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If I Could Turn Back Time..

A Timothy Bordick/Medic Mouse fanfic.  The Colmaton universe, Ranger/Kuwanna
Moore, Lady Liberty/Gloria Summers, Brown Lotus/Kelly Goodwin, Crusader/Matthew
Payton and Dynasty/Karen Lawson are the intellectual property of Train.  Ji-Lin
Hue/Crimson Cur, Gila Monster and Dr. Gwen Smith/Timestopper are the intellectual
property of CD.  Alice Daniels/Shodata/Lone Wolf is the joint intellectual property of
myself and CD.  Dr. Richard Hagel/Eagle Eye, Detective Gerald McGee, Mabel
Gleason/Wonder Wolf, Power Pig/Albert Hayes, Medic Mouse/Dr. Bobbie Hayes, and
the Bureau of Superheroes are my own intellectual property.  This work of fiction is
meant as entertainment only and not meant to infringe on any known copyrights.

---

"Good morning, Mr. Bordick!" a smiling red vixen shouted from behind the main lobby
reception desk of Tech Dek Corporation.  "You are looking well today!"

"Knock off the platitudes and get back to work!" the angry lion growled as his electric
wheelchair rolled down the hallway.  Passing through each security door, the grunting
lion manages to flash his security badge for reading by the electronic eye of each door.  
When he rolled through the first floor office area, he passed by the cubical of a gray
furred black striped panther-tigress.  The black haired feline stood up to look over in the
direction of the oncoming wheelchair, adjusting the hem on her blue dress.  Her co-
workers were unaware that this young lady, Katie Monroe, was really the masked
superhero Dangerwoman.

"Hey Katie, here comes the boss," a porcupine wearing a green suit in an adjacent cubical
said in a hushed tone.

"I know, Chuck, it's really sad when you think about it.  Timothy Bordick had it all:
fame, power and excellent health.  Now thanks to a single bullet from an angry lady from
his past, he'll be paralyzed for the rest of his life."

"Yeah, not even the superheroes of this city could stop it from happening, not even your
dad the Police Chief either."

"Keep my dad out of this," Katie growled.

"You two!  I don't pay you to gossip!  Get back to work NOW or you're fired!" Timothy
roared from across the room as he rolled towards an opening elevator.

"Yes sir!" Katie and Chuck said in unison as they each sat back down at their desks.

"Mr. Bordick sure has been spending an awful lot of time at Tech Dek lately," Katie
thought to herself.  "I wonder what he's up to?"

Riding the elevator to the basement, Timothy flashed his security badge to the electronic
eye.  When he did, a secret panel slid open and revealed a row of red buttons.

"Now let's see how the good Dr. Hagel is doing," he grunted, pressing the last red button.  
Suddenly, the elevator descended further, reaching a secret underground level.  As he
emerged from the elevator, the lion rolled down towards a huge bank of computers.  
Beside it was a long cylinder-shaped glass chamber with a dark metal top with dozens of
wires connected to it.  Standing near the bank of computers with a clipboard in his paws
was a silver furred husky dressed in a white labcoat.  

"How is Project Hourglass proceeding, Eagle Eye?" Timothy asked, rolling his
wheelchair up to him.

"Please Mr. Bordick, don't call me that name anymore," the Siberian Husky said with a
slight grin.  "I am just Dr. Hagel, Dr. Richard Hagel now, thanks to you."

"Yes indeed.  I had to go through a hell of a lot of red tape to get you paroled.  Had to
call in every favor from every politician and judge I ever earned to spring you from
Bastille Island Prison.  Now that you have reformed, Project Hourglass will give you a
chance to put your scientific genius to good use."

"You mean, for YOUR personal good, right?"

"Nevermind about that!  I have spared no expense to supply you with the most advanced
equipment and materials you need to complete the project.  And I see you added an
additional one hundred thousand of payroll expense to the project's budget, why?"

"I took the liberty of hiring a private security force to ensure the safety and secrecy of
this little project," the elderly husky said defensively.  "You wouldn't want word of
Project Hourglass to leak out to the press or your industrial competitors, right?"

"Quite right, Dr. Hagel," the lion said, glancing all around at the big brown uniformed
helmet wearing furs who were standing at random places all around the complex.  "A
very wise precaution indeed."

"I also thank you for hiring an assistant who is an expert in temporal and quantum
mechanics.  She has been a big help to me and holds no grudge or prejudice against me
for my past misdeeds.  Hey Dr. Smith!  Come over here for a moment please."

Timothy's eyes bugged out when he saw a very slender white furred poodle girl in an
open white labcoat walking towards them.  The smiling lion couldn't help staring at her
red dress that showed a considerable amount of cleavage and rode high above her knees.  
He had only hired her based on her reputation without viewing her photo.  Timothy
seemed genuinely surprised that an accomplished scientist could look so stunning.  
Several of the male security guards also glanced over to watch her walk up to the
wheelchair bound business lion.

"Yes Dr. Hagel?" she asked.

"Mr. Bordick, meet Dr. Gwen Smith.  Dr. Smith, this is Timothy Bordick."

"Pleased to finally meet you, sir," the poodle said, forcing herself to smile.  Dr. Smith
knew all about Timothy Bordick, for she was secretly the unregistered superhero
Timestopper.  She knew of the lion's past, how he shamelessly sought to sleep with every
female superfur he could.  Gwen also knew of the long time one million dollar bounty
that he put out for Lady Liberty's panties and how in recent months he expanded the
bounty to ALL female masked heroes.  It took every ounce of the poodle's self control to
resist the urge to punch him in the mouth with her fist.

"Indeed, a pleasure, Dr. Smith," Timothy said as he reached to shake her paw.  "I can see
your, expertise, has boosted dear Richard's morale, as well as MINE."

"Mr. Bordick," the elderly husky grunted.  "My interest in this lovely young lady is
strictly for her knowledge of advanced temporal science.  First of all, I'm old enough to
be her grandfather, and secondly, she has an insanely jealous brute of a boyfriend."

While Richard spoke, Timothy's left paw had been slowly moving towards Gwen's
exposed thigh, but the lion quickly retracted it when he heard the description of the
poodle's love interest.

"I see," Timothy grumbled, the smile leaving his furry face.  "I want a progress report,
how close are you to finishing the Hourglass machine?"

"Very close, sir," the husky answered proudly.  It is only a matter of a week or.."

"A WEEK?  A WEEK!!!" the lion roared.  "You've been working on this project for over
a month!  I want results NOW!"

"Mr. Bordick," Gwen interjected, "we have to be certain that this procedure is safe for
furkind.  After all, time reversal could have serious dire consequences if it malfunctions."

"I am more than willing to take ANY risk!  I can't stand living in this damned
wheelchair, unable to walk, let alone move my legs!  I even offered ten million dollars to
Medic Mouse for her to heal me with her powers, but that damnable gray haired bitch
refused!  This machine you two are constructing is my only hope of ever regaining all of
my mobility again.  Keep working on it!  I will return shortly to check up on you."

"But Mr. Bordick, creating any time dimensional matrix can have many unforeseen
repercussions to the overall flow of time.  We really must move cautiously and.."

"And I don't give a damn about any of the dangers!  I am not a patient man, bitch!  Make
it work!  I'm not paying either of you for FAILURE!" the lion roared before doing a
'double take' as he stared at Gwen's face.  "Have we met before, Dr. Smith?"

