The Turbokat engaged in relentless pursuit of Dark Kat's jet, peppering his aircraft with laser fire. "Come here, Dark Kat, and take what's coming to you!" yelled T-Bone.
"In due time, SWAT Kats," Dark Kat replied over the radio, seemingly unfazed by the fire pelting his jet. "I've realized my own death is an inevitability, but if I can't have Megakat City, then no one can!"
He swooped off in the direction of the city.
T-Bone didn't like the sound of that. "The heck did he mean by that? Does he mean he's gonna--" He caught himself.
Razor set his mouth in a grim line. "I think so! We've gotta stop 'im! Come on!"
After shooting down a few of the Stalker jets, the SWAT Kats flew off in pursuit of Dark Kat. The Stalkers meanwhile continued pummelling the outnumbered Army jets until there are only a couple left, but then the reinforcements from Enforcer Headquarters arrived and began blasting the enemy fighters out of the sky, protecting their Army rivals turned comrades. Noticing their commanding officer and his niece on the ground, two of the jets, flown by veteran Enforcers Burge and King, broke away from the main attack and landed. The surrendered their craft to Feral and Felina without a second thought.
Feral got into one, Felina in the other, and they took off to join the fighting. Burge and King then took an unresisting Zeckis into custody. The three watched the battle unfolding in the skies above.
The Stalkers, lacking self-preservation, continued fighting despite being clearly outnumbered once reinforcements arrived. Explosions and flying chunks of metal filled the air. The hissing and snarling creatures were brave, reckless and stupid in their efforts to win. By the time there were only four of them left, one performed a suicide maneuver, diving down and deliberately crashing its aicraft into an Enforcer's. Both jets exploded.
Another Stalker targeted one of the few remaining Army fighters and fired a missile, but a brave and selfless Enforcer pilot flew between the oncoming missile, and allowed himself to take the hit to save the other jet. The Army pilot looked shocked and horrified, as did Felina. She glowered, swooped down and targeted the Stalker who killed her fellow Enforcer, firing a missile directly into its jet's exhaust port. Boom! Fiery debris rain down onto the clearing.
"Take that, you slimy--"
"Look out, Lieutenant!" cried Feral over her radio. "Above you...!"
She turned and saw a third jet diving down, attempting to crash into her, guns blazing. A missile flew in and blew it up. It was the Army pilot who'd been saved a minute ago. He and Felina waved to one another from their cockpits.
"Thanks!" said Felina.
"Don't mention it!" replied the other pilot.
Feral and and two other jets pursued and fired upon the final Stalker craft. Try as it might, the creature couldn't evade them and took a hit in its wing. It went spinning out of control and crashed into the ground near where Burge and King had just arrested Zeckis. The Stalker survived the crash, opening its cockpit. It leaped out, snarling, and attacked King, knocking him flat. Burge and Zeckis backed up.
Snarling, the Stalker got off of King, who was still alive, and rushed at the other two. Burge shoved Zeckis away and drew his blaster as the creature reached him and swiped at his face. Although his helmet protected him, the claws cracked the visor and sent the helmet flying, revealing Burge's surprised and terrified eyes. His gun was knocked from his hand and he was seized by the throat and lifted up, then thrown down. Suddenly, Zeckis grabbed the dropped the dropped laser gun and lifted it with shaking hands, firing over and over into the unprepared Stalker's body. It shrieked and collapsed.
Groaning, King got up, drawing his own sidearm, and finished the creature off. He then gently took Burge's gun from Zeckis' shaking hands. "I'll take that, thanks."
He helped Burge to his feet.
"Thanks," Burge said weakly. Turniing to Zeckis, he said, "And thanks to you, too..."
Observing from their jets as they flew by overheard, Felina and her uncle could see that the last of the Stalkers had been killed. "That's the last of them, Uncle," she said into her radio.
"Then that just leaves Dark Kat," replied Commander Feral. "And he's heading for Megakat City again! Let's go get him."
"Remember what you told me happened the last time you tried to--" Felina cautioned.
"I'm not talking about that!" Feral cut her off angrily. "I'm talking about helping the SWAT Kats. They may need backup." He switched his radio so that he was broadcasting on every jet's frequency. "All surviving fighters! Regroup and follow us!"
The jets turned and headed off in the direction the SWAT Kats had chased Dark Kat.
~*~
In the central operations room in Enforcer Headquarters, there was a beeping sound.
Sergeant Talon, standing over the technician manning the communications console, summoned Callie over. "Ms. Briggs!" he cried, then, almost as an afterthought, added, "Lieutenant Commander."
Callie walked over, Steel at her heels. "What is it?" she asked.
"I think we may have a problem," Talon said as Steel pushed past him to hover over the technician, studying the radar screen for himself. Talon continued, "One surviving jet is making a beeline for Megakat City. We think it's Dark Kat."
"Whatever for...?" asked Steel, brow furrowing in what he hoped looked like deep concentration but just made him look confused.
"I can think of only one reason!" Callie responded.
The Army lieutenant who'd remained behind when Boggs and most of his men left, whose named Callie had learned was Scoleri, looked suddenly afraid. "He's gonna..." he trailed off.
"It looks that way," Talon said grimly.
"But he wouldn't!" cried Lieutenant Scoleri in disbelief. "That's just monstrous!"
"You don't know Dark Kat," Callie told him. It was obvious to her and almost everyone else that the only reason Dark Kat would by flying towards Megakat City rather than away from it meant he didn't intend to escape. He intended to make one final attempt to destroy the city. What a first day as acting mayor, she thought, clasping her hands together tightly. Monstrous didn't even begin to describe Dark Kat, but Lieutenant Scoleri had the right idea. The young Army officer was learning fast. Come on, SWAT Kats! Callie prayed. Save us!
"What do we do?" asked a fretful Scoleri. "We can't possibly evacuate everyone!"
"We pray," Callie told him. Something she was already doing. "And hope against hope that the SWAT Kats can get to him before he does... whatever it is he intends to do."
~*~
Outside the Enforcer building, citizens were milling around. People filled the streets. Several of them were on top of the Army vehicles. The soldiers had long since given up attempting to control them. Although the civilians were all apprehhensive and scared, there was no fighting or arguing. There was instead a sense of togetherness. The armed Enforcer commandos and Army soldiers were almost superfluous at this point considering how shockingly well-behaved the crowd was.
