Cape Suzette...Khan Industries...
A grim faced panther security guard came striding up to Mrs. Snarly's desk and demanded to see Shere Khan. Eyeing the guard, the irascible secretary firmly asked, "And why do you feel you must see Mr. Khan without an appointment?"
His expression not changing, the guard merely showed the message he was carrying. Mrs. Snarly took one look at it and paled. Getting up from her desk, she signaled him to follow her. Briskly, she went to the heavy doors leading to Khan's inner sanctum and knocked. A muffled 'Come in' was heard from within. Opening one of the doors, she quickly approached Khan's desk and stood aside for the guard.
Khan looked up at the intrusion with some annoyance but was halted from delivering a sharp reprimand by the twin looks of concern on the two faces in front of him. Without a word the guard handed the message to his boss and prepared for the worst. He wasn't disappointed.
Roaring in fury, Khan leaped from his chair, "Where did you get this and when?" He demanded angrily.
"It was delivered to the front desk sir by a regular message carrier. The only thing odd about it was it was simply addressed to you by name. Because of this, I ran it through a security check and that is when the message came to light. No one has seen it but me, sir. I brought it immediately to you." The guard reported briskly.
Forcibly calming himself, Khan said tightly, "Thank you for your swift action. Please return to your post but speak no word of this to anyone, understood?"
"Yes sir," saluting smartly the guard left quickly.
"Mrs. Snarly, summon Sheridan, hold all my calls and reschedule my appointments." He ordered barely looking at her as he reread the damning message. She merely nodded and returned to her desk to do his bidding.
'How did they get him? He's not an easy person to capture.' He wondered anxiously. His heart was in his throat. That damned pirate, Karnage had kidnaped his mate! Though he'd heard Karnage was not the type to kill his prisoners, it still didn't ease his mind about Ulysses being in that pirate's clutches in the first place especially after the news his mate had given him by phone just yesterday.
While he was brooding and fretting his assistant, Sheridan entered his office quietly. Sheridan could see that his boss was very upset. It had to be something very bad for Khan to be showing that much emotion. Without a word, Khan handed his assistant the horrible message. Sheridan read the brief missive and gasped. "This is terrible, sir. What are you going to do?"
"By now that despicable pirate has Ulysses at that hidden island base of his. No one knows where that is!" Frustrated, Khan slammed his fist on his desk.
"Wait sir, I remember hearing a rumor that that bear from Higher for Hirer had been to pirate island when Karnage stole that energy jewel from you and he went after it when Ms. Cunningham was kidnaped and was taken there while the pirates were pounding Cape Suzette." Sheridan said urgently.
"What! That bumbling bear knows its location?" Shocked, Khan stood still a moment trying to settle his thoughts. "Then I need to see him immediately."
"I'll send some security to retrieve him, sir." His assistant offered and began to move toward the doors.
"No! I will go to him. I don't want this to get out. It could cause all kinds of rumors and possibly endanger Ulysses. It will be more effective with just Baloo and me sneaking in there than a large group." Khan said with conviction.
"But sir! You are too important to just walk into a pirate's den with only yourself and an overweight pilot!" He protested, frightened for his boss' welfare.
"This is my mate and I will rescue him myself. There is no way I can stand by and let others save him for me." Khan snarled and with that he quickly left his office leaving his assistant standing in shocked concern.
"Mrs. Snarly, have my car waiting by the time I get downstairs." He ordered as he rushed past for the elevators. She didn't have time to acknowledge the order before Khan disappeared.
Reaching the street, his limo was just arriving. Jumping in he ordered his driver to go to 'Higher for Hirer' as quickly as possible. He dug his claws in the armrest in nervous tension. 'If anything were to happen to his mate...no...he didn't want to dwell on it. He had to get him back safely.' He gritted his teeth together and willed them to get there fast. As soon as he arrived at his destination, he leaped out of the car like a coiled spring.
He was infinitely relieved to see the Sea Duck in her berth as he rushed by reaching the office door for Higher for Hirer. He nearly smacked Wildcat who was just about to leave when the door opened suddenly in his face. Impatiently, Khan shoved Wildcat to the side and strode up to Baloo who was sitting in his favorite easy chair talking to Becky Cunningham, sitting at her desk doing paperwork. Kit was building an airplane model nearby. All looked up in surprise.
