Fire and Ice by Bonnie Neely "Couldn't we just dump her somewhere and be done with it? I'm freezin' my tail off out here." a dark figure grunted as he and another shadowy individual drug a body through the snow. "Hey, between the rats and this cold she's not long for this world. Besides, the boss wants it to look like an accident." Letting the body fall, the first one took off his coat and dusted the snow so as to cover his tracks. What they didn't realize though was just how many silent alarms they'd tripped. Jake groaned as he opened one eye and hoped it was just a false alarm, but seeing how many lights were lit he rolled out of bed to see where the problem was. "It's probably just that darn raccoon again." Chance grumbled from the other side of the room. "Nah," Jake answered, rubbing his chin in thought, "they came and went through the side gate." "Left too?" Chance asked, opening his other eye, "All right, I'm up." The woman in question heaved a sigh of relief as she turned her face to the side and listened to the car drive away into the night. "What did that creep do to me?" she thought groggily, "I can barely keep my eyes open." Dragging herself up to her hands and knees she reached out and grabbed the fender of the wreck in front of her. "Good thing I'm not afraid of rats." she mused, listening to the barely perceptable sounds of sniffing and scuttling. Or at least she used to think that until she saw one crawling out of the hood that was the size of an alley cat. "Oh...my...God." she drew out, watching the beast size her up. "Get down!" a masculine voice called out. Even Autumn's drug fogged mind could understand that command. Wrapping an arm around her face and the other over her head, she heard the roar of ignited paint rush over her head and torch a rat as well as the thunderous crash of a metal bat driving vermin into the twisted hulks of the rusted wrecks that were stacked all around them. Screams of pain and nails scraping against steel could be heard all around . "It's a bad trip that's all." Autumn kept telling herself as she huddled closer into the wheel of the car. "He gave me a hallucinogen so I'd go out of my mind before I died." "Clear?" a different masculine voice asked. "Looks good to me." the first one answered, sounding very close. Unwrapping and opening her eyes, Autumn saw a slight, wiry built tomcat crouching in front of her and a burly, barrel chested tom with stripes on his massive arms who regarded her with a wink and a lopsided grin. "He drugged me." she muttered, losing her fight to stay awake. "Stay with me kitten." Jake said in half a panic as he gently slapped her cheek, "Who drugged you?" "Viper." she mouthed, her head lolling into his palm. "Chance, we gotta..." "Way ahead of ya' buddy." he answered, quickly scooping her up into his arms and making a run for the garage. Snagging the bat before falling into step beside his partner, Jake asked, "You smell the exhaust?" "Yup, she was in the trunk for quite a while." Autumn wanted to tell them she could make it on her own, but when she opened her mouth to speak, Chance cut her off, saying, "Hang on babe, we're almost there." Then a light hit her square in the eyes as Jake shouldered the doors open. She let out a little whimper and turned her face to snuggle deeper into into Chance's neck. Then just as quickly, she was being laid down on a couch. The guys stripped off their coats and laid them on to warm her. In what seemed like a split second they were gone again. "I hope I'm not letting myself in for even more grief." "Me too kitten." Jake said with real concern, "Me too." Seeing her confused look as he strapped the oxygen mask on her. He smiled and told her what he was doing, adding, "You're thinking out loud, but that's okay. Take deep breaths and talk to me. You have to stay awake." Autumn nodded her understanding and tried to sit up. "No no hon," he scolded, getting a hand behind her, "I'll do this." He deftly removed her jacket but gasped when he saw her arms. "Hey, I found it!" Chance called out as he trotted in, then stopped dead and muttered, "Cat's alive! what did he do to her?" "Ask after I get this into her." Jake replied as he regained his composure and double checked the syringe. "I just hope there's some good veins left." Chance grumbled as he whipped off his belt and wrapped it around her arm. "If not, get ready to go for a thigh." Jake said in all seriousness. "No," Autumn whispered,"please, no more." Jake felt like a real heel having to do this as he tapped her arm a couple times. "Got one!" he said triumphantly as he expertly slid the needle into the vein. His happiness was short lived as he watched a single tear slide down her cheek. Chance slipped the belt off and put her arm over her chest before covering her again. "I'll take first watch." he said kindly, putting a reassuring hand on Jake's shoulder as Autumn slipped into the blessed relief of darkness. "Feral." the voice on the other end of the line answered groggily. "Sorry to wake you sir, but there's something down here at the wharf you should see." "I'll be there in ten minutes." he said crisply and rolled out of bed. F&I ch.2 It was dark, save for the moonlight coming in through the window. Autumn opened her eyes and tried to remember where she was when she heard the tiniest puff of breath in the darkness and turned toward it. There in the night she saw two glowing eyes. "You son of a bitch!" she spat in rage and launched herself toward them. Jake was seriously taken aback by her viciousness, but easily wrapped her up in a hold she couldn't break. "Stop it kit!" he said with a gentle sternness, "It's me Jake." Flipping her onto her back so they were both illuminated in the moonlight, he watched in satisfaction as her eyes widened in shocked recognition. "I just saw your eyes in the dark." she apologized," I-I thought you were Viper." Jake got to his feet and gently helped her up. "Kinda' what I figured." he chuckled, "I hope you wouldn't spew that kind of venom at the guy who saved your life." Autumn was going to reply but got hit by a bright light and a white hot pain behind her eyes. "Uh-oh," Jake muttered, getting her back to the couch and laying her head in his lap, "I forgot about the kick that antitoxin leaves as a parting shot." "Da wha'?" she slurred, wondering just how many pieces her skull was going to shatter into. "I smelled black licorice on your breath. It's a tell tale sign of Katalyst P-16. It's one of Viper's choice drugs of interrogation." "Hmm," she murmured, as he began to massage her face and temples, "I'll never eat licorice again Razor." Jake stopped dead, his eyes widening. "Who's Razor?" "You are." she answered, eyes still closed so she missed the half panicked look on his face. "No kitten," he replied smoothly, returning to his ministrations, "I'm a grease monkey not a fighter jock." "Viper had footage of you guys on all the time." she said softly as his hands worked their magic, "He was studying you guys for some reason." "That still doesn't make me a Swat Kat." he gently teased. "I recognized you out in the yard when you told me to get down. Your voice dropped a couple octaves. Not to mention your mannerisms and militiristic precision in your aim." Then she opened her eyes as a realization struck her. "What's wrong kit?" Jake asked carefully, wondering what new bombshell she was going to drop on him. "I just realized that you seem completely unphased by my appearance." He graced her with a heart stopping smile. "This is Megakat City, kitten. Wierdness is a way of life here. By the way, are you going to introduce yourself or do I keep referring to you as my kit?" Autumn smiled as she gave his hand a little nuzzle and replied, "I could live with that, but my name's Autumn Silvers." "Hey," another voice said from across the room, "am I interrupting something or can I play too?" "That could be interresting." she teased as she slowly sat up. "What do you think Jake?" "I think you're feeling a lot better." he chuckled as Chance sat down next to her. "Hi T-Bone." she smiled. A look of stark terror crossed his eyes before he cleared his throat and asked, "Who?" "She knows," Jake said plainly, "and no, I didn't tell her." "I just wanted to see if you'd choke on that." she said with a wink. "Yeah? Choke on this." he said with mock ire as he gave her an Italian salute. Autumn couldn't stop the laughter that burst forth, even as she grabbed her head and doubled over in pain. "What did you find Robinson?" Commander Feral asked seriously. "Some