When katnip dealers capture the male Swat Kats, it's up to the girls to try and find them by going undercover as singers at a nightclub where the dealers drink. Misty and the Harmonies By Kari Gilmore Chapter 1: One morning, Chance came down to the hangar to look for Jake and Kat. He found them in the recovery room with Kat lying on top of Jake with blankets covering them. "Uh-oh. They did it again," he said, standing in the doorway. He slammed down the bucket he was carrying, making a loud sound and waking them up. Jake looked past Kat and gulped. "Hi, Chance," he said with a toothy grin, which quickly faded. "Hey, I understand you didn't have your honeymoon, but in the recovery room? Really, you two." "We would love to get up and get some clothes on, Chance, but, uh, you're standing in the doorway," Kat said, looking back. "Oh. Right." Chance backed away and closed the door. A few minutes later, they came out. "Well, what do you two have to say for yourselves?" Chance asked, crossing his arms. Kat gulped and grabbed onto her stomach. "I don't know about Jake, but I think I'm having another kitten," she said. Jake's ears began to jump up in joy. "Uh-oh. And when did you do this?" Chance asked. "Few hours ago. Should be in the third month right now." "OK. We have about six hours then. Shouldn't be a problem." "You get the others, I'll stay down here with her," Jake said, helping Kat to lie down. "Right. At least you were married for this one," Chance said, heading back to the ladder. Both Kat and Jake gave him a mean look. Some hours later, Jake delivered the kitten with everyone else gathered around. Kat threw her head back into the pillow, sweating and panting. Buster patted a damp rag on her forehead. "It's a girl, Katney," Jake said, wrapping the kitten up in blankets. He sat down in a chair next to her and handed her the kitten. The kitten opened her eyes and meowed. Katney sighed and rocked the kitten gently in her arms. "What do you think, Jake? Want do you want to name this one?" she asked. Jake smiled softly and said, "Looking at her eyes, only thing to come to mind is Jade." "Jade Clawson. That works," Buster said. "My second niece. When are you gonna give me a nephew?" Chance asked, patting Jake's shoulder. "You'll get one soon enough, Uncle Chance," a voice said. All heads turned to see a young she-kat with green eyes, brown fur, and medium black hair. "What a she-kat," Buster said. Ann nudged him hard. "That's my daughter you're referring to, Whitetail," Jake said, getting out of his chair and bipping Buster on his way over to the she-kat. "Skylar? Well, I made a total ass of myself." "Hi, Daddy," the she-kat said. "Ah, Skylar, you look just your mother now. Unless you're the Skylar from the future." "Huh? What are you talking about?" "Guess not. What are you doing here?" "That she-kat who was taking care of me finally thought it time for me to leave and be with you." "You know, I've been wondering. If you age so quickly, how come you can still live twenty years in the future? Wouldn't you be either middle-aged or dead?" Ann asked. "They stop aging by the time they reach the appearance of 18. And since Jake's a demigod now and Kat's a sorceress, it's not too much different from regular gods," Tigera said. "Interesting," Kat said. Skylar walked over to her and sat down in a chair. "What's the name of this one?" she asked, rubbing the kitten's cheek. "Jade." "I like it. You... Gonna keep her or are you gonna let the she-kat take care of like she did me?" "Depends. Tigera, how long does it take for these kind of kittens to grow up to about her age?" "Well, hard to say. I've never had one myself and I never stick around when one of my little sisters is born. But I know it doesn't take a very long time. It takes longer to age with that she-kat and shorter to without," Tigera replied. "It's your choice, Katney. What'll it be?" Jake asked. Kat looked down at Jade and sighed. "She can stay. We'll raise her ourselves, even though she'll age and develop quickly." "What about Skylar?" Chance asked. "She can stay with us until she can find herself a place to live." "Thanks, Mom. I really appreciate it," Skylar said. Buster gave a small smile, turned his back to the group, and walked away. Ann looked after him with concern. Throughout the rest of the day, Jade developed from newborn to infant to kitten to young adult. Jade had pale green eyes, gray fur, and short brown hair when she had finished growing up. During her development, she solved a scientific math equation, broken more bricks with her paws than Chance, outmatched all the kats