Listen to this: 'for years I've lived a double life. During the day, I roll up my sleeves like the working man. But at night, I live a life of excilleration and missed heartbeats. A life full of dubious virtues. I have lived"

"You slipped up on that last line…it should be : 'at night I live a life of excilleration and missed heartbeats…a life full of dubious virtues. And though I've set morality aside, at least I can say I've lived' You missed the essence of it"

"Whatever! Fact remains I can never truly be a Cloudkicker if I still worry about things like narrow spaces and heights"

"Hey, you think this is some kind of adventurers club? I plan never to spend time on the streets again! After this mess on Carmalina is cleared out I'm gonna turn myself in at the nearest police station! It takes a strong man to hide mistakes, but it takes an even stronger one to admit them"

"How can I be sure you're not making this all up? You're so perfect!"

"What?! One, I'm taking you tomorrow to the PGPD to meet Jerry, you can ask him yourself, and two, I'm not perfect. Have I ever cared about anyone else but me?"

"You dove after me when I fell of the Iron Vulture"

"Guess I changed quite a bit since I met Baloo"

"You know…since we hit the streets, I've been thinking. Who needs parents anyway?"

"I do" Kit said it in a soft voice and slowly stood up "I'll bring you a pillow. Goodnight Chris"

Kit walked out of the cockpit and closed the door again, leaving Chris alone with his thoughts. He had really taken a shine to this sort of life…why did his brother want to be tied down? He just couldn't figure it out. Chris stared out of the front windshield. Light escaped the windows of the Greenland and cast strange shadows on the wooden pier. The harbor lay at peace, but a police sirene could be heard in the distance. Lights suddenly flipped on inmost of the skyscrapers as if cued by an invisible choreographer. The skyline had something mystical in it for Chris. He looked to his left, looking out over an awesome stretch of water. Not as spectacular as the cliffs of Cape Suzette, but still a magnificent view.

Kit stood before the door to the cockpit, rehearsing his words carefully. Walking out on his brother like that…it made him feel like a heel. Why did he yelled at him anyway? His brother just wanted to be like him, was that so wrong? Kit's mind started replaying flashbacks…his life in the orphanage, his escape…how hard reality had hit him the first days, how he had to beg for food only to be dismissed by everyone with that strange look of disgust in their eyes…how he had been found by Fang, starved. For a crust of bread, Kit would've sold his soul back then…in a sense he had.

And then the terrible reality of being used, and beaten because you failed your mission. His ribs still hurt just by thinking about how hard Fang had punished him after failing his first objective. More dead than alive he had to listen to days of insults…how stupid he was, how useless, the dirt of society. The terrible part is that he actually believed it. Almost unable to walk he had to go on another mission three days later…he got caught again. Kit was still surprised he survived what Fang had done to him that day. He couldn't let his brother go through that. Sure enough, it made him tough, but he was never able to show emotions in public again…not until he met Baloo. He was so much like Fang the first days, so caring. The only difference was that Baloo actually came back for him when he got caught by Karnage.

Baloo…the big lug actually cared about him, took him in when he needed it most. Life was good for almost a year. The stability Kit had wanted for all these years. Not to mention Rebecca Cunningham, and little Molly. She was so cute when they met. His little sister…why not? He had taken care of her several times. In a sense Rebecca was even his mother. It's a chapter in his life Kit held on to when he was away and felt alone at night…like last night.

Gathering his courage Kit opened the cockpit door, holding a pillow and blanket on his right arm. He started his reciting

"Chris, I'm sorry I…" the cub stopped. The only thing he heard was a gentle snoring. He smiled and tiptoed to the copilot's chair. Chris had curled up and was soundly asleep. Kit gently lifted his head from the armrest and placed a pillow underneath it, prompting an approving smile and stirr from his brother as he grabbed the pillow and moved himself in a more comfortable position. Kit slowly put the blanket over him, making sure not to wake him up. Still smiling, the cub sat down in the pilot's chair as he had earlier and looked at his brother. It was such a peaceful sight…Kit placed an elbow on the armrest and rested his head in his hand…thinking of home and looking at his brother…

Home, at Higher for Hire, the atmosphere was less great…Charles never showed. Light shone out of the windows, and Wildcat had put Molly asleep in his houseboat. Tired of his visit to the zoo with here, he had dozed off himself. Baloo, AC and Firehound had taken the opportunity to argue…

"I don't care what you say Baloo, this is not my fault!"

