by Comickook
Having leaped through the portal to the fourth dimension after Alley-Kat-Abra, Captain Carrot instead found himself smack dab in the middle of the Z-Building on Earth-C. Before he could make sense out of the unexpected diversion, which he suspected may have been caused by one of Katastrophe’s blasts, he spotted the nefarious Ultra-Rabbit, his dastardly doppelgänger, squeezing the life out of Big Cheese.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Captain Carrot silently sprang into action. He launched himself at Ultra-Rabbit with a spectacular double-kick, the kind that would have made any cat-fu master envious. Just as intended, the impact sent Ultra-Rabbit tumbling through the air like a furry boomerang, releasing his grip on the gasping Big Cheese.
As Big Cheese lay there, panting and grateful, Captain Carrot followed up with a haymaker so mighty it would’ve knocked the spots off a leopard. Yet, despite the power behind his punch, the Captain winced; his feet and paw ached with the effort. He’s got my toughness and Super-Squirrel’s invulnerability, he reminded himself, watching Ultra-Rabbit rise with a grin that was all teeth and no charm.
Ultra-Rabbit, brushing off his villainous vest, sneered at his heroic mirror image. “Well, well, so the Bunny Scout has finally come out to play,” he mocked. With a flick of his ears, he unleashed a barrage of rapid-fire heat-vision blasts, melting the floor beneath Captain Carrot’s feet and forcing him to play a real-life game of the floor is lava. “Let’s see how tough you are when you’ve lost the element of surprise.”
Captain Carrot hopped and dodged, the heat nipping at his heels. “You’ll need more than parlor tricks to best me, you floppy-eared fiend!” he retorted, his voice a blend of bravado and bemusement as he hopped for his life. Still, despite his bravado, he wondered if he might be outmatched by his evil counterpart.
***
In the bustling metropolis of Mew Orleans on Earth-Reverse-C, a group of peculiar heroes were embroiled in a confrontation that would make any funnybook aficionado’s whiskers twitch with excitement. The Crash, a speedster faster than lightning, whisked Green Lambkin and the Martian Anteater away from the destructive path of Siren Belle’s sonic onslaught.
Meanwhile, the nocturnal knight called Batmouse deftly looped his unbreakable bat-line around Siren Belle’s beak, thwarting her next vocal volley. But just as she prepared to unleash the fury of her yellow power gauntlets, Super-Squirrel, with his laser-like gaze, short-circuited her plans with a zap of his heat-vision.
And just as Miss Drake, with a telekinetic flick, shrugged off Batmouse’s well-tied bat-line, she found herself ensnared once more — this time by the magic lasso of Wonder Wabbit. The heroine’s voice was firm, her command irrefutable. “Halt your havoc, sister!”
Samantha Drake, bound by the lasso’s compelling charm, ceased her assault, her powers nullified. “Why did you attack Green Lambkin and the Martian Anteater?” inquired Wonder Wabbit, her ears perked with curiosity.
“Well, I thought one of them was Swanky Poodle, and for all I know, one of them could still be that poodle in disguise,” Samantha replied, her voice tinged with suspicion and a hint of desperation. “Upon Swanky’s untimely demise, a time capsule is supposed to automatically dispatch to certain law-enforcement authorities that would expose the rest of the Nasty Menagerie’s weaknesses, enabling their swift capture, along with enough evidence to put them away for the rest of their miserable lives. Doctor Hoot is too noble to simply end that she-sadist’s life, even if it means we could defeat the Menagerie once and for all. As his laboratory assistant, I am privy to all of his inventions and intel, which I was using to help liberate our world from their clutches. Perhaps, if I can free the world for Hoot, we could finally be together,” she confessed, her voice trailing off into a dreamy sigh.
Wonder Wabbit stood resolute, her magic lasso glowing with a power that compelled honesty in even the most secretive of hearts. “You’re in love with this world’s Doctor Hoot, aren’t you?” she inquired, her voice tinged with both empathy and authority.
Samantha Drake, ensnared by the lasso’s unyielding embrace, nodded, her eyes reflecting a mix of defiance and devotion. “With every fiber of my being. He’s the epitome of bravery, kindness, and high ideals — the likes of which I’ve never before encountered,” she confessed, her voice a soft melody of admiration.
Batmouse, his ears perked with interest, interjected with a detective’s precision. “Fascinating as your heart’s tale is, let’s circle back to your role as his lab assistant, Miss…?”
“Drake. Samantha Drake,” she affirmed, her name rolling off her tongue with a hint of pride. “Indeed, I am his closest companion, at least in the lab.”