sort of pod, sir." he replied crisply, "Crime Scene Unit has all ready come and gone, so now I'm just waiting on the team from Pumadyne to arrive and take it away for study." "Was there anything inside?" Robinson made a quick check to be sure no one was looking then retrieved a file from his coat, saying, "I found this on the seat. It's addressed to you." "Does CSU know about this?" Feral asked, taking the rather large envelope. "Not unless you tell them." he said bluntly. "I wanted you to have it before they did in case there was something important in there." "Head's up play. Good job." Feral said as he tucked it into his own coat. "So how did you happen upon this litte piece of space junk?" "I was flagged down by a transient sir. Normally I'd just reassure him and send him on his drunken or drug induced way, but this guy was sober, so I followed him down and called in CSU after poking around a bit." "I'll be at headquarters if there's anything else." "Understood sir." F&I ch 3 "If you don't mind me askin'," Chance said, wrapping a friendly arm around her shoulder, "how did you get here?" "Well, the guy I was seeing was the son of an incredibly brilliant inventor. I mean, his dad had private and government contracts out the wazoo. When I met Ryan he was a spoiled little rich boy who thought he was God's gift to the universe. Anyway, I was waiting tables when he came in and started shooting his mouth off, trying to be cool. Well,a couple of my customers weren't too thrilled with him and I had to save him from a serious beating. Then we started seeing each other. Very discreetly at first, but as I taught Ryan what being a man really meant, he decided that it was time to take me home. Boy, you talk about an explosion. His dad hated me with an unholy passion. He was one of those guys who thinks that everything and everyone within eyesight are his possessions, and how dare you even think of voicing your opinion to him, let alone defying him. So he built this pod and told Ryan it was a government project for space travel to new worlds. He knew Ryan would show it to me and programmed it to disable all overrides and rescue programs as soon as I was inside. . The last thing I saw was Ryan trying to rip open the door with his bloody hands as he screamed for me to hold on. I don't know how I launched or anything like that. I just know that when I woke up again I was staring at a green feline type creature that took great pleasures in my pain." Jake cleared his throat and looked as if he was choosing his words carefully. "Wouldn't it have been a whole lot easier just to kill you?" "For most guys, yeah." she shrugged, "But he not only wanted me dead, he wanted me somewhere that Ryan couldn't be with me. If I were dead, he could visit my gravesite, but floating out in space he knew he'd never see me again." "Is he one of the men in your locket?" he asked almost apologetically. "I looked in case it had some info we needed." Autumn gave his thigh a reassuring squeeze then opened the big, victorian design locket and showed the pictures to Chance as she kindly replied, "Yes, he's the one with the long, platinum blonde hair and black polo shirt." "So who's the other one in the enforcer uniform?" Chance asked as a smile crept over his face, "He looks like an alien version of Feral." Then as if realizing what he said, he quickly held up his hands in mock surrender and added, "Not that you're scary or anything..." Autumn grabbed the hand that was wrapped around her shoulder and pulled him in for a playful hug. "He's the man I was seeing before Ryan." "What happened?" he asked before he could stop himself. Autumn's expression turned grey as she remembered the night she got the news of his death. Chance tried to apologize but was tripping over his words. Autumn just held up a couple fingers to stop their flow, and replied, "He was killed in an arms raid. The plan was perfect, warrants had been issued, and the men were ready to go. But when they arrived they were ambushed. The dealers all had armour piercing bullets. All but three of Blake's men died in the attack, including Blake. Someone on the inside tipped them off." Jake and Chance looked away, lost in their own memories of how any times they'd been in similar spots before they logged in enough time to become pilots. "The leak was found." she continued in a whisper, "But his body never will." That snapped them back to reality, but before they could voice a question, she continued, "It was Blake's second in command. He was paid off...You don't work for Feral do you?" "No kitten." Jake half smiled. "Not for a long time." Chance agreed, "Why?" "Viper said if I ever escaped, Feral would just bring me back. I mean, I know he was just messing with my mind, but there's still that nagging little 'what if '?" Pouring a freshly brewed cup of coffee, Feral stared at the open file in front of him. A medical work up, pictures of a young copper haired woman and a profile were spread across his desk. "So what does it mean?" he muttered, "Are you one of Viper's mutations, the Past Master's monsters, or some fresh new hell to be visited upon my life?" F&I CH4 "Look, I'm not real fond of the guy." Chance started. "Yeah," Jake cut in, "but despite it all, he'd never hand you over to Viper or anyone else he considers to be scum." "That's good." she yawned, "Look guys I don't mean to be rude, but could we finish this in the morning? I haven't had a good night's sleep since I came here." "Well," Jake said slowly as he got up and ran his fingers through his hair, "this is not an offer I make lightly, but if you come upstairs with us you can sleep with me. I promise I'll be a gentleman." "Oh now where's the fun in that?" she teased as Chance roared with laughter. Jake cocked an eyebrow and gave her a 'well if you insist' smile. "Seriously hon," she said as she got up, "I'll gladly accept your offer and try not to shatter any windows while I snore." "You snore?" Chance asked, wiping away a tear. "Like a chainsaw, baby. Like a chainsaw." Picking up the photo, Feral decided to see just what he was dealing with. "Let's see how close my impression comes to the profile." he thought as he took a sip of strong black brew. She was a pleasant looking young woman. Her copper mane was piled up in Gibson Girl style, but it was her emerald green eyes that captivated him. They were powerful, expressive yet cold, hard and piercing but feminine too. "What secrets do they hold?" he wondered aloud, taking another drink. The barest hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he studied the fullness of hers. She was fairly complected and he was highly amused that she wasn't furry. "Or just selectively so." he chuckled to himself. The locket that rode the swell of her full breasts intrigued him. "Are you carrying someone in there? A family member? A lover? Maybe even two? What kind of lover would you be attracted to? Someone soft and simpery or strong and passionate? Someone who'd make you scream in exstacy or just purr in contentment?" Then a lacivious grin crossed his face as he said aloud, "Or perhaps a little of both?" A knock on the door interrupted his train of thought. With one precise swipe of his hand, all the documents neatly piled up like a Vegas dealer's cards and slid back into their folder. "Come!" he barked. A nervous looking Kat in a lab coat peered inside. "What do you have for me?" Feral asked without preamble. "Well sir," he stammered, "Robinson thought you should see our preliminary report. I-I mean it's really just a cursory glance." "I'll take it." Feral said in his usual business tone. "We found a tape you might want to hear once we get it cleaned up..." "Tchaikatsky's greatest overtures?" Feral asked in an unusual moment of merriment. "Actually sir, I think this alien came to us as a tragic accident..." he faded off, looking like he was carefully choosing his words. "Well?" Feral prompted. "We have reason to believe it's pregnant too." Feral took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a quick ten count. When he opened them and exhaled, he cocked his ebony brows and muttered, "What else could possibly go wrong?" "Uh, with all due respect sir, I really wouldn't ask a question like that right now." Feral gave a snort of amusement as he put his business face back on and signed for the report. F&I CH 5 Autum felt kind of strange having to look down to talk to the guys, so she stepped out of her shoes and smiled contentedly. It was more comfortable to be a couple inches taller than a full head and