no more than a dizzy blur.

Still, the guard dog showed no sign of tiring in its mad pursuit.

"I...gasp...can't keep...gasp...moving...gasp...my chassis...gasp...any longer," Baloo panted.

In desperation, he lunged for the ladder that was leaning against one of the three gigantic mixing vats and started to scale it.

Ha! he thought as he reached the top. Let's see that mangy mutt climb up here.

Then Baloo made his one fatal flaw - he looked down, causing his eyes to about pop out of his head. Why did I climb up here? Overcome by vertigo, the big bear swayed violently, causing the ladder to tilt.

Where's the Sea Duck when I need her? Baloo thought. He made a desperate grab for the vat's lip just as the ladder clattered to the floor. Whew! Safe, he thought.

But not for long. The vat began to tip under his weight.

"Not safe! Not safe!" Baloo cried, kicking his legs in a futile effort to push the vat back up.

Meanwhile...
Directly Below

Kit was cornered between the conveyer belt, Dr. Howlitz, and Crusher.

"Give me the vial, whoever you are, and I'll call off Crusher. If not...well, he's not called Crusher for nothing," Dr. Howlitz said with an ominous chuckle.

Helmut whispered to Gretel, "He has gone cuckoo. Talking to no one."

From behind Dr. Howlitz, Hansel commanded, "Let that boy go, Second-Cousin Twice-Removed Georg!"

"Nein," Dr. Howlitz retorted, his eyes fixated on the vial. "He is a criminal."

"No, you are the criminal here," Hansel proclaimed. "A Swatzi traitor using my family and my company to spread darkness all over the world with your invisibility formula."

Seeing a large shadow falling over the room, everyone glanced up. The vat that Baloo was dangling from had tipped over so far that it allowed them to see the gallons upon gallons of root beer sloshing around inside.

"Achtung!" Hansel shouted. "Everybody out!"

"Here, catch," Kit said. He tossed the vial up into the air and dashed out of the room right behind the Wullfs.

Crusher simultaneously caught the vial and knocked over his master at the same time.

"Crusher, you saved it!" Dr. Howlitz cried. "You..."

Crunch!

"Ruined it," Dr. Howlitz sobbed as he and the guard dog were covered with the vile contents of the vial. "You stupid, slobbering dog! How will I ever be able to show my face again? I'm all washed up. I'm...aaaaaahhhh!"

At that moment, the vat fully tipped over, flooding the room in a root beer deluge.

After the root beer went down the floor drains, both Dr. Howlitz and Crusher were nowhere to be seen.

"Man, I haven't been this sticky since Louie and I took that guacamole bath in Rio de Jalepeno," Baloo said, jumping off of the vat. He wrung out his pilot's cap. "Kit, where are you?"

"I'm here," Kit replied, entering the factory from the warehouse. "Look, Papa Bear, Dr. Howlitz and Crusher are invisible, too."

"I guess you can say that they're dog gone," Baloo said with a grin. Thanks to his goggles he could see a black-and-white version of Crusher sprawled over a very irate, very wet Dr. Howlitz lying inelegantly on the floor.

"Don't growl at me, Crusher," Dr. Howlitz snarled. "This is all your fault. If it hadn't been for you..."

Chomp!

"Ow!" Faster than a flea, Dr. Howlitz jumped up and took off with the dog in pursuit. "Biting me when I can't see you? That's not fair!"

Chomp!

"Ow!"

Baloo chuckled. "Talk about gettin' a taste of your own medicine."

Later...

After Baloo and Kit had been introduced to the rest of the Wulff family and Hansel had explained about the invisibility formula and the factory had been hosed down, the Wulff's Wunderbar Root Beer Factory was up and running again. To show their appreciation for saving their company and their father's reputation, Hansel and Gretel suggested giving Baloo and Kit a guided tour.

Following the tour, Kit asked, "What are you going to do now, Hansel?"

"My family and I can get back to making root beer the old fashioned way - no guards, no fences, and no invisibility formula."

Sheepishly, Baloo said, "Uh, speaking of formulas...I hate to ask, but could we have a copy of it?"

"Ja. It's the least we can do," Hansel said readily.

"But it won't taste the same if you make it," Gretel said in a whispered aside. "The secret is in the mountain water."

"And love." Hansel gave his sister a one-armed hug, then grinned at all of his relatives. "Let's all get back to the serious business of making root beer," he said, pushing the button that started the bottle filling process.

As if on cue, the guards traded their guns for instruments and started playing a rousing polka.