Ann Gora stood at the bottom of the steps, talking into her microphone as Jonny filmed her. "No word as yet on the fates of our beloved SWAT Kats, or Lieutenant Felina Feral of the Enforcers, but we have been told that several people imprisoned aboard Dark Kat's ship have returned safe and sound, including two Enforcer pilots who have apparently leaped right back into the fray, accompanying a squadron of Enforcers led by Commander Feral himself in the SWAT Kats' own jet! Is this a sign of things to come? This reporter has never seen anything quite like--"
She was cut off as suddenly the doors were flung wide and General Biggs exited followed by Captain Pomeroy and the rest of the Army personnel who'd been made to leave earlier. The General, scowling, shoved past several people, clearly upset, his entourage attempting to follow him down the stairs by getting swallowed up by the crowd.
Ann spotted him and rushed over.
People fill the streets, several of them on top of the Army vehicles. The Enforcers and Army troops have long since given up attempting to control them. Everyone is apprehensive and scared. But there's no fighting and no arguing. A sense of togetherness, if only an uneasy kind of togetherness, can be sensed.
We see Ann Gora and Jonny covering the disaster. "General Boggs!"
"Not now!" grumbled an annoyed Boggs. He turned and yelled to some of his soldiers. "Corporal, get these people away from the vehicles, I want order here!"
Saluting, a corporal and a few privates began attempting to get the citizens down from the troop carriers and Army sedans.
"General, can you tell us what's going on?" Ann pressed, shoving her microphone towards Boggs, Jonny filming over her shoulder.
Boggs calmed somewhat. "My men and I leaving. I wish it were under more... dignified circumstances, but Acting Mayor Briggs--"
"Acting Mayor?!" cried a shocked Ann. Her eyes widened. Had something happened to Manx?
"So much for hearing it first on Kat's Eye News..." grumbled Jonny.
Ann shushed him and then returned her attention to General Boggs. "Anyway, General, you were saying?" she pressed eagerly.
"I was saying our presence is no longer required and we'll be leaving," Boggs continued, annoying Ann by avoiding the issue of Callie Briggs serving as acting mayor.
Suddenly, he saw something behind her and started, and everyone turned and gasped as Dark Kat's fighter jet swooped overheard, pursued by the Turbokat.The thunderous roar made several people cover their ears. Boggs and several others threw themselves reflexively to the ground. When the vehicles had passed, they all got up, relaxing a little.
Captain Pomeroy shoved through the crowd with a walkie-talkie. "General!" he shouted, looking uneasily at Jonny's camera, then back to his C.O.
"Well," grumbled Boggs, ignoring Jonny as the cameraman filmed over his shoulder, "get it out!"
"They're saying Dark Kat's planning some kind of final strike against the city." Mindful of the easily panicked people surrounding them, he lowered his voice and spoke a little quieter. "Possibly something highly tactical. Localized but incredibly destructive."
Boggs was skeptical. "And where are they supposing this from?"
The Captain shrugged. "Apparently it's just something that purple wacko would do..."
The turned and watched the dogfight. The SWAT Kats continued pursuing Dark Kat.
"One way or another, it's endin' where it all began!" T-Bone was saying into his radio. "You, us and Megakat City, Dark Kat!"
"Try this on for size, then, SWAT Kats!" Dark Kat replied, and fired a missile which hit and blew an enormous hole through the side of City Hall.
The building collapsed in on itself, the upper floors crashing violently through the lower ones. The sounds of the clock's bells jangling and gonging as the clocktower smashed into the street below could be heard for miles.
~*~
An aghast Callie and the others watched the destruction on the viewscreens in the Enforcer control room. Someone was crying. Callie wasn't sure who. One of the technicians, probably. Thank goodness, she thought, that City Hall had long since been emptied. Enforcer Headquarters, on the other hand...
Steeling herself up, she turned to Lieutenant Commander Steel and Sergeant Talon. "Are there any shelters here?" she asked.
Steel looked confused. He didn't seem to get what she was driving at. It was Talon who answered. "Of course. Bomb shelters."
As though eager to be of something resembling use, Steel, suddenly getting the idea, added, "Old ones from Mega War II, and some new ones built since--"
"Give me the history lesson later!" Callie snapped at him. She pointed at him. "Start evacuating people into them! Because I think this place is his next target! And unlike City Hall, it's filled with people!"
Steel nodded and went off. Evacuating people to safety was probably the one thing Callie could trust Steel to do right in a crisis, given the Lieutenant Commander's tendency to run away. And he performed exactly as she'd hoped he would, nervously motioning several technicians and other personnel to accompany him out of the control center.
"Signal the evacuation alarm!" he yelled. "Get everyone to the shelter!"
Talon was more proactive. Standing beside Lieutenant Scoleri, he laid a hand on the shoulder of the technician manning the communications center. "Scramble any available choppers for defense." The technician nodded and started pressing buttons and speaking into his headset's microphone. The Sergeant continued. "A few essential personnel will stay here, including me." At that, he turned and looked at Callie, as though daring her to challenge him.
"But Sergeant--!" Callie growled.
"Go!" he snapped at her.
She refused to budge. "I'm staying too!"
Talon sighed. Realizing he couldn't convince her, he grabbed the technician and yanked him out of his seat, shoving him towards Lieutenant Scoleri. "The shelters are in the sub-basement. Get everyone in there. Get out of here!"
Nodding, Scoleri and the technician turned and ran out along with the group led by Steel. Now Callie and the Sergeant, seating himself at the communications console and donning the headset, were the only ones left in central operations.
"Commander," Talon said into the radio, "if you and the SWAT Kats are going to do something, now might be the time!"
~*~
Back outside, Pomeroy frowned, watching City Hall fall. "Maybe they were wrong," he said.
General Boggs shook his head. "No, no, no! This is just that psycho warming up! And this place is probably next!"
An alarm sounded, blaring wildly. People beged panicking. Ann turned to the General. "What do you plan to do, General?"
Boggs looked resolute. "Captain, let's take charge of this situation," he said, practically into the reporter's microphone.
"Right!" said Pomeroy, turning. He intended to go back inside and retake the control room.