some shoulder too. She was caught off guard when Jake burst into a fit of laughter. Giving Chance an 'I don't know' shrug as she picked up her shoes, she waited for him to catch his breath a bit before asking. "And what brought that on?" Jake took her free hand and placed a quick kiss in the palm before leading her to the staircase and saying with utter amusement. "Do you really think we're so non-ego formed that a statuesque female would make our boys shrivel up?" "Yeah," Chance teased, "it's not like we didn't enjoy the view." "You horn dog." Autumn playfully tossed over her shoulder, then addressing Jake as she followed him up the stairs, "What makes you think I wasn't just trying to get comfortable? Or do you want me to wear these to bed too?" "Stop it," Chance laughed, "you're getting me excited." "Honey," she teased, reaching back and playfully stroking his cheek, "I have a feeling I could put Viper in a skirt and you'd get excited." "And," she added with fake sternness as they got to the landing, "this way you can look me in the eye when you speak. And as I've often told Ryan, these are not my eyes." Jake nodded to the first bed as Chance gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder and said, "Night kitten." "Night dogger." she grinned and dropped her shoes by the bed. Jake peeled off his t-shirt with no concern, but stopped when he hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his sweats. Autumn gave him the 'go ahead' nod as he cast a quick glance in her direction. It wasn't like she'd never seen or been with a male before. Besides, he promised he'd behave himself. "And if he doesn't," she thought with a grin, "I'll be asleep, so I won't care." Tossing her denim jacket over her shoes, she didn't care that the guys were taking mental notes on her white satin corset. She'd loved the jacquard fabric and the detailed scrolls and flowers of the lace that rode the top edge. "And it really kicks butt with this outfit." she mused, unsnapping the waistband and coaxing the zipper down on the short skirt. Gently kicking it aside when it hit the floor, she noted with amusement the guys reactions as she reached up and took out the two hairpins that held the topknot up. From the corner of her eye she watched as their eyes followed the cascade down her back. Chance put his pillow over his face to stifle the groan as it stopped behind her knees. Jake looked up at the ceiling and crossed himself, opting to keep his sweats on as he pulled back the covers and got in bed. "Good night gentlemen." she said with a smile as she got in bed, keeping her back to Jake, and tried not to laugh at the muffled replies. Returning to his desk, Feral opened the envelope and pulled out the folder. A quick scan of the contents told him nothing he didn't all ready assume. The pod was made of materials related to the ones on this planet. It was a single occupant vessel and the control panels were severely damaged, probably upon entry of the atmosphere. "Yeah, yeah." he grumbled, grabbing his coffee mug. But then something caught his eye. There was blood and tissue in the door's seal that didn't match the DNA inside the pod. "Was someone trying to save you?" he mused over the steaming brew. "The father of the baby perhaps?" A little farther down the page his attention was caught by, "Transcription of black box 355-099M : "For whomever finds this. My name is Doctor Aaron Hopewell. I am the inventor of this vessel. If the miserable wretch inside is still alive, woe be to you. She is a vile and evil creature no better than a common street whore. I have exiled this being for the crime of trying to contaminate my pure bloodlines..." "Cats alive," Feral sneered, "aren't you a real gem." "This beast is good only for the task of pleasing the male of the species. Her wide hips and heavy bone structure make her a good breeder. Outside of breeding stock, I have no idea what my son could have seen in this filthy, stupid, cow. Toss her in a brothel and let her real talents shine. For I am completely positive she is otherwise useless." "No," Feral thought with a smirk, "really, tell me what you think of her." Taking a drink, he said to the empty room, "Ten to one it's the son's blood and tissue in the door." Scanning the rest of the report and finding nothing of real interest, he grabbed the other folder and resumed his study. F&I CH 6 Morning's light found Autumn warm and content as she snuggled deeper into the fury chest in front of her. "Jake?" she mumbled sleepily. "Yes kitten?" came the voice from behind her. Both eyes shot open as she rolled to look over her shoulder. Jake was sitting there, fully dressed and wearing a bird eating grin. "Well this certainly has interresting implications." she yawned and gave a little stretch. "You were shivering when Jake left to work in the hangar." Chance explained as if it shoud have been obvious. "when I'm working on a project I only sleep three or four hours a night." "And you still function in the morning?" she asked, thinking of that jet of theirs. "With razor sharp precision." Chance grinned, "Hence the nickname." Suddenly she noticed he was holding her necklace and her hand automatically went up to her neck in half a panic. "Don't worry kitten." he said soothingly, "I just added something to it." Holding it up by it's delicate chain, she saw the addition of two small emerald hearts with a pearl on each side of them flanking the original locket. "It's beautiful...but why?" "I was making a blue one for Callie and your eyes just inspired me to make these for you." he shrugged. Sitting up completely, Autumn gave him a gentle hug and peppered his face with kisses. "No one but a jeweler will know they're kat made, and that one is actually a tracking device." he smiled broadly as he pulled back to put the necklace back on her. "Jeeze, maybe I should get to work down there." Chance teased as he sat up too. Autumn turned and rained hugs and kisses on him, as she said, "Yeah, but you kept me warm and comfy." "There are plenty of places to hide in this town." Feral mused as he paced his office. "I'm sure if she were out roaming the streets I'd have been alerted by now." He eyed the phone on his desk with disdain as it's ring interrupted his train of thought. He answered with his usual greeting of, "Feral." "It's Robinson sir. I just wanted to let you know that the folks at Pumadyne will be sending their finished report today around noon." "Anything new I should know about?" he asked, putting the other files in his desk. "Hard to say, sir. They haven't told me anything." "Fine, bring it to me when it's ready." he said as he turned and looked out the huge office window. "Sir?" Robinson said almost hesitantly. "Yes?" "Are we dealing with something dangerous here?" Feral half smiled as he thought, "Define dangerous." But instead replied, "No Robinson. I don't believe this female to be a threat. In fact, I'm going to inform the squad that no action is to be taken against this being. Just inform me of her whereabouts." "Understood sir." F&I CH.7 "By the way, " Jake smiled wickedly as he held up a black drawstring pouch, "I found this outside." "My purse!" Autumn exclaimed with joy and relief. "Where did the twenty five thousand come from?" he asked bluntly, keeping it just out of her reach. "Viper's stash." she answered honestly, "I was going to make my escape the night his thugs got a hold of me, and I knew I'd need cash to make a new life here, so I just skimmed some off of his loot." Jake handed the bag back to her and heaved a heavy sigh. "You're playing with some serious fire, kit." "Hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Now what can I make you guys for breakfast?" "Commander Feral?" Callie asked as she peeked around his door, "Do you have a minute?" Setting aside some paperwork, he looked up and replied in a tone that was far more civil than he felt, "What can I do for you Miss Briggs?" "Mayor Manx is going to wet himself if you don't get to his office and reassure him that our visitor poses no threat to Megakat City." she grinned. Feral couldn't help but chuckle. He could just picture him running around his office in a panic, wailing for Callie to do something. Sighing as he pushed back from his desk, he looked Callie in the eye and said, "You appear completely at ease at the idea of this female running around loose." Callie just shrugged and said over her shoulder as she turned to go, "If she were a threat, you and your men would be out in force to track her down." "Did you tell that to the