TITLE: THE SWAT KATS' FINAL RESISTANCE: PART THREE
AUTHOR: C. L. Furlong
DATE: January 26, 2001
FINISHED: February 04, 2001
LAST REVISION: February 14, 2001
E-MAIL: [email protected]
RATING: PG13
SUMMARY: Revelations about Dark Kat's past. Another "Katastrophe"
episode, only this time, the new Radical Squadron has cut in much
too close... With an ending that might not please everyone...
DISCLAIMER: SWAT Kats and anything related to the series is property
of Hanna-Barbera. No infringement is intended and no profit is gained
with this fiction.
COMMENTS: This fic didn't correspond exactly to what I had in mind,
but it seemed to have worked out reasonably well nevertheless. It's
a little bit dark/red and positively mystical. I usually don't do this
kind of plot, but it sounded good to me. Amon and Horus are two Egyptian
gods related to the "upper world" while Seth, Hades, Pluto and Hel are
the rulers of the "underworld" in the Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Nordic
mythologies, respectively. Again, if you find any grammar or spelling
errors in this fiction, please try to remind that I'm writing in a foreign
language, as I'm not an english speaker. You´ll find that parts of this
fiction resemble a lecture, and you're right - they are! Though fiction
my plots may be, I'll always try to make them look plausible so when you
finish reading one you ask yourself "Could it really be done?" Of course,
this one escapes a bit from that line. Besides, my education as a Biology/
Geology teacher taught me that the Internet is a perfect place to learn,
so I'll always try to introduce some concepts of Biology/Geology in my
fiction when possible. And, please *do* let me know about your comments
on this fic so I could do something better next time. Cheers to all SK fans.
Special thanks to Kristen Sharpe for her comments and proofreading on Part
One. You *really* gave me a boost on this one. I can't thank you enough!
--------------------------------------------------------------------
THE SWAT KATS' FINAL RESISTANCE - Part Three
Jake and Turmoil were startled by the tremor when they were finishing
their breakfast. Jake ran out with Turmoil just behind him.
He was shocked to see what was happening in Megakat City.
They both watched in bewilderment as the ominous dark triangular shape
slowly lifted from the ground, covering the rising sun as buildings collapsed
to make room for it.
"Now I'm sure this is work of the PastMaster!" - he said - "LET'S HIT
IT!"
Both kats ran to the hangar. The klaxon was already ringing when they
came down there.
Jake picked it up. "Yes, Miss Briggs. We're aware of the problem. We'll check it
out right away!"
"Wait! You won't believe who's behind this!" - Callie said with a tone
of disbelief. - "Guys, the PastMaster, Dr. Viper and Dark Kat are working
together!"
"WHAT?"
He was surprised. He wasn't expecting another evil alliance with Dark
Kat.
"We're on our way, Miss Briggs. Razor out!"
He turned to his locker and put on his G-suit as fast he could. Katana
was already aboard the Turbokat, checking its systems. He jumped on board
and she gunned the engines while the canopy was closing. The jet hurtled forward
down the access tunnel and flew out of the underground hangar toward Megakat City.
---------------------------------------------------------
"CRUD!" - T-Bone screamed as he got up from the bed.
He wanted to go to the window and have a look at what was happening
outside, but he knew he shouldn't do so while the tremor lasted. As reinforcement
to his hesitation, the window simply burst and shards of glass scattered around
that area.
"What the heck's happening?"
Felina entered the room in that instant to check up on him.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine! But what's happening outside? It looks like MegaWar III!"
"Nothing the Enforcers can't handle! Now go back to your bed! You're
not completely well!"
"Not well? Lieutenant, the city's falling apart and you tell me I'm not
well? I gotta help Razor!" - he said pushing his way toward his G-suit
but Felina held him tightly. She turned out to be stronger than he was expecting.
"You can't help anybody if you're not fully restored!" - she pleaded to
him - "Let the Enforcers handle this! It's just an earthquake! There's
nothing the SWAT Kats can do about that!"
He calmed down a bit.
She was right.
As far as he could tell, it was a normal earthquake...
A very, very long one but, still, an earthquake!
Besides, he didn't heard the Turbokat yet. He didn't know if that was a
good or a bad thing. It could mean that there wasn't any emergency situation
or that Razor didn't survive the crash although he had ejected him.
He sat in the bed and sighed.
"Okay, Felina... I'll stay put..."
"Good! I gotta go now! See if you get some rest, okay? See you!"
She got out of the room and he headed for the G-suit, putting it on.
Just in case.
He looked out of the window. The rumble had passed now and everything
was a mess in the streets. He then heard a familiar sound.
The Turbokat!
It flashed right over his head. So, Razor was still alive!
"YES! WAY TO GO, RAZOR!" - he shouted. But then, his joy faded. If the
SWAT Kats were called, then there was trouble.
And, he couldn't think of anyone else but Dark Kat.
He narrowed his eyes until they were nothing but thin slits and
growled.
"Get ready, Dark Kat... 'cause nothing will save your tail from us now!
I gotta get back to the hangar and get my glovatrix. Something tells me I'm
gonna need it! But, I'm gonna need a lift as well to get back there."
He got out of the room and headed for the tarmac on the roof of
Enforcer Headquarters. He saw a jet in the hangar and got into it.
"Just like the old Enforcer days!" - he thought.
He checked the jet's systems and then gunned the engines. The jet
hurtled forward and lifted off Enforcer Headquarters. Fortunately, everyone was so
busy helping the victims of the tremor no one noticed him.
"I hope 'dad' doesn't mind me borrowing one of his jets!" - he thought
and directed the jet towards the salvage yard.
--------------------------------------------------------
Inside the Dark Pyramid, Dark Kat immediately found what he was looking
for. He stepped inside the main chamber, standing in the center of the black
monolith. Four black statues stood in the four corners and a shallow pool of a
purple liquid remained in the center of the chamber. He grinned at the sight. He
entered in the pool and walked until he was in the middle of it. He then raised his
arms and began chanting.
"Cauldron! CAULDRON! Hear me! Hear your master!"
The liquid began churning as a faint purple glow emerged from it.
"Restore my youth, Cauldron! I command you!"
The glow intensified all of a sudden and the liquid rushed upward,
covering Dark Kat's bulk. The liquid defied the pull of gravity for several
minutes until it started to settle down again. Dark Kat remained in the same place.
He wasn't the same kat anymore, although his features remained the
same. He stepped out of the pool. He felt renewed, pulsating with energy and
power. He headed for a pulpit-like platform and once again raised his arms, now
even more muscular than before.
"My masters! Hear me! Awake from your perpetual sleep! MASTER HEL!
MASTER PLUTO! MASTER HADES! MASTER SETH! AWAKE!"
The statues' eyes glowed red.
"Yes! YES, MASTERS! IT IS ME, DARK KAT, YOUR LOYAL SERVANT!"
The cavernous voice of Seth spoke for all
"Dark Kat! We need more time to step into this world. Amon's curse was
too powerful. We'll need more energy to leave the limbo where we were sent!"
"Then, I shall give it to you!"
He turned to the purple pool again.
"Cauldron! Drain the energy of this pathetic planet... NOW!"
------------------------------------------------------------
Outside of the pyramid, the top of the obelisks crackled as a burst of
purple lightning shot from them, directed to the top of the pyramid. The
bright skies started turning darker by the minute as a swirl of dark clouds
formed on top of the black monolith.
The Dark Pyramid was beginning to drain the energy of the atmosphere.
Suddenly, gale force winds started blowing as heavy clouds merged with
the swirl, releasing bursts of lightning that lit the entire city. Then, a
torrent of purple energy left the swirl of clouds and rushed down to the top of the
pyramid.
The Turbokat was fighting the threatening winds.
"CRUD! I've never seen a storm like this, Razor! I don't know if I can
hold her much longer!" - Katana said as she tried to keep the jet leveled.
"Try to hold her still! I've got that pyramid right in my sights!
Baby-Boomer Missiles... AWAY!
Two missiles were fired at the top of the pyramid but two 'Mutilators'
intercepted them with a shot of prasium laser.
"Next time you better shoot with your eyes open, SWAT Kat."
A voice crackled over the radio. Razor couldn't believe it.
It was Hard Drive!
"You are no match for my drones, SWAT Kats!" - the radio crackled
again.
Razor recognized that voice too.
Mutilor!
That was impossible! They destroyed him years before!
"What's the matter, SWAT Kats? Kat ate your tongues?" - Mac and Molly
said.
Razor was dumbfounded!
The Metallikats, the PastMaster, Hard Drive, Mutilor, Dr. Viper and
Dark Kat... All together! His thoughts were interrupted as a blast of prasium
laser passed directly over the canopy.
"What do we do now, Razor?" - Katana asked as she dodged the blasts
from the twenty drones.
"We fight back! Smoke screen... NOW!"
Razor pressed a button and red smoke burst out of the jet. Some of the
'Mutilators' seemed confused and attacked each other. Others crashed
against the pyramid. When the smoke got thinner, only fifteen drones remained
in the air.
Mutilor took the lead and attacked the black jet. Razor was expecting
him.
"Come on, you four-armed creep! I'm waiting! Cement machine-gun! FIRE!"
Cement rained on Mutilor's 'Destroyer'. Too heavy to continue to fly,
the light drone plummeted down and crashed against the living wall of
thorns. The vines grabbed the ship and tightened their grip around it,
crushing it and Mutilor.
"Flash-Bolt Missiles...DEPLOYED!"
Two missiles were shot from the Turbokat. Their nose cones broadened
and an immense flare lit the entire sky, blinding Hard Drive and jamming the
optic receivers of the Metallikats, causing them to crash down. Viper's plantimals
oxidized the mega-alloy with their acidic sap, causing the drones to explode.
Hard Drive managed to get out in time, but the blast of his 'Destroyer'
caught him in the back, knocking him out.
The remaining drones engaged the Turbokat and opened fire on it. One of
the blasts hit the underside of the jet but the mega-alloy armor protected
it.
"Let's see how you like a Turbo-Blade!"
Six Turbo-Blades were shot from the Turbokat's wings and found their
targets. However, their ABA mega-alloy armor protected them from the hits.
"Crud! Well, since explosives and cutters don't work, how about a
little electricity? Scrambler Missile barrage... AWAY!"
Ten scrambler missiles were fired, each of them aimed to a different
drone. The seven remaining 'Destroyers' were hit as well as three 'Mutilators'.
Their circuits were completely toasted by the immense electric discharge from
the missiles and they all exploded in the air.
"Now to take care of these two pests! Banshee Missiles... do your
thing!"
Two missiles darted from the cargo bay and started emitting high-pitched sonic waves,
scrambling the electronic circuitry of the remaining two drones, that crashed against
an obelisk, exploding a little later.
"BINGO! We're clear!"
"Radical shooting, Razor! You rid us of those vultures
single-handedly!" - Katana cheered.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a burst of energy and dodged the
jet before it could hit it.
"Crud! Those robots are still alive!"
The Metallikats had survived the explosion of the drone and were firing
their blaster cannons at the jet.
"That's enough!" - Razor said - "Blowtorch Missiles locked... Loaded...
DEPLOYED!"
Five missiles were fired at the Metallikats. The blasts were so great that
their bodies were instantly destroyed. Only their battered heads remained. The
red glow in their eyes faded as their central processors lost power.
"That should teach them not to meddle with the SWAT Kats."
But then, the jet bounced.
"Crud, we're hit!" - Katana said - "That little troll with the watch
got us! Gotta... bring her... down...!"
She tried to lift the nose cone but to no avail. The jet wasn't
responding.
"We gotta eject, Razor! It's outta control!"
"Wait. Launching Cyclotron!"
The red transport shot from the cargo bay. Katana managed to get out of
the way of the falling jet. The Turbokat crashed against the wall of vines,
exploding and torching the wall.
Now, they had to face the living-dead forces of the PastMaster.
"This would be easier if we still had the Turbokat!" - Razor mumbled.
He managed to open his seat and retrieve a missile launcher from there.
"Try to gather all those skeletons, Katana! I'll try to overthrow 'em
with a single shot!"
"You got it!"
She began circling the living bones like they were sheep. In a few
minutes, Katana managed to get most of them in a tight bundle.
"It's now or never, Razor!"
"Octopus Missile... AWAY!"
The Octopus Missile hit the skeletal forms and broke them all.
"BINGO! Those bones aren't moving anymore! Now to take care of the
PastMaster!"
He aimed his glovatrix and fired a Mini Spider-Chain Missile at the
sorcerer.
The PastMaster still aimed his watch but the missile broke into three parts
attached by a chain and he missed the shot. The divided missile wrapped the
PastMaster in its chains and let out an electric discharge that knocked the
sorcerer unconscious.
"You did it!" - Katana said as she drove the Cyclotron through the
flaming opening the Turbokat had made in the vine wall.
"Affirmative! But, now we gotta deal with Dr. Viper!"
---------------------------------------------------------
"YES! I can see the salvage yard! I just hope I'm not too late to help
Razor! That black pyramid gives me the creeps!" - T-Bone said as he decreased
the throttle of the Enforcer jet and got ready to fire the VTOL engines. Only then
did he remember.
"Aw, crud! I'm not flying the Turbokat! How am I supposed to land this
thing here?"
He looked outside, searching for a place to land, but there was nothing
he could use.
"Crud! Not enough room to land! I should have taken a chopper instead... Well,
guess my only chance is to eject from here and let it crash somewhere safe! I hope
'dad' doesn't mind losing one of his jets!"
He pressed a button and his seat ejected. The jet hurtled toward a
corner of the salvage yard and crashed, exploding a little bit later. Fortunately,
there was nothing flammable in there.
T-Bone activated the chute and landed softly some distance from the
garage. He unbuckled from the seat the moment it touched the ground and ran to the
garage and to the hangar. He opened his locker and was surprised to find it stuffed
with she-kat's clothes.
"What the...? What's going on around here? Huh?"
He looked to the door and saw a picture of Turmoil in a convict suit
and himself as Chance Furlong. It wasn't the best couple picture, but it was
the only one they had.
"Katanya? You paired up with Jake? That means... you're out there,
flying the Turbokat with Razor? Aw, crud! I gotta reach 'em!"
He slammed the side of his helmet, activating the radio as he searched
for his glovatrix.
"Razor? Razor, do you copy? Razor?"
Nothing but static was the response.
"Crud! Something must be blocking the radio waves!"
He finally found his glovatrix and swiftly slid it on his right arm,
loading it with some mini missiles, Turbo-Blades and cement.
"I just hope they didn't take the Cyclotron!"
He spun to face the hangar. Only the Turbomole, the Hoverkat, the
Sandkat and the Hydrokat were there and none of them could get him to the Dark
Pyramid fast enough.
"Thanks, Razor!" - he groaned - "Guess my only choice is..."
He slammed a button on the wall near a control console and an elevator
started its descent with the tow-truck on it. T-Bone maneuvered the
machinery, slowly transforming the tow-truck.
"...the Thundertruck! Let's *rock*!"
T-Bone entered the black vehicle, buckled up and started the engine.
Slamming the truck into gear he stepped on the accelerator until it contacted the
floor, making the truck jump forward.
----------------------------------------------------------
Inside the Dark Pyramid, Dark Kat was trying to restore his full powers
but failed in every attempt.
"WHY? Why do you deny me my powers, masters?"
Again, Seth spoke for all in his cavernous voice.
"You *will* have your powers back, Dark Kat, but only *after* we're
free, not before!"
"But I need them! Five thousand years is far too long to be separated
from such power! I want it back!" - he pleaded.
Hades' eyes glowed and he spoke for the first time, though his voice
was the same as Seth's.
"You already have your youth back! You're now stronger and faster than
the majority of mortals! Don't ask for more now!"
The red glow on his eyes faded as Hel's eyes blazed to life.
"We will give you your full powers as soon as we enter this world.
Don't worry! We will help you if you need part of your powers restored in the
meantime."
Then, the chamber fell silent for a few minutes as the hard realization
seeped into Dark Kat's mind.
His masters didn't trust him!
He realized that so much power could be used to destroy them while they
were weak, trying to leave the limbo.
Dark Kat didn't feel betrayed. On the contrary! He felt flattered! His
own masters feared him!
The most powerful creatures in the world feared him!
"There must be a way to get my powers back without their help!" - he
thought
"And if I get them back, I can destroy Pluto, Hades, Hel and Seth! And
then, NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO STOP ME!"
------------------------------------------------------
"Deploy Mini Tar-pedoes!" - Razor said as he and Katana fired them at
the incoming plantimals, covering them with the sticky black substance.
"Is this the best you can do, Viper?" - he shouted to the reptile who had
stayed at the entrance of the Dark Pyramid.
"It'sss not over yet, SSSWAT Katsssssssss! Behold my giant killer
wassspssss! They will render you dead meat!"
Two giant wasps flew over the SWAT Kats and fired their stings at them.
"Come on, Viper! Can't you come out with something new?" - Razor teased
the green kat.
"If I have had a little more time, you'd be dead now, SSSWAT Kat!" - he
thought - "On sssuch short notissse, thisss wasss the bessst I could
do!"
Razor and Katana dodged from the stings. Katana aimed her glovatrix and
fired two Mini Match-Head Missiles. The missiles found their targets,
burning the overgrown mutated bugs.
"Now it's your turn, snake-puss!"
"Fire Mini Spider Missile" - Razor said as he shot a yellow missile.
From it threads came out that wrapped Viper tightly. He couldn't help
falling to the ground. The good doctor hissed and sibilated in fury but couldn't
do anything to get rid of the grip. The SWAT Kats passed by him and entered the
pyramid.
"SSSWAT KAT!" - Viper screamed - "DON'T LEAVE ME LIKE THISSSS! I BEG
YOU!"
Razor looked back and hesitated a little.
"Razor, come on! We still gotta deal with Dark Kat!" - Katana said,
stopping a few feet ahead of Razor.
"Get going! I'll meet you in five minutes!" - he said looking back at
her.
She acknowledged and went inside.
Razor went to Viper and kneeled beside him. "Okay, you have my attention, Viper.
What do you want?"
"Don't leave me like thisss, SSSWAT Kat! Untie me!" - he begged.
"Yeah, right! So you could kill me! Goodbye, Viper!"
He stood and prepared to leave when Viper's desperate cry stopped him.
"NO! If you won't untie me, at leassst kill me! I don't want Dark Kat
to do it. It would be too long and painful!"
Tears slid down Viper's eyes. Razor was surprised. Viper was so afraid
of Dark Kat he was begging the SWAT Kat to kill him. He shook his head.
"Sorry, Viper but you *will* stand trial when all this is over!
Besides..." - Razor said, growling and showing Viper his fangs in disgust
"...I haven't forgotten that you turned T-Bone into a mutated frog that
time!"
Razor spun in his heels and ran after Katana, leaving a desperate Dr.
Viper behind.
"To let me live... isss the worssssst punishment... you could ever give
me, SSSSWAT Kat!" - Viper said, in a low tone... "But mark my wordsss, SSSSWAT
Kat... My revenge upon you will be terrifying...
If I manage to live..."
-----------------------------------------------------------
"CRUD! The streets are filled with debris!" - T-Bone said as he dodged
another chunk of concrete and steel fallen from a nearby skyscraper.
He had been driving that way since he entered Megakat City. Now, the
street ahead of him was completely blocked by a big portion of a nearby
building.
"Megalaser locked and loaded! FIRE!"
A torrent of laser energy burst out of the laser gun muzzle on the rear
of the Thundertruck and hit the giant debris, nearly pulverizing it.
"I just hope I'm not too late! Hang on, you two! I'm coming!"
------------------------------------------------------------
"It was about time!" - Katana hissed when Razor caught her - "What did
he want, anyway?"
"Nothing serious! He just wanted to talk."
He looked ahead. A stony wall blocked the corridor.
