The War A Swat Kats story by Xanadu. AKA's It occurred to me that reading stories loaded with alter-egos could be very frustrating to someone who didn't help to write the story. So, to try and avoid confusion, I've put together a list of the main characters who don't have their identities revealed in the stories, the ones who'll probably be referred to by their secret identity and their normal identity on a regular basis. Ages are at this point in time. Here goes: Tail Gunner: Abby Clark. 24. Bruno: Bruce MacKintosh. 24 Slice: Kenneth Clark. 23. T-Bone 1: Chance Furlong. 31. Razor 1: Jake Clawson. 31 T-Bone 2: Scott Fold. 25. Razor 2: James Jonathan: Jim (only Scott calls him this). 25. Catspaw: Julia Marek. 24. Starr: Linna Scrapie. 19. Phantom Kat: Sergeant Robert (Bob) Tanner. 47. Blade: Yolanda Briggs. 28. Firebird: Anya Fortunati. 23. Demon: Blade Runner (no last name, don't get her mixed up with Blade). 300+. Klanbite: Katrina (Kat) Appleby. 23. Angel: Anne (AJ) Tanner (nee Jones). 19 physically. 26. The Frenchman: Francois Kattenburg (only Soren calls him that) Freedan Katsylyan. 632. Appears to be 23. Josie Amese. 25. That Vampire ***** (***** = insert nasty descriptive term): Josie Amese (It's a loooooong story). 25. Tsunami: Grant Sharpclaw Bertone'. 33. Kitty (as a Kat): Starstrider (as a Unicorn). 19: 4 Dancer: Princess Slater. 21. Arcstrike: Selina Karin. 22. Ghoul: Mortimer Whyte. 43. Lady Midnight: Jessica Dawnlight. 27. McCloud: Derek McLeod. 30. Underdog: Jon Weissman. 27. Commander Feral: Ulysses S. Feral. 49. Metallikats (There are two, but Mack is currently in Evidence): Mack and Molly Mange. Unknown. Rorschach: Jeff O'Hara. 21. Ronin: Robbie (no last name). 20. Doc: Dr. Alan Roberts. 41. Madame Kat: You know that biggest number on the calculators? 99,999,999? Keep going... Xanadu: Nicodaemus (Nick) Roberts. Unknown. This list applies to all stories in this setting. Other characters are as named. Introduction... It was a normal day in Megakat City. The Enforcers lost a few candy robbers and received a few bank robbers from the Swat Kats, as a gift. Literally. They were delivered in a big box with gift wrapping and ribbon and a tag reading "With love, from Tail Gunner." Feral fumed until the shift was over. At 0800 hours, Jake and Chance dropped in to help out with some new gadgets on the Turbokat. Little did anyone know how unusual things would become. Correction. Little did most anyone know. There were 6 who had some sort of idea. In Dark Kat's tower, four of these six met. In the darkness, the pale light that hung above the table glinted off of Molly Mange's metal skin. She spoke up in that grating "gangstah" accent of hers. "So, Dark Kat, what you're sayin' is that me and Viper here should work with that kid of yours," Mind Kat's single eye gleamed with anger as she slowly ground her cigarette into the ash tray and lit another one. Kid? Who the hell does she think she is? "to take out the Swat Kats one by one? And then nail those jerks up at City Hall?" Dark Kat turned towards her, his face showing under the deep cowl. His bass voice boomed out. "Precisely Miss Mange. You, Doctor Viper, and my daughter will occupy most of the Swat Kats while I take out the original Razor and T-Bone." Doctor Viper's tail swished back and forth along the plush, carpeted floor nervously. "Yesss. I can sssee the advantagesss to working together Dark Kat. But remember the last time we did thisss. We were nearly captured, no thanks to you! How can we trussst you?" Dark Kat's eyes gleamed in the faint light provided by the hanging light. "Simple, Doctor Viper. I would never betray Mind Kat, and she'll be the one nearest to you two. You're safe." Mind Kat stood from her chair, blew a puff of smoke, put out her cigarette so that she could talk easier, and turned towards the other three. "I can tell y'all now. My father won't betray us. As for how well the plan'll work, that depends on how well the Swat Kats respond. From what I know of T-Bone's psychology, he and Razor should respond directly. I'm talking about the original two remember. The others will probably stay at their base and respond to our little attack on Megakat Towers. We'll take down as many Enforcers and Swat Kats as we can before retreating. But remember, when Feral gets hit, we le. And I'm the only one who gets to attack Feral." Molly Mange cut in. "I still think that we should kill Feral and those Swat Kat bozos." Mind Kat sighed and explained it again. "That wouldn't be a good idea Molly. Kill `em in battle and we h martyrs. Any that die afterwards are bonuses and, though they'll still be viewed as martyrs, it's harder psychologically on those jerks if they get a chance to say goodbye to their friends and watch `em die. The main goal is to affect them so that they'll be less useful when Phase 3 starts. Don't shoot to kill. Put them in comas, yes, but don't kill. And remember to take out ground based vehicles first. I don't want that Tsunami idiot putting a rhubarb pie in my face. I h enough trouble without getting rhubarb in my eye. I'll take the Enforcers. Their air guys are child's play to me." She lit up another cigarette. Viper smiled evilly. "Don't worry. My lovely Plantimalsss will handle anything that comes after us that you two can't handle. Now, I agree to