Night Shift Author: Christopher Teo E-mail Address: christeo@singnet.com.sg Hi there. Well, first off the legalities. The Swat Kats and all characters, places, and etc. etc. are property of Hanna-Barbera productions. All other characters are my creations and if you would wish to use them, please contact me first by e-mail to ask me for permission. Now that we're done with that, I'd like to say this... YIPPEE! This is my tenth fan fiction! Gee, Seems like I wrote my first one just a few days ago. Funny how time flies isn't it? Ah well, enough of my reminiscing. Here's my fan fiction. Hope you enjoy it. The sun sets, and it is nightfall... The click of a lock being picked went unheard into the darkness. The door opened silently, much to the relief of the two burglars. They crept in with their empty sacks, expecting to fill them with the plunder they shall find. "... I don't like this... what if the Swat Kats find us?" "Are you kidding? They've been fighting Dark Kat for about five hours." "How did you know?" "Try watching the news, moron." They went about the store, scouring every inch for valuables. One of them soon came upon the cash register. He looked it over, trying to get to the loot inside. "Hey, come over here, do you know how this thing works?" "How would I know... did you hear that?" "Hear what?" "Thought I heard something..." "You're paranoid, now help me with this so we can get the cash and beat it." He fiddled about with it for a minute more before realizing that his companion had yet to arrive. "Hey, what are you doing?" "Help?" His body was hurled through the air and collided with that of his companion's. They hit the floor with a loud thud. "What the hey! What's going on!" "Ow... some guy just beat the stuffing out of me..." He got to his feet and further questioned his friend. "What guy?" "The one standing behind you." He swiftly turned around to face someone garbed in dark clothes and a mask. He didn't get much opportunity to see much else since he lunged forward to attack this new foe. The masked enemy swiftly sidestepped, grabbed the burglar, and threw him into the counter. He got the wind knocked out of him and slowly slid to the floor. "I trust that you won't be giving me any more trouble." The burglars merely shook their heads. "Good." The masked vigilante produced a rope and tied them together, back to back. When he was done, he turned to the phone. Several numbers were pressed and Enforcer HQ was reached. "Hello, Enforcers? There's a burglary going on at the hardware store along 67 Elm Street." He put down the phone and turned to leave. But before he did, one of the burglars had mustered up enough courage to voice his question. "Hey, who are you?" But he had already left, vanished into the shadows of the night and leaving the two to the care of the Enforcers. ********** "Hey, Jake, look at this!" "I already told you, Chance - I'm not interested in watching your Scaredy Cat cartoons." "No, it's not that! Just come here and look at this." Jake sighed and looked up from the engine. "This had better be good. We've got a lot of work to do." "Would you hurry up!" Jake Clawson leapt over to Chance's side. "What is..." "-The two burglars have claimed that the one who had fought them was a Swat Kat." "What the..." "But details are still sketchy. This is-" Chance Furlong switched off the television. "Well, either one of us has started crime-fighting in his sleep, or there's a new hero in town." "I think it's fairly safe to say that it's the latter." "I'll second that. Do you think we're going to hear from this guy again?" "Probably... one never knows." "Yeah, well I have a feeling that we're going to hear a lot more from whoever he or she is." "Uh-huh." Jake slapped an oily rag into Chance's paw. "Well, I have a feeling that it's time for YOU to get off your tail and help out with the work." "What?" "Have fun. I'll be in the back checking out our equipment." "Oh come on... have a heart. Scaredy Cat's gonna be on in five minutes. Jake?" ********** Felina Feral walked out of her home, ready to begin another day of an Enforcer's duty. As she had done so several times before, she spun around on her heel, key in paw. As she locked her door to prevent any unwanted guests, a pair of eyes fell upon her. Approximately, she took four seconds to accomplish her simple task. Unfortunately, the pair of eyes that were watching her did so for half a second, the brain pondered the situation for another half, the legs silently sped across the distance between them in the next two and a half seconds and the quiet observer pounced during the last half- second. "Felina!" "Huh?" The diminutive badger hurled her small body at Felina's legs in an attempt to bowl her over and commence her vicious assault of merciless tickling. "Hi Michelle," Felina said in greeting. "Hi Felina," replied the young badger before continuing with her shoving. "Michelle?" Bill Evergreen, head librarian of the library along Oak Street, bustled up to detach his spirited five-year old daughter. He shifted the glasses on his snout as he endeavored to halt Michelle's attempts to knock over her neighbor, the Enforcer. "Michelle, Felina has to go to work." "Oh, don't worry about it, I've still got plenty of time to reach headquarters. So, how are you today?" "Fine and dandy, and so is my wife, Kara, and Michelle the little aspiring rugby player." Michelle gave an extra shove in acknowledgement. "Have you read that article about that little skirmish last night?" "Mm-hm." "How is your uncle going to react to the possibility that there's another vigilante in town?" "Ha-ha. He'd be furious. He's already fuming with the Swat Kats. So what makes you think that it wasn't the Swat Kats last night? The absence of any sightings of a jet?" "Right on the nose. The Turbokat isn't very inconspicuous, even if it IS darkly colored." "And what are your thoughts about there being a new vigilante in Megakat City?" "Me? Well... IF there was one... hold on for a moment." Bill paused a moment to clean his glasses. Once he had finished, he replaced his glasses and continued the conversation. "There. Sorry for the interruption." "It's okay." "Anyway, guess I'd be somewhat pleased, there'd be an extra person making sure life's safe to live. Although I wouldn't be too happy if he was some psycho." "I agree wholeheartedly." "To be quite frank, the Enforcers were organized as a more effective means to fight crime, like terrorist situations and bank robberies. You guys weren't meant to fight giant lizards and undead ghouls. Don't get me wrong, I think you're doing a great job, Felina." "Thank you. Hey, I have to leave now." "Felina?" Michelle tugged on Felina's arm. Felina hoisted her up so that they were face to face. "Yeah?" "Are you going to go fight bad guys?" questioned the cub. "Sure. And, I'll be sure to-" "[Ahem]" "-Bop one on the head for you." Michelle giggled as she was lowered to the ground. "Sorry about that, it's just that I don't want Michelle to learn any... 