mayor?" he said somewhat peevishly. "And then some." she scowled, "But you know him, he wanted to see you personally." "Let's go then." Feral grumped, "Before he crawls up my tail and becomes a new apendage." Callie couldn't help but laugh. She knew how much he detested a coward and the dear mayor was one of the biggest. "Oh my God!" Autumn exclaimed as she backed away from the huge chilli pepper Chance took out of the jar. "The fumes alone are bringing tears to my eyes." "Hey babe," he teased, taking a big bite, "if you wanna run with the big boys you hafta keep up." "Hey babe," she shot back as she slapped the tail end of the pepper out of his hand and caught it in her mouth in mid air so she could swallow it down without tasting it, "When I want to play with the big boys, I tie on some gloves and go to the gym." "That can be arranged." he said with a lopsided grin as his nose touched hers. "Excuse me," Jake cut in, "but if you two are quite finished, I'd like to get some breakfast." "What's your pleasure?" Autumn asked with a big grin. "Feral!" Mayor Manx said with uncharacteristic sternness, "What is going on with this alien?" "What part of my report didn't you understand?" he replied, his voice only two notches above a threat. "If this clown wants to get into a pissing contest with me," he thought acidly, "he's going to lose, big time." Neither the mayor or Callie failed to notice his tone. Callie almost took a step back. She'd never heard him address the mayor like that before. Manx sat back down behind his desk blinking in surprise. "I-ah- I was wondering why you weren't out tracking this alien down." he said sheepishly. Even if the situation weren't enough to make him lose his bladder, the predatory glare Feral was leveling at him made him shrink behind his desk a bit more. "If you'd read my reports once in a while," Feral said with obvious restraint, "you'd see that I have no reason to bring her in. She's broken no laws and is here because of cicumstances beyond her control. My men have been instructed to inform me of her whereabouts so I can speak to her personally. Unless, of course you want me to hunt her down and leave this city open to a mega lawsuit for harassment and false arrest. Now if this foolishness is over I have duties to attend to. He didn't bother to wait for a reply as he turned sharply and headed for the door. "Miss Briggs." was all he said as he slammed it behind him. "Callie," the mayor whimpered, "is my spare suit still in the closet?" Fire and Ice by Bonnie Neely "Couldn't we just dump her somewhere and be done with it? I'm freezin' my tail off out here." a dark figure grunted as he and another shadowy individual drug a body through the snow. "Hey, between the rats and this cold she's not long for this world. Besides, the boss wants it to look like an accident." Letting the body fall, the first one took off his coat and dusted the snow so as to cover his tracks. What they didn't realize though was just how many silent alarms they'd tripped. Jake groaned as he opened one eye and hoped it was just a false alarm, but seeing how many lights were lit he rolled out of bed to see where the problem was. "It's probably just that darn raccoon again." Chance grumbled from the other side of the room. "Nah," Jake answered, rubbing his chin in thought, "they came and went through the side gate." "Left too?" Chance asked, opening his other eye, "All right, I'm up." The woman in question heaved a sigh of relief as she turned her face to the side and listened to the car drive away into the night. "What did that creep do to me?" she thought groggily, "I can barely keep my eyes open." Dragging herself up to her hands and knees she reached out and grabbed the fender of the wreck in front of her. "Good thing I'm not afraid of rats." she mused, listening to the barely perceptable sounds of sniffing and scuttling. Or at least she used to think that until she saw one crawling out of the hood that was the size of an alley cat. "Oh...my...God." she drew out, watching the beast size her up. "Get down!" a masculine voice called out. Even Autumn's drug fogged mind could understand that command. Wrapping an arm around her face and the other over her head, she heard the roar of ignited paint rush over her head and torch a rat as well as the thunderous crash of a metal bat driving vermin into the twisted hulks of the rusted wrecks that were stacked all around them. Screams of pain and nails scraping against steel could be heard all around . "It's a bad trip that's all." Autumn kept telling herself as she huddled closer into the wheel of the car. "He gave me a hallucinogen so I'd go out of my mind before I died." "Clear?" a different masculine voice asked. "Looks good to me." the first one answered, sounding very close. Unwrapping and opening her eyes, Autumn saw a slight, wiry built tomcat crouching in front of her and a burly, barrel chested tom with stripes on his massive arms who regarded her with a wink and a lopsided grin. "He drugged me." she muttered, losing her fight to stay awake. "Stay with me kitten." Jake said in half a panic as he gently slapped her cheek, "Who drugged you?" "Viper." she mouthed, her head lolling into his palm. "Chance, we gotta..." "Way ahead of ya' buddy." he answered, quickly scooping her up into his arms and making a run for the garage. Snagging the bat before falling into step beside his partner, Jake asked, "You smell the exhaust?" "Yup, she was in the trunk for quite a while." Autumn wanted to tell them she could make it on her own, but when she opened her mouth to speak, Chance cut her off, saying, "Hang on babe, we're almost there." Then a light hit her square in the eyes as Jake shouldered the doors open. She let out a little whimper and turned her face to snuggle deeper into into Chance's neck. Then just as quickly, she was being laid down on a couch. The guys stripped off their coats and laid them on to warm her. In what seemed like a split second they were gone again. "I hope I'm not letting myself in for even more grief." "Me too kitten." Jake said with real concern, "Me too." Seeing her confused look as he strapped the oxygen mask on her. He smiled and told her what he was doing, adding, "You're thinking out loud, but that's okay. Take deep breaths and talk to me. You have to stay awake." Autumn nodded her understanding and tried to sit up. "No no hon," he scolded, getting a hand behind her, "I'll do this." He deftly removed her jacket but gasped when he saw her arms. "Hey, I found it!" Chance called out as he trotted in, then stopped dead and muttered, "Cat's alive! what did he do to her?" "Ask after I get this into her." Jake replied as he regained his composure and double checked the syringe. "I just hope there's some good veins left." Chance grumbled as he whipped off his belt and wrapped it around her arm. "If not, get ready to go for a thigh." Jake said in all seriousness. "No," Autumn whispered,"please, no more." Jake felt like a real heel having to do this as he tapped her arm a couple times. "Got one!" he said triumphantly as he expertly slid the needle into the vein. His happiness was short lived as he watched a single tear slide down her cheek. Chance slipped the belt off and put her arm over her chest before covering her again. "I'll take first watch." he said kindly, putting a reassuring hand on Jake's shoulder as Autumn slipped into the blessed relief of darkness. "Feral." the voice on the other end of the line answered groggily. "Sorry to wake you sir, but there's something down here at the wharf you should see." "I'll be there in ten minutes." he said crisply and rolled out of bed. F&I ch.2 It was dark, save for the moonlight coming in through the window. Autumn opened her eyes and tried to remember where she was when she heard the tiniest puff of breath in the darkness and turned toward it. There in the night she saw two glowing eyes. "You son of a bitch!" she spat in rage and launched herself toward them. Jake was seriously taken aback by her viciousness, but easily wrapped her up in a hold she couldn't break. "Stop it kit!" he said with a gentle sternness, "It's me Jake." Flipping her onto her back so they were both illuminated in the moonlight, he watched in satisfaction as her eyes widened in shocked recognition. "I just saw your eyes in the dark." she apologized," I-I thought you were Viper." Jake got to his feet and gently helped her up. "Kinda' what I figured." he chuckled, "I hope you wouldn't spew that kind of venom at the guy who saved your life." Autumn