Gold Shipment

Deep down in the heart of Arizona, the home of Nickelback Nathan (among other cowboys), it became apparent that Bendraqi had struck again. “Does he ever quit?” SUPERCAT made the comment as soon as the news reached him. “He’s stooping so low, he’s attempting all his jobs in vain now.”

“What are we to do?” Leo the Patriotic Lion asked. “We’re in the middle of this crazy clone attack and he’s down there stealing gold. One of us is going to have to abandon this mission to chase Bendraqi.”

“CRIPTOCAT!” SUPERCAT called. “Can you head down there and get the gold safely back to where it belongs?”

“Okay, if you are sure you know what I’m getting into,” CRIPTOCAT replied.

Now before you flip your head over this, here’s what was happening: Bendraqi had been planning this attack for years because he felt gold could give him the best jackpot to shoot for. After melting the gold to liquid assets, he would mix it would some of his deadliest chemicals. Then, he’d dump it all over the citizens of the USA, so they would hail him as their ruler after being hypnotized into doing so. The hypnotized citizens would obey him and kill the G-52s off. Meanwhile, his endless supply of clones (of himself) would distract the G-52s long enough for him to get the gold.

Because the gold was supposed to go to Fort Knox and was guarded heavily by soldiers while being loaded onto the appropriate train (until Bendraqi stole it with threats of using nitroglycerine to blow the train), the Sheriff sent a telegram to SUPERCAT, and SUPERCAT received a displayed text of the message through his communicator. He felt it was his duty to lead the battle against the clones, and CRIPTOCAT wasn’t really doing anything special to help, so he thought, “CRIPTOCAT’s capable of anything with those powers of his. He’s perfect for the job!”

“Okay, so here’s what I want you to do,” SUPERCAT said to CRIPTOCAT while WARCAT fired his guns in self-defense against another clone. “Arizona is going nuts right now over Bendraqi’s hold-ups of trains that are carrying gold over to Fort Knox. To be exact, I want you to head to Glenn View Springs, Arizona, which, by coincidence, is Nickelback Nathan’s hometown. That should be easy for you to remember.”

“Yes, it should,” CRIPTOCAT replied. “Sure I’ll do the job. Am I to go as I am or go undercover?”

“Undercover. You ever heard of the Righteous Outlaw?”

“No, it doesn’t ring a bell entirely, but I’d probably know him if I saw him. I’ve heard of him before.”

“Well, if you can go undercover as a look-alike of him, if this works according to plan, and sometimes they screw up, but that’s my fault, not yours, then Bendraqi won’t know what hit him.”

“Okay, I’ll do that. I wish I could ride a horse, though.”

“Oh, you never learned that, did you?”

“No.”

“Hmmm. Well, what about roller skates? At least you can get to Bendraqi faster that way.”

“Roller skates work for me, as long as no one’s trying to jam me.”

“There’s no roller derby involved here. You’ll be fine. We’re counting on you, Cripto. We know you can!” SUPERCAT blasted off into the stratosphere to fight another clone squadron. Leo led a ground attack with his famous car, the Patriotmobile.

“As soon we stop all these clones,” SUPERCAT radioed to his comrades, “we’re heading to Arizona to help Cripto out. He might not be able to do this alone, but you never know.”

“He can do it,” Leo replied. “He’s a lionhearted tiger.”

Using his powers, CRIPTOCAT teleported himself to the city of the crime, and figured out the right outfit to wear. He looked exactly like the Righteous Outlaw, but with roller skates. He had the black jeans, boots, hat, shirt, jacket, everything. He also was armed with two pistols and a lariat. Since he knew how to handle guns and ropes, he felt confident about this mission. He didn’t have a mask at first, but he made one anyway so he wouldn’t reveal his true identity (though he didn’t have to because the public knew it anyway).

CRIPTOCAT casually skated his way into Glenn View Springs, a town that looked like 1880 on the outside but modern day American on the inside, and made his way over to the Sheriff’s office. “I haven’t mastered the voice yet,” he said to himself. “I hope no one suspects me.” He stopped himself in front of the office as the Sheriff stepped out and wondered, “I wonder if the Outlaw has a twin brother than hasn’t learned how to ride a horse yet?” He coughed, then asked CRIPTOCAT, “No horse, sir?”