'Rough' language." "You mean like 'kicking their tails' Dad?" "Exactly..." Felina could only chuckle as she walked to her car, leaving Bill to shake his head, mentally lamenting at the latest addition to Michelle's vocabulary. Whilst his young daughter looks at him curiously, wondering what had happened to bring him his current anguish. ********** His body soared through the air and landed on the table. As the smuggler painfully got to his feet, his fellows in crime armed themselves. The attacker arrived swiftly, bursting through the door and launching small rods of hard plastic from his paws. Most hit their mark, colliding with paws and forcing them to drop their guns. The masked vigilante knocked out one with a good right hook and a quick kick to the belly was all that was needed to incapacitate another. And then there was eight. Two of which still had their guns and fired madly away at the unknown assailant. He deftly dodged them while producing another simple- looking yet curious weapon. He hurled it and the small steel boomerang whistled through the air following a curved path. The two did not see it until their guns were knocked from their paws. He leaped through the air and kicked out, hitting both smugglers squarely on the face. Landing neatly on both feet and then he somersaulted back drawing two weapons. One smuggler rushed forward, hoping to catch him by surprise, but he had no such luck. The masked attacker shifted to the left to avoid the lunging criminal and tripped him up and dealt him a savage blow to the stomach as he fell onto the floor. He turned around to face the remaining half of the group, wielding two batons of wood, one in each paw. He stood there motionless, starring at them as if he were silently challenging them to combat with weapons at ready. Somehow, they doubted that they would get very far if they tried to run. They started to inch closer to the vigilante. They inched forward slowly, once they felt they were close enough, they charged forward, hoping to overwhelm him by force of numbers. Adeptly, he parried their blows, and lashed out with blows of his own. Their punches and kicks flew by his side harmlessly but every swing of his wooden batons did the damage he desired. Soon all five lay on the ground, unconscious or moaning in pain. The smuggler that had been on guard duty and also the first to fall had apparently recuperated sufficiently to attempt to escape. The assailant did not even bother to turn, merely swinging a pair of bolas in his paw. He threw them and they hurtled through the air and quickly entangled the escapee's feet. He fell to the ground with a thud. The vigilante surveyed his work; none of them would be getting up soon. Satisfied, he began to take care of one last detail. ********** The sirens of an Enforcer patrol car were heard and the screeching of tires soon followed. The enforcers burst through the door, blasters ready, only to find that a fight had already taken place. Felina Feral was among them. "Looks like the tip-off was right." She walked over to survey one of large boxes that were stacked in a corner of the large room. The lid slid off to reveal guns. "Mm-hm, okay these guys are under arrest for smuggling! Haul them in!" As the Enforcers placed the smugglers under arrest, Felina Feral investigated the surrounding floor. She bent down to pick up a small steel straight-bladed shuriken, quite similar to a small dagger. "Doesn't look like something the Swat Kats use..." "Lieutenant Feral? One of the smugglers is conscious and says that the assailant wasn't a Swat Kat." "I know, and I think I just found out who it was." "Excuse me?" Felina Feral kneeled down to examine a word scratched into the box that lay near the shuriken. "Nightwatch." ********** "Hmmm. Nice name." "I think so too, but Commander Feral is REALLY steamed now." Bill took a bite out of his piece of toast, gazing through the article whilst Kara, his wife and a teacher at Megakat University, sipped her coffee. "Looks like they've got a more accurate description of our masked friend too. Male... medium length snout... can't be a kat..." "Why the sudden interest in the city's latest masked vigilante?" "Uh? Oh... well... I guess it's probably cause these masked heroes remind me of those superhero comics I used to collect when I was still a cub. I was crazy about superheroes." "[Chuckle]. You're telling me. You always tried to find some kind of excuse to wear a superhero costume. I remember your mother telling me about that little incident with the costumed mascot of some baseball team." Bill choked on his piece of toast. He beat his chest to get it down and turned to look at Kara with a startled look on his face. She tried to hide the smirk on her face by taking another sip of coffee. "SHE TOLD YOU ABOUT THAT? IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A SECRET!" "Mm-hm. Oh don't look so glum, at least you stopped Wally, the big bad baseball-cap-wearing whale mascot from taking over the world. I'm sure he won't forget that makeshift... what was that called again?" Bill sheepishly smiled to himself as he thought back to that particular moment. "Stink-a-rang, courtesy of the crusading badger. Not one of my "better" moments..." "You underwent a complete personality change about once a fortnight. One week you were Captain Camouflage and a week later you were trying to lift the house as Vigor, the strongest badger in Megakat City." "... What can I say? I was a cub with a rich imagination. Anyway, let's just say that I never did grow out of that superhero craze of mine." "Mm-hm." Bill takes a quick glance at the clock hanging on the wall. "Uh-oh, we'd better get to work." The badger couple takes their things and rush out of the apartment. Soon, they are outside the building where they must part ways. Bill leans over and kisses Kara on the lips. "Bye sweetie." "Bye honey." The librarian than rushed off to the library. Kara watches her husband diminish in size as he runs down the street. She turns around to wait for her bus, with one small thought hanging in her mind. << Nightwatch... wasn't that another one of the names Bill thought up? >> ********** "THAT is the DUMBEST idea you have come up with yet!" A metallic fist came down hard upon the table, smashing it in two. Two pairs of malevolent eyes glowed in the darkness, eyes that belonged to the Metallikats. "Would you give it a rest Mac. This plan's going to work." "Yeah sure it is." Mac replied with more than a hint of sarcasm. "Wait until the Swat Kats are fighting some other supervillain and than rob the Megakat Bank." "Would you just use whatever it is that you have for a brain in that head of yours and THINK! If we follow my plan, we'll get the