switches but stopped, as he looked out the pilot side window.

“Oh no.”

“What?… What is it?” Baloo got out and looked at The Sea Duck, the left engine was missing as well as the flaps. “They’ve been tearing apart my baby.” Rebecca looked at the side of the plane and fell to her knees in tears as a rush of realization that they were not only trapped in Thembria, but that Molly and Kit was lost in the frozen waste land.

“We’re never going to see are children again are we?” Rebecca asked, as she looked at Baloo who knelt down to Rebecca.

“Now hold on Beckers, Kit is a smart kid, and Shade… well we don’t know much about Shade’s past but from what we have seen the kid can handle himself pretty good, with both of them working together little button-nose is going to be in good hands.” with those words Baloo helped Rebecca to her feet and the two got back into the Sea Duck hopping to buy some time as they try and come up with plan. It was after several minutes before they heard the alarm sound on the base of a prisoner escape. “Well looks like they’ve noticed we’re gone.” Baloo said, as he looked at Rebecca as they held one another inside the Sea Duck.

“We can’t stay here forever.” Rebecca held onto Baloo as the big bear started to look around the cargo hold.

“We need to find away to get out of here and start looking for the kids.” Baloo said, as he kept looking until he snapped his fingers as he started to hear something moving outside. “Alright Beckers here’s the plan.” As two Thembrian guards started to walk around the Sea Duck Baloo let the rear door open slightly getting one of them to climb in to investigate. After several minutes and a few muffled struggles his partner looked at the door funny.

“Hey Boras you alright.”

“No… something fell on me, get in here and give me a hand.” Baloo said, in a gruff voice getting the other Guard member to climb into the plan only to meet with the same fate as his partner, after several minutes Baloo and Rebecca emerged from the plane dressed as two Thembrian soldiers. “Alright Beckers just let me do all the talking and we’ll be out of here in no time.” As Baloo started to lead Rebecca to safety. Back in the wild Kit was keeping a close eye on Shade.

‘He’s stubborn, annoying, arrogant, and always saving the day making me look like a chump.’ Kit thought to himself as he looked at Shade. ‘Always so darn smart about everything, never finding anything hard, he’s too perfect, who wouldn’t want him as a son he could take my place in a heartbeat.’

“What you thinking about Kit?” Molly asked, as she looked at Kit shaking him from his thoughts.

“Oh nothing pig tails, just wondering when Shade’s going to find another way to save the day.” Shade looked over at Kit and then back to the road.

“We’re on a race against time to stop the Hausers from destroying the Thembrian capital, and you want to start this up again.”

“Well you always seem to find away, always one step ahead, always another trick up your sleeve or in one of those pockets of yours, and I’m just waiting for you to pull it out.” Shade glanced at Kit for a second and kept driving. “Come on how old are you really 34?”

“I’m nine.” Shade said, as his grip tightened around the steering wheel.

“Nine, a nine year old super smart crime fighter that also seems to know a lot about the world.”

“Stop it Kit your being mean.” Molly begged as she tugged on Kit’s sweater.

“No Molly not this time, I want answers, I want to know why he is the way he is.”

“Maybe I like my isolation?” Shade quipped as he looked at Kit. “Maybe I have other reasons so why don’t we leave it at that and you stop asking questions.” with that Kit grabbed Shade by the collar and pulled him from the steering controls, leaving Molly to jump at them and take over steering.

“WHY DON’T YOU JUST ANSWER THE QUESTIONS!?”

“Kit.” Shade said, calmly as he reached up and put his left hand on Kit’s arm. “You’re getting cranky, you should take a nap.” with that Shade lifted his left hand and hit Kit in the face with a green smoke from under his left wrist, as Kit fell to his knees he looked into Shade’s eyes, through his red goggles, and could see something in them a darkness that he hadn’t seen before, a cold forbidding darkness that spoke volumes to him. Once Kit was on the floor board a sleep Shade walked back to the steering wheel and lifted Molly from the controls and set her in the passenger seat and took back control. As Molly looked back at Kit she gulped slightly as she looked back at Shade.