"Er, no, I don't think so, sir" the white furred poodle lied nervously, remembering how
over a year ago she had met him while dining at the Savannah Hotel's restaurant.  She
cringed when she thought back to that fateful day when the dapper lion tried to flirt with
her and later blackmail her when he discovered her time stopping powers.  It was thanks
to her friends and a timely blow on the head from her reptile soul mate that caused
Timothy to forget what he saw that day.  As Timothy wheeled his way back into the
elevator, Richard looks down at Gwen and smiled.

"I hope you didn't mind, Dr. Smith, but I could tell by the way that wealthy ball of fur
was looking at you that he wanted more that just your expertise."

"So you told him about my boyfriend to save me, thank you."

"And I thank YOU for having faith in me.  Most people are unwilling to give an ex-
villain like me a second chance."

"If I thought you were doing something evil in this basement, I never would have signed
on to this project.  This machine has the potential to revolutionize medical treatment for
severely injured patients.  It could have other uses to help all furkind!"

"Indeed, Dr. Smith.  The Hourglass device will serve as my way of undoing some of the
terrible damage my life of crime has done over the decades.  That pompous lion's
pushing up our deadline, we'll have to work faster and longer to get the device ready.  I
hate to do this to you, Gwen, but we're going to have to work all night tonight."

"Not another double shift Dr. Hagel!  I had a dinner date with my boyfriend tonight.  
He's been very patient so far but he's beginning to miss me terribly."

"Sorry Gwen, but you heard the boss.  We must get the time inverter operational as soon
as possible.  Your social life will just have to wait."

"But you don't know my boyfriend, he won't take the news well."

---

"C'mon Bengali, give me the test results!" a naked brown field mouse said as she quickly
threw a white robe over her petite frame as a masked Bengal tiger continued pressing
buttons on his computer console.  The mouse began pacing, passing under the big sign
that red "Bureau of Superheroes Medical Division" several times.  The vast underground
Bureau of Superheroes complex was busy that day, the hallways constantly crowded with
all sorts of masked heroes either leaving for action or returning from it.  After pacing for
what seemed like hours, the gray haired mouse plopped down in a chair with a worried
look on her face.  She was Dr. Bobbie Hayes, better known to the outside world as Medic
Mouse.  She eagerly awaited word from her colleague, who entered the room with a grim
look on his furry face.

"I am most sorry, Dr. Hayes," Bengali spoke in his thick broken English accent.  "I have
checked and double checked the test results, your super strength and vision powers are on
the decline."

"NO!" she squeaked, snatching the clipboard and papers from the tiger's paws before
searching through them.  "There has to be something you can do for me, doctor!  That's
another twenty percent drop in my strength this week alone!  I'm having trouble staying
airborne when I fly.  I can't be losing my powers this quickly!  Maybe if I took steroids."

"Dr. Hayes!" the tiger growled.  "You KNOW that will not help!  It is a fact of life that
we all grow old.  It is something medical science can do little to prevent."

"But I can't let this happen to me!  I've been a masked hero for nearly six decades!  I was
stopping bank robberies when you and the rest of these Bureau capes were in diapers!  
This is my life!  What would everyone think if I had to retire?  What would dear Matthew
think?"

Bobbie reached over to straighten a picture of her and her much younger rabbit lover
together at the wharf.  

"I love him, Ben.  We met here in the Bureau.  I'm the luckiest gal in the world to have
such a caring young man as a soul mate.  But if I have to leave the Bureau, if I had to quit
because I was unable to do the job anymore, what would he think of me?"

"You underestimate Matthew.  That rabbit may be young, but he is very brave.  You
know this, Bobbie.  You have gone out on missions with him before, you as Medic
Mouse, he as the armor clad Crusader.  I have seen the two of you together; he is madly
in love with you.  I do not believe your physical strength will matter to him."

"IT MATTERS TO ME!" the brown furred mouse shouted, throwing the clipboard across
the room before calming down.  "I'm sorry, Bengali.  I didn't mean to take all of this out
on you.  After all, you've been examining me off the books and keeping my little
problem a secret."

"I understand perfectly," the tiger said as he gently placed his paw on her shoulder.  "You
and I have been friends for a long time.  It was you who trained me and recommended me
for promotion.  You know I would do anything to help you."

"I know, old friend," she said as she stood up.  "I better get dressed, it's nearly dinner
time and I heard Boris sent over a bunch of his famous chili.  Its too bad Matthew's
working at his Smoothie King stand till evening.  I really wanted to dine with him tonight
in the cafeteria."

"Alas, I am still on duty or I would be happy to go to supper with you, Bobbie," Bengali
said as the brown field mouse went into a room to change.  Minutes later, dressed in her
full old-time nurse's costume and mask, Medic Mouse walked past the lounge area on her
way to the cafeteria.  The lounge was crowded with many costumed heroes, including
two of her nemeses, the tall blonde doe known as Doe Dynamo and the yellow furred
feline-raccoon hybrid in the black magician's leotard better known as Mystic Cat.  With
them was a newer operative, a young tall lioness named Karen Lawson.  On duty, she
wore her silver and white flared short dress costume with a crown and white mask.  Her
unique Diamond Scepter was the source of her amazing powers and completed the
ensemble of the Bureau latest addition, Dynasty.  This afternoon, however, she was
wearing the brown polo shirt, beige slacks uniform with an orange 'Smoothie King'
nametag on it.

"Listen rookie," Mystic Cat warned, "you better learn the pecking order around here fast.  
Me and Donna run things behind the scenes here, understand?"

"Yeah, understand," added the masked doe in a stern voice.

"Hey!  You two don't outrank me!  Both of you are listed as APPRENTICE operatives,
just like I am!" the lioness growled.  

"But I used to run this place, newbie!" the masked feline mix hissed.  "You better do
exactly what I say if you want to stay on my good side when I regain my position as
Assistant Director."

"Fat chance of THAT happening, kitty litter brain!  I heard about the reasons you got
demoted.  Ranger won't make the same bonehead mistakes you did!"

"Why you little," Mystic Cat hissed as Doe Dynamo stepped between them.  

"No reason to fight among ourselves, girls," the blonde doe said before taking a good
look at Karen's nametag.  "So, you're working at the Smoothie King?"

"Yeah, needed a job to be an operative, those are the rules, so Dunston asked Matthew
Payton to hire me."

"Lucky you," Mystic Cat giggled.  "Crusader is one hunky rabbit."

"So I've heard," Karen said.  "Isn't he dating Medic Mouse?  That's what I heard in my
morning training session."

"He's just confused," Donna said with a wide grin.  "Rumor has it that old fossil's losing
her powers."

"And if that's true, they'll have to kick her out of the Bureau or force her to retire," added
Mystic Cat.

"She's been a superhero since, like, forever," Karen said as Medic Mouse approached
them.

"I haven't lost my super hearing yet," the masked mouse said sternly.

"Oh Bobbie!" the blonde doe shouted out. "How about I take you on again in arm
wrestling before dinner? I feel lucky today!"

"I'm not in the mood for your foolishness today, Donna," the gray haired mouse grunted
back.

"Oh c'mon now, rodent," Mystic Cat snarled.  "You've beaten Donna hundreds of times
before.  She's feeling lucky today and I'll bet she can beat you this time."

"Leave me alone, kitty," Medic Mouse grumbled.

