and Mad Dog asked, “What’s the secret password, captain?”

Karnage thought for a moment, and then said, “Treasure!”

The Genie had rolled his eyes at that. “Nice original password for a pirate,” he murmured. After their talk, Mad Dog and Dumptruck had left the room.

“Here it is!” Karnage announced, waking the Genie out of his reverie. The Genie had been in the middle of considering going back to law school, when he interrupted.

“I have succeeded now in working through your genie tricks, Genie,” Karnage told his servant smugly. “I have gone through each of my words so carefully, I might as well have gone through them, as they say, with a fine toothcomb.”

“Super,” the Genie said, glad that he was just finished. “So, shall we get down to it, and get your wish on the go?”

Karnage held up his hand. “Not so fast, I must first explain my wish clearly, okay?” On the Genie’s nod, Karnage continued. “Well, as you may have already guessed, I wish to be wherever Baloo is, and only the real Baloo, understand?… But I also wish to be in the form of something that he will wish to be near, like a close friend or associate. But keep in mind… I wish there to be no mistakes. This time, I want it made clear that I have no desire to be turned into anything other than another person, and I do not want my age reversed or induced, and there being minimal risk of me getting hurt, understand?”

The Genie nodded. “Okay, got it. Get changed into someone that Baloo won’t mind being close to. No getting changed into anything other than another person, and you only want to be close to the real Baloo, the original model, no one else. No getting your age changed, under any circumstances, and hardly any chance of you getting banged up, correct?”

“Correct!” Karnage said, believing he had finally won something over the Genie.

“Is that your final say on the matter?” the Genie checked. “Oh, and you understand that since you’re making this wish now, it won’t wear off until tomorrow’s sunset, so you’re in for a long wait?”

Karnage waved him off. “No matter. As long as I’m not a baby, or a piece of furniture, then that will be fine.”

“O-kay!” the Genie cracked his knuckles. “Alakazam and Hey Presto! Let this Fox catch the eye of the one he wants so!”

A click of his fingers, the following flash and smoke, and Don Karnage was gone.

“Good wish,” the Genie said, looking around the empty room, and taking a swig of the captain’s Brandy. “It was an almost perfectly specific wish… almost.”

To Be Continued…

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