Engineering, Voyager, New Thundera, Delta Quadrant, Milky Way Galaxy, Original Universe.  Stardate 49 761.64; April 4, 1993.

King Hippo suddenly felt a little queasy.  "Whoa," he said unsteadily.  "I'm gettin'. . . that. . . feelin'!  No!!  Someone's warped us somewhere!!"

            "That's ridiculous," Eggplant Wizard said dismissively.  He put his tricorder away.  "This should be enough data for His Hairiness from Engineering.  Let's go to Sickbay.  You need medicine, anyway!"

            "I'm tellin' ya, we've been warped somewhere!"

            "Let's find a viewport so I can show you how wrong you are!"  They left and entered the turbolift.  "Bridge!"  The lift took them up to the bridge.  "Viewscreen, show what's in front of the ship."  The image that popped on the screen caused a dozen vegetables to pop out of the surprised sorcerer.  "Yikes!  How'd we get to New Thundera?"

            "I told ya we were warped!" King Hippo snapped, tempted to smash his crony's head in.  "You scan this place, and I'll establish contact with MamaBrain."

            "Okay," said the vegetable sorcerer.  He scanned the bridge with his tricorder.

            Meanwhile, King Hippo went to Tuvok's station.  "Ah, open a channel to MamaBrain on Metroid."

            A beep sounded.  "Channel opened," the computer replied.  "Transmit your message."

            "Big MamaBrain, this is King Hippo on Voyager.  Please come in."

            MotherBrain's exceedingly disgusting visage appeared on the screen.  "What is it?" she snapped.

            "How did we get to New Thundera?" King Hippo asked.

            MotherBrain's eyes went wide.  "Oh, yes!  The Tower of Omens warped the ship to New Thundera because of a potential flood threat."

            "What do we do?"

            "Scan the ship from head to tail.  If you can break into their security systems, that'll be fine, but it's okay if you can't."

            "From what I can figure, there's no one on this ship but us."

            "I know.  They all warped to the Palace of Power.  We almost froze the senior staff, too, but they all escaped before Chilla put the big freeze on them.  They set the self-destruct at the Tower, too."

            Eggplant turned to MotherBrain.  "What?  Why did they do that?" he asked.

            MotherBrain sighed.  "I'm sorry.  You don't know the whole story.  I sent Windhammer, Luna, and Liquidator to Ecuador, where Windhammer created some very serious weather changes, upsetting the balance so much that within twenty-four hours, third-Earth will become uninhabitable to normal life.  Windhammer's alterations caused a lot more rain than usual at the Tower, and they were worried that a flood might start.  So, they warped Voyager to New Thundera, and they moved the entire crew except the senior staff to VideoLand.  After they did that, I had Liquidator start a real flood at the Tower, and when the waters got high enough, Chilla was to freeze them and the Tower.  Everything went without a hitch, except those guys got out before they were frozen in.  I guess they didn't think the Tower would hold in that flood.  And the Tower exploded after Chilla and Liquidator were some distance away.  So, everyone's packing up to move to New Thundera.  My troops will start causing trouble with that, though."  She grinned wickedly.  "But something's going our way.  We'll zip over there and grab the ship."

            "Attention, bridge," called a voice.  "This is the Emergency Medical Hologram.  I thought that everyone had left the ship.  Please respond."

            "Oops!" said King Hippo.

            "A hologram, eh?" MotherBrain said.  "Eggie, set your tricorder to emit a high-end gamma ray."

            "Sure," said Eggplant Wizard, following his instructions.  "Now what?"

            "Go down to Sickbay and give the doctor a dose of the gamma rays.  He won't cause any problems then!"

            "With pleasure, Your Wrink-. . . ah, Your Beauty-Lined-ness."

            "Good, you remembered not to use that awful word, 'wrinkle,' to describe me.  Now, get down there."

            "Yes, MotherBrain."  Eggplant Wizard stepped into the turbolift.  "Sickbay."  The doors closed, and the car took him down to the deck with Sickbay.  He found the correct door and entered.

            The doctor began, "I thought. . . hey!  Who are you?  What are you?"

            "I am the Eggplant Wizard, and here's my punch-line!"  He turned on the gamma ray.

            "Wha-. . .?" the doctor began before he was deactivated.

            "Ha, ha, ha!  Been nice seein' ya!"  He turned off the ray and went over to the main computer console.  "I just turned him off.  Good.  MamaBrain wouldn't want him wiped out.  Eggie to the bridge.  I've deactivated the holo-doc."

            "Good work," MotherBrain replied.  "I've decided how to grab the ship.  Come to the bridge, and I'll explain my plot."

            "Okie dokie."  He left Sickbay and went to the bridge.

            * * *

            Bridge, Ludwig's Warbird, near third-Earth, Delta Quadrant.

            The evil Q-niversians watched with both pleasure and uncertainty as the events unfolded on third-Earth.  "Such devastation," Ludwig whispered.  He grinned wickedly.  "I wish I'd thought of this, to tell the truth!"

            Larry said, "Well, this is a terrible strain on Windhammer's powers.  It wouldn't surprise me if that Windy weren't able to use his powers again for some time after this escapade."

            "Same here.  That takes a lot of energy from a non-Q.  By this time tomorrow, this third-Earth will lack the life that it nurtured!  Ha, ha!"

            "Well, the sea critters will survive for about another week, actually.  But eventually, not even the ocean bed will be habitable anymore.  Everything will die, including microbes."

            "I see," Ludwig said.  "So, everyone's heading to the nearest warp to New Thundera."

            "This universe's MotherBrain has sent down some troops to hinder those efforts."

            "Delightful!"

            * * *

            Cat's Lair, third-Earth.

            Wilykit finished packing the last of her things, except the bedsheets.  The Thunder Cats would take care of those last.  "I've finished," she told her brother.

            "All right," said Wilykat.  "I'll take the bag over."  He took a long gaze in her eyes.  "I know what's bugging you.  This place has been home to us for the past few years."

            "Yeah.  I'll be okay, bro.  Just. . ."

            "Sure."

            "Go ahead and help the others when you get back, okay?  I'd rather be. . . alone for a few minutes."

            "Okay."  He left the room with the last packed box.

            Wilykit sighed.  She tapped a communications button.  "Michael, this is Wilykit."

            * * *

            In the control room, Steelheart and the Keene brothers were keeping an eye on things.  Steelheart turned to Kevin.  "Kevin, I have an admission to make, from leader to first officer."

            "All right," Kevin said.  He suspected he knew what it was, but he would not interrupt her.

            "It's not easy, either.  I'm. . . well, I am attracted to Lion-O," she said articulately.  She had never been one to stammer.

