Hot Spot
By: TT Snim
Part one
Hard Night
Chapter two
Pop goes the Weapons
Razor shoved him self up and shook his head. It had been a bad sign when the Metalicats had turned around, and a bad omen when T-Bone had nearly plowed straight in to Commander Feral's jet. Now it was just bad planing that had sent Razor jumping for his life away from... what ever it was Molly had thrown. He looked over and saw that his bike was in flames up against a solid wall of rough hune agrisite. The strange pointy object, slick and silver against the licking tongues of red and white, was undamaged. Only an object made of extremely dense agrisite could have withstood both the heat and force of that impact and explosion, he noted.
Sourly he turned to look back at where the hover car had crashed in to the building. The Metalicats were arguing, again, and aiming at him. Instinct sent him to his feet and running. A hot sizzle of blaster fire singed his tail and he dove, taking cover under a trash bin. He heard the jets, all twelve of them, soar over head. The Turbo Kat was in the lead and it shot a missile at the two non organic life forms. T-Bone's aim was off, but not by much. The explosive ripped the building apart and sent both the Metalicats flying in to the air. Molly managed to land on her feet with some grace while Mack slammed in to the trash bin with a thud.
"MAC!?" Molly started to run to him. Razor readied his glove-a-trix.
Mac, stood, some what shaken. "I'm all right."
"Mac that SWAT KAT is under there!"
Razor frowned and readied him self. In an instant Mac had lifted and tossed the trash bin away. His red eyes blazed and he sneered. "Well, well, well. Look what we have here."
"May I?" Molly asked sweetly as she aimed at Razor's head.
"How about we share this one, sweets?" He replied in a gooey purr.
"Oh shoot me or beat me but don't TORTURE me." Razor said as he stuck his tongue out.
"Blast him." Mac growled, not amused.
Molly grinned. "With pleas. . ."
Some thing from behind her 'popped' and the three of them looked at the sphere. One long tentacle like arm had emerged and was slowly rising. It's tip hovered in the air for a moment before turning towards the burning bike. With speed neither Razor OR the Metalicats could see it struck the burning wreck and dug in to the concrete below.
"Whoa." Razor said. He then jumped up and fired a mini-cement slug at Molly, who was sporting a large dent in the back of her head. It stuck her in the dent and she cried out. Mac turned, startled, and watched as her legs gave out. Razor scrambled away as Mac rushed to catch her.
"Molly?!?!" He shook her gently. "Hay, Mol, say some thing!"
"Kill him." She growled.
"Sure thing, just as soon as were away from that thing." He looked over at the sphere and then back down at her. Some where in the distance the jets were landing.
Razor, still running, glanced back and slowed as he watched Mac lift Molly up and run back towards the burning building. The metallic kat stopped, mid stride, and changed directions. Razor glanced back at the sphere as it sent out another tentacle. This one rushed towards the burning building.
"Heat seeking." Razor mumbled.
"FREEZE!" Felina Feral's voice rang out through the chilly night air. Razor searched the aria and spotted her, standing with blaster aimed at Mac, her tail swishing madly. "YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!"
Mac, dropping to one knee, eased Molly's back half down and lifted his hand blaster. "OVER MY DEAD. . . " There was a thick moment of silence. "OVER MY NON-FUNCTIONING BODY!"
"I CAN ARRANGE THAT!" Felina replied.
"STOP YELLING!" Molly cried, her voice pleading.
Mac's voice drifted fragmented and low through the air. Razor could not make out the words, though he could tell Mac, for once, was trying to comfort Molly. If the Metalicats had one weakness it was their love for each-other. Even if that love was fleeting at best. Razor checked his glove-a-trix once and decided to take advantage of that weakness. As he started to slink back to where the Metalicats were his helmet crackled.
"Razor. You out there bud? I can't pick up the bike's tracer."
"I'm here, T-Bone." He replied in a whisper. "Radio silence."
"Roger."
Razor slunk low until he could set his finger on to the pavement. He flattened him self as best he could and approached on all fours.
"Surrender." Felina growled, her blaster fireing off a warning shot. It bounced harmlessly off Mac's broad shoulder. The shorter metallic kat looked up at her and raised his own blaster. "You want to take a dirt nap, cop?"
Razor stopped and lowered him self all the way down. He loaded a bola missile and aimed.
"Not tonight!" Felina replied and fired off another shot. This time it struck Molly who yelped and grabbed her head.
Mac let Molly all the way down and stood to his full three foot two and aimed. "THAT'S IT. . . "
"No YELLING!"
"Sorry. That's it Feral, you are going DOWN!"
"MAC!"
"SORRY!"
"YOU SHOULD BE!"
"I AM!"
Felina, still aiming her blaster, began to reach for her holster. Razor's tail twitched as he watched. Clearly the Lieutenant had some thing hidden away. Razor lowered his glove-a-trix and waited, curious. As Felina continued to move her arm down Mac returned his attention to her. He again steadied his own weapon. Razor sucked in his breath and aimed as well. Felina, he knew, would never be fast enough. He squeezed his trigger as Mac did like wise. Felina just reached her holster as both shots were fired. The bola wrapped it's self around Mac, and Mac's shot hit Felina square in the chest. She cried out in pain and fell as Mac, still standing, turned a cold glare at Razor.
"You, Swat Kat, are in trouble!"
The sphere popped again and sent another tentacle in to the air. Mac, Molly, and Razor all looked at it and froze. It's tip waved about for a moment before turning to where Mac was standing, his blaster still hot from the shot. Mac knelt slowly and scooped Molly up again.
"Hang on Toots." He mumbled.
Razor, glancing over at where Felina was still down, stood slowly. He pressed his hand to his helmet. "T-Bone, Buddy, do you copy?"
