Ni-hao! This is 'Hypocrisy', part of the Arcana Saga.

Feral and Callie are drawn closer for a brief moment, only to have it shattered. The vigilante singing group Jem arrives on the scene to stop Lokii. The
SWAT Kats and Callie are surprised to find out that Feral doesn't mind Jem in the city at all. But why the hatred of the SWAT Kats? Also, Jake gets an unexpected phone call.

Author's note: The name Jem comes from the cartoon, Jem. They use the same mechanics(holograms), too. Check my FAQ for more information.

As always, any question or comments to AkaneKitty@aol.com, or drop a line in my review section at Fanfiction.net. Enjoy!

Ja ne,
AkaneKitty

***********************************
The Arcana Saga:
Hypocrisy
***********************************


"Phew! What a day!" Chance exhales as he takes off his g-suit.

"You're telling me," Jake puts his helmet in his locker.

"We've got a spirit that's crazier than MadKat running around out there, a Deputy Mayor that's suddenly wants to keep in touch, and an elusive
Commander."

"Will you get off your kick about Callie?" Jake says as he steps into his working clothes. "That spirit is succeeding in tricking you!"

"Who says it was a trick? Maybe she's confronting us with our own truth."  Chance slams his locker shut, hard.

"Why is it bothering you?" Jake asks. "What did Lokii say that struck a nerve?"

" 'Squires to the Knight.'" Chance repeats, looking at Jake. "In Lokii's words, we are not Callie's Knights. We are squires to her Knight."

"Then who is her Knight?" Jake muses, thinking over it. "MadKat said that Feral is the Knight."

"Feral? Are you kidding?" Chance laughs, shaking his head. "I'd serious doubt that! Callie wouldn't give him the time of day!"

"Then who else . . ." Jake starts, but the telephone upstairs starts to ring.  "You heading up?"

"Nah. I want to tweak the throttle," Chance says, looking at the TurboKat.

"All right. See you in a while."

As Jake starts up the metal ladder, the phone entered into its fifth ring.  "Our work is never done." Jake mumbles, taking off in a sprint after climbing the ladder.

"MegaKat Salvage Yard." Jake says breathlessly, catching it after the eighth ring.

"Jakey-chan?"

Jake freezes. That voice. That musical, sweet voice that he had left behind all those years ago.

"Hello? Anyone there?" The voice says after awhile.

"This is Jake," Jake says after the pause.

"Jakey-chan! It's good to her your voice again!" The voice rose in pitch.

"It's nice to hear from you again, Phoebe." Jake replies, visualizing the she-kat on the other end of the line.

Phoebe purrs. "Me, too."

"What do I owe the pleasure?"

"Your mom thought it might be a good idea for me to call you and say we're in the city," Phoebe says.

"I know. I saw Dad at the museum."

"We're staying at the Rose Terrace Hotel." Phoebe continues. "I wish you can find the time to stop by."

"How long is Dad staying here?" Jake asks.

"I don't know. He's here on assignment, that's all I know." Phoebe pauses.

"Nani?" Jake asks after the pause.

"I really miss you." Phoebe says quietly.

Jake cradles the phone between his ear and shoulder. "I'll find the time to stop by."

"Really?"

"Hai." Jake hears footsteps up the ladder. "I've got to go. I'll see you later, all right?"

"Okay. Bye, Jakey-chan." The line clicks and goes dead.

"Who was that on the phone?" Chance asks, stepping into their 'living room'.

"A kat trying to sell something. Took me forever to get them off the phone." Jake hangs up the phone.

"You're not being forceful enough. Just hang up the phone when you get into their pitch, all right?"

Jake smiles. "I'll remember that."

**************************************

"So, are you having a mid life crisis, Feral?"

"Why do you say that?"

"I don't know. . .Maybe it's this speedy, flashy car you're driving."

"It's not flashy! Speedy, yes."

Feral was driving his newly purchased convertible, top down. He liked having his hair blow in the breeze. Callie was in the passenger seat besides him,
and Ascott was in the backseat.

"And I wish you'd call me Ulysses. Or U-kun. Remember our rule?" Feral downshifts his car. "Feral is all right when I'm in my official capacity."

