as well as a startling sight - a sea monster tearing the guns from the cliffs. Amazement registered on Khan’s normally impassive countenance. The sea monster was unexpected. But then his faced darkened when the blizzard began. His sharp claws shot out from his paws.

“Blast that pesky pirate Don Karnage. He has my weather machine, and I bet half of my fortune that he has my inventor.” Khan pressed the intercom button. “Mrs. Snarly, get me the mayor and the airfield.”

“Yes, Mr. Khan,” answered Mrs. Snarly’s no-nonsense voice.

“This is the last time Don Karnage will try to invade my city. He will learn once and for all that he cannot mess with Shere Khan and get away with it.” He savagely slashed at his desk with his claws.

City Hall

The mayor huddled under his desk in his office. The dark brown walrus was dressed in a plaid golfing outfit and clutched a golf club in his hand. When the telephone rang, he jumped, banging his head on the desk. He pulled the telephone to the floor, answering it tentatively. He thought it was Don Karnage calling to give him his demands. “H...hello?”

“Hello, Mayor Tuskany. This is Shere Khan. Are you enjoying the weather?” There was a tinge of levity in the businessman’s voice. That was as close as he came to making a joke.

“Not particularly, Mr. Khan, sir. I was planning on a sunny day for, um...” he tossed the golf club aside guiltily, “an important business matter. K-CAPE predicted clear skies. Broadcast Sally is hardly ever wrong, except for that time when...”

“Yes, yes,” interrupted Khan, exasperated by the mayor’s rambling. “Are you going to hand over the city keys to Don Karnage?”

“What else can I do?”

“Refuse,” Khan said flatly.

“What!” Mayor Tuskany sprang up and bumped his head against the desk again. Rubbing his sore head, he asked, “Refuse those pirates? Are you crazy?”

Shere Khan stated icily, “I am many things, but I am never crazy, Mr. Mayor. I suggest you stall for time.” He hung up the phone.

Under his desk, the mayor muttered to himself, “Stall...stall...yes, I’ll stall for time. Easy for a billionaire like Shere Khan to say. This job is becoming too dangerous. Everyone want so invade this city. First air pirates, then those Panda-La-zians, now these air pirates again Elections coming up this year. Maybe I shouldn’t run.”

Shere Khan’s Office

“But, sir, we can’t fly in these conditions, sir. It’s a blizzard out there, sir,” the

commander of Shere Khan’s air force stammered over the phone line.

“I’m well aware of the blizzard, Captain,” Shere Khan said tersely, staring out his window at the white-out conditions. “The air pirates, whom I want you to shoot down, are causing the blizzard. Get rid of them, and the blizzard will disappear.”

“But, sir, I’m afraid that’s impossible. We can’t take off, sir. Ice is building up on the wings and propellers.”

Shere Khan slammed down the receiver. “And they call themselves pilots? This job requires a real pilot.” He pressed his intercom button. “Mrs. Snarly, get me Baloo.”

Higher for Hire

“Oh, no!” gasped an over-dramatic woman’s voice over the radio. “It’s...it’s...it’s inhuman! It’s ghastly!”

Her eyes widening, Molly grasped her spatula - her DangerWoman ‘Justice Wand’ - more tightly in both hands. She was ready to face any challenge. “What? What is it?”

Wildcat and Molly were curled up on the floor in front of the radio. They were listening to Molly’s favorite radio program - Danger Woman. They were so engrossed that they didn’t notice what was going on outside, the only two in Cape Suzette who were unaware of the inclement weather.

In answer to Molly’s question, the woman said, “It’s a gigantic slug!”

“And it’s coming this way!” shouted a man. “Can no one stop it from devouring Metro City?”

“Look! Up in the sky! It’s DangerWoman!” said the woman.

“We’re saved!” cried the man in relief.

“Go get it, Danger Woman!” Molly exclaimed, brandishing her spatula. When the telephone rang, she hopped into her mother’s chair energetically, sending her red blanket ‘cape’ billowing out behind her. In her prim and proper telephone voice, she said, “Hello? This is Higher for Hire...No, Baloo’s not here right now. Can I take a message?...No? Thank you for calling.” She recalled her mother’s phrase that she tacked on to the end of every business phone call. “And remember that near or far, by plane or car, Higher for Hire can meet your every cargo delivery need. Goodbye.”

“Who was that, Mollycat?” asked Wildcat.

“Dunno. Some lady called Mrs. Snarly asking for Baloo.” She settled once again beside the lion mechanic on the floor and tipped her colander hat over one ear. “Did Danger Woman fight the slug?”

“Nope, not yet.”

“Oh, goody.”