"What's the matter, grandma, you AFRAID to take me on?"

"I'm not afraid of ANYTHING, you arrogant fawn!  I'm just hungry and want to go eat."

"Sounds like the excuse of a coward to me," the feline mix mocked before Medic Mouse
grabbed her and pinned her against the wall.

"NO ONE calls ME a coward, cat!" she shouted, releasing Mystic Cat as she sat down at
a table with her right elbow resting on it.  "Get over here, Donna, I ain't getting' any
younger!"

"My pleasure, super mouse," Doe Dynamo said confidently.  The blue leotard wearing
deer took her seat and then sat her elbow on the table and gripped the masked mouse's
paw.  By this time, a crowd gathered around the table with superheroes such as Avenging
Angel, Power Pig, Demon Dog and Wonder Wolf watching the action.

"Ready ladies?" Mystic Cat asked, acting as an impromptu referee for the contest.  
Seeing each determined female nod her head, the masked cat mix began to count down.  
"Three.. two.. one.. GO!"

Instantly the two superfurs exerted their strength.  Medic Mouse found herself struggling
to maintain her position while Doe Dynamo seemed to effortlessly begin to push her
opponent's arm down.  Grunting with all her might, the gray haired rodent could not stop
the muscular deer girl from pushing her paw down to the table.

"WINNER!" Mystic Cat shouted, hoisting Doe Dynamo's arm in the air in triumph as
Medic Mouse held her aching arm, wiggling her fingers to check her circulation.

"Face it, Methuselah, you're getting too damned old for the Bureau anymore," the blonde
doe said sarcastically.  "I'll bet Matthew won't want to be around an aging fossil like
YOU!"

"WHY YOU CONCEITED BITCH!" Medic Mouse roared, jumping to her feet before
Wonder Wolf and Avenging Angel rushed up to hold the furious rodent back.  

"Better watch that temper," Mystic Cat laughed.  "You might break a hip before you get
back to the nursing home."

"That's enough, Patricia!" Power Pig snorted, quickly moving between them.

"You too, Donna," added Demon Dog.  "That last insult of yours was a low blow, even
for you!"

"Donna's right," Mystic Cat purred.  "Matthew would be better off with a younger,
stronger gal, closer to his own age."

"Well that rules YOU out, you middle aged hussie!" Medic Mouse shouted before the
livid feline mix punched her in the jaw.  The feline hybrid was stunned to see that her
punch had caused the mouse's mouth to bleed.

"Look at THIS!  Little Miss Indestructible's not so tough anymore!  You really have lost
it!"

"Wow!   It's really true," Karen said under her breath.  "Medic Mouse IS losing her
powers.  How interesting."

Nearly all of the crowd growled or hissed as Doe Dynamo and Mystic Cat laughed
hysterically.  

"Let me go!" Medic Mouse snarled tersely, working her arms free.  "Leave me alone!"

Storming out of the lounge, the bleeding rodent ran back to her office, slamming the door
behind her.

"What if those two little pricks are right?  I can't even take a damned punch anymore.  If
I'm losing my strength now, I could be losing my beauty next.  I know Crusader loves
me, but if I'm forced to retire, will he give in to the temptation of all these younger
Bureau women?  What the hell am I going to do now?"

---

"I'm sorry I'm late, Mr. Payton," Karen said as the young lioness adjusted her Smoothie
King hat and uniform.

"It's ok, we're in a slow period at the moment," Matthew said with a smile, pointing to
the nearly empty tables of the downtown Colmaton Smoothie King stand.  "Now I can
give you the grand tour and the customary new employee lecture.  Follow me."

As the young rabbit turned to lead her into the kitchen, Karen couldn't help but notice
Matthew's well-sculpted muscular back and rear end below his fluffy tail.  She couldn't
help but admire his form.  Before she realized it, the lioness emitted a low purr.

"Now here is where we make the magic, Karen," Matthew said as he stood in front of the
main smoothie machine.  "This machine can dispense up to fifteen varied flavors of fruit
smoothie, the key is to keep it properly loaded with mix at all times.  Look carefully at
these indicator dials.  Check them constantly.  See?  The banana dial reads low, this
means we need to add more banana mix to the.. Karen?  KAREN!!!"

The rabbit's loud words broke up her instant daydream.  Karen was picturing herself in a
bikini on the beach walking paw and paw with a speedo-clad Matthew.

"What?  Oh, sorry sir."

"We don't need to stand on formalities," the lupine boss whispered.  "We'll be working
together here and at the Bureau.  Just call me Matthew, ok?"

"Yes sir, I mean, Matthew."

"That's better.  Take note of the size chart next to the smoothie machine.  We sell small,
medium, large and extra large sizes.  Now if you'll follow me, I'll show you to the time
clock and issue you your employee ID card.  You'll need it to check in and check out."

Karen continued to stare at Matthew with fascination.  She barely paid attention to the
rest of his orientation speech and became lost in his kind face, shiny fur and lyrical voice.  
She continued to purr low, her desire for the young rabbit male slowly burning inside her
bosom.  An hour later, the Smoothie King had a rush of customers, mostly teenagers
fresh from school and young professionals on their way home.  It took a while for Karen
to get settled into her new job, but after the first hour, she was performing quite well.  
After several hours when the place was empty, the rabbit and lioness were mopping up
the floor together.

"I must say Karen, you're doing extremely well, for your first day on the job."

"Thanks Matthew, you're a great trainer.  By the way, did you hear what happened to Dr.
Bob today?"

"What?  Did she get hurt?  Tell me what you know!"

"Relax, she's ok, except that she got beaten by Donna in arm wrestling.  They told me it
was the first time she ever lost to anyone."

"Oh, is THAT all?  My Bobbie's probably just had an off day."

"Are you kidding me?  Matthew, it's time to face the facts.  Bobbie's losing her powers,
it's only a matter of time before she'll have to leave the Bureau."

"Don't say that!" the rabbit snarled.  "Bobbie Jo Hayes is the most wonderful woman in
the world!"

"She's old, Matt, really old.  Sure she's had a great run as Medic Mouse, but she's way
over seventy.  Everyone gets old and feeble, it happens."

"My Bobbie is NOT feeble!" Matthew shouted before calming himself.  "Sorry Karen, I
didn't mean to spout off like that."

"It's ok, I understand," the lioness said as her purring became a little louder.

"Look Karen, I love Bobbie.  I don't care about her powers; she's a warm, kind fun
loving lady and the best thing that ever happened to me.  I'm sure all of this will work
out."

"It will, Matthew, it will," Karen said as she offered a gentle hug.  In his embrace, the
lioness's purring became loud, so loud he suddenly released her and stepped away.

"Karen!  You're purring at me!"

"Ah, well," she said with an embarrassed look on her face.  "Sorry, just a reflex action.  
You know the way it is with us felines."

"Alright then.  I don't want there to be any misunderstanding here.  I'm a one woman
rabbit, ok?"

"Ok," Karen said as she turned away with her mop, an evil grin forming on her furry face
as she thought to herself, "I'll have you yet, you hunky hare!"

Unnoticed in all the excitement was Bobbie, who has been watching the entire thing from
outside the Smoothie King.  She planned on seeing her lover to talk about her situation,
but when she saw him hugging Karen, the gray haired field mouse turned and ran off.