"But we haven't did that in ages. . ." Callie says quietly.

"Which is exactly my point." Feral says. "Feral is good when I'm on the job."

"Which is 90% of the time." Ascott chimes in from the back seat. "And don't forget to pick up my wife! We're staying at the Rose Terrace."

"Yeah, yeah." Feral growls.

"Have you known 'Ulysses' long, Ascott?" Callie asks the smaller kat.

"For over twenty years." Ascott says fondly. "We meet in high school."

"Was he stubborn then, too?"

"Nah. He grew into his stubbornness."

"Shut up!" Feral tosses behind his shoulder.

"What I'd tell you?" Ascott laughs.

"By the way, who's footing the bill for your stay?" Feral glances in his rear view mirror.

"Top brass." Ascott grins. "I'm finally of high enough rank to stay in four star hotels."

After a while, Feral finally pulls into Rose Terrace Hotel's circular drive.  The hotel was one of the nicest the city had to offer. Standing in the alcove,
waiting, was a slender, raven haired she-hat. Her hair was in a tight braid down the middle of her head and down her back. She wore elaborate eye makeup, showing her status as a married Draconian. Feral honks his horn.

"Hello, Hitomi!" Feral calls out to her.

"Uly! It's good to see you again!" Hitomi reaches over the driver's door to give Feral a quick peck on the check. She then opens the back door and climbs in.

"Calico, meet my lovely wife, Hitomi. Hitomi, this is Deputy Mayor Calico Briggs," Ascott says as his wife settles in.

"Pleased to meet you," Callie says.

"Same here." Hitomi pushes her husband over to get a better seat. "So, what are we eating tonight?"

"They were arguing that for a good five minutes before we even got into the car," Callie explains.

"Then I'll decide. There's a nice Siamese food restaurant on the north side of the city," Hitomi says. "We could go there."

"I love it when she takes over things," Ascott murmurs.

*****************************

"The mischief spirit is growing in power. Something big will happen soon."

Kia Fleur adjusts her star shaped earrings in her car's rear view mirror, watching the city of Tokata slowly fade into the horizon.

"And we're out of one Commander's hair into another."

"Isn't that the truth." Lori Slyver, sitting in the passenger seat, runs her paw through her short, brown hair. "Hopefully we won't rile this one up."

"It'll be all right if we stay out his way." Kia says to her. "Besides, his father owns stock in Starkiss Records, remember?"

"But why should that matter? If he's anything like Mifurr, he won't like any interference." Lori huffs.

"You're always so negative, Lori." Megumi Nolan says quietly from the back seat, rubbing her emerald pendant between her paws. "So let's not worry
about the Commander right now, okay?"

"Okay." Lori crosses her arms.

"Reading anything, Meg?" Kia asks the small she-kat.

"Lokii is acting erratically." Meg closes her eyes in concentration. "I can't take hold to any pattern."

"When she acts like that, something defiantly is going down." Lori stares out the window. "But what? Meg usually comes up with the pattern."

"There may be no pattern right now." Meg drops her pendent back to it resting place inside her shirt. "She might be still developing it."

Kia sighs, watching a sign announcing MegaKat City's limits. "It's almost time for Jem. Hope we can pull this off."

"Haven't we always?" Lori laughs. "As Jem, we can do anything!"

"You got that. . ." Kia starts, but then the car starts to lurch. "Uh, oh."

"What do you mean, 'Uh, oh'?" Lori says, clutching the dash.

The car lurches again, and sputters to a stop. Kia manages to coast it to the side of the road.

"I told you we should have done this as Jem!" Lori snaps, jumping out of the car a second after Kia. "We could have avoided this!"

"And how realistic for us to still be in Tokata and Jem show up here? We're college students, remember?" Kia lifts the hood of the car. White smoke pours out.

"There goes part of our cover." Meg finally steps out of the car. "What now?"

Kia glances around. There was a building in the nearby in what appeared to be a junkyard.

"Maybe we can use the phone there," Kia points towards the building.

"Are you serious?" Lori asks.

"Do you see another choice?"

"No. . ."