but Skylar in paw-to-paw combat, and was able to turn into a panther along with Skylar. They and some of the others were down in the hangar while Kat and Jake were upstairs in the kitchen. "I can't believe this. She grew up in a whole day!" Katney said, sitting at the table with Jake. "Yeah, really. She's gone from newborn to 18 in a matter of hours! She's powerful, highly intelligent, agile, she has your ability to turn into a panther. And we didn't even teach her anything!" Jake said. "You know, I think Buster's upset about something. He's been moody all day, ever since Jade was born." "Maybe he knows something we don't." "Maybe. We'll have to talk to him later." "Get Ann to. She works with him and is his girlfriend." "She is?" "I would assume. Chance and Tigera have each other and so do we. That just leaves her and him left." "Have you ever even seen them kiss?" "When we killed Vitalini." "She was just feeling sorry for him. That's all I can figure." "We'll talk with him." Kat nodded. "Still tired?" "What kind of a question is that? You know how I was after I had Skylar." "Right. Head still hurt?" "A bit." "Then I want you to stay here then if Callie calls. No point of getting yourself hurt more." "What if Ricochet calls? She may need my help." "Say you're busy with something else." Kat crossed her arms and asked, "Why are you controlling my life?" "Mother! Father!" Skylar's voice called. "Wonder what's up," Jake said. They got up and headed down to the hangar. A portal was opening up and Skylar and Jade were in defensive positions. "Down, girls. It's just Kari," Chance said. "Who's Kari?" Jade asked in a light Scottish accent. Then a 16-year-old girl and an 18-year old boy stepped out. "Hello, Swat Kats!" the girl said. "They're... Not even feline!" Skylar said. "Uh, yeah. Um, mind introducing us to your friends?" the girl asked. "Kari, these are Skylar and Jade, our daughters. Girls, this is Kari, a friend of ours," Jake said. "Oh, and this is a new friend of mine, David Noble. David, you know the group," Kari said to the boy. "Oh, yeah, you've mentioned a David Noble. He uses us in his own fan fiction," Chance said. "Chance, come here." Kari walked with Chance over to the other room. "David's a big fan of yours, so don't be surprised if he wants to come along with us to kick tail. He'll try anything once," she said. "What do you mean us?" Chance asked. "I come along with you whenever trouble strikes, remember? I come in handy." "You're staying here this time. Katney's still recovering from that head injury that you and that Felicia McFurry wrote together. I want you to stay with her." "Felicia needed my help. She's one of my best friends. She wanted me to find a way to get Razor to propose to Ricochet." "No excuses. You're still staying and so is Kat." "That's not gonna stop David from coming." "He can come. He seems able to handle himself pretty well. He's well built." "Uh! I hate sexist males! Rewo!!" Kari stumped back over to the group and smashed a vase on the floor. Suddenly, both Kari and David transformed into kats. "How'd that--?" David asked. "Adaptation. Sorta anyway," Kari said, sitting in a chair and crossing her arms and legs. Then the alarm blared. Chance went over to it and pushed the button next to it. "Yes, Ms. Briggs?" he asked. "I'm outside the old yarn factory. There's a gang in there and it looks like they're selling katnip to what looks like a kingpin. I can't really tell who, he's in the shadows," Callie's voice said. "We're on our way." Then he pushed the button again. "OK, Kats. Let's hit it!" "Yeah! We got some tail to kick!" Jade said. "Uh-uh. Sorry, Jade. You and Skylar are staying put with Kari and your mother," Buster said, changing into his G-suit. "Like Kari said, I hate sexist males!" Skylar said. "You think we can't handle it, Uncle Chance? Is *that* it?" Jade asked. "Basically? Yeah. You were just born today, Jade. You're not ready for a real fight. And Skylar wasn't trained enough to go out herself either," Chance said, now T-Bone. Both Jade and Skylar growled. "You're gonna be like that, I'll make Ann and Tigera stay as well." Ann and Tigera looked at each other in wide eyes. "You take pleasure into controlling our lives, Stripes?" Tigera asked. "If my nieces, sister, and our author's gonna be bitchy, they might as well have some more to be bitchy with." "T-Bone, let's go!" Razor said, running towards the TurboKat with Boulder. "Coming! You two stay put then. Come on, Junior," T-Bone said, pulling David by the shoulder. All the she-kats watched in amazement. The male Swat Kats then took off in the