WHAT'S UP DOC?

Chapter 11: Going Home at Last

While Feral prepared to leave for Megakat Prison, the SWAT Kats were just landing near the Loonatics ship. Seeing them arrive Ace, Lexi and Tech came out to meet them.

"Hi guys. Well we were successful. Feral will meet us at Megakat Prison in about thirty minutes." Razor said quickly.

"That's great guys. The rest of the gang is out exploring so it's just us three. You lead the way! Let's jet!" Ace said with a smile.

"Excellent!" Razor said also smiling.

They all went back aboard their respective ships and soon were flying toward Megakat Prison. The SWAT Kats parked near the gates with the Loonatics parking beside them. Waiting outside the gates was Commander Feral and the warden of the prison.

Warden Lancer shivered at the sight of the strange creatures he had only seen on TV. In person they were kind of hard to take.

"We meet again, Commander. So where's the place you want us to make escape proof?" Ace asked, able to see how nervous the warden was around them and wanting to get this done as fast as they could.

"Uh, right...um...it's this way." The warden said nervously as he led them around the outside of the prison to an area obviously being worked on.

Tech moved forward and began to look over the area. He took measurements and hummed to himself then he walked back to the group watching him.

"Well this is going to be easier than I thought. With them still working on it I can incorporate all the changes to it and complete the construction as well. I'll need the rest of the team to complete the building but for the installation I'll only need Rev for the moment." Tech said.

"That's good news, Tech. Let me get Rev and you can get to it." Ace said with a relieved smile. He pulled out his comm and contacted their fast moving team mate. Within seconds of reaching the roadrunner, seconds later he was just there.

The warden cried out in shocked fear and hid behind Feral. The Commander snorted but well understood the Kat's discomfort. It still felt weird to him to see a bird that talks and runs faster than the speed of sound.

Rev got with Tech and very soon the two were busy. It was bewildering and fascinating to watch the roadrunner speed around in a blur installing things from Tech's instructions.

Feral just shook his head as he watched. Razor had been right, the job would get done very quickly. He remembered the other thing Razor had told him and dared to interrupt Tech for a moment.

"Excuse me, Tech." He said hesitantly, loathe to interrupt the coyote's work.

"Yes Commander." Tech paused and spoke to him.

"Would you be willing to give the formula for that interesting gluey stuff you used on the Pastmaster to my lab people?" He asked.

"Certainly. I'd be happy too. I'll be sure to pass it over when this is done to either you or the SWAT Kats." Tech said with a warm smile before returning to his work.

Feral was pleased and surprised at Tech's willingness. It would make his job so much easier having that stuff. Perhaps they would be able to finally succeed in taking down the criminals without the interference of the SWAT Kats. That would truly be a good thing.

Not able to stay any longer, having a desk full of work waiting, Feral said good-bye for now and requested being notified when they were done with the project then he left.

The warden wasn't willing to stay without Feral so left some of his guards and left for his office.

The SWAT Kats asked if there was anything they could do but were told no and that it was alright if they needed to leave. They would be contacted when the job was done. Ace, though had a request to make.

"Lexi and I don't have much to do here yet until Tech calls us. We'd like to go shopping. Can you help us?" Ace asked.

"Sure, we'd be happy too. After all the things you've done and are doing for us that's a small thing to ask of us." T-Bone said, pleased to be able to repay their kindness.

"Great! Let's go!" Lexi said excitedly.

Leaving the ship for Tech and Rev, Ace and Lexi went with the SWAT Kats in their jet. They went to their hangar, changed clothes, disguised the pair and went out in a sedan they used for trips into town. For the next couple of hours, they took Lexi and Ace to a shopping mall and other places of interest.

Except for a moment when Lexi's disguise displaced itself when she tried on some clothes and Jake had to think quickly to hide her so that she could fix it, they all had a good time. They stopped to pick up several bags of burgers and even found a health food bar where Lexi and Ace could get some carrot juice before heading back to the salvage yard.

Jake and Chance changed their clothes and were once more the SWAT Kats as they helped Ace and Lexi load their treasures aboard the jet and took off for the prison once more.

On arrival they noted Duck and Slam had returned and were helping do the rebuild of the prison section Tech had upgraded. They were making amazing progress. Slam's super strength helped move walls, bags of cement, heavy lumber and other things while Rev whizzed around hammering, plastering, carpentry, etc. at super speed.

"How about a meal break guys! We brought food!" Ace called out. He wasn't surprised when Slam and Duck came over quickly. Rev told Tech there was food and had to drag him out to at least eat before finishing his wiring work.

"Hmm, man this is good. I think I'm going to miss the food here." Duck said smacking his beak after taking a big bite of his hamburger.

"Bfldsifhesliff!...I agree with that!" Slam said burping after scarfing an entire bag of sandwiches he'd been given in seconds flat.

Tech simply smiled and quickly ate his sandwich so he could return to work. Rev, of course, was already done as he was able to eat as fast as Slam.

When dinner was done, Ace and Lexi went and got their new treasures and loaded them on their ship. They returned and pitched in with their powers to help the job get further along. By nightfall most of the work was done. Only final touches were needed and they could wait until tomorrow morning.

Feral had called to find out the progress and was impressed that so much had been accomplished. Reminding them that he wanted to be present when the job was completed he bid them a good night.

The Loonatics decided to just stay at the prison rather than move their ship. They said good night to the SWAT Kats and went to get some well deserved rest.

Early the next morning, Tech was up and finishing the final touches. The warden had gotten over his fear and had looked in on the nearly finished project. He was amazed.