thisss bargain. What of you othersss?" Dark Kat smiled as well. "Agreed." He put his massive hand on the table and Viper followed with his green, scaly, claws. Mind Kat placed her hand carelessly on top of the pile without a word. Molly Mange thought for a second longer, and placed her metal hand on top. Dark Kat's smile grew and he said "Fine! This now forms our alliance. Once the Swat Kats and the city bureaucrats fall, we'll divide the city up amongst ourselves equally. We start tomorrow." The four laughed quietly, each thinking of the riches that would be theirs. The fifth one who knew quickly rushed out of the building through the ventilation. He, Firebird, Razor 2, Xanadu, and Night Strike would h their vengeance after this was over. The Ghoul prepared for his shot at Dark Kat, and worried only about the fact that he couldn't do anything to stop this plan. The four left, going there separate ways. The Ghoul followed and thought. Mind Kat and Dark Kat went home, and greeted Darkkon with love. Odd, how villains like that can be so caring towards their family. Of course, Mind Kat isn't all that caring towards her father, but that's something else entirely. Dr. Viper went back to his swamp, stopping long enough to steal a newspaper and tell some of his Plantimals how "beautiful" they were. That guy's crazy. Molly Mange went back to her car and sat for awhile, wondering how to get Mack out of evidence. You know, those two really do care about each other. Hard to believe, the way they try to aggravate each other when they're together. Then the Ghoul went home. The sixth who knew something was myself. I'm Madame Kat, the creator and mentor of Xanadu. I stand back and watch as things happen. Every once in awhile, I'll pull some kat into my realm so that I can give him (or her, there h been a few hers) advice on how to deal with problems. This is probably boring you, but it is important, seeing as how I do narrate these stories. It's important to know who'd talking to you after all. Now, where was I? Ah, yes. Chapter 1: Who will fight... At 1300 hours, Tail Gunner and Ronin started out in the Turbo2. They were going to follow after the Turbokat to see if Ronin really could out-pilot T-Bone 1. They pulled out of the Scrap Yard and left Megakat City. T-Bone brought the Turbokat into a beautiful loop, which Ronin easily matched. Things went on like this for awhile, and Tail Gunner held up pretty well, all things considered. Then T-Bone pulled into a figure 8. The radio crackled on. "5 G's Ronin. Beat that!" Ronin did. Tail Gunner called up to the first cockpit. "Hey Ronin! Remember, you almost never could take more than 4 G's. Be careful!" No answer. "Ronin? Yo, girl, answer me?" Tail Gunner leaned forward further and saw that Ronin had passed out under the stress. She opened up a channel to the Scrapyard. "Hey, Rorschach! Ronin's passed out on me. The auto-pilot's handling things so far, but I can't fly this thing!" "Calm down Tail Gunner. Press the green button." "What will it do?" "It'll bring up a partition between the cockpits and flood the first with a gas that should wake her up." "Are you kidding?! I can't handle that!" "Tail Gunner, I know it'll be hard, but you've got to try and handle it! Now, don't think about it. Press the button!" "Alright. I warned you..." Tail Gunner's paw hesitated for a moment over the button, but slammed down with force enough to rock the jet. The glass partition came up and she felt her claustrophobia kicking in. As the gas flooded the front compartment and Ronin woke up, Tail Gunner passed out. Rorschach's voice filled the cockpit as Ronin woke up groggily. "Hey! Ronin! Get that thing back to base now, or I won't bother to tell Bruce exactly what happened?" "What? What are you talking about?" "You passed out! Tail Gunner had to close off the cockpits so we could wake you up. Then she passed out too." "Oh crud." Ronin turned the jet around. She knew that the last time Tail Gunner had passed out from her claustrophobia, it was a week before they got her up. The Turbo2 returned to the scrapyard, and she and Rorschach moved Tail Gunner into the infirmary. Bruno, Doc, and Kitty met them there. Kitty started working on Tail Gunner and Bruno looked on with concern. Doc took Ronin off to check for any injuries she might h taken from passing out like that. Starr came in, out of uniform, and started talking with Bruno and Rorschach. "She'll be okay, right?" She looked at Bruno, who still wasn't talking. Rorschach answered her. "She was last time. Listen, Bruce, she'll make out just fine. It'll just be awhile." Bruno turned towards him, looking totally concerned. "Yeah Jeff, but how long will `awhile' be?" He turned and ran out of the infirmary. Then they heard the sound of a dump truck pulling into the scrapyard. The Swat Kats who worked there headed out to see the unwelcome faces of Burke and Murray, the jerks who used to work there. Burke stuck his head out of the window, spit out his gum, and turned to face the heroes. He had no idea who they really were, or how they built stuff out of the parts that were brought in, sometimes the only source of comfort to the Swat Kats when a huge military load came in. "Hey! You guys. It was a pretty slow day today, so we went by James' street. You know, the one with the