"Well, then." Kia grabs her purse from the car. "Let's go."

***************************

"Jake, what are you watching?" Chance enters the room with two cans of milk, one of which he tosses to his partner.

"A new channel. Apparently the influx of western kats and she-kats was enough to create it." Jake, lounging in a chair, pops the top of the can.

Chance drags a chair up to the television and sits in it, backwards. "What are they saying?"

" 'You are watching Orion T.V.'" Jake translates. "Station ID."

An image of three she-kats pops up the screen. Hair in identifying multiple colors, they start to sing a song. Two where playing guitars, the other playing a type of mobile keyboard.

Jake starts to nod to the beat. "Catchy tune."

"They're cute, even though I don't know what they're singing." Chance finishes of his drink. "What's their name?"

"Jem. At least that's what I think I heard."

"You know, they dress like vigilantes." Chance turns his attention back to the TV.

"Maybe that's the look now. We Westerners follow trends a lot."

"That closely?"

"Uh, huh." Jake nods. "Character. . ."

"Hello? Anyone here?"

Chance snaps his head up. "Huh?"

"There someone up front." Jake stands up.

Three she-kat silhouettes appear in the door frame. The apparent leader, a brunette, steps forward.

"Gomen. May we use your phone? Our car broke down."

**************************

"I'm growing tired of this game, Lokii."

"Oh, really? You've been in that box for a thousand years and suddenly you have a concept of time?"

Lokii was hovering above the city, with the kat-in-the-box on a nearby skyscraper. The spirit takes a glance around the city before her eyes come to rest on City Hall.

"Ah. The Queen's Palace." Lokii grins, twirling about. "That's a good place to start."

"Start what? You're giving me a headache." Greymalkin bouncing slows.  Lokii smiles at her friend.

"The longer the Squires are away from their Queen, the more the Queen can depend on her Knight." Lokii grabs the kat-in-box. "Now it's time for a little show. . ."

***************************

"Great dinner choice, Hitomi." Feral plunges his chopsticks into the last of his chow mien, twirling it a bit.

"Thank you. I figured it would be a good compromise." Hitomi sets her silverware across her plate.

Feral, Callie, Ascott, and Hitomi were sitting in a quiet part of the Siamese restaurant, The Onyx Dragon. A waiter stopped by with the check, as well as fortune cookies. Feral reaches for the check.

"Feeling generous?" Ascott asks his friend.

"I can afford it." Feral reaches into his pocket.

"By using the Enforcer's expense account?" Callie takes a fortune cookie out of its wrapper.

"You know me better than that."

"Just satisfying my curiosity." Callie breaks open her fortune cookie and extracts the small slip of paper.

"'Someday, your Dream will come true.'"

"My dream?" Callie thinks. "Or, my Knight. . ."

"Anything good?" Hitomi asks, breaking her own fortune cookie.

"Hai. Very good." Callie slips the paper into her purse.

************************

"Well, it doesn't look too bad."

Chance removes his head from under the hood of the car he and Jake just towed in. Jake hands Chance a rag.

"Why'd you hand me this?"

Jake shrugs. "Just thought you needed it.

"Anyways, it shouldn't be to hard to fix. It won't take long." Chance wipes his paws with the rag.

"Thank goodness." Kia sighs. "I feared we might be stuck."

"Thanks to you." Lori mumbles.

"I don't see *you* maintaining the car everyday!"

"Excuse me?"

Meg looks them over and sighs. She turns to Jake and Chance. "Ignore them."

"So, why are you in town?" Chance asks while Jake picks up a wrench.

"We're college students. We're transferring to MegaKat University," Meg answers.

"College, huh? Isn't it a bit late to be moving?" Chance joins Jake under the hood.

"We didn't finish our last class until late," Kia speaks up, tired of her argument with Lori.

"Besides, we wanted to get here as soon as possible," Lori adds.

"I see. . ." Chance directs his attention back towards the car.

Kia leans over towards Lori. "Isn't the yellow one cute?"

"Sure," Lori whispers back. "But why does a mechanic interest you?"

"What's wrong with a mechanic if he's cute?" Kia shrugs.

"I don't know. . ."