TurboKat. "Is it just me, or did those guys just become the most obnoxious pigs in the universe?!" Kari asked. The other she-kats chattered in agreement. "I'm starting to think giving up my godhood for T-Bone was a mistake. I'm starting to hate him now," Tigera said, dropping her helmet on the floor. "And Boulder going along with it? Grr..." Ann said. "Uncles!" Jade and Skylar both said. "Husbands!" Kat said. "Boyfriends!" Tigera and Ann both said. "Males!" Kari said. They all sighed. Kari finally broke the silence saying, "Anybody got any juicy gossip? Because, after all, we *are* females and are *useless* in battle. We should just stay home, work on our nails, read magazines, bake cookies, trash males, all that good stuff." "You know, that ain't a bad idea," Skylar said. They all sat down together and started talking. Meanwhile, the Swat Kats had reached the factory that Callie spoke of. She was waiting for them when they landed. "Glad you could make it. Where are the others?" Callie asked. "Back at the hangar. We can handle it, Ms. Briggs," David said. Then they saw guns pointing at them. They all looked to see some gang members holding the guns. "Looky here. Swat Kats and the Deputy Mayor. They oughta fetch a good price." They all looked at each other and then turned their attention back to the guns pointing at them. They put their paws up as the guns were pressed up against their backs. "Move it!" They were forced to move inside. T-Bone extended a nail and reached down to his watch. His pushed a button and hoped that the message got through. Chapter 2: Meanwhile, the girls were still talking about the guys making them stay behind when the buzzer went off again. "What now?" Jade asked. Kat got up and looked at the beeping and the flashing light on the radio. "Morse Code. Dot, dot, dot, dash, dash, dash, dot, dot, dot. Uh-oh," she said. "I'm bad at Morse code. What does it mean?" Kari asked. "SOS. The guys are in trouble." "Oh, so, now they want our help, huh? I outta just kick T-Bone in the--" Tigera began. Kari cleared her throat. "Sorry, just the way I feel." Later, they made it to the factory on the Cyclotrons. They parked right beside the TurboKat. "I don't like the looks of this, guys," Kari said. "That makes six of us," Jade said. Quiver kicked the door down and got in a defensive position. The others stood behind her in the same position. They were looking into an empty room with only a few empty crates and mechanical pieces on the floor. "Damn. We're too late," Shera said, walking further into the room with the others following. She bent down and picked up some of the pieces. "These look like pieces of our communicators. Except this piece." She picked up a triangular piece and showed it to them. Quiver took it out of her paw and looked at it. "This is Callie's communicator. Whoever took the boys, they took her, too," she said. "And look at this," Kari said, holding up some glasses. "They have David, too. These are his glasses." "Great. What are we gonna do now?" Skylar asked. Venus walked over to the empty crates and sniffed inside them. "Katnip. Whoever took them was either stealing katnip or was selling it," she said. "In a yarn factory? I'd say selling it. How are we going to find them? They could be anywhere," Jade said, walking in a circle. Then she noticed something on the floor. She bent over and picked it up. "What's that, Jade?" Kari asked. "A card from some club. The Persian's Lounge." "I know what that is. It's mainly a club with plenty of drinking and plenty of she-kat singers. They're always looking for new talent and are open all night," Shera said. "Well, let's get going then," Skylar said, heading for the door. Quiver grabbed onto her shoulder. "Sky, I don't think females are allowed in that club. Only if the she-kats are singers are they allowed there," she said. "What do you suggest then, Mother?" Jade asked. Quiver stroked her chin and smiled. "I have an idea." The she-kats all gathered in a circle. Later at the Persian's Lounge, the last act had finished singing. The drunken kats in the club mumbled and cheered when the curtain closed. One of the kats was in the shadows and was smoking a cigar. Then he puffed smoke into the air. "Fire her. She doesn't have what I want her to have," he said. Then the announcer came onto the stage. "And now, introducing, six foxy she-kats, six new singers that are sure to put the wow in your meow. I present to you Misty and the Harmonies!" he said, exiting the stage. The piano started an introduction while the drunken kats were about ready to fall asleep. "First up, the youngest