"Not that, you fool!" Boggs snapped. Pomeroy stopped halfway up the steps to the front entrance. "Here!" the General clarified. "We need to get these people to safety! Have the men begin assisting the Enforcers in getting everyone into any kind of shelter they can!" Per his instructions they began herding people into any available buildings, getting the streets cleared.
~*~
Dark Kat's jet turned around and flew back towards Enforcer Headquarters, gaining rapidly.
"No guesses as to what his next target's gonna be..." Razor observed with a glower. "But what say we deprive him of the pleasure a second time!"
"Hold up, SWAT Kats!" Feral's voice came through the radio. "Wait for us!" Behind them, a squadron of Enforcer jets was fast approaching.
T-Bone sighed. "Aw, man, this again?" he said, shaking his head. Into the radio, he began, "Feral--"
"It's not what you think!" Feral reassured him. "My Enforcers and I are going to distract Dark Kat for you!"
T-Bone couldn't have been more surprised. "Well there's a change of pace!"
"Good luck, Commander!" Razor told him.
By this time, mostly everyone had been gotten off of the streets now. Boggs frowned as he sees one lone little boy cowering by a parked car. Running over, he grabbed the boy's wrist and jerked him away, and the two ran and seek shelter in a building across the street. As Dark Kat prepared to target the Enforcer building, he was bombarded by the Enforcers, particularly Feral and Felina, and was forced to take evasive maneuvers by zipping around in-between buildings. He lost them.
"We've lost him!" growled Feral, pounding his console in frustration.
The villain's jet came shooting out further down the street with no enemy jets on him, and grinned evilly as he targeted Enforcer Headquarters. He launched his missile. "A pity," he mused as he watched the missile flying towards the building. "I had wanted Enforcer Headquarters as my new base of operations, but--" He was interrupted as suddenly another missile came in from his right and blew it up before it made contact. Both missiles exploded harmlessly in midair. "Aarrghhh! What the--?!"
"Nice try, Dark Kat!" yelled Razor from the Turbokat. "But whatever you fire, we can shoot down!"
Dark Kat smirked. "Then I'll just have to fire something that will spell doom for you all even if you do manage to hit it!" He jerked a lever. The bomb bay of his jet opened, revealing a warhead.
Observing from their vantage point flying alongside and slightly behind him, the SWAT Kats gasped. "Leave it to Dark Kat to never have any original ideas!" T-Bone grumbled, shaking his head. He looked over his shoulder at Razor. "That's a nuclear warhead! What do we do, buddy? If we shoot him down, it blows up! If we don't, he fires it and it blows up! Either way he wins!"
Razor pondered and pondered. "I got something like an idea forming. It's a long shot but..." He trailed off uncertainly.
T-Bone became impatient. "Well?!"
"It's gonna cost us the Turbokat."
He trails off uncertainly. T-Bone becomes impatient.
"Aw, ergh... ehhh, fine, what's one jet compared to an entire city?!" said an agonized T-Bone. "Tell me real quick, buddy, while we still got time!" He winced. "And before I change my mind!"
Meanwhile, Dark Kat began to circle around to dump his payload. "Goodbye, Megakat City! Goodbye and good riddance!" he laughed.
Suddenly, the Turbokat came up rapidly behind him. He noticed, but was unconcerned, believing there was nothing the SWAT Kats could do to avert the atomic holocaust he was about to unleash upon their beloved Megakat City, with Enforcer Headquarters as ground zero. Suddenly, from the Turbokat's undercarriage, the cement machine gun lowered and fired a rapid volley of slugs which splatted into the bomb's support struts, effectively gluing it in place. Dark Kat growled and pounded his control panel in frustration. He couldn't drop the bomb manually!
"Foolish SWAT Kats!" he roared. "I'll still destroy your precious Megakat City! What is my life if it means wiping those smug smiles I just know are plastered all over your faces?"
Razor's voice filtered through his radio. "I figured on exactly that, Dark Creep!"
Dark Kat was confused. And worry was beginning to gnaw at the base of his spine. He tried to ignore it, but suddenly a shadow descended over his jet. Blinking, he looked up to see the Turbokat above him. The cement machine gun retracted. Dark Kat frowned and fired his throttle forward in an effort to outdistance his enemies. He didn't know what they were planning, but that gnaw of concern was starting to creep ever more insistently up his back, and he knew he had to get out of ther fast. But T-Bone matched his speed. Two panels on either side of the Turbokat's bomb bay opened and drown dropped two huge metal clamps which grabbed hold of the wings of Dark Kat's jet. Dark Kat growled in frustration and mounting worry and wrenched his steering stick back and forth, but he couldn't shake himself free. His finger moved over the button which activated the bomb, still intent on detonating it.
In the Turbokat, the SWAT Kats popped the canopy. They flew out sitting in their Ejektor seats, zipping away. "One bad guy Mega-Manacled! I sure hope you know what you're doin', Razor!" said T-Bone. "If you're wrong, we'll lose the Turbokat AND Megakat City!"
Razor was grimly reassuring. "Don't worry, buddy, it's not like we haven't flown the Turbokat by remote control before..."
T-Bone noded and pressed some buttons on his Glovatrix. The canopy on the Turbokat slid shut, and it went into Speed of Heat mode. The protective metal shield covered the cockpit and then the four extra engines popped into view. The bottom two failed to lower entirely into place due to Dark Kat's jet being in the way.
Hearing the "clunk" of them hitting his fuselage, Dark Kat turned and blinked, his finger still hovering over the deadly button. "What are they up to?" he wondered aloud, now unable to disguise the fear in his voice.
T-Bone grumbled at being unable to lower the bottom engines entirely into place. "Dang it..."
"Relax, T-Bone, the top two should be enough!" his partner reassured him. "Now punch it!"
T-Bone pressed another button and the Turbokat, clutching Dark Kat's jet in the Mega-Manacles, rocketed up into the stratosphere! Dark Kat, still poised to fire, was flung back into his seat cushion by the g-forces. He yelled. "Aaghhhhhh!"
Hovering there in their Ejektors, the SWAT Kats watched the two aircraft shoot off into the clouds, higher and higher. "I just hope those Mega-Manacles hold..."