"Could Donna and Patty be right about my Matthew?  Am I going to lose him because
I'm getting too old to be Medic Mouse anymore?  I really need a friend to talk to right
now."

---

"It's almost dinner time, Alice!" Kelly Goodwin shouted down the stairs as the cheetah-
tigress in the modest blue dress rushed into the living room of the house she shares with
Gloria Summers and four other friends.  "We're expecting guests tonight."

"I've got everything under control," the Doberman wolfess shouted out from the kitchen.  
"How many plates should I set out?"

"Well, let's see.  Ji-Lin, Gloria and Kuwanna are coming but Sasha's on the road with the
opera in Alpha City.  Add to that Katie Monroe and that makes six."

"I'll do it!  I'll do it!" Ji-Lin barked as the speedy canine zipped into the kitchen dodging
Alice at the stove as she zipped back out into the dining room and setting out all the
plates and silverware in a split second before taking a seat on the sofa in the living room.

"Ji-Lin, what have we told you about using your super speed in the house?" Kelly yelled.

"Sorry, I forgot," the petite Bernese Mountain Dog whined before burying her head in the
newspaper.  

"Is Katie here yet?" Gloria asked as the tiger-striped mare in the white dress came
running down the stairs.

"Not yet, when did you tell her to arrive?" the cheetah-tigress in the black pantsuit asked.

"I told her six, hope she didn't have to work late today."

"Could you imagine having to work for a company owned by that horrible Timothy
Bordick?"

"It's a real contest between him and Tom Matthews for the Biggest Pervert in Colmaton
Award!"

"Who's turn is it to cook tonight?"

"Alice's."

"Well, Shodata better not try out anymore of those Udellian foods on us."

"I heard that, Miss Summers!" the voice of Shodata echoed from the kitchen.  "I am sorry
you found last week's Phulonate soup unappealing."

"It tasted like raw flour and celery mixed with prune juice," Kelly said as she stuck out
her tongue.  "BLEAH!!"

"I had to substitute ingredients that are unavailable on Earth.  Phulonate Soup is not the
same without live greklons and wild vluts in it."

"Alice, I hope YOU came up with tonight's menu."

"I did, Gloria, don't worry about it," the Doberman wolfess shouted out as she took a
quick look around the kitchen.  "Oh my, the bread's done, the soup needs stirring, the
salads need to be served up and the meatloaf must come out of the oven!"

Morphing two extra sets of arms, Alice began reaching all over the kitchen.  As one of
her new paws stirred the soup on top of the stove, two more reached into the oven to pull
out the hot meatloaf pan.  Another set of paws stretched out behind her, grabbed a set of
salad tongs and began mixing a large bowl of lettuce with sliced tomatoes and carrots in
it.  Her sixth paw stretched across the room to another oven to take the freshly baked
bread loaf out.

"Query Alice," Shodata asked outloud from within the canine mix's body.  "Why go to
all this labor to prepare a meal when you could have easily called Pizza Bungalow or got
a bucket of chicken from the local Georgia Fried Chicken stand?"

"Because I love cooking.  Never got a chance to do much of it back when Ji-Lin and I
lived in a dorm."

"Then why not use my recipe for Flusse-Cadek?  It is similar to earth muffins except they
do glow in the dark and contain wood chips instead of blueberries."

"NO!" Alice shouted.  "You've lived in my body for two years now, you should know
enough about our anatomy to know that most earthlings don't eat that kind of stuff."

"But your orange striped reptile friend with the canine girlfriend loved them."

"He's NOT a typical earthling," Alice sighed as she continued working.  Across the street
an elderly mare watched the shapeshifting canine hybrid cooking through a raised side
window.

"ABNER!  ABNER!" Gladys Gallop shouted as she adjusted her binoculars.  "COME
SEE THIS!"

"What is it THIS time, darling?" her husband sighed as he walked into the living room.

"That young dog girl's got six arms and stretching them all over their kitchen cooking
dinner!"

"Have you taken all your medication this morning?"

"Yes I have and that girl's got six arms!  Get over here and see for yourself!"

"Oh, alright," the gruff stallion muttered as he walked over to the window.  By the time
he placed the binoculars to his eyes, Alice had retracted all her extra arms and was
carrying her meatloaf into the dining room.

"See?  She's a furry octopus, isn't she?"

"Oh sure, sure she is."

"Well, what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't care how many arms she has, I can smell how good that meatloaf is from here!"

"What about MY meatloaf?"

"I'm still pounding nails with the one you baked last week."

"HEY!!!  My cooking's great!"

"Gladys, your pancakes are SO heavy, we could sell them to the public works department
as manhole covers!"

As Abner began to laugh, a furious Gladys poured a pitcher of orange juice over his head.

"You ungrateful old plug!  I'm going home to mother!"

"She hates your cooking too," Abner laughed before Gladys picked up her long black
umbrella and began striking her husband with it repeatedly.  Meanwhile, back at Gloria
and Kelly's house, Alice finished setting the food out just as the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" an excited Ji-Lin barked before zipping up to the door and opening it.

"Sorry I'm a little late," Katie said as the panther-tigress hung up her jacket.

"Not at all, you're right on time," Kelly said as she shook her paw.

"Yeah, we just set the food out," added Gloria.  "So glad you could make it."

"Me too!  I love coming here for dinner!  Who's turn was it to cook this time?"

"Mine," Alice said proudly as she took her seat.

"Er, ok.." Katie muttered before sitting down at the table.

"And don't worry," Gloria added as she sat down, "Shodata didn't inspire any of the
food."

"Oh, that's a relief.  No offense, Shodata, but you have a lot to learn about preparing
earth-style dishes."

"I have to agree," Kuwanna said as the blonde bruin entered the dining room from the
back door.  "I've had army K-rations that tasted better than your Cuva'dr."

"I did apologize for that last month," Shodata spoke out from within Alice's body.  "I
thought earthlings enjoyed sponge cake."

"Not with REAL sponges in them," Kelly said sternly.

"May we please change the subject before we hurt Shodata's feelings?" Ji-Lin suggested.

"The subject tonight is supper, and to quote our friend the Gila Monster, 'I is starviated!"
Gloria laughed as she reached for a slice of bread.  Soon everyone at the table began to
dine.  

"So Gloria, I heard that Glam magazine is negotiating with your modeling agency to
produce an edition in America," Kuwanna said while reaching for the mashed potatoes.

"I read about that in the paper," Katie added.

"Well, Glam's editor in London did contact me, but we're still working out the details."

"And I finished my composition paper for Technical Writing class and turned it in this
morning and I really hope Dr. Arnoe gives me a good grade on it although she has a
tendency to be especially strict when she marks my work I wish she would stop acting so
jealous towards me it is not my fault she got demoted and.."

The petite canine stopped speaking at the sound of the front doorbell.

"I'll get it," Kelly said as she walked over and opened the door.  "Dr. Bob?"

"Yeah, it's me," the brown field mouse said sadly, "may I come in?"

"Of course you can, we're just about to have dinner.  You may join us if you like, there's
plenty of food on the table."

"Thanks, but I'm not very hungry at the moment," Bobbie said as she closed the door and
hung up her coat.  

"Is anything wrong?" Gloria asked as the mare-tigress got up and walked over to her.

"Well, not really," the petite brown furred mouse sighed.  "Oh, who the hell am I trying
to kid?  I'm losing my powers and I'm losing Matthew in the process!"

