Battling the Inner Voice
David Noble
Dnoble49@hotmail.com

I'd like to point out that Blake Sloth (Death) is Matt Budai's character, from whom
I received permission to use. I had an interesting e-mail from Kristen about using
Dark Kat's ghost as the villainous voice. Any questions or comments let me know.


One night, at the Enforcer base, a group of young male ninjas were stealing boxes
of nuclear fuel rods. They heard a deep dark voice in their hearts ring up into their
ears. "Hurry up, now! I trust in you all for my revenge." One of the ninjas came
into conflict with a guardsman.  

"Freeze! What are you doing with that!" he demanded, picking up his intercom. 

The ninja heard the voice in his heart again.

"Don't let him call Feral! Use your sword!" it commanded. 

The reluctant ninja kicked the portable out of his paw. The angry guardsman
pointed his magnum at his heart. 

"Drop it, now! I'll shoot on the count of three."

"What are you waiting for, you lazy tomkat!" the voice shouted in the ninja. 

He was driven by so much insanity that he swung his sword and sliced the guard's
arm off.

"Oh my God!!" the guard shouted as he waved the stump. 

A group of Enforcers ran in. One of them helped the injured kat while the others
went after the ninja. 

He waved his sword and kicked the Enforcers over. The other ninjas ran over to
him and took him away. 

Roland and Felina came and saw the ninjas escape like demons. They fired after
them. 

"We can't stop them, sis! They're too fast!" Roland said. 

"Crud! Hope our uncle's watching out for them," Felina said. 

Unfortunately, the ninjas were out of sight and Feral gave up looking himself.

"Keep an eye out for them and call me if you see any of them!" Feral ordered.

"Yes sir!" the Enforcers replied.

*********

Chance and his new wife, Celine, planned to have kittens not too long after their
marriage. Celine wanted her husband to move in with her. While Chance was
packing up his belongings in his room, Jake stood at the doorway with tears in his
eyes. He loved Chance like a brother and did not like to see him go away. But, he
wanted to see that Chance was happy with the right she-kat.

"You were one of my only best buddies. I'm going to miss you," Jake said. 

Chance walked over to him and put his arm around him.

"Hey Jake, it's not like I'm going away. I'm still working here with you at the
garage and in the air, so don't be thinking that I'm saying good-bye." 

Jake patted Chance on the shoulder.  "I'll see you later then." Jake felt a little more
assured.

"That's better. Oh, and take care of Tipo, alright?" 

Celine walked into the room and put her hand on Chance's shoulder.  "Are you and
your partner saying your good-byes?" she asked.

"No, don't call them good-byes. We're still working together, you know," Jake
said. 

Celine felt sorry for him.  "Don't be sad. I'm not trying to take him away from you,
Jake," she replied. 

Chance took Celine by the hand and kissed her on the cheek.  "Well, we'd better
head out now. Call my wife's number when Callie calls, ok?"  

"Ok. Go ahead, you two kids have fun," Jake said as he watched them walk over
to Chance's car. They both waved at him as they drove off. Jake hoped he wouldn't
cry. He thought of his Enforcer days when he and Chance became friends and it
seemed to make him even sadder. 

Then, Felicia came by. 

"Hi, Jake. I'm sorry to see that Chance is moving out," she said.

"Yeah. He was a great friend to me and more," Jake replied.

"He'll still be around. You have me, you know." 

Jake took her into the TV room and sat her down beside him. Jake tried to have
the courage to speak his mind.

"Felicia, we've known each other and you know how much I love you and I was
thinking if it's alright..."

"Marriage?" she asked. Jake nodded. "I'd be honored!" 

Jake smiled instantly and hugged her. 

"I love you, Mrs. Felicia Clawson!" 

*********

Phurranha took Felina on patrol in his submarine. They had secretly planned to
marry. Felina tried to keep it hidden from Feral, and her parents. Roland was the
only one who knew of their relationship. Phurranha tried to keep it hidden from
Chance and Jake. He did reveal to Felina his non-SK name.