"Hmm! Guess we'll have to make our own door, huh? An Electronic Detonator
should do the trick!"
He stuck it on the wall and began setting the timer.
She didn't know if she heard it or simply sensed it, but Katana ducked
as a lance just hit the wall behind her.
Razor turned his head to look at Katana but only saw her jumping
towards him. She pushed him away from the path of another spear. Razor was fully
aware now and before another spear was shot he managed to locate the slot on the rock
wall and cemented it. Another lance flew past him and he shot some more cement
slugs, blocking the other slot in the wall. With the slots sealed, no more
spears could be shot.
Razor ran to Katana, who was lying on the ground.
"No! Katana!"
The lance that was meant for him had perforated her body from her back.
The sharp tip of the spear protruded slightly from her chest. Her
G-suit's color was quickly changing from blue to black around the spear.
"Katana! Katana, speak to me!"
Her voice came in gasps of blood and almost inaudible.
"I'm glad... to have... met you... Jake..."
She coughed and blood dripped freely from her snout.
Razor's eyes welled up and heavy tears rolled off his face. Her lachrymal pits
opened up too.
"You think... Chance... would've been... proud... of me...?"
"Of course, Katanya!" - he said, calling her by her name for the first
time. "Of course he would! And I am too! Now save your breath! You need to
rest!"
"I'm not... gonna make it..." - she started but Razor interrupted her.
"Don't say that! I won't let you die! You're gonna make it, Katanya!"
She coughed again and more blood dripped from her snout, some of it
landing on Razor's G-suit.
"I know I'm dying..." - she looked into the infinite - "Chance, my
love... I'm coming to join you..."
Her eyes unfocused and she closed her eyelids. Her breathing and
heartbeat ceased. Her body hung limply on Razor's paws.
"KATANYA... NOOOOO!" - Razor shouted, his heart pounding with grief.
First Chance.
Now Katanya.
He leaned over her bloody torso and silently cried for a few seconds.
Then his attention centered on the rock wall. The detonator was still
there.
The rage against Dark Kat was again filling his chest.
He wiped away the tears with his sleeve and dragged Katanya a little so
she wouldn't be buried under the rubble when he made the wall explode. The
timer was set for five seconds. He activated it and ran toward Katanya. The
explosion got him, throwing him to the ground beside her. He got up and rushed
into the big antechamber.
It was dark inside. However, he could sense a presence in there.
He wasn't wrong.
The room illuminated all of a sudden with dozens of torches, blinding
him for a few moments. In the middle of the room stood a bulky dark figure.
Razor narrowed his eyes when he recognized it.
"Dark Kat!" - he growled.
Dark Kat's eyes blazed like coals on fire. He greeted Razor in his
thundering voice.
"I must say I am impressed, SWAT Kat! I never thought you could pass
through my defenses! But, now you must face me!"
"With pleasure!" - Razor snarled and ran to Dark Kat.
The purple kat assumed a fighting stance.
Razor leapt into the air and kicked Dark Kat hard on his face. He
barely touched the ground and leapt again, rotating his torso and then his hips
in order to deliver another kick at the bulky kat's back.
Dark Kat flew forward towards the wall with the strength of Razor's
kick, but readily stood on his feet. He sprinted toward Razor.
The slim kat was awaiting him with his left fist laid beside his chest
and the right one extended in front of him. When Dark Kat was in reach, he
extended his left arm while retracting the right one and concentrated all his strength
behind his left fist.
"THIS IS FOR T-BONE!" - he roared. The punch hit Dark Kat right in his
abdomen, causing him to bend over himself.
"AND THIS IS FOR KATANA!"
Razor hit him in the back with his right elbow, making Dark Kat crash
to the ground.
Dark Kat remained unmoving for a few moments. Razor backed away a little,
panting.
To his surprise, Dark Kat stood on all fours and shook his head. Then,
slowly, he raised from the ground and wiped the dust from his cloak. He grinned
at Razor and laughed.
"Is this the best you can do, SWAT Kat? You amuse me!"
As fast as a lightning, Dark Kat punched Razor in his stomach,
making him bend over himself. He then hit Razor's stomach again with his knee,
causing him to jump into the air and then smashed his fists against the slim
kat's back.
Razor crashed on the ground. He tried to raise himself but Dark Kat
kicked him on the face, making him roll over to the wall. Razor steadied
himself on his legs. He saw Dark Kat running to him, leaping into the air and
delivering a flying kick in the face that smashed Razor against the wall.
Razor was surprised.
Dark Kat could fight Kat-rate!
How did he learn it?
A thin thread of blood dripped from Razor's mouth. This was going to be
harder than he expected. Razor threw a punch, but Dark Kat grabbed his left
fist. He tried again with the right fist but Dark Kat grabbed it too. He
tried to free his paws but it was as if a vice was grabbing him.
He took advantage of Dark Kat's support and raised both legs to kick
him hard in the face. Dark Kat stepped backward and released Razor so that he
landed on his feet and jumped in the air to kick Dark Kat in his chest. The
kick was so powerful that Dark Kat was sent backward five meters.
The purple kat rapidly stood to his feet, rubbing his chest.
"I think we have played long enough, SWAT Kat!"
He retrieved his cane from somewhere inside his cloak and placed it in
his paw like it was a sword. Razor couldn't understand why the purple kat
did that.
Dark Kat swooshed his cane across Razor's chest. The slim kat jumped
backward just in time to avert his hit.
Dark Kat started chuckling. "You didn't even notice it, SWAT Kat!"
Razor was confused.
Noticed what?
Dark Kat slipped two fingers over his cane and a red liquid came down
between his thumb and forefinger.
It was blood.
But, from whom?
And, how could his walking stick have fresh blood on it?
Only then did he notice the twin razors protruding from each side of
the walking stick. Realization came down like a bomb! It was Razor's
blood Dark Kat was sweeping off his cane.
He looked at his chest. His G-suit and shirt were ripped and his chest
had a bleeding gash from his lower right chest up until his left shoulder.
Razor was dumbfounded!
He didn't even see it coming!
"Now, SWAT Kat, you die!"
Dark Kat lunged toward Razor, but the slim kat was aware now and avoided
the slash. He jumped away from his aggressor, rolling on his back and
standing to his feet.
"Now you'll know why they call me Razor, Dark Kat!" He aimed his glovatrix
at the purple kat. "Deploy Mini Turbo-Blades!"
Two blades were shot at Dark Kat. The purple kat didn't stop to think. With
his cane he swept away both of the offensive blades. One fell near his left
foot.
The other came rushing back to its origin.
Razor was caught off guard. He tried to jump away but the blade dug
into the muscle of his right leg, ripping through it - the sinews and
a nearby artery as well...
Razor let out a cry of pain as he slumped to the ground, blood gushing
from his leg and soaking the floor. With extreme pain he took the Mini
Turbo-Blade from his leg. He tried to stand on both legs but to no avail.
He gritted his teeth as he slumped to the ground again.
From behind him, Dark Kat approached slowly as if sure of his victory.
"The supreme irony!" - he chuckled - "A razor shot down by another
razor!" He laughed; a devilish and insane sound reverberating from the
walls. "Pathetic mortal! You really thought you could defeat *me*, Dark Kat,
emissary of the Four Hells, prowler of Death?"
He rubbed his cane over Razor's neck, scratching it and making a thread
of blood drip from the cut.
"Foolish mortal! Your death will bring me a great amount of pleasure!
Like I had when your partner died!"
"HE'S NOT DEAD! YOU HAVE HIM CAPTIVE!" - Razor shouted.
"You're insane! Your partner *died* in the crash! I saw it with my own
eyes! I saw the body covered in blood in an alley! It made me *so* happy to
see that *accursed* SWAT Kat lying in the middle of the garbage, bleeding to
*death*!"
Teardrops raced down Razor's facial fur as Dark Kat shattered his
hopes to see T-Bone alive.
"Just *remembering* that image fills me with joy! But, enough talking! Now,
you'll join your partner in the grave!"
Dark Kat slowly raised his cane over his head.
"I may be down, Dark Kat... BUT I'M NOT OUT!"
Razor jumped with his left leg and extended it, delivering a kick to
Dark Kat's face so powerful that the purple kat flew backward three
meters, dropping his cane.
Razor landed on his left leg, the other hanging limply.
Dark Kat slowly sat up on the ground, grabbing his nose, which was
bleeding. Razor's jaw dropped in shock.
Dark Kat's blood was black like tar!
The purple kat noticed his surprised look.
"What's the matter SWAT Kat? Impressed to see the color of my blood or
the face of your assassin?"
Dark Kat rapidly stood to his feet. Razor recovered from his astonishment
and dove for the cane. He managed to reach it but Dark Kat's foot stomped
on it, pinning the cane to the ground. He then kicked Razor in the face.
He bent to grab his cane and Razor got up and threw himself toward
the huge kat. But, Dark Kat was ready, this time. He grabbed Razor by his
left leg with one paw while he was still on the air and threw him like a
doll towards the wall.
Razor crashed against the rock wall and was about to regain his feet
when Dark Kat crushed him against the wall with his forearm. He then let
Razor fall to the ground.
The SWAT Kat coughed and vomited some blood. Dark Kat grabbed him by
his neck and tightened the grip on it. Razor grabbed the brawny purple arm
with both paws but was able to do nothing. The grip tightened and he began
having trouble breathing.
The lack of air had its consequences. He started to see the corners of
his vision turn black. The grip remained around his neck. He was loosing his
senses. He let both arms fall limply by his side.
His whole body hurt and went limp.
When he was about to lose consciousness, Dark Kat let him go.
But, it was too late.
Razor welcomed the blessed darkness that invaded his mind.
"You were a worthy opponent, SWAT Kat! I won't kill you yet. I promised
myself I would have a little fun with you first! And I intend to keep my
promise!"
He crossed his arms over his chest and pondered, trying to decide what
he was going to use for his amusement. He snapped his fingers.
"Of course!"
He raised his arms and prayed to his masters.
"Master Pluto! MASTER PLUTO! Bless me with your thunder!"
A roaring lightning of electricity rushed from the top of the room and
hit the bulky figure.
"Yes! Thank you, Master Pluto!" - he turned to his creeplings - "Chain
the SWAT Kat to the wall, my creeplings. The way you please."
The little critters dropped on top of the unconscious form of Razor and
started ripping his G-suit and shirt with their claws and teeth while
they lifted him and carried him to the wall to the left of the entrance.
"My masters were very obedient this time!" - he thought - "They must be
entering this world any minute now. Seems like I won't be able to
destroy them after all.
No matter!
At least I shall have my vengeance!"
Lightning rays crackled between Dark Kat's fists as his eyes blazed.
------------------------------------------------------
T-Bone had finally arrived to the obelisks, where a few skeletons
remained, guarding the unconscious form of the PastMaster.
The ground was too irregular, even for the Thundertruck. He slipped on
his jetpack and flew over the battlefield. He could see small fires all
around the place where the drones had crashed. Up ahead was the vine wall,
now completely in flames. T-Bone engaged the afterburners and flew through
the wall of flames.
Noticing he had his G-suit on fire, he stopped, took off the jetpack
and rolled in the dirt, putting out the fire. He slipped it on again and
ran toward the entrance to the Dark Pyramid.
A few sap slingers attacked him, spitting acid sap. Although he dodged
the majority of the shots, he was hit in the right forearm by some spit,
causing a nasty acid burn.
He tried to keep his attention on the plantimals. He fired a Mini
Scrambler Missile at them and ran inside. The plantimals were fried by the
half a million megavolts discharge from the missile.
Only then did he see Viper.
"SSSWAT KAT! HELP ME!"
T-Bone stopped and headed for the green kat
"Releassse me, pleassse!"
"You gotta be joking, snake-eyes! Give me one good reason to do that!"
He grabbed the reptilian scientist by the collar.
"I have the antidote for Dark Kat'sss neurological ssserum! He intendsss to
control every kat in the city with it. If I die, no one will ever have
accesssss to it!"
T-Bone shoved the triple barrel of his glovatrix in Viper's snout.
"Where is it? TALK!" - he snarled.
"Only if you untie me!" - Viper shot back.
"Let's make a deal. You tell me where you hid it while I untie you." -
the big tabby proposed.
Viper nodded and started talking while T-Bone released him.
"My fungusss hasss it. I can call him and give you the cassse that has the
antidote! It can be inhaled like Dark Kat'sss ssserum."
The fungus appeared from underneath the ground and headed for Viper,
now completely free. He ordered the giant mushroom to give him the wooden
case, which the creature did. Viper gave the case to T-Bone.
"It'sss in your pawsss now, SSSWAT Kat. The dessstiny of all katkind
isss in your pawsss now!"
Viper turned to leave when T-Bone stopped him.
"Wait! What is this antidote made of?"
"Why do you care? Think you can underssstand the chemissstry behind
it?" - Viper chuckled dryly.
"Try me!" - he challenged the reptilian scientist.
Viper's eyes glowed a bit. "Very well, SSSWAT Kat. If you want to be
humiliated by a sssuperior intellect, sssuit yourssself."
Viper turned and stared at the big tabby. "Do you know what hematological
parameters are?"
"If I'm not mistaken, those include the number of red and white blood
cells."
"Very well! And the number of the hematocrit and the absssorbenssy
ssspecter of hemoglobin. I sssuppossse you know what thossse are."
T-Bone admitted his ignorance respecting those two parameters.
"The firssst isss jussst the proportion of red blood cellsss over the
total volume and the sssecond showsss the mossst absssorbed light
wavelengthsss by the molecule of hemoglobin..."
"Which is the molecule that transports oxygen and carbon dioxide and
gives our blood its red color." - T-Bone completed.
Viper was impressed. He had obviously underestimated the SWAT Kat's
intelligence.
"Now, I ssstudied my blood with ressspect to thossse lassst two
parametersss and found out they were the sssame of a normal kat. But, I
am a mutated kat, with reptilian traitssssss. For sssome reassson, I had
exsssssstremely high hemoglobin levelsss for a reptile.
The ssserum wasss ineffective on me and I knew it had sssomething to do
with my blood. Do you get it?" - Viper asked.
T-Bone shook his head no although he suspected the serum had something
to do with the hemoglobin.
Viper sighed. "Don't you ssssssee? It'sss the hemoglobin! The high
consssentration of hemoglobin in my blood kept the ssserum from controlling
my mind!
I analyzed the ssstructure of the moleculesss that make up the
ssserum. They're hemoglobin moleculesss - only the sssentral ion isss other
than iron. For some reassson, a high consssentration of normal hemoglobin
moleculesss causesss a reaction that disssssociates the mutated hemoglobin
moleculesss."
"So, you're telling me that the antidote is concentrated hemoglobin?" -
T-Bone asked, looking at the case he was holding in his paws.
"Pressssssssisely! Now, if you'll exssssscuse me, I have to get going. I
don't want Dark Kat to kill me. Ssso long, SSSWAT Kat. Nexssssssst time we
sssee each other won't be for a lesssssson in body physiology!"
T-Bone turned to the black monolith and fired a Mini Baby-Boomer
Missile at the pyramid, opening a large crack in the sloping wall. He hid the
case in there and rushed inside.
------------------------------------------------------------
Razor woke up a few seconds after the creeplings had chained him to the
wall. He was staring at the ground and was surprised to see the fur on his
torso.
The creeplings had completely torn his upper G-suit and shirt apart.
His bare torso was leaning against the cold stony dark wall of the pyramid.
Dark Kat turned to face the helpless SWAT Kat. "Ah, glad to see you've woken
up already! We can start our diversion now!"
Razor seemed surprised to see a few rays of electricity flickering
between Dark Kat's fists.
"You know, nothing gives me more pleasure than torturing someone! I
enjoy hearing my victim's cries of pain! Let's get started, shall we? For this
session, I've chosen electricity! Let's start with domestic voltage, huh?"
Dark Kat extended his right paw and an electric bolt darted from it,
hitting Razor square in his chest.
The SWAT Kat closed his eyes as all his muscles contracted painfully, but
Razor said nothing.
Dark Kat seemed impressed. "Did you know I can release a five million megavolt
discharge?" - he asked matter-of-factly. "Let's double the stakes, shall we?"
Dark Kat shot another bolt. 440 volts hit Razor. He trembled intensely, but
still refused to scream.
"What takes to make you cry, SWAT Kat? 1000 volts?"
He shot another bolt and let it hit Razor for five seconds.
Razor closed his eyes, gritted his teeth and squirmed as the electricity
contracted each of his muscles painfully. He dropped his head and, between
pants, managed to talk to his torturer.
"It takes much more than that to make me scream, Dark Kat! *That* is a
pleasure I *won't* give you!"
"Suit yourself!" - Dark Kat said as he fired another bolt.
This time, 2000 volts hit Razor for ten seconds.
Still, he managed to ignore the excruciating pain. He was sweating and
panting like he had ran for miles.
3000 volts.
It was getting harder and harder to keep his concentration.
"I'm impressed, SWAT Kat. I must admit it! Most kats would be toasted
by now. But, you still resist! Let's see for how long!"
4000 volts.
Razor was on the brink of his control. He couldn't take it anymore. His
whole body hurt. His breathing was labored. His heart was beating like mad.
His blood was being drained from his body via the severed artery in his leg.
His torso was soaked in perspiration.
Dark Kat shot another bolt.
5000 volts.
Razor couldn't take it anymore!
He shut his eyes, arched his head up and opened his mouth.
A bloodcurdling cry of pain echoed down the dark rock walls, filling
the chamber.
His whole body contorted spasmodically.
The attack seemed to go on forever.
Dark Kat laughed with a sickening pleasure.
Then, it ceased.
Razor dropped his head to his chest, panting. Dark Kat grinned. His
look was so devilish that even his creeplings hid behind him.
Razor was defeated, ready to accept the price of failure.
The last attack had made blood drip from his nose. Tears dropped from his
eyes when he remembered his friend.
"I'm sorry, Chance!" - he thought, shutting his eyes and allowing the
tears to drop directly to the ground. He gritted his teeth. "I wasn't able to
avenge you, bro! I'm sorry!
I'm sorry!"
---------------------------------------------------------------
T-Bone ran down the corridor when he found a body lying on the ground a
few feet ahead of him. The body was dressed in a blue G-suit and was about
his size.
"Oh, no!"
The big tabby ran toward the limp form.
"Please... Please don't let it be..."
He knelt beside the body. The shock and the grief were perfectly
visible on his face.
"Katanya... No... No..."
He removed the spear that trespassed her body and held her close to
him. Tears dropped from his eyes. He pressed her face to his chest and held
her tightly close to him. He then released her face from his embrace and
gave her a slight kiss on her lips, teardrops merging with the blood on her
muzzle.
He settled her back in the ground and cleaned her blood from his face
with the back of his gloved paw.
His heart filled with rage and hate for Dark Kat.
Then he heard a scream so painful and tortured he felt like it was his
own. He stood to his feet and headed toward the entrance in the wall.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Dark Kat was aiming his right paw at Razor again.
He was preparing to finish him off.
Suddenly, something exploded under him, sending him to his right, toward the
exit door of the antechamber. He landed on his right arm, breaking it. He looked
towards the entrance and his jaws went wide open.
The other SWAT Kat was standing there!
How could that be?
He saw his body!
He couldn't possibly have survived that crash!
"GAME'S OVER, DARK CRUD!" - T-Bone shouted, aiming his glovatrix at the
fallen devilish kat.
Razor looked back at the entrance and couldn't believe his eyes.
"T-BONE!"
Razor smiled, but T-Bone looked shocked when he saw Razor.
"Holy Kats!" - T-Bone said in a whisper, horrified with the macabre
scene of Razor hanging on the wall, bleeding to death.
He ran to his partner. "Razor! What did he do to you?"
Shock and concern filled his voice. He cut the chains with the torch of his
glovatrix while Dark Kat furtively escaped to the main chamber.