loot and the Swat Kats will be too busy fighting to notice!" "Well if you're so smart, who are the Swat Kats going to fight while we clean out the bank?" "The first one that decides to attack Megakat City numbskull! We have to wait first!" Molly Metallikat sat herself down on one of the chairs that decorated the dilapidated room whilst Mac Metallikat plopped himself into another. "I HATE waiting!" "Oh shut your trap and go to sleep or something." "Yeah, yeah." ********** She walked down the stairs in front of Enforcer HQ, dressed in civilian clothes. Lieutenant Feral had just finished her interrogation of the last suspect and her shift for today was over. She tossed her hair back and walked over to her car with her haversack slung over one shoulder. She looked down, key in paw, and was about to open the door when she heard two familiar voices ring out. "What do you mean we're lost?" "Well give me a break [yawn], I'm tired." She brought her head up just in time to see two dawgs she recognized. She smiled and walked over to the perplexed duo, one an Alsatian and the other a dachshund. "Well, well, what do we have here?" "Huh?" The Alsatian turned around to see who had walked up and recognized her immediately. "Hey Felina!" He gave her a quick hug in greeting. "Nice to see you too Al." "Uh-huh. It's been quite a while since we last met Felina." The Dachshund stepped between them. "Hey what about me?" "Awww, feeling neglected Chaz?" "Ha, ha." Felina gives Chaz Sunderland a hug all the same. She stepped back to get both friends in view. "So what happened to you? I haven't seen you for more than a year." Alan Satian put down his duffel bag and looked back up to answer her query. "Well I just went on that trip around the world I've been talking about. Actually, I returned here a few days ago, I just spent the time straightening out some things. I've got everything settled so I thought that I'd pay Bill and his family a visit." "It's no big deal, Al needed someone to [yawn] help him get to Bill's place." "And apparently I got the wrong dawg for the job." "Hey that was [yawn] uncalled for." Felina looked at the tired dachshund. His mouth was wide open, signaling the approach of another yawn. "What's the matter? You look pretty beat." "Oh it's nothing, just had to stay up late to finish some work." "Come on, I'll drive you two over." "No it's ok, I've got a [yawn] car. You can just tell us the directions and I'll [yawn]-" "No way Chaz Van Winkle, I've spent enough time hoping that you don't fall asleep at the wheel, and since I don't know how to drive, I'll be going along with Felina's plan." "This is the thanks I get for coming all the way out here?" "And you're coming with us. I wouldn't want to see your face in the obituaries due to a car crash." "Ok, ok. I'll grab a cup [yawn] of coffee at Bill's place and than I'll drive my car back home." "This way Al, and make sure Sleeping Chaz doesn't collapse or something." "What is this? Make fun of [yawn] Chaz Day?" Felina walked towards her car, with Al and Chaz following behind. Chaz tapped Al on the shoulder. "Hey Al, what do you think Michelle's going to say when she sees her favorite uncle at the door?" "I don't know... probably something like..." ********** "UNCLE AL! IT'S UNCLE AL! MOM! DAD! UNCLE AL'S BACK!" "Gee that was loud." Chaz rubbed his ears in mock agony as Michelle ran forward and leaped into the crouching dawg's arms. "Hey how has Bill's little girl been? Have you been good?" Michelle nodded. "Uh-huh." "Hi Al. Good to see you again." "Hi Bill." Al took Bill's paw and shook it. "So where have you been?" "Oh here and there. I went travelling a bit." Michelle tugged on Al's pant leg. "Uncle Al? What did you bring me?" "Oops. I knew I forgot something." "Uncle Al!" Michelle put her hands on her hips and pouted her lips. "Just kidding! Come on let's see what I brought you in the living room." Al lifted the cub up and put her onto his shoulder and walked into the living room, with his duffel bag slung over his other. Bill was about to follow when Chaz tapped him on the shoulder. "Say Bill, can you spare a cup of [yawn] coffee for a tired out dawg?" "Better make that a vat of coffee." Felina walked up and turned Chaz towards the right direction. "Hey I can see where it is." "What's the matter Chaz? Been working late?" "Bingo, and would you mind? I can get to the coffee without someone holding my paw." "Okay, if you say so." Chaz turned around and stomped towards the kitchen softly muttering to no one in particular. As the dachshund poured himself a drink rich in caffeine, Felina watched Al playing with Michelle. Right now, he was tossing the badger cub up into the air. Michelle flew up and hovered in the air for a split second before falling back into Al's arms, giggling whilst in flight. With every throw, she prompted Al to throw her higher and higher and higher still until Al decided that it was high enough. Felina smiled slightly and turned to Bill. "Michelle and Al are having a great time." "Yeah, you could say those two are best friends, despite the age difference. Wonder why I don't get a reception like that." "You could try going away for a year or so." "Ha, Ha, very funny. Shouldn't you be gulping down a good deal of coffee right about now?" "Oh so it's not ok for ME to crack a joke once in a while?" "Touchy." When Chaz brought his mug of coffee to his lips, the front door was opened again. "I'm home!" "Mom!" Michelle dashed towards Kara in her brand new kimono. "Mom! Al's back!" "Really? Long time no see Al." Al walked forward and gave her a quick embrace. "So how's the lovely Mrs. Evergreen?" "Just fine Al. Just fine." He turned around and called out to everyone. "Hey gather round guys. I got everyone something." He bent down to rummage through his duffel bag as his friends walked up to him. He sifted through clothes and items, pulling out the occasional gift. Kara pulled Bill to one side while he was examining a Chinese fan. "Bill, I need to ask you something." "Oh? What is-" "Hey it's about time for the news. Mind if I switch on your TV, Bill?" "Sure go ahead Chaz." The television screen flickered into life, showing a scene of devastation. "This is Ann Gora reporting for Kat's Eye News. Hard Drive has just broken into Megakat labs and stolen the prototype of a new combat aircraft. The Swat Kats are currently in pursuit-" "Uh-oh. Looks like I'm needed at HQ. Hate to cut short this reunion," said Felina. At the same time, Bill slapped his head, and stated, "Oh darn! I've left some stuff back at the library, I've got to go get them." Bill stood up and opened the door. "Bye Michelle. Bye honey. Won't take long." He exited and Felina was about to follow when Chaz walked up to her. "Well I think I'm awake enough to drive a car. Going my way, Felina?" "I can drop you off somewhere close to where you parked your