Herald City Science Expo. Where inventors from all fields of science come together to show off their work. If one wants to see a preview of the world of tomorrow, then a brief watch of these scientists showing off their brilliant—and often zany—inventions is all that is needed. Today, among the visitors, is David Dufraine and his son Jack, better known to the world as the father and son superhero team of Blue Eagle and Switch the Blue Eaglet.

“Wow, this science expo is pretty neat!” said Jack, watching a scientist grow a hot dog out of a pot of soil as he and his father strolled through the hall. Booths were set up along either side of the long exhibition all, and scientists of all types were showing off an equally varied array of prototypes. “I never would have thought have the stuff they’re doing was possible!”

“That’s right, Jack,” said David, walking alongside his son. “The genius of some of these men is astounding. Although, the day everybody has those anti-gravity shoes,” he added, pointing to one of the booths, “we’re going to find the skies a lot more crowded.”

As they continued through, a booth in particular caught their eye and they stopped. The scientist was demonstrating some sort of black box with a large forward-pointing horn on the top to the crowd. It looked like an angular phonograph. All sorts of strange blinking lights decorated the futuristic-looking device.

“This revolutionary device is the Molecular Rearranger, and it will change the world!” announced the scientist to the crowd. “With a mere press of a button, the molecules of any object can be completely changed from inanimate to living and vice versa! Observe this ordinary stool.”

Pointing the device at a stool, he pressed a button on top. A white beam zig zagged from the horn-like component and made contact with the stool. The stool glowed for less than a second before instantly becoming a trash bin. Another press of the button, and the trash bin became a dog. A final press of the button turned the dog back into a stool.

The crowd emitted “oohs” and “ahs” before giving a round of applause. David and Jack couldn’t help but do the same.

“Holy molely, did you see that, Dad?” asked Jack in amazement.

“I sure did, son,” said David. “Incredible.”

“With this device,” the scientist continued, “we can rescue endangered species or replenish natural resources simply by creating more of them. I can transform anything I want into any object or animal with this device. Such as an American Bald Eagle in honor of our guests in the back of the crowd,” he added, his eyes lighting up as he recognized the faces of David and Jack. “It seems we at this expo are honored to have Blue Eagle and Switch as our attendees, and I’m just happy to have had Herald City’s very own superhero protectors here to see my work.”

The crowd clapped for David and Jack, who waved back to everybody. “Gosh, everyone, no need for any of this. We’re only happy to help,” stammered Jack. “This scientist is the one you should really be applauding.”

“That’s right. You have an incredible invention!” said David. “Is there anything it can’t do?”

The scientist nodded. “Yes. I’ve made sure that it can’t morph molecules into those of humans. But that’s the only restriction. The Molecular Rearranger can alter the molecular makeup of anything I desire into anything else.”

An excited murmuring went through the crowd as people discussed the possible applications of the device amongst themselves.

David’s ears pricked as he heard something. The sound of familiar voices. He tapped his son on the shoulder.

“Quickly, Jack,” he whispered. “It’s time that we make our way out and Blue Eagle and Switch come in.”

“What’s going on?”

“I hear something. A pair of voices. They’re talking about the Molecular Rearranger, and it doesn’t sound good.”

Suddenly, the ringing sound filled the air. Before anybody could question what was going on, the sprinklers activated, showering the expo attendees with water. The crowd’s attention was diverted in all different directions, with some wondering what was going on, others looking for cover or an exit, and still others focusing on their clothes and belongings. The inventors rushed to cover their prototypes for fear of water damage. People began to scatter.

Except for two figures. The two gangsters in raincoats made their way towards the Molecular Rearranger.

“Wow, Willie, it was a great idea to pull the fire alarm,” said Frankie, the hood of his purple raincoat keeping his head dry.

“Told you it would be,” said Willie. “With everyone scattering due to the sprinklers, no one will notice us making off with this here machine.”

“That’s what you think!”

The pair of robbers turned to the sound of the voice.

