Shard Drive By James L. King FreakaZ@Comcast.net Rating: PG-13 Warnings: Mild violence Started: 04-05-2002 Finished: 08-12-2002 Summary: Rex Shard seizes control of the TurboKat II, and the SWAT Kats have to get it back while fending off 'Control' from Pumadyne, who is piloting the Katkiller II. Legal: The usual legalese involving HB, SWAT Kats and MKC, etc. Author's notes: I've decided to ditch my 'Mini-novel' format and go with more of a format that would be more like an Episode of SK, for this fic at least. I'm experimenting in the hopes I find a format that's easier to write and easier to read. December 3, 1995 "Thanks for helping me out with combining the Scrambler and Megavolt missiles, Professor. We've had problems with force-fields on enemy craft lately," Razor says as he unloads and carries a missile into the Professor's Lab. He goes out the door, while Hackle thinks for a minute, then comes back with a different missile. "No problem, lad. Now for this first design, let's connect this Megavolt generator through the Wireclipper's capacitance matrix, and use the capacitance matrix to run the Scrambler's circuitry. When that's done, modify the electrodes with the ones from the Megavolt, but keep the Scrambler electrodes in place. I'm not sure either set of electrodes can handle the power boost alone." "I never would have thought of doing it that way," Razor says as he goes back out, then comes back with a Wireclipper missile. Professor Hackle laughs, "You eventually would have. You are quite inventive. You built the TurboKat from scrap." "Yeah, that's true. When did you find out?" Razor asks as he places the Wireclipper next to the other two missiles. "I figured it by the time I gave you two the Cybertron. Speaking of which, the repairs to the Cybertron are nearing completion." "That wasn't actually that long ago." "No, it wasn't, was it? So, how's Mrs. Briggs?" "Callie? she's..." "No, her mother." "I don't know. She doesn't seem to like me too much." "Pity. There was a time she'd throw herself at any passably cute tom. I was one of them. I'm truly surprised she doesn't like you." "I'm gonna be right back with a few more missiles so we can try a different design," Razor says as he walks out. Hackle mutters to himself, "Who really has the amnesia? He doesn't seem to remember being me. Maybe Eugene can shed some light on that next time I see him." Razor comes back in with a second Megavolt missile and places it on a workbench. They spend several hours modifying the missiles, and finally are done. Razor loads the missiles, and manually sets the missile designations in the TurboKat's targeting computer as Megascrambler prototype design 1 and 2. "I'm not sure that either of these two designs will actually work, lad. Keep several of each base kind in your cargo bay in case these fail." "Will do Professor, thanks again." "Any time, Razor, anytime." "Goodbye Professor." "Goodbye, lad." Razor takes off and heads to the Salvage yard. * * * 'Those SWAT Kats have practically destroyed Pumadyne! Now I will get my revenge!' An older tom with greying black fur thinks as he walks around the second 'KatKiller' prototype. He completes all final systems checks, makes sure that the ordnance is loaded, and the jet has been fueled. When he is done, he says, "Now all I have to do is wait for the SWAT Kats to show their faces in the sky!" * * * MegaKat Maximum Security Prison, six months before, Shard punches at Hard Drive again, "That's for calling me second-rate!" Hard Drive deflects the blow and kicks at Shard, who catches his foot and throws him. Hard Drive hits the wall and slides down. Shard pounces on him, and starts punching Hard Drive repeatedly. Guards appear and separate the two prisoners. "I'll get you someday, Shard, I'll get you good!" a bleeding and hurt Hard Drive says as he is placed on a gurney and pushed off to the infirmary. * * * Two months later, Hard Drive escapes and goes into hiding long enough to make a Surgesuit and only hacks ATMs as a criminal venture. Almost four months after Hard Drive's escape, Shard escapes from prison. * * * Just after midnight, December 7, 1995 "I can't believe I'm reduced to doing this," Hard Drive mutters as he starts hacking into an ATM. Shard walks by and sees someone there. "Easy money. I'll just rob him when he gets done," Shard says as he hides in the shadows nearby. When Hard Drive looks around, hatred gleams