Wonder Wabbit’s eyes narrowed, her mind as sharp as the ears atop her head. “Then you possess the knowledge of where Hoot’s laboratory is. By the compelling force of this lasso, you shall guide us there,” she commanded, her words leaving no room for disobedience.
As the lasso’s influence held firm, Earth-Reverse-C’s Siren Belle could do nothing but exhale a resigned sigh. In anticipation of the trip there, Batmouse and the Crash finished reviving Green Lambkin and Martian Anteater, helping them to their feet.
***
In the fourth dimension, where the laws of physics were as bendable as a contortionist at a circus, Alley-Kat-Abra and her nemesis, Katastrophe, were locked in a ballet of blows and banter.
Alley-Kat-Abra, with the grace of a feline and the speed of a hare, dodged a vicious kick from Katastrophe, countering with a roundhouse that sent shockwaves through the air. The impact was a symphony of force, the kind that would make an ordinary villain sing soprano for a week. But Katastrophe, with the reflexes and endurance of Superbunny coursing through her veins, bounced back with the tenacity of a bad habit.
The battle raged on, a dance of yin and yang, as Alley-Kat-Abra summoned her mystical might to shatter the constricting bonds of energy that Katastrophe had craftily conjured. With a burst of adrenaline strong enough to power a small city, Alley delivered a sweep kick that toppled her foe like a domino in a stiff breeze.
As Katastrophe struggled to rise, Abra’s fist met her jaw with the subtlety of a freight train, courtesy of her magically enhanced reflexes. It was then that the golden lariat at Katastrophe’s side suddenly began a serpentine dance around her, binding her as effectively as a promise on a pinky.
“Well, ah do declare that li’l ole magic rope oughtta hold that mystic meanie for awhile,” drawled a voice dripping with Southern charm. “Ah’m just surprised ah didn’t think of it sooner.”
Alley-Kat-Abra’s gaze snapped to the source of the voice, finding none other than Samantha Drake, the Siren Belle herself, standing with a smirk that could curdle milk. “Well, ah bet y’all’re wondering what ah’m doing here, instead o’ restin’ mah heels back in Sting Sting, eh, Miss Abra?” she quipped, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
“The thought did cross my mind,” Abra conceded, her voice a tightrope walk between ire and calm.
Rubberduck, ever the voice of reason, stretched himself forward with a reassuring smile. “Don’t be too sore with her, Abra. My stubborn streak wouldn’t let me abandon the idea of enlisting Belle’s aid,” he said, his feathers unruffled by the tension. “Besides, she’s already been a big help to us against Slashback and Fantastidrake.”
Siren Belle, standing tall with the poise of a queen, chimed in with her signature drawl. “Lucky for us, that li’l ole owl’s magic did more than just tickle mah powers back to life — it gave me the knack to soak up energy like a sponge in a rainstorm. That zap from the whiskered witch should’ve turned me to burnt toast, but instead, it juiced me up somethin’ fierce! Knocked me out for a spell, sure, but upon wakin’ up, ah felt like ten million bucks!” she boasted, her grin as wide as the Mississippi.
Alley-Kat-Abra, her fur slightly bristled from the encounter, nodded in acknowledgment. “Trapping that fiendish feline was a stroke of genius, Miss Drake. My mystical surge was on its last whisker,” she admitted, her tail swishing with gratitude.
The Time-Keeper offered a courtly bow toward Abra that seemed to bend the very seconds around him. “You and your allies are quite welcome to stay in my realm until you regain enough of your strength to make the trip home, my dear,” he intoned, his voice seemingly echoing with the wisdom of eons. “I know from past experience that it isn’t wise to keep you here any longer than you wish.”
***
On Earth-C, the heroic Doctor Hoot of Earth-Reverse-C was just finishing the old stop, drop, and roll routine that one does when one is on fire. His feathers still smoldering, he yearned to chase after Rubberduck, Yankee Poodle, and the Siren Belle, but fate — and a searing blast from Katastrophe — had other plans, flinging him through the portal prematurely. That was why he found himself back in this world, his feathers and clothing half-charred from the extinguished flame.
Just as he was surveying the grounds of Sting Sting Prison, Fastback and Little Cheese zipped into view, their concern palpable.
“Doc, where’re Byrd ‘n’ Rova?” Fastback inquired, his words a rapid-fire burst. “Word is they were last seen here, ‘n’ we’re shootin’ ta round ’em up fer the big showdown with the Menagerie.”
