PIECES OF FATE

High Flight Episode #2 written by:
Constance Cochran {eilonwy@earthlink.net} and Batya "The Toon" Levin {batyatoon@hotmail.com}
with contributions from the High Flight crew

Tale Spin and its characters are the property of Buena Vista Television/Disney. All original characters are the property of the above named authors and may not be used without prior permission.

PART II

Back to back, hands tied together, Louie, Baloo, and Arizona sat on the sand in the shadow of a rock while the Aqima pitched camp.

"We need a diversion to escape," Arizona murmured to Louie and Baloo.

"Ah, Miss Tiger," a voice as soft and civilized as satin spoke, and a shadow merged with the shadow of the rock. An Aqima stood over them, his reptilian snout smiling faintly. "I would not. We have ridden far since your capture. Although the young one will no doubt make it to safety, the odds of you three successfully getting across this desert on foot without food, water, guide, or horses, are approximately seven hundred to one."

"Never tell me the odds, lizard," Arizona muttered.

Ignoring her, the Aqima continued. "I trust you are comfortable enough, save the obvious. May we fetch you anything?" He inquired sincerely. "Water? Dates? Fruit?"

"Yeah," said Louie. "How about a coupla lizard heads on a platter?"

The Aqima laughed politely and bowed. "Ah, you make joke. Very amusing. Then I trust everything is in order for tonight? We are terribly sorry about this, but we are going to have to kill you. That is the price you must pay." With a swirl of robes, he left them.

"Price?" Louie wriggled furiously in his bonds. "Price for what?!"

"The Aqima pride themselves on their courtesy," Arizona explained calmly. "They hold honor above all else. They attacked us not to steal, but because we were trespassing on their territory. In their eyes, _we_ are the bandits."

"Well, can't you explain things to them?"

"It's their way," Arizona said tiredly. "In a sense, they're right." She pulled at her bonds, and let out a small grunt of frustration.

"Hey," said Baloo. "Kit will find help. And anyway, don't you think Khannie's sent someone out to Q'ilu looking for us? After all, we haven't checked in for a while."

Arizona stopped struggling. "Oh, he'll send someone, no question. He has to protect his _precious_ investment."

Her voice was soft, acrid. Baloo glanced sideways at her, curiously.

"Well, I'm not waitin' around for some billionaire to decide my hide's worth savin'," Louie announced. "We gotta think of something."

Arizona looked thoughtful. "As a matter of fact...I think I have an idea. Oh, Honored Hosts!" She called out.

Several Aqima raised their heads from their work and approached the prisoners.

"Yes, Miss Tiger?"

"I'm afraid things can't possibly stay as they are."

One of them raised a claw and scratched his brow. "But you were trespassing. Our code does not allow that."

"Honored Ones, I gave my word to an old friend. I promised to deliver some objects of great importance to him. If you keep me a prisoner here and slay me, I would be forced to break that vow. And _you_ would be the cause...."

The eyes of the Aqima widened. "Pardon us," one said. They murmured agitatedly amongst themselves for a moment. Then the conversation abruptly ceased and one spoke for all.

"We cannot taint our swords with the slaying of a dishonorable one. Often, we have been forced to simply leave such ones out in the desert to die alone."

Arizona opened her mouth to speak, but the Aqima raised his hand. "However, this time, it seems, we would be the cause of your dishonoring. That is a terrible crime. Therefore, we will let you go to fulfill your trust, provided that you leave your lands immediately and never return."

As Louie and Baloo let out twin sighs of relief, the lizard added, "The others must stay."

Baloo and Louie looked at Arizona pleadingly.

Ignoring them, Arizona nodded. "Very well."

Kneeling, the Aqima loosed her bonds while Louie and Baloo stared open-mouthed. Turning, she bowed to the Aqima. "Thank you. Now I can keep my promise."

"One moment," the Aqima said. "Before we let you go, you must make a solemn vow never to return."

She nodded. Placing a paw over her heart, she said solemnly, "I swear that once I leave your lands I will never return."

Someone handed her back her whip and dagger. Without glancing at Louie and Baloo, she strode out of the camp, back straight.

Baloo stared after her retreating back. "I don't believe it."

"Believe it, cuz," Louie said bitterly.

Then neither of them said anything for a long time.

Finally Louie spoke. "Baloo?"

"Yeah," Baloo said tiredly, head slumped.

"How come every time you, me, and a beautiful lady go off in search of buried treasure, it always winds up like this?"

"Wish I knew, buddy. I wish I knew."

The shadow of the rock moved with the sun until Baloo and Louie found themselves seated in the full glare of the sun. Sweat trickled down Baloo's face and stained the band of his pilot's hat. All was still except for the faint murmured conversation of their captives and the stirring of the Aqima's horses.

"Louie?" Baloo said tiredly. "What are you thinking about?"

"About thirty frozen mango daquiris," Louie mumbled, eyes closed. "With a glass of lemonade to wash it down."

"Yeahhhhhhh."

Their heads slumped forward.

"Please to beg your pardon, our apologies," a soft, rhythmic voice said. "We did not realize about the sun, being so used to it ourselves. Allow us to make amends."

Louie and Baloo's eyes popped open. Under the glare of the sun stood an Aqima holding a water sack and several pieces of fruit.. Tent canvas was draped over his shoulder. The green lizard stepped towards them--

"YIYIYYIYIYIYIYIYIYI!"

The cry cut through the hot silence. The water-bearing Aqima started, dropping the fruit, turning on his heel towards the sound.

Baloo and Louie gaped. A figure on horseback cut a swathe through the camp, sending cookfires, cookware, and canvas flying. Aqima dove aside. Instantly the camp went into an uproar as Arizona Johnson let out the Aqima battle-scream again.

She headed for the tethered horses. Without slowing, she reached out an arm and snagged two by their leads. Confused, the two additional horses bucked, but followed the pull on their halters.

"Here!" Arizona pulled the horses to a restless, abrupt halt just above Baloo and Louie, throwing them into shadow. A dagger dropped to the sand by Louie's foot.

"Ari!" Baloo said in delight.

"I knew you'd come back for me all along, my desert bloom," Louie said, lifting the dagger with a nimble foot.

"Stop yammering and move it!"

Louie obeyed instantly, cutting himself and then Baloo free. The two scrambled across the sand towards the waiting horses, but the furious Aqima were already upon them. The large bear heaved himself onto a horse, but Louie found his path blocked by three lizards.

"'Scuse me, cuz!" Louie skidded to a halt in dismay.

Then all three let out howls of pain as the crack of a whip cut the air. Kicking her horse foreward, Arizona leaned down, grabbed Louie's arm, and hauled him up behind her.

"Grab anything but the saddle and you lose a hand," she murmured.

Louie, who had been about to wrap his arms about Arizona's waist, grabbed saddle leather instead.

Aqima were rushing for their mounts, ululating their battle cry.

It seemed impossible that they should outrun the pursuing band, but Arizona led the way up and down dunes, and turned this way and that. She lifted her nose to sniff the air in satisfaction as a desert wind swirled around them.

"Good, it will erase our tracks," she called back to Baloo.