dump?" James looked confused. "There's no dump on my street. What are you talking about?" "Oh there isn't? Then where did this stuff come from? It looked like a dump when we got there!" Burke laughed and dumped the contents of the truck. Furniture, pictures, everything fell out of the truck. Including a photo of James and a younger kat at the beach. The glass is the frame was broken. James walked towards the pile, stunned. This was all his stuff. Then he saw the picture. He picked it up carefully and looked at it. Then he snapped. "You bastards! I'll get you for this!" He tried to jump at them, but Scott held him back while they drove off. "Why'd you stop me Scott?" "Jim, I couldn't let you hurt them. I know how much you cared about her, and how much you care about that photo, but it's not worth getting slapped in jail, is it?" James g him an angry look, then turned and started hauling stuff into his apartment at the scrapyard. "I hope nobody minds if I move in here. It looks like they moved me out." "Not at all Jim. Not at all. Let us help, okay?" "Alright. Just don't anybody, and I mean anybody, damage that picture more than it already is!" The friends all moved things into James' room, although Bruce got caught under the fridge (again) when he came out to help move it. Even Cutter, Catspaw's pet creepling, pitched in, trying to move some of the lighter things. Two hours later, everything was in place. The others all went down to le James alone in his room, and to just wind down after the day was over. An hour later, Scott knocked on the door of his best friend. "Yo, Jim, could I come in?" "Yeah, come on in pal." Scott came in quietly, and closed the door. He sat down next to his friend and tried to think of something to say. "I noticed that the picture's okay." "Yeah, I just needed to fix the frame. How's Abi?" "You mean, Abi Sinian, Abi? Or do you mean Abby Clark, Abby?" "Both." "Weeellll, Tail Gunner's still under. Probably will be for awhile, according to Kitty. As for Abi, she's getting along fine. By the way, I meant to ask you. How'd you like to be my best man?" James' hand froze in place for a second. He forced himself to keep working on the schematic and kept talking. "So, she said yes?" "She said that she was wondering how long it'd take me to ask her. I tell you, sometimes I just don't know how to handle that girl." "I'm not sure anyone does Scott. By the way, I'd be honored. She's a weird one sometimes, you know?. Better than Bladea though. At least Abi has some intention of improving her standing at that museum. H you ever gotten around to fixing that old clunker of hers?" "That old clunker is beyond help. Until I get moved out of the scrapyard, I'm letting her borrow my car." "You sure that's a good idea Scott? If she hit the boosters on that thing, it could be a disaster." "You're telling me? I duct taped the cover on the boosters shut so that curious paws couldn't break the sound barrier. I'd probably better get going. Tabby and Jon are cooking supper. I'm on smoke duty tonight." "Good luck. Make sure that Jon doesn't fall asleep while the chicken's cooking like he did last time." "He won't. He, Tabby, and Bruce are watching over Abby though." "Yeah. By the way, did someone ask you to come up here?" "Actually, I- Well, I- Uh, yeah. Anya was worried about you. Y'know Jim, that girl really does care about you. She really does." "I know. Send her up here, would you?" Scott laughed a little. "Not a problem Jim. Not a problem." Scott walked out of the room and James worked on the schematics for the new weapon he was working on. He heard the faint murmur of voices coming up from the ground level. He heard the sound of someone coming up the stairs. That someone knocked on his door. "Come in." Anya Fortunati, came into James' room carefully. She looked around again. She was the only one of few who had regular contact with the Swat Kats and didn't work at the Scrapyard. She didn't know how things looked around here, and was slightly more paranoid about her surroundings than Kat. She sat down next to him and waited for James to start speaking. "So, Anya, I hear that you sent Scott up to talk with me." "Well, he does get along with you better than anyone else here does. He's known you longer. That sort of thing. I heard what Burke and Murray'd done to you. I know how much that picture means to you. How you doing?" James allowed himself a rare smile. "Okay. It helps to know that someone cares. By the way. I noticed you're losing your accent." "Yeah. I'm trying. Did you hear Scott's news?" James froze again. This time, his pencil broke. He tried to act civilly. "Yeah. He told me about it. Asked me to be his best man. That sort of thing." "I thought so. You always tried to le when those two were together. It hurts you to see them getting married, doesn't it?" "Not at all." "Ha! Don't try to fool me James Jonathan. I'm also one who has lost loved ones to other people, remember?" "Yeah, I remember. By the way, your grammar's slipping." Anya looked daggers at him. "The thing is- Oh, hell, you don't want to hear it." "Listen James, I've already heard it. Same with Abby and Rorschach. Ms. Sinian doesn't know it though. You love her. But you don't want to hurt Scott." "Now you're getting back into your accent. If anyone tells him, I personally