“It’s Blue Eagle!” exclaimed Willie.

“And Switch the Blue Eaglet!” added Frankie.

“That’s right, gentlemen. And trust me, nothing escapes my enhanced senses,” said Blue Eagle. He pointed to his ear. “I could hear you two flapping your gums from a mile away. Now, why don’t the two of you accompany us to the police station?”

Blue Eagle took a step forward, and Frankie, shaking with fear, took a step back. His shoe slipped on the wet floor, and he reached out a hand to steady himself as he fell. His flailing hand hit the activation switch of the Molecular Rearranger. The white beam projected from the form, connecting with Blue Eagle.

In a flash, Blue Eagle was no more. In the spot where he was standing, there was now a full sized American Bald Eagle.

“Blue Eagle!” cried Switch in horror. “He’s been changed into an actual eagle!”

“W-w-what the--?” stammered Frankie as he pulled himself to his feet. “Did Blue Eagle just turn into an eagle? I didn’t know he could do that!”

“That was you, you idiot!” said Willie, grabbing the device. “Good job, you took out the big man once and for all! Now let’s get this thing back to the boss before she transforms us into plant food!”

With that, the two goons turned and fled.

The sprinklers and fire alarm klaxons ceased. Switch took a step towards the eagle that was once his father.

“Oh, boy. This really is a mess!” he said to the bird. “When you decided to become Blue Eagle, I doubt this is what you had in mind.”

The eagle looked at all over the room in jerky motions. If it had Blue Eagle’s consciousness, memories, or intelligence, it wasn’t displaying them at the moment. For all intents and purposes, it was a regular bird.

The scientist came running over to Switch.

“My...my invention! Those thieves stole my invention!” he cried in shock.

“And they turned Blue Eagle into an actual eagle,” said Switch.

“Oh no, this is bad,” said the scientist. “That prototype was the only one in existence. If you don’t get the Molecular Rearranger back, Blue Eagle will stay that way forever!”

Fortunately, our hero won’t have to try too hard to find the Molecular Rearranger. Unfortunately, if we currently look at Downtown Herald City, we see why....

“Run, it’s Queen Venus!” shouted a man, his voice raising just above the screams of panicked citizens running for their lives.

From the intersection, Queen Venus stood with the Molecular Rearranger in her hand. Her henchmen stood by her side. She threw back her head and gave a hearty laugh. “Why are you running, fools? Don’t you care enough about science to be my test subjects?”

Pointing the device at the man, she activated it. The beam turned the man into a chimpanzee.

“Haw haw! Look at that guy monkeying around!” laughed Frankie, pointing at the chimp as it started jumping up and down in a panic.

“Indeed. It seems like this device delivers on all the promises,” said Queen Venus. “With this, I have all the power in the world. No one can stop me now.”

“That’s what you think!” came a boy’s voice. They turned to see Switch standing at the ready, the eagle that used to be Herald City’s greatest superhero at his side.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the sidekick,” said Queen Venus. She turned towards the eagle. “And Blue Eagle. You’ve really taken towards your superhero mantle.”

“That’s enough! Hand over the device, or I’ll be forced to take it from you!” ordered Switch.

“Oh, but Switch, I’m not done testing the limits of this wonderful machine yet,” said Queen Venus. Down one of the streets came the rumbling of a city bus, unaware of the situation. “Why don’t you assist me?”

Turning towards the bus, she fired the device. The bus turned into a bull, running at full speed towards Switch.

“I’ve never been one for bullfighting, but....” said Switch, his voice trailing off as he grabbed the bull by the horns. “Toro! Toro!” he shouted with a joyful cockiness.

Using the animal’s momentum and his own superstrength, he spun around, flinging the bull away.

“Interesting, but what about this?” wondered Queen Venus, firing the device at a streetlight.