of the Harmonies, Felicity!" the announcer said as a she-kat appeared on the stage. The lights then shone on her, revealing Kari in a short white dress without shoulder straps with a red flower in her hair. She walked down the steps that were onstage and swung her hips when the drummer banged the drums. She walked over to one side of the stage and waited for the other. Some of the kats meowed. "Coming up next, Christy!" Then Skylar appeared in a short blue dress without shoulder straps and walked down the steps and swung her hips a bit. Then she stepped next to Kari. "Hey, baby!" one of the kats said. "Next up, Christy's little sister, Dixie!" The Jade appeared in a short red dress without shoulder straps. She walked down the steps and received a round of meows from the audience. She stood next to Kari and Skylar. "And now, we bring you Angeldust!" Tigera appeared in a long white dress without shoulder straps, wearing a red flower. The slit in the dress showed off one of her legs as she walked down the step. "What a she-kat!" a drunken kat said. She then walked over to the other side of the stage. "Coming up after Angeldust, Adora!" Ann appeared next in a long blue dress without shoulder straps and swung her hips. The audience meowed wildly as she walked down the steps. She stood next to Tigera. "And now, the lead singer in the group, Misty!" Kat showed up last in a long red dress without straps and with a long slit in her dress. The audience practically howled at her as she walked down the steps and up to the microphone. "You boys ready to have a good time?" she asked in a seductive American accent. The drunken kats cheered. "You heard 'em, girls." "We know what gives a kat pleasure," the she-kats said in unison. Then they walked offstage and went over to various tables, flirting with the drunken kats. Tigera walked over to the table where the kat with the cigar was. She tickled his chin with her tail and purred. ((Author's note. I feel really embarrassed about this. They're gonna sing. If you think the lyrics are cheesy, that's because I wrote them. I couldn't find anything on the net, OK?! Don't worry, I'm kicking my own tail for writing this)) "I know it ain't diamonds that gives this kat pleasure," she sang. "They rather have blondes, that's what gives these kats pleasure," Jade and Skylar sang. "Some kats like red heads," Ann sang. "But they don't like half-breeds. So let's give these kats pleasure. Ladies, they crave amour," Kari sang. The kats cheered as the other she-kats returned to the stage and lined up beside Kat. "Sit back, boys, and relax tonight. It's been a rough night, boys, but we're here to shed some light from out of the rain. You got your wives to come home to, but tonight, I wouldn't roam too far, because when we're done tonight, you'll never go home again," Kat sang. The kat with the cigar puffed some smoke while a kat leaned over and whispered to him. "So, uh, what do you think of these she-kats, boss?" he asked. "Promising," he said. "We know what gives a kat pleasure, and right now, they crave amour. And before this night is through, we're going to make you feel like your feet feel no floor," the group sang. "Cause we know what gives a kat pleasure," Jade sang. "We know what gives a kat pleasure," the group sang. "And right now, it's walking out the door!" Kat sang and held onto the last note as the curtain shut in front of them. The kats stood up and cheered. The kat with the cigar took another puff and stared at the curtain where the she-kats disappeared. Chapter 3: From behind the curtain, the girls ran into their dressing room and locked the door behind them. Kari sat down and sighed. "Ugh! I hate the smell of beer!" she said. "Not too fond of it myself," Jade said, spraying perfume into the air. "Mother, how are we gonna find the guys with all these drunken slackers around here all night?" Skylar asked, combing her hair. "Patience, girls. The club's closed at day. Only the acts are allowed after hours. We'll just stay behind and look for clues as to where the boys are," Kat said, glad to be talking in her normal accent again. Tigera took the flower off of her dress and set it on the table. "I think that one kat I flirted with was the owner. I heard him talking about firing one of the other acts," she said. "And I heard him say we were promising. Hope he doesn't get any ideas," Ann said. "If he does, I'll claw his eyes out," Kat said, extending her claws. "No blinding, maiming, or killing, Mother," Jade said. "She's right, Katney. If you do anything to him, he'll fire us and we'll never find out what happened