Bursting into tears, Bobbie reached up to hug Gloria.  She held her tightly as she wept
bitterly.  Soon, the others left the dinner table to surround the crying mouse.

"Come over to the living room and let's talk about this, Dr. Bob," Kuwanna suggested as
Gloria led her to the sofa.  Everyone else sat down as Bobbie released her hold on Gloria.

"I've always thought of myself as a doctor first, and a hero second," Bobbie began to
explain.  "But ever since I started my relationship with Matthew, I've taken a new pride
in being Medic Mouse.  I'm starting to lose my super strength.  Didn't want to admit it to
anyone and I've tried my best for the last year to cover it up, but now I can no longer
deny it.  And now that I lost an arm wrestling match to that loud mouthed upstart Doe
Dynamo, soon everyone in the Bureau will know."

"Even if all that is true, it is not the end for you and Matthew," Ji-Lin said in a slower,
more serious tone.  "I know Matthew Payton and he is madly in love with you."

"But I just caught him in the arms of that lioness rookie Karen Lawson!" the mouse
wailed before she began to cry again.

"I don't believe it," Kuwanna said sternly.  "That's not like him at all."

"Maybe it's not what you thought it was," added Katie.

"What's not to think?  They were hugging!  Holding each other close!" Bobbie moaned.

As the others tried to console the weeping gray haired mouse, they all heard a loud
pounding on their front door.

"Whoa, better answer that," Alice said, leaping to her feet and rushing to the door.  When
she opened it, she was stunned at what she saw.  

"Can I comes in dere?  I needs your help!" Gila Monster said sadly, tears running down
his scaly face and unto his black leather jacket.

"Sure, come in and tell us all about it," the Doberman-wolfess said as the reptile found an
empty chair in the living room and sat down in it.  Bobbie stopped crying at the sight of
her old friend in even more distress than she was.

"Gila, what's the matter?" Kelly asked.

"I thinks my goil's in a lot of danger," Gila said in a soft tone.  "She's been woirking
over dere at Tech Dek fir overs a month now."

"Tech Dek?" Katie asked in surprise.  "That's where I work!  My cubicle's near the front
entrance, I've never seen Gwen enter the building in all that time."

"Well, my Princess were hired fir some special project.  She tried tellin' me about it
oncest, but I couldn't understands it all."

"But what makes you believe she's in any danger now?" Gloria asked.

"She called me on duh phone to tells me she were gonna be woirkin' late again.  Dat's
the fifth night in a row!  Gwen ain't never doned dat to me before!"

"What's so unusual about that?" Kuwanna asked.

"Dere were somethin' in duh way she spoked to me.  I could tells somethin' ain't right.  I
is gots a feelin' in my bones!  I thinks my Princess is in turr-able trouble!"

"Gila, can you please tell us what Gwen has been working on?" Ji-Lin asked.

"I can'ts understands all dat dere science stuff.  I thunk she sayed somethin' about
revoising time.  She and dat Dr. Richard Hagel dude."

"Richard Hagel?" Gloria, Bobbie and Kelly shouted in unison.

"That is the given name for the master criminal Eagle Eye, is it not?" Ji-Lin asked.

"Exactly right, kid," added Kuwanna.  "I remember reading somewhere that Timothy
Bordick had him sprung from Galatap several months ago.  He talked some judge to grant
that husky conditional, supervised probation."

"If he's mixed up with that creepy lion, God knows what they're up to," Bobbie said,
wiping away all her tears.  "You may be right about this, old friend."

"I don't knows about all dat stuff!  All I knows is my Princess don'ts needs to be part of
it!  Yous is gots to helps me rescues her from it!"

"But we can't just go barging into Tech Dek with accusations," Alice said calmly, "we
need proof of illegal activities before we get ourselves involved."

"I am now detecting a high concentration of temporal activity in the city," Shodata spoke
outloud from within Alice's body.  "In the vicinity of the Tech Tek building."

"He's playing with time!" Bobbie shouted as she jumped to her feet.  "That lousy son of a
bitch's going to tamper with time!"

"No wonder Timothy hired Gwen," added Gloria, "she's a nationally recognized expert
on temporal mechanics."

"Now waits git a minute!" Gila hissed.  "My Princess wouldn't be doin' anything weird
or illegal likes dat!  She won'ts even lets me goes dumpster divin' cause it brokes duh
law!"

"Maybe she's not working there willingly," Kelly said.  "Eagle Eye's a brilliant scientist
himself, he could have her under mind control."

"MIND CONTROL???  Ain'ts no body gonna controls my Princess's mind!  Jist wait till
I gits my claws on'm!  I'll wacks him so hard with my 2 x 4 dat he'll be seein' double fir
duh rest of his life!"

"Settle down, Gila," Gloria said sternly.  "We won't accomplish anything if you go into
an angry rage."

"Gloria's right," added Kuwanna.  "We will help you find Dr. Smith and rescue her if she
needs it, but ONLY if you will listen to us and obey our every command, got it?"

"I is gots it!" Gila said, standing up straight and giving the bruin a salute.  

"I'm coming with you guys too!" Bobbie shouted, standing at attention.  "Gwen's my
friend too, y'know."

"I'm in too," Katie added, rising to her feet.

"We're all in, Kuwanna," Kelly said with a nod.

"The temporal activity is growing," Shodata spoke outloud.  "If this concentration of
temporal displacement continues to increase, it could soon disrupt the flow of time."

"We have to act fast," Gloria said as she turned to Kuwanna, "should we get the Bureau
involved in this?"

"Better do it off the books for now," the tall bruin replied.  "We still could be wrong
about all this.  If the Bureau raided Tech Dek and this all turns out to be a legitimate
enterprise.."

"Makes sense to me," Ji-Lin said, standing up before going into a high-speed twirl to
change into her Crimson Cur costume.  "What are we waiting for?"

"Alright, it's settled then," Gloria said with a nod.  "Ladies, let's change into our
costumes and prepare for battle!"

"Whoa!" Gila Monster yelled, placing his claws over his eyes.  "I doesn't want to sees
yous goils in your nakedidity!  I doesn't even likes to sees me wit no clothes on!"

Kuwanna, Gloria, Kelly, Katie and Bobbie all giggled as they shook their heads.

"Query Alice," Shodata asked.  "What does this word, 'nakedidity' mean?"

---

"Dr. Hagel, the output of the temporal generator is exceeding the design limit!" Gwen
barked, as the elderly husky was busy pushing buttons and moving levers beside her.

"You heard Mr. Bordick," he growled.  "He wants us to rush, so I need to step up my
plans."

"YOUR plans?" the poodle lady asked just as Timothy Bordick wheeled himself into the
room.

"Yes Dr. Hagel, what is this you are saying about YOUR plans?  Need I remind you that
you work for ME and this is MY research facility you and the poodle are working in?"

Hearing the lion's speech caused the elderly labcoat wearing husky to laugh hysterically.

"I don't find this a damn bit amusing, mutt!"

"You FOOL!  Did you honestly think I'd work so hard to create a powerful weapon like
this just to hand it over to a cowardly feline like YOU?" Eagle Eye smirked, snapping his
fingers to signal his private security force to surround the stunned lion.  "Mr. Bordick,
your usefulness to me has ended.  I'm afraid I must detain you for the moment."

"Now see here, Eagle Eye!  I sprang you from prison!  I gave you a second chance at a
new life!"

