BLACKOUT
A Script by Kooshmeister
Based on the original episode outline written by Lance Falk.
LOGLINE: The worst storm in Megakat City's history provides a chaotic backdrop for the arrival of Blackout, a villain bent on stealing all the power stations in the city. The SWAT Kats have to race to stop him before Megakat City is blacked out... forever!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
EXT. THE SKY - EVENING
Roiling clouds, dark and heavy. It's twilight. A storm is coming. We PAN DOWN TO:
EXT. SALVAGE YARD - EVENING
We see the Megakat City skyline, favoring the salvage yard. The dark stormclouds can be seen in the background pressing down heavily over the distant skyscrapers. There's occasional flashes of lightning.
CHANCE
(O.S.)
Come on, Jake, let go of me...
Cut to CHANCE FURLONG and JAKE CLAWSON standing out by some scrap piles near the garage. The former is balling up his fists and gritting his teeth, while his friend has hold of his arms and is having a difficult time holding him back from attacking the nearby BURKE and MURRAY. The two duos stand facing one another and are having their usual "battle of wits."
CHANCE
...not a jury in the world would convict me!
Jake does his best to restrain his seething partner. He lets go of Chance's arms and places a calming hand on his shoulder. Tensing a bit, Chance turns and glares at him over his shoulder. Burke and Murray seem thrilled by Chance's anger.
JAKE
Them being jerks isn't enough of a reason to--
He's interrupted by a violent shockwave from underground. All four kats stop what they're doing and glance around in confusion.
CHANCE
Huh?
MURRAY
What the heck is that?
The ominous rumbling continues.
EXT. CITY STREET - EVENING
A random city street somewhere. The effect of the quake is felt. We see various CITIZENS looking around in fright and panic. Cars jump, alarms going off. The people scream. Suddenly, all the go lights out. Only the car headlights and the slowly dimming sky provide any further illumination. A fresh wave of startled cries erupt from the crowds.
EXT. SALVAGE YARD - EVENING
The lights go out here, too. The entire salvage yard is plunged into darkness. The garage and stacks of junk are just black silhouettes against the slowly dimming sky. The tremor abates. Everyone looks around in confusion. Burke lifts his cap up, letting us see his eyes. He squints.
BURKE
Hey! Who turned out the lights?
Walking over, Jake the peacemaker ushers Burke and Murray towards their dump truck.
JAKE
I dunno... but you guys better get along home.
MURRAY
(a little uncertain)
Okay.
Stopping by the truck, he turns and points at Jake.
MURRAY
(regaining confidence)
But this ain't over, Clawson!
They get into the truck, Murray at the wheel and his brother in the passenger seat. He points at Jake again.
MURRAY
We'll be back!
Their truck roars to rumbling life. Headlights flooding the immediate area in front of it, it drives off with a rattling growl. Turning, Chance and Jake walk into the garage. It's getting darker now and thunder begins to rumble off in the distance.
INT. GARAGE
Feeling their way along the parked tow truck in the darkness, the pair bump into various things before finding a pair of flashlights. Chance turns his on and shines it around. He then walks offscreen, followed by Jake.
INT. HANGAR
Chance stands at the bottom of the ladder leading down into the secret underground hangar. Jake, who still hasn't turned his flashlight on, climbs down after him. Reaching the bottom and stepping off the ladder, he turns his flashlight on and the two shines the bright beams around. They stab into the pitch darkness. Walking forwards, the two go through a door.
INT. HANGAR - POWER ROOM
This is a small side room we haven't seen before. It's the power room. In addition to the circuit breakers and other odds and ends, there's an emergency generator. Sticking his flashlight in his mouth, Jake kneels down and futzes with the generator. Chance stands behind him, shining his light over Jake's shoulder.
JAKE
(somewhat muffled)
Gotta get the emergency power going.
There's a click. The lights in the small room come on.
INT. HANGAR
The lights all come on.
INT. HANGAR - POWER ROOM
Standing, Jake removes his flashlight from his mouth.
JAKE
That did it.
Turning their flashlights off, they go back out into the main area of the hangar.
INT. HANGAR
Setting the flashlights aside, they approach the giant viewscreen on the wall (most notably seen in episodes such as "Night of the Dark Kat" and "Volcanus Erupts!"). They turn it on. We see ANN GORA standing in front of a huge gaping hole in the ground.