The shouts of the Aqima had faded, leading only the lonely desert, dotted with scrub. The sky was a faded yellow-blue around the sun; their shadows raced behind them over the rocky sand.

"Good thinking, lying to them about leaving."

Arizona turned in the saddle to glare fiercely at Louie. "I did not lie to them. To do so would ruin any chance I have of bargaining with them in the future."

"But you said--"

"I said _once I left_ their territory I would never return. I never left. Bought the horse off of a wandering trader. He didn't want to part with it, but seeing as I pointed out to him where he was and what might happen to him if he continued further, he turned quite agreeable."

"Wait a sec," Baloo put in. "We're out of supplies. You bought a horse from a trader, but no supplies? What happened to the saddle bags?"

"They would only slow us down," Ari replied. "Besides, I couldn't rob him of his livelihood. Now, Baloo, where did you send Kit?" Arizona asked, wiping her paw across her forehead.

"Ahalan."

"Then Ahalan it is."

Kit raced down the alley, leapt over a heap of old baskets, and wedged himself into the shadowy crack between two dwellings.

Outside in the blazing sun the angry voices and hurrying feet approached, then passed the alley by. Kit let out a sigh of relief.

"Hey!" A voice said crossly, just behind him.

Kit started, then twisted in the tight space. Seated on the ground behind him was a small figure, a very young gray tabby cat, her face smudged by desert dust. She wore a green baseball cap, brim forward to shade her eyes, shorts that had once been beige khaki but were faded to a dingy brown, and a long sleeve cotton shirt several sizes too big. She had rolled up the sleeve cuffs, but that had the effect of only making her look smaller.

"You standing in my spot, hotshot. Move it!" She scowled.

"Sorry." Kit shrugged, unconcerned. "I didn't exactly have time to check first."

The cat got to her feet in a lithe motion, despite the cramped space. "Yeah. I heard them chasing you. So, what you steal? Gold? Bread? Pick pocket of chief magistrate?"

Kit cautiously put his head out of the gap and looked both ways down the alley. Sunlight blazed on the street outside, the alley was quiet and cool. "I didn't steal anything," he said, stepping out into the alley.

"That what they all say," the cat sniffed disdainfully and popped out beside him. "Oh, and if you looking for a safe shortcut, that _wrong_ way."

A small paw tugged at the back of Kit's sweater, jerking him backwards. "What?"

"Follow me." And she darted back into the gap without looking back to see if Kit followed.

They emerged on the other side into a twisting, bent, darker alleyway where laundry hung to dry between the buildings. All kinds of smells, some delectable, others less so, assaulted Kit's nostrils as he hurried to keep up with the cat. It wasn't easy -- and Kit was used to crawl spaces, shimmying down drain-pipes, and using circuitious routes. Several times he had to really work to make himself fit into some of the places the kitten led him; he couldn't seem to figure out where to put his elbows and legs. Kit didn't recall ever having that problem before.

"There," the cat said.

They were crouched on the flat roof of a one-story structure at the end of the twisted network of back streets. Below them spread an open square, thronging with what was, for Ahalan, a huge crowd -- buyers and sellers, children, beggars, hagglers.

"You go down there, blend in, they never catch you." She reached behind his head, grabbed the brim of his cap, and turned it front-way around so the brim shaded his eyes. With that, she leapt from the roof, her white shirt-tail flapping behind her, and landed lightly on the balls of her feet.

Kit was just behind her. He took a few steps into the crowd, then stopped. He hadn't thanked her.

"Hey," he said, turning. "What's your na--"

But the small figure in the green baseball cap was gone, as if melted into the alleyways from which she came.

Shrugging, Kit pushed past several white-robed Ahalan inhabitants, and felt the anonymous stir of the marketplace close around him.

Then, facing him several yards away, Kit saw a familiar white-clad figure with a red snout. Kit saw triumph leap to Karnage's features. Kit turned to bolt, stumbled into a cart of mangoes, and suddenly found himself hemmed, in, trapped by the crowd.

Turning, he shoved aside a startled local who muttered curses at Kit in Q'ilu. Kit fell against some obstacle, and knocked over a small cart of melons. The fruit rolled under the feet of the crowd, while the merchant, an ordinary looking dog, scrambled frantically after his goods.

"Sorry," Kit gasped, and leapt over the mess. He saw an opening, darted through...and slammed right into the yeilding surface of someone's stomach. Two strong paws grabbed his shoulders.

Yelling, Kit tried to wrench free of their grasp, until he heard the voice.

"Kit! Take it easy!"

Kit stopped struggling and looked up to see Baloo staring at him with a startled, concerned expression. Relief washed over Kit. "Baloo! You're okay!" Wildly, Kit turned and pointed vehemently behind him towards the crowded marketplace. "Karnage! He's here! He just grabbed me in an alley, he's after the map --"

"Whoa, slow down, Little Britches."

"Karnage? I thought you said he was defeated and stuck on some island somewhere," Louie said.

Ari's eyebrows went up. "Karnage? That old pirate? I heard you two took him down months ago. He's gone, kid. He's not coming back." Nevertheless, she scanned the crowd sharply for the moment, then shrugged. "I don't see him."

"I'm telling you, he was HERE!"

Kit just caught the worried look Baloo shot Louie over Kit's head. "Listen, Kit," Baloo said calmly. "It's hot, you just trecked across a good stretch of desert in the blazing sun. Let's go find someplace to eat and have something cool with a tiny paper umbrella stuck in it."

"You think I'm making this up? Or imagined it?"

"No, of course not. But Karnage?" Baloo glanced at the others, then pulled Kit aside into the shade of a carpet seller's awning. "I know how you feel about him," the bear said in a low voice. "But he's nothing now. Like Ari said, he's never coming back. Probably you just saw someone that looked like him."

The heated sound of haggling in progress increased in volume as Kit stood silently, frowning. "Okay," he said tightly. "But maybe you're wrong. And if you are, someone is after the map."

Arizona and Louie had stepped over to join them. "The kid sounds pretty sure 'bout this, cuz," Louie said.

Putting her head to one side, Arizona considered. "Hm." She reached up and scratched one slender, clawed finger along the ruff of her left cheek. "No sense in taking chances. We'll camp out in the desert tonight instead of staying here at the hotel, and post a watch."

"Fine by me," Baloo said, resting his paw on Kit's shoulder. "Now, about that food..."

The firelight sent a dancing red glow over the sand and the sleeping figures, and cast shadows in the valleys of the blankets. A jackal howled far away.

Seated cross-legged on the sand, Kit leaned against two packs and looked out over the desert, on watch. His eyes went to the sky, checking the position of the stars; Baloo would be relieving him in about an hour, he estimated. But Kit didn't feel tired. He breathed the desert air in deeply, feeling that strange mix of peace and excitement.

Into his mind crept a replay, no more than a flash, of what had transpired in Ahalan, the feel of a dagger point against his chin and a familiar yet changed voice hissing "Where is the map?"

Kit shook it off. So, Karnage was there, and also after the treasure. They had dealt with him before.