will never speak with them again. You know him. He'll cancel the wedding, all sorts of things like that. I don't want to hurt him." "We won't tell him. If anyone does, it'll be you. Don't worry. You'll get over her. I got over losing my fiancee, didn't I?" "Yeah, I guess you did. How did that happen?" "Long story. Brief version has Jack Kincaid ready to marry me, then he has a change of heart and marries one Josie Amese. He snaps and she has to kill him in self-defense. I really h to work on my inter-personal relationships, don't I?" "Uh-huh. Couldn't hurt." "Well, you know me. Information for information. Why does Scott worry about you so much?" "Short version? After Anne was killed," he noticed Anya's confused look, "she's the woman in the picture you know, I snapped. James Jonathan left the Professional Shooting ring and entered the Alcoholics ring. It was a year before Scott could talk some sense into me. He came across me in my apartment, stopped me from putting a bullet into my brain, and hauled my butt into the AA. That's when I met Bob. He'd just gotten out of his rut, the one he got into when he got out of prison, and the three of us became friends. Scott and Abi had been an "item" since high school, and I guess that proximity just pulled us together. That, and a need for someone to fill the hole that losing Anne put into me. The Swat Kats and my revenge just weren't enough to fill it. I guess that I just grew attached to Abi, and that's about it. There's the brief history of one James Jonathan." "Well, I'm sorry that your life is turning out like this. I guess that part of it's your fault though." James turned towards her. "How so?" "Simple. You reached for something unattainable. The way I see it, you h two options. You could start living your life, maybe reach for something that you can get to." James turned back towards the schematics. Anya sighed as she recognized his "I don't care." look. "Or, as is more likely, you could throw yourself into your work and h a heart attack. Goodbye James Jonathan." Anya stood up, walked to the door, heard a murmured "Goodbye", and slammed it on her way out. James Jonathan stood up himself. The plans were finished. Now was the time to meet the Ghoul. He opened the window, pulled on his mask, and jumped out. He went to the meeting place and saw his oldest friend. "Hello old-timer." "Hello yourself. I h some information about Dark Kat." "And what would that be?" "That he's formed an alliance with Doc Viper, Mind Kat, and Molly Mange." "Interesting. I take it that you h some plans?" "Nothing certain. Ol' DK's planning on taking out the Swat Kats one by one. Apparently he's targeting Razor and T-Bone 1. So that means that he's going to move soon." "Yeah, but he won't take them alone. Last time he tried it, he spent the next month out of action. Then he blew up Enforcer HQ." "Uh-huh. By the way, how is Tail Gunner?" "Out for the count. Her claustrophobia kicked in. Phantom Kat's taken over until she wakes up. See you at the nursing home Ghoul." "Only when I come to visit you there Razor." The two friends parted company, each contemplating what the news might mean. Razor 2 wondered what Dark Kat would try, and when. Ghoul wondered just how the Swat Kats would operate under the command of the younger Phantom Kat. Then he remembered that while Tail Gunner was more experienced in leadership, Phantom Kat had been around when the Organization had decided to overlook the murder of Ghoul's father. Awfully young looking, considering that he's about 50. Whatever happened, they both knew, when Dark Kat moved, there'd be hell to pay. Going there separate ways, they both went to prepare for the upcoming battles. The next day... The next day, everyone had decided to le Doc and Kitty with Tail Gunner, and go out on regular duties. Jake and Chance decided to bring their costumes out of mothballs and take a look for anything amiss. The others were waiting for any distress calls. As the Turbokat took off, everyone wondered just what would happen. They were going to find out soon enough. Not ten minutes after the Turbokat left, the alarm started up. Disturbance at Megakat towers. Mind Kat, Doc Viper, and Molly Mange were terrorizing the area. The Swat Kats moved out, sending a message to Demon and Tsunami's groups. With all the excitement, nobody noticed the message from Razor and T-Bone. "Have engaged Dark Kat near Megakat Labs. Requesting backup." Chapter 2: When Heroes Fall... At Megakat labs, Dark Kat had pulled the Spider Ship back out. He was hovering near the building, letting his creeplings into the facilities so that they could steal something. "No reply Razor. I guess we're on our own." "They've probably sent everyone out after that mess at Megakat Towers. I've got a lock with the Mole Missiles." "Fire when ready pal." "Ready. Mole missiles away!" A pair of missiles flew at the legs of the massive ship as the Turbokat turned around for another pass. They came face to face with the Spider Ship, which released a glob of white liquid. It poured over the ship and got into the engines. "We're goin' down Razor!" "Oh crud..." The Turbokat crashed into the street. Unfortunately, the pilot and gunner hadn't been able to eject. Fortunately, they survived, only being knocked unconscious. Unfortunately, while