ANN
(on TV)
This is Ann Gora, Kat's Eye News, coming to you live from the epicenter of the recent disturbance! It's unbelievable!
The view on the screen changes. Now the cameraman is pointing his camera at the pit behind Ann. It's a wide shot. The big pit looks positively bottomless, especially in the growing darkness of the late evening.
ANN
(on TV, O.S.)
Behind me, you can see this enormous hole where the local power station has disappeared!
Chance and Jake turn and gawk at each other. They turn back around.
ANN
(on TV, O.S.)
That's right, folks! In its place is an enormous, seemingly bottomless pit!
Chance and Jake suddenly look determined.
JAKE
We gotta check this out!
CHANCE
Yeah, there's a Scaredy-Kat marathon on tonight and I ain't missin' it!
They rush to their lockers. A dramatic "suiting up" montage sees the two ordinary mechanics turn into the heroic SWAT Kats, T-BONE and RAZOR! They rush (bent down, butts up as in "The Pastmaster Always Rings Twice") to the Turbokat sitting on its hydraulic platform. Leaping dramatically into the air, they jump into the open cockpit. The canopy slams shut. The platform then raises the jet up and offscreen.
EXT. SALVAGE YARD - EVENING
It's practically night now. The secret opening slides up and the Turbokat flies out. Engines roaring, it flies towards the distant skyline of Megakat City.
EXT. MEGAKAT CITY - EVENING
The jet flies over the tops of buildings. They're on their way to the epicenter of the earthquake from earlier:
EXT. MEGAKAT POWER SUBSTATION - EVENING
Or rather, where the Megakat Power Substation used to be. Just as had been described on the news, there's a giant hole where the building used to be. The property is otherwise completely empty. Crowds of gawking citizens, barely held back by ENFORCER COMMANDOS and emergency "Do-Not-Cross" police type barricades, have gathered near the hole. Hundreds more ring the property on the opposite side of the chain link fence. Parked Enforcer cruisers sit everywhere, their rotating roof and fender lights bathing the gloomy, gray scene in flashes of dull red. Everything has an apocalyptic feeling to it.
Ann Gora and JONNY K. are among those being held back by the Enforcers. Ann stands at the edge of the hole, filmed by Jonny. Hearing the sound of approaching jet engines, Ann, Jonny, the Enforcers and other bystanders turn and look up as the Turbokat flies overheard... just as three strange-looking robot drones fly up out of the pit where the power station used to be. They make little "whizzing" sounds. Various people point and gawk at them as they fly upwards and take up a triangular position in the darkening sky.
The crowd looks confused and worried. Following Ann's pointing finger, Jonny swings his camera up and films the robots. Between them, the three drones project a mammoth viewscreen made of light. On it appears BLACKOUT, an armored, impressive and intentionally melodramatic villain. Below him, the crowd gasps. Jonny keeps filming.
T-Bone flies the Turbokat in a circular holding pattern over the property as Blackout begins speaking.
BLACKOUT
(on viewscreen)
Attention, Megakat City! My name is Blackout!
His voice is deep and menacing. He looks very proud of himself and gestures broadly.
BLACKOUT
(on viewscreen)
As you have no doubt deduced from my name, I am responsible for the disappearance of your precious Megakat Power Substation!
More gasping and concerned whispers from the crowd. The Enforcers look mad. Watching from the Turbokat's cockpit, the SWAT Kats aren't impressed.
T-BONE
Man, this guy's hammy. He makes Dark Kat look restrained.
RAZOR
Hammy or not, if he can do what he claims, then he's dangerous.
T-Bone nods, then glances back at his partner. Razor is already tap-tap-tapping at his controls.
T-BONE
Think you can get a fix on wherever that video is transmitting from?
RAZOR
(confident)
On it, T-Bone!
Above them, the giant projection of Blackout continues talking. His voice booms down. With the backdrop of the roiling stormclouds and occasional flashes of lightning and booms of thunder, he looks like an ancient and terrible Old Testament-style deity.
BLACKOUT
(on viewscreen)
I demand full political power over Megakat City!
Shot of the crowd below, looking up. Lots of bugged out eyes and open mouths. The cold light from the projection high above washes over them, bathing the group, making everyone look a sickly off-white color. The occasional red flashes from the Enforcer cruisers sweeping over the terrified bystanders, Enforcers and civilians alike, briefly turns everyone blood red with each pass they make.
