The Same Skies as Before
By Annu (M. E. Bartley)
a_chan007@yahoo.com
Started: 04/04/02 and Chapter One completed 10/21/02. Chapter one revised 02/13/03
Rated: E
Disclaimer: SWAT Kats and all related characters are copyright 1993-94 Hanna-Barbera.

Summary: Set in the future, a young tom ends up saving an old tom from being mugged on the street. The old tom recognizes him as the son of an old friend.

Author’s note: Hi! I know what you’re thinking, "Another future SWAT Kats story". Well, you’re right. I just couldn’t resist, and I have so many ideas in my head that must be put on paper, or would this be considered computer code?

For clarification, when a part of the text has a ~ before and after it, it is my way of a flashback in time. Also, it is to be noted, Felina Feral is the Commander of the Enforcers. Alexandria Manx is the daughter of Mayor Manx in my stories, and she is now the Mayor of Megakat City. If you have any questions, comments, or whatever just email me and I’ll be happy to answer them.

*********

Chapter One: To Meet by Chance

~ Megakat City: 2027 aka The Present ~

A young tom walks through the night streets of Megakat City. He would be driving his hovercar, but it was totaled the other day no thanks to that freak that calls himself the Pastmaster. Some dragon looking creature had stomped through the city, and his car happened to be parked in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The straw colored tom just got off work, and now heads back to his apartment. Walking by an alley taking a shortcut, he hears what sounds like a disagreement between a couple of kats. He rubs his fingers through his straw colored head-fur and decides to check it out.

"All right, you old tom, if you won’t give me your wallet, I’ll TAKE it from you!" a burly tom-kat snarls at a shorter and much older tom. The older tom backs away a bit, allowing the attacker to leap at him.

The young tom turns and looks into the alley to see the old tom raise up his cane, hitting the attacker square in the gut. As the attacking tom is stumbling back, the older one twirls the cane and strikes a blow to the attacker’s head.

"You young thug! What’s a matter with kats today?" the older kat says as the attacker falls to the ground, holding his head.

Suddenly, the attacker pulls out a laser blaster and aims it at the old tom.

"You crazy old fool!" the attacker says, ready to fire.

The young straw colored tom decides now is the time to make his move. He runs into the alley and shoves the attacker aside just before he fires his gun.

Both kats land on the ground, and the young tom stands up. Grinning at the attacker, he says, "Gee, that’s impressive. Got beat by an old tom so now you have to shoot him?"

The attacker growls and stands up as well. "What’s it to ya?"

The young tom smirks and quickly kicks a trash can at the attacker. As the attacker dodges it, the young tom throws a punch, knocking the attacker upside his head, sending him unconscious on the ground. He then turns to the old tom. "Hey, are you alright?"

The old tom glares up at the younger one. "I’m fine, thanks."

"This city is full of worthless thugs. I wish the Enforcers were able to keep up with them all," the younger tom says, smiling.

"Peh, Enforcers indeed." The older tom smirks and walks out of the alley without a word of thanks.

The younger tom follows.

"Hey, what’s the matter, pops?" the younger kat asks the older one.

"Don’t you POPS me, you-" the older tom begins to say, but gasps, getting a good look at the younger taller tom. The alley didn’t have as much light as the streetlights do, and more of the younger tom's features can be seen. "I don’t believe it," he says and pokes the tom in the chest with the end of his cane.

"Hey! Watch it," the young tom says, swiping at the cane.

"Where are you headed?" the old tom asks.

"Home," the younger tom replies. "Why, you need to go to the doctor or anything?

"Good. I’ll give you a ride."

"What? Why?"

"Because I can’t talk with you out here, boy."

The younger tom shrugs and nods. "Alright, pops, but my mom always told me not to take rides from strangers."

"Funny." The old tom snorts and walks along the street to his truck with the younger kat. The truck is a rusty orange tow truck, and looks as if it has seen better days. The old tom opens the door and gets in the driver’s seat.

"This is your ride, pops?" the younger tom asks, scratching his head. "You sure it’s going to make it?"

"Yes. And, don’t call me pops."

The younger kat gets in and shuts his door. "Then, what should I call you?"

"Jake."

"Nice to meet ya, Jake. I’m Jonathan -"

"Furlong?" Jake interrupts as he starts up the truck.

"How did you know that?"