When Razor was free, he hugged T-Bone with all the strength he still
possessed. His voice was veiled with pain and tears slid wildly from his
eyes.
T-Bone corresponded, embracing his friend too.
"I thought you were dead! I thought I'd never see you again when Dark
Kat told me he saw your dead body..."
He tightened his grip around T-Bone as his silent cry became a little
bit louder, not wanting to visualize the gruesome scene but seeing it in his
mind anyway.
T-Bone was dumbfounded. He had never seen Razor drop a single tear before. In fact,
he thought Razor wouldn't cry for anything in this world.
Obviously, he didn't know his friend well enough even after all those
years of close relationship. His heart filled with pity for him.
"Razor! Razor, I'm here now! Everything's okay, buddy!"
He moved Razor apart from him a bit and looked in those grief-soaked
eyes. It broke his heart to see Razor like that. He seemed like a scared lost
kitten that had suddenly found his big brother.
"Don't cry anymore, Jake!" - he said in a whisper as he drew him back into his
arms, close to him. Tears dropped now from the big tabby's closed eyes. "I'm
here again and this time nothing will get me apart from you anymore, little
brother!" - he said reassuring and soothingly.
They remained that way for a few seconds. Razor regained his serenity
and wiped his tears with his forearm and tried to step on his right leg. He
slumped to the ground.
"Easy, buddy! Your leg's hurt. Here. Hold on to me."
T-Bone offered his right arm. Razor grabbed him right in the spot burnt
by acid. T-Bone grimaced and a piece of skin fell under Razor's paw, leaving a
red wound.
"T-Bone, you're hurt!" - Razor said.
Only then did he notice T-Bone's shredded G-suit. A black line was
spreading over his lower left chest. Razor knew what it was.
T-Bone was bleeding under his G-suit.
"T-Bone, what's this?"
"Nothing. Just a bit of oil from the Thundertruck."
"Let me see." - he knew T-Bone was lying.
"Razor! What are you doing?"
Razor ripped T-Bone's G-suit and shirt with his claws and tore them
open in that place. There was a thick red line across his fur.
"What the... You went to surgery recently!" - he looked to his partner
"Mind explaining why?"
T-Bone sighed. "If you must know, I was shot."
Razor's mouth opened in disbelief.
"Yes. That drone shot me. That's why I didn't eject from the Turbokat. I
thought I was already dead. The bullet ripped through my left lung, I could
feel it. I knew I couldn't survive. So, if I had to die, at least I would die
with the Turbokat."
"Why didn't you tell me?" - Razor asked, shaking his head.
"I knew you wouldn't eject if I said I was hit. We both would die and I
couldn't allow it. Besides... you're more needed than I am. I'm just
your pilot. You're the one who really defeats the bad guys."
Razor couldn't believe what he was hearing.
T-Bone was having an inferiority complex?
That was a new one!
"And, you think I could do it without you? You think I don't *need* you?
You think I don't *care* about you? CRUD! I almost got myself *killed* just
trying to avenge your memory! You saw it!"
Razor sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.
"T-Bone, you're my best friend! You can't imagine the hell my life became
over the past month. I barely slept at all, having all these nightmares
about you *dying* in my arms and there was *nothing* I could do about it!
T-Bone, I'm not in this with you just because you're my pilot!
You're my friend!
You're my *brother*!"
He paused again, then resumed in a softer tone.
"Thanks for saving my tail back there. I really thought my time had come..."
"Hey! What are bros for?" - T-Bone said, giving him his trademark smirk.
"By the way, how did you manage to escape?
The big tabby just shrugged. "Beats me! All I know is that I was crashing when
my seat was ejected! I know I didn't touch anything! It ejected all by itself!
hat took me away from the explosion, but I still was too close and got most of
the blast in the face. Then I only remember waking up a week ago in Feral's
infirmary."
"Feral? What does he have to do with this?"
"It's a long story!"
"Okay, you can tell me later. Now just promise me one thing. Promise
you'll tell me when you're injured from now on."
"*Razor*..."
"Promise me!"
T-Bone hesitated a bit and then agreed. "Okay. But only if you promise you
won't cry anymore when I'm around!" T-Bone smirked.
"Bonehead!"
Suddenly, Razor smacked his left paw to his forehead. "AW, CRUD! WE FORGOT
DARK KAT!"
"Don't worry! I'll catch him!"
"What do you mean *you'll* catch him? I'm goin' too!"
"You gotta be joking!"
T-Bone pointed to Razor's leg.
"Forgot you can't walk, Sureshot?"
"Affirmative. But, I can fly! Mind if I borrow your jetpack?"
T-Bone smiled. It appeared Razor had a ready answer for everything. He
took off his jetpack and helped Razor put it on. Razor activated the jets and
both kats went out of the antechamber.
T-Bone activated the Mini Kat Scanner. The triangular screen in his
glovatrix showed a blip.
"Kat Scanner's got him! It must be Dark Kat!" - T-Bone said, running
down the faintly illuminated corridor.
Razor was surprised. They didn't find any more traps.
"There's something I gotta tell you, T-Bone. Dark Kat... He's not the
same kat anymore!"
"What do you mean?"
"He's stronger... and faster than before. I hit him a number of times.
It was almost as if he didn't feel my kicks! T-Bone, the kat is a psycho!
He's a murderer! He was having pleasure torturing me! He was pleased to see
your blood-covered body!"
"Let's see if he likes to see *his* dead body! I promised myself I
would kill him with my paws if he hurt you, Razor. And, I intend to keep
that promise!"
Razor looked at T-Bone. For a second, he didn't recognize his friend.
His eyes were glowing like torches. His fangs seemed overgrown and all
his body seemed even more muscular than usual.
He blinked and saw the face of his old friend come back again. Razor
shook his head.
Maybe he had lost more blood than he expected.
--------------------------------------------------------
Dark Kat was already in the main chamber. His masters had restored his
arm. It was as good as new. But, he wanted more.
"Masters! What about my powers? I need them to defeat all our enemies
once and for... AAARRGGHH!"
Seth shot a red beam from his eyes and sent Dark Kat back ten meters.
"WE SAID YOU'LL HAVE YOUR POWERS WHEN WE ENTER THIS WORLD AND NOT
BEFORE! DON'T FORGET WE CREATED YOU AND WE CAN DESTROY YOU AS EASILY!
REMEMBER THAT YOU'RE NOTHING MORE THAN A PAWN IN OUR GAME! A PAWN THAT CAN
BE EASILY DISCARDED!"
Dark Kat was in shock. His masters never treated him like that. He
began questioning if his powers were really as unlimited as he once thought.
"However, we will increase your strength and speed. You can keep the
Thunder of Pluto. Prepare to receive the Earthquake of Hades and the Breath
of Hel! Step into the Cauldron."
Dark Kat did as he was ordered.
The statues of Hades and Hel raised their stony right arms and let down
a cascade of green glimmering glow. The purple liquid inside the Cauldron
rose and engulfed Dark Kat.
A few minutes later, the liquid settled and both statues withdrew their
arms. Dark Kat stepped out of the Cauldron. He was now stronger and faster
than any kat on the planet.
"Come to me, SWAT Kats. I'll reduce you to protoplasmic pulp with my
bare paws!"
"Did someone call the SWAT Kats?" - Razor said.
Dark Kat spun and saw both SWAT Kats at the entrance to the main chamber.
"Well, you got us, Dark Crud!" - T-Bone said.
Before either of the SWAT Kats could react, Dark Kat rushed to them and
punched them both hard, right in their midriffs, making both kats kneel and
gasp for air.
"CRUD!" - T-Bone thought - "How'd he do it? I barely saw him!"
Dark Kat grabbed Razor by his neck and took off his jetpack.
"You escaped me a few minutes ago, but I won't make the same mistake
now!"
T-Bone stood to his feet and ran toward the bulky kat.
"LET HIM GO!" - he shouted as he prepared to punch Dark Kat in his
ribs.
"Sure, SWAT Kat! CATCH!"
Dark Kat threw Razor against T-Bone. The slim kat knocked the big
tabby, sending them both backward several meters.
"Razor. Are you okay?" - T-Bone asked.
His partner groaned and shook his head. "I'm all right!" - he said in a
weak voice.
T-Bone knew he had lost too much blood and keeping himself that active
wasn't helping.
"You stay here!" - he ordered - "Let me handle this! And *no* arguing!"
Razor was suddenly feeling too exhausted too argue. He nodded.
T-Bone stood to his feet. "It's just you and me, Dark Crud! We have an old
score to settle... since that time you threw me into that pit with stalagmites!"
"You still remember that? Well, I'm ready anytime, SWAT Kat! Come on! Throw
your best punch!"
Each kat assumed a fighting stance. Dark Kat sprinted toward T-Bone. He
waited. When Dark Kat was in reach, he threw a punch at his stomach,
making the purple kat bend over himself.
"THIS ONE'S FOR RAZOR!!"
In the same swift motion, T-Bone kicked Dark Kat's face, throwing him
back. The bulky kat lost his balance and began falling on his back.
"THIS ONE'S FOR KATANYA!"
While Dark was still in the air, T-Bone smashed both fists against the
huge kat's chest, causing him to hit the ground even harder.
"AND THIS ONE'S FOR ME!"
T-Bone jumped and rolled on his side in the air, extending his right
leg. Dark Kat saw the foot rushing to him and rolled on the ground,
avoiding it. T-Bone's foot crashed into the ground with a loud thud.
Splinters of rock flew from that place.
Razor was stunned. He had never seen T-Bone fight like that.
T-Bone got to his feet and Dark Kat tackled him by the waist, carrying
him toward the wall. The impact was tremendous. T-Bone gasped a bit of blood
when his back slammed against the cold rock wall.
Dark Kat stepped back to regain his stance. T-Bone grabbed the opportunity
and delivered a powerful flying kick to the purple kat's chest, causing him to
fly back a few meters.
Dark Kat rapidly stood to his feet, but T-Bone was already rushing to him.
He flipped forward and thrust off the ground toward Dark Kat's face. The
kick was so hard Dark Kat flew back until the rock wall stopped him, slumping
to the ground.
"Where did he learn those blows?" - Razor thought, astonished. His eyes were
wide open, as was his mouth. "He never fought me like that when we practiced
back in the dojo! T-Bone *is* one heck of a fighter after all! He was just
throwing the game all along!"
Then, Razor noticed the black spot on his friend's battered G-suit. It was
bigger than before, covering almost his entire left chest. All those moves
must have ripped it even more.
But, he didn't seem to care.
His expression only reflected anger and concentration, not pain.
T-Bone jumped on top of Dark Kat's chest and threw punch after punch at
his face. "You filthy psycho! You thought you'd get away with what you did
to *Razor*?"
T-Bone growled as he endlessly punched Dark Kat. Then, suddenly, Dark
Kat grabbed his right fist, the same with his left one. T-Bone was locked in
his iron grip.
"You really think you can kill *me*?"
He slammed his head against T-Bone's. The thump was so great his helmet
flew off his head and T-Bone was sent back to the ground. Dark Kat grabbed
T-Bone's legs and threw him against the opposite wall.
His back was slammed against the wall and he gasped some more blood. He
tried to steady himself on his feet, but his head was spinning from the
headbutt. Dark Kat ran to him, grabbed him by his collar and smashed his huge
fist against T-Bone's stomach with all his strength.
T-Bone opened his eyes wide and vomited a volley of blood. He was
suddenly feeling pain all over his body.
Dark Kat threw punch after punch into T-Bone's gut. The strength of the
purple kat was outstanding. T-Bone was rapidly loosing his senses. Dark Kat,
on the other paw, was enjoying every punch he threw, and every drop of the vital
fluid that came from within his opponent was a prize for him.
"NO!" - Razor thought - "He's gonna kill him!"
With the rest of his strength, Razor dragged himself toward Dark Kat,
leaving a red trail behind him.
"What's the matter, SWAT Kat!" - Dark Kat mocked - "Came here prepared
to fight a criminal and, instead, found a *GOD*?"
"I think you're more like a sicko..." - T-Bone retorted.
Dark Kat prepared to slam his fist harder into T-Bone's stomach when
something tugged his cloak.
It was Razor!
"Leave him alone, Dark Kat!" - he said in a weak, painful-filled voice,
nearly a whisper, eyes humid. "Please, leave him alone! Don't hurt him
anymore!"
T-Bone was taken aback with that statement.
Razor had swallowed his pride and was humiliating himself to Dark Kat on
his behalf! He had never seen Razor do that! His heart filled with compassion
for his partner.
"What is this *vermin* doing attached to my cloak?"
Dark Kat let T-Bone go, who slumped to the ground, and kicked Razor in
his stomach with all his might.
Razor was sent rolling end over end into the opposite wall. When he
stopped, he coughed and vomited a large quantity of blood.
Dark Kat headed for him.
"You will be the first to be sent to Death's arms!"
T-Bone stood on all fours, grabbing his aching abdomen and spat some
red saliva.
Dark Kat's attitude made his blood boil.
He was furious, perspiring rage through all his pores.
Then, the mystical forces of that place started acting on T-Bone.
The mark on his elbow glowed bright golden. His eyes started to blaze.
His fangs grew longer and larger, as did his claws. His snout stretched
forward. His muscle mass began to enlarge so much so that it ripped the
rest of his shirt and G-suit.
Dark Kat spun back to see what was happening.
Through clouded eyes, Razor saw his friend slowly beginning to mutate.
He tried to find a scientific explanation for what was happening, but his
eyes closed before he could find one.
T-Bone roared as the transformation completed. He was the same size as
Dark Kat now. The brown stripes on his arms and back became clearly visible
as the shredded clothes fell off his bare torso.
Then, Dark Kat saw the glowing mark and his eyes widened.
"*YOU*! *You* were the one who defeated my masters 5000 years ago!
You're the envoy of Horus!
MASTERS OF THE FOUR HELLS! HEAR ME! RESTORE MY POWERS NOW SO I CAN
AVENGE YOUR DEFEAT!"
"GRANTED THEY ARE!" - Seth answered as he hit Dark Kat with a red beam.
An explosion was heard inside the chamber and gale force winds invaded
the room. T-Bone covered his face with his arms. Then, as suddenly as
it all began, it was over.
T-Bone uncovered his face and saw Dark Kat in the middle of the
Cauldron, floating in the air above the waters and pulsating with a faint
purple glow.
Dark Kat grinned at T-Bone. His eyes glowed bright orange. He seemed the
true image of pure evil.
"This time, envoy of Horus, you *die*!"
------------------------------------------------------------
"Enforcers, move in!" - Feral roared as he directed a tank through the
burned out, mutated vines.
Twenty enforcer tanks followed him. They found no resistance. Feral jumped
out of his armored vehicle. It seemed the SWAT Kats had taken care of
everything.
As usual, he sadly thought.
He took a look at the fried plantimals, some of which still smoldered.
"Sergeant, secure the area. Make sure you apprehend all those psychos."
He withdrew his communicator from his coat and pressed a button.
"This is Feral! Lieutenant Feral, do you copy?"
"I'm here, Commander. Over."
"Land your chopper. I need you here. Feral out."
"Ten-four."
Felina landed her helicopter near her uncle's tank and jumped out of it.
"What's going on, uncle?"
"I'm going inside. I need backup."
"Let's do it."
Both enforcers ran inside the Dark Pyramid. They found the dead body of
Turmoil a short while later. They took off her mask.
"What's Turmoil doing with that outfit?" - Felina asked.
Feral shrugged and moved on. She followed him.
"I don't know and I don't care either."
They entered the antechamber with their blasters ready, but the room
was deserted.
"Looks like there was a fight in here." - Felina noted.
She looked at the pool of Razor's blood near the wall.
"A pretty nasty one! Wonder whose blood this is..."
"Let's not be more morbid than we have to, Lieutenant. Come on!" -
Feral said.
They both walked into the darkened corridor that connected the
antechamber and the main chamber.
---------------------------------------------------------
T-Bone and Dark Kat tackled each other, but T-Bone managed to make Dark
Kat loose his balance. He grabbed the purple kat and lifted him above his
head, then threw him towards the rock wall, causing a some debris to fall
over Dark Kat's body.
Dark Kat freed himself from the rubble and flew toward T-Bone, punching
him in the face. A thin thread of blood dripping from his nostrils, T-Bone
lunged toward Dark Kat, but the purple kat kicked him hard in his chest.
However, T-Bone didn't seem to feel it as he pounced toward Dark Kat again.
This time, he managed to punch him in his gut. Dark Kat doubled over and
T-Bone did a back flip, kicking Dark Kat in the face. Dark Kat readily
stood, still on his feet.
Both kats grabbed each other's fists and started pushing. T-Bone's
muscles tensed to their limit and his pulsating arteries became visible under
his fur. He gritted his teeth. His fur was damp with perspiration.
Dark Kat grinned at him and pushed harder.
T-Bone's feet sank a few millimeters into the ground, then a few
centimeters.
Dark Kat was winning again.
Sparks flickered off both kats, irradiating from their paws.
T-Bone couldn't hold out much longer in this deadly tug-o-war.
"Dark Kat! You're under arrest!" said a familiar grave-toned voice.
T-Bone looked behind Dark Kat and saw Felina and Feral at the entrance to the
chamber.
Felina barely recognized T-Bone. "T-Bone? Is that you?"
Through clenched teeth, T-Bone managed to talk to her.
"Lieutenant... Take... Razor... outta here... He's... badly... injured..."
Dark Kat didn't seem to mind the exchange of words between the two kats.
Felina spotted the unconscious form of Razor and put him over her shoulder.
"There's... a wood case... in a crack... outside... secure it... Now
get outta here... *NOW*!"
Dark Kat pushed harder, and T-Bone was forced to drop one knee to the
ground.
"Nothing can save you now, envoy of Horus! Soon, my masters will enter
this puny world and then, all katkind will be made our slaves... or
exterminated if they refuse!"
T-Bone gasped. He looked behind Dark Kat again and saw Feral. They
exchanged looks and Feral's mark started glowing under his coat. His eyes
blazed with a golden glow.
"Uncle, what's wrong?" - Felina asked.
Feral said nothing. Instead, he took off his coat and rolled his sleeves up,
revealing his brawny arms.
"Uncle! We gotta go!"
"You go, Lieutenant! That's an order! *GO*!" - he roared.
She blinked in surprise and then she carried Razor out of there.
The glow in Feral's eyes intensified.
He fully unsheathed his claws and they grew larger, as did his fangs
and snout. His muscles enlarged, ripping his shirt much in the same way that
T-Bone's had.
Dark Kat was so sunk in his near-victory that he didn't notice Feral coming
from behind. Feral grabbed Dark Kat and lifted him above his head. He then
threw him against the wall, which partially came down on the purple kat.
T-Bone, surprised, accepted Feral's paw in order to raise himself from
the ground.
Dark Kat burst out of the rock debris and looked at both mutated kats
for a moment and then started laughing.
"So, the envoy of Amon came to help his son, the envoy of Horus! But
Dark Kat, emissary of the Four Hells and prowler of Death will destroy you
*both*! How do those goodie two gods, Amon and Horus, dare to interfere with
my masters' plans?"
He then shot a lightning bolt from his paws, hitting both kats and sending
them back toward the rock wall. The impact was so great that they broke the
wall and landed in the corridor.
Both kats shook their heads and headed back to the chamber, only to be
shot again by a new bolt. Dark Kat floated above their heads, laughing like a
mad kat.
"DO YOU STILL REFUSE TO ACCEPT MY DIVINITY?"
He reached for a control box inside his cloak and waved it in the air.
"You see this? This is my key to total world domination!"
He pressed a button on it.
"What did you do?" - T-Bone asked, getting up. He was shot again by a
bolt and slumped to the ground.