car." "Good enough for me." Felina went through the door and so did Chaz. He was about to close it when Al sat upright. "CRIPES! I WAS SUPPOSED TO MEET SOMEONE TONIGHT!" "Well you better hurry, it's getting late." Al leaped to his feet and dashed for the door. He turned around to face Michelle. "I'm really sorry Michelle. I promise I'll be back soon. Bye." Then Al left the room, leaving only Kara and Michelle. She turned to her mother with a quizzical expression on her face. "Mom? Why did everyone leave so soon?" "Oh they all had something to do." Kara Evergreen leaned back into her chair and softly muttered to herself. "It's 'what' a certain badger has to do that interests me." "Who are you talking about, mom?" "Oh. No one... in particular." They sit there waiting in their home, where all is calm. Unlike the contrasting chaos that is taking place elsewhere in the city. ********** The Turbokat soared through the air, pursuing the stolen aircraft wherever it and its current pilot may fly. T-Bone piloted the Turbokat with clenched teeth. He cursed out at their current predicament. "Krud! It's not bad enough that the Metallikats are on the loose, but Hard Drive had to try and steal a jet at the same time! And to top it off, it's 12 midnight!" "Well there's nothing else we can do about the Metallikats right now. Let's just concentrate on grounding Hard Drive somewhere he won't be able to make a quick getaway from. Particularly anywhere with any form of electrical equipment." The Turbokat made a quick turn around a building, tailing Hard Drive closer to the city limits. "Looks like Hard Drive is trying to get out of the city. I think I can maneuver him somewhere into Megakat canyons." "Hopefully someone won't have decided to build a power plant around there." "Doesn't seem too likely." "Preparing missiles for launch." The Turbokat shot through the air like an ebony bullet after the pilfered jet, over the buildings and into the large canyons. One pilot desperate to escape, the other two determined to return that which was stolen. However, the Swat Kats would be unaware of a certain pair of villains that would soon be taking advantage of their absence. ********** "Would you hurry up! The Swat Kats aren't going to be gone forever!" Molly's whisper was answered with a sharp retort from her husband and accomplice in crime. "Quit rushing me! They should be gone for another hour or so!" They hastened through the shadows, their metallic feet clanking against the cold pavement. Soon they were in front of the 1st National Bank. "I'm going to go through the plan one more time in case it already floated out of that tin can you call a head." "I remember the plan! We smash our way in, get the loot and get out fast!" Molly whacked the back of Mac's head with a steel claw, adding, "And when we get to the getaway car, I DRIVE!" "Yeah, yeah. Let's just get this over with." They raised their arms, equipped with automatic quick-fire blasters. They opened fire, ripping through the twin doors that obstructed their path. Steel feet crushed broken wood and shattered glass as the two made their way to the safe. The bank's alarm rang out, its unceasing scream ringing out into the night and calling for aid. The Enforcers shall soon detect the disturbance, and dispatch their finest to deal with the problem forthwith, but it is not to be, for another shall soon hear the shrill cries of the alarm. One masked hero keeping vigil on the roof of a building, a masked hero called... ********** "Nightwatch." He spoke out his name, and closed his eyes to think. That was the name he had adopted, the name of a masked vigilante who would fight crime in the shadows of the night. He had originally wanted to aid the Swat Kats in apprehending the criminal who had stolen the jet, but they were too far away for him to be of any use. So now he rests and contemplates that which has occurred in his life. He tosses a baton up, catching it in his paw as it falls. Questions and worries are tousled and tumbled in his mind. How will this affect his other life? Can he really make a difference? What problems will there be in the future? He was so engrossed with his own thoughts that he did not notice the alarm until he was in mid-toss. "What?" The baton slipped from his paw and fell to the ground, only to be saved by his other paw. He concentrated and tried to discern from whence the sound came. Its origin was only a few blocks away. He slipped the baton back into its place on his belt, uttering only a few words. "Looks like I've got something to do after all." And with that, Nightwatch leaped across the roof's ledge to the other building. He sped across the rooftops in complete silence, melting into the shadows with grace and ease. He surges onward, ready to answer the call for aid and deal out justice. ********** Sharp, cold claws shoveled pile after pile of money into the sacks. A dark blue, almost black, shadow swung from the roof to the streets below with the aid of a grappling hook attached to a thin cable. Sacks laden with bounty were heaved onto metallic shoulders and two robotic criminals ran out of the giant safe and back into the bank. The mysterious figure leaped up the stairs leading to the bank and dashed past the shattered remains of the doors, making no sound at all. They stood stock-still, Nightwatch at one end of the bank, the Metallikats at the other. The whole building was thick with silence, with the exception of Nightwatch's light breathing. Brown eyes surveyed the opposition whilst red rancorous spots of light in the darkness flickered, examining their new nemesis. "... I don't suppose you two would surrender and come along quietly, now would you?" He was answered with bursts of blaster fire. "Didn't think so," He grunted as he leaped to one side, simultaneously drawing a pawful of shuriken. He slung them towards his adversaries as he rolled back onto his feet. They hurtled towards the Metallikats but merely bounced off them with metallic clangs like paper clips. "Ha! That's the best you could do? That didn't even scratch me!" Mac strafed the darkness with his blaster, ripping apart tables, chairs and other pieces of furniture. "Would you stop that!" berated Molly. "Can't you see that he's not there!" "It's dark! How am I supposed to see?" "With infra-red vision you idiot! We have it built in!" The firing stopped and the place echoed with the sounds of blaster fire for a few seconds. They slowly turned around; blasters ready, scanning the room with rancorous eyes, glowing with blood-red light. "... Oh forget it. The guy's probably long-" Mac was cut short as Nightwatch leaped out of the shadows to his right and swung down hard on his blaster with a staff. The room reverberated with the sound of the devastating blow. Mac was staggered, giving Nightwatch time to deal out a few more strikes. He attacked quickly