Hold they did. For now. As the two jets soared higher and higher, they began to weaken, but as the aircraft approached outer space, it seemed as though they wouldn't give out just yet. Dark Kat's attempt to eject was stymied when his canopy wouldn't open all the way; it just thunked uselessly against the undercarriage of the Turbokat. He was trapped. Fighting against the mindless panic threatening to fill him, Dark Kat grit his teeth and strained against the gs to inch his finger forward to press the button to detonate his bomb before it was too late. Before he was out of range off Megakat City. Finally, just as the two jets hit space, the struts connecting the Mega-Manacles to the Turbokat snapped off, and the two vehicles separated. The Turbokat went spinning off into oblivion, while Dark Kat's finger finally hit the button. There was a pause. Suddenly his jet exploded in a massive ringed fireball which also consumed and obliterates the pilotless Turbokat... but he realized in his final seconds of life that he was already too far out into space, and the only person killed by the atomic bomb was Dark Kat himself.
The SWAT Kats, still seated in their hovering Ejektor seats, shielded their eyes as the daytime sky became several hundred times brighter. Gradually, the brightness of the silent explosion in outer space faded, and the skies above Megakat City were peaceful once more.
"Well, I'd say that's the end of Dark Kat..." said a cautiously optimistic Razor as he lowered his hand from his eyes.
"And the jet," said a sulking T-Bone as he did the same.
Razor sighed. "Yeah," he admitted. He was gonna miss the Turbokat. But once again, if he had to choose between the jet and the citizens of Megakat City, Megakat City was going to win out every time. And he knew deep down T-Bone agreed. Smirking, he added, "Oh well, she went out with a--"
"--if you say "bang," I'm gonna..." threatened T-Bone, making a fist. Suddenly he realized something and his eyes widened. "Bang!" he cried, looking back up at the sky. "What about that, uh, y'know..."
"Fallout?"
"Yeah, that. Isn't that gonna be a problem...?" T-Bone looked a little worried.
Razor shrugged. "No, I don't think so. The bomb exploded in outer space, not in the atmosphere."
T-Bone sighed in relief, leaning back in his seat. After a moment, he sat back up. "Now what...?" he asked.
The other SWAT Kat beamed. "Why, we go greet our adoring public, of course!"
The two whooshed around in their Ejektor seats and flew back down to earth. Despite his jovial disposition, Razor had a nagging feeling that somewhere among that adoring public was Commander Ulysses Feral with two pairs of handcuffs with their names - their real names - engraved on them. But like he'd told T-Bone earlier, the SWAT Kats weren't cowards. They wouldn't run. They would hold to the deal they'd made with Feral and return to face the music. Razor just hoped it was a tune he and T-Bone could dance to. The two Ejektor seats swooped down and came in for a landing outside of Enforcer Headquarters, their parachutes deploying. The citizens, Enforcers and the Army troops came out of hiding as the two Ejektors touched on the asphalt in the middle of the street, and suddenly the two SWAT Kats found themselves surrounded by a cheering crowd, including, to the vigilantes' surprise, a few Enforcer commandos and even one or two Army soldiers. The SWAT Kats unbuckled themselves, removing their flight helmets and stood up, heads held high. Whatever happened, they were determined to bask in the moment.
Ann Gora pushed through the crowd to shove her microphone towards them. Cameraman Jonny K. was at her side. "SWAT Kats, how does it feel to finally have destroyed your greatest enemy?"
T-Bone looked a little uneasy, tracing an imaginary line on the pavement with his big toe. It was a fair question, but one he didn't feel like answering. On the one hand, blowing that purple-furred psychopath into his component atoms felt pretty good. But on the other, generally, he and Razor were only comfortable with killing monsters as opposed to other kats. He decided to let Razor answer. The shorter SWAT Kat always seemed to know the right thing to say and didn't have the tendency to put his foot in his mouth that his partner did. "I'll let Razor take this one..." he said at length.
Razor nodded. Turning to Ann, he said, "I wish there'd been some other way, Ann." He meant it. "But the safety of Megakat City came first. Dark Kat left us no choice." He shrugged. He hadn't enjoyed causing Dark Crud's death, but at the same time, if there was one kat in this world whose death wasn't going to give him any sleepless nights, it was that big, black-cloaked megalo.
Ann Gora nodded. "Well, this crowd certainly seems excited! It seems you have a lot of fans!"
"Yeah," said Razor, momentarily forgetting his earlier apprehension about being arrested upon their return, "talk about a warm welcome!"
T-Bone stiffened. "Yeah, but it's about to get pretty cold." He pointed. "Look."
A slender, elderly kat in a military uniform and peaked cap approached them. General Boggs. Ann Gora briefly considered interviewing him, but one chilly glare from the cadaverous general made her think better and back away. Jonny stayed where he was, however, filming Boggs as he walked over to the SWAT Kats. General Boggs stood stiffly before the pair, arms straight at his sides. After a moment, he snapped his heels together and gave a prim salute. T-Bone and Razor looked at each other.
"The famous SWAT Kats, I presume. I'm Lieutenant General Finlay Boggs," he said, introducing himself, lowering his hand. "My congratulations. I don't agree with what you do, but the way you handled Dark Kat and saved the city has earned you my..." he trailed off, as though searching for the right words before settling on "grudging admiration."
"Thanks," replied T-Bone, a little hesitantly. He wasn't sure if he should be offended or not. "I think."
Razor nudged him. "Jeez, take a compliment, why don't you."
T-Bone smiled. "Oh, uh, sure thing. Thank you, uh, General, sir." He toyed with saluting Boggs, and even halfway raised his hand, but ultimately thought better of it. It'd been so long since he'd been an Enforcer that he was unclear of the rules for saluting uniformed servicemen, and whether it was appropriate for civilians to do so. Instead, he offered Boggs his hand.
Boggs studied the hand as if it had come from Mars, but after a moment, the skeletal general took it and gave a surprisingly vigorous shake. Then without another word he turned stiffly and headed off. One by one, his men began dispersing and following him. The Army presence gradually departed. The soldiers piled into the troop trucks and staff cars and drove away. The Enforcer jet containing Commander Feral flew overhead, doubled back and landed in the street, the crowd parting to give it room. The one flown by Felina followed suit and landed behind him. Their canopes popped open and the two Ferals climbed out and hopped down. Seeing the SWAT Kats at the center of the crowd filling the street, Feral made a beeline for them, Felina hurrying after her uncle.