They watched as the streetlight glowed in the white beam of the Molecular Rearranger, then shrunk and separated. The separated parts began to take humanoid forms, and before them stood four empty suits of medieval armor, each brandishing a sword. Raising their swords, they all turned to Switch and attacked.

Switch’s fists collided with each of the armors, the sheer force of his blows sending them flying all over the street, pieces bursting apart in the air.

He chuckled to himself. “King Arthur’s got nothing on me.”

Suddenly, he felt the ground beneath his feet slip out from under him like a rug that was pulled away. It wrapped around him like a blanket, covering all but his head. Off balance, he fell to the ground, feeling the crushing weight of the concrete as it constricted itself, crushing him.

“Hey...what gives...?” he said, struggling to get the words out. He knew the answer to that, however. The Molecular Rearranger could even manipulate the ground beneath his feet.

“It’s your doom, Blue Eaglet. The era of the Father-Son Duo is what gives, and the era of Queen Venus begins now,” said Queen Venus, her voice taking on a menacing tone. “That concrete will keep squeezing and squeezing you. A normal person would be crushed. But your superstrength will protect you. Except, hmm, I wonder how long it’s been since you activated it? You must be about to run out of time.”

Switch struggled mightily, but it was no use.

“Well, it’s time for us to leave. This device has certainly passed the test. Frankie, Willie, let’s go!” she continued, summoning her henchmen to follow her. They turned and left the scene.

On the ground, Switch continued to struggle.

“Can’t...breathe....Can’t.......escape. Don’t have long......before.....my powers......give out......”

He took as deep a breath as the crushing weight of the concrete bindings would allow. He stopped trying to break free and concentrated more on just not being crushed, mentally “regrouping” as best he could. As soon as he was ready, he focused on slowly but steadily pushing outwards on the concrete.

“I’ve gotta....get outta this.....now! Only a couple.....seconds.....left.....”

The concrete began to crack. In one sudden motion, it burst open, Switch expanding his arms and legs with the last of his superstrength in order to break free.

“That...was a close one,” he said, panting as he struggled to his feet. “Another second and I would have been crushed like a grape! My powers just shut off.”

He looked to the eagle. The eagle had managed to stay out of harm’s way during all the action, but had also not truly been able to contribute to the battle. Switch sighed. His father recognized him enough to tag along wherever he went, but didn’t have the wherewithal to understand anything beyond that. It was less a man transformed into an animal than it was simply an animal.

“I guess you really can’t do much to help me, can you?” said Switch with a hint of sadness in his voice. Suddenly, his eyes brightened. “But that’s okay. I’ve got an idea, but we’ll need the Chief’s help. Come on!”

A short time later, at the office of the Chief of Police......

“You want me to what!?” asked the Police Chief incredulously. He looked back and forth between the kid sidekick and the American Bald Eagle that stood next to him, gazing around the office. The incredulousness was less in response to the request and more a reaction to the absurdity of the situation.

Another normal day in Herald City.

“I want you to get the Herald City Museum to put out an ad stating that, tonight, they will be hosting a display of the Crown Jewels of Nonamia,” repeated Switch. “It’s part of my plan to lure out Queen Venus.”

“But we don’t have the Crown Jewels of Nonamia!” protested the Chief.

“We don’t need them. We just need Queen Venus to think they’ll be in a specific place at a specific time,” said Switch. “She sees the false ad and goes to where we want her to be, but instead of the Crown Jewels, she finds me. I get the drop on her and steal back the Molecular Rearranger, and we turn Blue Eagle back to normal. We have no other way of finding her and who knows what sort of damage she’ll do with that machine in her possession.”

“I understand. I’ll make the necessary arrangements. You’ll have my support, Blue Eaglet,” said the Chief.

The eagle let loose a loud squawk.

“Okay, okay. You have my support too, Blue Eagle,” said the Chief.

And so the advertisements go out, advertising the Crown Jewels of Nonamia as planned. One of these advertisements quickly finds itself in the hands of the sinister Queen Venus, but.......