            "That's okay, isn't it?"

            "It's more than that.  He is attracted to me, as well."

            "Well, that makes it even better!  Oh, I'm sorry.  I guess you disapprove of these feelings, somehow."

            "-Sigh.-  Well, I thought I liked Quicksilver, Kevin.  I don't fall in love often."

            Kevin grinned.  "Well, neither do I, especially not since my eyes met Lana's."

            "I don't want to hurt either of them.  They're good guys, Kevin, but I like both of 'em, and they both are attracted to me.  I can't go out with both of them!"

            "Well, you could try each of them."

            "Urgh!  You aren't helping!  I want to find a way for this to work!"

            "Steelheart, look.  You're a friend to each of them, right?"

            "Yes."

            "Well, why don't you stick with that for a while?  Long enough to find out which one you really love."

            "-Sigh.-  Yeah."

            "Or which finds another girlfriend first, too."

            "Yes.  Thank you, Kevin."

            "Sure."

            At Michael's computer, a beep sounded, and Wilykit's voice said, "Michael, this is Wilykit."

            Michael tapped the reply key.  "Hey, 'Kit.  What's up?"

            "Could you. . . come to my room please?  Log off your computer before you come."

            Michael was baffled.  "Sure, but. . . why?"

            "I'll tell you when you get here.  Please?"

            "Sure," he said softly.  She had a desperate tone that seemed to enchant him.  "I'll be there in a sec, 'Kit."

            "Thank you, Michael."  The communication was cut.

            Michael began to log off.  "Michael, are you going without knowing what she wants?" Kevin asked.

            "She needs me, big bro," Michael replied gently.  "That's all I need to know."  He finished logging off.  "I'll be back when I've seen to her needs."

            "Sure, li'l bro."  Michael saluted his brother with his right hand and left the room.

            Michael walked down the hallway to his girlfriend's room, wondering what was up.  He sounded the chime device.  The door opened, and Wilykit was on the other side.  "Come in," she told him.

            He obeyed, and the door closed behind him.  "What's wrong?" he asked kindly.

            "Michael, I. . . I can't leave just yet.  Do you understand?  It won't feel right until we've done something here."

            He sighed.  "You want to make love."

            "In this room," she told him.  "I don't know.  Maybe it's just silly, but I guess I think it'll help me on my road to reaching adulthood to make love in the last bedroom I occupied regularly before my onset of adolescence.  It's not just me, either.  It's happened with countless other Thunderians, male and female.  I think it's instinctual."

            He came to her and hugged her gently.  "All right," he told her.  "Slow, loving."

            "Yes," she whispered.  Their lips touched in a very long kiss.

            * * *

            Kevin was just about to go see what his brother was doing when he began feeling such a high amount of pleasure from him.  Over time, it slowly grew and nearly overwhelmed the older brother.  Steelheart knew something was up with Kevin.  Though he kept his body calm, she could sense tension.  "What's wrong?" she asked.

            He turned to her.  "Nothing's wrong.  She's making love with him, Steelheart," Kevin said quietly.

            "Ah!  You feel it?"

            "How can I ignore the massive amounts of pleasure he's having?  In magnitude, it's like a flood that would reach the top of Mount Everest!"

            "Are you certain it's physical pleasure?"

            "Steelheart, I oughta know!  I felt this when I was making love with Lana!"

            "You what?  Kevin, I didn't know you made love with her!"

            "Is it really your business?"

            "As your friend, probably not.  As your leader, yes.  I have to be aware of the relationships the members and officers of the team are having."

            "Just don't tell me it was wrong.  My conscience told me it was right, and so did my feelings.  So did she!"

            "Well, then, no, it wasn't wrong.  I should've expected this, though.  You two will make a great pair of rulers."

            Kevin grinned.  "Think so?"

            "I know so.  You share many ideals, and those ideals are essential in good rulers."

            "Thanks!"

            Steelheart sighed.  "I have something else to tell you, Kevin.  I think it's time for another election.  I believe you're better for leading the team than I."

            "Oh?  Why do you think that?"

            Steelheart shrugged.  "I just feel it.  We have comparable leadership skills, but you're a heck of a lot younger than I actually am."

            "What's youth got to do with it?"

            "Well, since we have comparable genetic strength, I'd say you because you're more agile than I am.  And your quick thinking seems to rival mine.  Plus, you probably lead half the team anyway.  I mean, you lead the Mario-Team, the N-Team Base, and the Mason-Team as the Main N-Team.  And you do command the base after which the whole team is named."

            Kevin sighed.  "Steelheart, why don't you try better reasoning?"

            "Come on!  Don't you want to lead us?"

            "Steelheart, we chose you as leader by democratic vote.  I voted for you!  Of course, Michael voted for me."

            "Well, Kevin, I voted for you.  You were the one most likely to know about Ludwig and the Brain-Team Base.  You still are."

            "Well, Steelheart, unless you dump it on me, I'm not going to accept your leadership status.  Besides, I rather like this first officer thing."

            "Would you consent to another election?"

            "Steelheart, come on!  What's with you?"

            "Kevin, I feel like I'm failing here!  I mean, how could I neglect to send someone after Windhammer before he did this?"

            He got up, went over to her, and sat in the chair next to hers.  "You're being too hard on yourself, Emily Heart," he said softly, using her birth name.  "We didn't know Windhammer could do this.  At least it's not an utter tragedy, since everyone can be evacuated."

            "Then why do I feel like I just kicked myself in the stomach?" she asked helplessly.

            Kevin sighed.  "I know you how bad you feel.  I can feel it with my telepathy."  Her thoughts were now trying to depress him, but he would not let that happen.  If there were anything he absolutely hated, it was being depressed.

            "Kevin, I. . . I need someone to hug me."

            "Okay," he agreed.  As friends, they hugged each other.  Kevin sent her as much compassion as he could.

            "Kevin, you're such a good friend."

            "Hey, it's okay.  Maybe you could use some time off."

            "-Sigh.-  Affirmative.  Maybe I should.  Would you lead the team until I feel better?"

            "Okay."

            "Would you like to be leader period?"

            "You can't do that, Steelheart.  Only an election can."

            "You have a super chance of winning, Kevin.  Would you like to lead the whole team?"

            "Well, sure.  I just don't want you to give up."

            "It's just. . . the past few days have been extremely stressful on me."  She sighed.  They released each other.  "But thank you, Kevin."

            "Go get some rest, then," Kevin said.  "I'll take care of things."

            "You're a life-saver, my friend."  Suddenly, a light started blinking.  "What?  The Berbils are in trouble."  Another light began blinking, and still more.  "Oh, crap!  Looks like everyone's in trouble!"

