One thing that I wished the series had shown more of was Callie interacting with Jake and Chance; "The Giant Bacteria" is the only episode we have of this and I got the impression from that episode that Callie has known Jake and Chance for a while. She's clearly comfortable with them in that episode and this fic is the result - I hope all fans of Swat Kats enjoy this little drabble of mine. :)
Callie left Ann Gora with Feral, grateful to take a break from the constant press coverage. Waving to Ann's camerakat Johnny, the deputy mayor stepped away from the smoldering remains of Feral's "indestructible" tank. Johnny gave her a paws up before hurrying to beat the other camera crews that were all racing to get shots of Hard Drive being led away in cuffs.
Once Callie was away from the smoke and fumes she sighed and tugged wearily at her collar; she had been on the scene for hours and was hot, tired, and wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep for ten hours. But a mountain of paperwork waited for her at city hall and would only grow more daunting the longer she put it off.
A distant rumble like thunder interrupted her thoughts. Callie looked up at the sky and smiled as she watched the Turbokat fly past. She waved, not expecting the Swat Kats to see her. To her surprise, the jet turned and flew a bit lower, racing in her direction.
As the powerful jet raced past Callie the wing nearest to her dipped as if in a salute. Callie felt a smile spread across her face, her earlier weariness forgotten as she waved again.
'T-Bone must have seen me,' she thought and then laughed when a bright flare of electric discharge danced over the Turbokat's wings. That must have been Razor.
The Turbokat banked again and climbed rapidly into the air, rolling gracefully before disappearing into a cloud bank.
"Ever wonder who they really are?"
Callie blinked and looked to see Ann standing next to her, her bright amber eyes shining with amusement.
Blushing, Callie shrugged and slipped her glasses off, attempting to get some of the dust and grit off of them.
"I don't know who they are," she said guardedly before slipping her glasses back on.
"Relax, Callie, this is all off the record," said Ann with a chuckle as they started to walk back towards Callie's car. "And I know you'd never tell even if you did know."
"It's probably better I didn't know," muttered Callie as she caught sight of Feral's furious glower. She knew this latest incident was going to mean another long meeting with Feral tomorrow; just the thought made her temples throb with the headache she had been fighting back all day.
Ann noticed Callie's tired features and patted her arm reassuringly.
"You should go home; you've been here all morning."
"Thanks, but I can't. I need to get back to my office and finish up some work so I can go home at a decent hour for once."
Ann nodded as she went to go find Johnny. "Okay, but lunch tomorrow?"
"Sure, I'll fill you in on the city's official response to this…incident then."
The reported smiled and disappeared into the crowd once more, determinedly pushing past much larger kats in order to finish her interview with Feral.
Smiling at Ann's determination, Callie headed for her car, determined to finish her own work and go home, take a long hot bath, and then sleep. As she slid into her car her phone rang. The deputy mayor glanced at the caller ID, prayed for patience, and then pressed the answer button.
"Mayor Manx? Yes, it's me…the damage? Well…it could be a lot worse, Mr. Mayor…"
Far above Callie and unbeknownst to the deputy mayor, the Turbokat flew in wide circles over the scene. T-Bone kept the jet in the large cloud bank that had been forming all morning, hiding them from any onlookers below.
"She's in her car – looks like she's heading back to the city," said Razor, his keen eyes following the signal from Callie's communicator before switching it off. The tracker was only activated when Callie called them; neither of them wanted to invade her privacy and had only used the tracking feature when Callie's safety was at risk. Which was way more often than Razor would have liked.
"She works way too hard," grumbled T-Bone as he angled the Turbokat higher to avoid a sudden updraft.
"Yeah, and no doubt Feral's going to be giving her the third degree again," growled Razor. Even though Callie never said a word to either of them they both knew Feral was constantly putting pressure on Mayor Manx, and thus Callie, to clamp down on their "vigilante" activities.
T-Bone hid a smile; Razor was as protective of Callie as he was but rarely showed it. He didn't fool T-Bone for a minute but he decided to save any teasing for later. Right now he was more worried about the distant lightning he could see in the clouds.