Picking up a stray pebble, he began to trace lines in the sand. Starfinder had taught Kit, who'd already had a good memory for that sort of thing, how to commit the lines and contours of a map to memory. Kit figured he should do the same for the treasure map, just in case. The map was now safely tucked away inside Baloo's shirt.

He heard a small sound behind him. It would have been inaudible except that the jackal had stopped howling and the wind had died for the lenght of a breath. A sound like the flutter of a wing, or cloth brushing against cloth.

Senses now fully alert, Kit turned, just as someone grabbed his shoulders and pressed a cloth over his nose and mouth with an iron grip. Struggling, Kit couldn't turn to see the identity of his attacker. He caught only an impression of white robes and red fur before a sweet odor swept into his nostrils. "Bal--" the word half formed in his throat, and then he knew nothing more.

Karnage waited a few more seconds before removing the cloth from the bear cub's face. But when the cub lay still on the sand, breathing steady, eyes closed, he pulled his hand away and nodded, satisfied.

Swathed in desert robes, Karnage turned his attention away from Kit towards the rest of the camp. He stepped softly over one of the slumberers. He moved with caution, but gracefully, unconcerned and unafraid. The fiery red of his tail matched the flickering flames. Crouching, he rummaged through one pack, then another, the firelight illuminating his face and the front of his shirt and leaving the rest of him in shadow. Not finding what he sought, he checked the saddle bags on the horses. His feral eyes narrowed above the white cloth wrapped around his snout. Still, he did not seem concerned. Instead, he stepped swiftly over to the smallest unconscious figure, picked him up, and slung him over his shoulder.

Then he walked swiftly away into the desert with his limp burden.

Kit stirred awake to find that he was being carried over someone's shoulder, and that something was wrong with his vision. Blinking, Kit realized there was a piece of cloth tied over his eyes and that his hands were tied in front of him. His arms and shoulders brushed against solid rock, as if they were entering some sort of cave, or tunnel. He guessed that they had come to the Robber Barrens themselves.

Squirming, he tried to get down and felt a sharpness again against his chin.

"Since you are such the tricky one," a voice said calmly, "I have come prepared."

For a moment, Kit stiffened. Karnage.

Then Kit kicked out blindly, and felt his foot sink into Karnage's stomach. The erstwhile pirate grunted and dropped Kit. He felt his feet touch the sand. But before he could dart away, Karnage grabbed his arms. Like the touch of lightning, the dagger was back, this time at his throat.

"Keep quiet, and you will make it to sunrise alive."

A tiny thread of fear began to creep into his stomach. He should have been able to get away easily. Karnage, volatile and proud, almost always slipped up or underestimated his opponent. But, Kit realized, this was no longer Don Karnage. He had become something else, something more stable than lightning and flame...and much more dangerous.

A scraping sound came from his right, and Kit turned his head blindly towards it. Before Kit could coil his muscles to try to escape, Karnage gave him a hard shove that sent Kit sprawling onto an even stone floor. Behind him, he heard Karnage snarl, for a moment sounding almost like his old self, "I think this will suffice to keep the cloud kicker's feet on the ground, yes?" The scraping sound came again, followed by a resonating stone thud that had a note of finality. Then silence.

The pale desert dawn painted the sky a wan yellow, stretched black shadows across the sand, and hit the sleeping Baloo directly in the face. Baloo rolled over on his sleeping bag and opened bleary eyes. Stiff from sleeping on the ground, cold, and feeling generally grouchy, he decided that several more hours of sleep were definitely in order. He closed his eyes and began to snore contentedly. And stopped, and opened his eyes again. Kit's blanket, next to his own, was empty.

"Kit?" He sat up, looked around the camp. Louie was wrapped in his sleeping bag, snoring gently. Arizona was lying on her own sleeping bag, on the other side of the campfire's ashes. The pack camels were sleeping as well, lying down with their long legs curled under them. And Kit was nowhere in sight.

Baloo was on his feet, scanning the area around the camp. The desert wind had covered their own tracks with sand, and the dunes and rocks stretched for miles, without a trace of visible life anywhere. "KIT!" Baloo shouted. The desert swallowed up his voice, giving nothing back but a faint echo off the canyon walls, and silence. Wind whistled through the dawnlit rocks, sending thin wraiths of sand and dust sliding over the ground.

Under his blankets, Louie stirred and groaned. "Aw, Ma, it's too early," he mumbled. "Lemme sleep just eight more hours."

"Louie," Baloo said urgently, "Louie, wake up, Kit's gone!"

"Whaddaya mean, Kit's gone?" The red ape opened one eye.

"I mean he's not _here_."

Louie opened both eyes, and sat up. "You think he ran off or something?"

"Or something," Baloo growled. "Ahhh, we shoulda stood guard in pairs last night.... Louie, wake up Ari, wouldja? I'm gonna look round and see if I can find a clue."

"Tha'd be a first." Louie grinned at Baloo, then got to his feet and ambled around the campfire to where Arizona lay, and put out a large hand to shake her by the shoulder. "Hey, Ari, it's--"

Her eyes still closed, one of Arizona's hands clamped about the wrist of the hand that held her shoulder, the other planted itself in his belly, and Louie was abruptly flying through the air to strike the rocks with a THUD. In the same motion, Arizona had rolled off her pallet and into a crouch, one hand braced against the ground, the other holding her knife.

The tigress's eyes focused on Louie, who was upside down against the rock face staring up at her, and she blinked. "Oh. It's just you." She rose to her feet and tucked the knife back into her belt. "Sorry," she added.

"N-no problem, Miz Johnson," Louie managed. Baloo realized he was gaping, closed his mouth and hurried over to help Louie get himself right-side-up again. "Baloo?" the ape said quietly, still upside down.

"Yeah?"

"That lady is _dangerous._" His tone was one of awe.

"Uh-huh." Baloo took Louie's hand and helped him upright.

"Where's Kit?" Arizona said, turning to them sharply.

"That's what I'd like to know," Baloo growled.

The tigress crouched by the ashes of the fire. "Someone was here, besides us," she said, tracing out the shape of a footprint in the ashes and sand. "Louie, check the packs, see if they've been touched," she ordered.

Louie stepped over to the supply packs and unstrapped one. "Uh-huh. That can of beans was on the right when I packed 'em yesterday. And everything looks sort of jumbled up."

"Louie," Baloo said slowly. He had pulled off his pirate's cap and was bunching it up in his fist. "What if the kid was right? What if Karnage is here, and after the map?"

Rising, Arizona swallowed visibly, then nodded, calm. "I've heard he's clever...he'd know Kit would be a good bargaining piece."

Baloo turned to her. "You mean...he'll trade Kit for the map?" His voice rose. "That kid never listens to me! I told him to stay at home! When I get my hands on that mangy low-down..."

Louie put his hand on Baloo's shoulder. "Easy, cuz."

Briskly, Ari began gathering up one of the packs and slung it over her shoulder.

"Where are you going?" Baloo stepped in front of her. "We have to go look for Kit!"

Ari eyed him steadily. "That's what I'm doing, pilot. We're going back to Ahalan. No one sneezes in a town that size without everyone knowing about it five minutes later."