            "Steelheart."

            "Yeah.  I'll leave.  I'll just tell everyone to ask you about why I'm going."

            "I need to see 'em all, anyway."

            "Thank you again, Kevin.  I'll put Quicksilver in charge back at the roost."  She left the room.

            * * *

            Wilykit lay breathing deeply on her bed.  Michael definitely was the right guy for her!  The way he touched her proved it.

            Michael had put his clothes back on.  He also loved her touch.  He went back over to her and smiled down at her.  "Still recovering?"

            "The energy keeps spreading through every millimetre of my body," she sighed with wonder.  "How can slow lovemaking be so strong?"

            "Because we have the time to slowly bring each other to climax so that maximum potency is attained," he told her.

            Grinning, she sat up and looked in his eyes.  "I wish we could do it again.  I think I've been intoxicated by your gentle touch."

            Michael actually enjoyed the idea.  He liked the way her smooth skin felt.  However, he knew they did not have time to mess around any more.  "Well, maybe you ought to get dressed."

            Wilykit sighed.  "Yeah.  Would you mind removing the sheets?"

            "Nope."  Wilykit went to put her clothing back on, and Michael started removing the sheets from her bed.  "Does it feel right now to leave?"

            "Not entirely, but this sure got most of my anxiety out.  Michael, doing this, at least with you, is very wonderful for me."

            "I'm glad to hear that, 'Kit."  By now, he had removed the sheets the bed and was folding them.

            Wilykit went over to her brother's bed and began to remove the sheets.  "If my brother shares the instinct I was having, he'll be unhappy that we have to leave."

            "Yeah."  Suddenly, he felt a thought hit his mind. . . not loudly, but just enough so he could notice.  "Kevin needs me."

            "Go ahead, Michael," Wilykit said.  "I'll take care of the shee-. . . oh, you've folded 'em."

            "Yeah.  See you later, 'Kit."

            "See you later."  Michael waved and left.  Wilykit smiled and sighed.  "He is the most wonderful person I have ever known."

            * * *

            Michael stepped into the control room.  "What's up?" he asked cheerily.  "Hey, where's Steelheart?"

            "She's pretty tired," Kevin said.  "She left me in charge."

            "I see."

            Kevin grinned.  "I believe you and Wilykit were engaged in activities most extracurricular," he joked.

            "Well, Kevin, according to her, Thunderians have some mating instinct.  They feel a need to make love in the bedroom they regularly occupy before entering adolescence.  She was honest with me, bro.  I felt it."

            Kevin's expression turned sombre.  "Okay," he said, understanding.  Humans may not have had this need, but his brother was good because he helped satisfy his girlfriend's need.  "Did she enjoy it as much as you did?"

            "I think she enjoyed it even more, big bro.  And I'm not the least bit jealous.  So, is something up?"

            "Yes!  MotherBrain's armies are attacking all over the planet to halt evacuation."

            Michael's eyes widened.  "Then we'd better stop them, ought we not?"

            "Yup."  Kevin sighed.  "But we could use some serious help, so we'd better get the Thunder Cats to help."  He got up and left the room, his brother following behind.  They went to the entryhall, where most of the Thunder Cats were emerging from the warp to the Palace of Power.  "Hey, guys!  How's it going?"

            "Great!" Lion-O replied.  "We've got everything over there now that we're going to take except our persons and what we carry normally on our persons."

            "Good, because I just found out that MotherBrain's monsters are blocking further evacuation by our allies on this world. . . the Berbils, the Warrior Maidens, all of 'em."

            "-Sigh.-  Great.  Can we still call the Silver Hawks, despite Steelheart's current condition?"

            "We sure can, Lion-O, and we sure will!"  He turned to Voyager's senior staff, who was accompanying the Thunder Cats.  "Captain Janeway, if you're at liberty to grant us assistance, it would be welcome, but if not, I suggest you leave now, in case MotherBrain attacks us."

            "I think we've pushed the Prime Directive far enough for one day," Janeway said with regret.  "I'm sorry, but we can't help."

            "I understand, Captain.  Please go to VideoLand now, in that case.  I can't guarantee your safety if you remain here, though I am pretty sure your safety may reach null in a few minutes if you stick around.  It would be a logical course of action."

            Tuvok turned to Janeway.  "Captain, I believe I agree with Kevin."

            Janeway nodded.  "Me, too.  But what will we do while we're there?"

            "Any way to legally pass the time in VideoLand is acceptable.  You can ask Lana."

            "All right.  Thank you, Kevin.  We'll see you later."  The Voyager's senior officers entered the warp to the Palace of Power.

            "So," Tygra said, "MotherBrain is attacking third-Earth during an evacuation.  Attacking VideoLand is bad enough."

            "I agree wholeheartedly," Kevin said.  "This seems to be the lowest she's ever stooped, but don't quote me on that.  Bro, go call Steelwill and ask him to get Quicksilver and bring the Hawks."

            "Sure, Kevin," said Michael, returning quickly to the control room.

            Wilykat said, "Doctor Quick probably won't want me straining my leg.  Mind if I go to the Palace and download the Tower and Lair archives before we set the self-destruct here?"  He knew that Tygra had transferred the Tower of Omens' archives to Cat's Lair before blowing up the Tower.

            "Go ahead, Wilykat," Lion-O said.

            Kevin said, "Do it at MegaMan's station, Wilykat.  Tell him I said it's all right."

            "Yes, Kevin," said Wilykat.  He left.

            "And you, 'Kit?"

            "I am not letting MotherLowlife block everyone's escape, Kevin," Wilykit replied.

            "All right."  He grinned.  "Hey.  How would you like to try a Power Pad and Zapper?"

            Wilykit's eyes widened in pleasant surprise.  "Really?" she asked quietly.  "Sure, if no one disapproves!"

            "Go ahead," Tygra said.  Lion-O nodded in assent.

            "Okay," said Kevin.  "Wilykit, with which hand do you normally take things?"

            "I guess my right hand."

            "All right.  That tells me to get one of my own spare Power Pad belts rather than one of my brother's.  I'll be right back."  He went downstairs and went through the warp to VideoLand.

            * * *

            In the control room, Michael opened a connection with Hawkhaven and said, "Hawkhaven, this is Cat's Lair.  Please respond."

            Steelwill appeared on the screen.  "Hey, Michael," he said.  "What's up?"

            "The big, bad brain has sent her army down to impede the evacuation of all the Thunder Cats' friends, and we could use the Hawks' help in combating her troops."

            "All right.  I'll call Quicksilver, and we'll be over A.S.A.P."

            "Thanks, Steelwill.  See you in a few minutes."

