By A-chan aka M. E. Bartley

swatkat007@hotmail.com

Chapter One: Completed 08/08/04

Rated: G

Summary: Six months after the appearance and disappearance of the “good” SWAT Kats, in the alternate dimension they left behind, the Deputy Mayor finds herself in court on trial. Dark Kat has done some research, and has a plan to take over the Megakat City of those “good” SWAT Kats.

*********

Chapter One: Injustice System

Downtown in the heart of Megakat City inside the city’s courthouse building, the shocking trial of Deputy Mayor Callico Briggs is taking place. She was charged with several crimes for her alleged help to Dark Kat, and the notorious SWAT Kats. The courtroom itself is packed full of katizens on both sides, and outside on the steps to the front doors many more stand and await the verdict. The media have been allowed in to give a live broadcast of the trial’s results, as the 12 jurors have reached a verdict.

Callico Briggs sits behind a long table, wearing a light pink skirt suit, her hair done up and her glasses resting on her nose comfortably. She’s sitting next to her lawyer who contrasts her in a dark gray business suit, almost as dark gray as his own fur. Just several feet away from them at another long table, is Commander Ulysses Feral, dressed in his usual stately and dignified manner, except in an Enforcer suit instead of his usual trench coat. Next to him is his lawyer, an older fellow than the one serving the Deputy Mayor. His fur is a soft cream, and his suit is a light brown.

The judge pushes up her glasses, as the jurors file in from the back room during the recent deliberation. After they are all seated, she pounds the gavel once to restore complete order and silence among the room. “Jurors, have you all reached a verdict?” she asks.

“Yes, your honor,” one of the jurors says.

“Alright. Please stand and give us the verdict,” the judge replies, leaning towards the jury, awaiting their decision.

The juror foreman stands. He is a younger kat, tall and slim. He pulls out a piece of paper and holding it in his soft white paws, he reads. “We, the jury, find the defendant, Deputy Mayor Callico Briggs, not guilty of all the charges brought against her by Commander Ulysses Feral and his Enforcers.”

The courtroom comes alive, as all start either talking, crying for joy or sorrow, or cheering. Commander Feral’s jaw drops open, and he looks at his lawyer in confusion, then growls as he sees the smirk on Ms. Briggs’ face.

“I don’t believe this!” Feral exclaims and stands, pounding both fists on the table.

“Order! Order in this court!” the judge says and pounds her gavel several times on the podium. The courtroom hushes finally. “Commander Feral! Sit down!” the judge says, then looks at Feral as he sits. “You have tried my patience through this whole ordeal! One more outburst and I WILL fine you in contempt!”

Feral scowls and shuts his mouth. Ms. Briggs tries not to laugh.

“Alright. Since the defendant is found not guilty of all the charges brought against her, this trial is finished.” She pounds the gavel one last time. “Case dismissed. You’re free to go, Deputy Mayor.” The judge stands and leaves the courtroom with all her papers through a door behind the judge’s stand.

~ One week later. ~

Commander Feral sits at his desk, looking over some paperwork. He still can’t concentrate fully because of the ludicrous decision of the trial. “I KNOW she’s guilty. How else could those two good SWAT Kats have escaped? All the other stories they said were true.” He grumbles to himself aloud.

“Commander?” Lieutenant Commander Steele asks from the door of Feral’s office suddenly.

“Yes, what is it, Steele?”

“The Deputy Mayor wishes to see you, sir. Shall I let her in?”

Feral lets out an almost hiss of disgust. “Go ahead.”

Steele disappears and soon Miss Briggs along with two other kats enter Feral’s office. “Nice to see you again, Commander,” Briggs sneers at Feral.

“Peh,” is the only thing Feral responds with as he stands up from behind his desk.

Briggs walks coolly towards the Commander’s desk. The two kats she brought with her stay near the door, one on either side. One of the two is a she-kat and is taller than Miss Briggs and the other tom that had come in with them. Both she and her companion are dressed in black suits, the she-kat in a suit skirt, and both have on a fedora and a pair of sunglasses. The two stand stiffly, their gray fur only a few shades lighter than their suits.

“Are you still upset, Commander?” Briggs smirks as she sits on the edge of Feral’s desk, turning sideways to face him.

“Is there a good reason for you being here or have you come to gloat, Deputy Mayor?” Feral asks, glaring at her.