BLACKOUT
(on viewscreen, O.S.)
Mayor Manx will step down or else I will continue to abscond with your city's power stations!
Another angle. This time from behind the crowd, looking up at the Blackout projection. Despite being big in the foreground compared to him, the assembled people look small and confused. It looks like the end of all things, apocaluptic and terrifying. Lightning arcs across the sky behind Blackout as he rants on.
BLACKOUT
(on viewscreen)
If I am disobeyed, I shall plung Megakat City into a neverending darkness from which it shall never emerge!
Closer shot of Blackout on the screen now. He starts and then smirks smugly, turning to look off to one side, seemingly at the Turbokat flying around the assembled drones.
BLACKOUT
(on viewscreen)
So, SWAT Kats, you thought to trace me back to my lair by piggybacking on this transmission's signal!
T-BONE
(gloomy)
Aw, crud...
Another shot of the screen as the Turbokat banks away, the crowd below all craning their necks.
BLACKOUT
(on viewscreen)
Now you'll die for your impudence! Remember, people of Megakat City - Manx steps down or else you'll suffer neverending darkness! Blackout... out!
He vanishes.
The screen breaks up as the drones turn and dive towards the Turbokat, firing green lasers. The Turbokat zooms off, being chased by the drones.
RAZOR
Let's see how these little guys like some my new and improved Banshee Missiles!
The Banshee Missiles are fired rearward. Their sonic shriek immediately destroys the first two drones. The onlookers - including the Enforcers - cheer. Razor dispatchers the third drone with a Match-Head Missile, blowing it into scrap. T-Bone flies over to the "bottomless" pit when suddenly a bright beam shoots and envelops the jet! The jet is seized and held in place by its mighty grip.
T-BONE
What the--?
T-Bone strains against the joystick. The jet won't budge. Razor looks concerned.
RAZOR
We're caught in some kind of gravity beam! This must be how Blackout grabbed the power station!
The Turbokat begins an uncontrollable spin into the gaping maw of the pit, still enveloped in the gravity beam.
RAZOR
(cont.)
He uses the beam to suck his targets underground!
T-BONE
Yeah, and it looks like we're about to get sucked underground ourselves...!
Ann, Jonny, the Enforcers and the other bystanders watch in horror as the Turbokat is inexorably pulled down deeper into the pit.
FADE OUT
END ACT ONE
ACT TWO
FADE IN
The Turbokat is still being dragged down by the tractor beam.
RAZOR
Deploy Bungee Grapples!
Half a dozen bungee cables deploy from every side of the Turbokat. They shoot into all sides of the pit. This causes the jet to "sproing" upwards and fly free of the gravity beam. There are relieved sighs and cheers from the crowd (Ann, Jonny and the Enforcers).
The beam shuts off. T-Bone flies the jet more steadily now as the bungee cables retract back into the fuselage.
The comm. in the cockpit beeps.
CALLIE
(over the radio)
SWAT Kats, come in!
T-Bone answers.
T-BONE
(into the radio)
If you're gonna tell us about the fact a power substation just got stolen, Ms. Briggs...
Over T-Bone's shoulder in the cockpit, looking down at the pit.
T-BONE
(into the radio, cont.)
...believe me, we already know.
CALLIE
(over the radio)
Yes and no. I need you guys to meet me at City Hall, quickly!
The jet zooms off towards City Hall in the distance. Lightning arcs down from the clouds as the storm begins.
T-BONE
Roger that, Ms. Briggs, we're on the way!
EXT. CITY HALL - NIGHT
Etablishing shot of City Hall.
INT. CITY HALL - CALLIE'S OFFICE
T-Bone and Razor stand in Callie Briggs' smallish office inside City Hall, talking to CALLIE BRIGGS. Also present is DR. ELLIOT KLIBAN, a somewhat nebbishy type in a lab coat with an Enforcer ID badge clipped to the lapel. Everyone is standing. Kliban has his hands in his pockets. He looks uneasy.
CALLIE
The city can't afford to lose more than one more power station before the whole city is plunged into total darkness!
Razor looks thoughtful. Behind him and T-Bone, we can see the storm outside the window. Lightning flashes.