"Woah! Khan, where's the fire?" Baloo said in surprise. He'd never seen the tiger so worked up before much less showing it.
"I need to speak to you, in private, now!" Khan growled.
"Just a minute Mr. Khan, if this business concerns the Sea Duck then it is the concern of everyone here as well." Becky said firmly, standing and crossing her arms across her chest.
Hesitating for a moment, Khan looked at the faces in front of him. Though he had very little to do with them, he did know they had integrity and were not ones to gossip and after all they had dealt with Karnage before and survived. Coming to a decision, he cleared his throat. "Very well, Ms Cunningham. As long as everyone here understands that whatever is said here will not leave this room. The utmost secrecy must be maintained. Is that understood?" Khan demanded.
"Alright, that seems fair." Becky agreed readily. Everyone else just nodded their heads.
"Less than a half hour ago, I received a ransom demand from that pirate Karnage. He has kidnaped my mate, Ulysses Feral. I intend to get him back." Khan stated plainly.
Everyone gaped at him in shock. Becky was the first to speak. "How awful! Your poor mate. Was he taken here?"
"No! The pirates managed to take him from Megakat City. By now they have spirited him away to that pirate island of theirs. I have been informed that Baloo has flown there before. I propose that he and I sneak in and rescue my mate." Khan said tightly.
"Now wait just a darn minute, Khan! Pirate Island is no walk in the park and Kit was the one who got me in there. It's full of traps and we were nearly captured trying to rescue Becky and Molly." Baloo protested.
"Yeah and when we did it, the pirates weren't home but arrived just as we were hightailing it out of there. You're proposing we go in when they are all there and that's suicide." Kit added hotly.
Swallowing hard, his anger replaced by anguished pain and holding his paws out, Khan pleaded with them. "Please, you must help me. Ulysses is pregnant. We only just learned of it yesterday. I will pay you anything you ask. I'm begging you to please help me get him back safely. My life is worth nothing if something should happen to him and our kitten and you are the only ones who know how to find him."
"Pregnant? Oh man! You don't ask much do you Khany!" Baloo rubbing his neck and feeling sorry for the tiger now.
"Oh Baloo! I know it's going to be soo dangerous but I don't see how we can refuse knowing this." Becky said, her heart tight with fear for the Commander.
"I think we have all lost our minds, but even I can see we have to get the Commander out of there, Papa Bear." Kit agreed heavily.
Wildcat nodded solemnly, "We have to help, Baloo. We can't let a helpless kitten suffer even if it isn't born yet. Its mama needs our help."
"Man O Man is this is nuts but, okay let's think this through. For once I'm not about to rush off half-cocked to do this especially if we want to succeed. It might take a little longer to rescue your mate Khan but it will have a better chance of seeing us all get out of this alive. So here's what I have in mind." Baloo said decisively and signaled everyone to gather close.
"Okay, Khan you need to spread the word that you have a money shipment going from here to, let's say Lyonesse. Now as soon as the pirates hear of it they won't be able to resist trying to capture it. After all they want money for something that's why they are ransoming Feral. It may take a few days to set it up and get their interest but as soon as we hear that they have nibbled we will swoop into the island and get Feral out. The trick is, we need Karnage to take the Iron Vulture out with a lot of his pirates so your trap will have to be big enough and well guarded to get him to take a large group out." Baloo described his idea and looked to Khan to see if he was receptive.
"That is an excellent idea, Baloo and could very well work but you are right it will take a few days. Will Ulysses be alright in that time?" He asked anxiously.
"No matter how ruthless Karnage is, he has never killed or severely injured a prisoner, ever. You needn't worry about that Mr. Khan." Kit reassured him.
"That's what I heard, but I'm grateful to be certain. Alright I'll go back to my office and set this up right away." Khan agreed then looked at everyone with serious eyes. "There is one thing I want to make very clear. I intend to go with you so don't even think to leave without me."
"Okay, it's your neck. Just so you know Kit and I are in charge of this mission and what we say goes or we aren't going understood?" Baloo sighed but stood firm on this.