“Do those law-abiding losers really take Queen Venus for a fool!?” shouted the supervillain, throwing the Herald City Museum flyer to the ground.

“But, boss, this is a great opportunity,” said Willie, confused. “With that machine over there, and Blue Eagle and Switch out of the way, that’s a fortune just ripe for the taking.”

“Use your brain, you bumbling bait-taker!” Queen Venus shot back fiercely. “The priceless Crown Jewels of a foreign country on display at precisely the moment when Blue Eagle is out of commission and the Molecular Rearranger is the only thing that can bring him back!? It’s obviously a trap.”

“Aw geez, that’s a good point, boss,” said Willie.

“Hey, boss! I got an idea!” chimed Frankie. “Why don’t you just make your own Crown Jewels? Or just use the Moculyar Thingy to just make money and stuff out of thin air!”

A smack to the head with the rolled up museum flyer was her response to him.

“I guess it’s not a good idea?” said Frankie, rubbing his head.

“No, you infantile inflationist! That’s how you make all the money in the world worthless,” she replied. Gazing at the Molecular Rearranger, she added, “But I have an idea. One so ingenious, they will give me everything I ask for and more voluntarily.”

Frankie and Willie both shot each other worried glances as her laughter filled their hideout.

Later, at the Herald City Museum......

The Herald City Museum was actually closed for the day by request of the Chief. Though that’s not what the sign said. The sign on the front door advertised a display of the Crown Jewels of Nonamia.

Inside what was ostensibly the display room hid Switch and the eagle behind a curtain. Both wore radio headsets.

And both were getting a bit impatient.

“This is the Chief of Police, calling Switch the Blue Eaglet. Repeat: This is the Chief of Police, calling Switch the Blue Eaglet!” came the Chief’s voice over the headset. “What’s your status, over?”

“This is Switch. Nothing’s changed. She hasn’t made an appearance yet,” said Switch. He turned to the eagle. “I wonder if she even got the message?”

The bird simply squawked in response.

“Don’t give up hope, Blue Eaglet!” assured the Chief. “She’ll show. You know that dastardly devil can’t resist......one moment.......”

Switch shot the eagle a quick glance, wondering if something was wrong.

The Chief’s voice came over the radio again, this time a bit unnerved. “Blue Eaglet! Abort the mission and get back to the precinct!”

“What’s wrong, Chief?”

“It’s Queen Venus! She’s captured the mayor!”

On every television screen in Herald City, the terrifying visage of Queen Venus is seen by all......

“Greetings, denizens of Herald City. Do not adjust your sets. I’ve hacked into your frequencies and am broadcasting on every channel,” said Queen Venus to every TV-watching resident of the city. People walking by television store displays stopped to see what was going on. “I am Queen Venus, and I have an announcement to make.”

Her introduction was not necessary. She was well known throughout the city as a dangerous supervillain.

On screen, she held up a poodle for the camera—manned by Willie—to see.

“You see this adorable little creature? This is your mayor, turned into this form just hours ago,” she explained. “But I bet you’re wondering how I did such a thing. Well, wonder no longer.” She put down the dog and picked up the Molecular Rearranger from the table behind her. “Observe.”

The entire city watched as she used the device to turn the table into a grizzly bear. The animal stood on its hind legs and roared ferociously. Queen Venus activated the device again, restoring the animal back into a table.

“Now that you see my power, hear my demands,” she said, putting the device back down on the table. “This city will turn over to me the legal rights to all money, valuable assets, and property within 24 hours. That means every penny in every bank vault, every car and every jewel, and the title deeds to every building and home in the city. The Herald City Government and Police Departments will fully disband. You will continue to live in this city under my rule, and you will pay me for the privilege of living in this soon-to-be great city. The authorities are being given an address as we speak to deliver all these goods to. If these demands are not met, the entire population will be transformed into.... well, I’ll decide that when the time comes.”