"*Stupid beast*! You will only talk when *I* command you to do so! But,
I will satisfy your curiosity so that you can see the brilliance of my
genius! I activated the bomb in my Doomsday Express. In one hour, it will
explode and all the kats in Megakat City will be forced to breathe the vapors
that will come out! And, when they do, they will become my loyal slaves!
You see, SWAT Kat, in one way or the other *I win*!"
Dark Kat broke out in a devilish laughter.
T-Bone and Feral exchanged glances and nodded.
They jumped to Dark kat and gave him a double punch in the face, causing
the purple kat to hit the statue of Hel, breaking it in pieces. Dark Kat
screamed as part of his powers were ripped from his body and shot back into the
shattered statue of Hel.
"That's how we're gonna beat him!" - T-Bone said. - "Quickly, destroy
the remaining statues, Commander!"
Feral ran toward the statue of Pluto, picking it up in his arms and
throwing it into the Cauldron. T-Bone jumped onto the statue of Hades, making
it lose its balance and shatter on the ground.
Dark kat's screams were bloodcurdling. He had already lost the majority
of his powers. Only the statue of Seth remained.
They prepared to destroy it, but Seth fired a red beam from his eyes
that threw both kats back. They coughed and shook their heads. Seth shot at
them again but they avoided it. Red beams kept coming from Seth's eyes, but
T-Bone and Feral managed to dodge them all.
"T-Bone, circle around from the right and I'll do the same from the left.
When we get there, we'll hit it with a double punch!" Feral ordered.
T-Bone acknowledged and started running. Seth tried to stop the incoming kats,
but they dodged each of his shots. When they reached the base of the
statue, they raised their right arms and punched the dark statue with all
their might.
The rock figure started cracking and exploded in debris.
That was the final blow for Dark Kat. He fell unconscious to the ground.
T-Bone and Feral were walking toward him when their bodies began
shuddering spasmodically. They braced themselves while the energy that Amon and
Horus had deposited in them was withdrawn from their bodies. They kneeled and
screamed in pain as their bodies shrank and returned to normal. A few seconds
later, they stood on their feet again and headed toward each other.
T-Bone gave Feral his paw.
Feral hesitated.
"Thanks for the help... dad!" - T-Bone said, catching Feral off guard.
When he recovered, he gave T-Bone his paw and both kats shook them.
Father and son embraced finally in a tight hug.
T-Bone finally had a family...
"Mind if I *cut in*?"
Both kats jumped backward when a swooshing blade came between them.
Dark Kat was back! He might have lost his powers, but he was as deadly as
before.
He began attacking T-Bone. The big tabby avoided some slashes but Dark
kat's cane inflicted some painful gashes on his torso.
Feral attacked him from behind, but Dark Kat spun and thrust his cane
through the side of Feral's abdomen, barely missing his stomach and pancreas.
He retrieved his cane as a gush of blood hit him.
Feral dropped to one knee, grabbing his bleeding abdomen.
T-Bone jumped onto Dark Kat's back, but the purple kat smacked him
against the wall, making T-Bone lose his grip and fall off him. Dark Kat spun
his cane, but T-Bone ducked and it hit the wall, releasing a few sparks.
T-Bone jumped to the corner of the room, near the place where the statue of
Hades had stood. He desperately looked for something to use as a weapon since
his glovatrix had shattered when he mutated. He looked to the ground. In
Hades paw was a whip.
T-Bone couldn't believe his good luck.
He dived for it just as Dark kat smashed his cane into the wall where his head
had been. He took the whip in his paws and rolled onto his back. The whip was
a bit oversized, but he couldn't ask for more. He snapped his weapon in the air.
Dark Kat paused for a second, analyzing the situation and then pounced
over T-Bone. The big SWAT Kat whipped Dark Kat's cane out of his paw. Dark
Kat let out a scream of pain as the tip of the whip severed his paw.
"Say *good night*, Dark Kat!"
From his left, Feral threw him a punch to the face so hard that the devilish
kat readily lost consciousness.
"Nice punch, Feral!" - T-Bone congratulated.
Feral grimaced and knelt on the floor, grabbing his abdomen. T-Bone
came to him with a worried expression on his face.
"Dad! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine! Let's get this criminal scum outta here!"
Suddenly, the pyramid started trembling and chunks of rock began falling
from the ceiling.
"This place is coming apart!" - T-Bone said as he took Dark Kat over
his shoulder.
Feral helped him, and both kats carried Dark Kat out of the main
chamber. They tried to run, but big dark rocks were tumbling all around them.
"We're not gonna make it! I hope Felina got Razor to a hospital in
time! He desperately needed some blood!" - T-Bone said.
"We'll have lots of time to find out... if we can get our tails outta
here!"
They entered in the antechamber and dodged the falling rocks. They
entered the access corridor. T-Bone stopped to look for Turmoil.
"Where's Katanya?" - he asked. Feral frowned.
"Who?" - He only knew her by the name of Turmoil.
"Turmoil!"
"If she's not here, maybe Felina took her along with Clawson!"
T-Bone looked at Feral. Then, he thought that if he knew that Chance was
T-Bone, then the mental association of Razor and Jake would be simple.
"Let's get outta here, son. This whole place is falling apart!"
"There! The entrance!" - T-Bone pointed.
They rushed to it. They were about five meters from it when the corridor was
blocked by a huge chunk of rock. The corridor behind them was also blocked with
several rock chunks.
"We're trapped inside!"
-----------------------------------------------------------
Felina took Razor to the hospital. The doctors that examined him were
categorical: Razor needed a blood transfusion immediately.
"What's his blood type?" - the intern doctor asked Felina.
"I don't know! Can't you test it?"
Then, she had an idea. She excused herself and ran outside, out of the
confusion of the emergencies. She called headquarters.
"I need to get information on Clawson, J. He's an ex-enforcer. I need
to know his blood type."
In a short while, she was presented with Jake's entire medical record
while he was in the Enforcers. She thanked the enforcer and rushed inside.
Not five minutes had elapsed.
"His blood type is O negative." - she saw a few faces frown.
"What? What is it?"
"Why couldn't he be AB?" - one of the doctors asked rhetorically.
"He's a universal donor, but he can only receive blood type O. And, his
Rhesus factor is negative. This makes his blood type extremely rare. And,
we don't have any spare blood! Hell, we don't even have spare beds anymore
thanks to that black monstrosity there!" - he pointed to the Dark Pyramid.
"Thanks to this morning's earthquake we have our paws full!"
"You mean you can't save him?" - she asked, half stunned.
"I'm saying we have to find a compatible donor! If we don't, then we
can kiss him goodbye!"
Suddenly, they heard a rumbling sound, like thunder.
Felina raced outside.
The doctor came too. They witnessed the fall of the Dark Pyramid.
"Uncle! T-Bone!" - Felina said in a subdued voice. She snapped out of her
trance and ran toward the helipad.
"Hey! What do you want me to do with the SWAT Kat?" - the doctor shouted.
"Heal him! Find a compatible donor! And, don't you *dare* to take off
his mask! If you do, you're dead meat! And, that's no threat! It's a
promise!" - she shouted back as she stepped aboard her chopper.
She engaged the rotors and flew off to the Dark Pyramid.
----------------------------------------------------------
"What do you mean you're not going in?" - Felina asked in disbelief.
Lieutenant Commander Steele looked directly at her and repeated what he
had just said.
"I'm not going in, Lieutenant! I don't want to cause another collapse!
This bunch of rocks is unstable! If we blast it, *then* we'd have signed
Commander Feral's death certificate for sure. We'll stay put until a new
development comes. And, that's an order, Lieutenant! Don't forget that
*I'm* in charge!"
Felina couldn't believe what she was hearing. That little creep was
preventing her from rescuing her uncle! All in the name of power! Although
his advice was right, her heart spoke louder.
She spun on her heel and went to her chopper. She retrieved her bazooka and
headed for the blocked entrance.
Steele watched her as she carried her weapon and aimed it. He let her
fire two mortars at the entrance and then ordered three enforcers to stop
her. She fought back but was overpowered by the kats.
Steele approached her with a smirk of satisfaction on his muzzle.
"You're going to be court martialed for this, Lieutenant! You disobeyed
direct orders from a superior and..."
"Button it, Steele!" - came a rumbling voice from inside the pyramid.
A brown paw surfaced from the rubble. Then, a few rocks were dislocated and
then the rest of the rubble slumped to the ground. Feral and T-Bone stepped
outside, dragging the still unconscious form of Dark Kat.
"UNCLE!" - Felina tried to get free of the grip of the enforcers, but they
held her tightly.
"Release her before I boot you three off the force!" - Feral demanded.
They let her go and she ran to Feral, embracing him. He grimaced in pain.
"Felina... Please..."
She looked down and saw the bleeding wound in his left abdomen. Then,
she looked at T-Bone, who bore some gashes in his chest and abdomen. She
helped her uncle while T-Bone carried the huge bulk of Dark Kat to her chopper.
The remaining enforcers cheered loudly for their commander and waved their
blasters over their heads.
Feral straightened up and walked alone to Steele.
"You *really* don't know what trouble is, Steele... And I'm going to introduce
you to some more... in a court martial... Conspiracy to murder your commander...
I want to listen what those educated kats have to say about it!"
He then walked to Felina's chopper and lifted off.
As they left, the rest of the infamous Dark Pyramid tumbled down and mysteriously
vanished as though it had never existed.
------------------------------------------------------------
Back at Enforcer Headquarters, Felina slammed Dark Kat in a cell after
chaining him. She turned to the guard.
"If he makes a move, blast him!"
She then moved to her uncle's personal infirmary, where a doctor was
observing Feral.
"It's definitively a nasty injury but you'll live, Commander. We'll
take care of you right away."
Feral nodded and leaned back in the bed.
T-Bone removed his mask after the doctor left. He grabbed Feral's shoulder.
"Now, you're there and I'm here!" - Chance said.
Feral gave him one of his rare smiles.
"Thanks again, dad. I'd be dead if you weren't there."
"Hey, what are fathers for?" - he said, blinking an eye - "Where's Clawson?"
Felina smacked a gloved paw to her forehead. "Razor! I forgot him completely!"
"How is he, Felina?" - Chance asked, concern growing inside his chest.
"He needs blood! Desperately! But he is O negative and, thanks to Dark
Kat, the hospital's blood supply is gone!"
"Let's go! Which hospital is he in?" - Chance said as he put on his mask.
"Megakat Memorial Hospital! I left him in the E.R." - she said as they
rushed out of the room.
They ran to the tarmac above.
"You left Razor *alone* in an E.R.?" - T-Bone said, alarmed.
He knew how scary an emergency room could look to someone waking up in
there. He woke up several times in the E.R. during his troubled
adolescence.
"Crud! I just hope we can make it in time!"
"You know a compatible donor?" - she asked.
He didn't answer her.
She asked again.
"*I'm* the donor. I'm O negative too!"
She stopped him. "Are you out of your mind? You think you got a lot of blood
left to give?" - she bawled, pointing at the fur streaked in red on his torso.
He looked to her intensely, grabbing her arms so tightly it almost hurt her.
"Razor *needs* me!"
"Are you willing to..." - she started, but he interrupted her.
"I would give my *life* to save Razor's!" - he stated through clenched
teeth. "Now, Felina, are you with me or against me?"
She saw his will was unshakable. She nodded.
"Let's go!"
"By the way, Felina, did you take Turmoil out?" - he asked, suddenly
remembering his loved one.
Felina's answer made him stop.
"No, I didn't! I couldn't find her!"
"What?" - he asked in disbelief and shock - "You mean my bride was
still inside that pyramid when it tumbled down?"
She was taken aback with that comment.
"Y-your bride? But, I thought you..."
She took the lead. She didn't want him to see her tears. He loved
another she-kat already...
T-Bone ran after her toward the tarmac. He felt sorry for Turmoil, but
all that mattered now was to save Razor's life.
---------------------------------------------------------
T-Bone and Felina arrived at the hospital. Razor was in the same
stretcher she had left him in, but the doctor had remained with him. The
doctor announced his refusal to let T-Bone be the donor, as did Felina.
T-Bone grabbed the doctor by his collar and lifted him in the air with
apparent ease. The doctor nodded hesitantly and set up the transfusion
in a quiet, separate room.
"I want you to know that if you die, I'll say you forced me to do this!"
"Fine!" - T-Bone growled in disgust - "I assume entire responsibility
for whatever happens to me or to my partner. You're a witness, Lieutenant.
The doctor had nothing to do with this. I forced him to do so."
"If that's your wish..."
Suddenly, an explosion was heard in the distance.
"What's that?"
"*NO*! Dark Kat's bomb! The vapor will spread all over Megakat City!
Felina, grab a gas mask! You can still use the antidote!"
"The antidote? You mean that's what's inside that case you told me to
secure?"
"That's right! You have to spray it all around Megakat City! Otherwise,
every kat in this city will be one of Dark Kat's slaves!"
"*Slaves*? Crud!" - she reached for her communicator.
"Sergeant Reeves, this is Lieutenant Feral! Come in, please!"
"This is Reeves. I hear you, Felina."
"Reeves, give everyone in HQ a gas mask. There's no time to explain
why. Go check on Dark Kat and give the guard a gas mask too. Hurry! Felina
out!"
She turned the communicator off.
"Crud, I just hope Dark Kat's still unconscious! Doctor, give T-Bone
and Razor an oxygen mask each and get one for yourself too. Gotta go,
guys. My turn to save the city!"
"Good luck, Felina!" - T-Bone said and then muttered to himself -
"You're gonna need it!"
He mentally cursed Dark Kat. Even unconscious he was dangerous.
He also made a silent prayer that Viper knew what he was doing.
------------------------------------------------------------
Felina lifted off from the helipad. She didn't know if the invisible
vapor was already affecting the katyzens or not, but she couldn't waste time.
She headed upwind to the west.
She had loaded the flame-thrower tanks of her chopper with the translucent
red solution and adjusted the air pressure so that it would come out as
a spray and not as a stream.
The clouds dispersed after the destruction of the Dark Pyramid. It was
amazing to think that the clock didn't even sounded the twelve strokes
for mid-day! It seemed to her that days had already passed.
The sky was clear now and she could see the smoke column rising from
the destroyed Doomsday Express over to the west. Dark Kat knew what he was
doing. The prevailing western winds would disperse the neurological serum
over the entire city. Luckily, it would work for the antidote as well.
She got to the west edge of Megakat City and began spraying the antidote.
It dispersed rapidly over the city, causing a faint rainbow to appear. It took
her five minutes to spend the entire tank.
She returned to the hospital, which was nearly in the center of the
city. She calculated that, by the time she got back, the antidote would have
already diffused over the area.
She wasn't wrong. All over the place kats were rising from the ground
and shaking their heads. She landed the chopper on the helipad and went
inside. The E.R. was silent. Kats were fallen all over the place. She opened
wide the front doors and the kats began to wake up.
She went to a nurse and talked with her, her voice muffled by the gas
mask. The she-kat seemed okay, as did all the other kats.
The antidote had worked.
Megakat City was safe.
She took off the mask and went to the room where the SWAT Kats were.
"Felina!" - T-Bone said, almost sitting up in the stretcher. - "Are you
okay?"
She blushed a little under her tanned fur.
"I didn't know you cared about me, T-Bone!"
T-Bone gasped and tried to say something, but she interrupted him.
"I'm okay. And, so is the city. The antidote worked!"
T-Bone let out a loud sigh of relief.
"Thank the Holy Kats! Viper was right!"
"Viper? Dr. Viper?"
"Yeah! He developed the antidote."
She was astonished. "And you *trusted* him?" - she asked in disbelief.
"The kat was scared to death, Felina! I thought I could trust him...
even though he turned me into a mutated frog that time..."
His thoughts were torn away when he heard a familiar voice.
"Hmm... T-Bo... T-Bone..."
Razor was coming back to consciousness.
T-Bone was cheered inside his mind.
"I'm here, lil' bro!" - he said in a smooth tone, almost a purr.
"Is everything over now?" - Razor asked, his voice a whisper.
T-Bone gave him a paternal smile. "It's all over now, lil' bro!" - he purred
reassuringly - "It's all over now!"
-----------------------------------------------------------
EPILOGUE
Two weeks later, in the salvage yard, Jake and Chance were dressing for
one of the most important days of their lives.
"C'mon, Chance! We're gonna be late!"
"I'm comin'!" - Chance got to his friend - "Sure you don't want any
help with that?"
Jake sat in the tow-truck's passenger seat, closed the door and rested
his cane between his legs.
"Guess not!"
Chance slid into the driver's seat, slammed the door and started the
engine.
Jake was doing well. His leg was almost completely healed, except for
his tendons. The price of victory was a permanent limp in his right leg.
Jake wouldn't admit it, but Chance knew his SWAT Kat career was ruined.
Chance was well too. His injuries had healed completely and he was in
almost perfect physical condition. Only his left lung was giving him problems.
He couldn't do any heavy work. His SWAT Kat days were over as well.
Chance drove them off to the courthouse. Today was a big day. Hard
Drive, the PastMaster, the Metallikats and Dark Kat were standing trial. Feral
managed to get them places in the first row, as if it was a theatre or something,
where they would see justice being done.
The room was beginning to fill up. Feral, now almost completely
recovered as well, discreetly showed them their places. Chance asked him where
Felina and the Deputy Mayor were. He said Felina was on assignment and Miss
Briggs was surveying the reconstruction of the shattered homes. He went to the big
mahogany doors of the courtroom and stood there.
The room was completely full. Many kats appeared there just to see some
of the most evil criminals of Megakat City being convicted for their
crimes.
The judge arrived and they all stood up.
The accusation list was almost as long as a phone list. Most of the
accusations were cast upon Dark Kat - from simple robbery to multiple homicides,
from blackmailing to organized terrorism. The jury found all the villains
guilty unanimously. Hard Drive was convicted to five years in prison.
The PastMaster and the Metallikats got fifteen years in prison. Dark Kat... Well...
Dark Kat got the capital penalty...
"The accused has any final words to say?" - the judge asked Dark Kat.
He closed his eyes and grinned, a devilish, wicked smile. He got up and
walked to the bar. "I've said this before..." - he started in his thundering
voice - "And, I say it again now!"
He reached inside his cloak for a control box with a button and a timer
and showed it to the audience.
"If *I* lose, *everyone* loses!"
The scene that followed resembled in all aspects that when he said the
same thing and made the abandoned tuna factory on Megakat Island blow sky
high.
Jake said 'Crud! This whole place is wired to blow!'.
Feral screamed 'Move!' and everyone rushed out of the courtroom.
The explosion was enormous, destroying the entire courthouse.
Feral managed to escape with minor injuries, but the villains and most
kats that were inside the courtroom didn't have time to escape. A few minutes
after the explosion, TV trucks covering the story surrounded the perimeter of
the ruins.
"This is Ann Gora, Kat's Eye News, reporting live from the ruins of
Megakat City Courthouse, where the infamous villain Dark Kat just managed to
make the entire building explode.
The judge, the jury and most of the audience present in the courtroom
where Dark kat was standing trial, along with Hard Drive, the PastMaster
and the Metallikats are presumed to be dead, crushed by the debris."
Johnny, the camera-kat, scanned the ruins with his camera.
Nothing could be seen. The majority of the kats were under the rubble.
Callie Briggs was already there too. Something grabbed her attention.
She removed a chunk of wall, putting all her strength into the effort. The
chunk rolled away and she stared in shock.
Two tom-kats were there.
Their bodies were crushed by the debris and soaked in blood.
One of them was brawny and had golden fur with brown stripes on his
arms.
The other was slim and had orange fur and a cane near him.
She checked their pulses.
None.
They were both dead.
She let tears drop from her eyes when the hard reality struck her. She
was looking to the dead bodies of her loved one, Jake Clawson, and his best
friend, Chance Furlong.
She noted another thing.
They were holding their paws together.
Together in life...
Together in death...
--------------------------------------------------------------
THE... END ?