and fiercely, but Mac grabbed hold of one end of the staff and swung Nightwatch over his head. He somersaulted and tossed several capsules at the feet of the Metallikats. Smoke erupted from the small spheres in an attempt to cloud the Metallikats' vision. Molly fired wildly into the air. "Would you just STAND STILL!" She screeched. In response, a small shuriken sliced through the air and the sack that Molly was carrying. Hundred dollar bills flowed out of the opening like water from a tap. Desperately, she tried to contain the surge of dollars. "We're wasting time, let's get out of here while we still have SOME cash!" Mac raked the room with his dented blaster as Molly dashed out of the bank, claws clamped over the rip in the sack of loot. Then he too ran, feet clanking against marble tiles, and later against cold cement. Nightwatch emerged from the devastation, breathing heavily and using his staff for support. He could hear the sirens from afar and see the getaway car driving off. He stood there, leaning against his staff for a second. Then he sighed and swiftly disassembled his stave. He took his grappling hook into paw, swung it for a while and threw it at the flagpole of a building. He tugged the cable to make sure it was secure, thereupon he swung off into the night after the Metallikats. ********** The Turbokat spiraled through the air, chasing the stolen jet through the twists and turn in the canyons. Ducking and weaving past huge pillars of sandstone. They had engaged in a continuous set of aerial aerobatics in order to avoid crashing into the canyons and to keep on the tail of their quarry. "Well you'll have to admit one thing," commented T-Bone. "That is one well-made jet." Slightly frustrated, Razor replied. "Yeah. But that doesn't really help our current little predicament now does it? So far he's been able to dodge all our missiles and we can't wait him out because we're running low on fuel." "Isn't there anything we can to do to bring him down?" "... Maybe... yeah I've got it! T-Bone, try to maneuver that guy nearer to the cliffs." "Got it." The Turbokat increased its speed and approached the jet on its right, forcing the jet to head to the left and closer to some cliffs. Razor's fingers were flying across the keyboard, keying in coordinates and specifications. He confirmed his decision with a pressing of a button and two missiles were launched from the Turbokat. They whizzed through the air towards the jet, but then they flew over the jet and towards the cliff in front of the jet. The two missiles collided with the cliff in a small explosion, and as the dust settled, portions of the cliff had been blasted off fell towards the bottom, with the jet was right underneath. Needless to say, the jet's occupant was stunned as rocks pelted the craft from above. Taking advantage of the situation, Razor aimed and fired a missile at the wing. It soared through the air and hit its mark. As smoke poured from the fire on the wing, the jet flew on unsteadily towards the ground. When it did land, it skidded across the rocky floor before finally coming to a halt. The canopy opened and a flash of electricity zapped out. The moment it made contact with the ground it reformed into the criminal, Hard Drive. "Time to use that missile we made JUST for him." T-Bone chuckled with a grin. Razor nodded in reply and hit a button. A missile flew out towards the space above Hard Drive. Once over his head, the missile opened up to unload its wet cargo of water. After a few shocking seconds, Hard Drive was wet, charred and totally incapacitated. "There are some Enforcer choppers coming in, and just in time. We've got about everything wrapped up, say does the jet look battered to you?" remarked Razor. T-Bone took a good look at the wreckage and replied, "Oh it'll fly again, after a week or two of repairs though." "Now all's that left is to find the Metallikats." "We'd better call Professor Hackle and see if he has any new leads." The Turbokat rose up into the air, made a U-turn and tore through the sky, back to Megakat City. ********** Professor Hackle browsed through his notes, his eyes behind his small glasses. Unable to find what he desired, he sighed and reached for his walking stick. He rose from his chair and walked across to the table where Cybertron lay. He slowly ran his paw over the steel body of Cybertron, feeling how smooth and cold it was. The body had been completely repaired, but it would take much more time to repair his internal circuitry. Professor Hackle shook his head as he remembered the day of Cybertron's birth and his tragic fate that awaited him later. He had completed programming Cybertron and assigned him to aid the Swat Kats. Later they faced an army of mummies conjured up by the Pastmaster. He was protecting Deputy Mayor Briggs, Ms Abi Sinian and another kat when they were attacked. Cybertron fought valiantly but he could only do so much against the undead behemoths. He was beaten into scrap and left to expire as wreckage as the monsters took away Ms. Briggs. In the end, the Swat Kats defeated the Pastmaster and his mummified horde. Calico Briggs was rescued and all was well... except for one mangled robot. Many a month will pass before Cybertron is fully functional again, in his stead Professor Hackle offered another robot but the Swat Kats politely declined and beat a hasty retreat. The professor constantly wondered why they acted as such. This model was a great deal stronger, if not larger and clumsier, than the previous version. A crash echoed through the lab. Professor Hackle turned to see the very robot he was thinking about desperately trying to clean up the pile of spare parts he had dropped. The robot looked up and saw the Professor looking at him and guiltily beeped and an apology. "That's okay, just clean it up and get on with your work," said Professor Hackle soothingly. The robot acknowledged him with another beep and began scooping up the parts. The aging professor turned and continued his pondering. That little accident wasn't really his fault, he doesn't mean to drop things, constantly. He shall have to remember to check his arms for any faults. He sighed again as he recalled another two of his creations, and how wonderful it would be if their problems could be fixed just as easily. They commit their evil crimes on purpose and with malice. He thought back to the day when he had found the two bodies of Mac and Molly Mange. Would he have saved them, had he known who they were? He even had suspicions the moment he laid eyes on them. But still, he probably would have saved them none the less. After all it WAS the right thing to do. Unfortunately Mac and Molly Metallikat have no such feelings about what is right or wrong, only about what would profit them and what would not. The phone rang and the robot turned to get it, dropping everything it