            "See you then," Steelwill said.

            * * *

            Throne Room, Palace of Power, VideoLand.

            Kevin came nearly running into the throne room, surprising everyone.  "Guys, get all the Main N-Team and Darkwing's Justice Ducks in here and warp to Cat's Lair," he instructed.  "MotherBrain is attacking third-Earth."

            "All right, Kevin-icus," Kid Icarus said.

            "I've got to get something, but I'll meet you at the Lair."

            Lana asked, "What about the Mason-Team?"

            "You can leave them out of this, except for the police."

            "Sure thing."

            Kevin ran to the elevator and took it down to the residential floor where his room was located.  He went swiftly to his room and entered.  There, he opened his closet and extracted one of his spare Power Pad belts.  He grinned.  "Full power.  She's going to need it."  He then left and went to his brother's room.  They had been teaching Lana a bit about the Power Pad and Zapper, so Kevin decided to borrow one of Michael's spares, since Lana was left-handed.  Even in VideoLand, Michael's neatness outweighed his brother's.  The younger brother's spares were all hanging neatly in an area of the closet.  Kevin shook his head in admiration as he extracted one of the belts.  He noted that this one, too, was at full power, so he closed the door and ran out of the room, back to the elevator.

            * * *

            Up in the Throne Room, Wilykat was well on his way to getting the files copied.  When the elevator door opened and Kevin ran out, Wilykat called, "Hey!  What's up with the spare Power Pads?"

            Kevin grinned.  "Your sister wants to try one."

            Wilykat grimaced.  "Ouch," he said.  "And just when Quicksilver doesn't want me exerting myself."

            Kevin laughed.  "Hey, don't worry.  Dr. Light can make as many as we need, and you can try one in a few days."

            "Yeah."

            "Well, good luck, 'Kat."

            "You, too, Kevin."

            * * *

            Bridge of the Enterprise-Effugium, near third-Earth, Delta Quadrant.

            Commander Will Riker sat in the command chair on the bridge.  Next to him, Wesley sat as first officer.  Technically, that should have been Data, but Wesley was just as able, and he currently held the rank of Lieutenant Commander.  He had been Captain, but he lowered his own rank a couple of levels upon returning to Starfleet Academy.  His academy studies were now over.

            Riker was basically responsible for how the ship and crew functioned, for Wilykit was the one really in charge.  Thunderians and Starfleet comprised much of the ship's crew.

            Wilykit stood at Ops, reading Data's information as the android worked.  She sighed.  "Well, it's true," she announced.  "Windhammer has catalysed the inevitable destruction of third-Earth. . . that is, of the planet's life-supporting abilities."

            "Damn," Riker softly exclaimed.  "I don't think the Voyager's officers are responsible except on the most superficial level, by simply being here.  They couldn't know how eager these villains would be to snatch their ship.  I wouldn't accuse them of breaking the Prime Directive.  They initiated contact, after all, with a technologically advanced people."

            "True," Wilykit said.  "But our job is merely to stop our enemies.  We're to obey a similar directive, after all."

            Wesley sighed.  "I'd love to just snap my fingers and save that world."

            "Don't worry, Wes.  Those villains are going to get theirs, I believe."

            Watching tactical, Worf said, "It appears that this universe's N-Team is all warping to Cat's Lair."

            "All right," said Wilykit.  "Keep an eye on the Warbird, Worf.  We have good reason not to trust Ludwig."

            "Certainly," Worf agreed.

            Data said, "Wilykit, the Enterprise-E of this universe is approaching the gate around this section of space."

            "Okay," Wilykit said.  "Please keep an eye on it, then."

            "Yes, ma'am."

            Worf said, "Wilykit!  Metroid is warping to New Thundera!"

            Wilykit came around to look.  "Uh, oh.  I don't like this.  Voyager is on New Thundera now.  Drat."

            * * *

            Conference Room, Cat's Lair.

            Much of the N-Team had gathered in the conference room of Cat's Lair, which was now empty of all decorations.  The Thunder Cats had efficiently removed everything from the Lair that could be moved.  Kevin addressed them.  "First item of business," he announced.  "Poor Steelheart is feeling a little under the weather, so I'm going to be leader until she gets to feeling better."

            Darkwing Duck felt happy about Kevin being leader.  He had voted for Kevin.  Plus, he was not too crazy about Steelheart, but at least everyone got along quite well.

            "Now, the more urgent and important matter.  As you all probably know by now, Dr. Wily knows how to defy our dimension-shifting system now.  Windhammer has caused irreparable damage to the atmosphere of third-Earth by causing anticlimatic weather all over the globe.  Everyone's trying to evacuate within the next twenty-three hours because after that, the planet will not be habitable.  However, MotherBrain has sent troops down to keep people from leaving.  The Thunder Cats have successfully moved everything to the Palace of Power except the computers, and Wilykat is working at the Palace to get all the data copied from here to there.  The Thunder Cats will be staying there until they get a new lair constructed on New Thundera."  Dr. Light raised his right hand.  "Yes, Doc?"

            "What about the phase field emitter?" Light asked.  "That has to stay in this quadrant of our region of the galaxy, unless you plan to shut them down.  I would not advise leaving the emitter here to be blown up by the Lair's self-destruct, under any circumstances.  Chances are that we wouldn't be harmed, but I'm concerned that there's too much of a chance that we could be harmed."

            "Then we'll shut down the emitters," Kevin said.  "They're not able to keep the Brain-Team apart anymore, anyway."

            "Wilykat can mega-shut down the emitters at once from his present location," MegaMan said.  "He knows mega-enough about the computers to do it himself."

            "All right.  Michael, you already know what I want to do.  Could you go tell Wilykat to shut down the emitters, please?"

            His brother nodded.  "Sure, Kev."  Michael left the room.

            "All right, everyone," Kevin said.  "We must stop MotherBrain's monsters and let everyone evacuate.  However, I should like a few of you to volunteer to accompany Michael, who will be going to arrest Windhammer, Liquidator, and Chilla.  And we have to dish it out this time without holding back.  If we relent too much, MotherBrain's powerful monsters will win.  So, who'll go after Windy, Chilla, and Liquie with Michael?  My decision is the one that counts.  If no one volunteers, I'll have to draft, and I hate drafting."

            Wilykit raised her hand.  "I will," she said.

            "All right.  Who else?"

            "I'll go with them," Steelwill said.

            "All right.  Does anyone else wish to go?"

            "I will," Darkwing Duck said.

            "Okay, Darkwing.  Any optional volunteers?"

            MegaMan rose his hand.  "Yeah.  I'll mega-go," the robot said.