Lying on the stone floor, Kit gave one last twist of his wrists, and felt the ropes give way. Crawling, he made his way over to a stone wall. Rubbing his face against it, he removed the blindfold. It was morning, or day, at least. The only sign of this was a tiny, square hole up near the rock ceiling where a shaft of light came through. The light revealed a room that looked as if it had been hollowed out in the rock sometime in the distant past. There was no apparent door, but when Kit went over to the wall directly behind him and ran his fingers over it, he found a tiny hairline crack. The stone door fit smoothly into the wall with barely a trace. Kit patted his sweater and heard a reassuring solid *tap* in response as his paw struck his air board. Not that it would do him any good in there. But it made him feel better to know he still had it.

There on the street stood a little alley-cat, her hands on her hips, staring up at them from under the brim of her baseball cap. "You looking for foreign cub wearing green sweater?" she repeated. "The stupid boy with his hat on backwards?"

"Hey!" Baloo protested.

Louie clapped one large hand over Baloo's mouth. "Yeah, tha's him," he said hurriedly. "You seen 'im, kitten?"

The cat shrugged. "Depends. What it worth to you?"

Baloo made an indignant noise under Louie's muffling hand, managing to pull away long enough to splutter "Why, you little--"

The kitten bristled and backed up a few steps, and the scene might have gotten unpleasant if Arizona had not come up behind them at that moment. "Hey, Li'l Bit," she said to the cat, with a casual wave.

"Hey, Ari," the child replied as casually, relaxing only slightly. "These friends of you?"

"Sort of," Arizona chuckled. "I hired 'em to fly me here on a job. Baloo, Louie, this is Li'l Bit, she's an old friend of mine. Kid, did you say you've seen the cub we're looking for?"

Li'l Bit visibly registered the "we", then nodded. "Yah, saw him yesterday. Big red wolf dog was chasing him through marketplace, and he got himself lost." She snorted in amused disgust. "Cub has no sense of direction."

Baloo started. "Did you say a 'red wolf' was chasing him?"

"Yah, a wolf dog." Li'l Bit shrugged again. "Big nasty with piece torn out one ear, so." She gestured at her own ear, describing a notch.

"Karnage." The bear's fist clenched. "Blast! I'm a fool!"

"Won't argue with ya there, cuz," Louie said helpfully.

"Ah, put a sock in it, Louie," Baloo growled. "Kit _said_ Karnage was in the neighborhood, lookin' for the map.... And I'll bet it was him that grabbed Kit right outta the camp!"

"Li'l Bit," Ari said. "I owe you a lunch like you've never seen!"

With a grunt of frustration, Kit put his shoulder to the stone wall. Just like the last twenty-three times he'd tried, it didn't budge.

Kit shoved away from the wall and looked around the stone room. There had to be a way out, there was always a way out.

The angle and quality of the light coming in through the square gap changed. With alarm, Kit became aware of the passage of time. He put aside his air board.

With a run and a leap, Kit sprang at the opening and managed to get a grip with his paws on the ledge. He braced his feet against the sheer stone wall and wriggled up until his eyes were level with the gap, his elbows resting on the bottom.

The opening narrowed, becoming little more than a slit towards what must have been the outside wall. Peering through, Kit saw just more rocks, the sun glaring down on them brutally.

He slid to the floor and sat with his back against the sand-colored stone wall, knees drawn up to his chin. At least it was relatively cool in the cave. His air board, leaning against the wall nearby, caught a bit of sunlight and glinted dully, as if winking at him.

"So." Louie leaned wearily against an empty hay cart and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. "What do we do now?"

Li'l Bit hopped up on the back of the cart and sat cross-legged and alert, her thin, pointed face shaded by her cap. "You promise me lunch," she said to Ari, who sat down on the edge of the boards next to the kitten. Li'l Bit held out her arms wide. "I see none."

"Right, lunch." Arizona rolled her eyes. "Okay, Li'l Bit. Excuse me," she said to Baloo and Louie, "A promise is a promise. I'll be right back." She moved off down the street to a vendor.

Baloo rubbed the back of his neck wearily. "You sure you can't think of anything else, kiddo?" He asked gently.

"Hey." The kitten folded her arms. "Maybe you no hear so good. I told you, that all I know."

Some sort of lizard inched along the railing of the cart. Li'l Bit eyed it calmly, then picked it up and put it in her pocket. Arizona returned with some sort of bread dotted with raisins, fruit, and candied dates, and regained her seat next to the kitten.

Li'l Bit ate the dates first with great relish, then started on the bread. Arizona watched her eat with arms folded, an amused look in her green eyes. "Slow down or you'll inhale the desert," she said drily. Then she added: "When's the last time you ate a decent meal, Li'l?"

"I eath plenthy," Li'l Bit answered with her mouth full. She swallowed and wiped her mouth on her sleeve. "Thanks, Ari," she said, a sudden grin flashing out from beneath the shadowy brim of the cap.

In answer, Arizona playfully shoved the brim down over the kitten's eyes.

For a second, Baloo found his attention diverted from the nagging worry about Kit. With her defiant-tough act, the kitten reminded him of Kit when they'd first met. Baloo realized he'd now met far too many kids with that kind of defense against the world. Kit's friend Winger was like that. But since he'd been living with Starfinder, some of the edge had come off, and he'd lost the suspicious glare.

Baloo watched Arizona and Li'l Bit thoughtfully, until Louie suddenly straightened to alertness. He turned, and saw a ragged-looking dog in the customary Q'ilu white-robed garb approaching them.

Arizona slid off the cart to face the stranger.

The dog nodded a greeting, then held out a folded piece of paper to Baloo. "I am told to give this to you," he said.

Baloo reached out and hauled the dog forward by his lapels. "By who?"

"I do not know," the dog said. "I did not see him. He stayed in the shadows, handed me this message, and told me to give it to the bear in the yellow shirt in the marketplace."

"Baloo, let him go. He doesn't know anything. He's just a hired messenger." Arizona put her hand on Baloo's arm.

Reluctantly, Baloo did as Arizona asked. The dog hurried away into the crowd. Baloo unfolded the piece of paper.

"Well?" Louie asked eagerly. "What does it say?"

Li'l Bit sat up straighter, craning her neck to see the note over Baloo's shoulder.

"It says," Baloo said, his voice thick, "'You will meet me at the entrance to The Robber Barrens two hours after sunset. There, you will give me the map, and I will tell you where to find the boy. If you fail in this, you will not see him alive again.'"

Baloo crumpled the note and wordlessly hurled it to the dusty street.

The light coming in through the opening began to die. Kit's legs dangled down the cave wall as he leaned his arms in the gap, peering out. A shadowy, golden light had fallen over the rocks outside, giving their valleys sharper definition. He could only see a small patch of sky, but it looked like sunset, a dark pink rapidly fading to dark violet.

Sucking on a pebble to stave off thirst, he picked up another pebble and threw it out the gap as best he could in his awkward position. Like all the pebbles he had thrown, it struck the canyon wall outwide with a faint click. The off chance that someone would be passing by and hear it was almost nil.

He'd already tried yelling out the gap for help and had only managed to make himself hoarse. He had to get out of there and warn the others about Karnage.