"All done!" Chance slams the hood shut after Jake extracts himself.

"Great!" Kia stands up, grabbing her purse. "So, how much do I owe you?"

Chance shrugs. "Nothing. It's on us."

"Really?"

"Really." Jake wipes his paws. "Just be kind to your car, okay?"

"Okay."

A sudden burst of light from the outside interrupts anything else Kia was going to say.

"What the. . ." Chance and everyone else scrambles to the outside.

"Fireworks?" Lori asks. "Were there any celebrations planned?"

"At this time of night?" Kia replies.

Jake moves over to Chance's side and lowers his voice. "This doesn't look right. Maybe we should check it out."

"Roger that," Chance whispers back.

Meg, on the other hand, feels her pendent grow warm. She pinches Kia.

"Ouch! Why'd you do that. . ." Kia starts, but notices Meg's expression.  "Uh. . .Well, guys, we should hit the road."

"We have classes early in the morning," Meg adds, pushing Lori back inside the garage.

"Thank you so much for fixing our car!" Kia turns to Chance. "I hope to see you again, soon."

"Likewise," Chance says, watching the she-kats climb into the car. "Take care!"

Jake and Chance watch the she-kats go, allowing a reasonable amount of time to lapse before running to the hanger.

"It's gotta be Lokii." Jake beats Chance to the stairs. "Who else would use fireworks?"

"MadKat?" Chance finally makes it to his locker. "But he's been gone for a while now. I wonder if there's a connection."

"Maybe. But we can think about that when we finish checking out those fireworks." Jake steps into his g-suit. "Let's go!"

*******************************************************

"Are we clear?" Kia asks, maintaining her line of sight on the city's skyline.

"Yep." Lori takes another quick peek around to see if any cars had shown up on the road. "All clear."

"Great." Kia takes on paw from the steering wheel and touches her earrings. "It's Showtime!"

********************************************************

"Well, Bro, I think Hitomi and I will take a taxi to our hotel."

Feral, Callie, Ascott, and Hitomi were finally walking out the Onyx Dragon. Hitomi links her arm through her husband's.

"You sure?" Feral asks.

"Hai. It's no problem," Hitomi replies. "And, besides, don't you have to take Briggs-san to City Hall? We would just be taking you out your way."

"All right. Talk to me tomorrow, okay?" Feral says to Ascott.

"Sure."

"It was pleasure meeting you both." Callie bows towards the Clawsons. "I hope to see you soon."

Hitomi returns Callie's bow. "I'm sure you will."

Ascott watches Feral as he drives off in his car. Hitomi tightens her grasp.

"Your helping him, aren't you?" Hitomi says softly.

"Mmm, hmm."

"Shouldn't things like that happen naturally?"

"Who says it hasn't?" Ascott shrugs. "I would think I'm speeding things up a bit."

"Why?"

"Because maybe it will get our son back faster ." Ascott replies. "Come on.  Let's call that cab."

********************************************************

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing!"

High atop City Hall, the SWAT Kats take quick glances around. The fireworks had stopped, and there was nothing but stillness. T-Bone pounds his fist into his open paw in frustration.

"We went through all the trouble of rappelling from another rooftop to avoid being seen for this?"

"This is too weird. As soon as we got up here, the fireworks stop." Razor starts to pace. "I feel we're stepping into a trap of sorts."

"Like what?" T-Bone looks at the sky. It was a clear night.

"Like showing you what you don't want to see. Like the truth."

Razor and T-Bone look up to see Lokii hovering above them, laughing.

"You!"

"Yes, me." Lokii continues to laugh, which raises the SWAT Kats ire.  "Hello again, Squires to the Knight."

"Who is this Knight?" T-Bone finally asks the spirit, who shifts into a sitting position.

"You'll find out as soon as you take your blinders off." Lokii replies, smiling.

"Blinders?" Razor asks.

"Yes." Lokii takes out her Tarot Cards. "Why can't you see that you're in the way?"

"Huh? How are we in the way?" T-Bone asks.

"You're in the way of what's meant to be." Lokii smiles, drawing the Tower Card. "You're delaying the inevitable."

"Which is?"