            "Very well.  Wilykit, Steelwill, Darkwing, and MegaMan, after this meeting, you go with Michael to Ecuador.  The rest of us will split up and go after MotherBrain's critters.  Lion-O, you head the Thunder Cats to the Berbil Village.  Quicksilver, you go take the Silver Hawks to the Warrior Maidens' tree-top kingdom.  GizmoDuck, head the Justice Ducks to the Wolos' village.  I'll head the Mario-Team and the N-Team Base to the Bulkans' territory.  Everyone must be extremely careful when dealing with MotherBrain's army.  I don't know whether she'd send any Metroids.  Probably not for this kind of operation, but I cannot say for certain.  All right.  Thunder Cats, Justice Ducks, you probably need more numbers to fight the brain's monsters.  Samus, how about you accompany the Justice Ducks?"

            "All right," Samus agreed.

            "Lieutenant Tragg, Lieutenant Anderson, and Sergeant Brice, please join the Thunder Cats.  Lieutenant Drumm, please accompany the Justice Ducks."

            "Yes, sir," agreed Lieutenant Tragg, speaking for himself and for his comrades.

            Kevin told Wilykit, "Michael will show you how to operate your new weapon, Wilykit."

            "Okay, Kevin," Wilykit replied.

            "When you guys get done," Kevin told Wilykit, Steelwill, MegaMan, and Darkwing, "join the Thunder Cats.  Michael knows what I want you to do, so you don't have to explain the plan to him."  Wilykit nodded.

            "Got it, Kevin."

            * * *

            Throne Room, Palace of Power, VideoLand, Delta Quadrant.

            Michael went over to Wilykat.  "Hey, 'Kat," he greeted.

            "Hi, Michael," Wilykat said.  "What's up?"

            "Kevin decided to drop the phase shifting."

            Wilykat sighed.  "Can't blame him."

            "He'd like you to shut off the devices."

            "Okay."  Wilykat minimised the window he had been using and pulled up the control programming for the four devices.

            "I think I'd better go."

            "Wait, Michael.  I want to discuss something for a moment."

            "All right."

            "It's Wilykit.  Why did you make love with her in there?"

            "Because she said she felt like doing it.  She said she was driven by some sort of instinct."

            "Oh, I see.  You weren't taking advantage of it?"

            "No.  I'm not that kind of guy, Wilykat."

            "Glad to hear it."

            "If it makes you feel better, I made sure she felt good."

            "That's even better.  What meaning did it have for you, if any?"

            "Making her feel loved in a very special way.  I'd never intentionally try to hurt her, Wilykat."

            "I know that.  Otherwise, I'd never leave you alone with her.  I trust you, Michael."

            "Why are you asking me, then, about my activities with Wilykit?"

            Wilykat grinned.  "I just want to know.  My curiosity is the most uncontrollable part of my nature."

            "Aha!  That is quite understandable.  Well, I'd better go.  I'm going to bring in Windhammer."

            "Will someone go with you?"

            "A few volunteers.  The rest will sock it to MotherBrain's monsters."

            "Okay.  Good luck, my friend!"

            "You too," Michael agreed.  "See you later."

            Wilykat grinned.  "Later, dude!"  Michael grinned back as he left.  Wilykat set to his task of shutting off the phase field generators.

            * * *

            Cat's Lair, third-Earth, Delta Quadrant.

            Michael came through the warp in the entryhall just as the N-Team was getting ready to leave.  Kevin stepped down to him.  "I told your group what to do," Kevin said.

            Michael nodded.  "Okay, bro.  Good luck."

            "Good luck, Michael."  Kevin shook hands with his brother, then led the N-Team Base through a warp to the Bulkans' territory.  Quicksilver followed, leading the Silver Hawks through a warp to the Warrior Maidens' treetop kingdom.  GizmoDuck led the Justice Ducks through a warp to the Wolos' region.  The Thunder Cats and the cops who joined them entered the warp to the Berbil Village.

            Wilykit, Steelwill, MegaMan, and Darkwing approached Michael.  "Hey, good-lookin'," Wilykit said.

            "Hello, beautiful," Michael replied, grinning.  "You're my group?"

            "Yes, Michael," Steelwill replied.

            "Good.  Let's go apprehend Windy Ninnyhammer."  He led the way through a warp to Ecuador.

            * * *

            Windhammer was having entirely too much fun.  Liquidator and Chilla were watching nearby.  "At this rate," Liquidator said, "the whole world will be uninhabitable within a day!  Ha, ha!"

            "A very cold thing to do," Chilla commented, grinning.

            Windhammer laughed.  "These pitiful third-Earthlings have yet to see true meteorological mayhem!  Watch!"  He banged his Tuning Fork's prongs on the ground and increased the intensity of his storms.

            "Ooh, yes!" Liquidator said.  "This is guaranteed to chase everyone off the planet. . . everyone that MotherBrain will permit to leave, that is!  Ha, ha, ha!"

            A warp opened, admitting Michael, Wilykit, Steelwill, MegaMan, and Darkwing to Ecuador.  "What a storm!" Darkwing exclaimed.

            "Ha, ha, thank you!" Windhammer said.

            Wilykit commanded, "Put down your Tuning Fork, Windhammer.  Your storms have caused irreparable damage to the atmosphere already.  Within twenty-three hours, no one will be able to live on this planet for thousands of years."

            "That is the point, Thunder Kitten!" Chilla said.  She blasted a freezing ray at Wilykit.

            "Press the A button!" Michael shouted.  Wilykit did and leapt high in the air and avoided Chilla's freeze-ray.  Then, the Thunder Kitten grabbed her Zapper and stunned Chilla with a perfectly aimed shot.  When she landed, she slapped a high-five with Michael.  "All right!"

            Liquidator growled as he approached the good guys.  "The Brain-Team is the superior brand," he said irately.

            "Not anymore," said Darkwing smugly.  He fired a cement capsule into Liquidator's body, but his body threw out the cement.  "What!?"

            "The Liquidator brand can survive any smear campaign, Darkwing."

            "How about a cold reception?" MegaMan asked.  He shot Liquidator with an IceRay blast.

            "Yaah!  Do not refreeze!"  Liquidator froze solid.

            "Put down that Tuning Fork, Windhammer!" Steelwill commanded.  "Or reverse the effects of your weather."

            "I have a better idea," said Michael.  "Windy, undo the weather damage you did, or we'll haul you off to spend the rest of your days in jail."

            "Can't do it, can you?" Darkwing asked smugly.

            "I damn well can!" Windhammer snapped.  "Watch!"  He banged his Fork again, but then it vibrated too much.  "Oh, no!  The complete reversal of instructions. . . aah!"  He threw the fork away before it violently shattered due to the vibrations.  "No!  Now look what you've made me do, bird-brain!  This has halved the time to the global deoxygenation of third-Earth's atmosphere!"