He was met halfway by General Boggs, flanked on either side by Captain Pomeroy and Lieutenant Scoleri. "Commander, forget what I said before. I won't be pressing any charges against you. I should, but I won't." He jerked a thumb back at the vigilantes. "From what I heard, you might be stuck with those two a little longer. If I were you, I'd consider myself fortunate. They're quite skilled at what they do."
Feral smirked. "I thought they were vigilante scum. Enforcer washouts."
Boggs smirked back. "They still are. Just ones that've impressed me greatly." Turning, he nodded respectfully to Felina Feral. "Lieutenant," he said, "good to see you safe and sound." Then, to Pomeroy and Scoleri, he said, "Let's go."
The Army officers went and got into their waiting helicopter. Feral and Felina watched its rotors start up, and a moment later it lifted into the sky and flew away. Turning, Commander Feral marched purposefully through the crowd of admirers encircling his former subordinates turned longtime rivals. His niece hurried after him, concerned. They were joined by Lieutenant Commander Steel, who'd emerged from the front entrance of Headquarters, spotted the Ferals moving through the crowd, and hurried after them.
"Uncle..." she said, a little warily.
"Don't worry, Felina," he assured her.
Steel, for his part, was grinning ear to ear. He enjoyed seeing people besides himself get what was coming to them, and was eager to see the Commander finally slap the cuffs on the SWAT Kats and lock them away where they belonged, especially since he'd missed it the first time around. Without the SWAT Kats, he knew, or hoped, that Feral's usual dismal performance would continue, and that Acting Mayor Callie Briggs - or Manx whenever that pathetic coward decided to show his face again - would remove Feral, and he, Steel, could achieve his dream of commanding the Enforcers at long last! And for longer than an afternoon this time!
Ann shoved her microphone in his face. "Commander Feral--"
"Not now," growled Feral, who was tired of being intercepted, interrupted and having things shoved in his face.
Ann pouted but didn't press her luck.
"Well," said Razor with a heavy sigh, "looks like it's time to pay the piper."
"Yeah, yeah, I remember," grumbled T-Bone, deflating. So much for the celebratory atmosphere. "So, Commander, what's it gonna be? You gonna cuff us out here or inside?"
Here, pleaded Steel silently. Here.
"Inside," Feral said with surprising gentleness. "And no handcuffs. After all, you rescued my niece." He turned and gestured to the steps leading up to the Enforcer Headquarters entrance. "I believe that's more than earned you two a more dignified march up those steps than last time."
Felina smiled. She decided not to bring up the fact she'd actually rescued herself from captivity, at least for now.
Steel scowled. "But Commander!"
"Shut up, Steel," Feral grumbled, taking T-Bone by the arm and steering him towards the steps and up them. Felina did the same with Razor. Neither SWAT Kat resisted. Steel followed them as a line of commandos kept the crowd back, who'd begun to boo. Feral ignored them. He hadn't gotten into this line of business to be liked. "I've made my decision," Feral said over his shoulder to a dejected-looking Steel as the group climbed the steps, "and Furlong and Clawson are going to be treated fairly without any humiliation this time."
Steel sighed and nodded. At the top, they were met by Callie Briggs who stood with her arms folded behind her back, with D.A. Mills beside her. Suddenly Steel remembered the proposal put forward by Briggs and slowed, trying to remember what it was and whether she'd elaborated on it or not. A lot had been going on at the time. He said nothing, figuring that they were all going to find out in a minute anyway.
"I admire your tact, Commander," Callie said with a smile. "You and I have some things to discuss inside as well." She looked at Mills, then at the SWAT Kats. "We all do."
~*~
Later, the group had retired to Commander Feral's office for privacy. The crowd outside was quite noisy. Even here, they could be heard dimly outside, chanting for the SWAT Kats to be set free. Feral sat at his desk, hands folded before him, glowering. Beside him was Felina, helmet tucked under her arm. Occupying the visitor's chairs were Callie Briggs and the District Attorney. Behind them, an unmasked T-Bone and Razor - Chance Furlong and Jake Clawson, now, for all intents and purposes - stood guarded by Sergeant Talon and two commandos. All three were armed. The commandos held heavy duty laser rifles at the ready. Talon was wearing a laser pistol in a holster on his belt.
Feral broke the silence. "So, how are we going to handle this, Briggs?" He frowned and coughed. "I mean, Ms. Mayor?"
Callie smiled. "Well, District Attorney Mills and I were talking and we've reached an agreement that we think will make everyone happy."
Feral raised an eyebrow. Chance and Jake exchanged glances.
"One that means no jail time, right...?" asked a hopeful Chance.
Callie and Mills turned in their seats. "Well, yes, obviously," said the D.A.
Chance was getting annoyed now. "Well, what is it? Come on, you guys, spill it! Quit keepin' us in suspense!"
Mills got up. He coughed. "In return for dropping all charges against the two of you, you two are going to, well..." he trailed off, then looked at Callie, who nodded, urging him to continue, "...come back to work for the Enforcers."
Feral shot out of his chair so fast it tipped over and fell. "What?!"
"No way!" cried Chance.
Mills flinched.
"Ms. Briggs, how in the world could you--" began a shocked Jake.
Smiling, Callie got up, smoothing out her dress. "Relax, all of you, and let me explain." She waited a moment. "The SWAT Kats can't be everywhere at once. And the Enforcers could benefit from having their new recruits trained in your methods, armed with your weaponry and vehicles."
Chance and Jake blinked and looked uncertain. Feral frowned, stroking his chin.
"You mean... we'd train Enforcer pilots?" asked Jake, starting to somewhat like the idea. "Share our tech with them and show them how to use it?"
Chance looked down at the floor. He had to admit, he too was liking the idea of teaching their methods to others. "I, uh, I guess that sounds reasonable." He glowered and looked up at Feral, pointing at him. "But we want our own squadron! And this joker--"
Callie chuckled and cut him off. "Feral stays."
"How magnanimous of you," Feral said, oozing sarcasm.