"And I am thanking you for all that by NOT killing you now.  Two of you keep an eye on
him, don't let him leave."

"You mean, you're going to turn the Hourglass device into a weapon?" Gwen asked.

"Yes, my na�ve canine comrade, that's precisely right!  I have big plans for plundering
Colmaton of her precious wealth, but first I need to deal with all the city's superheroes!  
Shooting them with the Hourglass device will do BETTER than just kill them, it'll
decrease their ages!  I could turn them all back into darling little children, cute little
babies, or simply wipe them out of existence FOREVER!"

"I was a fool to trust you, to believe that you've really changed!"

"So was I," Timothy groaned.

"I won't let you get away with this!" Gwen barked, rushing towards the machine before
she was intercepted by three burly looking helmet wearing henchfurs.

"Let her go!" Timothy roared, receiving two guts punches for his efforts.

"Stay out of this, lion!  Dr. Smith, your usefulness to me has also ended.  There is one
last service you will perform tonight.  You are about to become a volunteer for our first
live test of the device!"

"NO!" Gwen yelled, "I won't do it!"

"Who said I was giving you a choice, bitch?" Eagle Eye laughed.

"Got to use my time stopping powers to get out of this mess," the poodle said to herself.  
Three times she tried to activate them with no effect.  "Wait, the temporal disruptions
must be canceling out my powers!  I can't get away!"

Eagle Eye looked into Gwen's eyes and saw her state of sheer fright.

"Ah!  The look of fear!  How priceless!  But first, we'll place that miniature fern tree into
the chamber.  I bought it specifically because it was exactly twenty years old."

Gwen and Timothy helplessly watched as one of the henchfurs placed the potted plant
inside of a tall glass chamber, closing the door behind it.  Eagle Eye moved over to a flat
control panel and pressed a large red button.  After a twenty second countdown, from the
top of the glass cylinder, a red beam of light struck the fern plant.  The elderly husky
clapped his paws with delight as the fern began to age backward, shrinking in size until it
was no longer visible.

"Success!" Eagle Eye barked, rushing to the chamber, opening it and taking the pot in his
paws.  "The former tree is now a seed!"

Gwen and Timothy looked wide-eyed at the tiny seed the laughing husky took from the
pot and held up to them to see.

"Twenty years, backward in time!  And that was just the machine's minimum setting!"

"You're insane!" Gwen shouted as she struggled in the grasp of two henchfurs.  "Time is
an unstable entity!  Trying to manipulate it like you are is extremely dangerous!"

"The ONLY one this process will be dangerous for is YOU and all the pesky superfurs of
this town!" Eagle Eye shouted.

"Dr. Hagel," Timothy said softly.  "I'll make a deal with you.  Place ME in that chamber
next with the twenty-year setting and I'll pay you fifty million dollars!  What do you say
to that?"

"You, my dear Mr. Bordick, are in no position to bargain.  The first thing I plan to do
after our little experiment with this poodle is to steal ALL of your vast wealth!"

"WHAT?  You can't possibly think you could rob me like a common beggar!"

"I can and I will!  I'll simply impersonate you and seize control of your business assets
and monetary holdings, after you take YOUR turn in the Hourglass machine, on it's
MAXIMUM SETTING!!"

"You can't mean it!  I'm Timothy Bordick!  The most powerful man in Colmaton!"

"And you will no longer exist in just a few minutes.  Place the bitch in the chamber,
NOW!"

Kicking, screaming and struggling, Gwen was lifted off the floor and carried towards the
now open glass chamber.  As she was forcefully tossed inside it, high above the city a
large, invisible floating bubble was speeding in the direction of the Tech Dek building.  
Within the bubble were Lady Liberty, Brown Lotus, Crimson Cur, Ranger,
Dangerwoman, Medic Mouse and Gila Monster.

"I hopes we ain't too late," the reptile said as he held his 2 x 4 tight in his right claw.

"The temporal activity has increased exponentially," the voice of Shodata announced.

"There's no more time to lose," Lady Liberty said sternly, "Alice, can you get us safely
into the basement?"

"Yes," Alice's voice echoed within the bubble.  "Get ready, I'm phasing us through
now!"

The floating clear bubble passed through the outer wall of the building and then through a
number of floors as it descended to the lower basement, touching down gently and
unnoticed just as the glass chamber door sealed the terrified Gwen Smith inside it.

"THAT'S MY PRINCESS!" Gila Monster roared before passing through the bubble to
attack.

"NO!  WAIT!" Ranger shouted as the invisible bubble morphed back into the more
familiar form of Lone Wolf.

"Too late, the element of surprise is gone!" Medic Mouse shouted.

"GET THEM!" Eagle Eye shouted as Crimson Cur zipped into action.  Bypassing all the
oncoming henchfurs, the fastest canine on earth rushed towards Eagle Eye until she
collided hard into an invisible wall.  The husky scientist laughed as the red suited dog fell
to the floor in a heap.

"CRIMSON CUR!!" Lone Wolf barked, seeing her friend unconscious.

"How did you like my personal force field, pup?" he laughed as he pressed the red button
on the control panel.  The glowing LED number twenty flashed and began to count down.

"HELP ME!!!  GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Gwen cried out, pounding the sides of the
glass chamber with her fists.

"Lady Liberty!" Timothy shouted.  "When that countdown goes to zero, the poodle will
age backwards until she's nonexistent!"

A henchfur punched the lion in the stomach so hard, he flew out of his wheelchair before
his body struck a wall and tumbled to the floor.  Two dozen henchfurs blocked the path to
the vast Hourglass machine and Lady Liberty, Brown Lotus, Dangerwoman, Gila
Monster and Ranger were fighting them with their fists, swords and other weapons they
carried.  When Medic Mouse tried to fly over the group, a taller henchfur grabbed the
airborne mouse by her ankles before slamming her down to the floor hard.  Lone Wolf
quickly phased through the warring furs until she reached the base of the chamber.  
Spotting her, Eagle Eye tossed a somafoam grenade that exploded on the Doberman-
hybrid's chest, instantly knocking her out.

"Oh no, alien doggie, you won't be saving that poodle today!" the elderly husky laughed
as the glowing number counted down to five.

"We're not going to make it," Brown Lotus yelled out while punching a helmeted
henchfur in the jaw.

"We CAN'T give up!" Lady Liberty yelled back, bashing another one in the face with the
hilt of her sword.

"NO!  I WON'TS LETS MY PRINCESS DIE!" Gila roared, punching another henchfur
as the countdown reached three.  Leaping upon the back of the falling henchfur, the
determined reptile jumped high into the air and flung his 2 x 4 like a boomerang with all
his might in the direction of the glass chamber.  As the number reached one, the spinning
2 x 4 crashed the glass cylinder, shattering it into pieces as Gwen tumbled out of it just as
the red beam fell, missing the falling poodle by mere inches.  The flying 2 x 4 then struck
the Hourglass machine with such force that a shower of sparks and computer parts shot
up from the heart of the huge device.

"YOU SCALY BRUTE!  WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY MACHINE???" Eagle
Eye howled as parts of the huge machine began to explode.  The beam housing at the top
of the cylinder came loose and began a slow spin, firing its red beam intermittently as it
moved.