            Michael's eyes widened.  "Oh, crud!  Steelwill, Darkwing, MegaMan, take these three to Bedlama Jail.  Wilykit and I will go on to the Berbils' Village.  You guys come along when you've finished."

            "Mega-roger, Commander N," MegaMan replied.

            As Steelwill grabbed him, Windhammer snapped, "Hey!  Why am I not free to go?"

            "You committed crimes, buster," Steelwill said.  "You're under arrest.  Do you know your rights?"

            "I darn well do!  I hear them every week, it seems."

            "Good."

            "You will pay for this!" Liquidator promised angrily.

            Grinning, Michael extracted a silver-pound coin from his pocket and put it in Liquidator's frozen hand.  "Here ya go!  Keep it for your lawyer fees!  Ha, ha!  All right, guys.  Have a nice stay in jail."  Michael poured some of a warp formula on the ground to open a warp to Bedlama Jail, and Steelwill, Darkwing, and MegaMan respectively took Windhammer, Liquidator, and Chilla through the warp.  Michael sighed.  "Wilykit, this isn't good."

            "It'll be better if we don't dawdle," she said.  "I seriously want to kiss you, but we don't have time."

            "So do I, but no, we don't."  He poured more of the formula on the ground to open a small warp to the Berbil Village, and he and Wilykit jumped in.

            * * *

            The pair emerged behind a bush near the village.  "Brr!" Wilykit said, shivering.  "It's cold!"

            "Darn," Michael said, feeling the intense chill.  He took his Zapper.  "If it's that cold to you, it'll be torture for me."  He set it to its Varia setting and shot Wilykit and then himself.  "Ah!  Lucky us.  The Varia works to counteract cold as well as heat."

            "But the other Thunder Cats are here!  We have to help them!"

            "Yeah!"  The two ran towards the village.

            They readily saw their friends.  They were trying to fight some of MotherBrain's monsters, but it was clear that they were suffering from the cold snap that Windhammer had inflicted.  Plus, these Norfairian monsters had natural shielding that protected them from cold as well as heat.  Holtzes and Geegas were successfully evading the freezing heroes' attacks and keeping the Berbils from escaping.  Wilykit and Michael were both enraged at what these villainous creatures were doing.  They both drew their Zappers and charged into the area.  "All right, monsters!" Wilykit shouted.  "Depart immediately!"

            The Holtzes and Geegas laughed.  "You idiots will regret that," Michael snapped.  He and Wilykit ferociously attacked, blasting most of MotherBrain's monsters before they got on their guard, and by the time the last few were ready to retaliate, it was too late for them.  Michael and Wilykit blasted all the monsters to video-dust.

            Lion-O, shivering violently, called, "It's about time!  We're freezing!"

            Michael said, "We'll take care of that.  Let's hit our friends with the Varia setting, Wilykit."

            "Yes," Wilykit agreed.  She and Michael set their Zappers to the Varia setting and shot all the Thunder Cats and cops that were there.

            "Whew!" Lion-O exclaimed.  "Thanks!"

            Robear-Berbil Bill came up to them.  "Thank you.  Most of us will reach the warp, but some monsters are in the fields, blocking other Berbils!"

            Michael said, "They'll be all right, Berbil Bill.  We'll take care of them.  You'd best leave now."

            "Thank you, Michael Keene."  The Berbils left through the warp to New Thundera with everything they could carry.

            Michael led towards the fields.  "We have a serious problem, guys," he reported.  "Thanks to Darkwing's taunting, Windy attempted to correct these weather conditions, but he destroyed his Tuning Fork doing that, and now we have half the amount of time."

            "Holy Jaga," Lion-O exclaimed softly.  "Since you're familiar with these enemies, Michael, you're in charge here."

            As they approached the fields, they saw that MotherBrain's monsters were blocking the escape of the Berbils.  "Yo, monsters!" Michael called.  The monsters turned to look at him.  "Run back home to MotherBrain, or you'll regret it."

            A baritone voice laughed back at him.  Ridley (actually, a clone of him) emerged from the crowd of monsters.  "Well, Michael Keene!  You think I'd be likely to relent because of you?  Ha!"

            "Well, if it isn't MotherBrain's pet dragon!"  Michael drew his Zapper.  "Or, rather, some cheap facsimile of him."

            "Ha, ha!  You're pretty good, but you shall soon see that I am not cheap."  He blew his blazing hot breath at Michael, who used his Power Pad to leap out of the way.

            While in the air, Michael aimed his Zapper at Ridley and fired off a blast.  His aim was good, but Ridley leapt out of the way, and the beam instead hit the Geega that Ridley was standing near.  Quickly, before Michael could react, Ridley blasted the human's chest nearly point-blank with a fireball from his throat.  "Aah!" Michael cried on his way down.

            "No!" Wilykit screamed.  She caught the human before he crashed and retained her balance.  "Michael Keene!  Speak to me!"

            Ridley, flying above, cruelly laughed, "Ha, ha!  That was too hot for him to handle, Thunder Kitten."

            Wilykit gently handed Michael's inactive body to Lieutenant Tragg and turned furiously to the clone.  "Why, you damned son of a bitch!" she screamed in utter rage. . . rage of such magnitude that a Thunderian would normally get when learning of the murder of a twin, not of the severe injury of an Amoro Eternamente.  Using her natural leg strength, she leapt up in front of him and blasted him point blank with her Zapper at its highest setting.

            "Yaaah!" screamed the evil dragon clone.  It fell to the ground and exploded into video-dust.

            Wilykit landed, still extremely angry.  "Beat it now!!" she shouted at the monsters who were there.  Extremely frightened by her display, they turned and ran to their warp to Metroid.

            Lion-O softly began, "Wilykit, what you said. . ."

            Wilykit whirled.  "Excuse me!" she shouted, still infuriated.  "That monster harmed my Amoro Eternamente, so I have a right to be angry!"

            Tragg said, "He's not breathing.  We need to take him to a doctor."

            "Take him to the hospital, Lieutenant," Lion-O said.

            Steelwill, Darkwing, and MegaMan entered the scene.  "Hey, guys," Steelwill said.  "I. . . ah, what happened to Michael?"

            "A clone of Ridley just did harm to him," Tragg said.  "MegaMan, could I have a warp to the hospital?"

            "Mega-sure," MegaMan said.  He opened the warp, and Tragg took Michael through.

            "Let's go help the Main N-Team," Wilykit said.  MegaMan opened a warp to the Bulkans' region of third-Earth, and the group went through.