The tentacle stopped waving, still 'looking' at Mac.
"Roger that."
"Felina is down, and there's some sort of heat seeking ball keeping me from going to her."
Mac suddenly darted to the side as the tentacle shot forward. It sailed straight and slammed in to the street where Mac had been.
"What sort of ball?" T-Bone asked.
"I don't know, but it's got vine like things that shoot out of it. I think it's some sort of probe."
"Get your tail out of there and I'll get Felina."
Razor looked at where the female enforcer was sprawled, a cherry stain was forming on her chest. "I don't think I'm hot enough to trigger it. I'm going to go try to see if I can reach her."
"Negative." T-Bone replied. "Where are the Metalicats?"
Razor looked over to where Mac was. He was trotting away, heavily burdened with Molly's now limp body.
"Not far off. Molly is down and Mac's having a hard time moving with her in his arms."
"An easy tag?"
"Affirmative."
"You get them, I'll get the Lieutenant."
Razor sighed. "Fine. But be careful."
"I will, You too."
Razor let go of his helmet. Casting one last look at Felina he winced. Then, with a sneer, he darted off after the retreating Meatalicats.
T-Bone popped the canopy of the Turbo kat and stood, one paw up on the cockpit's edge, the other on his seat. Razor had not told him exactly WHERE he was, but he had a good idea. All of the enforcers as well as him self has seen the Metalicats crash in to the building. They had all flown over head, except T-Bone. He had circled the compound once, from a distance, looking for the best place to land. Once he had touched down half a dozen jets had landed with him. Feral and Lieutenant. Feral had been among the first to arrive. The rest of the jets continued on before turning back and forming a grid. They were watching from the air, ready to follow should the Metalicats flee the aria.
Felina had run off the instant her canopy was open, her blaster drawn. The Commander had demanded that she wait for reinforcements, but like all ways she had gone on ahead with out him or back up. At that time T-Bone had grinned, cocky, and started his scan for Razor's bike. When he failed to find it he had been worried. That's when he had contacted his smaller partner over their more or less privet channel.
Now, as T-Bone perched, looking down at the Enforcers organizing, he chewed on his lower lip. He had to convey the information to Feral, it was only proper, but he had to do it quickly.
"HAY, COMMANDER!" His voice was some what masked by the still airborne jets, but, to his relief, Feral turned, having heard.
"What is it, Swat Kat?"
T-Bone jumped down and jogged up to the larger tom. "Molly is down and Mac's trying to cart her off. I don't know where too, but he's been slowed down."
Feral nodded and turned to convey the information to his troops.
"And." T-Bone said, his ears falling ever so slightly.
"And?" He turned back, looking annoyed.
"Razor says your niece is down."
Feral's eyes widened.
"And some sort of device is shooting heat seeking metal vines... Razor didn't go in to detail."
Feral blinked. "How badly is she injured?"
"I don't know, I'm going now."
Feral nodded and turned back to his troops. "Listen up!. . ."
T-Bone ignored the booming voice of the tall brown kat as he jogged off towards the crash. It was a short distance away, relative to the distances T-Bone had had to run in the past, but as he neared smoke began to fill the air and choke him. By the time he reached the screen he was wheezing and coughing. The flames, extremely bright against the night time back drop, hurt to look at. He lifted his arm and shaded him self from the burning wreckage. Quickly he scanned the aria, His eyes first landed on one of the long telescoping tentacles and he frowned. Following it visually he saw the sphere it's self, still active and still loaded. It was not more then eight feet from where Razor's bike lay in ruins. Closer, and harder to see because of the shadows, was Felina's limp form. T-Bone once more glanced at the glittering sphere. He then took a breath and, ears flattening, he darted forward. As he ran he heard a distinct pop. He ignored it, knowing that time was of the essence. He skidded, at last, to a stop at Felina's side. There was a dark scorch mark in the center of her chest and a fine trickle of blood was seeping through the uniform.
"Crud."
He knelt down and felt her neck. She had a pulse, and it was strong. Leaning down he listened, she was breathing steadily. He sighed in relief and gently began to pick her up. As he stood he saw a long serpentine shadow raise up against the agrisite wall. Slowly he turned and looked back. One thin tentacle was worming it's way up in to the air. It's tip curled and turned towards him. He stepped to the side and it followed him.
"Double crud."
It pulled back and he knew then that it was about to strike. He turned fully towards it and readied him self for a sprint. Just as he was coiling back he saw it shoot forward. He jumped and, with a grunt, tossed Felina away. From there every thing seemed to slow down.
Felina flew a good three feet before landing in a crumpled heap. She moaned, the sound distinctively loud in T-Bone's suddenly overly sensitive ears. Another noise came to him, the sound of some thing ripping through the air. He could see the tentacle like thing, glittering in the fire light, sailing right for him. He was still airborne, having jumped, and it seemed as if he would never land. Then, with the force of a jet full throttle, the tip of the tentacle slammed in to his shoulder. He was thrust back and slammed hard in to the agrisite wall behind him. The tentacle didn't stop. At first he felt nothing and heard the wall behind him crack. For a moment he thought maybe the thing had grazed him. Then, all at once, he fell. His feet never reached the ground. Instead his shoulder, now pierced clean through, caught him. He heard rather than felt the second crack and he couldn't tell if that had been from the rock wall or not.
All at once then, as if on a time delay, his sense of feeling kicked back in.
Preview of next chappter!
"Don't. Run." T-Bone said again, with a slight growl. His fingers tightened and pulled at Feral's shoulder. "Wait." He gasped. "Stand in front of me. Then, when I say go, then you run."
"But what about you?"
The tentical began to lean back, readying for it's strike. Feral stepped in front of T-Bone, eyes narowing.
"Me? Oh, I'll just hang out here for a while."