to the guys," Kari said. "I'll behave the best I can, but I'm not making any promises," Kat said, combing her hair. "That's all we're asking for. How did you come up with this idea anyway, Kat?" "You should know, Gilmore. You wrote the story. Got the idea from a dream I had recently." When the sun came up a little while later, the owner kicked out all of the drunken kats outside. They all sang drunkenly and swayed a bit on the street. The owner put up the "Closed" sign and then turned to the acts still in costume. "OK, those of you who wish to stay may stay. The others can go home. Be here tonight at 9:00," he said, walking out the door. Most of the acts left while the girls stayed. "OK, we split up in three groups. Find anything, alarm the others," Kat whispered. "Roger that," the she-kats replied. Then they separated into three groups. Meanwhile, underneath the club, the other Swat Kats, Callie, and David were lying on the ground, out cold. T-Bone began to come around. He pushed himself up and put his paws on his head. "Ah, man. Remind me never to leave Quiver behind again," he said to himself. Razor pushed himself up and looked at the cracked helmet that sat beside him. He whistled, "Good thing we're required to wear helmets. I coulda gotten worse." "Man, as if things couldn't get worse today," Boulder said, rubbing his head. Callie moaned and reached for her glasses in front of her. She put them back on and rubbed her head. "Are you OK, Ms. Briggs?" T-Bone asked. "Yeah, I think so. I just have a mega-sized headache," Callie replied. David sat up and rubbed his head. "I wonder if this is what a concussion feels like," he said to himself. "Where are we anyway?" Callie asked, looking around. Boulder staggered to his feet and sniffed the air. He snorted, put his finger under his nostrils, and said, "It reeks of alcohol." "Must be the Persian's Lounge. I think I heard someone mention its name before we got knocked out," David said. "Don't worry, I'll just call the girls..." T-Bone said, about ready to push a button on his wrist comm if he had it. "If I had had my communicator, that is," he finished. Razor and Boulder looked at their wrists to find their comms gone as well. "Ours are gone, too," Razor said. Callie searched her purse and said, "They took mine, too." "OK, let's not worry. They would know we're in trouble if we didn't come home last night," Boulder said. "You guys are the pros. What are we gonna do till then? T-Bone told them to stay behind," David said. "Thanks for reminding me, David. Now I'm gonna be carrying a guilty conscience until I see the girls again and beg for forgiveness," T-Bone said, taking off his helmet and rubbing his head. "Sorry." Boulder walked around the room where they were being held in and looked over his shoulder at T-Bone. I'm the one with the guilty conscience, T-Bone, he thought. "There's gotta be some way out of here," Razor said, looking around. "You look, I'll get my head screwed back on, buddy," T-Bone said. Callie and David just looked at each other. Meanwhile, Jade and Kari walked into a storage room. "There's gotta be some clues around here somewhere," Kari said, turning on the lights. "How do you figure?" Jade asked. "Don't ask. Just look." Jade looked through the file cabinets and fingered through the files. Kari opened a box and found it full of katnip. "Purr... Not bad for just a kitten," she said, wagging her tail. Jade pulled out a file and looked through it. She grinned as she looked through it. "Oh, we are gonna make Uncle Chance cry," she said, closing the file. They gave each other a high four. "Let's call the others." Kari reached for her comm. when they heard voices coming. They both gasped and hid behind some boxes. Two kats came into the room. "Who left the lights on?" one asked. "And who opened that box of katnip?" the other asked. Jade and Kari both looked at each other. The first one sniffed the air while the other searched through the file cabinet. "Someone took one of the files, too," the second said. "Perfume," the first one said. "What?" Kari and Jade ducked their heads down as the first kat came over their way. They both backed away and stayed low as he came closer. Then they bumped into something. They looked up to see a third kat. The kat grabbed onto them and pulled them to their feet. "Told you I smelled perfume," the first kat said. "Well, who have we here? Felicity and Dixie, is it?" the second kat asked, putting his finger under Kari's chin and bringing her face up. Both her and Jade struggled. "What are you two cuties doing here anyway?" "If it's any of your