the missiles hit, they didn't bring the Spider Ship down. Dark Kat sent some creeplings down, and they brought up Megakat cities two greatest heroes. Dark Kat laughed and brought in three kilos of Katalyst 105, Doc Viper's payment for an old job. Things are going rather well. I wonder how the other three are doing... Indeed, how were the others doing? The Swat Kats had arrived to find the Terrible Trio tearing apart some Enforcer jets. Feral was yelling into his Communicator. "Get me chopper backup!" "It's on it's way sir." The choppers arrived soon enough. Not that it did any good. Mind Kat looked up at the dozen choppers. "Listen boys, y'all look a little warm. Let me cool things down a bit." Her eye flashed gold and the choppers fell as ice froze onto the rotors. Then they crashed and burned. The Swat Kats jumped out of their vehicles as Tsunami and Demon's teams arrived. Molly Mange put bullets into the tires of Tsunami's car and it spun out. The Dragontron (Demon's vehicle) cut loose with a pair of laser blasts. They blasted through some of Viper's Plantimals, but the Dragontron itself was trashed by Mind Kat's telekinetic manipulation of the wing joints. It crashed into another building as Angel and Demon jumped to the ground. Molly Mange started shooting randomly, damaging everything and making herself the most dangerous. Phantom Kat brought his jet to a halt on top of Megakat Towers and jumped to the ground (via ledges and fire escapes, not a 120 story drop). He pulled out his Stun Cannon and set it for high voltage. He fired it towards Molly Mange, who went down faster than a rock from the sky. Mind Kat looked towards the ground. Gravel. Perfect makeshift bullets... She concentrated as four pieces of gravel came off the ground. One of them she launched towards Commander Feral, catching him in the shoulder. The other three she fired towards Phantom Kat. Things seemed to move in slow motion. Feral reeling backwards from the impact. Phantom Kat being caught by the three stones and being hurled into a wall. Angel trying desperately to reach Phantom Kat while he was alive. Mind Kat and Viper, carrying Molly Mange, escaping down a manhole. Plantimals following their creator, except for about a dozen left to cover the escape. Those dozen being cut down by Blade, who had arrived too late for the main action. The sound of EMS units rushing onto the scene. The area had been torn apart by the battle. Vehicles were strewn all about. Dead and injured Enforcers were being pulled into the EMS units. And, throughout it all, Angel, holding onto the unconscious body of Phantom Kat until he arrived at the hospital. It didn't take too long. About a half-hour wait at the hospital. Doc had already arrived to help out. They had to remove Bob's mask, but assured AJ (she'd removed her mask by then) that Bob's identity would be protected. As she took a last look at the scenery before going to h her own injuries treated, she started to cry. As she was lead into the lobby, she was told that Bob would be alright. She still broke down when she saw her husband being wheeled into the area for trauma surgery. She saw the faces, familiar and otherwise, of the people of the city. The three criminals had made the outside area look like a warzone, but that wasn't the end of the pain. They'd gotten Razor and T-Bone 1. Bladea broke the news to her and asked if she should tell Callie or if she should let Blade do it. AJ's mind reeled. If Yolanda Briggs told Callie that her husband had been captured, at least Callie'd know that her sister was safe. On the other hand, that would require an Enforcer learning the identity of a Swat Kat. That was against the rules. And Blade would use the information against them. "You should probably tell her..." Chapter 3: Divided we fall... Ten hours passed. AJ sat in the room with her husband. He was still unconscious. The Ferals walked in. She looked up and saw the Commander. He said something about promising to not use their identities against them. She spoke out. "Ulysses S. Feral. You hypocritical SOB. I've been waiting six long months to tell you what I think of what you did to Bob while he was in the Enforcers. He always held me back though. Seeing that he's unconscious, and it's at least part your fault, I'll start in now. Do you mind?" Feral winced. He knew this had been coming from AJ for the past six months. He steeled himself against the inevitable onslaught, and flexed his massive paws. "Go on." AJ thought for only a few moments before she did so. You know, he looks a lot like Dark Kat without the robes. "Alright Feral. I know that Alderman Steele had threatened to fire you if you didn't get rid of Bob, but why did you force him to resign?" "I had him retire. If I hadn't, he would h been dishonorably discharged for attacking Lieutenant Commander Steele." "Steele had committed murder. His father wanted revenge for his son getting kicked out of the Enforcers. He had his son made warden of Megakat Prison. When Bob was forced to retire, he was charged with assaulting an officer. Somebody must h bribed Judge Kincaid. Anyway, Bob was sent to Megakat Prison. He spent, quite possibly, four years in hell. Three of those years were in Solitary." Feral's eyes widened. "I didn't know that. I'm sorry for what happened Mrs. Tanner, but