--------------------------------------------------------------
AUTHOR: C. L. Furlong
DATE: January 26, 2001
FINISHED: February 04, 2001
LAST REVISION: February 14, 2001
E-MAIL: [email protected]
RATING: PG13
SUMMARY: Revelations about Dark Kat's past. Another "Katastrophe"
episode, only this time, the new Radical Squadron has cut in much
too close... With an ending that might not please everyone...
DISCLAIMER: SWAT Kats and anything related to the series is property
of Hanna-Barbera. No infringement is intended and no profit is gained
with this fiction.
COMMENTS: This fic didn't correspond exactly to what I had in mind,
but it seemed to have worked out reasonably well nevertheless. It's
a little bit dark/red and positively mystical. I usually don't do this
kind of plot, but it sounded good to me. Amon and Horus are two Egyptian
gods related to the "upper world" while Seth, Hades, Pluto and Hel are
the rulers of the "underworld" in the Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Nordic
mythologies, respectively. Again, if you find any grammar or spelling
errors in this fiction, please try to remind that I'm writing in a foreign
language, as I'm not an english speaker. You´ll find that parts of this
fiction resemble a lecture, and you're right - they are! Though fiction
my plots may be, I'll always try to make them look plausible so when you
finish reading one you ask yourself "Could it really be done?" Of course,
this one escapes a bit from that line. Besides, my education as a Biology/
Geology teacher taught me that the Internet is a perfect place to learn,
so I'll always try to introduce some concepts of Biology/Geology in my
fiction when possible. And, please *do* let me know about your comments
on this fic so I could do something better next time. Cheers to all SK fans.
Special thanks to Kristen Sharpe for her comments and proofreading on Part
One. You *really* gave me a boost on this one. I can't thank you enough!
--------------------------------------------------------------------
THE SWAT KATS' FINAL RESISTANCE - Part Three
Jake and Turmoil were startled by the tremor when they were finishing
their breakfast. Jake ran out with Turmoil just behind him.
He was shocked to see what was happening in Megakat City.
They both watched in bewilderment as the ominous dark triangular shape
slowly lifted from the ground, covering the rising sun as buildings collapsed
to make room for it.
"Now I'm sure this is work of the PastMaster!" - he said - "LET'S HIT
IT!"
Both kats ran to the hangar. The klaxon was already ringing when they
came down there.
Jake picked it up. "Yes, Miss Briggs. We're aware of the problem. We'll check it
out right away!"
"Wait! You won't believe who's behind this!" - Callie said with a tone
of disbelief. - "Guys, the PastMaster, Dr. Viper and Dark Kat are working
together!"
"WHAT?"
He was surprised. He wasn't expecting another evil alliance with Dark
Kat.
"We're on our way, Miss Briggs. Razor out!"
He turned to his locker and put on his G-suit as fast he could. Katana
was already aboard the Turbokat, checking its systems. He jumped on board
and she gunned the engines while the canopy was closing. The jet hurtled forward
down the access tunnel and flew out of the underground hangar toward Megakat City.
---------------------------------------------------------
"CRUD!" - T-Bone screamed as he got up from the bed.
He wanted to go to the window and have a look at what was happening
outside, but he knew he shouldn't do so while the tremor lasted. As reinforcement
to his hesitation, the window simply burst and shards of glass scattered around
that area.
"What the heck's happening?"
Felina entered the room in that instant to check up on him.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine! But what's happening outside? It looks like MegaWar III!"
"Nothing the Enforcers can't handle! Now go back to your bed! You're
not completely well!"
"Not well? Lieutenant, the city's falling apart and you tell me I'm not
well? I gotta help Razor!" - he said pushing his way toward his G-suit
but Felina held him tightly. She turned out to be stronger than he was expecting.
"You can't help anybody if you're not fully restored!" - she pleaded to
him - "Let the Enforcers handle this! It's just an earthquake! There's
nothing the SWAT Kats can do about that!"
He calmed down a bit.
She was right.
As far as he could tell, it was a normal earthquake...
A very, very long one but, still, an earthquake!
Besides, he didn't heard the Turbokat yet. He didn't know if that was a
good or a bad thing. It could mean that there wasn't any emergency situation
or that Razor didn't survive the crash although he had ejected him.
He sat in the bed and sighed.
"Okay, Felina... I'll stay put..."
"Good! I gotta go now! See if you get some rest, okay? See you!"
She got out of the room and he headed for the G-suit, putting it on.
Just in case.
He looked out of the window. The rumble had passed now and everything
was a mess in the streets. He then heard a familiar sound.
The Turbokat!
It flashed right over his head. So, Razor was still alive!
"YES! WAY TO GO, RAZOR!" - he shouted. But then, his joy faded. If the
SWAT Kats were called, then there was trouble.
And, he couldn't think of anyone else but Dark Kat.
He narrowed his eyes until they were nothing but thin slits and
growled.
"Get ready, Dark Kat... 'cause nothing will save your tail from us now!
I gotta get back to the hangar and get my glovatrix. Something tells me I'm
gonna need it! But, I'm gonna need a lift as well to get back there."
He got out of the room and headed for the tarmac on the roof of
Enforcer Headquarters. He saw a jet in the hangar and got into it.
"Just like the old Enforcer days!" - he thought.
He checked the jet's systems and then gunned the engines. The jet
hurtled forward and lifted off Enforcer Headquarters. Fortunately, everyone was so
busy helping the victims of the tremor no one noticed him.
"I hope 'dad' doesn't mind me borrowing one of his jets!" - he thought
and directed the jet towards the salvage yard.
--------------------------------------------------------
Inside the Dark Pyramid, Dark Kat immediately found what he was looking
for. He stepped inside the main chamber, standing in the center of the black
monolith. Four black statues stood in the four corners and a shallow pool of a
purple liquid remained in the center of the chamber. He grinned at the sight. He
entered in the pool and walked until he was in the middle of it. He then raised his
arms and began chanting.
"Cauldron! CAULDRON! Hear me! Hear your master!"
The liquid began churning as a faint purple glow emerged from it.
"Restore my youth, Cauldron! I command you!"
The glow intensified all of a sudden and the liquid rushed upward,
covering Dark Kat's bulk. The liquid defied the pull of gravity for several
minutes until it started to settle down again. Dark Kat remained in the same place.
He wasn't the same kat anymore, although his features remained the
same. He stepped out of the pool. He felt renewed, pulsating with energy and
power. He headed for a pulpit-like platform and once again raised his arms, now
even more muscular than before.
"My masters! Hear me! Awake from your perpetual sleep! MASTER HEL!
MASTER PLUTO! MASTER HADES! MASTER SETH! AWAKE!"
The statues' eyes glowed red.
"Yes! YES, MASTERS! IT IS ME, DARK KAT, YOUR LOYAL SERVANT!"
The cavernous voice of Seth spoke for all
"Dark Kat! We need more time to step into this world. Amon's curse was
too powerful. We'll need more energy to leave the limbo where we were sent!"
"Then, I shall give it to you!"
He turned to the purple pool again.
"Cauldron! Drain the energy of this pathetic planet... NOW!"
------------------------------------------------------------
Outside of the pyramid, the top of the obelisks crackled as a burst of
purple lightning shot from them, directed to the top of the pyramid. The
bright skies started turning darker by the minute as a swirl of dark clouds
formed on top of the black monolith.
The Dark Pyramid was beginning to drain the energy of the atmosphere.
Suddenly, gale force winds started blowing as heavy clouds merged with
the swirl, releasing bursts of lightning that lit the entire city. Then, a
torrent of purple energy left the swirl of clouds and rushed down to the top of the
pyramid.
The Turbokat was fighting the threatening winds.
"CRUD! I've never seen a storm like this, Razor! I don't know if I can
hold her much longer!" - Katana said as she tried to keep the jet leveled.
"Try to hold her still! I've got that pyramid right in my sights!
Baby-Boomer Missiles... AWAY!
Two missiles were fired at the top of the pyramid but two 'Mutilators'
intercepted them with a shot of prasium laser.
"Next time you better shoot with your eyes open, SWAT Kat."
A voice crackled over the radio. Razor couldn't believe it.
It was Hard Drive!
"You are no match for my drones, SWAT Kats!" - the radio crackled
again.
Razor recognized that voice too.
Mutilor!
That was impossible! They destroyed him years before!
"What's the matter, SWAT Kats? Kat ate your tongues?" - Mac and Molly
said.
Razor was dumbfounded!
The Metallikats, the PastMaster, Hard Drive, Mutilor, Dr. Viper and
Dark Kat... All together! His thoughts were interrupted as a blast of prasium
laser passed directly over the canopy.
"What do we do now, Razor?" - Katana asked as she dodged the blasts
from the twenty drones.
"We fight back! Smoke screen... NOW!"
Razor pressed a button and red smoke burst out of the jet. Some of the
'Mutilators' seemed confused and attacked each other. Others crashed
against the pyramid. When the smoke got thinner, only fifteen drones remained
in the air.
Mutilor took the lead and attacked the black jet. Razor was expecting
him.
"Come on, you four-armed creep! I'm waiting! Cement machine-gun! FIRE!"
Cement rained on Mutilor's 'Destroyer'. Too heavy to continue to fly,
the light drone plummeted down and crashed against the living wall of
thorns. The vines grabbed the ship and tightened their grip around it,
crushing it and Mutilor.
"Flash-Bolt Missiles...DEPLOYED!"
Two missiles were shot from the Turbokat. Their nose cones broadened
and an immense flare lit the entire sky, blinding Hard Drive and jamming the
optic receivers of the Metallikats, causing them to crash down. Viper's plantimals
oxidized the mega-alloy with their acidic sap, causing the drones to explode.
Hard Drive managed to get out in time, but the blast of his 'Destroyer'
caught him in the back, knocking him out.
The remaining drones engaged the Turbokat and opened fire on it. One of
the blasts hit the underside of the jet but the mega-alloy armor protected
it.
"Let's see how you like a Turbo-Blade!"
Six Turbo-Blades were shot from the Turbokat's wings and found their
targets. However, their ABA mega-alloy armor protected them from the hits.
"Crud! Well, since explosives and cutters don't work, how about a
little electricity? Scrambler Missile barrage... AWAY!"
Ten scrambler missiles were fired, each of them aimed to a different
drone. The seven remaining 'Destroyers' were hit as well as three 'Mutilators'.
Their circuits were completely toasted by the immense electric discharge from
the missiles and they all exploded in the air.
"Now to take care of these two pests! Banshee Missiles... do your
thing!"
Two missiles darted from the cargo bay and started emitting high-pitched sonic waves,
scrambling the electronic circuitry of the remaining two drones, that crashed against
an obelisk, exploding a little later.
"BINGO! We're clear!"
"Radical shooting, Razor! You rid us of those vultures
single-handedly!" - Katana cheered.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a burst of energy and dodged the
jet before it could hit it.
"Crud! Those robots are still alive!"
The Metallikats had survived the explosion of the drone and were firing
their blaster cannons at the jet.
"That's enough!" - Razor said - "Blowtorch Missiles locked... Loaded...
DEPLOYED!"
Five missiles were fired at the Metallikats. The blasts were so great that
their bodies were instantly destroyed. Only their battered heads remained. The
red glow in their eyes faded as their central processors lost power.
"That should teach them not to meddle with the SWAT Kats."
But then, the jet bounced.
"Crud, we're hit!" - Katana said - "That little troll with the watch
got us! Gotta... bring her... down...!"
She tried to lift the nose cone but to no avail. The jet wasn't
responding.
"We gotta eject, Razor! It's outta control!"
"Wait. Launching Cyclotron!"
The red transport shot from the cargo bay. Katana managed to get out of
the way of the falling jet. The Turbokat crashed against the wall of vines,
exploding and torching the wall.
Now, they had to face the living-dead forces of the PastMaster.
"This would be easier if we still had the Turbokat!" - Razor mumbled.
He managed to open his seat and retrieve a missile launcher from there.
"Try to gather all those skeletons, Katana! I'll try to overthrow 'em
with a single shot!"
"You got it!"
She began circling the living bones like they were sheep. In a few
minutes, Katana managed to get most of them in a tight bundle.
"It's now or never, Razor!"
"Octopus Missile... AWAY!"
The Octopus Missile hit the skeletal forms and broke them all.
"BINGO! Those bones aren't moving anymore! Now to take care of the
PastMaster!"
He aimed his glovatrix and fired a Mini Spider-Chain Missile at the
sorcerer.
The PastMaster still aimed his watch but the missile broke into three parts
attached by a chain and he missed the shot. The divided missile wrapped the
PastMaster in its chains and let out an electric discharge that knocked the
sorcerer unconscious.
"You did it!" - Katana said as she drove the Cyclotron through the
flaming opening the Turbokat had made in the vine wall.
"Affirmative! But, now we gotta deal with Dr. Viper!"
---------------------------------------------------------
"YES! I can see the salvage yard! I just hope I'm not too late to help
Razor! That black pyramid gives me the creeps!" - T-Bone said as he decreased
the throttle of the Enforcer jet and got ready to fire the VTOL engines. Only then
did he remember.
"Aw, crud! I'm not flying the Turbokat! How am I supposed to land this
thing here?"
He looked outside, searching for a place to land, but there was nothing
he could use.
"Crud! Not enough room to land! I should have taken a chopper instead... Well,
guess my only chance is to eject from here and let it crash somewhere safe! I hope
'dad' doesn't mind losing one of his jets!"
He pressed a button and his seat ejected. The jet hurtled toward a
corner of the salvage yard and crashed, exploding a little bit later. Fortunately,
there was nothing flammable in there.
T-Bone activated the chute and landed softly some distance from the
garage. He unbuckled from the seat the moment it touched the ground and ran to the
garage and to the hangar. He opened his locker and was surprised to find it stuffed
with she-kat's clothes.
"What the...? What's going on around here? Huh?"
He looked to the door and saw a picture of Turmoil in a convict suit
and himself as Chance Furlong. It wasn't the best couple picture, but it was
the only one they had.
"Katanya? You paired up with Jake? That means... you're out there,
flying the Turbokat with Razor? Aw, crud! I gotta reach 'em!"
He slammed the side of his helmet, activating the radio as he searched
for his glovatrix.
"Razor? Razor, do you copy? Razor?"
Nothing but static was the response.
"Crud! Something must be blocking the radio waves!"
He finally found his glovatrix and swiftly slid it on his right arm,
loading it with some mini missiles, Turbo-Blades and cement.
"I just hope they didn't take the Cyclotron!"
He spun to face the hangar. Only the Turbomole, the Hoverkat, the
Sandkat and the Hydrokat were there and none of them could get him to the Dark
Pyramid fast enough.
"Thanks, Razor!" - he groaned - "Guess my only choice is..."
He slammed a button on the wall near a control console and an elevator
started its descent with the tow-truck on it. T-Bone maneuvered the
machinery, slowly transforming the tow-truck.
"...the Thundertruck! Let's *rock*!"
T-Bone entered the black vehicle, buckled up and started the engine.
Slamming the truck into gear he stepped on the accelerator until it contacted the
floor, making the truck jump forward.
----------------------------------------------------------
Inside the Dark Pyramid, Dark Kat was trying to restore his full powers
but failed in every attempt.
"WHY? Why do you deny me my powers, masters?"
Again, Seth spoke for all in his cavernous voice.
"You *will* have your powers back, Dark Kat, but only *after* we're
free, not before!"
"But I need them! Five thousand years is far too long to be separated
from such power! I want it back!" - he pleaded.
Hades' eyes glowed and he spoke for the first time, though his voice
was the same as Seth's.
"You already have your youth back! You're now stronger and faster than
the majority of mortals! Don't ask for more now!"
The red glow on his eyes faded as Hel's eyes blazed to life.
"We will give you your full powers as soon as we enter this world.
Don't worry! We will help you if you need part of your powers restored in the
meantime."
Then, the chamber fell silent for a few minutes as the hard realization
seeped into Dark Kat's mind.
His masters didn't trust him!
He realized that so much power could be used to destroy them while they
were weak, trying to leave the limbo.
Dark Kat didn't feel betrayed. On the contrary! He felt flattered! His
own masters feared him!
The most powerful creatures in the world feared him!
"There must be a way to get my powers back without their help!" - he
thought
"And if I get them back, I can destroy Pluto, Hades, Hel and Seth! And
then, NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO STOP ME!"
------------------------------------------------------
"Deploy Mini Tar-pedoes!" - Razor said as he and Katana fired them at
the incoming plantimals, covering them with the sticky black substance.
"Is this the best you can do, Viper?" - he shouted to the reptile who had
stayed at the entrance of the Dark Pyramid.
"It'sss not over yet, SSSWAT Katsssssssss! Behold my giant killer
wassspssss! They will render you dead meat!"
Two giant wasps flew over the SWAT Kats and fired their stings at them.
"Come on, Viper! Can't you come out with something new?" - Razor teased
the green kat.
"If I have had a little more time, you'd be dead now, SSSWAT Kat!" - he
thought - "On sssuch short notissse, thisss wasss the bessst I could
do!"
Razor and Katana dodged from the stings. Katana aimed her glovatrix and
fired two Mini Match-Head Missiles. The missiles found their targets,
burning the overgrown mutated bugs.
"Now it's your turn, snake-puss!"
"Fire Mini Spider Missile" - Razor said as he shot a yellow missile.
From it threads came out that wrapped Viper tightly. He couldn't help
falling to the ground. The good doctor hissed and sibilated in fury but couldn't
do anything to get rid of the grip. The SWAT Kats passed by him and entered the
pyramid.
"SSSWAT KAT!" - Viper screamed - "DON'T LEAVE ME LIKE THISSSS! I BEG
YOU!"
Razor looked back and hesitated a little.
"Razor, come on! We still gotta deal with Dark Kat!" - Katana said,
stopping a few feet ahead of Razor.
"Get going! I'll meet you in five minutes!" - he said looking back at
her.
She acknowledged and went inside.
Razor went to Viper and kneeled beside him. "Okay, you have my attention, Viper.
What do you want?"
"Don't leave me like thisss, SSSWAT Kat! Untie me!" - he begged.
"Yeah, right! So you could kill me! Goodbye, Viper!"
He stood and prepared to leave when Viper's desperate cry stopped him.
"NO! If you won't untie me, at leassst kill me! I don't want Dark Kat
to do it. It would be too long and painful!"
Tears slid down Viper's eyes. Razor was surprised. Viper was so afraid
of Dark Kat he was begging the SWAT Kat to kill him. He shook his head.
"Sorry, Viper but you *will* stand trial when all this is over!
Besides..." - Razor said, growling and showing Viper his fangs in disgust
"...I haven't forgotten that you turned T-Bone into a mutated frog that
time!"
Razor spun in his heels and ran after Katana, leaving a desperate Dr.
Viper behind.
"To let me live... isss the worssssst punishment... you could ever give
me, SSSSWAT Kat!" - Viper said, in a low tone... "But mark my wordsss, SSSSWAT
Kat... My revenge upon you will be terrifying...
If I manage to live..."
-----------------------------------------------------------
"CRUD! The streets are filled with debris!" - T-Bone said as he dodged
another chunk of concrete and steel fallen from a nearby skyscraper.
He had been driving that way since he entered Megakat City. Now, the
street ahead of him was completely blocked by a big portion of a nearby
building.
"Megalaser locked and loaded! FIRE!"
A torrent of laser energy burst out of the laser gun muzzle on the rear
of the Thundertruck and hit the giant debris, nearly pulverizing it.
"I just hope I'm not too late! Hang on, you two! I'm coming!"
------------------------------------------------------------
"It was about time!" - Katana hissed when Razor caught her - "What did
he want, anyway?"
"Nothing serious! He just wanted to talk."
He looked ahead. A stony wall blocked the corridor.
"Hmm! Guess we'll have to make our own door, huh? An Electronic Detonator
should do the trick!"