concern, we were looking for my father," Jade said, sneering with her eyes. "And what are you doing with all these boxes full of katnip? They're illegal in MegaKat City now," Kari said. The arm that was holding her moved up to her neck. Both Kari and Jade continued to struggle. "What are we going to do with these two? They'll most likely tell the rest of their group," the second kat said. "We'll deal with the group later. Right now, I'll take these two down below until we find out what we want to do with them," the third kat said, pulling the girls with him. Chapter 4: A few minutes later, the kat threw Kari and Jade into a room. Both landed on the floor with a grunt. Then the kat locked the door. Jade ran to the door as soon as he closed it and dug her nails into it. She growled, "Get back here so I can claw your damn eyes out!" "Jade?" Jade turned around and saw Razor standing behind her. "Father! Oh, Dad, are you OK?" she asked, hugging him. "I'm fine, though I've had better nights," he said, stroking her hair. "Jade, I thought I told you and Kari to stay behind," T-Bone said, stepping up to her and Razor. "Ah, T-Bone, she obviously takes after her mother. She never listens," Razor said. "Besides, you *males* singled us *females* to come and save your tails," Kari said, pointing her finger at T-Bone. T-Bone held up his paws and said, "All right, all right. Sheesh back off, Gilmore. Where are the other she-kats?" "Yeah, if you're here, shouldn't the others be, too?" David asked. "They'll be down here soon enough. The katnip dealers upstairs found Jade and I snooping around. They're looking for them now. Oh, David, here are your glasses," Kari said, handing David his glasses. David took them and put them back on. "Thanks." "We managed to steal this before they caught us," Jade said, handing the file over to T-Bone. T-Bone opened it up and scanned through it. He grinned, "Place has had a rather nasty history with the Enforcers. Countless murders, kats dying from overdoses of alcohol and strokes, alcohol causing strokes, and so on. I'm surprised the place is still running." "Actually, they keep the outside looking run-down, so no one will question it. Kats and acts go through the back entrance," Kari said. "Well, I must say you two surprised me." Callie cleared her throat. Jade looked at her then she turned to Kari. "Does she know who these guys are?" she whispered. "As Swat Kats, yes. But she doesn't know who they are under the masks," Kari replied. Jade cleared her throat. "How did you two get in here?" Callie asked. "We put our whiskers where they didn't belong. We're friends of the Swat Kats," Jade said. "But you called Razor your father. Razor doesn't have a daughter... Does he?" "Whoops. Foot meets mouth," Jade said. "Now, relax. She probably wouldn't suggest who he is or who you resemble. Uh-oh, you look like someone she knows," Kari whispered. "Thanks, I feel a whole lot better," Jade said, sarcastically. Kari shrugged. Boulder watched all this from a corner of the room where he was thinking to himself. He rolled his eyes and sighed. Meanwhile, Ann and Skylar were walking down the hallway. "Something tells me something's up," Ann said. "How can you tell?" "Call it reporter instinct." Skylar shook her head and walked forward. Then she stopped and put her arm out in front of Ann. "What is it?" "I-- I don't know. I just feel like something's gonna happen. But how could I?" "I never understood your mother's actions, myself." Skylar pulled off her clip-on pearl earring and tossed it forward. It hit the ground and activated a trap door to open up a few feet ahead from where they would have stepped. "Me-yike. Good thing you have your mother's instincts," Ann said, stepping over the trap door. "I guess." Then they continued on their way. Ann stopped for a second while Skylar went ahead. She took off her high heels and rubbed her feet. "Never had this much trouble with my other heels," she said, putting them back on. She was about to follow Skylar again, a hand covered her mouth. Her scream was muffled as an arm grabbed onto her and pulled her into the shadows. Skylar walked forward, only to find herself at a dead-end. "Crud. So much for this hall. Let's go back, Ann." She turned around, only to find Ann was not there. "Ann? Where did she go?" She leaned her back against the wall and thought to herself. Suddenly, the wall moved sideways, making her fall behind it. She screamed as she fell behind the wall. Meanwhile, Kat wondered around the stage. "Must be something around here. Tigera, ya find anything yet?" No response. "Tigera? Did you find