BELLA WILLOWHAMMER

Bathed in the warm glow of the morning sun, the world-famous Sydney Opera House looked like it was made out of segments of a gigantic orange. Hidden between two of those segments were four ninja meerkats.

Donnie Dragonjab put away the grappling hook they had used to climb up there. "I wonder why your sister chose this as a meeting point, Bruce," he said.

"Search me," said Bruce. "But she definitely said in her e-mail to meet on the roof of the Opera House."

"I expect Bella chose it because it is discreet and yet easy to find for first-time visitors to Sydney," said Chuck.

"Who's this Sydney you keep talking about?" asked Bruce.

"Sydney is the name of the city, Bruce," said Jet.

"Oh yeah," replied Bruce, scratching his head.

"I'm amazed a sister of yours even knows how to send an e-mail," said Donnie. "The last time you tried to use the computer, you smashed it to pieces."

"You were the one who told me to boot it," protested Bruce.

"I said reboot it," replied Donnie.

"Yeah, well, Bella was always the smart Willowhammer," admitted Bruce.

"What does she do here in Australia?" asked Chuck.

"I don't know."

"I hope it's something exciting," said Jet. "Life's been so boring since we defeated our enemy, the Ringmaster."

"As followers of the Way of the Scorpion, we should not seek excitement and adventure," said Chuck.

"Yeah, but since he's gone, the closest we've had to some action was when Bruce thought that someone had stolen his packet of pickled newts' knees."

"It didn't take long to solve that one, did it, Bruce?" said Donnie pointedly.

"I told you, I forgot I ate them," said Bruce.

"The point is that since Chuck pushed the Ringmaster into the volcano on Dragon Island, everything has been as dull as dishwater," complained Jet.

"Now Jet, you know perfectly well I did not push the Ringmaster into that volcano," said Chuck. "I tried to stop him, but he had already become hopelessly confused by inhaling the red fumes of the Herbiscus Confusus."

"All I know is that this mission had better involve some real fighting," said Jet. "I'm itching to practice my new Australian-style moves. Who wants to see my Counter-clockwise Clonk or my Upside-down Punch?"

"I do like a meerkat who knows his moves," said a female voice.

The Clan of the Scorpion spun around, but they were unable to see where the voice had come from, until a meerkat appeared, apparently out of thin air. Bella Willowhammer landed in front of them and smiled. She wore a brimmed hat, an overcoat, and a satchel over her shoulder.

"Sissy!" exclaimed Bruce, grabbing hold of her and giving her a big hug.

"Hello, Bruce," said Bella, gasping for breath.

"Miss Willowhammer, I am pleased to meet you. I'm Chuck Cobracrusher," said Chuck, solemnly bowing.

"The name's Jet Flashfeet," said Jet, shaking her paw.

"How did you jump out of thin air like that?" demanded Donnie.

"And you must be Donnie Dragonjab," said Bella. "In answer to your question, my sudden appearance is down to this little beauty." She pressed a button on her coat collar, and a strange flying object came down from above and landed next to her. It had a circular base with a long pole in the center and propellers on top.

"Cool flying machine!" said Jet.

"Nice design," said Donnie. "But how was it invisible?"

"It wasn't," replied Bella. "The base is painted the same color as the sky. This makes it impossible to see from below, which means that it's a perfect vehicle for getting around the city unnoticed. I call it the Bella-copter."

"Bella, we are all intrigued as to why you have summoned us," said Chuck.

"I work as a private detective here in Sydney," she replied, "and I need your help. Recently I was hired by a scientist called Professor Bill Abong. He's an expert in rare plants. He sounded all jittery on the phone. He kept saying he thought he was being followed. I told him to call the police, but he'd already tried them. They laughed him out of the station."

"Why?" asked Bruce.

"He believed he was being followed by koalas."

"Koalas? You mean those cute cuddly teddy-bear things?" said Bruce.

"That cuddly stuff is just a front," said Bella. "The League of Extreme Koalas have a claw in every crime in the city."

"And were they following this scientist?" asked Chuck.

"Yes. They were watching him and I was watching them. But they must have spotted me, because while I was keeping an eye on the professor's house late at night, they attacked me and knocked me out. When I came round, the professor had been kidnapped. So, you see, I need your help to rescue him. These koalas can be pretty rough, and I need some real fighters on my side."

"Then the Clan of the Scorpion is at your disposal," said Chuck.

"Now this sounds like a real adventure," added Jet.

BRUCE'S BATH OF DISCOVERY

The ninja meerkats clung on to the pole at the center of the Bella-copter while Bella flew them over the city.

"Isn't there a danger we could be seen from tall buildings?" asked Chuck, noticing that they were approaching a skyscraper.

"Don't worry about that," said Bella. She pressed a button and a screen rose up, blocking them all from view. The screen had four sets of eyeholes. While the others looked out, Donnie fiddled with his phone, tracking their progress across the city.

Bella took them over the harbor bridge, past Sydney Tower, and across town until eventually she brought the Bella-copter down on a flat rooftop. "This is where the professor lives," she explained.

The meerkats stepped off the Bella-copter. Bella pressed another button on her collar, and the flying contraption retracted until it was no larger than an umbrella.

"I was watching from that tree across the road two weeks ago when I was attacked," she continued. "I never saw my attackers, but I know it was the koalas."

"How do you know?" asked Jet.

"Because when I came to, I was sneezing like mad," she replied. "You see, I'm allergic to koala hair."

"And you believe the koalas kidnapped the professor?" said Donnie.

"No, I know the koalas were watching him, but there is no trace of koala hair in the house. Whoever kidnapped the professor was human. Now, follow me."

She led them over the edge of the building, down a drainpipe, along a ledge, then through an open window into a carpeted hallway.

"Does anyone else know about the kidnapping?" asked Chuck.

"No one but me," replied Bella. "I've searched the house for clues, but I still don't know where they've taken him."

"With your permission we will conduct another search, in case we can discover anything more," said Chuck. "Jet, you take the bedroom. Donnie, see if you can find any information on the professor's computer. Bruce, you check the bathroom. Bella, could you talk me through the evidence you have found so far?"

Jet, Donnie, and Bruce disappeared in search of clues while Bella led Chuck down the stairs to the front door, where a coat stand lay on the ground next to a pile of shoes.

"I've pieced together the exact events of that night," said Bella. "The professor was having a bath when the doorbell rang. He got out of the bath and came downstairs in a towel, but when he opened the door, the kidnappers overcame him in a struggle. They were clearly lacking in...