“Well, maybe not for you.” She lays a few stapled papers on the desk and slides them to Feral.

“What’s this?” Feral asks, without looking at them.

“Your dismissal from the Enforcers of course.” She can’t help but chuckle as she stares at the Commander to see his reaction.

“And to think it only took you a week to get this approved,” Feral says. Though he was slightly shocked at his firing, he expected it. It was easy for the Deputy Mayor to get this approved. Mayor Manx is snowed by her, in love with her really, and since Feral was the one who filed the suit initially, Manx saw to it to avenge Miss Briggs’ honor. Steele probably also had a hand in this. He’s always been eager to get Feral’s job, and Briggs was quite aware of that too. She probably had him tied around her finger as well.

“Yes, curse that bureaucratic red tape,” Briggs says with a grin as she slides off of Feral’s desk. “You have until tomorrow to clear your things out of here for the new Commander to move in.” She walks towards the door and the two kats. Both sneer at Feral’s newfound unemployment.

“I told you before, Ulysses,” she says opening the door, “I can give you anything, or I can take away what you already have. Shame you’ve forced me to do the latter. Ciao.” She exits Feral’s office followed by the two other kats.

Feral sits back in his chair and sighs. He looks at the papers before him. Cursing mentally, he growls then sits there as his frown slowly relaxes. He couldn’t give this up. He couldn’t have it end this way. What could he do? Nothing. He reaches for his blaster that rests in his shoulder holster he always kept on while on duty. His fingers wrap around the handle of the blaster. The same blaster he’s used for several years now. He pulls it out, aims, and fires.

~ Later that night ~

An old tom-kat sits grumbling to himself as he searches through a drawer for a particular tool. “Where is it?” he asks aloud though he was the only one in the room. The room is large with several tables, shelves, and counters as well as a few crates that sit around. Strange half finished or completed machinery and gadgetry are on various surfaces in the room. Several are laser weapons, bombs, projectile guns, and the rest are unidentifiable. The crates are marked ‘TNT’ or ‘Danger: Explosives’, and sit opened and half empty of their contents.

“Ah ha!” the old inventor exclaims as he finally finds the proper tool. “Stupid thing, why did I put you in there?” He slowly walks towards a table with the help of an old cane. His lab coat is worn and in need of a bit of sewing in a few places where tears have began. It also has a few burnt marks and grease spots from something long ago.

“Now let's get you into proper working order before that harpy and her hideous beau show up.” He starts to open a panel on a strange device when the doorbell buzzes. “Great,” he says with a slight growl and puts the tool down. Using a remote, the old kat turns on a few monitors that hang on the far wall to the left of him. “Early, as usual,” he grumbles and goes slowly out of the room and to the front door of the place to greet the visitors.

“Ah, Dark Kat, how nice to see you,” the old kat says without sincerity in his words. “Glad to see the trial went well.”

Dark Kat stands outside the door, Miss Briggs beside him. Several creeplings are gathered behind them both.

“Of course it went well, Professor,” Dark Kat says matter-of-factly. “Enough with the pleasantries. Is it ready yet?”

“Bah! I almost have it done. You expect me to work a miracle in a few months time?!” the old tom growls and turns around heading inside of the building. “If you hadn’t wasted that mega-detonator, you wouldn’t be needing me now!”

“It wasn’t OUR fault that those moronic imbeciles blew their own selves up with it, Hackle!” Briggs replies harshly as she and Dark Kat follow him inside.

“Well that’s what you get for hiring arrogant disobedient help!” Hackle shoots back as he leads them to the lab he was in moments ago.

“YOU were the one who recommended them, or have you finally gone completely senile?” Miss Briggs retorted.

Hackle opened his mouth to say something in retaliation, but Dark Kat interrupted them. “ENOUGH!” Dark Kat shouts. “This is just a minor set back,” he says in a calm manner. “You’ve had nearly six months. Show me what you’ve done.” He stands in the lab now and rests a paw on Miss Briggs’ shoulder to calm her.

Professor Hackle walks over to a box shaped device with an orb resting in it like a ball in a bowl. “I still have to finish the wiring, then test it, but here it is. Your trans-dimensional device.”

Dark Kat grins and moves his arm from Callie. He steps up to the machine and takes a paw, patting it lightly.