had been holding in the process. Professor Hackle cringed at the sound of the crash. "Go back to keeping the supplies, I'll answer the phone." It beeped again and went back to scooping up nuts, bolts and other parts. Professor Hackle crossed the room and picked up the phone. "Yes? This is Professor Hackle. Who is it?" "This is Nightwatch," the voice at the other end of the phone said. "Ah Nightwatch, I heard about you in the news. You're that new hero in Megakat City, aren't you?" "Yes well there's something I need to ask you, can you contact the Swat Kats? I've located the Metallikats." "My word. Yes I can contact them. I'll be right-" "Wait! There's something else I need to ask you. How do I stop the Metallikats?" "What?" "I think they're about to leave soon and I don't think I'll be able to track them for much longer." "Oh dear, well then... hmm... there is a way, though you'll find it a bit... unsettling." "What is it?" "Well, I recall their design and if you should... separate their heads from their bodies, they should prove mostly harmless." "...Ew." "Yes I know, but that is the only way, other than beating them into scrap." "I think I would prefer the first method." "Perhaps you should wait for the Swat Kats, try to keep from engaging them in close combat." "There's no time. Tell the Swat Kats that the Metallikats are at warehouse No. 2 at Megakat Harbor." "Yes, I will. Now please be careful, the Metallikats are very dangerous." "Thank you Professor, I will." The professor hung up with a click, which was accompanied by another crash. <> ********** Nightwatch put the phone back onto its hook, and replaced the phone book. << Good thing Professor Hackle is listed in the yellow pages. >> He walked out of the phone booth and silently returned to where he had been watching the Metallikats. As he approached the corner, he could hear them bickering, just as they had been doing so when he left five minutes ago. He shook his head as he heard the foul words that were being traded back and forth, wondering whether he should be listening to this or just to protect himself from the harsh language by covering his ears. He shook off that thought, deeming it much wiser to listen so as to predict their next move. The Metallikats were standing outside the warehouse and a few feet from their car, arguing about what to do next. The argument soon grew more intense and louder until it seemed they were about to lunge for each other's steel throats. It seems curious that they have stayed together this long if they have had that many problems. Meanwhile, Nightwatch plans his next move, paws clutching some shuriken. He knows that their metallic hides are too hard for most of his weapons to have any significant affect, so he's going to have to fight defensively. The only way he can actually defeat them would be to knock their blocks off, literally. Thus meaning that he shall have to aim at their necks. He steals another glance around the corner, and sees that they're still going strong. There doesn't appear to be one weak spot that he can exploit, and those red eyes are giving him the creeps. Suddenly he realizes that their eyes are made of some kind of glass, the glass should be less harder than their steel skin, but will it be fragile enough for his shuriken? He ponders on that question for a moment. "Oh all right! We'll do things your way! Jeez..." Nightwatch peers around the corner to see Mac raise his arm and blaster in defeat. They're about to move and there's no time to plan. Was it his pride that motivated him to leap out from behind the corner? Or was it because of some sense of duty? No matter the reason, Nightwatch bounded from where he had been hiding and shouted out, "Hey! Bonnie and Clyde!" They turned and Nightwatch slung shuriken towards their eyes. They whistled through the air and crashed through the glass that composed of the Metallikats' eyes. Metallic screams came from their steel jaws and they started firing blindly. Nightwatch only needed to dodge to one side and keep as silent as possible as he sped forward while pulling out a collapsible steel nunchaku. With a flip of the wrist, it extended from a small size of 6 inches to its full length of 15 inches with a soft click. He spun it above his head, the free end of the nunchaku spinning at high speed, becoming nothing more than a dark blur. He leaped towards Molly who was firing wildly to her left while trying to get the shuriken from her eyes. He aimed several savage blows at her neck while circling her, most of them hitting home. It wasn't long before only one strike was needed. The steel end came down upon the battered head, and smashed it off its metallic body. The head crashed into the wall, and landed on the ground, sparks flying from the exposed wires. "Molly? What happened to you? Where are you?" yelled Mac. Nightwatch took a bola and threw it at Mac's feet. They entangled him and he fell to the floor cursing out. "Why you lousy masked jerk! When I-" Mac never got to finish his threat when Razor leaped up and held down his blaster while T-Bone severed his metallic head from his steel body with the shield from his Glov-A-Trix. T-Bone kneeled down and picked up Mac's head in one paw and uttered a few words in good humor. "Alas, poor Metallikat, I knew him well." "Nice timing Swat Kats." Nightwatch emerged from the shadows holding the other Metallikat's head in his right paw. "I had just finished dealing with Molly." "And once we get some new bodies, we're gonna deal with you!" "Yeah! First you dumb Swat Kats, and then that masked dawg!" Nightwatch narrowed his eyes and growled, "Isn't there any way to shut these tin cans up?" "Wait here for a second, I'll be right back." Razor ran back to the Turbokat. A few minutes passed as Nightwatch and T-Bone endured the insults of two disembodied heads. T-Bone was close to throwing Mac's head onto the floor and jumping on it when Razor returned with a heavy steel box. "I made this, just for a occasion like this." "Wasn't that supposed to hold our tools?" "Just dump them in." Not wasting a second, Nightwatch and T-Bone dunked the two heads into the box and Razor slammed the lid shut, returning silence to the night. They stood there for a while, enjoying the peace and quiet. After a while, Razor turned to face Nightwatch. "So I guess you're Nightwatch." "That's me. What happened to that jet you were chasing?" "Hard Drive stole it, we gave chase, we shot him down, bad guy is captured and stolen jet is recovered, the end," said Razor with a grin. "I just love a happy ending," added T-Bone. "Mm-hm." Nightwatch looked up to the sky and said, "... it's getting late." "What? Krud, we really need to get some sleep," Razor yawned. T-Bone stretched his arms and replied, "Yeah I know what you mean, this vigilante stuff is getting tiring. Let me help you with that." T-Bone lifted one