in Shard's eye as he recognizes Hard Drive. "You!" he shouts, rushing toward Hard Drive. "What?" Hard Drive asks, just before Shard buries his fist into Hard Drive's face. "Ooh, you've made me mad, Shard!" Hard Drive electrifies himself with his Surgesuit and punches Shard back. Shard takes the shock, but something unexpected happens, and he absorbs all of the energy from Hard Drive's Surgesuit. "What? No!" Hard Drive shouts as Shard starts glowing electric blue. Shard raises his paw, and electric bolts fly at Hard Drive. Hard Drive succumbs to the electric shock. Shard laughs as he arcs into a power line, leaving Hard Drive unconscious on the street. * * * "Commander Feral, I'm glad you could come," a rusty colored tom says to the imposing figure. "Welcome to my little research facility. I have a prototype helicopter that I need tested and would like the services of your most experienced pilot." "Well, Mr. Clawson, why is this chopper so much better than the ones I have patrolling every day?" Feral says as he walks around the sleek black attack chopper. He notes the sharp angular surfaces of the Chopper and its imposing look. "First off, the radar stealthing, the force-field, and the main laser cannon are the same as on the SWAT Kats' second jet. I... lent them the original prototypes for testing." "I see." "Secondly, the designed top speed of this chopper is pretty near Mach 1, and its maneuverability should allow it to literally fly circles around anything in your existing fleet of choppers." "Impressive, anything else?" "It would cost only a fraction more to buy and maintain this chopper for a year than it would be for you to buy and maintain one of yours." "I'll call my best pilot for a short test-flight." * * * "Alright, let's see if these engine modifications work as well as I think." "She feels faster. Can't say if she really is." "Well, I'm glad you finally let me look at the M-24 design. I think we can make one from some parts in the yard. Besides, I want to test these modifications and see if the fly-by-wire upgrades work before I put them into the TurboKat." "Roger that, buddy." "Push her to redline and start flying as if you were trying to lose your shadow," Razor says, then grits his teeth in preparation for blacking out under the Gees he will be subjected to. T-Bone pushes the engines into afterburn and goes into a steep climb. He levels off some 60,000 feet and puts the jet through the hardest maneuvers he can. Finally, when fuel starts getting low, he flies back to the Salvage yard. Razor still hasn't woke up from the maneuvers, so he starts refueling by himself. "Ohh, crud. What happened?" "She handles just fine, Razor, better than ever!" "No, I mean, why are we back here?" "Low on fuel." "Oh, ok." "After we're done tonight, I think I'm gonna go over to Enforcer HQ and visit Felina in her quarters... and spend the night there." "So, that's where you've been. You two finally sleeping together?" "I'll quote her Uncle, 'No Comment.' How 'bout you, Mr. Wait-Till-Marriage?" "Nope. We fall asleep on the sofa watching Litterbin before we even get to kissing." "Uh-huh, riiiiight." "Hey, her purr is very calming! It makes me sleepy. She says the same about mine, too." "I wonder why Felina doesn't say that about me?" "Probably 'cause you purr like an out of tune diesel engine." "HEY!" Razor laughs as he checks over the modifications to the fly-by-wire computer. He leaps down to check on the servos when T-Bone declares as he rushes toward Razor, "I'll 'out-of-tune diesel' you, c'mere, buddy." Still laughing, Razor leaps out of the way, then launches himself straight into the air as T-Bone tries to pounce on him. He latches onto the ceiling with all his claws and continues to laugh. By this time, T-Bone's laughing too and jumps into the air, also latching onto the ceiling with all his claws. "Two can play at...WAHHHHH!!! OOF!!!" he cries as part of the ceiling gives. He hits the floor with a thud and doesn't move. "T-Bone!" Razor shouts as he drops down and scrambles over to check on his partner. Suddenly, he finds T-Bone's paw around his neck and sees the familiar cocky grin as he feels himself being lifted into the air, "Gotcha!" T-Bone shouts in triumph. "Aww, T-Bone, you didn't have to scare me like that!" Razor says as he tries to pry his partner's paw off his neck. T-Bone pulls Razor to him, knocks off his helmet, and starts giving