"Whatever else you, or I, think of him, he's a good commander," Callie continued. "You'll answer to him... but any decisions he makes concerning you will have to go through me." She turned and looked at Feral. "Agreed?"
After a moment, Feral frowned and nodded. "Agreed. But I want some sayso!"
"And you'll get it, don't worry," Callie placated him. She turned back to Chance and Jake. "So how 'bout it, you two? You join forces with the Enforcers. We all, all of us, work together, officially, to protect our city, as friends and allies. Not rivals and enemies."
Chance and Jake mulled this over. "I want final word on weapon systems," Jake said after a moment. "At least in the jets Chance and I will be commanding." Callie looked at Commander Feral for confirmation. He nodded after a moment. Jake was started to get excited at all the possibilities. Unlimited funds! Access to state of the art tech instead of junk! The Enforcers' high-tech laboratories! "And I've already got some ideas forming in my head for upgrades to the Enforcer jets--"
Chance interrupted excitedly. "Forget that! Why not just build more Turbokats? Yeah! Imagine it! A whole squadron of Turbokats!"
Jake looked a little doubtful.
"Come on!" Chance insisted. "It'll be radical!"
Feral palmed his face. Felina gently stroked his shoulder. Callie just laughed.
"And one more thing!" Chance went over and got in Feral's face, glaring up at him. The two commandos tensed, but a look from Sergeant Talon made them back down. For a moment, Chance and Feral glared at one another eye to eye without blinking, and then the shorter kat said, "We want our debt against the city forgiven, and we want outta that dump and into some real places! Nothin' fancy, but somewhere that's actually livable!"
"Ugh, that's--" Feral began.
"Uh, well, sure, why not...?" said Mills suddenly. He was, after all, Megakat City's D.A.
Feral growled. "Aghh! You two better know I'm only agreeing to any of this because you saved my niece!"
"Actually, she saved herself," Jake mumbled. "Just ask her."
Feral looked at Felina, who just shrugged and smiled. The Commander smiled a little and nodded, then the smile vanished and he turned and glared at the SWAT Kats. "No more masks," he commanded. "No more flagrant disregard for my authority! And I warn you, you two and your hypothetical 'radical squadron' had better impress me!"
Chance waved him off. "Sure, sure, we'll knock your socks off, Commander."
Suddenly the phone rang. Feral answered it. "Commander Feral."
It was Mayor Manx.
~*~
On a lone stretch of desert highway, Mayor Manx's white limousine, covered in dust, sat on the side of the road, hood up, smoke pouring from underneath it. There was nothing but sand and cacti as far as the eye could see. "Hizzoner" sat in the back of the limo with all the doors open, sweaty and disheveled, toupee askew, speaking into his car phone. "Feral, I, uh, I need your help..." he said meekly. "My limousine broke down. Can, um... can someone come get me...?" There was an audible click. Manx frowned. "Hello?"
~*~
Three months later, Megakat City was undergoing the process of rebuilding following Dark Kat's attack. Feral did eventually send Steel to go and rescue Manx, but in hindsight, Manx would've rather remained stranded. He returned a pariah, once word spread of how he'd abandoned the city in its time of need, and no amount of schmoozing could get him back into the voters' good graces. He was booed at every venue he attended and every speech he gave. His statue in the park was pushed over and smashed. Finally, in a fit of childish rage, he'd resigned, leaving Callie as acting mayor for the indefinite future. She set immediately to work, doing her best to get the damaged city up and running again, working closely with Commander Feral to expand the new "Radical Squadron" program the Enforcers were instituting, headed by Chance Furlong and Jake Clawson, amidst all the acerbic Enforcer Commander's usual grumbles. The crashed Fear Ship was stripped under the supervision of the Enforcers so that it could be studied and its metal parts recycled. Dark Kat's surviving technician Mortimer Zeckis was given a suspended sentence in exchange for his help in bringing the Fear Ship down, and he retired to a quiet life away from the public.
Jablonsky and Lyman both survived their attack by the Creeplings, but needed to take some time off due to their injuries. As for former Mayor Manx, he was rarely seen except at golf courses and a few society functions, and he mostly tried to keep a low profile. Gradually, the vitriol against him died down, but never went away entirely. Meanwhile, Burke and Murray toured the talk show circuit bragging about how they'd always known their friends Furlong and Clawson were the SWAT Kats, insisting that the Enforcers' new program headed by the two former vigilantes was all their idea and that ratting them out to Feral had just been them giving their friends the "push" they needed to come back to the side of law and order.
In Enforcer Headquarters, Chance and Jake got off the elevator wearing finely tailored gray uniforms with red trim on the collars and shoulders. Although they bore the "M" emblem of the Enforcers on either bicep, in lieu of the gold diamond above the M there was the red triangle symbol of the SWAT Kats, and their collars sported a blue kat head with red trim. Both bore lieutenant's insignia.
As they proceeded down the hall, Chance frowned and pulled at his collar with his finger, uncomfortable. "I've changed my mind," he joked, "let's go back to being vigilantes. Prison is better than these stuffy suits!"
"Relax, Chance," said an amused Jake. "We're only going to be in these things for formal occasions."
"Doesn't mean I gotta like it," growled Chance. "Agh, it's so itchy! It's Feral's revenge, I swear!"
Jake laughed and they approached a large set of double doors. They stood before them, hesitant. Jake sighed, turned, and adjusted Chance's tie. "Well, time to go in there and knock 'em dead."
"Yeah," said Chance. "Hey, Jake, can I ask you somethin'? Did we, y'know..." he trailed off, rubbing the back of his head, "when we became the SWAT Kats, did we do the right thing for the wrong reasons, or the wrong thing for the right reasons?"
Jake shrugged. "I'd say both."
Chance nodded. "Yeah, I kinda figured." He looked at the doors. "So, uh, you think we got a lot of volunteers?"
"Only one way to find out."
The taller kat heaved a deep sigh. "Well, in we go."
He turned and threw open the doors. They entered a large auditorium rather like a classroom at a university. Rows upon rows of seats ascended upwards towards the back, arranged in a semicircular pattern around a large floor with a desk, a briefing table, and numerous charts, diagrams and other miscellaneous odds and ends. The most prominent thing in the room besides the seats was a large viewscreen, currently turned off. On the table there were an overhead projector, also turned off, and a scale model of the Turbokat with the Enforcer logo on it. As Chance and Jake entered, numerous cadets, seated, got to their feet, the sound of scuffling shoes filling the vast room.