Baloo, his toes tapping, said, "You're doin' your papa proud."

Khan Towers
Several Hours Later

Baloo and Kit stepped out of the elevator into Shere Khan's office. Before either could say anything, Khan said, "Welcome back, Baloo...and Kit."

"How did you know...?" Kit squeaked.

"Like I said, I have my ways," Khan said mysteriously. "I trust the mission was successful?"

"One root beer formula, as promised." Baloo tossed a piece of paper containing the recipe onto the shining surface of the mahogany desk.

"Good," Shere Khan murmured as he skimmed over the recipe. "As per our agreement, drink this." He gestured to two vials on his desk.

Baloo and Kit each picked up a vial and looked at the sludgy green goo doubtfully.

"I'll be seein' ya...I hope," Baloo said, clinking his vial against Kit's.

Both of them uncorked the vials, shut their eyes, and, grimacing, gulped down the goo.

"Bleck!" they said simultaneously.

"That stuff tasted terrible. I'd hate to see..." Baloo said, opening his eyes. Removing the invisibility goggles, he exclaimed, "I can see you, Li'l Britches!"

"I can see you, too, Papa Bear!" Kit shouted happily. He flung off his goggles and jumped into Baloo's arms for a hug.

Dryly, Shere Khan said, "Mmm...yes, I can see you both."

"Yeah, thanks to you, Khanny."

"By the way, there is one very important thing that I haven't seen," Khan said, walking over to the window. "Where is Falcon Wing?"

Just then, there was a loud screech and crash in the street below. A plume of dark black smoke floated past the window.

"Oops. Guess I left it in stealth mode." Seeing Shere Khan's face darken, Baloo muttered nervously, "Come on, Kit. We'd better get while the getting's good."

Meanwhile...
Also in Khan Towers

Rebecca couldn't take the suspense any longer. Forced to wait all day, her constant pacing had almost carved a rut in the floor of her office. She had to get more information about Baloo and if she had to fight Mrs. Snarly again to get that information, so be it.

Rebecca stepped out of the elevator only to face the elderly shrew sitting ramrod straight behind her desk.

For a moment, the two strong-willed women stared at each other, their eyes narrowed. Rebecca could swear that she heard the strains of "The Good, the Bad, and the Very, Very Ugly".

Finally, Mrs. Snarly broke the silence with, "Here to make an appointment?"

"I have to see Mr. Khan." Rebecca edged towards the elevator behind Mrs. Snarly's desk.

Mrs. Snarly opened an appointment book. While keeping an eye on Rebecca's movements, she said, "You can see him two weeks from Thursday."

Both bolted for the elevator at the same time. Unfortunately for Rebecca, Mrs. Snarly reached it first and barred the way.

Rebecca gritted her teeth and tried to pry Mrs. Snarly away from the door. For a little old lady, she was surprisingly strong. "I just need to ask one, simple question."

"In that case, he can see you one week from Wednesday," Mrs. Snarly stated calmly. She didn't even seem to be struggling to keep her octopus-like grip on the door frame.

"There's got to be an earlier slot open!"

When Rebecca said 'open', the elevator door opened. Mrs. Snarly tumbled backwards and landed on something that made a very loud, very familiar, "Oof!"

"Baloo! Kit!" Rebecca grabbed her flight crew by their hands and pulled them out of the elevator. She then quickly pushed the 'up' button. Before the elevator doors closed, she waved at Mrs. Snarly. "I guess I won't be needing that appointment after all. Bye-ee!"

The three bears rushed across room to the other elevator that would take them down to the street.

"Becky, what are you doin' here?" Baloo asked as the elevator rushed downward.

"Um..." Rebecca hedged. She was too embarrassed to tell him that she had been worried about him. "It's...good to see you."

Stepping out of the elevator, Baloo said, "It's good to be seen."

"I second that!" Kit said with a smile.

After they had all exited Khan Towers and gotten into Rebecca's car, Baloo said, "Don't take Seventh Street. There's an accident down there."

Just then, a fleet of fire trucks and police cars zoomed around them.

"How did you know?" Rebecca asked curiously as she started the car.

Sharing an uncomfortable look, Baloo and Kit said simultaneously, "We have our ways."

Higher for Hire
The Next Day

Once more, Baloo and Kit sat on the end of the dock, fishing. The sounds of a radio drifted out to them from Wildcat's houseboat.

Broadcast Sally, Cape Suzette's famous D.J., was saying in her velvety voice, "In other news, air force pilots flying over the Mohahavie Desert reported strange activity around Area 52. Some scientists have

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