LIKE FATHER; LIKE SON
AUTHOR: Felicia McFurry
Email: Mel_B_52@hotmail.com

	It was the next night and Sub-Zero had returned to his sleeping quarters, obviously very 
tired.  He plopped down on his bed without even saying goodnight to Reptile or anything. Reptile 
saw this and was very confused by why Sub-Zero was so tired.  He walked over to the side of 
Sub-Zero's bed and looked at him.  "Where were you last night? Why are you so tired?," he asked, 
awfully suspicious of Sub-Zero's absence the last night around 11pm.  Then he grinned. "Were you 
with a she-kat?"
	Sub-Zero shook his head tiredly. "I was out, thinking about something," he quickly 
stated, not wanting to talk about this. Last night, he had finally figured out what was 
bothering him, and afterwards, he couldn't sleep.  
	"You still letting that incident bother you from yesterday?," Reptile questioned, 
remembering how Scorpion had yelled at Sub-Zero.
	Sub-Zero nodded and then sighed, knowing it was hopeless to keep this from Reptile. But 
lucky for him, he could trust Reptile. He rose up and sat on the edge of his bed, he rubbed his 
eyes and then looked at Reptile, figuring out if he should tell him or not. Reptile saw the look 
that Sub-Zero gave him, and knew that something was up. "Look, Sub-Zero, I am your friend and 
you know that. I won't go blabbering about anything you tell me," he said as he sat down beside 
Sub-Zero.
	Sub-Zero nodded in acknowledgment because he knew that Reptile was right, he could trust 
him.  "Look, Reptile, I found out something last night, the reason why yesterday was bothering 
me. But you must promise not to tell a soul," he said seriously.
	Reptile looked at him and said, "I promise. I swear it on my soul. If I do, let Rain 
strike me down with his lightning." He grinned and Sub-Zero chuckled.  
	Sub-Zero sighed and looked up at the ceiling.  "Reptile, do you know about your parents? 
Your *real* parents?," he asked. Sub-Zero had also figured out that Lin Kuei and Dark Kat had 
lied to them about the status of their parents.  
	The question took Reptile totally by surprised.  He was told by Lin Kuei that his 
parents were killed in an accident, and he was left an orphan.  He almost never thought of his 
*real* parents-that was like a dream.  
	Yet now Sub-Zero's question made him start.  Emotions started to flood his mind of his 
parents.   Images of each one, how caring they were to him, and how they took care of  him. He 
didn't remember them dieing at all.  "Yes, I do," he replied after seeing the images in his 
head.  "Just a little bit."
	"What do you remember?," Sub-Zero pressed, curious about Reptile's past.  
	"Just feelings really...images." He wanted it to slide, it was so far from his immediate 
concerns...but somehow, so loud inside, all of a sudden.
	"Tell me," Sub-Zero repeated.
	He felt surprised by his insistence, but decided to follow him with it, at least for the 
time being.  "My mother was very beautiful," Reptile said aloud.  Her and my father were gentle 
and kind." Reptile looked at Sub-Zero, full of wonder.  "Why are you asking me this?"
	Sub-Zero looked back up at the ceiling as if he'd been on the verge of opening; then 
something scared him, and he pulled it all in once more.  "Sub-Zero, tell me what's troubling 
you," Reptile asked. He wanted to help, he knew he could.  
	"I went to where the SWAT Kats were last night," Sub-Zero said softly.  "I can feel 
Razor's presence, he's looking for me for some reason."
	"What? How?," Reptile asked, obviously very confused.
	"That's why I must leave here.  As long as I stay here, I am endangering us.  I must go 
confront him," Sub-Zero said.
	Reptile shook his head hard.  "I don't understand, Sub-Zero. Why do you have to confront 
him?."
	Sub-Zero's head lowered, he knew he must let the secret out.  It was the only way.  He 
took a deep breath to compose himself and then said, "He's my father."
	"Your father?!," Reptile said in astonishment. He couldn't believe it!
	Sub-Zero nodded and then said, "That's why I must go back to where I went last night.  I 
*must* see him."  He rose.
	Reptile got up too. "I am going with you."
	Sub-Zero shook his head. "No, I have already endangered you by telling you all of this. 