side of the box as Razor held onto the other. They walked back to the Turbokat as Nightwatch stood there pondering. A few seconds passed, and then he dashed towards the Swat Kats and somersaulted over them, landing on his feet in front of them. "Wait," he exclaimed. "I've got an idea." "Uh? What is it?" "You two can handle everything during the day, but when it's night, you can leave everything to me." "... Hey now that would be a major help to our tired eyes. But... "Don't I have a life to live during the day? I do, I just don't need that much sleep. Besides, it would be rather awkward for me to fight crime during the day with a name like 'Nightwatch'." Razor looked to T-Bone and T-Bone returned the look. Razor turned to Nightwatch and held out a paw. "It's a deal," said Razor with a smile. Nightwatch held out his own paw and shook Razor's firmly. The two Swat Kats then proceeded to lift the box and put it into their jet. They leaped into their jet and looked down at Nightwatch. "Hey Nightwatch, if you need any help, just call us." "I'll keep that in mind." They waved goodbye and closed the canopy. The engines started and the jet rose up into the air vertically. When it was high enough, the Turbokat shot off into the distance, back to where the Swat Kats call home. Nightwatch stood there watching the jet zoom off into the distance. He looked up into the night sky, gazing up at the stars and the moon. "Guess it's time for me to leave too," he said to himself. Nightwatch then threw his grappling hook and hooked it onto something firm and swung off into the night. ********** Michelle hugged her teddy bear close to her as she slept in her bed. Kara gently pulled her blanket over the cub's small body. She gave her child a quick kiss on the head. "Goodnight Michelle. Sweet dreams." She softly crept out of her bedroom and back into the living room, where she sat down to have a cup of coffee while she waited for her husband. She had just taken a quick shower and was now sitting on the couch dressed in a bathrobe. It wasn't long after she took a sip of coffee before the sound of keys being carefully slid into the keyhole was heard. Sure enough, the head of Bill Evergreen poked around the door. "Uh... hi. Sorry I took so long." Kara merely sat there with her arms folded and her eyes narrowed. Bill slid through the door and closed it softly with one paw while the other held a plastic bag. He walked over to Kara's side with his head hanging low. "I'm really, really sorry." "Sure. What took you so long anyway?" "There was a traffic jam, some jet got stolen." "And just WHAT is so important that it couldn't wait until tomorrow? Why did you find it so urgent that you had to rush off in the middle of the night to get it?" To her queries, Bill merely nodded. Then he smiled and with a flourish, pulled out a bouquet of flowers from the bag he was holding. "Happy anniversary darling." Kara gasped. Bill handed the flowers to her and she took them in her paws. "Oh my goodness, I completely forgot it. They're so beautiful." "Yeah well, I bought them while I was on my break and I guess I forgot about them when I knocked off and left them back at the library." "So this was the big emergency... for a moment back there I thought it was because of some secret." "Oh you mean the secret of me actually being Nightwatch?" "WHAT?" Kara exclaimed, swiftly looking at Bill with eyes wide open. "Just kidding, just kidding. Gee, did you really think he was me?" "Well you DID come up with that name some time ago, and you do appear to be capable of fighting crime." "So I did, well it's probably just a coincidence... hey wait a minute! What do you mean appear?" exclaimed Bill as he looked at Kara. She turned around, one paw covering her mouth to make it seem that she's considering something, while she is actually trying to cover a grin. "Well, come to think of it, the idea of you fighting crime is rather preposterous," she commented while trying to stifle a giggle. Bill gave a look of astonishment. "PREPOSTEROUS? Oh come on!" Bill flexed his muscles, trying to look like a superhero. "Any crook within a five-mile radius would head for the hills if they heard I became a crime fighter. Hey the only reason I haven't donned spandex tights and a cape is because it would probably leave all those other super heroes nothing to do except twiddle their thumbs." "Surrrrrrrreeee. Oh I understand, that's perfectly logical." Kara replied with more than a hint of sarcasm. She walked over to Bill, pulled up his shirt and looked under it. Bill stood there with a quizzical expression, eyebrows raised. "Um... couldn't this wait until we're IN the bed?" "Just checking my husband for superhero costumes, no need to get excited," giggled Kara. "Awww..." The two badgers chuckled together for a while. Once they were done with their little joke, Bill looked at Kara, trying to look serious. "Seriously, I doubt I would have the time for crime fighting. I've got a job, and a fantastic kid to take care of, and a wonderful wife to love." He took her into his arms, leaned forward and kissed her. They hugged each other closely, lips never parting. They stood there like that for quite a while, then Kara moved back and said, "It's getting late, we'd better get to our bedroom." "Uh? Oh yeah, we have to get some sleep." In reply, she merely smiled coyly. She gave him a quick peck on the lips and walked to their bedroom. Then she turned around with a passionate smile on her lips. "Who said anything about sleeping?" She said with a mischievous grin. She gave a sly wink and moved slowly and seductively to the door of their bedroom. When she had reached the door, she turned around again to blow her husband a kiss. She gave him another lascivious smile and darted into the room. For a moment or so, Bill merely stood there, with eyes wide open. He blinked a couple of times, then slowly a VERY wide grin spread across his muzzle. <> Bill wondered where they currently were right now... for about five seconds. <> He dashed forward and took a sharp turn into the bedroom and swiftly yet silently shut the door and locked it. ********** A tired figure leaped from the roof of a building and grabbed hold of a lamppost, and using it like a fireman's pole; he slid down towards the pavement. Wearily, he walked past the line of cars until he came to one in particular. Sighing in exhaustion, he leaned back against it. Suddenly a voice rang out in the night. "Hey Nightwatch, how are you doing?" Spoke the dawg that had sauntered up to him. Nightwatch raised his finger to his lips and prompted the dawg to be quiet. "Hey do you want to wake everyone up?" "Ok, sorry. Just making friendly conversation. But there isn't anyone who could hear us, anyone awake that is." "Well you can never know... let's continue this in the car." The two get into the front seats of the car. The