CONFRONTED with an adversary beyond her abilities, Void Cat pressed forward, digging deep, ultimately defeating him by letting go of her fears.

CALLED to action by the enigmatic Clockwork, the team is presented with a terrifying new adversary.

IN NEED of help, The Professor makes a request of their latest member in the fight against evil.

“Hao!” Sifu shouted, congratulating her student. She rushed forward and picked the bamboo leaf off the floor. “I knew you could do it!” The kung-fu master beamed and her display of emotion caught Void Cat off guard, who jumped off the bamboo and landed directly in front of her erstwhile adversary.

“Who is this palooka? You know him I’d wager. Otherwise, you’d have chilled him off.” She said to Sifu, then backed away enough to take in the scene.

The wolf stood up and flattened his tousled fur. “Chilled off?” He asked, again his voice soft, yet gravely.

“Killed, Mac. She’d have killed you before you even got close to me.”

The wolf looked between the females in front of him; a smile grew slowly on his face.

“Luckily, The Flora introduced us when you and your sister were sleeping instead of training,” Sifu admonished.

Immediately Void Cat retorted, “That wasn’t my fault. Have you been in the solarium? Heat vents, sunbeams. You gotta give a dame some credit, I was awake for at least three minutes.” Void Cat knew it was a weak excuse, and quickly moved past it. “So, who’s the fella?”

The wolf stepped forward, and bowed gently, dropping his gaze to the floor and leaving himself wide open for attack. Sensing the act of supplication, Void Cat repeated the gesture.

“I am Leo, a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Void Cat.” He stood straight, meeting her with both eyes.

Void Cat grinned. “My sis would love a fella like you. Have you met her yet?”

“I’ve not had the pleasure, but I’m sure if she is half as charming as you are…” Leo said, his voice softer than before.

“Get a load of this Flaming Youth, you are too much!” Void Cat said, then laughed. She jumped over Sifu and grabbed the bamboo leaf out of her master’s hand, then landed on two paws and spun back to Leo. “What’s your story? Where’d you get those peepers?”

Leo cleared his throat and was about to speak when a Clockwork automaton walked into the room.

“Begging your pardon, Sifu. We have new information and would like you and the youths to come to the meeting room.” It bowed and walked out, not waiting for the others. Sifu gestured for the two to follow and they stepped up behind the brass Clockwork; Leo letting Void Cat take the lead. As they walked Void Cat studied the steady and predictable gait of the automaton. Every time it shifted its right leg, she noticed an orange flash on the left side of its back and an accompanying release of a small amount of steam. She stepped up as close as she could and felt the heat pouring out of it. The other automatons were always cool to the touch, their brass bodies dissipating heat almost instantly. “Say, Mac, what gives with the oven?” She asked after she could no longer figure out what she was looking at. The automaton stopped and spun around to address her.

“It is a molten lava battery, Mistress. The heat generates steam from another water pack inside this unit’s torso. The combination of the two powers the body and runs the action and thinking works.”

“I thought you all needed winding like a clock?” Void Cat asked, her whiskers twitching.

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“Indeed, most of us do need our action and thinking works wound up to function. This unit is the product of experimentation between our collective and your father, The Professor. It needs no winding, only a new molten pack, and water to replace what has been used for driving.”

Void Cat leaned forward and sniffed the brass tanks that comprised its back. Leo squinted every time the vents allowed steam to escape as if it was overwhelming him somehow. Sifu stepped back, attempting to make more distance between her and the automaton.

“How long does that work for?” Void Cat knocked on a tank and quickly regretted the decision, she shook her paw attempting to let the air cool her skin.

The automaton turned and proceeded back down the hallway. “We must continue, the collective is waiting for us. This unit can explain as we walk. This chassis can function three times as long without needing to refill the water tanks as the others in the collective with simple winding actions. Like the rest of the collective, this unit cannot replace its own tanks.”

Void Cat walked astride with the brass automaton. “Ain’t you afraid you’re gonna go cold and end up a sucker somewhere until you can get some new lava?” She asked.

The automaton kept walking forward. Without stopping it turned its head and addressed her. “The collective will find this unit and replace water or lava as is needed. We will always be there for each other, Mistress. We are never alone, and we do not abandon each other.” Its head spun back forward with an audible grind as steam escaped its vent. Leo raised his eyebrows; his emerald irises glistened in the orange light from the pack.

Within moments, they were back upstairs, in a large area the collective used as a meeting room for those other than their kind. The Professor, Shadow, and a handful of other Clockwork automatons were gathered, staring at a projection on the polished diorite wall. A beam of light shone through the head of another automaton, projecting the images through its eyes. A sound emanated from its mouth. “Muah ha! Muah haha!” It echoed through the chamber.

“I know that laugh, it's…” Void Cat began.

“Chillwave will never be denied!” The movie on the wall showed Chillwave, enveloped in a heavy parka and connected to several hoses, directing an activity that was off-camera. “I will bring the world to its knees! Muah ha ha… Muah haha!”

“Pause,” a clockwork voice said, although Void Cat could not discern which automaton was speaking. It continued, “This is all our operative could see, at this point, the image becomes blurred from the cryogenic equipment.” The image moved slowly, and white clouds filled the view. “However, there is something in the background. Repeat, and augment.” The voice commanded. The image projected on the wall moved at regular speed, and the movie’s volume increased exponentially. Between the hisses of vapor, the gathered could hear speaking, the voice bubbled, as if it were under a tank of water.

“This is good Chillwave. bubble You serve us well, and you will be rewarded. bubble My master thanks you,” the voice said.

Shadow arched her back at the sound, the ridge of fur that ran along her spine stood straight up. “Vhat iz zat?” She hissed.

“Fascinating!” The professor said, peering closer at the image, attempting to see anything that he didn’t before.

Sifu turned to Leo, “Do you know what that is?” She asked quietly. The lupine shook his head no.

“We did not see to whom Chillwave was speaking, and we don’t recognize the voice.” The collective said, again with no discernible speaker.

“Do you think this is who is stealing the heat from the volcanoes?” the professor asked. He walked up to the automaton projecting the image and stared into its eyes as if looking directly into the source would avail him of insight not apparent to anyone else.

“Yes, we do. The Flora have felt similar vibrations at other locations like this,” They responded.

Void Cat looked around the room at the plants that adorned the walls. She didn’t notice until now how they swayed in unison.

“This unit could not get closer to record the events, there was too much potential for self-revelation,” the projecting automaton spoke for the benefit of those not in the collective consciousness of The Clockwork. “When they left, this unit returned home as quickly as possible.”

The professor turned back to the image on the wall, frozen with Chillwave’s hands extended above his head, his face contorted into a laugh. The professor spoke, “We need someone on the inside, we have to get that information. I’m afraid that we can’t rely on the fox, Kit, to feed us this data, we need a canid…” The professor quickly turned to Leo, whose eyes flashed green.

“Of course, Professor.” Leo bowed gracefully.

“Great!” The professor exclaimed, “You leave tonight!”

Who is this new bubbling adversary? What will their charming new ally do to get on the inside of Chillwave’s evil organization? How long can the automatons go without tarnishing?

Find out the answers to these and other exciting questions in the next thrilling installment of “The Adventures of Void Cat and Shadow!”