"Let’s just say I knew your father," Jake says as they drive through the city. The truck runs much better than Jonathan had thought it could, and soon they arrive at Jonathan’s apartment building.

"Home sweet home," Jonathan says, sounding almost sarcastic.

Both the toms get out of the truck after Jake has parked and head inside the building.

*********

~ Megakat City: 2001 ~

"Where is he?!" a young redheaded she-kat hollers as she shoves past the group of kats who have gathered near the remains of the collapsed building. The young Enforcer flashes her badge and goes past the yellow police tape.

Commander Ulysses Feral runs up to her. "Officer Manx!" he exclaims, catching her before she can run inside the crime scene any further.

"Commander!" she shouts to him, tears in her eyes, trying to get free of his grasp. "Please! I have to go get him!"

"Calm yourself, Alexandria! Just calm yourself," he says to her, holding her back. "I know how you feel but…" Feral trails off. He can’t tell her that her father didn’t survive, regardless of the fact he was rescued from the building.

"But nothing! I must see him! Is he all right, where is he?" she cries out to him, shaking.

Taking in a deep breath, Feral sighs. "He didn’t make it. We did all we could. I’m… sorry…"

"No!" she yelps in disbelief. "I thought they got him out! I saw them on the news!" Alexandria puts her arms around Feral and buries her face into his chest, sobbing.

Feral gently holds her, wanting to give her some words of comfort, but can find none.

Razor watches the young she-kat and Feral from the ambulance he sits near. His leg is broken, and the doctors have patched him up temporarily until he can be transported to the hospital. His flight suit is torn and blackened with soot and ash, as is his fur. He sits on a stretcher and sighs. Someone else he didn’t save. Someone else he let down. Someone else whose family has lost a loved one due to his failure.

Commander Feral somewhat calms Alexandria down, and the two begin walking through the crime scene as Feral explains what has happened. Alexandria listens quietly, until she sees Razor.

Something inside the she-kat snaps. Alexandria has been known for her temper, but this is much worse than any before. As if she has lost all reason, she hurries over the short distance and grabs Razor by the collar of his flight suit.

"You!" she growls and shakes him.

Razor grabs ahold of Alexandria’s arms and tries to pry her off. "Miss Manx! I-"

"I knew it! I KNEW it!" she screams at him, and raises back a fist to punch him in the jaw. "You let him DIE! YOU LET HIM DIE!"

"Alexandria!" Feral hollers and pries her away from Razor before she can strike a blow to the SWAT Kat’s face. "That’s enough!"

Razor coughs a bit, and stands on one leg, backing up from her, using a crutch he’s been given. "I didn’t, we got him out, it isn’t like that…" he stammers.

"Commander, let me go! He needs to be arrested! He and his partner!" Alexandria continues to scream, Feral barely managing to hold her back.

"I think you’d better go, SWAT Kat." Feral says to him, not in a harsh manner, but one of earnest warning.

Razor nods and quickly hobbles off around the ambulance, hurrying as fast as he can manage.

Alexandria yowls and tries to free herself from the Commander’s grip again, but once Razor has disappeared, she slumps down in defeat.

"It will be alright, Alexandria…" Feral says to her softly, unsure of what else to say as he watches Razor disappear from view.

~ Megakat City: Present ~

"Mayor. Mayor! Alexandria, are you alright?" a worried she-kat asks, standing at the door to the mayor’s office at city hall.

Alexandria Manx stands at the window with her back turned to the door. Her secretary’s calls startle her from her thoughts. "I’m fine… sorry, what is it?" she asks quietly, wiping her eyes a bit from tears that had fallen due to old memories.

"Commander Feral is here to see you, Mayor."

"Send her in," Alexandria says to her secretary.

Shortly, Felina Feral comes in the office. "Mayor Manx. Nice to see you again. How is everything?" Felina asks as she sits in one of the two chairs in front of Alexandria’s desk.

"Could be better," Alexandria says and sits in her chair behind the desk. "So, what’s the damage?"

"Right," Felina says and begins her report to the Mayor on the attack that the Pastmaster waged recently. Though he was defeated again, the city suffered some losses. Once she finishes, Felina hands Alexandria a few file folders.

Alexandria sighs and takes the papers. "This is so tiring…" she says softly.

"Mayor?" Felina asks.