            * * *

            The Bulkans' region was now extremely warm, making it very uncomfortable for the woolly Bulkans, who were diminutive sheep-like humanoids.  They had all their possessions gathered, but thanks to a nasty group of Geegas and Space Pirates, they could not escape.

            The heat adversely affected all the N-Team except Kevin, Lana, Link, and Kid Icarus, and they were beginning to suffer, too.  "Man," Kevin said.  "If they would just relent for a few seconds, I'd shoot us with the Varia."

            Link was sweating heavily.  "This heat is too much for anyone," he complained.  "Worse than any desert."

            A shot caught Lana's left shoulder.  "Yaah!" she screamed, dropping her Zapper.

            "Lana!" Kevin exclaimed.  The advancing Space Pirates were firing laser beams from their eyes.  "You okay?"

            "Oww!  I will be.  The laser just grazed my skin."

            Kevin snatched up her Zapper and fired two-handed at the opposition.  The pirates were closing in quickly.  "Blast," he softly exclaimed.  He was sweating way too much now.  He knew he would pass out soon without the Varia.  He handed Lana's Zapper to her right hand.  "Shoot us with the Varia now!"

            "Okay."  She set the Zapper and shot all three of the guys, then herself.

            A warp opened, and Wilykit, MegaMan, Darkwing, Steelwill, and the Thunder Cats emerged.  Immediately, Wilykit began firing down the monsters with aggression that no one had ever seen in her before.

            She only got to destroy a fourth of MotherBrain's beasts, however.  The rest became terrified of her and fled for the nearest warp to Metroid.  Kevin turned to her.  "Wilykit, what's gotten into you?" he asked.

            "What's it to you?" she snapped.  "Come on!"

            "It's important to me because you're my friend and my brother's girlfriend.  What's wrong?"

            Wilykit gulped and started backing away.  "Ke-. . . Kevin, I don't really think you want to know right now."

            Kevin sensed that it had something to do with his brother.  "If it concerns Michael, then you had better tell me."

            "Kevin. . ."  She stopped, unable to continue.

            Kevin tried to control himself, but it was getting difficult.  "Wilykit, tell me!" he said, barely managing to keep himself from shouting.

            Lion-O began, "There was. . ."

            "I want Wilykit to tell me," Kevin interrupted.

            Wilykit screamed, "No!"  Then she ran away.

            "Hey!" Kevin shouted.  Lana grabbed his arm and held him back when he tried to go after Wilykit.  "Let me go!"

            "Kevin, don't," Lana said.  "What happened has obviously hurt her very deeply.  Give her time."

            Kevin yanked his arm from her grip.  "I'm going to hurt her, too, unless she tells me what's happened to Michael!" he shouted, furious.  Link pinched a nerve on his shoulder, and the human became unconscious.

            "Link!  Why in all VideoLand. . ."

            "We have no time for this!" Link snapped.  "I'd ordinarily let this play out, but we have to go help the others!"

            "Just a moment."  She turned to Lieutenant Anderson.  "Just what happened, Lieutenant?"

            "MotherBrain had sent a clone of Ridley to the Berbil Village, along with some other of her assorted monsters," Anderson reported.  "When he fired a fireball at Michael, Michael used his Power Pad to leap into the air.  In the air, Michael fired his Zapper at Ridley, who took off into the air to avoid the blast, and before Michael could react, Ridley shot him nearly point-blank with a fireball.  Wilykit caught him before he crashed."

            Lana gasped and put her hands over her mouth.  "Then why didn't Wilykit feel like telling us?" she asked quietly.

            "She feels guilty about the whole thing.  Michael wasn't breathing when Lieutenant Tragg took him back to VideoLand.  In a fit of rage, Wilykit destroyed the Ridley clone."

            Cheetara sighed.  "It's only reasonable to say that I believe she's in shock."

            "Well, we really need Kevin's help," Lana said.  "But don't anyone tell him this until after the battles are over."  Everyone nodded.

            Link stood Kevin up and squeezed contact points guaranteed to awaken him.  "Ooh. . . where. . . Link!  Why in heck did you knock me out?"

            "We don't have time for you to run off, too, while we need you," Lana told him.  "You were a bit hard on Wilykit, you know."

            Kevin sighed sadly.  "It's just the thought of any harm coming to Michael.  But she'd better tell me herself what happened after we're through here.  Let's. . ."

            The Bulkan leader came up to them.  "Oh, thank you, N-Team!" he said with gratitude.

            "Any time," Kevin replied, speaking for the entire group.

            "Now, we shall all be able to escape.  We'll see you on New Thundera, Thunder Cats."

            "See you there," Lion-O said.  The leader of the Bulkans went to join his people, as the Bulkans entered the warp to New Thundera single-file.

            Kevin said, "Let's wake up everyone, shoot them with the Varia ray, and go see how the Justice Ducks are doing."

            * * *

            The hot snap in the Wolos' seaside village was too warm for their comfort, as were the Holtzes, Geegas, and Space Pirates that MotherBrain had sent.  Of course, the heat had little effect on Samus because of her suit, and she used a Varia ray on the Justice Ducks and Lieutenant Drumm.  Still, her weapons were the most effective in knocking down MotherBrain's monsters.  However, the monsters were coming on too strongly for even her to blast them all.  The others helped as best they could, but most of their weapons were not enough.

            A warp opened, and the N-Team members who were in Bulkan territory entered this region.  "It's hot here, too!" Darkwing snapped.

            Kevin and Lana drew their Zappers.  "Looks like you guys could use a hand," he said.

            "No fooling," Samus said.  "Shoot away."  Kevin, Lana, and MegaMan shot down the army of monsters, noting that these monsters seemed more numerous than they had been anywhere else.  All of these heroes fighting at once soon depleted MotherBrain's army sufficiently, and the remainder retreated to the nearest warp to Metroid.  "Running back home to Mother Inferior.  Really pathetic."

            The Wolo mayor came to them.  He was an excellent example of the diminutive walrus-like humanoid species.  "How can we thank you enough?" he asked gratefully.

            Kevin shook hands with the mayor.  "No thanks are necessary, Your Honour.  We're just doing our job."

            "And quite admirably, I must say.  Thank you, N-Team."

            "Were these all the monsters?"

            "As far as I can tell."

            Kevin took his tricorder and turned slowly around.  "None of MotherBrain's critters for kilometres."

            "Good.  Well, I shall rejoin my people now.  See you on New Thundera, Thunder Cats."

            "Make yourselves at home," Lion-O said.  The Wolo mayor joined his people, who were warping to New Thundera.  "Well, shall we see how the Silver Hawks are doing?"

