Title: Venom of the Viper
Author: Kimberly C.
E-mail address: kimmi_beth_2006@yahoo.com
Date: 7/1/07
Rating: Teen
Warnings: Character torture (Razor/Jake Clawson), Strong Language, Violence [in later chapters]

Summary: After becoming the unwilling test subject to one of Dr. Viper's agonizing "experiments", Jake/Razor becomes deathly ill and is thrown into things he'd never expected...

Author’s Note: I guess you can call this story a ‘spur of the moment’ fic, because it’s just that… But, now I have the storyline planned out, and I’m in the process of fleshing it all out. Though Chapter 1 doesn’t exactly fill you in on the whole background story, yet, it will be revealed throughout the upcoming chapters… Hope you enjoy the story so far!!!

EDIT: July 31st, 2008: I’m currently resurfacing Chapters 1-7, due to a fair amount of grammar errors that I unbelievably allowed myself to use. How stupid can I be? So, not only did I fix the errors, but I also added some more details to the earlier chapters.

Isn’t life just grand?

- Kimberly C.

Disclaimer: All concepts (Characters, Places, etc.) pertaining from "SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron," are (c) to Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc and are used without permission.

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Chapter 1: Symptoms of Torture

“I’m sick…”

And I know I’m right; whatever that psycho did to me at MegaKat Biochemical is finally taking its effects as I look down at my trembling hands, then to the curious eyes before me, “Chance, I’m- Sick…”

“Jake, what’s going-” Emily’s voice shakes as her brows furrow in worry, taking a cautious step towards me to make sure I’m okay. But, Chance holds up his hand to stop her, causing my sister to muse for a moment. Sending a pleading glance my way, she then shifts her eyes to the tabby.

The big guy‘s in a concerned panic as he lays a hand on my shoulder. “W-what do you mean? What‘s wrong?”

The blank stare feels obvious on my face, but I can’t seem to pull it away; he should know better than to refer to our other lives, especially since Emily is still in the room. Though I don’t know how we’ve managed to do it, we’ve hidden any remnants of the SWAT Kats from her, and she’s yet to know the truth. Chance calls it skill, keeping that life in the shadows, but I call it dumb luck…

He hasn’t caught onto my expression, because he again pushes for an answer. “C’mon, Jake… What is it?”

My hands sweat profusely, and I slap them against the side of my uniform in an attempt to rid myself of the clamminess. They weren’t doing that a few minutes ago, but I guess it’s just another symptom to the grotesque torture that I was in only hours before.

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Under that mask, I feel as if I’m a completely different person. I guess, in a way, Razor is a different person, seeing that he does the things that Jake Clawson can no longer do legally, and then some; he seems to get all of the glory, anyway. But, that’s not why I, along with T-Bone, are doing this. Unlike Commander Feral, we save the people because we can, not because we’re ordered to do so by a superior.

And, tonight’s no different; an Enforcer’s dispatch has caught both of our attentions, and I see the already-victorious smirk come across T-Bone’s face as he leans to look over his shoulder at me. “You ready?”

“Rock and roll!” I shoot a thumbs up, pumping as much adrenaline as possible through my veins; I’m ready for action when the voice on the radio changes to that of Feral’s:

“This is Feral:”

Snazzy intro, Commander. I can’t help but roll my eyes for a moment before tuning my wondering mind back into his statement; we do need to know some info before zooming off to save the day, anyway…

“All available choppers report to MegaKat Biochemical Labs, immediately; seems as if Viper has decided to show his ugly mug once again.”

All I can do is groan as the dispatch rambles on. “Sheesh, talk about compliments, huh, bud?” That brings a smile to my lips as I wait for a comeback from the other vigilante.

After a moment, he finally cackles a trademark sarcastic remark. “Yea, that’s what Feral’s good for, Razor. You should know that by now.” Though I can’t see his face from the co-pilot's chair, I know that he’s wearing a cocky grin that matches mine as he continues, “So, shall we set off to show up the Enforcers again?”

“Be my guest.”

And, with that, I feel myself be thrown back into my seat by the G’s caused by the Turbokat’s turbo boosts.


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‘Jake?’

That voice seems smudged as it reaches my ear, and I fail to see Emily move in place in front of me. But, as I feel her hand slip into mine, I mentally snap back to the present. Her glance is gloomy, and I can’t tell if her hands are shaking, or if it’s all my own tremble. After a brief mutual stare, she murmurs, “Jake, please, what’s wrong?”


Please don’t look at me like that, Emmie. My mind is pleading for her to be her normal, cheerful self, the one that I’ve grown to adore since she was a child. And, I can‘t pull my eyes away from her as I see just that: a child, just like that day that I packed my bags for MegaKat city and said goodbye to Barrington. I know that I had hurt her with the news of my departure, the fact that I was going to miss the 9th birthday that I had swore to come to. And, standing here now resurfaces the guilt I had tried to bury eight years ago-

Wait, what‘s with this walk down memory lane?! I’m just sick, not-

Oh no. Am I dying?

For some reason, I can’t decide. Every fiber within me screams with agony, assuring the thoughts that maybe I am spiraling to my demise. But, there’s too much going on inside my head.

I need to find a way to clear my thoughts.

… No, I need a doctor.

I hear the panicked cries of both Chance and Emily ring through my ears as I slump forward, the tornado of thoughts roaring louder by the second. My own heart quickens within my chest when my feet finally give, and I fall hard against Emily. Even though I know she’s hurt by my weight, she still struggles to keep me in her arms, sobbing my name over and over. When I don’t reply, she stammers to Chance, who I can sense is by her side, “We’ve got to get him to MegaKat Memorial, now!”

Both hers and Chance‘s voices are fading into distant mumbles, like static from a radio is reaching my ears instead of what they’re actually saying as the world around me swirls into colored blurs. This is worse than I thought. I grind my teeth together in an attempt to ward off the daggers of pain running through me, and though I try to fight for my consciousness, I lose the battle. The world comes crashing down around me as I finally stumble into the darkness…