"We'd better head out too, especially if we want to beat this storm," said T-Bone, eyeing the cloud bank with his sharp pilot's eyes.
"Roger that – take us home, buddy," said Razor.
T-Bone grinned and gunned the engines. "I'll take a short cut," he said, laughing as he heard Razor groan behind him.
"You and your shortcuts," the gunner muttered.
As the Turbokat roared through the sky far below on a road outside of Megakat City Mac and Molly Mange exchanged a surprised look when a faint boom rumbled, shaking the decrepit truck they had stolen from Professor Hackle.
"Was that thunder?" asked Molly, scowling. Getting soaked was the last thing she wanted right now.
Mac shrugged and then winced when they hit a pothole. The truck lurched ominously but somehow managed to stay on the road.
Molly cursed and glowered at her husband as they hit another pothole.
"So we are we goin'?"
"To find our wheels, get some cash, and then repay Megakat City for our years in da slammer," growled Mac as he swerved hard to avoid yet another hole in the road. The truck creaked and groaned and slid towards the shoulder before Mac steered it back onto the road.
"Watch the road, idiot!" sniped Molly. "And how are we gonna get back at the city in this heap o' junk?"
"Don't tell me how to drive, woman! First we're gonna find our hovercraft at the salvage yard, and then pay a visit ta Miss Deputy Mayor Briggs herself. She's da one that denied our parole, 'member?"
"How could I forget?" hissed Molly, remembering the way the younger she-kat had glared, unafraid, at Molly even as she dangled the deputy mayor high above the ground. If it hadn't been for those fighter jocks the Swat Kats Briggs wouldn't still be a problem for them.
Mac growled and nodded. "And I've got an idea for her – if it works we'll get rid o' her and those blasted Swat Kats once and for all!"
Molly grinned, her metallic fangs glinting dangerously in the sunlight.
"Can't wait," she said as Mac turned down the road that led towards the salvage yard outside of Megakat City.
Jake looked up at the darkening sky with a frown. The sky had been growing steadily darker and meaner looking by the hour. The wind was starting to pick up too – they had returned to the salvage yard just before Burke and Murray arrived with a "special delivery" that was delivered right on their doorstep. The brothers had howled with laughter at Jake and Chance's dismayed expressions – they were already tired from their morning jaunt and had a huge backlog of work to catch up on – but didn't stay, wanting to beat the rain.
"So long, youse suckahs!" Murray had jeered as their truck had driven away. The ex-pilots had scowled darkly at the retreating truck but had learned that it was better to ignore the brothers; Burke and Murray had short attention spans and never stayed too long at the salvage yard.
Chance and Jake had spent all afternoon clearing away the junk and sorting through salvageable parts and now it was early evening.
"Better pack it in, buddy," Jake called to Chance, who was carrying a massive tire. The big tomkat nodded and set the wheel down inside the garage door just as the rain began to fall.
Jake helped Chance pull down the heavy garage door before locking it, changing their office sign to "closed" and making sure all the windows were closed as the storm finally broke. Soon rain was hammering against the roof, the wind shrieking furiously.
Chance yawned and rolled his shoulders. "I'm grabbing a shower and hitting the hay early – wake me if anything comes up, yeah?"
"Sure thing, buddy," said Jake as Chance disappeared upstairs. Jake quickly washed his face and paws and changed out of his blue coveralls and into a pair of jeans and a black tank shirt. He made a pot of coffee before settling down at his worktable in their office. He was working on improving the calibration of a heat-seeking missile he had been developing and was soon absorbed in the task.
Jake worked on the project with the same intent focus that had helped him rise to the rank of lieutenant in the Enforcers, and only looked up from his work when someone suddenly knocked on their garage door.
Frowning, Jack removed his goggles and was surprised to see that it was almost nine o'clock – had he really been working for almost three hours straight?
The knocking continued and Jake stood, cautiously approaching the door. Who could possibly be outside at this hour and in this weather? The storm hadn't slowed at all and the rain still fell heavily.
"Listen, we're closed, can you come back…" Jake said as he approached the door.
"Jake?" called a familiar voice and the tomkat's eyes widened in shock.