"I thought that the city would be safe from ‘super-villains’ by now, after the last one of them had finally been taken down." She leans back in her chair and puts her arms behind her head. "I wasn’t surprised that some new threats to the city would appear, but now the Pastmaster has returned..."

"Well, the Enforcers have been handling it to the best of our abilities, Mayor Manx. Don’t worry about it. We’ll be sure to keep anyone who tries to take over the city at bay."

Alexandria chuckles and looks at the Commander. "Do you remember… those vigilantes who called themselves the SWAT Kats?"

Felina blinks a bit surprised at the question. "Well, yes, of course. I had the privilege of working with them a few times."

"Y’know, I was so happy when the SWAT Kats finally retired," Alexandria interrupts. "I thought that once they were gone, as well as those first criminals, that this city could get back to normal…"

Felina looks at Alexandria, a bit of disdain in her eyes, but says nothing and lets her continue.

Alexandria leans forward in her chair now, resting her arms on the desk in front of herself. "I despised them really. When I was an Enforcer, they seemed to pop up every now and then, and get in the way." She looks at Felina and smiles, "That was how your uncle felt. I always wondered what the city would be like without them. Now with this sudden burst of strange criminal activities, I almost wish we still had their help." She pauses and firmly says, "Almost."

Felina smirks a little and carefully says, "Yeah, I miss their help, believe me. Things aren’t the same without them, but we’ve managed to hold things together."

Alexandria nods. "Sorry for taking up your time. Thanks for the report, Commander Feral."

"No problem, Mayor Manx." Felina stands and salutes and then exits the office.

Alexandria sighs and puts the reports away in her desk. She then turns and looks at the picture of her late father which sits on her desk.

*********

Jake and Jonathan sit on a sofa in Jonathan’s small one bedroom apartment. A couple of cans of milk sit on the table in front of them.

"So, I guess you’d like to hear how I know yer old man, eh, Jonathan?" Jake asks, leaning back on the sofa, picking up his can for a drink.

"Well, yeah. Mom never mentioned you before. And you can call me Jon," Jonathan replies.

"Alright," Jake says, setting his can back on the table. "What did your mother tell you about your dad?"

"Well, not too much really. Mom said he used to be a great Enforcer pilot, but then some accident caused him to lose his status as a pilot, and he had to work as a mechanic for the Enforcers at some salvage yard."

Jake nods listening, waiting for him to go on before telling him anything. That is, if he decides to tell him anything.

"Then he got married to her, and after a year, I was born. Then something happened, and he died in a fire trying to rescue some of the other kats inside. That’s pretty much it, because well, she really doesn’t like to talk about it."

Jake looks at Jon in thought. After a moment, he finally asks, "Your mother ever mentioned who the gunner was with your dad when he was still an Enforcer?"

Jon shakes his head no.

Jake grins and points to himself.

"You?" Jon asks.

Jake nods. "Chance and I were best friends since we met at the Enforcer Academy. I was his gunner, and he was the pilot." Jake then tells Jon about the chase with Dark Kat that ended up with their ranks demoted severely and their seemingly eternal debt to Commander Feral at the salvage yard just outside of town, where Jake still lives.

"Whoa… So, you still owe her money?" Jonathan asks after Jake finishes.

"Her?" Jake asks, then grins and chuckles. "You’re a bit young to remember Ulysses Feral, aren’t you?"

"Who?"

"Felina’s uncle was the Commander of the Enforcers at that time, Jon," Jake says with a smirk.

"So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about that you couldn’t on the street?"

"Hmmm…" Jake rubs his chin and looks Jon over. "Ever hear of the SWAT Kats?"

"Yeah… they used to be a couple of vigilante pilots or something, right?"

"Something like that, yes."

"Why do you ask?"

:"How old are you now?"

"Huh? I’m 28, why?"

Jake finishes drinking his can of milk and stands slowly. "There’s something I’d like to show you, but it can wait for another time."

"What?" Jon asks, standing as well.

"I’m just getting an idea," Jake replies and pats Jon on his shoulder. He picks up his cane and walks towards the door.

"An idea? You’re one confusing kat, Pops," Jon says as he walks Jake to the door.

Jake grins. "You’ll find out what I mean soon enough. Nice meeting you, and thanks for the milk."

Jon scratches his arm and looks at Jake, confused.

"And, one more thing."

"What’s that?"

"Don’t call me Pops." He then exits out the door and slowly heads back to his truck.

~ To be continued ~