He slid back down and once again sat with his back against the wall. It was growing dark in the room; soon he would be able to see almost nothing, save for starlight through the gap if he was lucky. Closing his eyes, Kit tried not to picture Baloo, Louie, and Arizona walking into some chamber or cave, Karnage springing a trap with manic laughter.

The scraping sound that rasped into the silence startled him. Kit's eyes snapped open and he got to his feet. The door to the cave slid open, letting in the glow of torchlight.

"Ah, so I _have_ found the prison Cloudkicker cannot escape from."

"You stinking pirate!" Kit rushed Karnage, his full body weight catching Karnage unawares. Bear cub and ex-pirate tumbled together to the rough floor outside the cave room. "Where's Baloo?" Kit yelled, his fist contacting with Karnage's muzzle.

For a moment, it seemed as if he had finally matched Karnage physically. Then with quicksilver speed, Karnage heaved Kit off of him using sheer strength. Before Kit could pick himself up, Karnage had gotten behind him. Karnage grabbed his wrists and yanked him to his feet, pulling his arms sharply behind him and holding them there.

Muttering angrily under his breath, Karnage held onto Kit with one hand and with the other pulled out the rope. He bound Kit's wrists together behind his back, giving the knots a vicious yank.

"The dagger is still in my pocket, yes? As for your friend Baloo, I have done nothing to him -- yet. It is yourself you should be worrying your head about." He shoved Kit between the shoulder blades and Kit stumbled forward out into the tunnel.

Karnage hadn't been carrying a torch, but there were two in brackets along the wall. The flames cast red light over the reliefs carved on the cave walls and made the shadows dance. Kit found himself face to face with a scene depicting a group of red wolves or dogs in ancient Q'ilu garb. Before them, elevated on a rock that jutted like the prow of a ship, stood one with scimitar raised in triumph. They faced a citadel where several terrified-looking inhabitants were fleeing, leaving behind coins, scepters, and jewels. In subsequent scenes, the red dogs struck down the fleeing creatures and burned the citadel. Once, the relief had been painted in bright colors; now it was all faded to the color of the stone.

Karnage was also looking at the figure. He took one of the torches from its bracket and raised it higher, making the relief seem to spring into animated life with the shadows. He turned to Kit, his eyes gleaming in the firelight. "Behold," he said softly. "The glory of my ancestor -- The Robber King, they called heem."

Kit found himself transfixed by the scene on the wall. Then he jerked his eyes away and snorted. "A Robber King? Figures you'd be descended from a low-down crook."

"Foolish boy," Karnage said, grabbing his arm roughly. "The Robber King was just that -- the ruler of all Q'ilu! Ah yes, Karnage is of the royal blood. But -- we cannot let you see too much. You _might_ slip from my grasp...but dat is unlikely."

Karnage put the torch back in its bracket, then tied a cloth over Kit's eyes. He did not gag him, which Kit found to be a bad sign -- evidently there would be no one within calling distance.

They travelled a passageway for a time. Then there was another scraping sound, and Kit felt the chill desert night breeze on his face. The ground was rocky, then became sand. Throught the cloth over his eyes, Kit saw only blackness, broken by a few indistinct shapes and a faint glow that was probably starlight.

He heard the hollow slosh of water and something cold nudged his chin -- the mouth of a canteen.

"You are no good to me dead of thirst," Karnage said. "You drink, yes?"

"I drink, no." Kit averted his head.

Behind him he heard a low chuckle. "Very well, proud one. Thirst will be the least of your problems soon enough."

They continued in silence, Karnage shoving Kit ahead of him.

Once Kit bolted, only to find himself tackled by Karnage after a few yards. Dusty, tired, and thirsty, Kit let himself be dragged along. As last they stopped, and Karnage undid the blindfold.

Kit blinked at the starlight. Around them stretched the desert, lonesome and still in the night. From far off came a ululating cry. Kit took note of the constellations overhead, and the direction they had come.

A few yards away clustered a small group of rocks, the only landmark in sight. Three straggly looking pines flanked the rocks, and out of a crack trickled a small spring. Kit tried hard not to look at the water.

"Take a long look, young Cloudkicker. This is where you will be spending the next twelve hours." He pulled Kit over to the rocks and began wedging the ends of the rope into a crack. Then he removed from his belt two metal stakes and a hammer. With Kit immobilized, he used both hands to hammer the stakes into the rocks, then tied the ropes securely around the stakes.

Karnage dropped the hammer to the sand with a soft thump and brushed off his hands. "It may be the last place you ever see," he finished.

"You -- you're just leaving me here?" Kit said coldly.

Turning towards him with the edge of his white robes dancing in the wind, Karnage raised a paw. "No-no. Not so simple as that. You are instrumental to my plan." He clasped his hands behind his back and looked speculatively off to the horizon. "You 'ave no doubt heard of the giant scorpions inhabiting these deserts. There is nothing to fear from them at night. But at dawn..." He fixed his bright stare on Kit. "And here you will be."

Kit's fingers went cold.

"Oh, do not look so horror-filled," Karnage said calmly. "If your friends behave themselves and do as I ask, I will tell them where to find you. They may -- paerhaps -- make it here by the dawn." Pivoting on his heels, Karnage took the edge of his robe in his fist and sketched a crisp, mocking bow with all the pseudo courtliness of his corsair days. "Adieu, meester Cloudkicker."

Then he turned and walked away into the desert night.

The Robber Barrens were silent and eerie in the night. Flanked by Louie and Baloo, Arizona held up her torch, trying to stave off the shadows. A jackal cried in the night. Li'l Bit, eyes wide and glowing with avid curiosity in the torchlight, dogged Arizona's every step like a colorful, small shadow.

Then a dark form stepped out from behind a rock.

"Karnage?" Arizona said in a low, cold voice. She halted; Li'l Bit almost crashed into her from behind.

"So, you have kept your appointment," Karnage said, moving forward into the light of Arizona's torch. "How fortunate for your young friend."

Baloo leapt forward and grabbed Karnage by his robes, pulling him almost off his feet. "Where's Kit?!" He bellowed into Karnage's face.

"Ah-ah-ah," Karnage said calmly, plucking Baloo's fingers from his clothing. He smoothed down his robes and took a deep breath. "You would not want to hurt me, Baloo. I am the only one who knows where you can find Meester Cloudkicker."

"Baloo, steady," Arizona whispered, resting her hand on Baloo's arm as he tensed to lunge again. "Okay, Karnage," she said aloud. "We're here. Where's the kid?"

"First, the map."

Arizona watched Karnage sharply for a moment, then reached into her pack and handed the map to him.

"Thank you so much," he said, slipping the parchment into a pocket beneath his robes.

"Now, tell us where Kit is!" Louie moved forward, his normally genial expression curling into a snarl, revealing teeth.

"Of course, of course," Karnage said, backing away. "You upheld your end of the bargain, I will uphold mine. Follow me." He turned with a whisk of his tail and stepped into the shadows between two rocks.

Arizona, Li'l Bit, Baloo, and Louie hastened after him. The shadows in fact marked the entrance to a cave. With Arizona's torch to light the way, they followed Karnage inside.