“Be careful!” Hackle growls at him, raising his cane to threaten to hit Dark Kat’s paw. “It’s a delicate piece of machinery! Very complicated as well!”

Dark Kat looks down at the old hunched tom-kat and smirks. “Show me the blue prints for this.”

Hackle grunts and goes over to a table with many papers and some scattered tools, nuts, and bolts. He pulls up a few large blueprints and goes back over to Dark Kat. Dark Kat snatches them from the old tom’s paws and looks them over.

Miss Briggs steps up to the machine and looks at it doubtfully. “I don’t see how this is going to work.”

“It will work!” Hackle yells to her. “How dare you question me! Your own tall dark and gruesome even helped design those plans!”

Miss Briggs growls and gets her face close to his. “Yeah, plans based on a pure theory from those dimwitted dead kats doubles’ jet that brought them here and vanished before we could examine it!”

Dark Kat folds the blueprints up calmly as they argue. He pulls out a blaster and fires it at the ceiling a few times. Hackle and Callie stop arguing and look over at Dark Kat.

“If you both are quite finished,” he says and slides the gun back in his robes, “then we shall take our leave, my dear Callico, and let the Professor finish our device.”

Callie hisses at Hackle, then turns and heads to the door. “Whatever you say, Dark Darling,” she says with a huff.

Dark Kat hands Hackle the blueprints. “You have three days, Professor. Or I’ll finish this myself,” Dark Kat says and turns around to head to the door. “And finish you.” He exits the lab and with Miss Briggs, then exits the house.

Hackle growls and slams the blueprints on a nearby table once they’ve left. “Fool,” he says with a huff.

Outside, a tall tom-kat leans behind a gathering of trees near Hackle’s house and watches the pair leave via a limousine. “Just what are you up to now, Deputy Mayor?” he says to himself quietly. He then steps out from his hiding spot and heads to the house, once Dark Kat, Miss Briggs, and the creeplings have gone.

Hackle goes to finish the remainder of the wiring with his soldering tool. He sighs and glances up from his work to see someone at his door. “What is it now?!”

Commander Feral takes a breath and presses the buzzer on the door. “Open up!” he shouts. “I know you’re in there, Hackle!”

“Just great. That idiot Dark Kat led the Enforcers here!” Hackle growls, going to a panel to switch the monitor’s views. “Hmm… it's just the Commander. That’s odd. Obviously, he’s not here to arrest me.” The doorbell buzzes again, and Hackle grumbles to himself as he goes to answer the door.

“Professor Hackle. I’d wondered where you hid yourself,” Feral says, looking down on the old tom.

“Got a warrant for my arrest, Commander?” Hackle chuckles, looking up at Feral as he adjusts his glasses.

“What was the deputy mayor doing here?” Feral asks, ignoring his question.

Hackle smirks. “Got a warrant for her arrest? I saw that trial. Such a shame that the judicial system’s failed to keep one such as herself in prison where she belongs.”

Feral growls and grabs Hackle by his collar and lifts him up off the ground, hefting him closer to his face. “Cut the crud, you old fool. You’re going to tell me what I want to know, or I’ll not only come back with a warrant, but a whole squad of Enforcers to toss YOU in prison where YOU belong.”

“Okay okay! My my, no need to get so rough!” Hackle exclaims.

Feral sets him back down.

“Come inside, and we’ll talk,” Hackle says, dusting off his lab coat and leading the commander inside.

*********

“You’re going through with it then, aren’t you?” Ms Briggs asks Dark Kat as they’re driven through the city in the limo.

“Of course I am. As are you,” Dark Kat replies as he looks at her.

“I don’t trust him! This plan is crazy and-“

“Crazy?!” Dark Kat bellows, interrupting her. “Are you questioning my plans, Callico?” he growls, grabbing her by her arm.

“N-no! Of course not!” Ms. Briggs exclaims. “You know I’d never question you, Dark Darling,” she says a bit smoothly, with a purr, hoping to lessen his anger and his grip on her arm.

“Good,” he says and pulls her to his side. “I need you for this plan to work, Callico. If we can’t gain control of this Megakat City, then we will get control of another.”

“Of course we will,” Ms. Briggs says and leans against his massive shoulder. “I just hope Hackle doesn’t screw up.”