was going to reply but got hit by a bright light and a white hot pain behind her eyes. "Uh-oh," Jake muttered, getting her back to the couch and laying her head in his lap, "I forgot about the kick that antitoxin leaves as a parting shot." "Da wha'?" she slurred, wondering just how many pieces her skull was going to shatter into. "I smelled black licorice on your breath. It's a tell tale sign of Katalyst P-16. It's one of Viper's choice drugs of interrogation." "Hmm," she murmured, as he began to massage her face and temples, "I'll never eat licorice again Razor." Jake stopped dead, his eyes widening. "Who's Razor?" "You are." she answered, eyes still closed so she missed the half panicked look on his face. "No kitten," he replied smoothly, returning to his ministrations, "I'm a grease monkey not a fighter jock." "Viper had footage of you guys on all the time." she said softly as his hands worked their magic, "He was studying you guys for some reason." "That still doesn't make me a Swat Kat." he gently teased. "I recognized you out in the yard when you told me to get down. Your voice dropped a couple octaves. Not to mention your mannerisms and militiristic precision in your aim." Then she opened her eyes as a realization struck her. "What's wrong kit?" Jake asked carefully, wondering what new bombshell she was going to drop on him. "I just realized that you seem completely unphased by my appearance." He graced her with a heart stopping smile. "This is Megakat City, kitten. Wierdness is a way of life here. By the way, are you going to introduce yourself or do I keep referring to you as my kit?" Autumn smiled as she gave his hand a little nuzzle and replied, "I could live with that, but my name's Autumn Silvers." "Hey," another voice said from across the room, "am I interrupting something or can I play too?" "That could be interresting." she teased as she slowly sat up. "What do you think Jake?" "I think you're feeling a lot better." he chuckled as Chance sat down next to her. "Hi T-Bone." she smiled. A look of stark terror crossed his eyes before he cleared his throat and asked, "Who?" "She knows," Jake said plainly, "and no, I didn't tell her." "I just wanted to see if you'd choke on that." she said with a wink. "Yeah? Choke on this." he said with mock ire as he gave her an Italian salute. Autumn couldn't stop the laughter that burst forth, even as she grabbed her head and doubled over in pain. "What did you find Robinson?" Commander Feral asked seriously. "Some sort of pod, sir." he replied crisply, "Crime Scene Unit has all ready come and gone, so now I'm just waiting on the team from Pumadyne to arrive and take it away for study." "Was there anything inside?" Robinson made a quick check to be sure no one was looking then retrieved a file from his coat, saying, "I found this on the seat. It's addressed to you." "Does CSU know about this?" Feral asked, taking the rather large envelope. "Not unless you tell them." he said bluntly. "I wanted you to have it before they did in case there was something important in there." "Head's up play. Good job." Feral said as he tucked it into his own coat. "So how did you happen upon this litte piece of space junk?" "I was flagged down by a transient sir. Normally I'd just reassure him and send him on his drunken or drug induced way, but this guy was sober, so I followed him down and called in CSU after poking around a bit." "I'll be at headquarters if there's anything else." "Understood sir." F&I ch 3 "If you don't mind me askin'," Chance said, wrapping a friendly arm around her shoulder, "how did you get here?" "Well, the guy I was seeing was the son of an incredibly brilliant inventor. I mean, his dad had private and government contracts out the wazoo. When I met Ryan he was a spoiled little rich boy who thought he was God's gift to the universe. Anyway, I was waiting tables when he came in and started shooting his mouth off, trying to be cool. Well,a couple of my customers weren't too thrilled with him and I had to save him from a serious beating. Then we started seeing each other. Very discreetly at first, but as I taught Ryan what being a man really meant, he decided that it was time to take me home. Boy, you talk about an explosion. His dad hated me with an unholy passion. He was one of those guys who thinks that everything and everyone within eyesight are his possessions, and how dare you even think of voicing your opinion to him, let alone defying him. So he built this pod and told Ryan it was a government project for space travel to new worlds. He knew Ryan would show it to me and programmed it to disable all overrides and rescue programs as soon as I was inside. . The last thing I saw was Ryan trying to rip open the door with his bloody hands as he screamed for me to hold on. I don't know how I launched or anything like that. I just know that when I woke up again I was staring at a green feline type creature that took great pleasures in my pain." Jake cleared his throat and looked as if he was choosing his words carefully. "Wouldn't it have been a whole lot easier just to kill you?" "For most guys, yeah." she shrugged, "But he not only wanted me dead, he wanted me somewhere that Ryan couldn't be with me. If I were dead, he could visit my gravesite, but floating out in space he knew he'd never see me again." "Is he one of the men in your locket?" he asked almost apologetically. "I looked in case it had some info we needed." Autumn gave his thigh a reassuring squeeze then opened the big, victorian design locket and showed the pictures to Chance as she kindly replied, "Yes, he's the one with the long, platinum blonde hair and black polo shirt." "So who's the other one in the enforcer uniform?" Chance asked as a smile crept over his face, "He looks like an alien version of Feral." Then as if realizing what he said, he quickly held up his hands in mock surrender and added, "Not that you're scary or anything..." Autumn grabbed the hand that was wrapped around her shoulder and pulled him in for a playful hug. "He's the man I was seeing before Ryan." "What happened?" he asked before he could stop himself. Autumn's expression turned grey as she remembered the night she got the news of his death. Chance tried to apologize but was tripping over his words. Autumn just held up a couple fingers to stop their flow, and replied, "He was killed in an arms raid. The plan was perfect, warrants had been issued, and the men were ready to go. But when they arrived they were ambushed. The dealers all had armour piercing bullets. All but three of Blake's men died in the attack, including Blake. Someone on the inside tipped them off." Jake and Chance looked away, lost in their own memories of how any times they'd been in similar spots before they logged in enough time to become pilots. "The leak was found." she continued in a whisper, "But his body never will." That snapped them back to reality, but before they could voice a question, she continued, "It was Blake's second in command. He was paid off...You don't work for Feral do you?" "No kitten." Jake half smiled. "Not for a long time." Chance agreed, "Why?" "Viper said if I ever escaped, Feral would just bring me back. I mean, I know he was just messing with my mind, but there's still that nagging little 'what if '?" Pouring a freshly brewed cup of coffee, Feral stared at the open file in front of him. A medical work up, pictures of a young copper haired woman and a profile were spread across his desk. "So what does it mean?" he muttered, "Are you one of Viper's mutations, the Past Master's monsters, or some fresh new hell to be visited upon my life?" F&I CH4 "Look, I'm not real fond of the guy." Chance started. "Yeah," Jake cut in, "but despite it all, he'd never hand you over to Viper or anyone else he considers to be scum." "That's good." she yawned, "Look guys I don't mean to be rude, but could we finish this in the morning? I haven't had a good night's sleep since I came here." "Well," Jake said slowly as he got up and ran his fingers through his hair, "this is not an offer I make lightly, but if you come upstairs with us you can sleep with me. I promise I'll be a gentleman." "Oh now where's the fun in that?" she teased as Chance roared with laughter. Jake cocked an eyebrow and gave her a 'well if you insist' smile. "Seriously hon," she said as she got up, "I'll gladly accept your offer and try not to shatter any windows while I snore." "You snore?" Chance asked, wiping away a tear. "Like a chainsaw, baby. Like a chainsaw." Picking up the