As soon as Karnage was out of sight, Kit leaned down, pulled against the ropes that had joined his wrists to the rock, and caught the trickle of oasis water in his mouth. He drank deeply and raised his head, chin dripping.

Now, to escape.

Setting his mouth in a stubborn line, Kit began rubbing the rope against the rough surface of the rock.

"Come on," he muttered. "Come...on..." With satisfaction, he saw the fine shreds of rope drifting down. It would take a few hours, but he could cut through.

"You can't ground a Cloudkicker for long, Karnage."

The caves seemed like a maze, a series of jagged tunnels that intercepted each other, chambers, and caverns. Still in the lead, Karnage came to a halt, sending pebbles skittering along the tunnel floor.

The others stopped. The glow of the torch revealed a shadow to the right, too dark to be just a shadow.

"The boy is in there." Karnage gestured at the cavern entrance, stepped back almost graciously. "You will find him unharmed."

Baloo shoved past Karnage into the entrance. "Kit?"

Louie, Arizona and Li'l Bit followed. They found Baloo standing in the middle of the high-ceilinged cavern, looking around in bewilderment.

"Kit? Hey, Little Britches!" His voice echoed off the walls. No one answered.

"Stupid tourist bear cub not here." Li'l Bit folded her arms, speaking more with the air of one cheated of a main attraction, rather than with concern.

In that second, Arizona realized her mistake. She had turned her back on Karnage. It was a second too late.

"Farewell," Karnage's voice came echoing through the cavern.

There was a faint rumbling sound, then a spark and a bang, louder than a gunshot.

"GET DOWN!" Baloo yelled. Arizona reached for Li'l Bit as Baloo pushed them, and Louie, to the ground, away from the entrance archway.

The ground shook, accompanied by the scraping, clattering sound of stone falling. A haze of dust and smoke filled the air, and covered their clothes.

Coughing, Arizona raised her head. "Li'l Bit? You okay?"

The kitten coughed as well, then got to her feet. "Okay." The additional dust coating her clothing and face barely made a difference from how she had looked before.

Baloo helped Arizona up as Louie got to his feet, his shirt covered in dust.

Where the exit to the cavern had once been was a pile of rubble. The sides and lintel of the arch had essentially caved in on itself, triggered by the explosion. The torches on the cavern wall burned faintly through the haze in the air.

With his hand to his mouth, Baloo coughed. "That...double crossing...no good...dirty rotten..."

Louie made his way over to the rocks and shifted one experimentally. "We could try to clear our way out'a here," he said hopefully.

Arizona shook her head. She pulled off her fedora and whacked it against her leg. Dust rose from the hat in small clouds. "That would take weeks, Louie." She coughed again, then turned to look around the cavern. Head tilted to one side, fedora in hand, she studied the shadows. "There's probably another way out, a side tunnel or a crack."

Baloo was already pacing the circumference of the cavern, torch in hand as he looked for an opening in the dark rock.

"Nothing!" He growled, kicking at a loose stone. It bounced off the wall with a small crack.

Ari pursed her lips. "Then we'll have to think of a different plan."

"There isn't time!" Baloo wedged the torch between two boulders and threw his weight against one of the large rocks blocking the entrance. "We -- have -- to -- get -- out -- of -- here..." Baloo grunted with the strain, the muscles in his arms bulging. "Louie, gimme a hand."

Together, they shoved at the stone. It moved, and fine particles of dust and bits of rock began cascading over them.

"Hold it, cuz." Louie stopped pushing and stepped back, his hands raised. "We might loosen somethin' we don't want to."

But Baloo didn't seem to be listening. He grasped a medium-sized stone in both hands and pulled. More pieces of rock slid down out of the rockfall. The stone rolled free, and Baloo turned to the next one.

Ari came over to Baloo. "Take it easy." She placed a hand on his arm.

Roughly, he shrugged her off. "Don't tell me to take it easy. You heard what that snake said. If we don't find Kit by dawn, he's a goner!" He began working at another rock. Something near the ceiling of the cavern groaned dangerously.

"Stop, man!" Louie looked nervously at the ceiling.

Baloo kept digging.

"Baloo!" Ari yelled sharply.

He stopped, breathing hard, and looked at her. Sweat stained his yellow pilot's shirt and the edge of his hat.

"You stupid bear," she said harshly, "If you keep this up you're going to have the whole place down on our heads!"

Suddenly Baloo's shoulders slumped as if he were terribly tired. He leaned back against the wall as his paws curled into fists. "If anything happens to that kid," he said, low, "There isn't a hole deep enough where that mangy Karnage can hide from me."

At last!

In triumph, Kit watched the last shreds of rope tear apart. He was free.

The sky was still dark, but certain stars had slid closer to the horizon; it was maybe four hours to dawn. As Kit got to his feet, he staggered. The desert night was chilly, and he hadn't realized how long he'd been crouched in one position. Flexing his fingers to work out the stiffness, he stared out over the desert.

Ahalan was no use. He'd find no help in Ahalan. Straightening his cap, Kit turned the other way, and started the long march towards Asif.

TWO HOURS LATER

Kit saw the city drawing closer, and began to jog. The domed or flat-roofed buildings of Asif spread out beneath the night sky that now held a pale, pre-dawn hue.

As he neared the outskirts, he slowed, then stopped, noticing something. Just outside the city was the airfield. The Sea Duck was no where in sight, no doubt stashed in a hanger while awaiting her spare part to arrive. But another plane caught his attention. Large and sleek, with a white hull and orange-brown trim, it had a distinct insignia near the tail -- a "K" within a circle.

Flanking it were two, similar planes.

"Shere Khan?" Kit said to himself wonderingly. He began to run, and soon reached the airfield, tarmac replacing sand under his feet.

As he neared the plane's ladder, a broad-shouldered, uniformed cat stepped in his path.

"I have to see Mr. Khan," Kit said, wondering at his chances of simply darting around the bodyguard.

"And who might you be?" A small, scrawny tiger in a vest, tie, and short sleeves stepped out from behind the uniformed cat and regarded Kit condescendingly through his glasses.

"Kit Cloudkicker. I'm Baloo's navigator, he's on a mission for Mr. Khan."

When the tiger stared blankly, Kit added desperately, "The crew of The Sea Duck? Mr. Khan hired us to fly Arizona Johnson to Q'ilu. Only now they're in trouble, because Don Karnage set a trap for all of us, and..."

The tiger narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Wait here one moment." He turned and went up the steps, vanishing into the plane.

The bodyguard stood like a collosus, arms folded, staring at Kit. Kit glared back.

At last a figure appeared at the top of the steps. At first Kit thought it was the bespectacled assistant, returning to turn him away. But he immediately saw that the figure was much too imposing for that.

"Mr. Cloudkicker?" Shere Khan said, in his rumbling, deep voice.

Kit nodded.

"Do please come in, where we can discuss things more comfortably."

The bodyguard moved aside, and Kit clattered up the steps, following Shere Khan into the plane.