"Agreed! Until later and thank you all for agreeing to help me." Khan said relieved to be doing something. He turned and left for Khan Industries to lay his trap.
After the door closed behind the business tiger, everyone just looked at each other for long minutes. "You know, I've done some crazy things but this really is the craziest and most dangerous thing yet." Baloo shook his head in dismay.
"I know, Baloo. I don't like it either but I don't see any other way for Khan to get Feral back. By the way, that's a brilliant plan you came up with. I'm impressed! You really can plan when you set you mind to it." Becky said in pleasant surprise.
"Yeah, Baloo that's a real whopper of an idea. What do you want me to do to help?" Wildcat asked admiringly.
"Ah..." Baloo blushed at all the compliments. "Well, you can make sure the Sea Duck is in the best shape she can be and fully gassed up. Better make sure I have some tricks and munitions to help us escape with our fur intact." Baloo sighed, grateful to Wildcat for his willingness.
"Well there's not much I can do but make sure you aren't busy when the time comes, Baloo and pray for you all to return safely." Becky said quietly.
"We are going to need all your prayers, Ms. Cunningham, to succeed at this crazy scheme." Kit rolled his eyes in helpless agreement. "I'll also come up with some things that might help us get by the traps easier too, Baloo."
"Well that's all we can do for now. It's in Khan's paws and all we can do is wait." Baloo sighed and decided to take a nap.
Meanwhile at Khan Industries...
As soon as Khan returned to his office, he had Sheridan summoned. As soon as his assistant had arrived, he laid out Baloo's plan and ordered immediate implementation. Still worried for his boss, Sheridan nevertheless, quickly followed Khan's orders.
After his assistant's departure, Khan turned to look out over the city and allowed himself to be temporarily overwhelmed by his concern for his mate. He rested his forehead on the cool glass, as a tear of anguish fell down his furry cheek. 'Be safe my love. Don't let anything happen to you. I'll find you soon.' He promised silently as he continued to watch blindly as sea birds swooped past.
Megakat City...Enforcer Headquarters...
Lt Felina Feral was striding down a corridor heading for her small office. She had some last minute paperwork to finish up before going home. She'd just come off a night shift and was tired and anxious to get a meal and crash. Before she reached her door, an officer hailed her.
"Lt Feral" He called as he caught up to her.
"What's up Snow?" She asked the grizzled older patrolkat.
"Commander Feral was out doing a quick pass through the city as he usually does some nights. The last radio call had him heading back in from over the bay. There has been no response from his radio since. Other patrols were alerted but a search of the area his chopper beacon said he was turned up nothing. As of now, he has been missing since ten last night." Snow reported.
For a moment, Felina gaped at him in shock, then shook herself and asked, "Whose in charge of the case?"
"Lt Commander Steele" Snow grimaced with distaste. "He's only now put out the word to have a major search done by a jet squadron. They'll have just launched by the time I found you."
"Thanks for telling me. I'll go and see if they've come up with anything." Felina said, her heart in her throat. Her uncle had many enemies and there was no telling who might have taken him. She was certain he didn't just disappear on his own, chopper and all. Leaving Snow, she rushed up to operations. Arriving, she found subdued chaos. Steele was standing in the middle of the room taking reports and barking orders. For once, he seemed to be doing his job, Felina was pleasantly surprised, walked up to him and waited for him to see her.
"Lt Feral, I see you've heard the news." Steele grunted distractedly. "We've just got a promising lead, if you want to tag along with me?" He said as he headed out the door. She quickly joined him as they went down to an enforcer chopper waiting for them. They were soon soaring toward Megakat Bay. After only ten minutes flight, they set down on an open section of lawn not far from the marina. Signaling the pilot to wait, Steele climbed out followed by Felina. They headed to the local yacht club. Walking in Steele asked for a Denton Fairhurst.
"I'm Fairhurst." A lean black and white tom dressed in a natty yachting outfit said as he approached them from the bar.
"Yes, Mr. Fairhurst. I'm Lt Commander Steele and this is Lt. Feral. I have a report that you saw something odd near your yacht recently? Could you tell us what you thought you saw, sir?" Steele asked politely.