The radio announcer said, “And now a word from our sponsor. Kids, what’s the coolest treat in the world? The only treat that Danger Woman eats? Frosty Pep! Kids, tell your parents that you want the only official Danger Woman food - Frosty Pep. Right now! Bug them until they buy Frosty Pep for you. Frosty Pep - the ice cream that gives you lots of pep so you can be as strong as Danger Woman. And now, back to our program.”

“Oh, no!” screamed the near hysterical woman. In the background, there was a squishing sound. “The slug is crawling up the side of the Metro City Bank, and is covering everything with a horrible slimy ooze! We’ll all be slimed alive! Ah-ha-ha-ha!” the woman screamed hysterically. Then, there was a thump as the woman fainted.

“Never fear! Danger Woman is here!” proclaimed a commanding, strong, yet decidedly feminine voice.

“Yay!” Molly and Wildcat cheered.

Over the radio were ‘pows’ and ‘bams’, denoting that the heroine was slugging it out with the slug. “I’ll drive it out of Metro City using my Justice Wand.”

Outside, there was an extra loud bump that shook the building on its foundation.

“Wow-how-how!” Wildcat said, impressed. “Those are good special effects.”

“That wasn’t from the radio, Wildcat.” Molly flew to the window and scrambled on top of a crate to see out. “It’s all snowy and blowy out there.”

“Neat-o!” Wildcat joined her in gazing out the window. “We can make snow angels and snow forts and apple pies.”

“I see something moving.” Molly squinted through the blizzard. Across the harbor, there was a large, shapeless blob. “It looks like a giant slug, just like in Danger Woman.”

Just then, the radio became all static-y.

“Aw,” Molly groaned, “now we’ll never know if Danger Woman beat the slug.”

“The aerial must be out. I’ll fix it.” Without further ado, Wildcat stepped into the blinding snowstorm and was blown away across the harbor and out of sight.

“Wildcat!” Molly’s scream was lost in the roaring wind. With difficulty, she managed to close the door. “Think. Think. What would Danger Woman do?” Now that she was alone - all alone - with a storm raging about Higher for Hire, Molly was frightened. The wind wuthered about the building, branches slapped against the siding, and waves smashed against the docks dangerously close to Higher for Hire.

“It’s just snow,” she said confidently. “Danger Woman’s not scared of snow.”

Unexpectedly, a rowboat came crashing through the window by the upstairs landing. Fragments of glass spewed down into the office.

Snatching up Lucy, Molly crouched underneath her mother’s desk. “But Danger Woman would be scared of that!” She whispered in the doll’s hair, “Don’t worry, Lucy. Mommy and Baloo and Kit and Wildcat will be back soon.” To comfort herself, she softly sang the lullaby that her mother sang to her in a little broken voice. “Home is where the heart is...”

Across the harbor, Wildcat flew. “First time I’ve flown without an airplane,” he thought to himself. Unexpectedly, he landed on something. Something solid. Something that moved. Clinging to that smooth something, he looked up. Just above him, two large, yellow eyes were looking down at him. “Wow-wee! A dinosaur!”

The sea monster tore at another cliff cannon regardless of the new animal clutching her neck, the snow pummeling her body, the angry waves crashing against her.

“Jelly beans taste better than metal, and they’re easier on your teeth. Believe me, I know.” Wildcat dug into his pocket and produced a handful of jelly beans. He put one in his mouth and offered the rest to the sea monster with a good-natured smile. “Want some?”

The sea monster sniffed at the jelly beans, then slurped them from Wildcat’s palm with her large pink tongue. She made a happy ‘eeeeerrr!’ noise and nudged the mechanic’s pocket for more candy.

After feeding his new friend more jelly beans, Wildcat asked, “Why are you throwing the cliff cannons down into the ocean? They’re good. They protect Cape Suzette.”

The sea monster made a ‘I dunno’ noise and gestured with her head to the Iron Vulture hovering above the city. She bit at the chain that led from the manacle around her neck to the large pirate mother ship.

“Oh, that’s why you’re sad,” Wildcat mused with an understanding nod. “I bet that ring is too tight. I can get that off in two jiffies.” From his bottomless pocket, Wildcat produced a hacksaw. He sawed at the chain until it was severed.

The sea monster was free and, therefore, ecstatically happy. After circling once, she licked Wildcat’s cheek, causing him to laugh with childlike glee, “You’re welcome!” She licked him again, coating him in saliva. “Hey, that tickles!” Grinning, Wildcat wiped saliva from his face with his paw. “Know what? I’m gonna call you Teela, ‘cause Teela rhymes with hacksaw.”

Back to the Iron Vulture

Prying the