I can't change it. All I can do is explain why and apologize. I've done both in the past. I had an orphaned niece to care for. I needed the money that I got as Commander of the Enforcers. Even so, it was barely enough. Once again, I'm sorry." "You know something Feral? Bob's forgiven you. He's even offered to start working R/D for the Enforcers. But I can't forgive you. He still has nightmares and flashbacks about it. Good bye Commander Feral." She pushed Commander Feral out of her way and ran out of the hospital room. The other Swat Kats returned to the Scrapyard, bearing all their minors wounds with patience. They did what they could about their duties, and tried to console each other with the fact that none of them had died. Every time someone said that, they could feel a "yet" just hanging in the air. They took a vote and decided that Scott would be their leader until either Bob or Abby woke up. They would h taken James, but he refused. Callie Clawson came over until her husband was rescued. News reports on how the Swat Kats were "devastated" ran all throughout the two weeks that passed. Every once in awhile, another hit would happen. Each time, a Swat Kat was put in the hospital. After the fourth strike, Commander Feral made an announcement over the television. "This serves to demonstrate one thing. The Swat Kats are not nearly effective enough to stop this menace. However, I'm putting that behind me. All who want to fight these brigands should report to Enforcer HQ if they want help. I refuse to let the deaths of over fifty Enforcers, and the wounding of dozens more, go unpunished. This means war." The only good news was that Abby had woken up. They explained the situation to her and she joked about "wishing she were still in a coma". The hardest strike was the sixth one. Mind Kat and Dark Kat had come out to destroy Megakat City Hall. They were stopped, but at great cost. Catspaw, Tabby, and Underdog had arrived before much damage could be done. They were practically torn apart. The tapes of what happened were broadcast on the evening news... Catspaw pulled her jet around to take another shot at the Spider Ship. "Tabby! Pull up!" Tabby's jet had just been hit in the wing by machine guns. "I'm trying partner. I've got it now. Releasing Rust Missiles!" The missiles flew. Tabby crossed her fingers. With any luck, Razor's rust formula would work. They hit, but the ship wasn't affected. "Crud!" Catspaw had finished turning her ship around. "Releasing Slicer Missiles!" The blades flew at the Spider Ship and cut the webbing it had fired at Underdog. The Spider Ship fired a missile at Catspaw. "Deploying ECM's!" They didn't work. "Ejecting!" Catspaw's ejection seat let her get out before the missile impacted. Her jet went up in flames. Underdog caught her and returned her safely to the ground. He flew back up towards the ship. Twin lasers blasted out, catching him square in the chest. He tried to resist the power, but soon passed out. That left only Tabby. "I'm trying for another shot. Deploying Grinder Missiles!" The missiles flew again. But a new surprise was in store. Somehow, Dark Kat managed to shift the missile's lock around to her! She desperately tried to escape the missiles, but it did no good. She ejected just as the missiles impacted with her ship. The explosion left her in critical condition when she reached the hospital... By the end of the two weeks, there were only a dozen Swat Kats still in circulation. Razor and T-Bone 2, Tail Gunner, Catspaw, Rorschach, Klanbite, Arcstrike, Bruno, Kitty, Macbeth, Lady Midnight, and Slice. Fortunately, none of the others had been killed. All the other vigilantes were still around too, and they tried to help as much as they could. Rorschach was getting restless. "Listen people. We've got to do something! Let's nail Dark Kat now!" Scott disagreed. "No Jeff. He expects that. This is war. Feral said it the at the first news conference. Dark Kat's expecting something like that." "Fine. If you people won't help, then I'm going on my own." Rorschach jumped into his car and took off. James spoke up. "You know Scott, I think he's right. Of course, I won't head out on my own." The others went to bed while James sat up thinking about the past. Xanadu, one of the independent vigilantes, and my student, stepped up to James. "I'll help you." "We'd better get ready then. Bring the band in tomorrow." "Alright." In a dark part of town, four criminals met. Dark Kat stepped into the light. "My allies. The time has come to enter Phase 2. The Swat Kats are shattered. The few who are still able to fight h been broken and discredited. They and the Enforcers h been split farther apart than ever before. Commander Feral and Mayor Manx will be together tonight, giving another press conference on the current situation. There, we strike! Soon, perfect order will rule!" "Yesss Dark Kat. The city will be ruled by your order. But remember, those three kilos of Katalyssst 105 will be usssed to make sure that you rule over my beautiful creationsss." Mind Kat stepped forward. "Yes Viper, but le some of the more interesting kats as they are, will you? Especially that T-Bone fellow. He intrigues me. I can't break through his mind for some reason." "Not a problem Misss. K-" That was when the others realized it. Viper