drink all day. That insufferable Baloo made me drink nothing, but milk and juice all day. Get me a large scotch!”
The Genie snapped his fingers. “There you go.”
Karnage felt something enter his fingers, and he gratefully held the container up to his lips for a soothing drink. But when he brought the container up to his lips, something rubbery touched them, and he opened his eyes…
“GENIE!!!!” Karnage bellowed, as he found himself holding a baby’s bottle, with a large Scotch inside.
“Sorry, boss,” the Genie said honestly, smirking a little. “Couldn’t resist.”
By Nicholas Killpack
Colour By Kitsume
* * * * *
Day Six; Late Afternoon (About 6pm (1800));
The Iron Vulture:
After spending most of the day shouting, cursing, and driving his men downright crazy, Karnage had finally managed to get himself settled in his quarters. He was almost relaxed when…
“Aloha!” the Genie sprang out of existence, popping out like a Jack-in-the-box.
Karnage however did not move, or even jump. He had long since grown used to the Genie’s constant appearing and disappearings, and quite frankly he had nothing to say to the Genie tonight, if ever.
“So what are we on for tonight then?” the Genie asked, flying about the room. “You know, if you work it right this time, you could have those gems you’re so interested in by this time tomorrow?
Karnage said nothing and just stayed sitting where he was, in his favourite chair, resting his eyes.
“Hallo! Anybody there?” the Genie called.
“I don’t recall summoning you,” Karnage said without opening his eyes.
The Genie shrugged. “Well, you haven’t called me all day. I thought you might have forgotten… So what do you want for your next wish?”
“Nothing,” Karnage simply stated.
“Nothing?!” the Genie asked loudly. “What do you mean nothing? You have to want something!”
“Nope,” Karnage replied. “For two reasons… A; I have finally come to the realisation that your wishes bring me nothing, but grief. Not to mention some painstaking nightmares… and B; it is close to passing sunset, so you could not grant me a wish even if I wanted. So, with all that explained, I bid you adieu.”
The Genie looked confused. “What do you mean I couldn’t grant you a wish past sunset? Course I can grant a wish, I’ve done it before on previous wishes. Why ever would you think so otherwise?”
Karnage did open his eyes then, and looked up sharply at his mystical servant. “Those wishes you granted only took affect on the next morning at sunrise. You said you couldn’t bring my wishes to life after sunset!”
The Genie laughed. “I never said a thing like that. I can grant any wish at any time. It stays active only until the next sunset, no matter how far off that is. I told you… whenever you make a wish, it lasts only until sunset. Then the spell wears off, and everything goes back to the way it was before you made the wish. But I never said anything about not being able to make the next wish happen after sunset. I tried telling you, but you wouldn’t listen… I just thought you were in a union or something.”
Karnage growled under his breath, but still did not get up. “So I could make a wish now, at night, and it would last all the way until tomorrow?”
“Until tomorrow’s sunset, yes,” the Genie confirmed.
Karnage shrugged. “Well, that would have been helpful had I known earlier, but for now… Good day to you, what’s left of it.”
“Oh, come on!” the Genie pleaded. “Don’t be a spoilsport… I know not all of your wishes have turned out 100% perfect… “
“100%???” Karnage sat up abruptly. “I would settle for even 30%, but your wishes don’t even come to 15!”
“Well, it’s not my fault, you know,” the Genie said, defending himself. “I warned you to always be specific in your wishes, as they can go either way. But you wouldn’t listen, and… “
“Spare me the lecture, I’ve had enough!” Karnage sat back down again, and closed his eyes. “Since meeting you, I have been made transparent thus nearly giving myself a concussion. I have been turned into a chair, and have gotten squashed. I have lived a day in a world full of Baloos, as if one were not bad enough. And to top it all off, I just spent the whole day with Baloo, with him as my babysitter… No more, Genie! That last wish was your final chance, and I have had enough! You are well and truly through with. Be gone!”
The Genie looked hurt. “Well, if that’s the way you feel. I suppose I should just get back into my bottle… find the nearest beach, drop it there, and wait a few centuries for some other lucky soul to find me.”
“That is sounding like a plan,” Karnage simply replied. “I would go along with it.”
The Genie however did not take umbrage, but just started slowly moving away. “I just hope you can live with yourself, knowing that you drove me away?”
“I believe I will survive, my floating fiend.”
“I mean,” the Genie continued, ignoring the ‘fiend’ comment. “It would be such a horrible burden, having to live years knowing that you had just given me up, along with your one chance at claiming those precious gems of yours.”
Karnage opened his eyes again, his attention grabbed.
“Let’s face it, Donny,” Genie smiled, floating farther and farther away. “Without me, you’ve got no chance at finding them. You need me to get to this Baloo buddy of yours, find out all he knows about them, and then steal them… There’s no way you can do it without me, is there?”
Karnage found himself grinding his teeth in anguish. Try as he might, he knew that what the Genie was speaking was true. He could try kidnapping Baloo, or plant some spies at some of his various hangouts, all the usual stuff… but Baloo was wise to his way of thinking. Chances are they would all be useless, and he would learn nothing.
Karnage clenched his fists, grinded his teeth some more, before finally succumbing to his fate, sighing as he got up.
“Fine!” he relented. “Genie, you have one final chance to redeem yourself.”
The Genie turned around, and whizzed across the room at lightning speed, right up to Karnage’s face, where he grabbed the pirate’s cheeks and kissed him quickly on the mouth.
“Donny, you won’t regret it!” he said joyfully.
Karnage spluttered and wiped his mouth. “For starters, don’t call me Donny, and second… “ He grabbed the Genie’s neck. “Kiss me again, and I’ll have your guts for garters!”
“Right!” the Genie held up his hands. “No problem! No kisses… So, what’s your wish for tonight, master?”
“Not just yet!” Karnage interjected. “Since there’s no time limit on when I can take my wish, I am going to take my time and ensure that this time there will be no mishaps.”
Karnage went over to his desk and rang the buzzer that was on it, indicating that he wished to speak to some of his men. He then grabbed a pen and paper, and started writing.
* * * * *
Almost an hour later, Karnage finally finished what he had been writing on, what he affectionately referred to as ‘the perfect wish’.
The Genie had stayed where he was, floating aimlessly in the air, bored out of his mind. He absently checked his fingernails, counted the cracks in the wall, and even played Eye-Spy with himself.
After he had rung that buzzer, two of Karnage’s men, the ones called Mad Dog and Dumptruck had come to his quarters. Karnage had spoken to them about his newest plan, explaining what he was planning.
It turned out that Karnage was not just planning a simple information retrieval this time. He was intending to get both the information he required, and kidnap Baloo at the same time. That way, there would be no accident or a chance of a mishap. He wanted the information on those emeralds, and nothing was going to stop him this time.
“Now listen, my men,” Karnage had told them. “Once I, your glorious leader, have wormed my way into Baloo’s confidence, I intend to trick Baloo into flying me back here in his own aeroplane. Once here, you are to apprehend his plane and capture him. Understand? However, there is no way of telling what my new form is going to be, as I’m having the Genie transport me straight to wherever Baloo is. It might be his home, as it has been every other time that I have been there, but there’s no way to know for sure. So, when I eventually return to my ship, I will… Ummm, I will recite a secret password, something that only the three of us will know, okay?”
His men had nodded, and Mad Dog
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