He stuck it on the wall and began setting the timer.
She didn't know if she heard it or simply sensed it, but Katana ducked
as a lance just hit the wall behind her.
Razor turned his head to look at Katana but only saw her jumping
towards him. She pushed him away from the path of another spear. Razor was fully
aware now and before another spear was shot he managed to locate the slot on the rock
wall and cemented it. Another lance flew past him and he shot some more cement
slugs, blocking the other slot in the wall. With the slots sealed, no more
spears could be shot.
Razor ran to Katana, who was lying on the ground.
"No! Katana!"
The lance that was meant for him had perforated her body from her back.
The sharp tip of the spear protruded slightly from her chest. Her
G-suit's color was quickly changing from blue to black around the spear.
"Katana! Katana, speak to me!"
Her voice came in gasps of blood and almost inaudible.
"I'm glad... to have... met you... Jake..."
She coughed and blood dripped freely from her snout.
Razor's eyes welled up and heavy tears rolled off his face. Her lachrymal pits
opened up too.
"You think... Chance... would've been... proud... of me...?"
"Of course, Katanya!" - he said, calling her by her name for the first
time. "Of course he would! And I am too! Now save your breath! You need to
rest!"
"I'm not... gonna make it..." - she started but Razor interrupted her.
"Don't say that! I won't let you die! You're gonna make it, Katanya!"
She coughed again and more blood dripped from her snout, some of it
landing on Razor's G-suit.
"I know I'm dying..." - she looked into the infinite - "Chance, my
love... I'm coming to join you..."
Her eyes unfocused and she closed her eyelids. Her breathing and
heartbeat ceased. Her body hung limply on Razor's paws.
"KATANYA... NOOOOO!" - Razor shouted, his heart pounding with grief.
First Chance.
Now Katanya.
He leaned over her bloody torso and silently cried for a few seconds.
Then his attention centered on the rock wall. The detonator was still
there.
The rage against Dark Kat was again filling his chest.
He wiped away the tears with his sleeve and dragged Katanya a little so
she wouldn't be buried under the rubble when he made the wall explode. The
timer was set for five seconds. He activated it and ran toward Katanya. The
explosion got him, throwing him to the ground beside her. He got up and rushed
into the big antechamber.
It was dark inside. However, he could sense a presence in there.
He wasn't wrong.
The room illuminated all of a sudden with dozens of torches, blinding
him for a few moments. In the middle of the room stood a bulky dark figure.
Razor narrowed his eyes when he recognized it.
"Dark Kat!" - he growled.
Dark Kat's eyes blazed like coals on fire. He greeted Razor in his
thundering voice.
"I must say I am impressed, SWAT Kat! I never thought you could pass
through my defenses! But, now you must face me!"
"With pleasure!" - Razor snarled and ran to Dark Kat.
The purple kat assumed a fighting stance.
Razor leapt into the air and kicked Dark Kat hard on his face. He
barely touched the ground and leapt again, rotating his torso and then his hips
in order to deliver another kick at the bulky kat's back.
Dark Kat flew forward towards the wall with the strength of Razor's
kick, but readily stood on his feet. He sprinted toward Razor.
The slim kat was awaiting him with his left fist laid beside his chest
and the right one extended in front of him. When Dark Kat was in reach, he
extended his left arm while retracting the right one and concentrated all his strength
behind his left fist.
"THIS IS FOR T-BONE!" - he roared. The punch hit Dark Kat right in his
abdomen, causing him to bend over himself.
"AND THIS IS FOR KATANA!"
Razor hit him in the back with his right elbow, making Dark Kat crash
to the ground.
Dark Kat remained unmoving for a few moments. Razor backed away a little,
panting.
To his surprise, Dark Kat stood on all fours and shook his head. Then,
slowly, he raised from the ground and wiped the dust from his cloak. He grinned
at Razor and laughed.
"Is this the best you can do, SWAT Kat? You amuse me!"
As fast as a lightning, Dark Kat punched Razor in his stomach,
making him bend over himself. He then hit Razor's stomach again with his knee,
causing him to jump into the air and then smashed his fists against the slim
kat's back.
Razor crashed on the ground. He tried to raise himself but Dark Kat
kicked him on the face, making him roll over to the wall. Razor steadied
himself on his legs. He saw Dark Kat running to him, leaping into the air and
delivering a flying kick in the face that smashed Razor against the wall.
Razor was surprised.
Dark Kat could fight Kat-rate!
How did he learn it?
A thin thread of blood dripped from Razor's mouth. This was going to be
harder than he expected. Razor threw a punch, but Dark Kat grabbed his left
fist. He tried again with the right fist but Dark Kat grabbed it too. He
tried to free his paws but it was as if a vice was grabbing him.
He took advantage of Dark Kat's support and raised both legs to kick
him hard in the face. Dark Kat stepped backward and released Razor so that he
landed on his feet and jumped in the air to kick Dark Kat in his chest. The
kick was so powerful that Dark Kat was sent backward five meters.
The purple kat rapidly stood to his feet, rubbing his chest.
"I think we have played long enough, SWAT Kat!"
He retrieved his cane from somewhere inside his cloak and placed it in
his paw like it was a sword. Razor couldn't understand why the purple kat
did that.
Dark Kat swooshed his cane across Razor's chest. The slim kat jumped
backward just in time to avert his hit.
Dark Kat started chuckling. "You didn't even notice it, SWAT Kat!"
Razor was confused.
Noticed what?
Dark Kat slipped two fingers over his cane and a red liquid came down
between his thumb and forefinger.
It was blood.
But, from whom?
And, how could his walking stick have fresh blood on it?
Only then did he notice the twin razors protruding from each side of
the walking stick. Realization came down like a bomb! It was Razor's
blood Dark Kat was sweeping off his cane.
He looked at his chest. His G-suit and shirt were ripped and his chest
had a bleeding gash from his lower right chest up until his left shoulder.
Razor was dumbfounded!
He didn't even see it coming!
"Now, SWAT Kat, you die!"
Dark Kat lunged toward Razor, but the slim kat was aware now and avoided
the slash. He jumped away from his aggressor, rolling on his back and
standing to his feet.
"Now you'll know why they call me Razor, Dark Kat!" He aimed his glovatrix
at the purple kat. "Deploy Mini Turbo-Blades!"
Two blades were shot at Dark Kat. The purple kat didn't stop to think. With
his cane he swept away both of the offensive blades. One fell near his left
foot.
The other came rushing back to its origin.
Razor was caught off guard. He tried to jump away but the blade dug
into the muscle of his right leg, ripping through it - the sinews and
a nearby artery as well...
Razor let out a cry of pain as he slumped to the ground, blood gushing
from his leg and soaking the floor. With extreme pain he took the Mini
Turbo-Blade from his leg. He tried to stand on both legs but to no avail.
He gritted his teeth as he slumped to the ground again.
From behind him, Dark Kat approached slowly as if sure of his victory.
"The supreme irony!" - he chuckled - "A razor shot down by another
razor!" He laughed; a devilish and insane sound reverberating from the
walls. "Pathetic mortal! You really thought you could defeat *me*, Dark Kat,
emissary of the Four Hells, prowler of Death?"
He rubbed his cane over Razor's neck, scratching it and making a thread
of blood drip from the cut.
"Foolish mortal! Your death will bring me a great amount of pleasure!
Like I had when your partner died!"
"HE'S NOT DEAD! YOU HAVE HIM CAPTIVE!" - Razor shouted.
"You're insane! Your partner *died* in the crash! I saw it with my own
eyes! I saw the body covered in blood in an alley! It made me *so* happy to
see that *accursed* SWAT Kat lying in the middle of the garbage, bleeding to
*death*!"
Teardrops raced down Razor's facial fur as Dark Kat shattered his
hopes to see T-Bone alive.
"Just *remembering* that image fills me with joy! But, enough talking! Now,
you'll join your partner in the grave!"
Dark Kat slowly raised his cane over his head.
"I may be down, Dark Kat... BUT I'M NOT OUT!"
Razor jumped with his left leg and extended it, delivering a kick to
Dark Kat's face so powerful that the purple kat flew backward three
meters, dropping his cane.
Razor landed on his left leg, the other hanging limply.
Dark Kat slowly sat up on the ground, grabbing his nose, which was
bleeding. Razor's jaw dropped in shock.
Dark Kat's blood was black like tar!
The purple kat noticed his surprised look.
"What's the matter SWAT Kat? Impressed to see the color of my blood or
the face of your assassin?"
Dark Kat rapidly stood to his feet. Razor recovered from his astonishment
and dove for the cane. He managed to reach it but Dark Kat's foot stomped
on it, pinning the cane to the ground. He then kicked Razor in the face.
He bent to grab his cane and Razor got up and threw himself toward
the huge kat. But, Dark Kat was ready, this time. He grabbed Razor by his
left leg with one paw while he was still on the air and threw him like a
doll towards the wall.
Razor crashed against the rock wall and was about to regain his feet
when Dark Kat crushed him against the wall with his forearm. He then let
Razor fall to the ground.
The SWAT Kat coughed and vomited some blood. Dark Kat grabbed him by
his neck and tightened the grip on it. Razor grabbed the brawny purple arm
with both paws but was able to do nothing. The grip tightened and he began
having trouble breathing.
The lack of air had its consequences. He started to see the corners of
his vision turn black. The grip remained around his neck. He was loosing his
senses. He let both arms fall limply by his side.
His whole body hurt and went limp.
When he was about to lose consciousness, Dark Kat let him go.
But, it was too late.
Razor welcomed the blessed darkness that invaded his mind.
"You were a worthy opponent, SWAT Kat! I won't kill you yet. I promised
myself I would have a little fun with you first! And I intend to keep my
promise!"
He crossed his arms over his chest and pondered, trying to decide what
he was going to use for his amusement. He snapped his fingers.
"Of course!"
He raised his arms and prayed to his masters.
"Master Pluto! MASTER PLUTO! Bless me with your thunder!"
A roaring lightning of electricity rushed from the top of the room and
hit the bulky figure.
"Yes! Thank you, Master Pluto!" - he turned to his creeplings - "Chain
the SWAT Kat to the wall, my creeplings. The way you please."
The little critters dropped on top of the unconscious form of Razor and
started ripping his G-suit and shirt with their claws and teeth while
they lifted him and carried him to the wall to the left of the entrance.
"My masters were very obedient this time!" - he thought - "They must be
entering this world any minute now. Seems like I won't be able to
destroy them after all.
No matter!
At least I shall have my vengeance!"
Lightning rays crackled between Dark Kat's fists as his eyes blazed.
------------------------------------------------------
T-Bone had finally arrived to the obelisks, where a few skeletons
remained, guarding the unconscious form of the PastMaster.
The ground was too irregular, even for the Thundertruck. He slipped on
his jetpack and flew over the battlefield. He could see small fires all
around the place where the drones had crashed. Up ahead was the vine wall,
now completely in flames. T-Bone engaged the afterburners and flew through
the wall of flames.
Noticing he had his G-suit on fire, he stopped, took off the jetpack
and rolled in the dirt, putting out the fire. He slipped it on again and
ran toward the entrance to the Dark Pyramid.
A few sap slingers attacked him, spitting acid sap. Although he dodged
the majority of the shots, he was hit in the right forearm by some spit,
causing a nasty acid burn.
He tried to keep his attention on the plantimals. He fired a Mini
Scrambler Missile at them and ran inside. The plantimals were fried by the
half a million megavolts discharge from the missile.
Only then did he see Viper.
"SSSWAT KAT! HELP ME!"
T-Bone stopped and headed for the green kat
"Releassse me, pleassse!"
"You gotta be joking, snake-eyes! Give me one good reason to do that!"
He grabbed the reptilian scientist by the collar.
"I have the antidote for Dark Kat'sss neurological ssserum! He intendsss to
control every kat in the city with it. If I die, no one will ever have
accesssss to it!"
T-Bone shoved the triple barrel of his glovatrix in Viper's snout.
"Where is it? TALK!" - he snarled.
"Only if you untie me!" - Viper shot back.
"Let's make a deal. You tell me where you hid it while I untie you." -
the big tabby proposed.
Viper nodded and started talking while T-Bone released him.
"My fungusss hasss it. I can call him and give you the cassse that has the
antidote! It can be inhaled like Dark Kat'sss ssserum."
The fungus appeared from underneath the ground and headed for Viper,
now completely free. He ordered the giant mushroom to give him the wooden
case, which the creature did. Viper gave the case to T-Bone.
"It'sss in your pawsss now, SSSWAT Kat. The dessstiny of all katkind
isss in your pawsss now!"
Viper turned to leave when T-Bone stopped him.
"Wait! What is this antidote made of?"
"Why do you care? Think you can underssstand the chemissstry behind
it?" - Viper chuckled dryly.
"Try me!" - he challenged the reptilian scientist.
Viper's eyes glowed a bit. "Very well, SSSWAT Kat. If you want to be
humiliated by a sssuperior intellect, sssuit yourssself."
Viper turned and stared at the big tabby. "Do you know what hematological
parameters are?"
"If I'm not mistaken, those include the number of red and white blood
cells."
"Very well! And the number of the hematocrit and the absssorbenssy
ssspecter of hemoglobin. I sssuppossse you know what thossse are."
T-Bone admitted his ignorance respecting those two parameters.
"The firssst isss jussst the proportion of red blood cellsss over the
total volume and the sssecond showsss the mossst absssorbed light
wavelengthsss by the molecule of hemoglobin..."
"Which is the molecule that transports oxygen and carbon dioxide and
gives our blood its red color." - T-Bone completed.
Viper was impressed. He had obviously underestimated the SWAT Kat's
intelligence.
"Now, I ssstudied my blood with ressspect to thossse lassst two
parametersss and found out they were the sssame of a normal kat. But, I
am a mutated kat, with reptilian traitssssss. For sssome reassson, I had
exsssssstremely high hemoglobin levelsss for a reptile.
The ssserum wasss ineffective on me and I knew it had sssomething to do
with my blood. Do you get it?" - Viper asked.
T-Bone shook his head no although he suspected the serum had something
to do with the hemoglobin.
Viper sighed. "Don't you ssssssee? It'sss the hemoglobin! The high
consssentration of hemoglobin in my blood kept the ssserum from controlling
my mind!
I analyzed the ssstructure of the moleculesss that make up the
ssserum. They're hemoglobin moleculesss - only the sssentral ion isss other
than iron. For some reassson, a high consssentration of normal hemoglobin
moleculesss causesss a reaction that disssssociates the mutated hemoglobin
moleculesss."
"So, you're telling me that the antidote is concentrated hemoglobin?" -
T-Bone asked, looking at the case he was holding in his paws.
"Pressssssssisely! Now, if you'll exssssscuse me, I have to get going. I
don't want Dark Kat to kill me. Ssso long, SSSWAT Kat. Nexssssssst time we
sssee each other won't be for a lesssssson in body physiology!"
T-Bone turned to the black monolith and fired a Mini Baby-Boomer
Missile at the pyramid, opening a large crack in the sloping wall. He hid the
case in there and rushed inside.
------------------------------------------------------------
Razor woke up a few seconds after the creeplings had chained him to the
wall. He was staring at the ground and was surprised to see the fur on his
torso.
The creeplings had completely torn his upper G-suit and shirt apart.
His bare torso was leaning against the cold stony dark wall of the pyramid.
Dark Kat turned to face the helpless SWAT Kat. "Ah, glad to see you've woken
up already! We can start our diversion now!"
Razor seemed surprised to see a few rays of electricity flickering
between Dark Kat's fists.
"You know, nothing gives me more pleasure than torturing someone! I
enjoy hearing my victim's cries of pain! Let's get started, shall we? For this
session, I've chosen electricity! Let's start with domestic voltage, huh?"
Dark Kat extended his right paw and an electric bolt darted from it,
hitting Razor square in his chest.
The SWAT Kat closed his eyes as all his muscles contracted painfully, but
Razor said nothing.
Dark Kat seemed impressed. "Did you know I can release a five million megavolt
discharge?" - he asked matter-of-factly. "Let's double the stakes, shall we?"
Dark Kat shot another bolt. 440 volts hit Razor. He trembled intensely, but
still refused to scream.
"What takes to make you cry, SWAT Kat? 1000 volts?"
He shot another bolt and let it hit Razor for five seconds.
Razor closed his eyes, gritted his teeth and squirmed as the electricity
contracted each of his muscles painfully. He dropped his head and, between
pants, managed to talk to his torturer.
"It takes much more than that to make me scream, Dark Kat! *That* is a
pleasure I *won't* give you!"
"Suit yourself!" - Dark Kat said as he fired another bolt.
This time, 2000 volts hit Razor for ten seconds.
Still, he managed to ignore the excruciating pain. He was sweating and
panting like he had ran for miles.
3000 volts.
It was getting harder and harder to keep his concentration.
"I'm impressed, SWAT Kat. I must admit it! Most kats would be toasted
by now. But, you still resist! Let's see for how long!"
4000 volts.
Razor was on the brink of his control. He couldn't take it anymore. His
whole body hurt. His breathing was labored. His heart was beating like mad.
His blood was being drained from his body via the severed artery in his leg.
His torso was soaked in perspiration.
Dark Kat shot another bolt.
5000 volts.
Razor couldn't take it anymore!
He shut his eyes, arched his head up and opened his mouth.
A bloodcurdling cry of pain echoed down the dark rock walls, filling
the chamber.
His whole body contorted spasmodically.
The attack seemed to go on forever.
Dark Kat laughed with a sickening pleasure.
Then, it ceased.
Razor dropped his head to his chest, panting. Dark Kat grinned. His
look was so devilish that even his creeplings hid behind him.
Razor was defeated, ready to accept the price of failure.
The last attack had made blood drip from his nose. Tears dropped from his
eyes when he remembered his friend.
"I'm sorry, Chance!" - he thought, shutting his eyes and allowing the
tears to drop directly to the ground. He gritted his teeth. "I wasn't able to
avenge you, bro! I'm sorry!
I'm sorry!"
---------------------------------------------------------------
T-Bone ran down the corridor when he found a body lying on the ground a
few feet ahead of him. The body was dressed in a blue G-suit and was about
his size.
"Oh, no!"
The big tabby ran toward the limp form.
"Please... Please don't let it be..."
He knelt beside the body. The shock and the grief were perfectly
visible on his face.
"Katanya... No... No..."
He removed the spear that trespassed her body and held her close to
him. Tears dropped from his eyes. He pressed her face to his chest and held
her tightly close to him. He then released her face from his embrace and
gave her a slight kiss on her lips, teardrops merging with the blood on her
muzzle.
He settled her back in the ground and cleaned her blood from his face
with the back of his gloved paw.
His heart filled with rage and hate for Dark Kat.
Then he heard a scream so painful and tortured he felt like it was his
own. He stood to his feet and headed toward the entrance in the wall.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Dark Kat was aiming his right paw at Razor again.
He was preparing to finish him off.
Suddenly, something exploded under him, sending him to his right, toward the
exit door of the antechamber. He landed on his right arm, breaking it. He looked
towards the entrance and his jaws went wide open.
The other SWAT Kat was standing there!
How could that be?
He saw his body!
He couldn't possibly have survived that crash!
"GAME'S OVER, DARK CRUD!" - T-Bone shouted, aiming his glovatrix at the
fallen devilish kat.
Razor looked back at the entrance and couldn't believe his eyes.
"T-BONE!"
Razor smiled, but T-Bone looked shocked when he saw Razor.
"Holy Kats!" - T-Bone said in a whisper, horrified with the macabre
scene of Razor hanging on the wall, bleeding to death.
He ran to his partner. "Razor! What did he do to you?"
Shock and concern filled his voice. He cut the chains with the torch of his
glovatrix while Dark Kat furtively escaped to the main chamber.