Inside the passenger bay, wood panelling covered the walls. The seats were upholstered in fine fabric, and subdued lighting ran along the ceiling. The air smelled of new leather and varnish, a far cry from the familiar, oil-and-metal scent of The Sea Duck. Mr. Khan's assistant had vanished. Khan settled into a chair that swivelled on its base, crossed his neatly creased pant legs, and fixed his commanding stare on Kit.

"Please, sit down."

Kit sat.

"Now, tell me, what is it that has happened to the crew of The Sea Duck?"

"Don Karnage," Kit said, breathlessly beginning his story. He told Khan everything that had happened since their forced landing. "But I don't know where Baloo and Louie and Arizona are now," he finished desperately.

Khan steepled his fingers together and arched his brows thoughtfully. "I see. Well, that would explain why you had failed to report in. As you can see, I decided to fly out here to look into the condition of this venture myself."

"Can you help me? I mean, you've got pilots, and bodyguards, if we can figure out where they are, then..."

Khan regarded the bear cub calmly, but didn't speak for several moment. Finally, he uncrossed his legs and got to his feet. "I never let a good investment slip through my fingers without a fight. Certainly not to hand it over to a former air pirate," he added disdainfully. "And you have no idea where they might be?"

The tiger was so tall his head brushed the ceiling of the plane. Kit got to his feet so he wouldn't get whiplash looking up at him. "Well, I can make a good guess. The treasure is in the Robber Barrens. Karnage said he was going to force the others to give him the map."

"The Robber Barrens is a large place, Mr. Cloudkicker." Khan put a paw to his chin.

Kit nodded. "But Karnage had me prisoner in a cave somewhere in them for a while. I think...I think I can find that area again -- there were carvings on the walls. I'd bet the treasure's somewhere around there."

Khan nodded. "Allow me a moment to locate my best men," he said. "And then we will set off for these Robber Barrens."

"You...you're coming along?" Kit blurted in surprise, before he thought.

The tiger's regal eyebrows twitched as if he were amused. "Yes, I am. Does that surprise you?"

"Uh...no," Kit said hastily. "N--not at all."

"Good. Shall we hurry this along, then?"

Standing on Baloo's shoulders, Louie held the torch high above his head and hunted for a shaft or hole close to the cavern ceiling.

Below, Arizona stood, hands on hips, her fedora held to her side, her head craned back to watch Louie. "Watch the torch flame, it would flicker if there was a draft. And the shadows. Darker than usual shadows could mark a tunnel." Next to her, Li'l Bit watched, hands also on hips, in a direct copy of Arizona's posture.

"Ari, I'm telling ya, there's nothing up here!" Louie hopped down from Baloo's shoulders, the torch flame streaming behind, and landed lightly to the ground. "Let's face it, we're stuck tighter 'n a pineapple slice on a shishkabob."

"By The Jackal's Carcass." Arizona shook her head, then whacked her hat vindictively against the wall.

Baloo leaned against the wall and grit his teeth, but said nothing. Louie sighed.

Into the quiet, broken only by the soft roaring of the torch flame, came a faint tapping.

Ari's head went up sharply. Baloo and Louie pivoted towards the cave-in.

"Hey!" Baloo cupped his paws over his snout. "In here! We're in here!"

"Hello!" Louie jumped up and down in his excitement.

Arizona put her ear to the rocks. A grin sprang to her dusty face as she looked at the other two. "It's a pickaxe -- they're moving aside the stones. All...RIGHT!" She gave the rocks an almost affectionate slap, and stepped back to stand with Baloo and Louie. "Someone just called back -- too muffled to tell what they said."

The tapping sound became louder, and they heard voices, calling out instructions. Then came the sound of cracking stone, as if someone were hitting it with a sledge hammer.

With a cloud of stone dust and a rattling cascade of rocks, an opening appeared in the rock pile. Someone wedged in a large four by four to sheer up the stones and keep the overhang from collapsing. Ari, Li'l Bit, Baloo, and Louie stepped back.

In the cloud of dust appeared an imposing figure. Broad-shouldered, tall, dressed in neatly pressed khaki (obviously in more tattered shape than it had been when the wearer had started out), jacket, white shirt open at the collar, and boots. The figure stepped forward, with several other figures behind him.

Arizona blinked, staring in shock. Her hands fell limply at her sides. Then she burst out in a peal of laughter.

"Oh, Shere," she said to the dignified, out-of-place figure standing amid the rubble. Her voice was thick with supressed laughter. "You look so ridiculous without a tie!"

"So now all we have to do is get to the treasure before snarly-britches does," Louie said, brushing the last pieces of stone dust from his print shirt.

"Problem." Arizona gestured with the torch she held in one hand. "No map."

"On the contrary," Shere's deep voice came from where he stood behind Kit. "Your map is right here," he said, indicating the bear cub.

"Huh?" Baloo looked up from his inspection of a supply sack.

"How do you think we located you in the first place? The boy retraced his steps from memory."

"And--" Kit added hesitantly, "I--I think I remember a lot of the map."

"Well, I'll be a--" Baloo stopped, stared at Kit, then, almost as if unaware, reached up and rubbed the top of his hat in an awkward, sheepish fashion. "Kit, I--"

"This corridor should branch off into two not far from here," Kit said quickly. "If we go right," he continued, squinting as he tried to remember, "We end up in a tunnel leading towards another branch. Take a left, and the treasure horde is easy to find. Take a right..."

"What happens right?" Louie demanded.

Kit shrugged. "The map just trails off."

"Another problem," Louie put in. "This corridor goes in two directions."

In response, Kit pulled out Starfinder's compass. "But the horde is at the north end of the labyrinth." He stared at the needle, then pointed. "We head this way--west. Then right, heading north, then the next left is west again, before the tunnel sorta curves, headed north."

"Wow, the kid's a walkin' compass," Arizona muttered.

"Most impressive." Shere nodded at his pilots, who flanked the group like an honor guard, then reached out to take the torch from Arizona. "Now, if you will follow myself and the boy..."

Arizona yanked the torch out of his reach. "Hold it, Shere. Who hired whom to find the loot in the first place? Get your own torch--we both lead."

For a moment Shere just looked at her, mouth partly open. Then he closed it in what might or might not have been a smile.

"I see that your--determined--style is the same as always, Arizona," he said smoothly, taking another torch from one of the pilots.

"And so is your--bossy, competitive--one, Shere," she replied, in a killing imitation of his deep tones. "Shall we?" She added in her normal voice, one eyebrow rising in challenge.

"After you, my dear."

The torchlight danced over the rough walls. Every so often they came to signs of the community that had once lived there--a drawing or niche carved into the wall, an earthen jug, ancient pieces of metal that must have shone resplendently on its wearer once.

A low, eerie hum became audible as they reached what Kit said was the corridor leading to the treasure cave's entrance.

"What _is_ that?" Baloo asked.

Khan's pilots looked nervous, eyes flickering about to pierce the darkness.

"There are probably openings to the outside at intervals--that room I was in had one." Kit, between Arizona and Shere, halted. "There," he said.

Ahead of them was a narrow crevice in the rock. A large piece of stone stood nearby, as if it had once covered the crevice and had been moved. There were fresh tracks in the dust, and a clear patch where the stone had swung open.