photo, Feral decided to see just what he was dealing with. "Let's see how close my impression comes to the profile." he thought as he took a sip of strong black brew. She was a pleasant looking young woman. Her copper mane was piled up in Gibson Girl style, but it was her emerald green eyes that captivated him. They were powerful, expressive yet cold, hard and piercing but feminine too. "What secrets do they hold?" he wondered aloud, taking another drink. The barest hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he studied the fullness of hers. She was fairly complected and he was highly amused that she wasn't furry. "Or just selectively so." he chuckled to himself. The locket that rode the swell of her full breasts intrigued him. "Are you carrying someone in there? A family member? A lover? Maybe even two? What kind of lover would you be attracted to? Someone soft and simpery or strong and passionate? Someone who'd make you scream in exstacy or just purr in contentment?" Then a lacivious grin crossed his face as he said aloud, "Or perhaps a little of both?" A knock on the door interrupted his train of thought. With one precise swipe of his hand, all the documents neatly piled up like a Vegas dealer's cards and slid back into their folder. "Come!" he barked. A nervous looking Kat in a lab coat peered inside. "What do you have for me?" Feral asked without preamble. "Well sir," he stammered, "Robinson thought you should see our preliminary report. I-I mean it's really just a cursory glance." "I'll take it." Feral said in his usual business tone. "We found a tape you might want to hear once we get it cleaned up..." "Tchaikatsky's greatest overtures?" Feral asked in an unusual moment of merriment. "Actually sir, I think this alien came to us as a tragic accident..." he faded off, looking like he was carefully choosing his words. "Well?" Feral prompted. "We have reason to believe it's pregnant too." Feral took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a quick ten count. When he opened them and exhaled, he cocked his ebony brows and muttered, "What else could possibly go wrong?" "Uh, with all due respect sir, I really wouldn't ask a question like that right now." Feral gave a snort of amusement as he put his business face back on and signed for the report. F&I CH 5 Autum felt kind of strange having to look down to talk to the guys, so she stepped out of her shoes and smiled contentedly. It was more comfortable to be a couple inches taller than a full head and some shoulder too. She was caught off guard when Jake burst into a fit of laughter. Giving Chance an 'I don't know' shrug as she picked up her shoes, she waited for him to catch his breath a bit before asking. "And what brought that on?" Jake took her free hand and placed a quick kiss in the palm before leading her to the staircase and saying with utter amusement. "Do you really think we're so non-ego formed that a statuesque female would make our boys shrivel up?" "Yeah," Chance teased, "it's not like we didn't enjoy the view." "You horn dog." Autumn playfully tossed over her shoulder, then addressing Jake as she followed him up the stairs, "What makes you think I wasn't just trying to get comfortable? Or do you want me to wear these to bed too?" "Stop it," Chance laughed, "you're getting me excited." "Honey," she teased, reaching back and playfully stroking his cheek, "I have a feeling I could put Viper in a skirt and you'd get excited." "And," she added with fake sternness as they got to the landing, "this way you can look me in the eye when you speak. And as I've often told Ryan, these are not my eyes." Jake nodded to the first bed as Chance gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder and said, "Night kitten." "Night dogger." she grinned and dropped her shoes by the bed. Jake peeled off his t-shirt with no concern, but stopped when he hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his sweats. Autumn gave him the 'go ahead' nod as he cast a quick glance in her direction. It wasn't like she'd never seen or been with a male before. Besides, he promised he'd behave himself. "And if he doesn't," she thought with a grin, "I'll be asleep, so I won't care." Tossing her denim jacket over her shoes, she didn't care that the guys were taking mental notes on her white satin corset. She'd loved the jacquard fabric and the detailed scrolls and flowers of the lace that rode the top edge. "And it really kicks butt with this outfit." she mused, unsnapping the waistband and coaxing the zipper down on the short skirt. Gently kicking it aside when it hit the floor, she noted with amusement the guys reactions as she reached up and took out the two hairpins that held the topknot up. From the corner of her eye she watched as their eyes followed the cascade down her back. Chance put his pillow over his face to stifle the groan as it stopped behind her knees. Jake looked up at the ceiling and crossed himself, opting to keep his sweats on as he pulled back the covers and got in bed. "Good night gentlemen." she said with a smile as she got in bed, keeping her back to Jake, and tried not to laugh at the muffled replies. Returning to his desk, Feral opened the envelope and pulled out the folder. A quick scan of the contents told him nothing he didn't all ready assume. The pod was made of materials related to the ones on this planet. It was a single occupant vessel and the control panels were severely damaged, probably upon entry of the atmosphere. "Yeah, yeah." he grumbled, grabbing his coffee mug. But then something caught his eye. There was blood and tissue in the door's seal that didn't match the DNA inside the pod. "Was someone trying to save you?" he mused over the steaming brew. "The father of the baby perhaps?" A little farther down the page his attention was caught by, "Transcription of black box 355-099M : "For whomever finds this. My name is Doctor Aaron Hopewell. I am the inventor of this vessel. If the miserable wretch inside is still alive, woe be to you. She is a vile and evil creature no better than a common street whore. I have exiled this being for the crime of trying to contaminate my pure bloodlines..." "Cats alive," Feral sneered, "aren't you a real gem." "This beast is good only for the task of pleasing the male of the species. Her wide hips and heavy bone structure make her a good breeder. Outside of breeding stock, I have no idea what my son could have seen in this filthy, stupid, cow. Toss her in a brothel and let her real talents shine. For I am completely positive she is otherwise useless." "No," Feral thought with a smirk, "really, tell me what you think of her." Taking a drink, he said to the empty room, "Ten to one it's the son's blood and tissue in the door." Scanning the rest of the report and finding nothing of real interest, he grabbed the other folder and resumed his study. F&I CH 6 Morning's light found Autumn warm and content as she snuggled deeper into the fury chest in front of her. "Jake?" she mumbled sleepily. "Yes kitten?" came the voice from behind her. Both eyes shot open as she rolled to look over her shoulder. Jake was sitting there, fully dressed and wearing a bird eating grin. "Well this certainly has interresting implications." she yawned and gave a little stretch. "You were shivering when Jake left to work in the hangar." Chance explained as if it shoud have been obvious. "when I'm working on a project I only sleep three or four hours a night." "And you still function in the morning?" she asked, thinking of that jet of theirs. "With razor sharp precision." Chance grinned, "Hence the nickname." Suddenly she noticed he was holding her necklace and her hand automatically went up to her neck in half a panic. "Don't worry kitten." he said soothingly, "I just added something to it." Holding it up by it's delicate chain, she saw the addition of two small emerald hearts with a pearl on each side of them flanking the original locket. "It's beautiful...but why?" "I was making a blue one for Callie and your eyes just inspired me to make these for you." he shrugged. Sitting up completely, Autumn gave him a gentle hug and peppered his face with kisses. "No one but a jeweler will know they're kat made, and that one is actually a tracking device." he smiled broadly as he pulled back to put the necklace back on her. "Jeeze, maybe I should get to work down there." Chance teased as he sat up too. Autumn turned and rained hugs and kisses on him, as she said, "Yeah, but you kept me warm and comfy." "There are plenty of places to hide in