Lokii narrows her eyes, her smile growing broader. "The Queen will find her Knight and abandon you."

"Wha. . ." T-Bone looks visibly shaken.

"T-Bone, don't listen to her!" Razor calls to his partner.

"There go those blinders again." Lokii floats down to the SWAT Kats level. "And, after all the time you've spent protecting her. It's a sad fate, really.
But, after all, you're just the Knight's Squi. . ."

A flash of light cuts across Lokii's arm, leaving behind a large burn. Lokii drops her Tarot cards to clasp her wound. "You again! How surprising!"

The SWAT Kats look behind them to see three she-kats appear on the roof, guns drawn.

"You're not getting away from us this time, Lokii!" The purple haired one, the apparent leader, calls to the Spirit.

"But, I've already have." Lokii grins, releasing her arm from her wound.  "Confection!"

"Watch out!" the green haired one shouts, a moment too late. A storm of confetti swirls around the rooftop, forcing everyone to back up a few steps. Lokii takes to the air again.

"Until next time, Squires to the Knight!" Lokii disappears, laughing. The storm disappears as soon as it starts.

"Damn it! Why couldn't we see that one coming!" The blue haired one stomps her foot. "We nearly had her!"

"Not really." The purple haired one shrugs. "She was probably planning on booking it a soon as she said we she wanted to. . ." She looks over to the kats that were already on the roof. The smaller kat was shaking the bigger one.

"T-Bone, snap out of it!" Razor says, shaking T-Bone via his uniform.  "You can't believe a word of what that spirit had to say!"

"Why not!" T-Bone jerks back from Razor violently. "The signs are all there!"

"You're reading in to it too much!" Razor crosses his arms.

"Who's the one with the blinders on!" T-Bone challenges.

"It might be wise to listen to your friends advice. Lokii notorious from these types of tactics."

T-Bone focuses on the purple haired one that had fired the shot. "And you are?"

"We're Jem. I'm Garnet." The purple haired one holsters her gun. "The one with the blue hair is Sapphire, and the green haired one is Jade."

"We don't mean to intrude on your territory." Garnet continues. "All we're after is Lokii."

"Wait a minute." Razor looks them over. "Your that singing group, aren't you?"

"Hai. It provides good cover." Garnet replies.

"Why shouldn't we believe what Lokii says?" T-Bone asks.

"Because, she only tells you what you want to hear." Jade speaks up, rubbing her emerald pendant. "It may be the truth, or the stretched truth."

"I told you." Razor says to T-Bone.

"It still doesn't convince. . ." T-Bone hears the roof access door click and turns around.

"Whoa. What happened here?" Callie steps through the roof access door and looks around. She sees the SWAT Kats. "Guys?"

"Ms. Briggs?" T-Bone looks behind her. "What the. . ."

"Feral?" Razor finishes.

"I'll take it as a good sign that I can still get that reaction." Feral almost smiles, running his paw through his hair as he looks around. "Was there parade up
here or what?"

"Just a run in with a mischievous spirit." Garnet speaks up, which draws Callie's attention.

"Who are you?" Callie asks.

"Jem." Feral answers.

"How do you know that?" Callie asks him.

"My family owns stock in their record company." Feral shrugs, turning his attention to Garnet. "I assume that you're here to stop Lokii?"

"Hai, Commander-sama." Garnet nods.

"Very well." Feral starts to walk to the access door. "Just don't cause any more damage than our regular pair."

"What's that's supposed to mean?" T-Bone challenges.

"It means I don't care have to worry about them causing damage," Feral says nonchalantly. "But, you. . .I worry about."

"Why us? I thought you hated all vigilantes. Period." Razor asks.

Feral narrows his eyes. "I never said I hated vigilantes. I just hate you!"

"Why?" Callie asks quietly.

Feral is silent for a moment. "I have my reasons. But I will tell you this." He turns back to the SWAT Kats. "You're an obstacle that's in my way."

"Ms. Briggs, I do hope you enjoyed dinner." Feral rests his paw on the door. "I will see you soon."

"'Ms. Briggs'? But, what happened to. . .." Callie starts to say, but Feral already left. ". . .Calico."