Just as alarm dawned on the faces of the three in the lead, there was a flicker of crimson, not the flame of a torch, from behind the rock. Arizona let out a cry more of surprised irritation than fear as two paws grabbed her and pulled her off balance, away from the others. Her torch fell to the tunnel floor, and in the glint of the light of the remaining flames the barrel of a gun glinted near her throat.

"Karnage, he is wily, yes? He waits patiently. And is rewarded." Karnage flashed a grin that was almost like his old self, one arm pinning Arizona's paws behind her back, the other holding the pistol to her chin.

Li'l Bit let out a small, savage snarl and leapt for Karnage. Instinctively, Kit reached out and pulled her back. The kitten struggled angrily in Kit's arms, cursing in Q'ilu. Quickly, Kit covered her mouth with his paw.

Khan made a sharp gesture to his pilots and they froze obediently. With the same movement, he clamped a paw over Baloo and Louie's wrists. "Be still," he ordered them, in a voice that commanded a mutli-million dollar empire. He stepped forward, facing Karnage and Arizona.

"You see, I find myself in a small dilemma," Karnage continued, his eyes flickering warily from Khan to the others in the group. "I have discovered the treasure of my ancestors, yes? But there is no way to carry it all alone. So I am thinking--the great Shere Khan, he rescue the others, and he has many hired underlings to carry such riches."

Arizona angrily tried to wrench out of Karnage's grasp, but Karnage viciously tightened his grip, making the tigress wince.

"You wish to strike a deal?" Khan said smoothly, as if he were in a board meeting.

"Your pilots will carry _my_ treasure to Baloo's plane and load it aboard. And den--I am gone. In return, she--" he emphasized his words with the dagger--"lives."

"My plane!" Baloo spluttered. Louie elbowed him in the ribs to be quiet.

Arizona suddenly went limp in Karnage's grasp. Her lower lip trembled. "Shere..." she whispered. "Help me..."

"Ahh, she is not so fierce under thegun," Karnage gloated. "It would be a pity to have to kill this one...she is lovely." He traced his thumb of the hand holding the pistol along the line of her jaw.

A spasm of anger crossed Khan's face and was gone just as quickly, leaving the calm gaze in its place.

"So what will it be, Tiger?" Karnge cocked his head to one side. "The lady...or the treasure?"

"You forgot the third option." Arizona pulled her arms free of Karnage's now more relaxed grasp, closed her paws around his right arm, braced her legs apart, and hurled the astonished Karnage over her shoulder and against the wall. "Never forget your options, right Shere?" Arizona said coolly, brushing her hands together as if to rid them of some repulsive substance.

The entire group relaxed visibly. Li'l Bit wrenched herself from Kit's grasp and shot him a killing glare, then went over to stare down at Karnage in curiousity. Shere Khan nudged at the limp, unconscious Karnage with one toe, his lip curling in distaste. "Guard him," he told his pilots. "Be careful, he is very tricky." He turned towards the cave opening, then stopped and waved his arm in an unexpected, almost courtly gesture. "After you, Arizona."

The archaeologist stepped through the narrow gap. Li'l Bit moved quickly to be on her heels, but found herself supplanted by Shere Khan, a situation which prompted a fierce scowl. Kit, Baloo, and finally Louie (who had to give Baloo a small push through the small gap).

The ceiling of the cavern rose almost beyond the range of the torchlight. Its space was roughly circular, lined with dark stone. And in the middle of the cave, shining in the torchlight, was gold. Goblets and heavy bracelets, plates and necklaces, some standing neatly on the dusty cave floor, some spilling out of an open chest. There were more chests, sealed, behind the first. Precious stones glimmered on some of the pieces, red, green, azure.

An awed, collective sighed breath escaped Louie, Baloo, and Kit. Arizona's eyes were shining. Shere Khan had arched an eyebrow. Li'l Bit let out a squeak, her pointed face suddenly washed of all cynicism.

Handing her torch to Baloo, Arizona knelt and picked up a goblet. She turned it in her paws, running a claw over its curved sides. Then she tapped it, put it down, and stood up. One paw on hip, the other arm dangling down, she turned back to the others. "Well, it appears to be authentic. I'll have to study it in daylight to be sure. But...wow." She swallowed, then turned her gaze to Khan. "You know, Shere," she said flippantly, holding out her paw for him to shake, "We make a pretty good team."

The tiger looked at her, then reached out his own arm. But instead of shaking, he gently lifted her paw and enclosed it between both of his, holding it. "We always did."

And Arizona Johnson, archaeologist and adventuress extraodinaire, could do nothing for several moments but stare at him, speechless.

Baloo, Louie, and Kit watched as Shere Khan's plane soared across the dawn sky over Asif, growing smaller and finally vanishing with a flash of sunlight on wings.

Arizona very pointedly kept her eyes downward, crouched before the the shares of treasure to be loaded onto The Sea Duck. She seemed quite intrigued by the writings on the side of a goblet.

Nearby, Li'l Bit crouched, watching her.

"I can't believe he just leave like that," the kitten said crossly.

The tigress looked up. "Oh," she said shrugging. "He has to go his way, I have to go mine. After all, he's a businessman. The treasure's found, Karnage is in the custody of the Q'ilu authorities...and our business is has ended."

"Hmph," said Li'l Bit. "Well, _he_ can leave if he want. I stay."

"Stay in Asif? I thought Ahalan was your--" Arizona raised her head from the ancient carvings.

"No. Stay with _you_. So, what treasure we go find next?"

From the hold came a steady clinking sound as Louie let gold coins trickled through his fingers over and over again. They were airborne, headed towards Cape Suzette with their prize; Kit sat in his navigator's seat. Arizona and Li'l Bit crouched together over a map spread on the cockpit floor, arguing about a destination.

"Baloo?" Kit began hesitantly.

In the background Arizona let out a sigh of exasperation: "What do you mean, what's latitude and longitude?"

Baloo glanced at Kit, who had one knee drawn up, foot propped on the seat, the other dangling down; a sure sign he was feeling insecure or upset.

"Do you...do you think Karnage is going to stay away this time?"

"No, *that's* north, and that's *south*...Li'l, you and I have a lot of work to do..."

"Dunno," Baloo shrugged. "You gave your testimony to the authorities, they said he was going to jail."

"Hope they have better security than I've heard," Arizona called out suddenly, catching the tail end of the conversation.

"Oh," said Kit.

Baloo glanced at Kit, then smiled reassuringly. "Hey, Little Britches, don't think about that now. Think about what we're going to do with _our_ share of the treasure!"

Kit brightened, then grinned. "Now that you've got all that treasure, Baloo, you can buy back The Sea Duck, huh?"

"Buy back The Sea Duck..." Baloo rolled the words around on his tongue. "Yeah! And for good this time...yeah..." he trailed off, an odd expression crossing his face.

Its yellow wings flashing in the sun, the sea plane veered north, towards home.

End of episode 2.

Watch for episode 3, "Pitch, Roll, and Yaw, Inc."....Baloo's Air Service...back in business? Not if Becky has anything to say about it!