RAZOR
Yeah, that Blackout guy said something similar.
Another shot, looking into the office through the window from outside. Raindrops pelt the glass.
RAZOR
The coming storm isn't gonna help the situation either!
Callie introduces Dr. Kliban. He frowns a little.
CALLIE
Guys, I want you to meet Elliot Kliban.
The SWAT Kats exchange glances. It's clear they don't think much of the lab-coated kat.
CALLIE
He's one of the Enforcers' top scientists and his scientific brilliance may be of help.
Clearing his throat, Kliban steps forward.
KLIBAN
I must warn emphatically about the danger of confronting Blackout directly. From what we've seen, he's a kat who controls gravity itself.
A confident-looking T-Bone and frowning Razor walk over.
T-BONE
No sweat, Doc. We broke free of his stupid gravity beam thing once, we can do it again.
T-Bone punches his fist into his open palm to illustrate.
T-BONE
All we gotta do is find his base, wherever that is, and then he's history.
Kliban looks doubtful. There's a flash of lightning and a boom of thunder.
INT. CITY HALL - MANX'S OFFICE
MAYOR MANX is pacing back and forth in front of his desk while COMMANDER FERAL stands nearby, baton in hand, looking angry. Evidently, the two are having a serious disagreement.
MANX
I've made a decision, Feral.
Feral looks at him, listening intently and not looking happy.
MANX
I'm going to give in to this Blackout character's demands. I'm stepping down as Mayor.
Feral is angry. He points at Manx, holding up his baton. Manx flinches back, toupee askew.
FERAL
(angry but trying to be encouraging)
Don't be so craven, Mayor! Give the Enforcers a chance to stop this techno-terrorist before you go running for the hills!
Manx looks out the window at the storm.
MANX
(sighs)
Oh, all right, Feral. I'll give you and your men a chance.
Turning, the Mayor points at Feral.
MANX
But you'd better succeed!
Behind them, the door opens and the SWAT Kats enter followed by Callie and Dr. Kliban. Close on Kliban.
KLIBAN
Mr. Mayor, I predict that Blackout's next target will be Megakat Power, the city's main power station...
Everyone looks surprised. Manx looks close to having a heart attack. T-Bone just scowls, while a suspicious Razor strokes his chin.
KLIBAN
(cont.)
...which powers both Enforcer Headquarters and City Hall.
RAZOR
How can you be so sure...?
Kliban smirks.
KLIBAN
It's the next logical target.
(shrugs)
Besides, it's what I would do.
Feral puts one hand appreciatively on Kliban's shoulder. The Enforcer scientist looks uncomfortable, his smirk vanishing.
FERAL
Good work, Doctor.
Shot lookin over Feral's shoulder behind him and Kliban. He's addressing Mayor Manx who stands with Callie and the SWAT Kats.
FERAL
Don't worry, Mr. Mayor! The Enforcers will prevent the Megakat Power Station from being stolen!
(whirls to the SWAT Kats)
And as for you two reckless hotshots, you stay out of this!
He stomps out of the room, followed by Kliban. The door slams. T-Bone turns to Callie. Razor looks impassive.
T-BONE
I don't care what Feral says, Ms. Briggs. We should be there.
Manx is apprehensive, nervous and sweating a bit, putting on his best cheesy smile.
MANX
W-Well, SWAT Kats, I admit I would feel a bit more comfortable if you two were there to, uh, assist the Enforcers.
(grins)
The more merrier, eh?
Callie smiles. Grinning, the two vigilantes rush out.
EXT. CITY HALL - NIGHT
Feral and Kliban exit the front of the building and walk towards Feral's personal cruiser, which sits parked by the curb. Kliban takes out and unfurls an umbrella, while Feral simply turns the collar of his greatcoat up against the rain. Sitting idling behind it are another (regular) cruiser and three open-topped Enforcer troop trucks, each loaded to bear with armed Enforcer commandos. They sit patiently in the downpour.
The Turbokat is sitting in the street as well (traffic has been blocked off).
Not minding the rain himself, Feral pauses to give the Turbokat a contemptuous glance, one hand on the door of his car. Behind him, Kliban now has the umbrella fully opened and stands with it over his (Kliban's) head.