Her masks couldn’t prevent her eyes from visibly lighting up, as if she just remembered a gift she was receiving. “Oh, and don’t expect your beloved Blue Eagle to save you this time. Thanks to this wonderful device, he’s probably gathering sticks for a nest in a tree somewhere,” she continued. Her eyes narrowed menacingly at the camera. “You have your instructions. You have 24 hours. That is all.”

At the office of the Chief of Police......

“This is outrageous!” shouted the Chief. “How did she get one over on us! While we were waiting for her to walk into our trap, she went right into City Hall and took the mayor! And now she’s going to take the whole city!”

“Gee, Chief, we really are in trouble,” said a crestfallen Switch. He looked to the eagle standing next to him. “Boy, Blue Eagle, I wish you were back to your old self. You’d know what to do in this situation.”

The eagle just squawked at him in response.

“So what exactly are you going to do?” Switch asked, turning back towards the Chief.

The Chief rubbed his temple with his hand, a tired look on his face. “I’ll station my officers all over the city. I just know that we can’t deliver all the things she wants us to.”

Switch eyes lit up. “Wait a minute! Yes, we can!”

The Chief looked at Switch in disbelief. “You’re not serious, Blue Eaglet? You want to surrender to that fiend?”

“Who said anything about surrender, Chief?” replied Switch, a small smile forming. “We were so busy trying to spring a trap for her, we overlooked her walking right into a trap she set herself!”

And inside a makeshift garage made entirely of vines adjacent to Queen Venus’s hideout.....

The pair of trucks entered the “garage”. The garage was less of a building and more of a manifestation of vines created by Queen Venus herself. Her whole hideout was like this, able to be disassembled and reassembled using her power.

The two pickup trucks carried loads of wooden crates in their beds. Delivered to the address provided by the supervillain, Franke and Willie drove the goods back to the hideout, where Queen Venus herself waited. On a table behind her was the Molecular Rearranger.

“Ah, good, good. I see the cowards of this city agreed to my demands,” said Queen Venus as her henchmen got out.

“That’s right, boss. Everything went off without a hitch,” said Frankie.

“Well, then, let’s inspect the merchandise,” said Queen Venus, rubbing her hands with glee.

The henchmen brought down one of the crates and reached down to open it. As their hands touched the crate, the lid burst open, hitting the goons in the chin with enough force to send them onto their backs.

From the crate emerged Switch and the eagle.

“Surprise!” said a smiling Switch, the eagle squawking as if to echo his statement.

“You! You’re still alive!” yelled Queen Venus in anger.

“If you think you can get rid of me that easily, think again!” gloated the boy.

A vine reached out and wrapped around the Molecular Rearranger, lifting it off the table and placing it into Queen Venus’s waiting hands.

“This time, you won’t get away!” she cried, activated the machine.

A white beam came from the horn component and connected with the crate. It morphed and expanded into a large purple rattlesnake. Its beady yellow eyes narrowed at Switch, it’s tail rattling in anticipation. It hissed at the boy/eagle duo, ready to strike.

“Uh oh! We better get out of the way!” said Switch, and the eagle squawked in agreement.

The pair dodged as the rattlesnake lunged at them. The eagle flew into the rafters while Switch activated his superspeed. The snake lunged at him again and again, but he moved out of the way at the blink of an eye each time.

Queen Venus cackled in anticipation. “Soon, that blustering bacopa will be a rattlesnake’s ravioli! Didn’t you know, Switch? Rattlesnakes eat birds!”

Switch continued to dodge the snake.

“I’ve got to do something about this thing,” Switch said to himself. “My superspeed will run out at any moment, and if that happens, this thing is gonna swallow me whole! But what can I do?”

Eyeing its tail, he got an idea.

“I’ve got it!” he said excitedly, rushing towards the tail at superspeed.

Grabbing it, he pulled as hard as he could. Despite its size, the creature was light and easily moved, which was good considering that he didn’t have his superstrength activated. Tail in hand, he ran as fast as he could around, over, and under the snake in a knot motion. Within seconds, the snake was tied into a knot, unable to escape or move. Realizing its predicament, it cast a forlorn look at Switch.