“Shade.” Shade let out a sigh of defeat then shook his head slightly.

“What is it little one?”

“Why are you acting like this?” Shade looked at Molly for a second and then forward once more as he kept silent. “Please Shade I can keep a secret.”

“Oh I have no doubt about that little one, although just to be safe I’m not going to tell you.” Molly sat back in her seat and pouted as she stuck her tong out at him. “You keep doing that and someone might just rip it out.” Shade said, without looking at Molly who gasped and covered her mouth.

“You wouldn’t?” Molly questioned, as she started to get saucer shaped eyes and tears started to form.

“Well I’m not able to as long as you keep it in your mouth.” As Shade kept driving he started to hear a soft sniffling sound, he shot Molly a quick glace and saw her crying softly in her seat. “Why are you crying?”

“Because you threatened to rip out my tong, and you’re not going to tell me nothing.”

“And this gets you to cry?”

“Well it wasn’t nice to say such mean things, and it’s not nice to keep secrets from your friends.” Molly scolded as she looked at Shade who kept driving.

“Molly it’s better if we aren’t friends.”

“But everyone has to have friends, who else are you going to talk to?”

“I normally don’t talk unless I’m around you or someone in your family.”

“See that means we’re friends.”

“This is why I try and keep my distance.”

“Why? Don’t you like us?”

“If I say no will it put an end to this questioning?”

“No.”

“Fine, then yes I like your family, I like to see you all together because if makes me happy knowing just what I’m fighting for.”

“Then why have you become so mean to us.”

“Mean? I think you mean cold, and the reason for that is a secret.” Molly smiled as she leaned forward and ready to listen to Shade. “Which I’m not going to tell you.” Molly pouted once more as she sat back into her seat.

“That’s mean, how bad can the secret be that you’re not going to tell me? A sweet innocent little girl.” Molly added as she looked at Shade.

“Pretty bad.” As Shade kept driving he was taken back to the Night Witch airfield in his mind, as he recalled the day long punishment he had gotten from the Night Witch pilots for spying on their briefings.

********************

“And when you’re finished cleaning those parts young man you can start washing the hanger.” Barbra said, as she stood behind Shade with her arms crossed.

“I thought the spanking was the punishment.”

“No that was just the start young man, you’ll be lucky if you don’t get one tonight as well.”

“For what?”

“For the same reason you’re cleaning these parts and the shed afterwards.” with that Shade turned and looked at Barbra with a piston in hand and then threw it at Barbra before he ran away from her. As Barbra ran after him he lead her on a merry little chase all over the airfield and was joined by the other Pilots before Shade found himself trapped in corner. “Alright Shade, that’s it.” Barbra rolled up her sleeves as she walked up to Shade who only looked at her with defiance in his eyes. He then got into a fighting stance. “Oh so now you’re going to fight me is that it.”

“IT’S NOT FAIR!!” Shade yelled, as he glared at Barbra. “You said it your selves, YOU ALL SAID I SHOULD ALWAYS LEARN ABOUT MY ENEMIES!! “ Shade’s outburst shocked the pilots as they looked at the child they had taken care of for a year, never knowing him to be blatantly disobedient, or to lash out at them. Tears where forming in Shade’s eyes as he lowered his arms and fell to his knees, no matter how much he wanted to fight back to protect his hide he couldn’t bring himself to fight the Night Witches he cared to much for them to ever bring harm upon them, even if it did mean he was about to get another whipping from one of them. “I did it because none of you would tell me what your mission was; I had to spy on you to learn, because I don’t want anything to happen to you. I wanted to be ready for the Hausers, because I don’t want to lose you like I lost them.” As Shade started to cry he bowed before the Night Witches head to the ground sniffling slightly he opened his eyes but shut them quickly unable to look at any of them. “I broke a rule, I admit that, but to lose your