You mustn't go."
	"I *am* going, Sub-Zero. Trust me, whatever takes places tonight, I will not tell a 
single soul," he said and looked at Sub-Zero, reassuringly.
	Sub-Zero smiled slightly and then nodded. "Then let's go."
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	30 minutes later on, Sub-Zero and Reptile had arrived at the garage, they snuck up right 
near the garage. They stood on a pile of scrap metal to look at the garage fully. The waiting 
room light was on, meaning that maybe Jake and Chance were down there watching tv, then there 
were two lights upstairs meaning that Felicia was getting ready for bed and her daughter, which 
was Sub-Zero's sister, in her bedroom.  "Are we going in?," Reptile whispered to Sub-Zero.
	Sub-Zero shook his head. "Not yet, not now."  
	The sight of Victoria, which was Sub-Zero's sister, caught Reptile's eye.  "Who is the 
chick upstairs in the room on the right?," he whispered.
	"That's my sister," said Sub-Zero.  "Her name is Victoria." He added that, knowing that 
would have been Reptile's next question.  "Look, you go on, I want to stay here a little longer. 
I want to get closer. Besides I don't want you to get in trouble."
	"Okay, but be careful," Reptile warned as he snuck down the pile of scrap metal and 
trotted off back to their hide out.  Sub-Zero watched him leave and then returned his attention 
back to the garage.  He quietly slid down the pile, and approached the garage. Making sure he 
wasn't in any window view, he looked up at the room where his mother, Felicia was. Tears formed 
in his eyes, as he watched his mother, he had not seen her in over 10 years. He missed her so 
much. He stood there, in deep thought about his mother, memories of her coming back into his 
head.
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	Meanwhile, Jake had decided to go to bed, he would first go out to close up the salvage 
yard's gates.  When he walked outside, he saw a shadow in the distance. He approached the shadow 
and stopped in horror when he saw who it was.  It was the same blue ninja that he had fought a 
day ago. This time, he was right there, at their home, looking in on the window of his wife.  
Jake silently growled and pounced the shadow. Sub-Zero didn't even see it coming and was pinned 
to the ground in no time.  He looked up and saw the most familiar face.  It was his father!  He 
couldn't hit him back, no. Not his long lost father.  "Now to see who you really are!," Jake 
said as he reached for his mask. Sub-Zero didn't resist.  Even though, he was ashamed of what he
became, he must let his father know him.  Jake pulled the mask off and was stunned at what he 
saw. The young looking tomkat looked almost like him. Jake's jaw dropped in surprise, when he 
looked at the kat's eyes and finally realized who this could be.  He climbed off of his son in 
astonishment. "Du-dusty....," he said.
	Dusty nodded only, he couldn't answer.  His eyes full of tears.  He could only nod his 
head.  There was no words that he could tell his dad, because he felt so responsible being the 
way he was.  He wanted to break down and confess everything to his dad, but no, something deep 
down inside was holding him back. The words he wanted to say getting farther and farther away 
and he couldn't get them back.  With silence still between them, Dusty quickly snatched the mask 
from Jake's paws and took off running. He wanted to get away, he didn't want his dad to know 
about him.  Standing there in confusion and sadness, Jake watched his son start to run away from 
him.  Suddenly reality hit him on the head. No! He couldn't let his son leave him like this. He 
wanted him to be safe.  "Wait! Come back!," Jake yelled and took after Dusty.  But it was no 
use, Dusty was much younger than Jake and  in much more shape, pretty soon Jake lost him.  
	"Hey, Jake! Where are you?," Felicia called from the garage door. She had heard Jake cry 
out and wonder who he was yelling at.  Jake's ears perked when he heard his wife calling for 
him.  With a heavy heart, he took one last look at the direction Dusty had ran in, and then 
turned to head back toward the garage. 
	"I'm coming!," he called back to his wife.  His feet shuffling the dirt as he walked, 
his head facing the ground. He had a complication now. Should he tell her or not?  He knew he 
shouldn't keep anything from Felicia so when he approached the garage, he said, "Felicia, I need 
to talk to you." With only that, he took her paw and led her upstairs to their bedroom to tell 
her what just happened; leaving a confused Chance on the couch.  


To be continued...