"Are you sorry we're doing this?" Phurranha asked. 

"Sorry for what? We're in love, what else matters?" she asked. Phurranha gave her
a serious look. Felina sighed. "Well, maybe we should ask my parents. They're the
ones who count, not my uncle." 

"Chance and Jake don't know of this either." 

Felina smiled.  "They're our friends, Tipo. They should congratulate us, so you
don't need to keep it a secret from them at all." 

"Are you sure you really want to tie the knot with me?"

"Whatever you want. I believe it's the boyfriend's job to ask."

"I do," Phurranha said as held her close to his chest and rubbed his cheek along
hers. 

Then they went over to her parent's house and Dominique opened it. She kissed
Felina on both cheeks.

"Felina, it's wonderful to see you again. Come on in, both of you. I wish you
could've brought my son, Roland. Who's this young tomkat?" she had lost some of
her French accent. 

They all sat down. 

"This is my boyfriend. If I have your permission, we'd like to be together."

"Well that does sound nice, but are you sure he's the right male for you?"
Dominique asked.

"Of course, Mother. He'd tell you himself," Felina replied. 

Dominique looked at Phurranha carefully. She wanted to be sure he would be
faithful and not an abuser like her early boyfriend, Chris. 

"Go ahead and tell her who you really are," Felina whispered. He removed his
mask and revealed himself as Tipo.

"My name's Tipo Marino. Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Feral. Your daughter's a
wonderful Enforcer." 

Dominique smiled and shook his paw.  "Pleasure to meet you, Tipo. Feral's brother
Theseus is on watchtower duty and will be back this afternoon. You seem to be a
really nice tomkat and I can see that you two are happy with each other."

"You might want to let him know that I'm a..." Tipo began.

"Shh, Tipo. Save that for my father when he comes home," Felina whispered to
Tipo's ear and prepared to leave for patrol duty. "Mother, I'd better go now. You
two have a nice talk and I'll see you later," Felina said.

"What's this, leave your fiancé alone?" Dominique rebuked in a sarcastic manner. 

Felina giggled and hugged her mother.  "Later, mom. Later, love," she said, and
blew a kiss to Tipo as she drove away.  

"And if there's no trouble with Theseus and you two get married, called me
mother-in-law. Whoever loves my children is a son or daughter to me." Dominique
said.

"Thanks."

*********

Later in the afternoon, a tomkat, named Blake Sloth, around age nineteen, came
over to the salvage area. He had taken over Burke and Murray's job as the salvage
delivery boy. 

"Hey, Jake! Ready for another delivery?" Blake called out. 

"Signed with Feral's love, no doubt!" Jake complained.

"At least you don't have to worry about Burke and Murray bothering you no
more," Blake said, trying to stop Jake from complaining. 

"Right." 

After the salvage material was released where Jake instructed it, Blake got out of
the truck and walked over to him. 

"Listen, Jake. Could I speak to you, please?" Blake asked in a fearful manner.

"Sure. Come on in and I'll give you a glass of milk." 

"Thanks." 

They walked into the TV room and sat down. They both drank and then talked
about Chance and his wife.

"I'm sad that you're friend's leaving," Blake said.

"Me too. But I'm glad that he's happy. Anyway, what's up, partner?" 

Blake's words faltered a bit. 

Jake put his paw on his shoulder. "It's ok, pal. Just tell what it is."

"I'm afraid I'm a ninja criminal by night. I'm under some spell that was cast on me
while I was taking martial arts class."

"Ah oh. I hope Feral doesn't know about this. Do you know who gave you that
spell? It might have been Dark Kat because he had ninjas working for him."

"How do you know about Dark Kat?" Blake asked, feeling curious about Jake. 

Jake leaned his face close to Blake's.

"Listen, can you try to keep it a secret for me?"

"Yeah," Blake replied, curious about the face to face gesture.