Feral's got the car door open and is getting in when he realizes Kliban isn't coming. The Enforcer scientist lingers at the bottom of the steps, huddled up under his umbrella.
FERAL
(concerned)
Dr. Kliban?
Shot of Kliban at the bottom of the steps.
KLIBAN
Forgive me, Commander, but I have some urgent work to do back at Headquarters. I'll take a cab.
Kliban flags down a cab (see "Volcanus Erupts!"). Feral shrugs and gets into his car. His cruiser, the other Enforcer cruiser and the troop carriers drive off. Kliban's taxi remains at the curb (he's already gotten in).
T-Bone and Razor come out next. They watch as the taxi pulls away with Kliban in the back seat.
RAZOR
(musing)
I wanna know how Doc Kliban knows so much about this Blackout guy will or won't do...
T-Bone shrugs.
T-BONE
He's a scientist. They tend to be smart guys.
RAZOR
Yeah, but he said it's what he would do. That didn't strike you, as, I dunno... ominous?
T-Bone, turning, blinking.
T-BONE
Come on, Razor, he's an Enforcer. The only Enforcer who's bad news is Steel, and Feral's keepin' him out of this whole mess. Holdin' down the fort at Enforcer Headquarters. Not even he can screen that up.
Frowning as he passes a wooden bench, he knocks the back of it.
T-BONE
Knock on wood...
(chuckles, brightening)
Come on, I know what you're thinkin', and if Dr. Kliban's working with Blackout, then I'm Scaredy-Kat!
RAZOR
And you know this how...? You've known him for less than five minutes.
T-BONE
(bragging)
Among my many talents is that I'm a terrific judge of character!
RAZOR
(smirks)
Uh-huh.
They hop into the Turbokat and take off.
EXT. SKIES OVER MEGAKAT CITY - NIGHT
The Turbokat flies dramatically over the buildings the power station in the distance.
RAZOR
(O.S.)
Let's hope Kliban predicted Blackout's next target correctly.
EXT. MEGAKAT POWER - NIGHT
The main Megakat Power building is a huge building with a big neon sign that reads "Megakat Power" perched on the roof. It sits by itself in the middle of a huge fenced-in lot. The parking lot is empty save for the Enforcer vehicles we saw leaving City Hall earlier. As the Turbokat flies overhead, the SWAT Kats glance down at the assembled authorities.
T-BONE
Yeah, otherwise poor Feral's gonna catch a case of the sniffles standin' out in the rain for nothin'.
For his part, Feral ignores the Turbokat. He's holding a rocket launcher cradled in the crook of his arm, barrel down so water doesn't get in the barrel. One of the commandos, we see, has Feral's baton and is holding on to it for him. He and his assembled commandos endure the heavy downpour as they stand guard around the station. There's so much rain coming down now, in fact, that the Enforcers are ankle-deep in water!
FERAL
(to a commando)
Are all the station personnel evacuated to safety?
ENFORCER COMMANDO
(sounding miserable)
Yes sir!
FERAL
(nods)
Good.
(smirks)
No way this "Blackout" character can get past us. Just let him try his "pull-the-building-under-the-ground" trick again and we'll give him a nasty surprise.
He hefts his rocket launcher for emphasis. He spares the Turbokat a glance.
FERAL
(grumbling)
Great. The SWAT Kats. Oh well. The minor assistance they'll provide won't get any complaints from me.
His men murmur amongst themselves.
FERAL
At least, just this once.
In the Turbokat:
T-BONE
Okay, so, now what?
RAZOR
We wait. Like them. It's all we can do. If this Kliban guy's right, then--
There's a deep rumbling sound. In the power station parking lot, the Enforcers struggle to maintain their balance as the entire area is rocked violently. Suddenly, the entire building begins sinking down into the earth as if into quicksand. The powerlines snaking out from it to the transformer towers stretch taut, threating to snap; electricity sizzles along their lengths, noisily and visibly. Feral gasps.
FERAL
What in the world--?!
The ground around the base of the building shatters and the tall electrical towers are yanked free of their moorings, the powerlines snapping with loud "twangs." They whip around and nearly decapitate the assembled Enforcers, who have to throw themselves to the soaked earth to avoid getting the tops of their heads knocked off. Their parked vehicles around as lucky; the cruisers and trucks all get turned into convertibles as the steel cables slice off the roofs of the cruisers and truck cabs.