didn't know about any of their identities! Molly Mange reached out and grabbed "Viper" by the scruff of the neck. A mask came off, revealing the face of Rorschach. Mind Kat stepped to him and tore a small earpiece off of his mask. "Psi-Blocker. I couldn't read him. Where's Viper?" "Probably in jail by now. What are you going to do with me?" "Put you in the cells. Creeplings! Search him and lock him up." And another fell into the hands of Dark Kat. Back at the Scrapyard, Klanbite was getting anxious. "Listen you guys. Jeff's been gone all day." Kitty walked in and tried to help out. "He's left for days before. Maybe he's just having one of his moods." "I guess. Where's James?" "I don't know. Last I know, he locked himself in his room with his band. I did hear music coming out of there." "So, he's with Dancer, Xanadu, and Nate?" "Yeah. By the way, does anyone mind if I go equine?" "Not at all. Could you check on them?" The purple light shimmered around Kitty, returning her to her pegasus form. "Okay." Starstrider walked carefully up the stairs and peeked in. Everything looked fine. She told Klanbite that. Back in James' room, plans were being finalized. James stopped playing and Dancer's hologram of him started up. Xanadu did the same. They both suited up and jumped down to the Turbo2. As they took off, the other Swat Kats ran out. Those jerks took off on their own. A disturbance signal came in then. Attack at the press conference. Mayor Manx was captured. Lieutenant Commander Felina Feral had been badly injured. The Swat Kats rushed to the scene. Feral was waiting for them. "Late as usual." "We have to wait for messages to arrive, Feral." "Try telling that to Felina." "We're sorry. We'll go now." They did. Once again, the Swat Kats were helpless. Chapter 4: Vengeance... Back at the scene of the crime, Blade was approaching Feral. She lit up a cigarette and spoke to him. "Listen Feral. We've got to do something! Oh, and I don't want anyone buggin' me about my smoking. I need to calm down so that I can think here." Feral sighed at his most loyal employee. "We can't Yolanda. It's against the rules to make a move without a squadron backing you up. And I'll just put it on your record." "Now listen Commander. You may be my boss, but I don't really give a royal rat's rump about your `rules'. I'm still a vig', and unless you want to fire me, I work by my own rules." She leaped into a spare jet and took off for Dark Kat's tower. She knew where it should be, by the shore. She arrived to see the Turbo2 in the hangar too. Well, at least I won't be going down alone. "Hello! Swat Kats! I'm here to help you!" The cockpit on the Turbo2 opened, and a creepling jumped out! Meanwhile, in another part of town... Josie Amese paced in front of her good friend, Freedan Katsylyan. "How come you didn't bring Darkkon in?" "Josie, I'm sorry, but it just won't change things." "Then why don't you just stop this stupid crusade against Dark Kat's family and settle down with me." "I don't want to put you through my life." "Trust me, I can take care of myself." "It just won't work out." "You've said that before." "Let me go after him." "Why do you keep hunting him?" "I h to." "WHY?!!" "I've hunted him for over two-hundred years, that's why." "He's nowhere near that old." "Not him exactly, but others like him." "Then why don't you stop?" "I'm sorry, but I h to go." "You didn't answer my question." "I'm leaving, whether you like it or not. Just stay here." Night Strike started running towards Dark Kat's tower. "Stay here like hell." Josie Amese donned her Night Bird mask and suit, and took off in the Nightingale. Back at the Tower... The Enforcers had finally arrived. Unfortunately, they could only get Commander Feral through before a force field went up. When Night Strike arrived (without Night Bird), he talked to Feral. "Night Strike! Stay back. I'll handle this." "Commander Feral, you've been less effective at bringing Dark Kat in than most of your Enforcers. Now, get out of my way and let me handle it." "I can't let you kill him." "Why not? He doesn't deserve to live." Night Strike managed to disable the field long enough for one person to pass through. He went in. Firebird and the Ghoul had already arrived too. Blade, Razor 2, and Xanadu were already on the thirtieth floor. It turned out that the creepling was a stowaway Cutter, and he stayed behind while everyone met on floor fifteen (it's halfway between everyone, they reasoned). A jet was heard crashing through the field, and the Nightingale came towards the window. Night Bird jumped into the building (through a shattered window) and ordered the jet to "Maintain a steady altitude even with us." Everyone together, they moved up. On the twentieth floor, they fought creeplings. On the twenty-fifth floor, Blade and Feral left to retrieve the people who were captured. Then they reached the thirtieth floor. The top. They found Dark Kat inside the penthouse. "So, I see that you've fallen for my little trap. Phase three began as soon as Mayor Manx was captured. The entire point behind this plan was to stop all of you. Destroy the Swat Kats and Enforcers slowly, destroy the ones who want me dead quickly. Now, who wants the first shot?" "I do." Night Strike stepped forward, removing his mask so that the target could see