Before him were six heavily reinforced cells of concrete. Each had the usual requirements; a toilet with a short privacy wall, a see through shower, sink, and wide bed against a wall. Surprisingly, Tech had added an interesting wall screen that the prisoners could watch TV on but couldn't touch due to some kind of invisible shield that kept anyone from tampering with it. The cells were a light blue color rather than dull grey and a strange sheen to them. Tech had explained that this was the special solution he used to make the cells escape-proof.

In the cell the warden assumed would be Viper's there were plants, Dark Kat's cell was of a darker hue, and the Pastmaster had a feeling of the Dark Ages to it. The other cells were plain since no prisoners were planned for them yet.

There were dual slots where food was sent in. A door opened in the hall for the food to be slid into then closed before the one in the cell opened. There were no bars. The prisoner's couldn't see into each other's cell but the doors were a clear material that was impervious to anything on their world and allowed the guards a clear view of the prisoners.

'Too bad the whole prison couldn't be made this way.' The warden sighed and was just grateful that these cells would hold the most dangerous criminals on their world. The security system was wired to the main security board and allowed the guards to know instantly if there was anything amiss.

Feral had been called as he'd asked and was as impressed as the warden on the appearance and function of the new cells. He even got to test it and found it far more durable than he'd expected. The cells had no windows but Tech had solved the problem of the need for natural light by installing light panels in the ceiling that were also impossible for the prisoners to access. The prison could get to them from the outside to repair or replace the lights but not the prisoners.

With everything done, all that was required now was to retrieve the prisoner from Enforcer Headquarters and bring them here.

Tech went with the SWAT Kats to Enforcer Headquarters. While the vigilantes waited for him in their jet on the flight line, Tech went with Feral into the prison area and used his Gluco-Gel 9000 to encase Dark Kat. He also graciously gave Feral's lab techs the formula for it before reboarding the Turbokat for the return trip to the prison.

In a prison van, the Pastmaster and Dark Kat were taken to the prison. Viper was removed from his tube cell in the Loonatics ship and Quaked by Duck into his cell instantly. The lizard Kat was angry and bewildered by his new surroundings.

Only a little while later, he watched Dark Kat and the Pastmaster pass his cell to ones of their own near him.

Outside the prison once more, Warden Lancer shook their hands and thanked them profusely for their help and expertise. Tech had spent some time teaching the guards and building custodians on how to maintain and monitor the special cells.

Feral thanked him as well. Very pleased that he could finally get his normal work done and not worry about these crooks for some time.

Finally, it was just the Loonatics and the SWAT Kats. Their farewells were sad especially between T-Bone and Ace as well as Tech and Razor but all too soon it was time for them to leave.

"Take care of yourselves guys. Safe trip home." T-Bone said.

"Hope we got that radar right and you're home quickly!" Razor added.

"Me too! Thanks for all your help guys. We're going to miss you." Ace said, waving good bye as he and his team mates boarded their ship.

"Let's go Tech. I know everyone is anxious to get home." Ace said with a sigh as he strapped himself in.

"Right Ace." Tech said quietly as he engaged the engines and headed for space. Turning on the special dimensional radar, Tech offered a silent prayer and activated it. There was a spate of bright lights that blinded them for a long moment and a savage jolt but when it cleared they were overjoyed at what they saw.

"Is that what I think it is?" Duck asked hopefully.

Tech quickly scanned the world on their viewscreen and sighed with relief.

"Yes, Duck. It is truly home." He said.

"Yahoo!" "BLSLSKDFIEAEF!" "Finally!" Came multiple shouts of relief as Tech headed their ship to their home.

It took thirty minutes but finally, Tech was taking the ship into the Loonatics Tower hangar and shutting down the engines. Duck wasted no time in Quacking out of the ship and to his favorite place...his room. The rest had to leave the old fashioned way. Lexi and Ace carried out the things they'd bought and went to their own rooms to put them away.

Before they could do much else a chiming alarm went off. They quickly gathered in their control center. Zadavia's image appeared above the table.

"My Loonatics! Where have you been? I've been trying to get a hold of you for days?" She asked in concern.

"We kinda took a side trip to another dimension, Zadavia. Met some really interesting cat people and helped them with some criminals of their own while they helped us repair our ship and get us home. We only just got here some twenty minutes ago." Ace explained.

"Oh my. Quite an adventure I see. Well, fortunately, it has been quiet here and I was only trying to reach you to suggest you take some time off to rest and regain your strength." She said with a smile.

"Oh boy, a vacation!" Duck shouted. "Woo Hoo!"

"Not exactly, Duck!" Zadavia said firmly. "Just some time to relax here at home."

"Darn!" He sulked.

"That sounds great, Zadavia. We could use it after what we've been through for the last few days." Ace sighed and stretched.

"Then enjoy your time. You know it never lasts long." She said then vanished.

"Well you heard her. Take some time and get some rest." Ace told his team. They smiled and nodded, leaving the room. "Wish I could have spent more time with you T-Bone." Ace said wistfully, getting up and returning to his room.

Back across the galaxy and dimensions, a certain tom Kat was missing his friend.

"You really liked Ace didn't you Chance?" Jake asked as they relaxed before their TV in their living room.

"Yeah, he was really fun to be around." Chance sighed.

"That's how I felt about Tech. It was like we were kindred spirits." Jake said, fondly.

Well thanks to them, we've got a much quieter time ahead for a while." The tabby said.

"For sure. I'll even have time to work on some of my inventions plus some new things I've learned from Tech." Jake said with a look of anticipation on his face.

Chance just smiled and shook his head.