Chance and Jake stared at them as they stood rigidly at attention. They were of ages ranging from late teens to early twenties to thirties and even a few in their mid to late forties. There were men as well as women. They were all dressed in uniforms like Chance's and Jake's, but without officer's insignia. Commander Feral stood to one side.
"Wow," said Jake, amazed. "A lot."
Feral walked over.
"Hi, Commander," said Chance, doing his best sound cordial. His animosity towards the Enforcer Commander had been slowly but surely fading over the last several months. "So where'd you dig all these guys and gals up?"
"Here and there," replied Feral. "At Mayor Briggs' insistence, I sent out a bulletin regarding membership in the new squadron. I was surprised so many came from within the Enforcers." He frowned. "It seems you two have had fans right under my nose the entire time." He fidgeted, as though feeling awkward. "Anyway, I'll leave this in your capable hands."
He strode out, slamming the door. Chance and Jake turned to address their audience.
"First thing's first," said Chance. "You can stop standing so rigid and formal. That's fine for parades and stuff, but in this squadron, we like to have a... relaxed attitude."
The cadets relaxed a little, some more reluctantly than others, and Jake motioned for them to sit.
"For one reason or another, you all have applied to join the new Radical Squadron of the Enforcers. But it's important that you see this position not as a shot at stardom or some easy, fast track to promotion... but as the right thing to do. The best way to serve not only your fellow Enforcers, but Megakat City itself."
The cadets nodded.
"With that in mind, we're proud to have you here, and delighted to see so many people here. You've got a fierce training regimen ahead of you. Even those of you with basic Enforcer training are going to have to be re-trained by Lieutenant Furlong and myself. Basic training is fine, but this is a specialty squadron. Now, then, as it so happens, recent events mean the Enforcers have to be extra vigilant, so we need this new squadron out without delay... which means a good chunk of your training is going to be on the job training. So, let's--"
Jake was cut off as an alarm sounds. The cadets looked excited.
"Sorry, buddy, the rest of the speech is gonna have to wait," Chance said, laying a hand on his friend's shoulder. He addressed the cadets. "Now, we'd love to take your guys out with us for some of that on the job trainin' he mentioned, but that'll come later." The cadets were understandably disappointed. "Now, now, no grumblin'! You'll get your chance." He grinned. "All of you."
With that, he and Jake turned and ran out.
The rebuilt Turbokat was being prepped for flight by the runway crew. It was emblazoned with a red version of the Enforcer logo, gleaming brilliantly. The door to the runway opened and Chance and Jake come out dressed in their familiar blue and red flight suits, which sported the same Enforcer logo as the jet. They were maskless. Felina Feral greeted them, bringing them up to speed as they approach the jet, helmets tucked under their arms. Despite being unmasked, when on duty they were going to be known by their old SWAT Kat callsigns.
"What do we got?" asked T-Bone.
"A robbery in progress!" Felina said.
"Great," said Razor, cracking his knuckles. "That should really impress your uncle."
He and T-Bone plunked their helmets on and hopped in. The canopy slid shut. Felina and the Enforcer crew stepped back as the engines fired up, the Turbokat shooting off down the runway and flying into the air.
~*~
The First Bank of Megakat City was a large prestegious-looking building with turn-of-the-century style architecture. The day had started normal enough. Fussy middle-aged bank manager had told his assistant manager that he was leaving for lunch, when a group of armed kats had entered and swept him up by the arms, making him drop his briefcase. Two of them were carrying a large black case between themselves. The guard at the door tried to intervene, but was pistol-whipped by the obvious leader, Scarlatti, a handsome kat with short blonde hair wearing a business suit and tie in contrast to his henchmen's black bodysuits and tactical gear.
They'd dragged the manager and guard in, and Scarlatti closed the door, turning the sign to say "Closed." The customers and employees looked shocked, and Scarlatti yelled for everyone to get down. Everyone screamed and dropped, and the manager and the guard were made to lie down on the floor with everyone else. At one point, Scarlatti paused to dial a number of his mobile phone.
"Pickup in two minutes, and step on it," he said, and hung up.
One brave-looking teller eyed a nearby alarm, but stayed where she was. She and the others were being held at gunpoint by two of the robbers. Carrying their black case, the third and fourth robbers ran downstairs followed by the leader, Scarlatti. When no one was looking, the teller activated the silent alarm, praying that the Enforcers got there soon. In the underground vault, Scarlatti and his men rushed into a room with a massive metal vault door at the opposite end. A desk for a guard, unoccupied, was the only thing in the room. Working quickly, the robbers set their case down and opened it, removing and assembling a massive drill. As Scarlatti watched, they began drilling through the door.
"Hurry!" Scarlatti urged them impatiently. Despite himself, he was grinning. He knew there was no way the Enforcers could get there in time to prevent their escape, and last he'd heard, the SWAT Kats were out of commission. He'd been planning this robbery for months and there was no way he was going to get caught. Nevertheless, there was no sense dawdling.
The drill bored completely through the vault. Stuffing some plastic explosive into the hole, the three robbers dived behind the guard's desk. The plastic went off, annihilating the lock with a muted explosion. The door slowly creaked open, revealing stacks upon stacks of crisp money. Peeking out from behind the desk, Scarlatti grinned.
"It's like taking candy from a baby! Start gathering up everything you can carry!"
Back upstairs, the two robbers guarding the prisoners heard sirens approaching. They tensed, scanning the group, looking for the culprit who'd activated the silent alarm. They were unsure of what to do, looking at one another worriedly. Suddenly, their leader Scarlatti and their other two cohorts came rushing up from downstairs laden with bags of loot.
Hearing the sirens, Scarlatti snarled, "You idiots! You let one of them hit the alarm!" He sighed. "Nevermind, let's go! Our ride should be hear any moment!"
The five turned and hurried off.
Outside, Enforcer cruisers drove up, screeching to a halt. Getting out of his car, baton in hand, Commander Feral went to where several Enforcer commandos had erected a hasty barricade. "Report," he said.