“No, I’m on roller skates this time,” CRIPTOCAT replied, using a Texas-oriented accent. “Fastest wheels in the West. I’m in a hurry, however; have you seen Bendraqi by any chance?”

“Yes, but I couldn’t tell you where his hideout is located at,” said the Sheriff. “He’s been stealing gold shipments that Fort Knox is supposed to have.”

“So I heard.”

“Head him off at the pass. You can’t miss it!”

“Thank you, sir.” CRIPTOCAT headed on for Bendraqi’s hideout. Chances are he would not have found it if it hadn’t been for a set of footprints left in the dirt. His skates enable him to skate on any terrain, however, so he continued to follow the trail until he got to Bendraqi’s hideout (evident by the smell of it). “I don’t like the look of this,” CRIPTOCAT said to himself. “Or the smell! P.U.! When was the last time he cleaned this?”

CRIPTOCAT snuck inside without a sound, snapping his fingers for protection against the lasers that detected him. What surprised him was that Bendraqi hadn’t spotted him yet. He found the gold located in boxes Bendraqi had also stolen from the trains. He tried lifting one but proved impossible of doing so. “Oh, gosh; this is heavy!” he grunted, struggling to pick it up.

Just then, the sound of a bugle playing the “Charge” call came from afar. “What’s the cavalry doing at a time like this?” CRIPTOCAT wonder as he peeked outside. He noticed how the soldiers on horseback stopped within 50 feet of the hideout. “All right! Come out with your hands up!” one officer shouted.

“Never thought obedience would get me in trouble,” CRIPTOCAT thought as he skated slowly back outside. He noticed how the cavalry consisted of a fox, jaguar that played the bugle, lion, wolf, and bulldog. The officer showed a sign of confusion. “Oh, you are not Bendraqi,” he reacted. “Who are you?”

CRIPTOCAT pulled his G-52 indication badge out and explained what happened, as well as what SUPERCAT had instructed him. “I’m hoping Bendraqi doesn’t see this,” he concluded. “I’d never get the end of it. Meanwhile, here’s the gold he stolen and was going to melt down. The trains need it right now and I can’t lift these by myself. Can you help me get it to the train station, seeing as how it’s not very far from here?”

“You heard him, men!” the officer shouted. “Help him get these boxes back to the station, on the double!” The men saluted and got right to work.

By the time the last box had been shipped to the station, the cavalry had returned to base, but CRIPTOCAT was unable to make a clean getaway before Bendraqi caught him the act. Bendraqi grabbed him, pulled off his mask, threw it into a campfire, and dragged him back to the Sheriff’s office/jail. He opened a cell and threw CRIPTOCAT against the wall. “You little snitch!” he snorted. “It’s getting so a villain can’t live a dishonest life anymore! Now that you’ve stuck your tail in the dirt, I’ve got to find another way to get the gold! My reputation is at steak!”

“What reputation?” CRIPTOCAT thought, gasping for air and coughing as Bendraqi stormed out the office and over to the station. He struggled to get back on his skates again, then skated over to the window and looked outside. “Now what am I going to do?” he exclaimed worryingly. “I got the shipment on board safely, but couldn’t keep Bendraqi from knowing about it. Now he’s after the gold, and there’s nothing my powers can do.” (He said this because when he snapped his fingers, his powers either sounded a “gleaming” sound effect, giving him the freedom to do what was on his mind or relevant to the orders of SUPERCAT, or a buzzer stating he couldn’t do what he wanted. It was sounding the buzzer right now.)

“Had a long day, eh, partner?” said a voice from behind.

“Oh, pardon me, sir,” said CRIPTOCAT after turning around. “I didn’t know anybody else was in here.”

“Yup,” said the voice. “Y’all look just like me, but on skates. Why? Y’all in trouble for impersonating me?” This gave CRIPTOCAT the indication he was in the presence of the Righteous Outlaw himself!