anything? Tigera!" Her eyes searched the room, and Tigera was nowhere in sight. "Damn it. Where'd she go off to?" As she stood there, stroking her chin, a kat with a chair stood behind her. He raised it over his head, about to bring it down. "Kat-tai-yah!" Kat shouted, throwing him over her shoulder. He crashed into a table as Kat jumped off the stage. "Well, you defended yourself better than the rest of your group, Misty," he said looking up at her. "What are you talking about?" Kat asked, in an American accent. "Two of your group were snooping around in the files. We figured the rest of you were part of some operation." "You might say that. Now where are they?" "You won't find them. I can almost guarantee it." Outside, she heard some faint roaring. She turned her head towards the door. She rushed to it and looked out the window. She saw the girls and the three Swat Kats getting loaded into a van. "The boys!" She was about to open the door when a whip slashed her paw. She grunted and looked back. "Well, well. Who do we have here?" a figure asked. Kat rubbed the wound on her paw and saw a she-kat with orange fur and hair in a black leather outfit. "Caracal!" "That would be me," the she-kat said, bowing slightly. "You're the one behind this katnip operation? Not very god-like if you asked me." "Even daughters of Satan need a hobby. I'm surprised you know who I am." "I'm a friend of your sister Tigera." "Are you now? And where is my dear sister?" "Can't say I know." "Well, now that you know my plan, I'll have to take care of you. But I'll let these guys take care of you. First, I'm going to take of you." Caracal snapped her fingers. Suddenly, kats with clubs and guns appeared, making a circle around kat. "Damn," Kat whispered. "See you later, Misty. Then again, maybe not." Caracal chuckled as she walked out the door and got into the van outside. Kat heard them speed away, leaving her alone with the kats. Chapter 5: "Nothing is ever easy anymore," Kat said to herself as the kats with clubs came closer to her. "I'm warning you, boys. I ain't as sweet as I seem. I ain't as harmless either." "Oh, yeah? Whatcha gonna do? Unexpectedly pull out some kind of weapon out of your purse?" a kat asked, loading his gun with bullets. "Actually..." Kat said, reaching into her purse. "Yes!" She quickly pulled out her stars and threw them. "Ice shields, blast!" The stars circled the room. Kat ducked under a table while the flying stars enclosed the room in ice. The table she was under was covered in ice, and the outside as well. "Good thing I have sharp high heels," she said, kicking the ice with the heels of her shoes. The ice shattered, and she crawled out. She caught the stars as they flew by. She smirked as she saw the kats locked in ice. "That's what you get when you underestimate me, boys." Then she ran outside. The van that took Caracal and the others were gone. "Ah, damn it. This is one time I wish I were Dusty Bombay. Where would the van go to?" Kat paced, then noticed the tire tracks on the ground. She also noticed some red paint running along with the tracks. She knelt down and felt the paint, then rubbed it through her fingers. "Hmm. This paint wasn't mixed. Someone just opened it and dumped it. Oh, bless their hearts. Now, to follow them." Her eyes looked at the tire tracks and the paint and followed which way they led to. Then she got up and ran after them. Later, she found the van parked outside of an abandoned litter factory. "This seems too familiar. "According to Kari, Dark Kat before trapped them in a litter factory. Man, can't they think of anything original?" Kat asked herself. She walked up to the van and noticed some paint on the back bumper. Same color. I got the right van, she thought. She looked in a window to see T-Bone, Razor, and Boulder tied to the grinding machine. Then she looked in the corner and saw the others tied up in chairs. Caracal walked up to them and grinned. "You managed to stop me last time, Swat Kats, but I have the upper paw this time," she said. "Look, do what you want with us, but those others are of no use to you. Let them go," T-Bone said. "Yeah, they're useless to you," Razor said. "Let's not start that again, Razor," Skylar said. "I have a use for one of them, anyway. And that would be my sister, Tigera," Caracal said, looking at Tigera. "What's she doing handling katnip anyway?" Ann asked. "Even a daughter of Satan needs a hobby, Ann," Tigera replied. "What's yours, then?" "I can't say it. Callie's here." "Now, we say good-bye to the male Swat Kats. But don't worry. The female Swat Kats will be joining you