"We're not certain of the situation just yet, Commander," said one of the commandos.
Feral scanned the skies. "And no sign of the new 'Radical Squadron.'" He grumbled, gesturing with his baton. "Well, we can handle this situation! Prepare a breach! There's innocent people in that bank that need rescuing!"
The commando saluted. Suddenly they heard the noise of approaching rotor blades and turn as a sleek black helicopter appeared overhead and flew over the top of the bank. The helicopter touched down on the roof. Scarlatti and the other four robbers emerged onto the rooftop and piled aboard. Scarlatti sat up front with the mean-looking pilot, two duffels of loot in his lap. His four henchmen were squeezed in back with all their bags of money. At a motion from Scarlatti, the pilot took off.
Feral and the commando he was talking to watched as the chopper lifted up and flew. Feral pulled out a walkie-talkie. "This is Commander Feral, requesting immediate chopper intercept at the First Bank of Megakat City!" He paused for a moment, considering, then added, "And the Radical Squadron if they're not too busy doing anything important!"
"Jeez, Feral," came Chance's voice over the radio, "keep your tail on! We're comin'!"
The Enforcers fired after the black helicopter, but it climbed rapidly in altitude and speed and was soon up and away between the skyscrapers. In the escaping chopper, the criminals are laughing joyously at their heist. "Sit back and enjoy the ride, gentlemen," jeered Scarlatti as he loosened his tie.
"Yeah," said the pilot, "we're home free!"
Scarlatti laughed, unable to contain his excitement. "I told you this was going to be easy! The Enforcers can't catch us, and the SWAT Kats are history! Megakat City belongs to the criminal element from now on!" The roar of powerful jet engines filled the air. Scarlatti tensed. "What the heck...?"
There was a shuddering jerk and the helicopter's rotor blades suddenly gave a whine of protest and stopped spinning, grinding to a halt. Something was tangled up in them. The chopper continued forward a few feet, then hung in midair for a couple of seconds. Then the robbers all screamed as the aircraft dropped.
"Pull up!" screamed Scarlatti.
"I can't!" whimpered the pilot. "The rotor blades are stuck!"
They fell like a stone. They were seconds from smashing into the street when the chopper jerked to a sudden halt and swung nose down so that it was dangling by the tail. Scarlatti and the pilot were smushed up against the windshield. Behind them, the other four robbers babbled and yelped as they were jostled against the backs of the front seats, money flying everywhere as they struggled to hold onto their loot. Suddenly, the chopper lifted up as if being raised by a crane. Scarlatti, gritting his teeth, managed to turn in his seat and look over his shoulder, up and back along the length of the helicopter. A Bola Missile was tangled in the rotor blades and the helicopter's tail was being held by the Sky Claw. He blinked and his eyes followed the line up to the hovering black and red fighter jet bearing a red version of the Enforcer logo hovering several feet above.
"The Turbokat!" he cried.
In the cockpit sat the maskless T-Bone and Razor. They looked down at the captured chopper.
"We were on these guys before we knew what hit 'em!" said Razor "What I wouldn't give to see the looks on their faces!"
"Or Feral's when we deliver our catch!" added T-Bone with a chuckle. "We btter set 'em down. I think all the blood's rushing to their heads by now."
The jet turned and set the helicopter down safely down in front of the approaching Enforcer cruisers which screeched to a halt. The Enforcers piled out and aimed their weapons at the robbers in the helicopter who all immediately surrendered. T-Bone hmms and checked a stopwatch.
"Mission accomplished, bad guys apprehended, and justice meted out, all in less than a minute."
Feral emerged from his car and walks over. He watched as the robbers were being pulled out of the helicopter and cuffed, then glowered at the SWAT Kats who grinned and wave at him cheesily. Razor popped the canopy so they can talk to Feral.
"Maybe Briggs was right about you two, but you'll have to do more than catch a few bank robbers to--"
He was cut off as Sergeant Talon came running up, walkie-talkie in hand. "Commander, we've got a Code 406 at a pizza parlor downtown!" He eyed the SWAT Kats. "A certain... slithery friend of ours has decided to order out."
"Well," said T-Bone, "surely stopping Dr. Viper will be a little more impressive, eh, Feral? Race ya there!"
Before Feral could reply, the canopy slid closed and the Turbokat rocket off.
~*~
The sky was gently sliding into a reddish-hued evening. At a local pizza parlor now far from the bank, a giant pizza monster was terrorizing several customers. The creature was an enormous slice of monstrous, living pizza with arms and legs. Dr. Viper was sitting at a patio dining table, a plate of anchovy pizza in front of him. As he ate the pizza and watched the monster wreck the place, he looked like someone in a movie theater. People ran this way and that in an effort to escape. Three Enforcer choppers fly into view, hovering over the vicinity.
"What is that?" asked King, sitting in the lead chopper.
"A giant slice of pizza, I'd say!" said his co-pilot, Burge, pointing out the obvious.
The monstrous food creature swatted the chopper down. Burge and King bailed out before the crashed aircraft explodes. The remaining vehicles turned and veered away. Viper laughed. The pizza monster grabs the down copter and began eating it hungrily. Burge and King fired at it uselessly with their sidearms, then turned and fled.
"Yesssssss! Eat, my pet!" Viper said in between bites of pizza. "Eat!" He burped and took another bite of pizza and continued talking with his mouth full. "And then we'll go to the chemical factory ssso that I can obtain the newessst shipment of Sssuper-Katalyssst B-46! Now that Dark Kat is out of the picture, Megakat City will be mine!"
He stopped as he heared the roar of jet engines and turned in mid-chew, one cheek bulged out, to see the new Turbokat come flying in low. In the cockpit, T-Bone and Razor in shock at the creature.
"I guess this place isn't open for business!" said T-Bone.
"Well, what say we cancel Viper's order...?" suggested Razor with a grin and a thumbs up.
He locked in on the beast. He pressed the firing mechanism, launching a missile, which sailed towards the monster. The missile flew over Viper's head, whooshing his hair wildly, and flew directly toward his creation. The SWAT Kats as Megakat City were no more, but the new versions of them, the Radical Squadron, would endure. The criminal element received a very harsh lesson that day that Megakat City was, as it always had been, protected.
The End.