Razor a noogie. "CHANCE!!!" The alarm goes off. T-Bone drops Razor and rushes over to the phone, "We're here, Ms. Briggs." "Guys, there's been a massive city-wide blackout. Now Hard Drive is running loose. I saw a kat arc into a powerline." "We're on our way!" Razor grabs his helmet and leaps into the gunner's seat of the TurboKat II. T-Bone is there a few seconds later as the lift drops to the launch level. "Hard Drive? I thought he had been really laying low," T-Bone muses as the TurboKat II screams off toward MegaKat City. "Maybe he wants to get back at us for something," Razor replies. It doesn't take long after they enter the City's airspace before Razor tracks a surge in an otherwise dead powerline. "He's making it easy," Razor mutters as he selects two Wireclipper missiles. "Missiles away!" Both Wireclipper missiles cut the line, trapping the surge in one of them. Razor hits a button on his console, and small chutes pop out of the missiles, slowing their fall. Suddenly, the missile bursts in a blueish fireball, and the surge arcs into the TurboKat II. "What?! Razor, I'm being locked out of the system!" "I'm trying to..crud, I'm completely locked out!" "WHA....!" both Kats cry out as they are suddenly ejected from the TurboKat II. "Lets get the TurboKat and see what we can do to free the two!" T-Bone says through the comm. They see the TurboKat II hover for a moment, then streak off, firing missiles at buildings. "We REALLY got to get her back. I'm calling the TurboKat via remote control!" Razor says as he angles his seat toward a building roof. "Roger!" T-Bone says. After a couple of minutes, Razor lands the TurboKat on the roof of the building. He and T-Bone ditch their Ejektor seats there and get in the TurboKat. * * * "Ahh, The SWAT Kats! Time to die!" the black tom shouts as he jumps into the KatKiller II. He takes off and watches on his VDU as they get ejected and the TurboKat II flies off, destroying buildings. "So much for their jet, now they're easy pickings." * * * "This is Lieutenant Feral, I'm almost ready to..." Felina says as she finishes putting the chopper through its paces. "Commander, the SWAT Kats have gone crazy. They're destroying skyscrapers left and right!" "Uncle, request permission to check it out!" Felina says as she hears the message. "No, Felina, this chopper..." "May be the only way to stop the SWAT Kats, although I can't imagine that..." Mike Clawson starts, a dark look on his face. "It's ok, Mr. Clawson, Uncle Ulysses knows." Mike Clawson looks at the imposing tom and says, "You want to test my chopper or not? An air battle with the TurboKat will be just the test I'm looking for." Commander Feral sighs, "Very well, Felina, move out. If it really is the SWAT Kats, ask them why! Use your own discretion how to handle them." "Roger, and if it is them, I'll kill them," she replies into the comm, her voice filled with venom. * * * As the TurboKat takes off, a laser blast narrowly misses them. T-Bone flies off as fast as he can. Razor looks around and sees a KatKiller jet keeping up with them just as the City's lighting comes back on. "T-Bone!" "I see it, I see it! Just disable the TurboKat II; I'll keep this punk from killing us!" "Roger, Turboblades deployed!" The Turboblades strike the force-field on the TurboKat II. The Katkiller fires a missile, and Razor recognizes it as the five part missile. "T-Bone, incoming!" As the missile splits, T-Bone reverses thrust, throwing the both of them forward in the harness as the five subsections streak past them and explode in front of them. He then punches the throttle and flies through the explosion. * * * "Interesting. He's a better pilot than he's even given credit for," the tom muses as the TurboKat narrowly evades the Starburst missile. He fires his laser at the TurboKat as it flies through the explosion. A warning light shows on his console as he tracks an incoming helicopter. "A bigger audience!" he shouts aloud. He frowns though, when he sees the chopper closing on his position at a speed near Mach 1. A female voice comes through, "Katkiller jet, this is Lieutenant Felina Feral of the Enforcers, you are to surrender immediately, or be shot down!" "Fat chance," he mutters as he locks onto the Chopper. "Launching drones." * * * Felina guns the throttle and flies toward MegaKat City. On her scope she sees the Katkiller firing at a TurboKat while the other TurboKat is firing