dawg sitting there behind the wheel turned to Nightwatch, who was currently taking off his mask. "Ok now... Al?" "Yeah Chaz. We can talk now." The Alsatian leaned back in his seat, his mask clutched in one paw. Chaz started the car and drove out onto the road. As he drove, he chatted with Al. He asked, "All rightie, what kind of bad guys did you tackle today?" "The Metallikats." "... As in the big, mean and particularly lethal Metallikats?" "That's them." He shook his head in disbelief, asking "How long has it been since you started? One week?" "That's about it." "And you're already kicking super bad guy tail. How about that!" "Can't say the experience was a pleasant one. I didn't succeed in stopping them in at first, and I did get some help from Professor Hackle and the Swat Kats." "Swat Kats? Hey you're even mixing it up with the big leaguers!" "So I am," Al casually replied. He let out a small sigh of satisfaction before continuing. "Anything else?" "Oh yeah there is one thing, how about a background story for an old friend. How exactly did you turn into this guardian of the night." "You're getting the short version whether you like it or not. I DO need to get some sleep." "A mere 4 hours as I recall." "Which will be gone with the wind if we don't hurry up," he pointed out, while pointing at his watch. "Ok, so tell me." "I had another reason for travelling around the world. I was learning the martial arts from several masters; Savate, Ninjitsu, Capoeria, Shaolin Kung Fu and etc, etc." "Uh-huh. So you're now proficient in several forms of martial arts." "Hmmm, more or less, I didn't really have that much time to learn." "And now for the million dollar question... WHY?" "I've got two answers for that. One is that airplane ticket that was sent to me in a letter along with a note inside." Al replied. "Say what?" Chaz queried. "A week before I got on that plane, I received a letter from an anonymous sender. The plane ticket was there and a note in it said that this was an offer for me to fly across the globe, and to be taught by some of the most prominent masters on the planet. How else did you think I was going to afford the ticket AND persuade all of them to teach me?" "I always taught that some rich relative of yours kicked the bucket and left you a whopping huge sum of money." "That's pretty morbid." Al noted, slightly disgusted. "Well I saw something like that in a comic. Anyway, and you just accepted? Wasn't there a catch somewhere?" "That's the funny thing, the person who sent me this ticket, he didn't ask for anything in return. No return address, no name, nothing." "I don't know about you, but I smell something fishy." "Me too, but how often do I get a chance like that? I'd been planning a trip like that for quite some time." "So-" "Why? I wanted to help, protect the innocent, fight crime. You know, the daily life of a super hero." "Couldn't you have just joined the Enforcers?" "Yeah I could, except for one thing. I have a problem with... guns." "Guns?" The car came to a stop outside of Chaz's home. He turned to Al with an inquisitive look on his face. He commented, "I never heard about this problem of yours." "I don't talk about it much. I will NEVER use a gun. If they knew that, I would probably get some kind of desk job. Don't ask me why. I... just don't like guns." Al merely sat there looking out onto the road, a frown on his brow. There was silence for a while, until Al broke the silence, cheerily adding, "Plus, there's also something to be said about being a masked mysterious vigilante." Chaz nodded, and got out of the car. Al followed suit, both of them closing the car doors with a loud click. He locked the car doors, saying "One more thing, the name." "Nightwatch?" "Yeah. You got it from Bill didn't you?" "Well, without his knowledge of it. I heard the name some time ago from him. What can I say? I liked it." "Uh-huh. Well I'm just glad you didn't use his "stink-a-rang" idea as well. Hey, couldn't you have just bought those ninja stars-" "Shuriken." "Whatever. They made them where you were, why did you need me to get them for you?" "Because it would be rather suspicious if I went through customs and they found several sharp shuriken, bolas and other assorted tools for combat on me. Getting attention to myself while I am out of costume is something I do NOT need." AL answered. "Uh-huh. Did you spare a thought for me while you were fighting crime? Stuff like that isn't cheap, and need I mention how LONG it takes to find stuff like that?" "Don't worry, I'll pay you back when I get a job, and somewhere to stay." "Well you don't need to pay me back so soon, I don't really have any money problems right now, the Sunderland Corporation pays well." "You should know." "Hey are you suggesting that I'm being favored by my dad?" "No. You're a good worker and I know it, so does your father." "Ah well, let's go in and get some sleep before I decide to pass out now." ********** The sun rises from its watery bed in the sea, its shining face casting its light onto the city. Its radiance soon reaches a balcony, on which a certain dawg is practicing with his nunchaku, the steel ends cutting through the air in intricate patterns. Al ended the practice with a flourish, snapping back the free end back into his paw alongside the other end. He let out a sigh and snapped the weapon back into its compact form. It was around half past seven in the morning. Al was having a little workout before he started scouring the Classifieds for an apartment. Chaz, on the other hand, was still sleeping like a log. He toweled off the sweat on his brown fur as he walked back into the apartment. He slung the towel over his shoulder and walked towards the kitchen counter, on which lay today's newspaper. Al had just picked it up in his paws when the phone in the living room rang. Al sprang over the counter, briskly walked into the room and vaulted over the couch, landing with a muffled thump. He snatched up the phone with his right paw and said through the receiver, "Hello?" "Hi Uncle Al!" greeted a young badger. "Hey Michelle! Sorry about last night." "That's okay." "So, why did you call me?" "You forgot to say good night." "Oh. Well good night Michelle." "Good night uncle Al, and good morning uncle Al!" "That too?" "Yup." "[Chuckle]. Okay then, good morning Michelle. Do you want to say good afternoon in advance as well?" He joked. "Nope, that's enough. Hey can you come over today?" "Sorry Michelle, I've got to find an apartment. Maybe another day." "Oh... ok. Well, I have to go to school now. Bye Uncle Al." "Bye Michelle." She hung up with a click, so Al replaced the phone. He sat back in the couch and flipped through the Classifieds. <> He then turned to look at the mask that lay on the table in front of him, where he had tossed it when he slept on the couch. Al grinned to himself. <> THE END