DNA! When last we saw our dynamic duo, The Professor had acquired the DNA of the genetically modified fox, Kit.

LEARNING from the cryptic, broken words of the fox, they learned that there was yet another dastardly member in the pantheon of evildoers that our courageous cats must deal with.

THE forested hideout serves as the stage for this dramatic revelation, upon which the entire effort to stop Chillwave and his employer Dr. Snowstorm hinged….

“Amazing,” the professor said as he adjusted the lenses of his microscope, “These blood cells are twice the size they should be for a canid. I’m amazed that they can penetrate into the capillaries and alveoli for this animal!”

Shadow looked at Void Cat and shrugged her shoulders, most of what the professor said was well beyond what she was capable of understanding. Not that Shadow was any slouch, just nowhere on the level of the professor.

“So what does that mean, pops? What’s the big deal, blood is blood no?” Void Cat asked as she scratched on her favorite post; which was a nice way of saying the wall of their log cabin.

“Generally speaking yes, but these cells are too big. I would suspect that they were designed this way to provide as much oxygen as possible, but I can’t figure out why they wouldn’t have enhanced the number of cells instead of just the size. It’s a mirror image of what I would have done, as if they were on the other side, watching me.”

“In Soviet Russia,” Shadow said, “Ve would take blood from athletes and then give it back to zem before a competition. I forgot what ve called it… Mope? Trope?”

“Doping,” Sifu answered, “I see it all the time in our competitions, it keeps you from getting tired and lets you move so much faster.”

Void Cat nodded her head, shaking her whiskers. “Kit moved so much faster than any other mugs they sent us before. Like he was on… dope or something!” Her eyes widened at the realization.

“Exactly, and that is just an example of some of the biotechnology they are using against us. When the PCR is done, I can see exactly what alleles they changed, maybe there is an enhancement to their vascular system to allow the bigger red blood cells. It’s really fascinating!” The professor gestured over to the door leading downstairs to his facilities, the very ones he used to help Shadow adjust to her life as a crime fighter. She looked at the door and shuddered.

“So this ‘other master’ Kit mentioned, what do we do about that?” Sifu asked.

“I don’t know what it was talking about, I don’t have any intel on anyone else besides Dr. Snowstorm,” The professor responded. He sat at his desk for a moment, listlessly poking through piles of papers, and green and white computer printouts. “I think…” he began.

“No, not them, I don’t like them. Too cold.” Sifu said with a drawn look on her face.

“It’s okay, they are on our side.” The professor smiled and opened a drawer on his desk. From there he pulled out a brass pocket watch and popped open the face with the release on the top. When it opened, instead of a watch face, only gears and cogs could be seen. He stared at it for a moment, then held it up to his ear. His brow furrowed.

“Shadow, can you come here a second, please?” He asked. Shadow got up from her spot on the floor in front of the fireplace and rubbed against his leg. She did that over and over again, making sure to step across his wool slippers. When he felt enough passes had been made, he held the watch down, and she rubbed it with her side. Bright blue static sparks jumped from her blue-grey fur and into the pocket watch. With the smell of ozone and brass, it started ticking loudly. The professor smiled and nodded to her. Void Cat jumped on his lap and tucked her head for a nap.

“One zero zero one zero zero one…” the professor spoke into the watch. It clicked twice, then he repeated himself, “one zero zero one zero zero one.” A series of clicks came back from the watch, and the professor quickly got out a pencil and wrote feverishly on a piece of paper quickly pulled out of the mess on his desk. He arched his elbows over the sleeping raven-furred cat, his eyebrows knotted and his tongue licked his lips as he wrote. After three minutes he stopped writing and the watch clicked slowly.

“I must improve my Morse,” he said, admonishing himself. Shadow trilled and sat at his feet, looking up. The professor cleared his throat, “It reads: Greetings Professor, it has been some time since we have heard from you. Could not reach you at your address. No unsolicited communication exists at your laboratory. Please advise status.”

The professor rolled his eyes, “This is going to take me a while.” He put the watch on his desk with the gears facing up, and slowly began tapping I Morse code, he sped up as time went on, muscle memory taking over. Occasionally he would attempt to translate out loud but had to stop each time he started a new word. Eventually, he gave up and kept tapping until he was finished. Immediately the watch began tapping back, leaving him to translate before he could explain. When it was finally all over, he stopped and read the transcript aloud. “I told them about Chillwave and the house, letting them know not to worry and that I appreciated their concern. I mentioned the other master, and they informed me they have heard of an organization that has been attempting to draw power from volcanoes all over the world. Our friends have been successful in thwarting their attempts, but it’s definitely something that we need to investigate. They have invited us to come visit, and I accepted.”

Void Cat sprung from the professor’s lap, her tail a bottle brush of puffed-out fur. “Does that mean?!” She asked.

“Yes, as soon as we finish the DNA analysis and secure a few things, we’re heading to Clockwork Island!”

Who was the professor speaking to over the Brass Watch? What will the DNA analysis finally reveal? What group is draining power from volcanoes? Where is Clockwork Island? Find out the answers to these and other burning questions in “Red Hot Clock” the next exciting episode of The Adventures of Void Cat and Shadow!”