            "Yeah," Kevin said.

            * * *

            The Silver Hawks were lacking the two in their numbers who had more experience with MotherBrain's monsters.  Indeed, Steelheart had kept them from being destroyed on many occasions when Mon*Star had reproduced a very good combination of the worlds from Metroid and Metroid II in the depths of Brim*Star.  Steelwill had played the Metroid games some, and while he had not played enough to become nearly as good as his sister, he could hold his own pretty well.  None of the others had any real experience despite their private little war with the monsters in the caverns of Brim*Star.  Still, they were doing pretty well.  MotherBrain had sent countless Rios and Holtzes, who could fly and were thus the best choice to terrorise the Warrior Maidens.  The maidens had attempted to destroy these monsters, but throwing rocks and shooting plain arrows did little harm to the creatures.  Plus, it was freezing in the Treetop Kingdom, making it very uncomfortable for the warm-natured, lightly-clad Warrior Maidens.

            The Silver Hawks were quite in their element with these enemies, however.  Their jet propulsion gave them an edge over the invading monsters, and their lasers were quite effective.  Stargazer and Bluegrass rode on Stargazer's flying motorcycle, since neither of them could fly under their own power.  (Meanwhile, they were wondering when Steelheart and Steelwill were going to find time to give them their own built-in flying apparati.)

            The N-Team could see that the Silver Hawks had everything well in hand.  Of course, Kevin, Lana, MegaMan, and Samus wanted to help, so MegaMan charged up Kevin and Lana's Power Pads.  MegaMan called his dog, Rush, to turn to a jet sled so he could fly around and shoot down enemies.  Thanks to a Space Jump addition to her suit, Samus could jump in mid-air during a Spin Jump, as long as she did not get too far below the height of the previous jump.  And it helped to zigzag.  The Space Jump had almost made her sick the first time she had to use it, but she got used to it.  She also used the Screw Attack addition, which obliterated any enemies she contacted during a Spin Jump.  Kevin and Lana relied heavily on their Power Pads.  They stuck together, in case Lana needed Kevin's help with the Power Pad.  Steelwill also joined in the fight.

            These monsters did not seem as willing to retreat as the previous armies.  Everyone other than the Silver Hawks, Kevin, Lana, MegaMan, and Samus fought when they could, but this was not often.  It was just a long fight for those involved.  When Kevin and Lana returned to the ground after they had destroyed the last of the monsters, they had nearly depleted their Power Pad energy.

            All the Warrior Maidens came to the ground with their possessions after the entire N-Team had landed.  Willa, the leader, said, "Thank you.  Please forgive us for not staying much longer, but it is rather cold."

            "Of course, Queen Willa," Lana said.  She was quite pleased to note that Kevin did not leer at the beautiful and shapely Warrior Maidens.  Of course, Lana herself was also beautiful and shapely, if she did say so herself.  The Warrior Maidens took the warp to New Thundera.

            Lion-O said, "Let's get back to Cat's Lair, guys.  We need to see if MotherBrain sent any more monsters down here."

            * * *

            Control Room, Metroid, New Thundera.

            MotherBrain was most displeased at her monsters' lack of success.  "Looks like I should send more powerful monsters for tasks such as this," she mused aloud.  "That blasted N-Team!"

            Ludwig said, "Well, at least the Ridley clone got Michael."

            "Oh, that kid could've survived that blast.  And if survival is even remotely possible, heroes will most likely survive.  I sometimes think they have more luck than skill.  Well, now, let's see about finding Voyager, shall we?"

            * * *

            Conference Room, Cat's Lair.

            The Thunder Cats had completed their search.  "Well, there are no more of MotherBrain's monsters here," Lion-O said.

            "Well, then," Kevin said, "where's Wilykit?"

            Lion-O frowned.  "Kevin. . ."

            "I'm not going to cause her any harm, Lion-O.  I'm past that point."

            "Should I tell you what happened?"

            "Thank you, but no.  I want her to get up the courage to tell me herself."

            "All right, Kevin."  He entered the parameters to search for Wilykit.  "In the woods just south of the Bulkans' village."

            "May I have a warp?"

            "Sure."  He caused a warp to open next to him.

            Lana said, "Kevin, I'd like to come with you."

            "Okay," Kevin agreed.  He and Lana stepped through the warp.

            Quicksilver asked, "What is that about?"

            "Ridley had a clone of himself at the Berbil Village," Lion-O said.  "He shot a fireball at Michael, which the latter avoided by using his Power Pad.  Michael shot a blast from his Zapper at Ridley, who jumped into the air.  Nearly point-blank, Ridley blasted Michael with a fireball that Michael could not avoid in time.  Wilykit caught Michael and handed him to Lieutenant Tragg, and then she leapt into the air and shot the stuffing out of Ridley.  In terror, the remaining monsters retreated.  Then, she ran away when Kevin asked about this incident.  He still doesn't know what happened to Michael."

            Quicksilver stood.  "Where's Michael now?"

            "The Palace Hospital.  Tragg took him there."

            "Thanks."  He turned to Steelwill.  "You're in charge of the Hawks, Will."

            "Sure thing, Quick," Steelwill replied as Quicksilver quickly departed.

            Wilykat ran in just a moment later, extremely concerned. "What happened to Michael?"  He looked around.  "And where's Wilykit?"

            Lion-O asked, "Don't you have something to do?"

            "Let's see.  I've shut down the phase emitters, and I've copied all the data from the computers here."

            "Good."

            "Lion-O, is something wrong?"

            "Wilykat, please give me a chance."

            "Wait!  Where is my sister?"

            Tygra stood up.  "Calm down, Wilykat," he told the young Thunder Cat.

            "I want to know where my sister is!"

            Tygra stepped over to him.  "Wilykat," he said quietly and calmly, "please."

            Wilykat looked into his eyes and sighed.  "I guess I'm too temperamental," he said, ashamed.

            "Not as temperamental as your sister can be," Steelwill commented.  "Or mine."  Abruptly, he regretted saying that.

            More calmly now, Wilykat asked, "Where is she, anyway?"

            "She's out in the forest near the Bulkans' territory," MegaMan said.

            "Is it about whatever happened to Michael?"

            "Yes," Tygra said.

            "Give me a warp.  I want to go see her."

            Lion-O asked, "Don't you want to know what happened?"

            "I'm sure she'll tell me."

            "Well, she already has to explain to Kevin."

            Wilykat's eyes widened.  "Kevin doesn't know?"

            "He didn't until he and Lana left just now."

            "I see.  I want to help her.  Please, Lion-O?"

            Lion-O sighed and reopened the warp.  "Here you go."

            "Thanks!"  Wilykat ran through.