“Sorry, Queen Venus. It looks like your snake’s all tied up at the moment,” said Switch, proud of his lame joke.

“Very funny, you comedic carnation. But my wit is far more piercing,” she replied, aiming the Molecular Rearranger at the wall.

The device caused the vines of the wall to extend outwards, forming a quartet of bows and arrows, each one above the other. They aimed and fired at Switch.

The snake seemed to yelp in fear, as if it realized that it was in their line of fire.

In a burst of speed, Switch lunged forwards towards the arrows. Sidestepping around them, he turned on his heel and ran back towards them. Catching up with them, he plucked each arrow out of the air. Grinding his heels into the floor, he came to a stop right in front of the snake. Turning, he threw the arrows at superspeed and with incredible precision, each one snapping through one of the bows.

The snake rubbed its head against Switch in a show of gratitude.

“Don’t worry about it,” said Switch, patting the snake on the head.

“Bah! Why is a little rodent like you so hard to exterminate!?” cried Queen Venus angrily. She aimed the device at him. “No more playing around. Perhaps I’ll turn you into an eaglet so you can flap around with your father and hunt fish together.”

“Uh oh. I’ve run out of juice,” said Switch to himself, backing away. “I need a minute or two before I can use my powers again.”

As her finger hovered over the activation switch, a loud screeching sound came from above. The eagle dove at her, pecking at her and expanding its wings in her face in an attempt to disorient her.

“Argh! You foul fowl! Get away from me!” she cried angrily. “Frankie! Willie! Get the boy while I take care of the bird!”

“Right, boss!” replied the henchmen in unison, running at Switch.

“Without my powers, I’m no match for either of you,” he said. Grabbing the snake’s tail, he looked back at the goons and smiled. “But I bet he is.”

With a hard yank, the snake was untangled from itself. Eying Frankie and Willie, the creature lurched forward. With a pair of terrified cries, the two were now running in the opposite direction, an angry snake in pursuit.

“You bozos would make great snake charmers!” laughed Switch.

Queen Venus continued struggling with the eagle, instinctively raising the machine higher to avoid getting pecked in the face. The bird seemed to understand the importance of the machine and went out of its way not to damage it.

“Get away from me, you annoying creature!” she yelled.

She didn’t realize her finger hit the activation switch, and the white beam almost made contact with the eagle, had it not been for a last second dodge. A crate on top of one of the trucks took the hit instead, transforming into an American Revolutionary War cannon. Turning towards Switch, this cannon fired a ball of greenish yellow gunk.

“Yikes! That doesn’t look good!” he commented as he turned and hid behind the other truck. The gunk made contact with the hood of the truck, melting right through the metal. “And that’s no ordinary cannon! If that hits me, I’ll melt faster than an ice cream cone in a bonfire!”

Another shot hit a pile of crates on the truck he was hidden behind, causing some of them to crash to the ground right beside him.

“Unless I get crushed first!” he continued, finishing his thought as he covered his head with his hands. He suddenly looked at his hands, a familiar feeling washing through him. “Hey, my powers are back!”

Assessing the situation, he began to consider what power to activate. “Hmm, I wonder what power I should use? Eyebeams? That’ll help with this stupid cannon, but it leads me right back to square one. Invulnerability? No, I still wouldn’t have the strength to take the device from her, and she’d probably still be able to turn me into a pile of rocks.”

He looked down one of the crates that fell near him, and his eyes flashed as an idea came to mind.

“Rocks! That’s it!” he cried, opening the crate. Inside was a pile of ordinary rocks. “The Chief and I had the idea to fill all these crates with rocks to trick those two idiots into thinking we actually handed over a city’s worth of money and jewels. Didn’t think they’d come in handy this way.”

Taking a baseball-sized rock into his hand, he peered out and got a visual on the cannon. “Superstrength, do your thing!”