"WATCH OUT FOR THAT BEAM!" a barely conscious Timothy Bordick shouted as it
struck one of the henchfurs in the back.  When he fell to the floor and his helmet rolled
off, everyone could see that the red wolf inside it was now gray furred and elderly.  
Another stray beam struck another henchfur, causing him to age backward so quickly that
he became a brown bear cub, crying out for his mother.

"THAT DAMNED THING'S UNSTABLE!" Lady Liberty shouted.  "EVERYONE
STOP FIGHTING AND GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

"GOOD CALL!" Brown Lotus shouted back as another beam struck the henchfur she
was fighting, causing the helmeted bearcat's black fur to slowly turn gray before he
collapsed to the floor.  

"YOU GUYS GET MOVING!  I'LL GET OUR WOUNDED!" Ranger roared, ducking
the red beam rays to reach Crimson Cur and Lone Wolf.  

"I can't shut it down!" Eagle Eye shouted as Gila Monster rushed over to Gwen.

"I is gittin' yous outta here!" the reptile yelled, picking the moaning poodle up in his
arms and making a run towards the exit.  Medic Mouse woke up to see the exploding
machine and the red beams of light striking in all directions.  

"Gotta get going," she squeaked as she got on her feet.  

"Medic Mouse!  Save me!" Timothy Bordick shouted as he lay on the floor.  When she
ran over in his direction, a red beam struck the gray haired mouse in the back, causing her
to fall down.

"NO!!!" he roared as Dangerwoman grabbed him and threw the lion over her shoulder.

"Don't thank me for this, I regret it already," the masked panther-tigress muttered as she
started to carry him out.  

"Don't take me out yet!" he pleaded.  "Get me to the main fuse box so I can cut the
power before that damned machine blows up and destroys the entire building!"

"Alright Mr. Bordick, tell me where it is," Dangerwoman said as Lady Liberty, Brown
Lotus and Ranger continued carrying henchfurs out to safety.  As Eagle Eye tried to open
a secret panel to escape, he was struck in the back by a red beam, causing the husky to
fall down, landing on his back.  Minutes later, the lights went out, the smoldering
Hourglass machine shut down and emergency floodlights came on.  

"Thank God!" Ranger said as she and Lady Liberty reentered the basement.

"MEDIC MOUSE!" the Mighty Mare shouted as she and Gila Monster rushed over to
her.

"Oh no!  I kilt her!" the orange striped reptile shouted.  "It's all my fault!  If'n she's dead,
I'll never forgives myself!"

"Gila, look!  She's not dead!" Lady Liberty yelled, pulling the sobbing reptile over to her
side.  His eyes opened wide to see that the brown furred field mouse's hair was now jet-
black.  When she opened her eyes, the masked mouse sprang to her feet.

"Bobbie?  Are you alright?  That crazy beam hit you and.."

"And I never felt better!" Medic Mouse shouted.  "I haven't felt this good in decades!"

"Yous is ok!" Gila Monster shouted, giving her a big hug.  

"Thanks, how's Gwen?"

"Duh par-e-medics were taken care of her outside, I is jist glad I didn't kilt ya."

"Killed me?  I've never felt more alive!" she shouted, flying up into the air and bending
loose metal beam supports with her bare paws like they were tissue paper before quickly
welding them together with her boasted laser vision.  "I need to fix these building
supports fast!"

"That beam must have regressed her age by several decades!" Lady Liberty said with a
smile.

"Yuh, and it maded her younger too!" added the Gila Monster.

"Er, yeah," the Mighty Mare said as she rolled her eyes.  

"I called the Bureau for some help cleaning up this mess," Ranger said as she walked
back in.  Her mouth gaped open when she saw how Medic Mouse was performing super
powered repair work to the exposed building's superstructure.

"How on earth did she.."

"She gotten hit by dat ray thingie and it maded her young again!" Gila Monster answered.

"Yeah, what he said," Lady Liberty smiled.

"That explains what happened to Eagle Eye," the tall blonde bruin added.  "He went from
being on old geezer to being a teenager now.  Too bad he'll probably end up with a life
sentence for this crazy stunt."

"How are all the henchfurs?"

"Well, eleven of them got out before getting zapped, of the fourteen that did get zapped,
eight of them became old, six of them turned younger.  Three of the younger ones are
now infants and are being taken straight to Mercy Hospital.  None of them got away."

"Good.  How are Lone Wolf and Crimson Cur?"

"The kid's back on her fast feet and I had her take Lone Wolf home before the first
emergency vehicles arrived.  She'll sleep for a while after getting a face full of
somafoam."

As Ranger was speaking, Crimson Cur zipped up to her side.

"Crimson Cur returning to duty ma'am!" the red suited canine barked.

"At ease," Lady Liberty said with a smile.

"Why did you leave Lone Wolf alone at home, Ji-Lin?" the bionic bruin asked.

"Shodata told me to come back here because Lone Wolf would be taken care of since
Shodata was going to heal her from the affects of the somafoam so since that was going
to be taken care of I was free to return to offer whatever help I could because you are
going to need a lot of help to .."

"We get the picture," Ranger interrupted before gently clamping the rambling canine's
snout shut.

"What about Timothy?  How is he?"

"Physically, he's fine.  Emotionally, he's a mess.  I think he's close to a nervous
breakdown.  He screamed and complained as the paramedics loaded him into the
ambulance."

As Ranger released Crimson Cur's snout, the unmistakable sound of the Donkey Call was
heard from outside as Dyno-Donkey flew in and landed close to the three superladies.

"Lady Liberty, I'm getting into the habit of thanking you and your friends for your
assistance."

"Anytime, sir," the tiger striped mare said as she shook his hoofed hand.  

"How is the building's integrity after the explosions?"

"It's better than ever now!" Medic Mouse shouted from above before landing beside him.  

"Medic Mouse?  You look, different."

"I FEEL different too!  Take a look at all that fast soldering work I did!"

"YOU bent all those steel girders back into place?"

"You bet I did, big guy!  I haven't felt this strong since the 1960's!"

"I'll explain all about it in my Incident Report, sir," Ranger said with a smile.

"Dyno-Donkey, I would suggest you implement a media blackout on this situation," Lady
Liberty said.  "If the general public knew the full extent of what went on here today.."

"Excellent idea," the masked donkey said as Brown Lotus and Detective McGee walked
down towards them.

"Aye, I can't be thankin' all of ya for your help enough," the happy trenchcoat wearing
Scottish Terrier said as he shook all their hands.  "Ya rounded up Eagle Eye and the lot of
his hooligan gang!  How didya know he was up to no good?"

"Well, we got a tip from a very reliable source," the Mighty Mare said just as the
communicator on Dyno-Donkey's belt rang out.  Looking down at its text readout, he
turned to leave.

"I'm needed back at Headquarters.  Ranger, you remain in charge of the crime scene.  
Implement the press blackout Lady Liberty suggested, goodbye for now."

Waving with his hoofed hand, the masked donkey quickly flew up and out of the
building.  The strong breeze he produced instantly lifted up the skirts of Lady Liberty,
Brown Lotus and Medic Mouse high in the air.  Detective McGee's eyes grew as wide as
saucers at the view he received of their backsides.

"Mother McCree!" he shouted before passing out, Crimson Cur quickly zipping up
behind him to catch him as he fainted.

"Gotta have a talk with him about his exits," Ranger giggled.

"You're just laughing because you're not wearing a skirt," Brown Lotus grumbled as she
pulled her dress down.