this town." Feral mused as he paced his office. "I'm sure if she were out roaming the streets I'd have been alerted by now." He eyed the phone on his desk with disdain as it's ring interrupted his train of thought. He answered with his usual greeting of, "Feral." "It's Robinson sir. I just wanted to let you know that the folks at Pumadyne will be sending their finished report today around noon." "Anything new I should know about?" he asked, putting the other files in his desk. "Hard to say, sir. They haven't told me anything." "Fine, bring it to me when it's ready." he said as he turned and looked out the huge office window. "Sir?" Robinson said almost hesitantly. "Yes?" "Are we dealing with something dangerous here?" Feral half smiled as he thought, "Define dangerous." But instead replied, "No Robinson. I don't believe this female to be a threat. In fact, I'm going to inform the squad that no action is to be taken against this being. Just inform me of her whereabouts." "Understood sir." F&I CH.7 "By the way, " Jake smiled wickedly as he held up a black drawstring pouch, "I found this outside." "My purse!" Autumn exclaimed with joy and relief. "Where did the twenty five thousand come from?" he asked bluntly, keeping it just out of her reach. "Viper's stash." she answered honestly, "I was going to make my escape the night his thugs got a hold of me, and I knew I'd need cash to make a new life here, so I just skimmed some off of his loot." Jake handed the bag back to her and heaved a heavy sigh. "You're playing with some serious fire, kit." "Hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Now what can I make you guys for breakfast?" "Commander Feral?" Callie asked as she peeked around his door, "Do you have a minute?" Setting aside some paperwork, he looked up and replied in a tone that was far more civil than he felt, "What can I do for you Miss Briggs?" "Mayor Manx is going to wet himself if you don't get to his office and reassure him that our visitor poses no threat to Megakat City." she grinned. Feral couldn't help but chuckle. He could just picture him running around his office in a panic, wailing for Callie to do something. Sighing as he pushed back from his desk, he looked Callie in the eye and said, "You appear completely at ease at the idea of this female running around loose." Callie just shrugged and said over her shoulder as she turned to go, "If she were a threat, you and your men would be out in force to track her down." "Did you tell that to the mayor?" he said somewhat peevishly. "And then some." she scowled, "But you know him, he wanted to see you personally." "Let's go then." Feral grumped, "Before he crawls up my tail and becomes a new apendage." Callie couldn't help but laugh. She knew how much he detested a coward and the dear mayor was one of the biggest. "Oh my God!" Autumn exclaimed as she backed away from the huge chilli pepper Chance took out of the jar. "The fumes alone are bringing tears to my eyes." "Hey babe," he teased, taking a big bite, "if you wanna run with the big boys you hafta keep up." "Hey babe," she shot back as she slapped the tail end of the pepper out of his hand and caught it in her mouth in mid air so she could swallow it down without tasting it, "When I want to play with the big boys, I tie on some gloves and go to the gym." "That can be arranged." he said with a lopsided grin as his nose touched hers. "Excuse me," Jake cut in, "but if you two are quite finished, I'd like to get some breakfast." "What's your pleasure?" Autumn asked with a big grin. "Feral!" Mayor Manx said with uncharacteristic sternness, "What is going on with this alien?" "What part of my report didn't you understand?" he replied, his voice only two notches above a threat. "If this clown wants to get into a pissing contest with me," he thought acidly, "he's going to lose, big time." Neither the mayor or Callie failed to notice his tone. Callie almost took a step back. She'd never heard him address the mayor like that before. Manx sat back down behind his desk blinking in surprise. "I-ah- I was wondering why you weren't out tracking this alien down." he said sheepishly. Even if the situation weren't enough to make him lose his bladder, the predatory glare Feral was leveling at him made him shrink behind his desk a bit more. "If you'd read my reports once in a while," Feral said with obvious restraint, "you'd see that I have no reason to bring her in. She's broken no laws and is here because of cicumstances beyond her control. My men have been instructed to inform me of her whereabouts so I can speak to her personally. Unless, of course you want me to hunt her down and leave this city open to a mega lawsuit for harassment and false arrest. Now if this foolishness is over I have duties to attend to. He didn't bother to wait for a reply as he turned sharply and headed for the door. "Miss Briggs." was all he said as he slammed it behind him. "Callie," the mayor whimpered, "is my spare suit still in the closet?" F&I CH8 "Suit up." Chance grinned, tossing Autumn one of his karate uniforms, "Let's see if you can run with the big kats." "Actually," she teased, as she began to dress, "I'll be impressed if you can make me break a sweat." Jake stuck his head in his locker to hide the smile that was splitting his face as Chance's eyes took on that familiar glaze. "Keep pushin' babe," he shot back, "and I'll be whompin' your tail from one end of the room to the other." "Dream on fly boy." she egged, tying the belt and stepping up to the combat line. Jake took a seat by the lockers so he could referee the games and step in if Chance got too rough with her. Taking their stances, Autumn veiled her eyes suggestively and purred, "Impress me." "Fight!" Jake called out. Chance was caught off guard by Autumn's diversion and quickly paid for it as he felt the sting of her backhand . "Shame on you." she playfully scolded as she jumped back, "You made that way too easy. Now focus." Chance lowered his head and narrowed his eyes as he chuckled and said, "Okay baby, let's play." and charged at her with a flurry of kicks and punches. Jake Quickly got up into a three point stance, ready to jump in if necessary, but to his surprise and relief, Autumn was keeping up with him, giving as good as she got. Suddenly she found the opening she was looking for and took his legs out from under him. He no sooner hit the mat when she was on him. Grabbing his throat, she reeled back from the shoulder like she was going to drive her fist through his heart. "Ah-ah!" Jake warned. But he really didn't have to worry, Autumn just gave Chance's chest a little slap over his heart and rolled off. "Lucky shot." Chance growled good naturedly as he lunged. Jake just shook his head in amusement as he watched them growl and roll all over the mats trying to get the upper hand for a pin. Callie paced nervously in her office. There was something Feral wasn't telling her, she could feel it. Looking out over the city and the gentle snowfall, she wondered if the alien was safe. It wasn't like this place was crime central, but it wasn't the garden of Eden either. "Even Eden had snakes." she muttered and reached for her purse. "Slippery she-devil." Chance growled as Autumn managed to get out of an improperly placed headlock. Jake leaned back against his locker and smiled. This girl was giving Chance quite a work out, especially when she surprised him with a move or two they haadn't seen since they were in the academy. "Oh no you don't!" Autumn growled back as he tried to roll her into a ball. She knew she was in trouble when he got his arm under her knees. "He gets those fingers interlocked and it's all over." she thought, arching her back to get some manuvering room between her knees and his arms. Instead, it gave him the room he needed to lock his grip. "Gotcha!" he said triumphantly. Before she could reply, an alarm sounded and a light on the wall flashed. Chance broke his hold and rolled away from her, putting a finger to his lips in a gesture of silence. Autumn nodded her uderstanding as Jake pressed a button on the intercom and said, "Yes Miss Briggs?" "Razor, I have something of an odd request." "And what would that be?" Chance asked in all seriousness. "A pod crash landed and..." "Ah-h-h Miss Briggs," Jake interrupted, "We know all about her." "Do you know if she's safe?" Autumn couldn't help but smile, especially when the guys gave her the okay nod to speak. "Yes Miss Briggs." she answered kindly, "In fact I owe these gentlemen life." "Been there more than