at buildings. She sees the TurboKat pull an extreme maneuver dodging a missile from the Katkiller and recognizes T-Bone's flying. As the TurboKat flies through the explosion, the Katkiller fires its laser at the TurboKat. She gets mad, but tries to keep a level head as she says, "Katkiller jet, this is Lieutenant Felina Feral of the Enforcers, you are to surrender immediately, or be shot down!" The Katkiller launches its drones and sends them after the TurboKat while the Katkiller locks onto her. "Force-field up, radar cloak active, laser standing by. Arming missiles and guns." The Katkiller fires a volley of missiles at her, and she dodges it, firing her guns and laser at the Katkiller. The 50mm slugs and laser blasts strike a force-field, doing nothing. "Guys, this is Felina, do you copy?" "Yeah, we're here, trying to keep up with the Two. Hard Drive..." "No, not me. Rex Shard! I'll explain later, when we get your precious TurboKat back, SWAT Kats. Just overload your force-field so I can fight him on the electronic level!" "I hate to break it, but I think the Katkiller is more than a match for this Clawson Research prototype!" * * * "Guys, this is Felina, do you copy?" "Yeah, we're here, trying to keep up with the two. Hard Drive...," Razor says, just as a face pops up on their VDU. "No, not me. Rex Shard! I'll explain later, when we get your precious TurboKat back, SWAT Kats. Just overload your force-field so I can fight him on the electronic level!" "I hate to break it, but I think the Katkiller is more than a match for this Clawson Research prototype!" Felina sounds worried. "It's time to put these prototype missiles to the test! Get in close to the two, T-Bone! Locking on Megascrambler prototype 1!" Razor launches the missile, which overloads the TurboKat II's force-field. They see an arc of electricity hit the TurboKat II, which suddenly goes into Hover mode and stays there as an electronic war rages inside the TurboKat II's computers. "It works!" "Guys, I'm in trouble, my force-field is down!" "We're on our way!" T-bone growls. "Hold on, 'Lina," Razor says softly. He locks the second prototype Megascrambler onto the Katkiller just as the drones reach them and start firing. * * * "Guys, I'm in trouble, my force-field is down!" Felina says as her force-field collapses from a Lightning missile. "We're on our way!" She watches as, all of a sudden, a few automated commands appear on her VDU, and the force-field comes back up just in time, as a Starburst missile explodes around her. The field wavers and collapses again, but she suffers no damage. The system tries repeatedly to re-initialize the force-field, but to no avail. Breaking off from the Katkiller, she targets and starts shooting at the drones that were firing at the TurboKat. Razor puts on the turret helmet and starts firing the Cement Machine gun at the drones. Quickly, all five drones are destroyed or have been gummed up by the Cement. * * * Hard Drive and Rex Shard are working their way around the TurboKat II's computer, evading Razor's anti-viral routines while trying to get the best of each other. Hard Drive manages to lock Shard out of the computer and uses the radio to talk to the SWAT Kats. "I've re-deployed the force-field, SWAT Kats. Shard is trapped in here. I can keep him at bay for only a few minutes. He is an energy sink, capable of absorbing every joule of energy from this jet, including me. I recommend you overload this craft's electrical systems; it may overload him. I will drop the force-field when you attack." * * * A message comes over the comm-link of the TurboKat. It's Hard Drive. "I've re-deployed the force-field, SWAT Kats, Shard is trapped in here. I can keep him at bay for only a few minutes. He is an energy sink, capable of pulling every joule of energy from this jet, including me. I recommend you overload this craft's electrical systems; it may overload him. I will drop the force-field when you attack." "Get this guy's force-field down, and I might be able to get him, Razor!" "Crud! Launching Megavolt missiles!" Razor arms most of the Megavolt Missiles on his panel and fires at the Katkiller just as T-Bone wheels around and heads toward the TurboKat II. Razor is almost chanting as his finger runs over his console, "Megascrambler prototype 2 armed, scramblers armed, remaining Megavolts, armed! Firing Megascrambler and all scramblers!" A dozen missiles streak