“If he does, he’ll pay dearly, don’t you worry.” Dark Kat chuckles and strokes Ms. Briggs’ hair thinking as they continue to head downtown in the limo.

*********

“And, that’s what this is for, my greatest creation yet!” Hackle says as he finishes the last touches to the trans-dimensional device, as well as his explanation to Feral.

“I’d say you’re both mad, if I hadn’t seen those other SWAT Kats myself.” Feral huffs and paces about the lab.

“Well you know what they say, Commander, there’s a fine line between genius and insanity.” The old tom chuckles.

“When will he go through with this?” Feral asks, glaring at Hackle.

“Probably in the next few days. I still have to test it, and his detonator isn’t finished yet.”

“I see. What would happen to a kat if it didn’t work?” Feral asks, standing still now, facing Hackle and the device.

“Oh… they’d probably get instantly electrocuted and turned to ash or something.” Hackle grins wickedly, then looks at Feral. “Why, you want to be my guinea pig? I’d be more than happy to either fry or toss you into that other dimension.”

“I’m sure you would. Maybe I should test it on YOU first.”

“Like YOU could operate it.” Hackle laughs then ponders. “You know, I wouldn’t exactly mind if you interfered in Big and Large’s plans. I’m rather tired of hearing the deputy mayor’s screeching, and his threats are quite annoying…”

Feral raises a brow. “Just what are you saying?”

“That I wouldn’t stop you from going into the other dimension and giving some warning to this Dark Kat and Briggs’ scheme. Though they’d probably throw you in the looney bin in the other dimension.”

Feral sighs and looks at the device. How could he be sure it wasn’t a trick? Would it be worth risking? Not like he has a job to worry about. The only regret would be leaving Felina behind, not to mention under the command of Steele. “I’ll be here tomorrow,” Feral announces to Hackle. “But, I warn you, old tom, cross me and you’ll be spending however many lives you have left in the worst hole around."

Hackle laughs again as Feral turns and heads for the door. “See you then tomorrow, Commander.”

~ The Next Night ~

Feral arrives at Hackle’s place once again. He’s dressed in his regular uniform and coat and carries his blaster among a few other things. He had talked with Felina earlier that day, but about going on a vacation, not going to another dimension. He left his office as it was. The papers of his dismissal had a large burned hole in the middle of them from when he blasted them with his blaster. His signature, he thought with a smirk.

Hackle opens the door and lets Feral in. “Everything is set up to go, Commander,” Hackle says as he leads Feral to his lab.

“Have you been able to test it yet?” Feral asks.

“Yes, though not with a live kat.” He chuckles and flips a few switches on the wall. The device sits in a large space in the room, and wires go from it to the wall. “It didn’t fry the items I sent, merely caused them to vanish. However, I must warn you that you’ll get a bit of a shock with this. It takes a bit of power to operate, and the electricity sent to the items from the device is part of what transports them.”

Feral frowns at that, but nods understanding. “I think I can take it. How does it work?”

“I need you to stand next to the device here,” Hackle states, and goes over to the device. He taps the bottom of his cane to the floor where Feral is to stand. “You’ll need to place your paws on the ball part here, but wait until I give you the signal.”

Feral goes to where Hackle wants him to and glares at the device disdainfully. The ball part of the device sparks every so often on the inside, reminding him of those static electricity balls for sale at Megakat Mega Mall. When you touch the ball, the electricity flows to where you’ve touched it in a variety of colors, usually blue.

“Now, you realize I do not have a way to get you back. However, I’ll be giving a copy of the plans to Dark Kat to send along with Briggs. That way my alternate self can begin working on the device. Took me six months to create, let's hope he’s faster.” Hackle chuckles.

Feral sighs. “That’s fine. I’ll need the time anyway.”

“You ready, Commander?” Hackle asks as he returns to the wall with the switches.

“Yes,” Feral grunts and prepares himself. “Holy Kats, please let this work, or at least not fry me,” he thinks to himself.

“Alright then, when I give you the signal, touch the ball with your paws.” Hackle makes a few adjustments, and the device flickers a bit with electricity. The lights in the lab dim. “Now!”

Feral takes in a deep breath and touches the ball with both his hands. A small shock runs up both his arms and into his body. Feral grits his teeth at the numbing pain and shuts his eyes tightly as the pain grows. Suddenly, Feral disappears with a yowl.

~To Be Continued ~