"We are the SWAT Kats! Chance is really gonna kill me for telling you this. But
since you might have been influenced by him, I think you should know this."

"Why would I be influenced by Dark Kat?" Blake asked, holding his throat.

"We left him wounded in the stomach when the Enforcers came for him. As they
cuffed him, he keeled over from the pain and died."

"Do you think it was his soul?" Blake demanded, trembling. 

Jake smiled and shook his head. He himself tried to break off the delusion that
Dark Kat's ghost would come back.

"No, kat's souls don't go around haunting the living."

"Do you think that some demons are transforming the hearts of young male kats by
night to get revenge on the Enforcers and you guys?"

"It's very possible!" 

Blake buried his face in his paws.  "Listen, a few nights ago, I used my sword and
amputated one of the Enforcers' arms! I think we all heard a deep dark voice in our
hearts commanding us. I'm so sorry I did that, Jake! Why would he choose me
anyway? I'm just a regular delivery boy!" Blake started to cry and Jake patted him
on the back.

"Beats me, buddy. Don't cry. I'm sure it was just the delusion of this evil spirit." 

"Could I ride with you tonight while you go on patrol?"

"Please do!  I want to know if you're really under some demon's curse. And don't
take your ninja suit or your sword, understand?"

"Yes."

"Alright, I'll tell Chance that you're coming with us. He won't care. You'd better
stay here tonight, just to be sure you ok." Blake started to feel safe.

"Thanks, Jake!"

"No problem."

*********

Inside the Turbokat, Blake sat in the cockpit of the Turbokat while Razor flew. 

"T-Bone said it was alright, Blake. He said he'll take the cyclotron," Razor said.

"Good. Just hope that voice doesn't come back!" 

They pulled up in front of the nuclear plant where T-Bone was waiting for them.

"Good flying, buddy. Guess you could outdo me, huh?" T-Bone asked, feigning
envy. 

"No way. You're a better flyer. I'm just a student," Razor sarcastically said.

"Glad to hear you say that. Listen, are you sure that you can trust your little friend
to come with us?" T-Bone was very doubtful about letting one of the ninjas stick
around with them.

"If he starts acting up, I'm gonna have to restrain him someway." Razor took
T-Bone aside. "I really think some demons are influencing these young tomkats."

"How do you know, Razor? Could it be Dark Kat?" 

"No way! Kats don't rise from the dead to get revenge. I guess demons work in
villains and use young kats as their tools for crime," Razor explained. 

"I see. I'm just glad I'm not young anymore, but why would you be one of them?"
T-Bone asked Blake.

"Young kats have the agility and are more daring to rebel," Blake replied. 

T-Bone became worried about Roland.

"I hope he doesn't get Roland! He looks young enough to be influenced," he said,
looking at the jets going by.

"Listen T-Bone, we can't use any missiles against these young kats; they're
innocent and demons can't be stopped by metallic or radioactive alloys," Razor
explained.

"Yeah, but how do you think we can stop these ninjas?" T-Bone asked. 

"I don't know. But as long as I'm not in my ninja uniform, I'm okay," Blake said.

"I just hope Roland isn't affected by it."

Unfortunately, the voice entered Roland's heart as he and Feral were fighting the
ninjas trying to enter the power center. Roland pointed his bazooka at his uncle.

"That a boy! Now give him the respect he deserves!" the voice commanded him. 

Feral seized Roland by the wrist.

"Roland, what the hell has gotten into you?!"

"Time to die, uncle!" Roland growled, shooting his uncle in the chest.

"Not you too!" Feral groaned, holding his chest. 

T-Bone tried to call Roland. Roland took his portable and threw it over his
shoulder.

"Crud! Looks like one's gone into Roland as well!" T-Bone said. "Razor, you take
Blake and stay with him in the Turbokat! I'll take the cyclotron and confront Dark
Kat's ghost!"

"Affirmative!" Razor helped Blake into the Turbokat and flew off. The buzzer
went off. "Yes Miss Briggs?"