toward the TurboKat II, which, true to Hard Drive's word, dropped its force-field. All the missiles impact and send massive scrambling pulses of electricity through the jet. Shard arcs out of the computer and is hit by billions of volts, overloading his energy absorbing ability. The TurboKat II plummets toward the ground. "Deploying Magnetic grapple!" Razor says as T-Bone swoops down to catch the plummeting jet. "Guys, I'm still in trouble! His force-field is down, but his armor is impenetrable!" "Roger, Razor, you got a lava missile?" T-Bone says as he flies with The Turbokat II magnetically locked to the TurboKat. Razor points to the TurboKat II. T-Bone shouts, "Crud! Felina!" "I'm going down there, I can manually arm and fire the missile, but it'll only go where you aim the jet!" Razor says as he pulls the lever which slides his seat back. He fires his glovatrix and lands on the fuselage. He breaks the canopy and crawls in. * * * "Guys, I'm still in trouble! His force-field is down, but his armor is impenetrable!" The Katkiller fires yet another Starburst missile, this time, fragments of metal embed themselves into the fuselage of her Chopper, as she barely dodges the explosion. She fires her laser and guns while launching a missile in return. "Roger, Razor, you got a lava missile?" she hears T-Bone ask. "I'm going down there, I can manually arm and fire the missile, but it'll only go where you aim the jet!" she hears Razor say. "You're insane, Razor!" Felina cries out as T-Bone yells, "Crud! Felina!" A laser blast, and she feels the chopper buck a touch before re-stabilizing. She empties the last of the 50mm armor piercing rounds into the Katkiller and launches several missiles at the Katkiller. Suddenly, the Katkiller starts glowing red and the pilot ejects. The Katkiller explodes in mid-air as the last of her missiles hits it. "BINGO!!!!" she hears Razor's voice over the comm as he shouts in glee, "Radical flying, T-Bone!" "Thanks for the help, Lieutenant," T-Bone's relieved voice filters through. "No problem, after I retrieve that ejected pilot, I'm gonna land this thing at HQ and get it looked at before I give it back to Mr. Clawson." "See ya there. We got Shard to drop off, and maybe Hard Drive, too." A radio message comes in. "Oh, no. I'm not going back to prison SWAT Kats. I've already escaped you, and I'm going away for a long time. Au revoir, SWAT Kats." T-Bone places the TurboKat II on the Enforcer HQ runway, Razor detaches the grapple, and they land the TurboKat. They leap out and run over to the TurboKat II. They get Shard, now unconscious, out of the cockpit and turn him over to the Enforcers. They are checking over the TurboKat II when Felina lands with her cargo. Commander Feral comes out on the roof with Mike Clawson at his side, and they run over to the Chopper. Feral starts off with a growl, "Mr Puma, so you're who wants those vigilantes killed? You're under arrest! Take him to a cell!" "She's not badly damaged. How did she handle, Lieutenant?" Mike looks his chopper over. "Like a dream." She adds softly, "Of course, nothing's like piloting the TurboKat..." "Well, Mr. Clawson, I think that after the testing phase, the City may just give you a contract to produce your chopper design for the Enforcers," Commander Feral says with a hint of a smile. "I'll require a good test pilot... We may be able to start production in a few months, provided we don't have any build issues, or redesigns." Mike looks at Felina, then at her Uncle. "Lieutenant Feral is at your disposal," Commander Feral says dismissively. The SWAT Kats walk over to the black chopper and start looking it over. "Whoa, cool design," Razor says. "Pretty fast, too." "Oh, sweet! T-Bone, look at this platypus exhaust on the engines. You'll never be able to lock a heat-seeker on this baby!" "That is cool, hey listen!" T-Bone knocks on part of the fuselage with his paw, "Composites. Probably carbon-fiber reinforced ceramics on what, a titanium frame? Very stealthy as it is, and with that radar cloak, it'll have no radar cross section." Mike Clawson looks at the two vigilantes examining his chopper. "Ok, enough drooling, SWAT Kats. Don't you have things to do?" "Yeah, I have to do a quick field repair so I can fly the TurboKat II back to base on the cable controls," Razor replies. Pretty soon, Razor is powering up the engines and taking off with T-Bone closely following him.