Baloo, still tied to the chair in Jack Case's flophouse motel room, had just succeeded in untying his last knot when the door flew open and Jack himself danced in. Baloo surpressed the urge to leap up and slug the rabbit across the face when those two dog goons brought Rebecca and Molly in with them and Jethro shut the door behind them. Dang, he thought. He'd have to wait to make his move.

"Yes!" Jack exulted joyously. "Yes, yes, yes, yes!" He pranced over to the writing desk in the corner and quickly threw off his hat and coat.

"Baloo!" Rebecca gasped, breaking away from Sparky and Jethro and rushing to the bound pilot's side and embracing him. Molly did the same. "I'm so glad you're okay! After the fire and we couldn't find you anywhere, I-I feared the worst."

"Hey, don't worry 'bout me, Becky. Ol' Baloo can handle himself against a couple of dime-store hoods and their crackpot boss," Baloo said, shooting a glare in the direction of Jack Case and his hired muscle.

"I'm sorry I let them catch me, Baloo," Molly said so sorrowfully that Baloo almost revealed that he was no longer really tied up by wrapping his arms around her to hug her, but he stopped himself.

"There, there," he said. "It's okay. Everything'll be fine."

Frowning indignantly, Jack motioned Sparky and Jethro forward. The two goons pulled Rebecca and Molly away from Baloo. "Of course it will," he said, "just as long as you all do exactly what I say." Then, to Sparky and Jethro, he said, "Tie them together to that chair," pointing to the only remaining chair in the room.

Sparky and Jethro exchanged uncertain glances. "Uh, but boss, if we do that, we won't have no more chairs, and then where will we sit?" inquired Jethro.

Jack stalked over. "Figure something out! Heck, stand up for all I care. That's why you've got legs, isn't it?" To drive his point home he kicked Jethro in the shin, making the hound yelp and begin hopping up and down on one foot, grabbing his injured leg.

While Jack was busy chewing out his underlings, Baloo was trying to think of something to do. He hand't counted on Molly being here, too, just Rebecca, so the bear cub added some unneeded complications to things. Meanwhile, Sparky and Jethro had tied Rebecca to her own chair, which they then scooted over to sit alongside Baloo's. They then put Molly into Rebecca's lap and looped another length of rope around the both of them, tying the cub to her mother, then dusted their hands off, looking satisfied.

"That's that," said Sparky.

"Good," said Jack. "Now, you and Jethro go and check on the car. It was making some strange noises coming back and I want it ready to go as soon as possible. I'll remain here to look after our friends."

"Sure thing, Mr. Case," Sparky said, then headed out the door with Jethro right behind him.

They closed the door behind them, leaving Jack alone with his three prisoners. The rabbit yawned and went and busied himself with something over at the desk. With his back thus turned and no one else watching them, Baloo leaned over to Rebecca and whispered to her, "Becky, I got my ropes untied. Whenever you're ready, I'm gonna jump free and get us outta here before those two muscleheads get back."

Rebecca nodded silently, while Molly looked on the verge of tears. Jack turned back to them now and walked over.

"Now, then," he said, "I'm sure you're all wondering precisely what I'm planning to do with you."

"Why are you doing this?" Rebecca demanded fiercely. Baloo had no doubt that if she weren't tied up and if there wasn't the eminent threat of the goons returning any second, Beckerz would choke the life out of Jack.

"That should be obvious to you, my sweet Rebecca. I already explained it to Baloo, but since I've spent the better part of five years rehearsing this whole thing I might as well level with you. I don't take kindly to having five years of my life stolen from me, Miss Cunningham. I still remember being stuffed down that cramped little porthole, then falling from the plane and being jumped by an entire garrison of Thembrian guards! I'd never been so terrified in my life!"

"You lied to us, you phoney!" Rebecca hissed. Jack tensed up, looking ready to explode, and, not for the first time, Baloo silently prayed she would quit while she was ahead. Unfortunately, it was not to be. "You endangered us with your stupid little spy games, and abandoned us and let us be captured by that dimwitted dwarf Colonel Spigot, all because YOU made a clerical error! As far as I'm concerned, you're nothing but a fake and a coward, and you didn't get HALF of what you deserve, especially now that you've hired goons to terrorize and kidnap us and burn down MY business!"

Jack looked hurt, then furious, and with a snarl he raised his hand to strike her, and Baloo was about to make his move when Molly whimpered, and, at that, Jack stopped, looking ashamed suddenly. He stopped himself, but then his anger returned and he snarled, "Yeah, but YOU and fathead here both got away while I rotted in Bedevilled Island Maximum Security Prison for something I didn't do! Somebody's gotta pay for that, and I pick you! Pay you will, Miss Cunningham, and pay DEARLY!"

Baloo leapt up with a roar. Jack's eyes widened in sudden fear and Baloo cuffed him harshly across the snout, knocking the rabbit backwards. He landed on the bed, bounced, and flipped over backwards, landing on the other side of the bed. Wasting no time, Baloo quickly turned and began untying the rope that held Molly to Rebecca. He had just gotten it undone when Jack tackled him from behind.

"Oh, no you don't!" he snarled, "You aren't getting away from me!"

"Molly, run!" Rebecca yelled, and, as before, Molly knew better than to disobey her mother in a situation like this.

While Baloo and Jack wrestled the bear cub ran for the door, which opened to reveal the hulking Sparky. He looked down, and made a grab for Molly who dashed under his legs, and then his attention was drawn to the grappling bear and rabbit and he ran to assist his boss. Once outside, Molly stopped when she found Jethro leaning over the engine of the sedan, looking at it. Seeing her he leapt up and clonked his head on the open hood with a loud clang.

"Ow!" he yelped, then, rubbing his head, headed for Molly. He stopped in his tracks when they both heard the sounds of fighting occurring from within the open motel room, and Sparky's voice yelled, "Jethro! Help me! Get in here!"

Jethro looked torn. He look at Molly, who stood there frozen, then at the door, and back and forth between the two until he made up his mind and bolted for the motel room door. Seeing her chance, Molly turned and ran past the parked car. She had to find her way back to Kit and Wildcat and tell them about the mean rabbit and where he could be found!

Inside the motel room, it took both Sparky and Jethro to subdue Baloo and tie him back up. Once he was secured to the chair again Jack, rubbing his head, stepped up to him. "THAT was a mistake, Mr. Baloo," he said, glaring. Baloo glared back. To Jethro, Jack asked, "Where's the little girl?"

"Uh, she got away," Jethro said, earning another kick in the shin.

"Curses!" Jack moaned, then sighed. "She'll bring the police! This calls for an accellaration of my plans, gentlemen," he said. "If the car is ready, put Miss Cunningham and Mr. Baloo into it."

"Where are you taking us?" Rebecca demanded, and Baloo, dizzy from his tussling with the two goons, suddenly envisioned a horrific end for both him and Rebecca with rocks tied to their feet and being tossed off of a bridge.

"Why, we're going back to Higher For Hire, or what's left of it," Jack said, making Baloo's mental image change slightly to being thrown off the end of the pier instead of a bridge. "I have need of your plane, Baloo. We're all going for a little ride in it, the three of us you and I, back to a land we all know very well. A land I assure you that you and Miss Cunningham aren't going to be coming back from for a long, long time!"