"Razor, we've got a group of ninjas attacking the power plant! Some of the young
Enforcers are joining them!" Callie panicked.

"It's Dark Kat's ghost influencing them! Do you know how to stop a ghost?" 

"We'd better act fast, buddy!" T-Bone said. 

"The only way I can see if by casting him out with lasers to their heart."

"Razor, are you serious?!" T-Bone cried.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing, Razor," Callie added.

"It's the only way. I'll try to use laser that won't harm living organisms. Razor out!" 

They flew out and found the young Enforcers around the power plant.

"There's that SWAT Kat and his little friend! Finish him off!" Dark Kat ordered
them. 

They started shooting at the Turbokat. 

"Lasers away!" Razor shouted as he fired at their hearts. 

All the young pilots resumed their normal state. 

T-Bone landed the Turbokat and got out. Then, the ninjas surrounded him and
waved their swords.

"Shoot!" T-Bone said and ducked his head under a ninja's stroke. He grabbed his
arm and pointed the laser at his heart. 

"No!!!" Dark Kat screamed and vanished. The ninja took off his mask and looked
at T-Bone.

"Sorry, SWAT Kat! I didn't mean..."

"I know. Stay with me!" T-Bone and he ran out in middle of a ninja circle.
He took out his laser and started to fire. Suddenly, the rest of the ninjas stopped
firing and put down their weapons. 

"What was that? How did we come back?" they asked themselves.

"Sorry I had to use the laser on you guys, but there way no other way to beat Dark
Kat's ghost."

"Thanks, SWAT Kat, but we didn't think Dark Kat would come back as a ghost,"
one of them said.

"Neither did I. Now go on home and pray that he doesn't re-enter your souls,"
T-Bone said with a smile. 

The ninjas took off their masks, left the nuclear weapons behind, and their swords
and went away.

While they left, Felina helped her uncle up, but Roland knocked him down.

"No, I'm going to kill him!" 

"Roland, snap out of it, please! You're not one of them!" Felina said.

"Don't listen to her!" Dark Kat said. 

Roland recognized it as Dark Kat's voice. 

T-Bone ran over to Roland.  "Roland wait!" he said. 

Roland could have been as hesitant as Blake could, but Dark Kat had too much of
a grasp on him. 

"T-Bone! Just who I wanted to see!" Roland prepared to fire at T-Bone. 

He dodged the fire and kicked the weapon out of his paws. Roland took out his
nails and held them toward his face. Felina pulled Roland away and he slapped her,
knocking her down. Then, T-Bone grabbed Roland by the wrist and shook him.

"Listen to me, will ya!! You're not one of them!" 

Suddenly, Roland senses slightly came back to normal, but Dark Kat tried to resist
T-Bone.

"Roland, don't listen to him! Fire!" he yelled.

Roland pointed his magnum at T-Bone one more time. The SWAT Kat got up
again and pinned Roland to the ground.

"Sorry pal, I have to do this!" T-Bone said and shot Roland in the heart. 

"No, no!!" Dark Kat shouted as he vanished. 

Roland shook his head as if he had a concussion. He vision was somewhat blurred.

"What happened? Is it you, T-Bone?"

"Yeah. You were under some delusion, but it's gone now." 

"Did I try to kill you? I'm sorry." Roland felt hurt and saying he was sorry was the
best way he could express himself. It was enough for T-Bone, for he felt that it
was not Roland, but the demon in him. Roland embraced his sister and gave
another apology to her and Feral, which was also ungrudgingly accepted.

"Sorry I had to shot you, Roland," T-Bone said.

"I think the voice was Dark Kat's," Roland said to T-Bone. 

T-Bone became scared.

"Razor's guess was wrong! Dark Kat was doing this all along! Well, as long as he's
gone, thank God," he thought. 

T-Bone decided not to tell Razor about what Roland said.