Hoot sighed, the weight of his words as heavy as his heart. “Alas, our friends are currently locked in combat with Katastrophe in the Time-Keeper’s domain,” he confessed. “A barrage of her blasts sent me tumbling through the return portal before I could aid them, and it sealed shut behind me.”
An expression passed over Hoot’s beaked face, then, as if a lightbulb over his head was suddenly illuminated. “Though, come to think of it, it’s likely that, during the Menagerie’s invasion of your world, Fantastidrake may have taken his laboratory along, storing it in a location that allows him easy access to it, just in case he needs to make a quick getaway.” He chuckled and added, “You know, I have long been aware that he intentionally designs most of his gadgets with such a high degree of complexity that none but he can understand them. In this way, he ensures that he will always be indispensable to Ultra-Rabbit, and thus not easily betrayed. But I digress.”
Little Cheese’s expression was one of complete bewilderment. He wasn’t following the owl scientist’s train of thought at all. “No offense, Doc, but what good does that do us?” he asked, skepticism lacing his tone.
Hoot’s beak curved into a knowing smile. “There exists only one other mind capable of deciphering Fantastidrake’s enigmatic inventions… and I am that very intellect,” he proclaimed. “Perhaps, if we can locate Fantastidrake’s lab, with a bit of luck and science we might use his equipment to pry open a gateway to the fourth dimension and retrieve our allies before it’s too late.”
Not too far away, in their prison cells, Slashback and Swanky Poodle should have been happy to find their powers restored to them, now that Fantastidrake had been separated from the stolen power ring. However, confined as they were by reinforced cells and power-dampening collars, they could do nothing but fume helplessly at their predicament.
“Curse you, you no-good BLEEP goody-goodies!” Swanky Poodle bellowed from her cell. “This isn’t BLEEP over by a BLEEP long shot. This BLEEP cell and collar can’t keep me BLEEP locked away forever. I’ll have my BLEEP revenge!”
As Fastback whisked Little Cheese and Doctor Hoot away at breakneck speed, in search of a way to reach the fourth dimension, the air crackled with the promise of an epic showdown, the stakes higher than ever.
***
“Well, well, well — look who’s a frozen treat!” Ultra-Rabbit cackled, his pearly-white teeth gleaming. Captain Carrot’s eyes had widened in terror as the giant hare’s frigid super-breath enveloped him, turning him into a quivering Popsicle. This icy assault had followed several minutes of humiliating the Captain with repeated heat-vision blasts at his feet, forcing him to dance and leap out of the way.
Satisfied, Ultra simply sat back and enjoyed the spectacle of the Iron Pig and Big Cheese beating the heck out of each other in an epic porcine and rodent death match just outside the Z-Building. “Take that, you metallic meatball!” Big Cheese bellowed, having grown to the height of fifty feet for the occasion. “I’ll teach you to double-cross me!”
The Iron Pig snorted, metal plates clanging. “You over-sized oaf! It’s yer fault for keepin’ secrets about yer powers in da first place! Now it’s time ta pay the piper!”
Meanwhile, Fastback, Little Cheese, and Doctor Hoot had already found their way back to the Z-Building. There, while tiptoeing stealthily within, they stumbled upon their friend Pig-Iron, who had been secured by special restraints. After Hoot silently deactivated the power, Fastback’s lightning-fast digits worked with surgical precision to release them completely. “Hold yer breath, Pig-Iron,” he whispered. “We’re about ta spring yuh!”
Suddenly, the restraints hissed open. With a roar, the Porcine Powerhouse charged outside, ready to rain down vengeance upon his adversaries. “I’m gonna murder them bozos! I’ll–!”
But Fastback, Little Cheese, and Hoot tackled him to the ground, smothering his snout with their paws.
“Pipe down, you imprudent pigskin!” Hoot hissed. “We need to keep it quiet!”
***
At Sting Sting Prison, Swanky Poodle was pacing her cell like a caged tiger, chafing at the power-dampening collar she was forced to wear, when she suddenly came up with a wicked idea.
“Hey, you BLEEP working-class BLEEP,” she barked at the guard. “I’ve got some choice BLEEP gossip that’ll make your BLEEP ears perk up! I BLEEP know the BLEEP true identities of the BLEEP Zoo Crew! I know, because they also happen to be the BLEEP true identities of myself and my so-called BLEEP allies!”
The guard frowned in disbelief. Was Swanky Poodle really threatening to expose the Zoo Crew’s secret identities? It didn’t seem likely. Still, if she was telling the truth, it could be worth a bundle. Didn’t the Notional Henquirer or TMZoo pay handsomely for that kind of juicy information all the time? Cautiously, he started walking a little closer, just to see if it was worth his time.