"If that guy has checked who you are, we're in serious trouble!"

"How could he have?" Firehound was always ready to choose the side of his good friend

"I dunno…have you touched anything?"

"Yeah…the doorknob, a few paintings, a glass case of memorabilia"

"Ever heard of fingerprints smart guy? They have you on file here you know"

"AC…he's right. You know what happens if they find out"

"Yeah…I do. Dammit, I finally found a job! We finally had a home port"

"What in the blue blazes are you two talking about?"

"Baloo, if they find out we're ex-pirates we'll have to leave town…forever"

"Aww come on, it's never gonna get that far"

As if to punish Baloo's words, the phone rang. Fearing and very well knowing what would happen,Baloo answered "Higher fer Higher, head pilot speaking…we been waiting fer ya…ahu…hu?!….aw, come on…no! Good intentions….hey! cool it buster….no I'm not gonna let 'em go….yup, the complaint's at the department…ferget it…yeah, that's final…same to you creep" Baloo slammed down the horn and banged his fist on the desk. Afraid to ask, AC did anyway

"He knows huh?"

"He 'politely' asked me to give up the kids and withdraw the complaint or he'll inform the cops of you two…he knows allright"

"DAMMIT!" AC slammed his fist against the wall. Firehound looked at the two and intervened

"Let's not lose our heads here. Can he prove anything?"

"He found your prints on that glass case AC. He was able to make a single printout of them…don't ask me how"

"In that case…we're not going to cause you any problems because of a mistake we made. It's best they don't find us here or in Cape Suzette for that matter. Let's go AC…time for some open sea camping"

The two walked out without looking back once. Halfway outside, Baloo whistled.

"Where are you going to stay?"

"Told ya…open sea camping" Firehound and AC grinned and got into the Shark. As they were warming up the engines, Rebecca got back from the Child Welfare Department and saw the two leaving. Hopefully she joined Baloo

"Are they going to pic Kit and Chris up? I heard a phone from a distance…"

"'t Was Charles…he found AC's prints on a glass case. They're leaving to spare us the problems" Baloo said silently. The two bears looked at the departing Conwing. Firehound gave Baloo the 'all clear' sign and Baloo answered with a 'thumbs up'. The ex-pirate reversed the props and revved up the engines. Foam appeared on the wavetops as the huge plane made it's way backwards through the surf. Some splashback blew to the bears and Baloo took Rebecca protectively in his arms, catching most of the water. Firehound shut down engine two for a moment to allow the plane to turn itself. Reversing the props once again, he switched on his strobe lights and synchronised the engines. Seconds later, they were airborne.

Baloo was still holding Rebecca, and she didn't mind right now. She loved how he was holding her close and protecting her against the world. For a second, he reminded her of her late husband. They stood there for quite some time, until an autumn chill drove them back inside.

The bearess sighed and stood in the doorframe, kept warm by a cup of coffee. Baloo put his hand on her shoulder and both looked at eachother. Their eyes met, but turned away just as quickly, gazing at the awsome display of celestial beauty in the dark sky…

Rudder silently opened the door to the cockpit of his plane. Kit hadn't returned to the hold since he went to bring Chris a pillow and blanket. Glancing in, the black bear saw that the boy had fallen asleep in the pilot's chair, head still in hand. Gently, Rudder scooped him up and carried him to the hold, silently closing the cockpit door behind him. Feeling his body heat, Kit instinctively snuggled closer to the bear, prompting a tender smile from Rudder. He heaved him up a little and put him in the top bed, tugging him in and making sure he was comfortable. So adult he could be at times, so typically childish he was now…Rudder smiled as he saw the boy sleep soundly and sat down for some shuteye himself

Tomorrow would be another day…