*********

Later that night, Felina went home and found her father talking with Tipo. "I've
heard about you. I think Megakat City needs ocean squadrons," Theseus said. 

Felina walked in.

"Hello sweetheart. Been out fighting, I see," Theseus said, kissing her on the
forehead.

"As usual, father." 

Tipo walked over to his girlfriend.  "May I tell him now?" he whispered. 

She smiled.  "Go ahead." 

"Theseus, please don't tell your brother this, but I'm one of the SWAT Kats." 

He expected Theseus to become hesitant about his relationship with his daughter,
since he was a vigilante and he knew perfectly well that his brother despised having
them around. Instead, Theseus put his paw on Tipo's shoulder.

"That's alright. I've kind of liked the SWAT Kats too. Ulysses and I are best
brothers, though we may have heavy conflicts of opinion. So, my wife tells me that
you're interested in my daughter. You know, Dominique seems to have no
problems and I can see no harm in having a relationship with a SWAT Kat." 

Dominique went over to the young kats.  "We'd rather have you two make the
choice. Felina, if he treats you right and you're going to be happy..." she stopped as
Tipo and Felina started kissing. 

Feral and Roland came over and were in for a surprise. Feral growled as he saw
Felina leave with Tipo. Theseus noticed his brother's paw closing into a fist and
patted it down.

"Is there a problem, Uly?" he asked calmly, but concernedly. 

Feral wanted to express his feelings for Tipo, but he lost the boldness to say them
when Theseus was around him. He didn't want to lose his temper around his
brother. 

But, he did grab enough courage to say; "My niece is with the one I fired long ago.
He's another hotshot, just like the SWAT Kats!" 

"Hey, let the girl make her choice," Theseus said. 

Dominique tried to calm Feral down as she let him in the house.  "Come on. She's
got much of her mother in her," she said.

"I wish she were more like her father," Feral said. Dominique and Theseus gave
him an offended look. "Well, at least if he treats her right!" Feral admitted. 

Theseus never could get over his brother not admitting his faults. 

Roland smiled as he watched them drive away.  "Guess I'm going to have a
brother-law," he said to himself. 

*********

Later that night, Blake came over to the salvage house. 

"Blake, come on in," Jake said, opening the door. 

Blake walked in and sat upon the couch. He saw the TV was on and Scaredy Kat
was showing. 

"Since when do you like Scaredy Kat?"

"Chance got me interested in it somehow." After Blake seated himself, Jake turned
off the TV. "What's up this time?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to thank you for your help in saving me."

"That's my job. It was really God who saved you. Did you want anything else?"

"Yeah. I was wondering if I might stop by for a chat or we could go to the
arcade?" 

Jake nodded. He knew that Blake was not happy working by himself or being on
his own. 

"You got it. Burke and Murray are off my back and my partner is with his wife. I
don't have any customers, so it looks like it's just you and me. But, I'm going to
get hitched myself in a while, so we can't do this every night. We can still be pals,
though." 

Jake and Blake shook paws and hopped into Blake's car.

"Thanks. And please don't let Feral know that I ran into knowing your second
identity," Blake pleaded. 

Jake patted him on the shoulder.  "How would he know? When he stops by, he
doesn't go snooping in the house. Besides, we have another SWAT Kat who
knows about us already."

"Who is he?"

"Phurranha. His non-SK name is Tipo Marino. I'll introduce you to him when he
gets back."

"Sweet. By the way, I've got a great movie we could see. It's a new one called
"This Present Darkness" based on the book by Frank E. Peretti. I saw the previews
and it looked interesting.

"Not that. I've experienced enough of a ghost fight to make our own movie," Jake
said with exasperation. 

"Come on. I'll pay for it this once," Blake promised.

"Let's go. Sometimes a battle can be so good, you have to capture the importance
of it." 

Blake was happy not only to be free of Dark Kat's ghost, but that he had someone
to talk to and spend time with. Jake felt that Blake helped make up for the time
when Chance was not there. 

THE END