"Sorry guys, couldn't resist," the masked bruin said with a grin.

"Well, the important thing is we stopped Eagle Eye," Lady Liberty said as she pulled her
skirt back down.

"And to think, we have Gila Monster to thank for alerting us," Crimson Cur said with a
smile as she told Detective McGee back outside.

"The kid's right, y'know," Ranger said.  "We should do something nice for him."

"Like offer him a bath?"

"I'm serious, Gloria.  What would that big galoot really like?"

One hour later, back at Gloria and Kelly's house, there are two new guests at their dinner
table.

"I really want to thank you for rescuing me," Gwen said as the poodle sat next to Gloria
and Kelly at the table.  Gila Monster sat across from Ji-Lin, Kuwanna and Katie,
shoveling in plate after plate of food into his huge mouth.

"And I wants to thanks you fir duh rescue too!" the reptile said between bites.  "And
thanks a lot fir invitin' me and my goil for dinner!"

"You're very welcome," Kelly said as she looked over at the feeding reptile.  "Ready for
more, big guy?"

"I sure is!  I wants more of dat dere alien food!  I can'ts pronounces it, but I sure loves
eatin' it!" Gila shouted as Alice brought in a tray of food.

"As you requested," Shodata said outloud from within Alice's body.  "Here is some fresh
Cuva'dr and several tins of fresh Flusse-Cadek with another pot of Phulonate soup."

"There's still more cooking on the stove for you, as you requested," Alice said as she sat
the tray down and returned to the kitchen.

"THANKS A LOT!" the reptile said as he grabbed three of the muffin-like objects and
popped them into his gaping mouth.  "I LOVES duh wood chips in dem dere thingies!  
And this cake is extra chewy!  Dis soup is wonderful!  Does yous goils wants any of dis
fine grub?  I feels guilty eatin' all dis fantastical food by myself!"

"Er, no thanks Gila, we've already eaten," Gloria said as she looked away from the happy
reptile who grabbed the entire pot of hot soup and began to drink out of it.

"All this is for you, friend," Ranger said, looking away after the Gila had emptied the
soup pot into his stomach.  

"Yous doesn't knows whats yous is missin', goils," he said as he cut the Cuva'dr cake in
half and shoved one piece of it into his mouth.

"Yes, we do know what we're missing," Kelly whispered to the others as Gwen hugged
her boyfriend.

"You never gave up on me, thank you," she said to him.

"Dat cause I loves you, yous wills always bees my Princess," the Gila said, putting down
his knife and fork long enough to share a kiss with the white furred poodle.

"Mating rituals on your world are always quite fascinating," Shodata spoke outloud from
within Alice's body.  "And I am pleased that I found one earthling who enjoys Udellian
cooking."

"Even if it is Gila?" Alice asked.

"I must confess he is rather unusual, but he is an earthling.  Alice, you have taught me to
be tolerant and accepting of all earthlings, am I correct?"

"Yes, yes you are, Shodata," the pink haired Doberman wolfess said with a sigh.  "I'm
sorry, you're right, I should be more tolerant of others, even those who don't bathe often
and have bad dental hygiene."

"Indeed, Gwen seems to tolerate Gila quite well."

"True, and he does have a good heart," Alice said as she checked the pots on the
stovetop.

"By the way, where's Bobbie?" Katie asked.

"She said she had something important to do back at Bureau Headquarters," Kuwanna
answered, "and I'll bet I know exactly what it is."

---

"And that's the truth, Bobbie," Matthew said as he and Medic Mouse sat together in a
quiet corner of the Bureau lounge area.

"Ah, so Karen was just hugging you out of sympathy when you were telling her about
us," the brown furred field mouse said with a smile.  "Sorry sweetie, guess I let my
imagination run wild."

"It's alright, darling.  But I want to hear more about that weird red ray that made you all
young again!"

"Well, I did have Bengali run a few more tests when I came back, and according to him,
my estimated biological age is now in the mid to upper 30's.  I know it was an accident
but in a way, it's the second greatest thing that ever happened to me!"

"Second greatest?  What's the first?"

"Meeting YOU," the mouse said as she reached up to kiss the rabbit on the lips.

"Hey old lady!" Doe Dynamo shouted from across the room.  "I just got back from
kicking the asses of the Red Goat gang tonight, how about an arm wrestling rematch?"

"Haven't you heard about what happened to," Matthew stopped talking when Bobbie
tapped his shoulder, shook her head and winked.  "Oh, I get it now."

"I don't know, Donna," the costumed mouse said meekly.  "Are you sure you want to try
little ol' me again?"

"Bring it on!" Mystic Cat added, standing beside the blonde doe.  "Donna will break your
frail little arm THIS time!"

Hearing that boast got many of the superheroes in the room to gathered around the main
table in the center of the lounge.

"Well, alright, if you insist," the black haired mouse said as she sat down at the main
table and put her arm up.  "Let's do this."

"Oh you bet we will," Doe Dynamo said as she sat down and placed her hoofed hand in
Bobbie's paw.  "Dying your hair won't give you strength, Miss Samson!"

"Ready, set, GO!" Patricia shouted as Donna began to push.  As Bobbie yawned, the
blonde doe strained, trying to move the arm of the petite brown field mouse.

"What's the matter, blondie?  Didn't eat your Wheaties today?" Bobbie asked with a
laugh.  "Well, guess I'll go ahead and end this thing now."

Exerting a burst of super strength, Medic Mouse pushed Donna's hand down on the
tabletop with such force, it broke the table and flipped the screaming white tailed doe
through the air until her body struck the wall with a loud thud.  The stunned crowd of
spectators began to clap and cheer.

"DONNA!" Mystic Cat shouted as she rushed over to her.

"I'm fine, Patty," the stunned doe said as she slowly got to her feet.  "This has got to be
some sort of trick!  No way you just defeated me, Mighty Mouse!"

"There's no trick to it, kid, just me," Medic Mouse said.  "I'm back to my old strength
level!  And if I remember correctly, Patricia, you punched me in the jaw earlier today.  
Now it's MY turn!"

"No no, wait a minute, let's talk about this," the frightened feline-hybrid whined, slowly
backing away from the grinning petite mouse.  

"Come here and take your medicine," Medic Mouse said as she made a fist.  Screaming,
Patricia tried to run away, but was blocked every way she turned by the super speedy
brown field mouse.  In desperation, Mystic Cat took out her wand only to have it knocked
out of her paw.  The laughing mouse grabbed her by the back of her leotard and lifted her
off the floor.

"Alright Patty, you've been asking for this," Medic Mouse said as she drew back her fist,
but she stopped short when she saw how Mystic Cat had fainted in her grasp.  This
caused the crowd to laugh hysterically.  

"You did it, sweetie!" Matthew said as the rabbit rushed up to her.  Dropping the
unconscious costumed feline mix; Bobbie threw her arms around the rabbit and gave him
a gentle hug.  Watching from a distance was Karen Lawson.

"So, that old relic got her strength back," the lioness said to herself.  "No matter, I'll win
Matthews' heart someday."

"Way to go, Bobbie!" Power Pig said.

"Good one, Dr. Bob!" added Wonder Wolf.

"Let's go somewhere and celebrate," Matthew said to his mouse girlfriend.  "Anywhere
you'd like to go?"

"How about, YOUR place?" Bobbie whispered softly in his ear, causing the rabbit to
blush.

---

THE END