“No. SUPERCAT told me to disguise myself as you so I could stop Bendraqi, but he stopped me and threw me in here.”

“So he is after the gold?”

“Yes. He wants to melt it, poison it, then hypnotize everybody into hailing him as their ruler and kill each of us off.” CRIPTOCAT showed his G-52 badge to the Outlaw.

“I thought I sensed greatness,” the Outlaw replied as he straightened his hat.

“What are you in here for?”

“Intervening with Bendraqi, just like you. Except in my case it was because he was trying to steal oil with counterfeit money. The Sheriff promised that as soon as Bendraqi was captured, he’d let me out. Now’s he got to let you out as well.”

“I suppose so.”

“Y’all don’t have a mask, I see.”

“I did originally, but Bendraqi burned it.”

“Alas, it’s come back to haunt me,” the Outlaw sighed. “My parents died when I was two years old, just a little tiger cub. That was gangster Bully Dawggerson’s doing, and he burned my birth certificate the same way he burned your mask. Since then, I’ve been a lonesome cowboy without a name, or even a friend, at least until I met Nickelback Nathan and his friends.”

“That’s good to know. Sorry you’ll never know your name.”

“That’s okay; I feel it’ll make a legend out of you.”

“I suppose y’all are right. I just wish I wasn’t so vulnerable to evil’s wrath.”

“So do I.”

At that point, the Sheriff walked in. “Oh, we got two Righteous Outlaws!” he exclaimed. “Oh, wait a minute. One of them’s wearing skates. Just what is going on here?”

CRIPTOCAT showed his G-52 ID badge again and explained what happened, though the Sheriff remained skeptical about it. “And Bendraqi’s trying to take the gold back,” he concluded as his radio beeped. “Oh, excuse me.” He activated the link. “CRIPTOCAT here,” he began.

“Hey, Cripto; SUPERCAT here. How’s the mission coming?”

“I got the gold safely on board, but Bendraqi caught me in the act and he’s trying to get it back. He put me in jail, where I ended up meeting the Righteous Outlaw in person for the first time. Not really the place to make a new friend, but that’s how it ended up.”

“I see. Well, all the clones are gone, so we’re heading to Arizona right now. See you soon, and great job!” He gave CRIPTOCAT a thumbs-up before the link broke off.

“There’s your proof, Sheriff; SUPERCAT’s orders were just as I said.”

“Well, I was skeptical about it because we don’t take kindly to no strangers or impersonators in these here parts. But now I see that Bendraqi was behind all this, and you were obedient to your commander-in-chief, and fighting for your organization, your country, and the flag. This town’s caught ‘Leo fever,’ you understand; we started taking his speeches to heart now that our modernization, seen on our town’s interiors, would have driven him nuts had he not come to his senses. We just didn’t know he had. Hang on. I’ll let you out.”

The Sheriff reached for a key, opened the cell so the two tigers could leave, and lead them to the saloon for a soda. Along the way, the cavalry officer CRIPTOCAT had met earlier joined them.

CRIPTOCAT took some more time to explain to the Outlaw how the G-52 organization worked (when he asked) and mentioned his eligibility as an “ally” of the organization. “Only the elite can become an actual G-52,” he said. “I don’t think you qualify for that by SUPERCAT’s standards, but that’s his decision, not mine.”

“I see,” said the Outlaw. “If he ever needs any help when y’all aren’t enough, let me know, and I’ll be there faster than a speeding bullet from a six-shooter, okay?”

“Okay, sure.”

By now SUPERCAT and the other G-52s had arrived, along with Nickelback Nathan and his posse (who had voluntarily offered to help them out), and SUPERCAT reported that Bendraqi was now in Alcatraz. “And if he gets out, we’ll be there to put him back in,” he concluded.

“Way to go, Cripto!” WARCAT shouted, banging CRIPTOCAT’s right hand knuckles. “I knew you had it in you.”

“You’re one heck of a spy, son,” said the officer. “Wonder why you never joined the military?”

“I probably couldn’t handle the stress,” CRIPTOCAT replied as everyone walked in the saloon to get a bite to eat. “I’d rather be a superhero any day of the week.”

THE END