He threw the rock directly at the cannon. With his enhanced strength powering the throw, the rock shattered the cannon into a million pieces.

“One strike and you’re out!” he said, smirking to himself.

He set his sights on Queen Venus, still struggling with the eagle.

“I’ve had enough of you!” she said angrily.

A vine shot from the ground, whipping the bird across the chest and sending it to the ground.

“Blue Eagle!” shouted Switch, running towards the distracted Queen Venus.

She turned to see him grab the device. She tightened her grip, her toxin-induced strength keeping it firmly in her grasp. She struggled to keep the device out of his hands, but his superstrength turned their tug-of-war into a stalemate.

They both pulled as hard as they could, leaning back and digging in their heels as they exerted all the strength they could muster.

“Let go!” demanded Queen Venus.

“You first!” replied Switch.

Neither one of them seemed capable of breaking the other’s grip. The Molecular Rearranger was not yet in either’s definitive possession.

Until Switch’s eyes went wide, realization kicking in.

“Oh no! My powers are about to give out! My strength is slipping!” he exclaimed.

In the next instant, his superstrength was gone. He felt the device get torn from his grip, his own momentum sending him flying onto his back. Queen Venus was unprepared, and the machine went flying from her grasp.

“No!” she cried as she watched it sail through the air.

The Molecular Rearranger landed on the floor with a loud crash, shattering into wires and plates and all sorts of electronic components. The machine was irreparable.

“You....You.....You.....!” stammered Queen Venus in anger, unable to spit out the words.

Switch sat up, rubbing his head. He looked up as Queen Venus stood over him, a hint of fear washing over him.

“You’ve ruined all my plans,” she said menacingly. “But you’re without powers for the next minute. You’re helpless. And I don’t need that machine to destroy you.”

“Perhaps not! But you may need it to destroy me!” boomed a voice behind her.

She turned in horror to see Blue Eagle, restored to normal. He stood behind her with his hands at his hips, a smile across his face as he recognized a battle he was sure to win.

“Blue Eagle!” cried Queen Venus.

“Boy, am I glad to see you!” said Switch.

“And I’m glad to be back to normal,” said Blue Eagle. He glared at Queen Venus. “Unfortunately for you, that means you’re going to jail.”

Queen Venus chuckled to herself. “Not today. I’ll get you next time!”

With that, the vines that made up the garage began to secrete a yellowish gas. Blue Eagle and Switch covered their faces, but that still didn’t stop them from coughing. When the gas dissipated, the entire structure they were in had disappeared, the vines burrowed back into the earth. Queen Venus was nowhere to be found.

“Darn! She got away!” said Switch.

“No matter. Her plans have been foiled,” Blue Eagle assured him. “She’ll never be able to use that device to threaten this city again.”

At the Police Chief’s Office......

“And destroying the device is what brought you back and set everything back to normal, Blue Eagle?” asked the Chief.

“It seems that way,” replied Blue Eagle. “It appears the effects of the Molecular Rearranger only stay as long as the device itself is intact. With it destroyed, it looks like we have nothing to fear.”

“It’s a shame,” said Switch. “There was so much potential for good with that invention. Too bad there’s such evil in the world ready to take advantage of it.”

“Be that as it may, we should never let people who would take advantage of progress stand in the way of it. Those who would work to better mankind should never be discouraged from doing so,” said Blue Eagle. He put his hand on his son’s shoulder. “And that includes you, Switch. Even when the odds were against you, you never gave up. I’m proud of you.”

Switch smiled at his father. “Thanks, Blue Eagle. But if it’s all the same, I’m glad you’re back to normal.”

Blue Eagle averted his eyes. “Well, I wouldn’t say I’m back to normal.”

“Why? What’s wrong?” asked the Chief.

“Well, I’m feeling very hungry right now. And I have the oddest craving for birdseed,” admitted Blue Eagle, prompting laughter from Switch and the Chief.