once." Callie laughed, then added in a serious tone, "But I have to warn you that you need to find a new palce to stay. Feral's got his enforcers on the look out for you." "But she hasn't done..." Jake started. "No honey, I understand." Autumn interrupted, "They'll tell Feral where I am and he'll be checking out this place up close and personal. Don't worry Miss Briggs I'll be gone before the clock strikes the hour. Oh, and Miss Briggs?" "Yes?" "Thanks for the warning." "Be careful out there Miss Silvers. Not everyone's as wonderful as these guys." "I know that all too well my dear." Autumn giggled, "You take care. Maybe I'll see ya' sometime." "Okay, gotta go, I hear the mayor calling me." "Bye Miss Briggs." the three said unison. F&I CH9 Commander Feral watched the people passing by outside as the waitress topped his cup of coffee. He'd decided to to stop at the little diner across the street from headquarters since he didn't have time to make breakfast this morning. "I guess the big question is," he thought with a hint of a smile, "what would I do with her once I had her." "Okay, I have your number memorized and I'll call you guys tonight when I get settled in." Autumn said matter of factly as she checked her purse and shrugged into her jacket. "Do you remember the directions?" Chance asked, trying to keep the sadness from his voice. "Turn right at the gate, go four blocks, turn left, go another three blocks to the strip mall where I can get some supplies and then call Fast Eddie at MegaKat Cab Company to take me to The Scratching Post Motor Lodge." she said from memory, then took him in for a hug. "Thanks Chance," she whispered, "I'll miss you." Crossing over to Jake, she was only slightly surprised when he kissed her hand and said, "If you need us, tap the left heart two times and it'll automatically trigger our tracking device." " Thanks Jake," she said as she kissed his cheek, "for everything." Tenderly stroking her cheek, he said in a sad whisper, "Be careful kit." Autumn gave them a sad little smile as she buttoned her jacket and stepped outside. "Okay kiddo," she told herself sternly," keep your wits about you, 'cause you're completely on your own now.." The normal sounds of city life greeted her ears as she walked down the driveway, keeping an eye out for enforcer cruisers. "Think she'll be okay?" Chance asked, watching her go. Jake sighed thinking of how scared she had to be in that pod and when she was with Viper. Still, she came through with flying colors. Finally, he answered, "Yeah, I do. I think she'll be just fine." Not seeing any threats at the main gate, Autumn stepped out onto the sidewalk and started on her way. Calmly checking out the different businesses and apartment complexes as she strolled along, she noticed that most folks didn't even give her a second glance. Those that did, she just gave them a friendly wink. At the corner of the fourth block there was a little mom and pop type drugstore. "I think I'll stop in here first and get the rest at the plaza." she mused as a tiny bell rang when she opende the door. "Hello," called an older tom that was bent over placing items on a shelf," How are you today?" "Fine," she answered cheerfully as she took a handbasket, "and yourself?" "Just fine my dear. What can I..." he started as he stod upright and turned toward her. When he realized she wasn't a local, he took a step back and said, "Cat's alive darlin'! You're not from around here are you?" "You could say that." she giggled as the grizzled old guy pulled himself together and said in the same friendly tone, "Well, as I started to say, what can I do for you my dear?" "I just need to stock up on some essentials." she grinned and added, "I do have kat kurrency too in case you were too polite to ask." The old tom laughed and patted her on the shoulder, saying, "Take a look around kitten. If you need a hand just give me a shout." "Will do." "I can't believe that friggin' idiot!" Steele seethed as he scanned the streets. "Feral's finally lost his so called mind." "Is there a problem sir?" his driver asked, noting Steele's expression from the corner of his eye. "No, nothing I can't handle." he replied with an evil grin. F&I CH10 "Well my dear," the old cat smiled, "did you find everything you were looking for?" "Everything but today's paper." she grinned. "Right here kitten." he said, plopping one down on the counter with the rest of her stuff. "I finished with it a good while ago." "Great, I'll check out the housing and job ads while I'm at the Scratching Post." The old tom stopped, a worried look crossing his face as he carefully said, "The Post isn't the safest place for a young kit like you to be. You'd be better off at the Green Pines. It's a little more expensive, but it's in a far better neighborhood." "Okay, I'll have Fast Eddie drop me there instead." Feral turned up the collar of his overcoat as he stepped out onto the street and headed toward the precinct. He had a gut feeling it was going to be a long day. Autumn was feeling a lot better as she strolled along with her bags. Maybe it won't be as tough as I thought." she mused, giving a polite nod to a guy who was watching her pass. "No one's going insane, running and screaming yet." "Stop it!" a female voice yelled from the alley beside her. "Give it up grandma!" a male voice ordered. Peering down the alleyway, she saw two toms roughing up an old lady. "More things change the more they stay the same." she thought before racing in and bellowing, "Get Off her!" The strap of the purse broke giving one of the guys an opprotunity to run, but the other one turned and lunged at Autumn who dropped her bags and took up the challenge. While Autumn was stomping the spit out of the one foolish enough to attack her, she didn't notice the old woman slip away until an enforcer unit roared into the alley and someone yelled freeze. Backing away from the mugger, she turned to see two guns pointing at her. Keeping her hands where they could be seen, she slowly raised her arms and locked her hands behind her head. "Remember," she thought calmly, "you're the alien here. They'll shoot you just as soon as look at you." "Please," she said in an equally calm voice, "make sure the old woman is all right." "There is no old woman!" a weasley looking officer said as he gave her a shove into the wall. "Lieutenant!" the other called out in a stern warning as Autumn slipped in some slush and spun away to regain her footing. She didn't do it as gracefully as she'd hoped, cutting the back of her knee on a trash can. "Up against it!" the weasle ordered as he shoved her again. This time her face caught the edge of a brick doorframing and scraped across her cheek. That was more than she was willing to take. Snapping around, she knocked the gun out of his hand and punched him square in the face, calling his parentage into question. Then eyeballing the driver who had a bead on her, she just put her wrists together and said, "Now you can arrest me." Back in his office Commander Feral returned to the work he'd started before the mayor had his panic attack and demanded his presence. "That crazy she devil attacked me for no reason!" the punk on the ground wheezed as the officer cuffed her and informed her of her rights. Casting a look of disgust his way the officer replied, "Yeah Katzmier, you're a model citizen. Now just stay there until I'm done dealing with the lady here." "That's no lady!" the lieutenant spat, "that rotten little wretch broke my nose!" "And I'm sure your commanding officer will take great interrest in how that came about." she smiled, sarcasm dripping off of every word. Turning to the one who'd cuffed her, she asked politely if he'd put her bags in the trunk or in the back seat with her. "I'll put them in the trunk as soon as I'm done with my notes. Now mind your head, ma'am." he said with standard politeness as he helped her into the back seat. As he closed the door, he saw the lieutenant talking to Katzmier. "What are you up to?" he wondered as he saw the lieutenant pat him on the shoulder and told him to go. Turning to see the look on his driver's face, the lieutenant said plainly, "I took his statement, and if we need him later it's not like he's a hard kat to find." Discretion being the better part of valor, the officer kept his mouth shut as walked past and started to scan the alleyway and take notes. In the slush he could see the signs of a struggle and four distinct sets of footprints. "Lieutenant," he said in his usual business tone, "I thik you'd better see this."