Feral rises to his knees, dripping wet and very angry.
FERAL
Ugh, how undignified...!
The SWAT Kats, watching from their jet, are shocked.
RAZOR
Yow!
T-BONE
Whoa, I'll say! Feral and his boys almost got their tops popped! This Blackout guy isn't pulling any punches!
As the jet zooms by overhead, Feral and his men, getting up, have to jump aside as one of the falling towers tilts towards them and slams down, crushing the fence separating the Megakat Power property from the street with a mighty splash. Some of the live wires hit the parked Enforcer cruisers, including Feral's, and kaboom! They explode.
T-BONE
Okay, I don't like Feral, but I'm not gonna just sit by and let him get squished. The heck with Kliban's warnings!
He pilots the jet downwards.
RAZOR
No disagreement here! Launching Limpet Missile!
He fires two Limpet Missiles ("Cry Turmoil"), which grab another falling electrical tower as it topples towards the startled Enforcers. They duck and flinch, but the missiles knock the tower away and preventing it from landing on them.
Feral starts shaking a fist up at his rivals out of habit, but it turns into a grudging wave of thanks. Feral looks at his hand as though it's betrayed him, then gives a dismissive gesture to the vigilantes. His way of saying thanks. He and his men then hurry away to safety.
T-BONE
Okay, buddy. The Enforcers made it and they're scramblin' to safety.
(turns to his left)
Holy kats...!
He and Razor watch Megakat Power continues to sink rumbling out of site until there's just a gaping hole. T-Bone flies over to it. Looking down, all he and Razor can see is darkness.
RAZOR
The speed with which Blackout steals the buildings is incredible...!
T-BONE
We can admire the bad guy's efficiency later. After I get my hands on him and punch him a few times.
The Turbokat swoops around. The last few powerlines still attached to the now entirely sunken out of sight power station, sizzling and sparking, slip away into the darkness and are gone. Water from the flooded parking lot flows over the newly created cliff edges. T-Bone points the jet towards the newly-formed pit and dives into the abyss.
RAZOR
(yelling)
T-Bone, are you so sure this is such a great idea? We have no idea what's down there!
T-BONE
Exactly! And we won't unless we actually go down and take a look, now, will we?
He grins over his shoulder as though daring Razor to challenge his logic. Razor just sighs and shakes his head.
RAZOR
Fine, but if we get caught, or if the Turbokat gets damaged...
INT. "BOTTOMLESS" PIT - NIGHT
The jet zooms down into the unknown at full throttle.
RAZOR
(cont.)
...Blackout's not the only ones who's gettin' slugged.
T-BONE
Hey, if if that happens, you don't need to worry.
(snorts)
I'll punch myself!
The jet corkscrews downwards, being yanked along by the still active gravity beam. The pit really does seem to be bottomless at first. As the dim light from up above fades, leaving the illumination from the cockpit control panels as the only light source (the SWAT Kats are dramatically, eerily underlit by them), T-Bone flips a switch on his control panel, activating some bright spotlights which extend from the jet's fuselage on either side of the nose cone.
T-BONE
Activating control lights. Let's see what we can see.
RAZOR
(consulting his instruments)
Jeez, we're half a mile down already!
T-Bone nods in the dark and dimly-lit cockpit, but doesn't respond, focusing on flying, ready to pull up (or try to) the moment he sees some sort of bottom to the pit or some other obstacle, retaining an iron-like control over the screaming, diving jet. Suddenly, below, he sees something. It's the sinking Megakat Power building!
T-BONE
Razor, look! The power station! We caught up to it!
Suddenly, a pair of mammoth doors close sideways over the top of the stolen building, shutting with a boom that echoes up the walls of the pit. The SWAT Kats gasp. At first it seems as though the Turbokat will slam into the doors, but them closing does have a fortunate side effect for the vigilantes in that it terminates the gravity beam, freeing them.
T-Bone yanks back on the control stick and pulls the Turbokat out of its wild dive seconds before he and Razor would've smashed into the now sealed doors. He circles above them, doing his best to maneuver around the pit bottom, which is wide but not really wide enough to provide room for him to properly fly the jet.
T-BONE
Not much room down here. I'm gonna land.
Razor nods. In VTOL mode, the Turbokat resumes its descent, slower this time, and makes a gentle vertical landing on the doors as though they're a landing platform.