"Yes. About a week ago, one of my guests swore she saw a submarine parked next to my yacht, A Dreamer's Heart. We didn't believe her and never checked it out until I myself saw something when I was getting up. I'm a very early riser and like to watch the sunrise. I could swear I saw something that wasn't a dolphin moving out from near my ship and heading out to open water. It appeared to be going east. That was the last time I saw it." Fairhurst said easily.
Steele wrote down his statement and thanked him for the information. As he walked back to the chopper, he said in disgust, "Well that was a waste of a trip. It probably was a dolphin he saw. I'm going to have our coast guard check the area where Commander Feral was thought to be last and see if a closer look can find any wreckage. We just don't have any other leads to follow right now." Snorting he climbed aboard with Felina and they returned to Enforcer Headquarters.
Felina stared out the window. Something about the supposed submarine Fairhurst said he saw niggled her mind. It just seemed too coincidental that this vehicle was seen just a week before her uncle disappeared. She had a hunch it was connected in some way. Frustrated, she climbed off the chopper when they arrived and thanked Steele for taking her. She was officially off duty and she couldn't help her uncle if she didn't get some sleep. She was going to have to do a little investigating of her own if her uncle was to be found.
Just as she opened her apartment and locked it behind her, she realized there was someone she needed to call before she went to bed. Her uncle's mate needed to be told of his disappearance. She grabbed her phone, found the business card her uncle had given her and dialed long distance. She reached Mrs. Snarly.
"Khan Industries, may I help you?" She asked.
"Yes, this is Felina Feral. I need to talk to Shere Khan. It's urgent concerning Commander Feral." Felina told the secretary.
Mrs. Snarly was disconcerted. She wondered how Commander Feral's niece had learned of her uncle's disappearance but then she remembered being told that Feral's niece was an Enforcer like her uncle. Either way she asked the Lt to please hold and buzzed Khan on his intercom.
"Yes" He rumbled distractedly
"Sir, Commander Feral's niece, Lt Felina Feral is on the line and says she needs to talk to you urgently." Mrs. Snarly informed him.
"Felina? Yes by all means put her on." Khan said surprised to hear from Felina but then he realized that she would know about his disappearance because he was snatched from Megakat City. "Yes Felina, what can I do for you?" He asked politely when he heard her voice.
"Mr Khan, I don't want you to get too worried, but I wanted to inform you of my uncle's disappearance last night. A search is in progress but we have no leads yet as to where he is at this moment, but I felt it was important you be told." Felina quickly filled the tiger in on what little information she had. Then it was her turn to be stunned by what Khan told her next.
"Felina, I know about Uly's disappearance. I received a ransom note earlier today from our notorious air pirate, Don Karnage. He has Ulysses on his hidden base somewhere in the south pacific." Khan quietly filled her in and, after a moments hesitation, told her of his plans to rescue his mate.
"Wait, you mean to tell me you intend to enter this well manned pirates hideaway with only yourself, a bear pilot and copilot who is just a kid to try and rescue Uncle Ulysses. Are you out of your mind, sir?" Felina said in shocked anger.
"We are more familiar with this area and how these pirates operate than you are Felina and we have a very good chance of pulling it off with no one getting hurt. This isn't a police operation because the pirate island is located in international waters and in a very treacherous area of the pacific. Trust me, we will get Ulysses out." Khan reassured the angry and worried niece.
"I still say its crazy. At least wait till I can get there to help." She begged.
"I can't risk you too. Ulysses would be furious and we can't wait for you to get here." Khan tried to warn her off.
"You said it may be days before your plan will take effect. That gives me plenty of time to get there." Felina insisted.
"Please don't Felina. One Feral in danger is more than enough for me right now. Now I need to get back to work. I will keep you informed of what's happening. Good day to you Felina." Khan said firmly and hung up on her.
Felina stared at her phone in impotent anger. No way was she being left out of this. She thought hard on how she would get there quickly and an option came to her that made her smile. Then she sighed. As much as she wanted to leave immediately, she knew she wouldn't be much help if she was exhausted. Before laying down for some much needed sleep she called work and wheedled for few days leave. Receiving permission, she sighed, relieved and went to sleep with a much calmer mind.