When Razor was free, he hugged T-Bone with all the strength he still
possessed. His voice was veiled with pain and tears slid wildly from his
eyes.
T-Bone corresponded, embracing his friend too.
"I thought you were dead! I thought I'd never see you again when Dark
Kat told me he saw your dead body..."
He tightened his grip around T-Bone as his silent cry became a little
bit louder, not wanting to visualize the gruesome scene but seeing it in his
mind anyway.
T-Bone was dumbfounded. He had never seen Razor drop a single tear before. In fact,
he thought Razor wouldn't cry for anything in this world.
Obviously, he didn't know his friend well enough even after all those
years of close relationship. His heart filled with pity for him.
"Razor! Razor, I'm here now! Everything's okay, buddy!"
He moved Razor apart from him a bit and looked in those grief-soaked
eyes. It broke his heart to see Razor like that. He seemed like a scared lost
kitten that had suddenly found his big brother.
"Don't cry anymore, Jake!" - he said in a whisper as he drew him back into his
arms, close to him. Tears dropped now from the big tabby's closed eyes. "I'm
here again and this time nothing will get me apart from you anymore, little
brother!" - he said reassuring and soothingly.
They remained that way for a few seconds. Razor regained his serenity
and wiped his tears with his forearm and tried to step on his right leg. He
slumped to the ground.
"Easy, buddy! Your leg's hurt. Here. Hold on to me."
T-Bone offered his right arm. Razor grabbed him right in the spot burnt
by acid. T-Bone grimaced and a piece of skin fell under Razor's paw, leaving a
red wound.
"T-Bone, you're hurt!" - Razor said.
Only then did he notice T-Bone's shredded G-suit. A black line was
spreading over his lower left chest. Razor knew what it was.
T-Bone was bleeding under his G-suit.
"T-Bone, what's this?"
"Nothing. Just a bit of oil from the Thundertruck."
"Let me see." - he knew T-Bone was lying.
"Razor! What are you doing?"
Razor ripped T-Bone's G-suit and shirt with his claws and tore them
open in that place. There was a thick red line across his fur.
"What the... You went to surgery recently!" - he looked to his partner
"Mind explaining why?"
T-Bone sighed. "If you must know, I was shot."
Razor's mouth opened in disbelief.
"Yes. That drone shot me. That's why I didn't eject from the Turbokat. I
thought I was already dead. The bullet ripped through my left lung, I could
feel it. I knew I couldn't survive. So, if I had to die, at least I would die
with the Turbokat."
"Why didn't you tell me?" - Razor asked, shaking his head.
"I knew you wouldn't eject if I said I was hit. We both would die and I
couldn't allow it. Besides... you're more needed than I am. I'm just
your pilot. You're the one who really defeats the bad guys."
Razor couldn't believe what he was hearing.
T-Bone was having an inferiority complex?
That was a new one!
"And, you think I could do it without you? You think I don't *need* you?
You think I don't *care* about you? CRUD! I almost got myself *killed* just
trying to avenge your memory! You saw it!"
Razor sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.
"T-Bone, you're my best friend! You can't imagine the hell my life became
over the past month. I barely slept at all, having all these nightmares
about you *dying* in my arms and there was *nothing* I could do about it!
T-Bone, I'm not in this with you just because you're my pilot!
You're my friend!
You're my *brother*!"
He paused again, then resumed in a softer tone.
"Thanks for saving my tail back there. I really thought my time had come..."
"Hey! What are bros for?" - T-Bone said, giving him his trademark smirk.
"By the way, how did you manage to escape?
The big tabby just shrugged. "Beats me! All I know is that I was crashing when
my seat was ejected! I know I didn't touch anything! It ejected all by itself!
hat took me away from the explosion, but I still was too close and got most of
the blast in the face. Then I only remember waking up a week ago in Feral's
infirmary."
"Feral? What does he have to do with this?"
"It's a long story!"
"Okay, you can tell me later. Now just promise me one thing. Promise
you'll tell me when you're injured from now on."
"*Razor*..."
"Promise me!"
T-Bone hesitated a bit and then agreed. "Okay. But only if you promise you
won't cry anymore when I'm around!" T-Bone smirked.
"Bonehead!"
Suddenly, Razor smacked his left paw to his forehead. "AW, CRUD! WE FORGOT
DARK KAT!"
"Don't worry! I'll catch him!"
"What do you mean *you'll* catch him? I'm goin' too!"
"You gotta be joking!"
T-Bone pointed to Razor's leg.
"Forgot you can't walk, Sureshot?"
"Affirmative. But, I can fly! Mind if I borrow your jetpack?"
T-Bone smiled. It appeared Razor had a ready answer for everything. He
took off his jetpack and helped Razor put it on. Razor activated the jets and
both kats went out of the antechamber.
T-Bone activated the Mini Kat Scanner. The triangular screen in his
glovatrix showed a blip.
"Kat Scanner's got him! It must be Dark Kat!" - T-Bone said, running
down the faintly illuminated corridor.
Razor was surprised. They didn't find any more traps.
"There's something I gotta tell you, T-Bone. Dark Kat... He's not the
same kat anymore!"
"What do you mean?"
"He's stronger... and faster than before. I hit him a number of times.
It was almost as if he didn't feel my kicks! T-Bone, the kat is a psycho!
He's a murderer! He was having pleasure torturing me! He was pleased to see
your blood-covered body!"
"Let's see if he likes to see *his* dead body! I promised myself I
would kill him with my paws if he hurt you, Razor. And, I intend to keep
that promise!"
Razor looked at T-Bone. For a second, he didn't recognize his friend.
His eyes were glowing like torches. His fangs seemed overgrown and all
his body seemed even more muscular than usual.
He blinked and saw the face of his old friend come back again. Razor
shook his head.
Maybe he had lost more blood than he expected.
--------------------------------------------------------
Dark Kat was already in the main chamber. His masters had restored his
arm. It was as good as new. But, he wanted more.
"Masters! What about my powers? I need them to defeat all our enemies
once and for... AAARRGGHH!"
Seth shot a red beam from his eyes and sent Dark Kat back ten meters.
"WE SAID YOU'LL HAVE YOUR POWERS WHEN WE ENTER THIS WORLD AND NOT
BEFORE! DON'T FORGET WE CREATED YOU AND WE CAN DESTROY YOU AS EASILY!
REMEMBER THAT YOU'RE NOTHING MORE THAN A PAWN IN OUR GAME! A PAWN THAT CAN
BE EASILY DISCARDED!"
Dark Kat was in shock. His masters never treated him like that. He
began questioning if his powers were really as unlimited as he once thought.
"However, we will increase your strength and speed. You can keep the
Thunder of Pluto. Prepare to receive the Earthquake of Hades and the Breath
of Hel! Step into the Cauldron."
Dark Kat did as he was ordered.
The statues of Hades and Hel raised their stony right arms and let down
a cascade of green glimmering glow. The purple liquid inside the Cauldron
rose and engulfed Dark Kat.
A few minutes later, the liquid settled and both statues withdrew their
arms. Dark Kat stepped out of the Cauldron. He was now stronger and faster
than any kat on the planet.
"Come to me, SWAT Kats. I'll reduce you to protoplasmic pulp with my
bare paws!"
"Did someone call the SWAT Kats?" - Razor said.
Dark Kat spun and saw both SWAT Kats at the entrance to the main chamber.
"Well, you got us, Dark Crud!" - T-Bone said.
Before either of the SWAT Kats could react, Dark Kat rushed to them and
punched them both hard, right in their midriffs, making both kats kneel and
gasp for air.
"CRUD!" - T-Bone thought - "How'd he do it? I barely saw him!"
Dark Kat grabbed Razor by his neck and took off his jetpack.
"You escaped me a few minutes ago, but I won't make the same mistake
now!"
T-Bone stood to his feet and ran toward the bulky kat.
"LET HIM GO!" - he shouted as he prepared to punch Dark Kat in his
ribs.
"Sure, SWAT Kat! CATCH!"
Dark Kat threw Razor against T-Bone. The slim kat knocked the big
tabby, sending them both backward several meters.
"Razor. Are you okay?" - T-Bone asked.
His partner groaned and shook his head. "I'm all right!" - he said in a
weak voice.
T-Bone knew he had lost too much blood and keeping himself that active
wasn't helping.
"You stay here!" - he ordered - "Let me handle this! And *no* arguing!"
Razor was suddenly feeling too exhausted too argue. He nodded.
T-Bone stood to his feet. "It's just you and me, Dark Crud! We have an old
score to settle... since that time you threw me into that pit with stalagmites!"
"You still remember that? Well, I'm ready anytime, SWAT Kat! Come on! Throw
your best punch!"
Each kat assumed a fighting stance. Dark Kat sprinted toward T-Bone. He
waited. When Dark Kat was in reach, he threw a punch at his stomach,
making the purple kat bend over himself.
"THIS ONE'S FOR RAZOR!!"
In the same swift motion, T-Bone kicked Dark Kat's face, throwing him
back. The bulky kat lost his balance and began falling on his back.
"THIS ONE'S FOR KATANYA!"
While Dark was still in the air, T-Bone smashed both fists against the
huge kat's chest, causing him to hit the ground even harder.
"AND THIS ONE'S FOR ME!"
T-Bone jumped and rolled on his side in the air, extending his right
leg. Dark Kat saw the foot rushing to him and rolled on the ground,
avoiding it. T-Bone's foot crashed into the ground with a loud thud.
Splinters of rock flew from that place.
Razor was stunned. He had never seen T-Bone fight like that.
T-Bone got to his feet and Dark Kat tackled him by the waist, carrying
him toward the wall. The impact was tremendous. T-Bone gasped a bit of blood
when his back slammed against the cold rock wall.
Dark Kat stepped back to regain his stance. T-Bone grabbed the opportunity
and delivered a powerful flying kick to the purple kat's chest, causing him to
fly back a few meters.
Dark Kat rapidly stood to his feet, but T-Bone was already rushing to him.
He flipped forward and thrust off the ground toward Dark Kat's face. The
kick was so hard Dark Kat flew back until the rock wall stopped him, slumping
to the ground.
"Where did he learn those blows?" - Razor thought, astonished. His eyes were
wide open, as was his mouth. "He never fought me like that when we practiced
back in the dojo! T-Bone *is* one heck of a fighter after all! He was just
throwing the game all along!"
Then, Razor noticed the black spot on his friend's battered G-suit. It was
bigger than before, covering almost his entire left chest. All those moves
must have ripped it even more.
But, he didn't seem to care.
His expression only reflected anger and concentration, not pain.
T-Bone jumped on top of Dark Kat's chest and threw punch after punch at
his face. "You filthy psycho! You thought you'd get away with what you did
to *Razor*?"
T-Bone growled as he endlessly punched Dark Kat. Then, suddenly, Dark
Kat grabbed his right fist, the same with his left one. T-Bone was locked in
his iron grip.
"You really think you can kill *me*?"
He slammed his head against T-Bone's. The thump was so great his helmet
flew off his head and T-Bone was sent back to the ground. Dark Kat grabbed
T-Bone's legs and threw him against the opposite wall.
His back was slammed against the wall and he gasped some more blood. He
tried to steady himself on his feet, but his head was spinning from the
headbutt. Dark Kat ran to him, grabbed him by his collar and smashed his huge
fist against T-Bone's stomach with all his strength.
T-Bone opened his eyes wide and vomited a volley of blood. He was
suddenly feeling pain all over his body.
Dark Kat threw punch after punch into T-Bone's gut. The strength of the
purple kat was outstanding. T-Bone was rapidly loosing his senses. Dark Kat,
on the other paw, was enjoying every punch he threw, and every drop of the vital
fluid that came from within his opponent was a prize for him.
"NO!" - Razor thought - "He's gonna kill him!"
With the rest of his strength, Razor dragged himself toward Dark Kat,
leaving a red trail behind him.
"What's the matter, SWAT Kat!" - Dark Kat mocked - "Came here prepared
to fight a criminal and, instead, found a *GOD*?"
"I think you're more like a sicko..." - T-Bone retorted.
Dark Kat prepared to slam his fist harder into T-Bone's stomach when
something tugged his cloak.
It was Razor!
"Leave him alone, Dark Kat!" - he said in a weak, painful-filled voice,
nearly a whisper, eyes humid. "Please, leave him alone! Don't hurt him
anymore!"
T-Bone was taken aback with that statement.
Razor had swallowed his pride and was humiliating himself to Dark Kat on
his behalf! He had never seen Razor do that! His heart filled with compassion
for his partner.
"What is this *vermin* doing attached to my cloak?"
Dark Kat let T-Bone go, who slumped to the ground, and kicked Razor in
his stomach with all his might.
Razor was sent rolling end over end into the opposite wall. When he
stopped, he coughed and vomited a large quantity of blood.
Dark Kat headed for him.
"You will be the first to be sent to Death's arms!"
T-Bone stood on all fours, grabbing his aching abdomen and spat some
red saliva.
Dark Kat's attitude made his blood boil.
He was furious, perspiring rage through all his pores.
Then, the mystical forces of that place started acting on T-Bone.
The mark on his elbow glowed bright golden. His eyes started to blaze.
His fangs grew longer and larger, as did his claws. His snout stretched
forward. His muscle mass began to enlarge so much so that it ripped the
rest of his shirt and G-suit.
Dark Kat spun back to see what was happening.
Through clouded eyes, Razor saw his friend slowly beginning to mutate.
He tried to find a scientific explanation for what was happening, but his
eyes closed before he could find one.
T-Bone roared as the transformation completed. He was the same size as
Dark Kat now. The brown stripes on his arms and back became clearly visible
as the shredded clothes fell off his bare torso.
Then, Dark Kat saw the glowing mark and his eyes widened.
"*YOU*! *You* were the one who defeated my masters 5000 years ago!
You're the envoy of Horus!
MASTERS OF THE FOUR HELLS! HEAR ME! RESTORE MY POWERS NOW SO I CAN
AVENGE YOUR DEFEAT!"
"GRANTED THEY ARE!" - Seth answered as he hit Dark Kat with a red beam.
An explosion was heard inside the chamber and gale force winds invaded
the room. T-Bone covered his face with his arms. Then, as suddenly as
it all began, it was over.
T-Bone uncovered his face and saw Dark Kat in the middle of the
Cauldron, floating in the air above the waters and pulsating with a faint
purple glow.
Dark Kat grinned at T-Bone. His eyes glowed bright orange. He seemed the
true image of pure evil.
"This time, envoy of Horus, you *die*!"
------------------------------------------------------------
"Enforcers, move in!" - Feral roared as he directed a tank through the
burned out, mutated vines.
Twenty enforcer tanks followed him. They found no resistance. Feral jumped
out of his armored vehicle. It seemed the SWAT Kats had taken care of
everything.
As usual, he sadly thought.
He took a look at the fried plantimals, some of which still smoldered.
"Sergeant, secure the area. Make sure you apprehend all those psychos."
He withdrew his communicator from his coat and pressed a button.
"This is Feral! Lieutenant Feral, do you copy?"
"I'm here, Commander. Over."
"Land your chopper. I need you here. Feral out."
"Ten-four."
Felina landed her helicopter near her uncle's tank and jumped out of it.
"What's going on, uncle?"
"I'm going inside. I need backup."
"Let's do it."
Both enforcers ran inside the Dark Pyramid. They found the dead body of
Turmoil a short while later. They took off her mask.
"What's Turmoil doing with that outfit?" - Felina asked.
Feral shrugged and moved on. She followed him.
"I don't know and I don't care either."
They entered the antechamber with their blasters ready, but the room
was deserted.
"Looks like there was a fight in here." - Felina noted.
She looked at the pool of Razor's blood near the wall.
"A pretty nasty one! Wonder whose blood this is..."
"Let's not be more morbid than we have to, Lieutenant. Come on!" -
Feral said.
They both walked into the darkened corridor that connected the
antechamber and the main chamber.
---------------------------------------------------------
T-Bone and Dark Kat tackled each other, but T-Bone managed to make Dark
Kat loose his balance. He grabbed the purple kat and lifted him above his
head, then threw him towards the rock wall, causing a some debris to fall
over Dark Kat's body.
Dark Kat freed himself from the rubble and flew toward T-Bone, punching
him in the face. A thin thread of blood dripping from his nostrils, T-Bone
lunged toward Dark Kat, but the purple kat kicked him hard in his chest.
However, T-Bone didn't seem to feel it as he pounced toward Dark Kat again.
This time, he managed to punch him in his gut. Dark Kat doubled over and
T-Bone did a back flip, kicking Dark Kat in the face. Dark Kat readily
stood, still on his feet.
Both kats grabbed each other's fists and started pushing. T-Bone's
muscles tensed to their limit and his pulsating arteries became visible under
his fur. He gritted his teeth. His fur was damp with perspiration.
Dark Kat grinned at him and pushed harder.
T-Bone's feet sank a few millimeters into the ground, then a few
centimeters.
Dark Kat was winning again.
Sparks flickered off both kats, irradiating from their paws.
T-Bone couldn't hold out much longer in this deadly tug-o-war.
"Dark Kat! You're under arrest!" said a familiar grave-toned voice.
T-Bone looked behind Dark Kat and saw Felina and Feral at the entrance to the
chamber.
Felina barely recognized T-Bone. "T-Bone? Is that you?"
Through clenched teeth, T-Bone managed to talk to her.
"Lieutenant... Take... Razor... outta here... He's... badly... injured..."
Dark Kat didn't seem to mind the exchange of words between the two kats.
Felina spotted the unconscious form of Razor and put him over her shoulder.
"There's... a wood case... in a crack... outside... secure it... Now
get outta here... *NOW*!"
Dark Kat pushed harder, and T-Bone was forced to drop one knee to the
ground.
"Nothing can save you now, envoy of Horus! Soon, my masters will enter
this puny world and then, all katkind will be made our slaves... or
exterminated if they refuse!"
T-Bone gasped. He looked behind Dark Kat again and saw Feral. They
exchanged looks and Feral's mark started glowing under his coat. His eyes
blazed with a golden glow.
"Uncle, what's wrong?" - Felina asked.
Feral said nothing. Instead, he took off his coat and rolled his sleeves up,
revealing his brawny arms.
"Uncle! We gotta go!"
"You go, Lieutenant! That's an order! *GO*!" - he roared.
She blinked in surprise and then she carried Razor out of there.
The glow in Feral's eyes intensified.
He fully unsheathed his claws and they grew larger, as did his fangs
and snout. His muscles enlarged, ripping his shirt much in the same way that
T-Bone's had.
Dark Kat was so sunk in his near-victory that he didn't notice Feral coming
from behind. Feral grabbed Dark Kat and lifted him above his head. He then
threw him against the wall, which partially came down on the purple kat.
T-Bone, surprised, accepted Feral's paw in order to raise himself from
the ground.
Dark Kat burst out of the rock debris and looked at both mutated kats
for a moment and then started laughing.
"So, the envoy of Amon came to help his son, the envoy of Horus! But
Dark Kat, emissary of the Four Hells and prowler of Death will destroy you
*both*! How do those goodie two gods, Amon and Horus, dare to interfere with
my masters' plans?"
He then shot a lightning bolt from his paws, hitting both kats and sending
them back toward the rock wall. The impact was so great that they broke the
wall and landed in the corridor.
Both kats shook their heads and headed back to the chamber, only to be
shot again by a new bolt. Dark Kat floated above their heads, laughing like a
mad kat.
"DO YOU STILL REFUSE TO ACCEPT MY DIVINITY?"
He reached for a control box inside his cloak and waved it in the air.
"You see this? This is my key to total world domination!"
He pressed a button on it.
"What did you do?" - T-Bone asked, getting up. He was shot again by a
bolt and slumped to the ground.
"*Stupid beast*! You will only talk when *I* command you to do so! But,
I will satisfy your curiosity so that you can see the brilliance of my
genius! I activated the bomb in my Doomsday Express. In one hour, it will
explode and all the kats in Megakat City will be forced to breathe the vapors
that will come out! And, when they do, they will become my loyal slaves!