his doom. Freedan lunged with his blade, almost cutting Dark Kat's arm. Dark Kat bellowed with laughter and placed his fist squarely into Night Strike's face. The others fell much the same way, until only Night Bird and Razor 2 stood. Then it happened. The stress set off a reaction in Josie Amese, one she always hoped wouldn't happen. "Snarrrrllllll!" She tore off her mask and lunged for Dark Kat, her fangs starting to form. The feral expression in her eyes denoted madness. She thrust him through the window and readied him for dropping. He fainted. Freedan awoke. "Josie! Don't drop him!" "Why not Freedan?! You said it yourself. He doesn't deserve to live!" "No. I don't mean that he should get away. I just mean that you, Josie Amese, shouldn't kill him. He never hurt you." "No, but he's hurt you for over two-hundred years. He's hurt everyone here but me, and that's how he hurts me." "Josie, come back to us. Don't kill yourself with him. Let Feral lock him up. That's enough for everyone here that I know of. Josie, I couldn't stand losing you to my vengeance." Josie Amese stopped. She took a moment to think. "You're right." She brought Dark Kat back in before her strength left her. The others started coming to. They almost all agreed that they should just turn him in. He couldn't get less than a death sentence. All but one person agreed. Razor 2 stepped up to his friends. "I can't let that happen. He's killed hundreds. Nearly killed most of my friends. His men killed my mother, my wife, my child! I can't let him get away with it." Dark Kat came to. "You all go. I'll handle him in my way." "Alright James. We'll go." They left in the Turbo2 and the Enforcer jet with Feral and Blade. James Jonathan stepped up to his enemy, the one who'd caused so much pain in the world. "Get up." Dark Kat did so. "Now Razor. Let's see if you can fight without those weapons!" "Fine." Razor leaped at Dark Kat, pummeling his stomach. Dark Kat swung at Razor and caught him in the eye. Razor launched back in, landing a telling blow to Dark Kat's head. The cowl fell off, revealing a massive, dark colored kat. "Judge Kincaid! You're Dark Kat?!" "Oh yes. I definetly am. Now, die knowing my secret!" Dark Kat pulled out a .357. "I thought you said no weapons!" "And you thought I'd honor it? You are a fool." He pulled the trigger, sending a shell into Razor's thigh. He fired again and caught Razor's shoulder. A third shot nearly caught Razor's chest, but got caught in a bullet proof vest. As Razor fell, he readied his Glovatrix. "Eat... laser... Dark Kat!" He fired the blaster and struggled up. He stumbled over to Dark Kat. "This is for Anne!" He pulled out the gun that had killed his wife. He aimed it at Dark Kat's stomach. "I hope it takes you as long to die as it took her." Dark Kat's fist came up again, holding a knife. He shoved it into Razor's gun arm and backed off. Seeing that Razor still stood, he spoke to the computer. "Panthanatos! Self-Destruct! 1 minute countdown. At least he'll go with the tower." Dark Kat started running away, but was caught in the net from Razor's Glovatrix. Razor ran over to the window and, with his flagging strength, climbed into the Nightingale. He ordered it back to the Scrapyard. As he took care of his wounds as well as he could, he saw the building explode. It's over. I won. It's finally over. Then he passed out. Back at the Scrapyard, everyone was brought into the infirmary who was injured. Too dangerous to le them where all those Enforcers were. Most of them were starting to wake up now anyway. Everyone agreed with Razor. It was over. They'd won. Chapter 5: The Aftermath... Six Months Later... Six months had passed. The dead were buried, the wounded healed. It was time for peace, time for love. At the wedding, two bizarre couples were joined. The hotshot philosopher, Scott Fold, married the curious Abi Sinian without a hint of jealousy from James Jonathan, who performed his duties admirably. And the peaceful hologram Dancer married the one-time war villain Growl. Swat Kats took a vote over who would get married next. The winners were Josie Amese and Freedan Katsylyan, who were mainly trying to decide what Freedan could do now that Dark Kat was dead. In second place were James Jonathan and Anya Fortunati, though James denied any involvement with Anya (who just smiled). Unlikely couples included Lieutenant Commander Felina Feral and Mark Dawnlight, and Yolanda Briggs and Commander Feral. The last one sparked a laugh riot from Jake and Callie Clawson. They explained it as the thought that Commander Feral would ever marry, let alone an employee. The real reason, those who knew the two agreed, was the thought of Commander Feral unknowingly marrying into a family which included one Swat Kat. Things were finally calming down. People could finally get back to their lives. The Swat Kats made fools of the Enforcers. Commander Feral denied the full involvement of the Swat Kats. Mack Mange was stolen from Evidence, and proceeded to lead to the Metallikats being stopped by the Swat Kats when they tried to kill Callie Clawson. Mind Kat was securing her leadership over her father's criminal empire. Xanadu returned to his studies under my tutelage. And, on a far off island, a massive, dark colored kat washed ashore. The circle begins anew... ??