INT. BLACKOUT'S LAIR - CONTROL CENTER
We can't see much of this room at first. Just a high-backed chair placed in front of a huge bank of control panels and an even bigger viewscreen. Someone (Blackout) is sitting in the chair, although we can only see his arm on the arm rest a la Dr. Claw. We know it's Blackout because the distinctive helmet he was wearing when he we saw him earlier is sitting within easy reach of his one visible hand on the console.
On the screen, he can see the arriving Turbokat. He isn't happy.
BLACKOUT
(to himself)
So, SWAT Kats, you made it down here alive.
(chuckles)
Well, I'll make sure you leave dead!
The hand on the arm rest raises and presses a button.
INT. "BOTTOMLESS" PIT - NIGHT
Just as the Turbokat has finished landing and the heroes are preparing to get out, a second set of doors closes above them, trapping them between the two sets of doors.
T-BONE
Aw, crud!
He switches off the jet's nose cone lights, and, opening the canopy, he and Razor get out, activating first their helmets' triangular headlamps, and, when those don't illuminate as much as they'd like, they switch those off and flip down their helmets' infra-red night vision visors.
Razor consults a gadget on his Glovatrix.
RAZOR
We're over a mile underground now.
(turning to T-Bone)
Activate blowtorches and we'll cut our way through these doors!
T-BONE
Affirmative!
The blowtorches extend from their Glovatrixes. Working together, the two cut a big circular hole in the doors they're standing on. The edges glowing bright red and slowly cool to a dull orange, and the cut apart circular section of metal falls away and lands noisily with a distant clang.
T-BONE
(gesturing to the hole)
After you, Sureshot.
Nodding, Razor hops down. T-Bone jumps down after him.
INT. BLACKOUT'S LAIR - HUGE CAVERN "JUNKYARD"
The vigilantes land in a vast natural cavern, which we see is filled with the debris of the stolen Megakat Power Station, as well as the substation from before. Underneath them, and apparently undamaged, is the gravity weapon that pulled them down here. Though the buildings themselves have been wrecked and reduced to crumbling ruins by the impact of their landing. The SWAT Kats explore around a bit.
T-BONE
(indicating the power stations)
I don't thing we're gonna be able to get these things back to the surface...
RAZOR
Yeah. And even if we could, look at the state they're in!
T-BONE
Wrecked beyond repair.
(sighs)
I sure hope Megakat Power's got supervillain attacks listed as one of the things they're covered for in their disaster insurance.
RAZOR
In Megakat City? Probably. Come on.
They walk around a bit, then find a tunnel leading off the main cavern.
RAZOR
I think we should do a little recon work.
Nodding, T-Bone starts off thattaway, but Razor grabs his arm.
RAZOR
But I advise not going on foot. Wait here.
He rushes off. T-Bone watches him go.
INT. BLACKOUT'S LAIR - TUNNEL
The SWAT Kats drive down the Carlsbad Cavern-like tunnel using a version of the Cyclotron that has a sidecar. T-Bone sits on the motorcycle itself while Razor is in the sidecar.
T-BONE
This place goes on forever! Anything on the Kat Tracker...?
Razor consults the device, which is built into his Glovatrix.
RAZOR
Yeah, just one person. Probably Blackout.
T-BONE
Just one person? You'd think a melodramatic megalomaniac like Blackout would have an entire army of thugs, goons and hitmen. Isn't that a little odd?
RAZOR
Maybe he couldn't find anyone to work for him. But I wonder why?
(sighs)
But don't get too overconfident. Just because he's the only kat down here doesn't mean this place is undefended. Especially if everything's automated like those drones from earlier.
T-Bone groans.
T-BONE
Wonderful. More robots.
RAZOR
But yeah, it is a little odd it's apparently just him down here with nobody else workin' for him.
The cave path ahead leads to a brightly lit metal hallway. Slowing a bit, T-Bone drives into it.
INT. BLACKOUT'S LAIR - HIGH-TECH METAL CORRDIDOR
The gleaming metal tunnel leads straight ahead.
RAZOR
You know, I was thinking--
Suddenly, some automatic defenses attack! Panels in the walls slide in and up and various weapons appear and begin firing at the intruders.
RAZOR
Crud! I hate being right!