soon," Caracal said, pulling the lever to the machine. The conveyor belt then started to pull T-Bone, Razor, and Boulder to the grinding teeth of the machine. "T-Bone!" Tigera shouted. The Kats struggled, but the ropes were on tight. "Well, guess you won't be getting a nephew after all, T-Bone," Razor said. "Yeah. Shame, too," T-Bone said. "I never even got to tell Quiver something either," Boulder said through clenched teeth, trying to chew the ropes away. "What?" Razor asked. "Nothing." Kat gasped as she saw the Kats moving closer to the grinding teeth. She crashed in through the window, threw her stars at the control panel, and stopped the machine cold. Boulder looked at how close he was to the machine's teeth. A few more inches and his tail would have been in it. "Cutting it a little close, aren't we?" he asked, nearly sweating. "I thought the boys at the club took care of you!" Caracal growled. "No, but I took care of them," Kat said, catching her stars as they returned. By now, Skylar and Jade had cut their way through the ropes and had cut everybody else free without anyone noticing. Callie got out and was told to call the Enforcers. When Callie left, Tigera and Ann changed into Shera and Venus the next second. "Hey, Caracal!" they both said. Caracal turned around to see an arrow flying at her. She ducked quickly. "Venus!" she said. Venus held up her bow and grinned. "Hello, little sister. Long time no see," she said. She then loaded another arrow into her bow and fired at the boxes. "My katnip!" Caracal shouted. The boxes caught on fire. Caracal then charged at her. But then Jade and Skylar changed into panther form and knocked her down. "Stay put," Skylar said. Caracal tried to get up, but the two panthers were too strong. Kat, who had turned into Quiver during all this, walked over to the Kats still tied to the belt. "So, she-kats are useless in battle, eh?" she asked, extending her claws and slashing the ropes. She then helped them up. "I'll beg for forgiveness when we get back," T-Bone said. Kari and David fought off the rest of Caracal's crew and tied them up. Venus walked up to Caracal still being held down by Skylar and Jade. "Well, we took care of your little hobby, didn't we, Caracal?" she asked. "Yes. Now I'll have to find another one. See you soon, sister," Caracal said, disappearing from underneath Jade and Skylar. Both panthers were surprised. Outside, Enforcer sirens were heard. "Let's get our tails out of here," Razor said. Then they all rushed out the back way. The enforcers broke in to find the place filled with some burning boxes and a few kats tied up. One enforcer opened up one of the boxes that were not burning. "Looks like we have some katnip dealers," he said. Then he found a note on the floor while the other enforcers were leading the kats away. "We need to check out the Persian's Lounge on the way back, too." Chapter 6: "Well, T-Bone, is there something you'd like to say to us?" Venus asked once Razor and Boulder brought the TurboKat back to the hangar. "All right. I'm sorry that I made you girls stay behind. You turned out to be pretty handy," T-Bone said, taking off his helmet and throwing it into his locker. Skylar and Jade went over and hugged T-Bone. He smiled and patted them on their backs. "Well, we're glad to hear you say that, bro," Quiver said, taking off her glove and wrapping her bleeding paw into a bandage. She then started filing her nails. "Got a feeling Caracal will be back soon," Razor said. "We'll be ready for her, Father. Right?" Jade asked. "Right," T-Bone said. "I'm about ready to hit the sack," Quiver said, heading back to bed. "Same here. Buster, you're driving," Shera said, once she put her G-suit in a backpack. "Yes, ma'am," Buster said as she climbed up the ladder. Buster started to climb up as well. "Buster?" He looked down to see Quiver at the bottom. "Yeah?" "I've noticed something's been bothering you lately. You wanna tell me what it is?" Buster looked up at the hangar door, then back at her. "Not today. I'm not ready to say yet." Then he climbed up the ladder. Quiver looked after him, and sighed. "As long as I've known him, I've never understood him sometimes. Course, he can't understand me sometimes, but still... I still wonder what's bothering him," she said. "He'll tell ya when he's ready," Razor said, now Jake. "By the way, where did Kari and David go?" Tigera asked. "Went home, I believe." "Well, if anybody needs me, I'll be catching about 400 winks," Quiver said, now Kat, climbing up the ladder. Boulder's secret will be revealed later, she thought. And so it shall. THE END