You see, SWAT Kat, in one way or the other *I win*!"
Dark Kat broke out in a devilish laughter.
T-Bone and Feral exchanged glances and nodded.
They jumped to Dark kat and gave him a double punch in the face, causing
the purple kat to hit the statue of Hel, breaking it in pieces. Dark Kat
screamed as part of his powers were ripped from his body and shot back into the
shattered statue of Hel.
"That's how we're gonna beat him!" - T-Bone said. - "Quickly, destroy
the remaining statues, Commander!"
Feral ran toward the statue of Pluto, picking it up in his arms and
throwing it into the Cauldron. T-Bone jumped onto the statue of Hades, making
it lose its balance and shatter on the ground.
Dark kat's screams were bloodcurdling. He had already lost the majority
of his powers. Only the statue of Seth remained.
They prepared to destroy it, but Seth fired a red beam from his eyes
that threw both kats back. They coughed and shook their heads. Seth shot at
them again but they avoided it. Red beams kept coming from Seth's eyes, but
T-Bone and Feral managed to dodge them all.
"T-Bone, circle around from the right and I'll do the same from the left.
When we get there, we'll hit it with a double punch!" Feral ordered.
T-Bone acknowledged and started running. Seth tried to stop the incoming kats,
but they dodged each of his shots. When they reached the base of the
statue, they raised their right arms and punched the dark statue with all
their might.
The rock figure started cracking and exploded in debris.
That was the final blow for Dark Kat. He fell unconscious to the ground.
T-Bone and Feral were walking toward him when their bodies began
shuddering spasmodically. They braced themselves while the energy that Amon and
Horus had deposited in them was withdrawn from their bodies. They kneeled and
screamed in pain as their bodies shrank and returned to normal. A few seconds
later, they stood on their feet again and headed toward each other.
T-Bone gave Feral his paw.
Feral hesitated.
"Thanks for the help... dad!" - T-Bone said, catching Feral off guard.
When he recovered, he gave T-Bone his paw and both kats shook them.
Father and son embraced finally in a tight hug.
T-Bone finally had a family...
"Mind if I *cut in*?"
Both kats jumped backward when a swooshing blade came between them.
Dark Kat was back! He might have lost his powers, but he was as deadly as
before.
He began attacking T-Bone. The big tabby avoided some slashes but Dark
kat's cane inflicted some painful gashes on his torso.
Feral attacked him from behind, but Dark Kat spun and thrust his cane
through the side of Feral's abdomen, barely missing his stomach and pancreas.
He retrieved his cane as a gush of blood hit him.
Feral dropped to one knee, grabbing his bleeding abdomen.
T-Bone jumped onto Dark Kat's back, but the purple kat smacked him
against the wall, making T-Bone lose his grip and fall off him. Dark Kat spun
his cane, but T-Bone ducked and it hit the wall, releasing a few sparks.
T-Bone jumped to the corner of the room, near the place where the statue of
Hades had stood. He desperately looked for something to use as a weapon since
his glovatrix had shattered when he mutated. He looked to the ground. In
Hades paw was a whip.
T-Bone couldn't believe his good luck.
He dived for it just as Dark kat smashed his cane into the wall where his head
had been. He took the whip in his paws and rolled onto his back. The whip was
a bit oversized, but he couldn't ask for more. He snapped his weapon in the air.
Dark Kat paused for a second, analyzing the situation and then pounced
over T-Bone. The big SWAT Kat whipped Dark Kat's cane out of his paw. Dark
Kat let out a scream of pain as the tip of the whip severed his paw.
"Say *good night*, Dark Kat!"
From his left, Feral threw him a punch to the face so hard that the devilish
kat readily lost consciousness.
"Nice punch, Feral!" - T-Bone congratulated.
Feral grimaced and knelt on the floor, grabbing his abdomen. T-Bone
came to him with a worried expression on his face.
"Dad! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine! Let's get this criminal scum outta here!"
Suddenly, the pyramid started trembling and chunks of rock began falling
from the ceiling.
"This place is coming apart!" - T-Bone said as he took Dark Kat over
his shoulder.
Feral helped him, and both kats carried Dark Kat out of the main
chamber. They tried to run, but big dark rocks were tumbling all around them.
"We're not gonna make it! I hope Felina got Razor to a hospital in
time! He desperately needed some blood!" - T-Bone said.
"We'll have lots of time to find out... if we can get our tails outta
here!"
They entered in the antechamber and dodged the falling rocks. They
entered the access corridor. T-Bone stopped to look for Turmoil.
"Where's Katanya?" - he asked. Feral frowned.
"Who?" - He only knew her by the name of Turmoil.
"Turmoil!"
"If she's not here, maybe Felina took her along with Clawson!"
T-Bone looked at Feral. Then, he thought that if he knew that Chance was
T-Bone, then the mental association of Razor and Jake would be simple.
"Let's get outta here, son. This whole place is falling apart!"
"There! The entrance!" - T-Bone pointed.
They rushed to it. They were about five meters from it when the corridor was
blocked by a huge chunk of rock. The corridor behind them was also blocked with
several rock chunks.
"We're trapped inside!"
-----------------------------------------------------------
Felina took Razor to the hospital. The doctors that examined him were
categorical: Razor needed a blood transfusion immediately.
"What's his blood type?" - the intern doctor asked Felina.
"I don't know! Can't you test it?"
Then, she had an idea. She excused herself and ran outside, out of the
confusion of the emergencies. She called headquarters.
"I need to get information on Clawson, J. He's an ex-enforcer. I need
to know his blood type."
In a short while, she was presented with Jake's entire medical record
while he was in the Enforcers. She thanked the enforcer and rushed inside.
Not five minutes had elapsed.
"His blood type is O negative." - she saw a few faces frown.
"What? What is it?"
"Why couldn't he be AB?" - one of the doctors asked rhetorically.
"He's a universal donor, but he can only receive blood type O. And, his
Rhesus factor is negative. This makes his blood type extremely rare. And,
we don't have any spare blood! Hell, we don't even have spare beds anymore
thanks to that black monstrosity there!" - he pointed to the Dark Pyramid.
"Thanks to this morning's earthquake we have our paws full!"
"You mean you can't save him?" - she asked, half stunned.
"I'm saying we have to find a compatible donor! If we don't, then we
can kiss him goodbye!"
Suddenly, they heard a rumbling sound, like thunder.
Felina raced outside.
The doctor came too. They witnessed the fall of the Dark Pyramid.
"Uncle! T-Bone!" - Felina said in a subdued voice. She snapped out of her
trance and ran toward the helipad.
"Hey! What do you want me to do with the SWAT Kat?" - the doctor shouted.
"Heal him! Find a compatible donor! And, don't you *dare* to take off
his mask! If you do, you're dead meat! And, that's no threat! It's a
promise!" - she shouted back as she stepped aboard her chopper.
She engaged the rotors and flew off to the Dark Pyramid.
----------------------------------------------------------
"What do you mean you're not going in?" - Felina asked in disbelief.
Lieutenant Commander Steele looked directly at her and repeated what he
had just said.
"I'm not going in, Lieutenant! I don't want to cause another collapse!
This bunch of rocks is unstable! If we blast it, *then* we'd have signed
Commander Feral's death certificate for sure. We'll stay put until a new
development comes. And, that's an order, Lieutenant! Don't forget that
*I'm* in charge!"
Felina couldn't believe what she was hearing. That little creep was
preventing her from rescuing her uncle! All in the name of power! Although
his advice was right, her heart spoke louder.
She spun on her heel and went to her chopper. She retrieved her bazooka and
headed for the blocked entrance.
Steele watched her as she carried her weapon and aimed it. He let her
fire two mortars at the entrance and then ordered three enforcers to stop
her. She fought back but was overpowered by the kats.
Steele approached her with a smirk of satisfaction on his muzzle.
"You're going to be court martialed for this, Lieutenant! You disobeyed
direct orders from a superior and..."
"Button it, Steele!" - came a rumbling voice from inside the pyramid.
A brown paw surfaced from the rubble. Then, a few rocks were dislocated and
then the rest of the rubble slumped to the ground. Feral and T-Bone stepped
outside, dragging the still unconscious form of Dark Kat.
"UNCLE!" - Felina tried to get free of the grip of the enforcers, but they
held her tightly.
"Release her before I boot you three off the force!" - Feral demanded.
They let her go and she ran to Feral, embracing him. He grimaced in pain.
"Felina... Please..."
She looked down and saw the bleeding wound in his left abdomen. Then,
she looked at T-Bone, who bore some gashes in his chest and abdomen. She
helped her uncle while T-Bone carried the huge bulk of Dark Kat to her chopper.
The remaining enforcers cheered loudly for their commander and waved their
blasters over their heads.
Feral straightened up and walked alone to Steele.
"You *really* don't know what trouble is, Steele... And I'm going to introduce
you to some more... in a court martial... Conspiracy to murder your commander...
I want to listen what those educated kats have to say about it!"
He then walked to Felina's chopper and lifted off.
As they left, the rest of the infamous Dark Pyramid tumbled down and mysteriously
vanished as though it had never existed.
------------------------------------------------------------
Back at Enforcer Headquarters, Felina slammed Dark Kat in a cell after
chaining him. She turned to the guard.
"If he makes a move, blast him!"
She then moved to her uncle's personal infirmary, where a doctor was
observing Feral.
"It's definitively a nasty injury but you'll live, Commander. We'll
take care of you right away."
Feral nodded and leaned back in the bed.
T-Bone removed his mask after the doctor left. He grabbed Feral's shoulder.
"Now, you're there and I'm here!" - Chance said.
Feral gave him one of his rare smiles.
"Thanks again, dad. I'd be dead if you weren't there."
"Hey, what are fathers for?" - he said, blinking an eye - "Where's Clawson?"
Felina smacked a gloved paw to her forehead. "Razor! I forgot him completely!"
"How is he, Felina?" - Chance asked, concern growing inside his chest.
"He needs blood! Desperately! But he is O negative and, thanks to Dark
Kat, the hospital's blood supply is gone!"
"Let's go! Which hospital is he in?" - Chance said as he put on his mask.
"Megakat Memorial Hospital! I left him in the E.R." - she said as they
rushed out of the room.
They ran to the tarmac above.
"You left Razor *alone* in an E.R.?" - T-Bone said, alarmed.
He knew how scary an emergency room could look to someone waking up in
there. He woke up several times in the E.R. during his troubled
adolescence.
"Crud! I just hope we can make it in time!"
"You know a compatible donor?" - she asked.
He didn't answer her.
She asked again.
"*I'm* the donor. I'm O negative too!"
She stopped him. "Are you out of your mind? You think you got a lot of blood
left to give?" - she bawled, pointing at the fur streaked in red on his torso.
He looked to her intensely, grabbing her arms so tightly it almost hurt her.
"Razor *needs* me!"
"Are you willing to..." - she started, but he interrupted her.
"I would give my *life* to save Razor's!" - he stated through clenched
teeth. "Now, Felina, are you with me or against me?"
She saw his will was unshakable. She nodded.
"Let's go!"
"By the way, Felina, did you take Turmoil out?" - he asked, suddenly
remembering his loved one.
Felina's answer made him stop.
"No, I didn't! I couldn't find her!"
"What?" - he asked in disbelief and shock - "You mean my bride was
still inside that pyramid when it tumbled down?"
She was taken aback with that comment.
"Y-your bride? But, I thought you..."
She took the lead. She didn't want him to see her tears. He loved
another she-kat already...
T-Bone ran after her toward the tarmac. He felt sorry for Turmoil, but
all that mattered now was to save Razor's life.
---------------------------------------------------------
T-Bone and Felina arrived at the hospital. Razor was in the same
stretcher she had left him in, but the doctor had remained with him. The
doctor announced his refusal to let T-Bone be the donor, as did Felina.
T-Bone grabbed the doctor by his collar and lifted him in the air with
apparent ease. The doctor nodded hesitantly and set up the transfusion
in a quiet, separate room.
"I want you to know that if you die, I'll say you forced me to do this!"
"Fine!" - T-Bone growled in disgust - "I assume entire responsibility
for whatever happens to me or to my partner. You're a witness, Lieutenant.
The doctor had nothing to do with this. I forced him to do so."
"If that's your wish..."
Suddenly, an explosion was heard in the distance.
"What's that?"
"*NO*! Dark Kat's bomb! The vapor will spread all over Megakat City!
Felina, grab a gas mask! You can still use the antidote!"
"The antidote? You mean that's what's inside that case you told me to
secure?"
"That's right! You have to spray it all around Megakat City! Otherwise,
every kat in this city will be one of Dark Kat's slaves!"
"*Slaves*? Crud!" - she reached for her communicator.
"Sergeant Reeves, this is Lieutenant Feral! Come in, please!"
"This is Reeves. I hear you, Felina."
"Reeves, give everyone in HQ a gas mask. There's no time to explain
why. Go check on Dark Kat and give the guard a gas mask too. Hurry! Felina
out!"
She turned the communicator off.
"Crud, I just hope Dark Kat's still unconscious! Doctor, give T-Bone
and Razor an oxygen mask each and get one for yourself too. Gotta go,
guys. My turn to save the city!"
"Good luck, Felina!" - T-Bone said and then muttered to himself -
"You're gonna need it!"
He mentally cursed Dark Kat. Even unconscious he was dangerous.
He also made a silent prayer that Viper knew what he was doing.
------------------------------------------------------------
Felina lifted off from the helipad. She didn't know if the invisible
vapor was already affecting the katyzens or not, but she couldn't waste time.
She headed upwind to the west.
She had loaded the flame-thrower tanks of her chopper with the translucent
red solution and adjusted the air pressure so that it would come out as
a spray and not as a stream.
The clouds dispersed after the destruction of the Dark Pyramid. It was
amazing to think that the clock didn't even sounded the twelve strokes
for mid-day! It seemed to her that days had already passed.
The sky was clear now and she could see the smoke column rising from
the destroyed Doomsday Express over to the west. Dark Kat knew what he was
doing. The prevailing western winds would disperse the neurological serum
over the entire city. Luckily, it would work for the antidote as well.
She got to the west edge of Megakat City and began spraying the antidote.
It dispersed rapidly over the city, causing a faint rainbow to appear. It took
her five minutes to spend the entire tank.
She returned to the hospital, which was nearly in the center of the
city. She calculated that, by the time she got back, the antidote would have
already diffused over the area.
She wasn't wrong. All over the place kats were rising from the ground
and shaking their heads. She landed the chopper on the helipad and went
inside. The E.R. was silent. Kats were fallen all over the place. She opened
wide the front doors and the kats began to wake up.
She went to a nurse and talked with her, her voice muffled by the gas
mask. The she-kat seemed okay, as did all the other kats.
The antidote had worked.
Megakat City was safe.
She took off the mask and went to the room where the SWAT Kats were.
"Felina!" - T-Bone said, almost sitting up in the stretcher. - "Are you
okay?"
She blushed a little under her tanned fur.
"I didn't know you cared about me, T-Bone!"
T-Bone gasped and tried to say something, but she interrupted him.
"I'm okay. And, so is the city. The antidote worked!"
T-Bone let out a loud sigh of relief.
"Thank the Holy Kats! Viper was right!"
"Viper? Dr. Viper?"
"Yeah! He developed the antidote."
She was astonished. "And you *trusted* him?" - she asked in disbelief.
"The kat was scared to death, Felina! I thought I could trust him...
even though he turned me into a mutated frog that time..."
His thoughts were torn away when he heard a familiar voice.
"Hmm... T-Bo... T-Bone..."
Razor was coming back to consciousness.
T-Bone was cheered inside his mind.
"I'm here, lil' bro!" - he said in a smooth tone, almost a purr.
"Is everything over now?" - Razor asked, his voice a whisper.
T-Bone gave him a paternal smile. "It's all over now, lil' bro!" - he purred
reassuringly - "It's all over now!"
-----------------------------------------------------------
EPILOGUE
Two weeks later, in the salvage yard, Jake and Chance were dressing for
one of the most important days of their lives.
"C'mon, Chance! We're gonna be late!"
"I'm comin'!" - Chance got to his friend - "Sure you don't want any
help with that?"
Jake sat in the tow-truck's passenger seat, closed the door and rested
his cane between his legs.
"Guess not!"
Chance slid into the driver's seat, slammed the door and started the
engine.
Jake was doing well. His leg was almost completely healed, except for
his tendons. The price of victory was a permanent limp in his right leg.
Jake wouldn't admit it, but Chance knew his SWAT Kat career was ruined.
Chance was well too. His injuries had healed completely and he was in
almost perfect physical condition. Only his left lung was giving him problems.
He couldn't do any heavy work. His SWAT Kat days were over as well.
Chance drove them off to the courthouse. Today was a big day. Hard
Drive, the PastMaster, the Metallikats and Dark Kat were standing trial. Feral
managed to get them places in the first row, as if it was a theatre or something,
where they would see justice being done.
The room was beginning to fill up. Feral, now almost completely
recovered as well, discreetly showed them their places. Chance asked him where
Felina and the Deputy Mayor were. He said Felina was on assignment and Miss
Briggs was surveying the reconstruction of the shattered homes. He went to the big
mahogany doors of the courtroom and stood there.
The room was completely full. Many kats appeared there just to see some
of the most evil criminals of Megakat City being convicted for their
crimes.
The judge arrived and they all stood up.
The accusation list was almost as long as a phone list. Most of the
accusations were cast upon Dark Kat - from simple robbery to multiple homicides,
from blackmailing to organized terrorism. The jury found all the villains
guilty unanimously. Hard Drive was convicted to five years in prison.
The PastMaster and the Metallikats got fifteen years in prison. Dark Kat... Well...
Dark Kat got the capital penalty...
"The accused has any final words to say?" - the judge asked Dark Kat.
He closed his eyes and grinned, a devilish, wicked smile. He got up and
walked to the bar. "I've said this before..." - he started in his thundering
voice - "And, I say it again now!"
He reached inside his cloak for a control box with a button and a timer
and showed it to the audience.
"If *I* lose, *everyone* loses!"
The scene that followed resembled in all aspects that when he said the
same thing and made the abandoned tuna factory on Megakat Island blow sky
high.
Jake said 'Crud! This whole place is wired to blow!'.
Feral screamed 'Move!' and everyone rushed out of the courtroom.
The explosion was enormous, destroying the entire courthouse.
Feral managed to escape with minor injuries, but the villains and most
kats that were inside the courtroom didn't have time to escape. A few minutes
after the explosion, TV trucks covering the story surrounded the perimeter of
the ruins.
"This is Ann Gora, Kat's Eye News, reporting live from the ruins of
Megakat City Courthouse, where the infamous villain Dark Kat just managed to
make the entire building explode.
The judge, the jury and most of the audience present in the courtroom
where Dark kat was standing trial, along with Hard Drive, the PastMaster
and the Metallikats are presumed to be dead, crushed by the debris."
Johnny, the camera-kat, scanned the ruins with his camera.
Nothing could be seen. The majority of the kats were under the rubble.
Callie Briggs was already there too. Something grabbed her attention.
She removed a chunk of wall, putting all her strength into the effort. The
chunk rolled away and she stared in shock.
Two tom-kats were there.
Their bodies were crushed by the debris and soaked in blood.
One of them was brawny and had golden fur with brown stripes on his
arms.
The other was slim and had orange fur and a cane near him.
She checked their pulses.
None.
They were both dead.
She let tears drop from her eyes when the hard reality struck her. She
was looking to the dead bodies of her loved one, Jake Clawson, and his best
friend, Chance Furlong.
She noted another thing.
They were holding their paws together.
Together in life...
Together in death...
--------------------------------------------------------------
THE... END ?
--------------------------------------------------------------