"Callie?" Jake threw open the door, gaping at the sight of a very wet, bedraggled deputy mayor standing on his doorstep.
"Hey Jake," said the she-kat, smiling awkwardly. "Can I come in?"
"Oh, of course!" Jake quickly stepped aside and Callie hurried in. She was wearing jeans, sneakers, and a sweatshirt and was soaked through as though she had been out in the rain for some time.
Slamming the door closed against the wind, Jake quickly ushered Callie into their waiting office. Callie sank onto the sofa, pushing her mop of hair out of her eyes.
"What are you doing here, Callie?" asked Jake, concerned at how quiet Callie was being. He turned on a lamp but before Callie could answer he heard Chance descending the steps.
"Jake, what's going on – Callie!" the big tomkat paused on the bottom step, his hair and clothes rumpled as though he had just fallen out of bed. He grinned despite being only half-awake, surprised but not at all displeased to see their favorite deputy mayor.
"Hi Chance," said Callie, smiling at Chance even though it seemed forced to him.
Chance's smile faded as he suddenly realized that the moisture on Callie's face wasn't just from the rain. Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying.
"Callie?" he asked, stepping closer. He shot Jake a confused look, who only shook his head in confusion.
"Are you alright, Callie?" asked Chance, more than a little worried.
Callie swallowed and nodded, and then shook her head.
"Hey."
The deputy mayor looked up to find Jake sitting on the coffee table in front of her, one paw resting lightly on her knee. The tomkat's amber eyes were filled with concern.
"What happened?" Jake asked, forgetting his usual reticence in his concern. Callie's mouth twisted and tears filled her eyes. She hastily swiped at her face, ashamed.
Jake gently grabbed Callie's wrists and pulled her paws away from her face. He didn't let go, however, but kept a gentle grip that helped calm Callie.
"Callie, talk to us," said Chance gently but firmly, now clearly worried. "What's wrong?"
"Whatever it is, you're safe here," Jake added quietly but with a steely undertone that she had never heard from Jake before.
Seeing that expression broke the last of Callie's resolve and she buried her face in her paws, her shoulders shaking.
"Callie! What's wrong? What is it?" asked Chance, shocked to see the normally composed deputy mayor so distraught.
"I was robbed."
"Robbed?! Are you hurt?" Chance hurried around the sofa to better see her; his sharp blue eyes scanned her face but he couldn't see any visible injuries.
"No, no…I'm fine. I'm sorry. It was just a couple of kids." Callie took a deep breath and attempted to calm herself. "I was leaving Professor Hackle's lab earlier and…. well, they had a gun and stole my car, keys, phone…everything. I didn't know what else to do and just…. walked here. It was the closest place I could think of."
"You walked all the way here. In the rain," said Chance slowly, struggling to keep his anger in check. If he found out who those punks were he was going to…
"Yeah," said Callie, somewhat calmer now but clearly embarrassed. "Er, do you have a towel? I'm getting your sofa all wet," she added with a smile.
"Oh, right!" Chance leapt to his feet. "Be right back!"
After Chance left Jake, in a moment of rare boldness, slipped his paw under Callie's chin and tilted her face up. Callie blinked in surprise but didn't pull away; there was an intense, focused expression on Jake's lean face that was vaguely familiar to her but she couldn't remember where.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked softly.
Callie nodded, surprised at the tomkat's boldness – she had known Jake and Chance for nearly two years and in all that time Jake had never been so direct, always letting Chance take the lead when it came to dealing with customers.
"Callie?" She blinked, realizing she hadn't answered Jake's question.
Callie nodded. "I'm fine, Jake, really. I guess this month just caught up with me, and well…" she shrugged apologetically, suddenly feeling incredibly embarrassed. "I'm sorry for overreacting."
Jake released her chin and gave her an easy smile. "Hey, it's no problem. You don't have to be strong all the time – it's okay to be upset. You're alright and that's all that matters."
Callie smiled and nodded as Jake stood and went into the kitchen. She was a bit surprised (and more than a little touched) at Jake's words but didn't comment as he returned with a mug of coffee. She took it with a murmured "thank you" as Jake sat next to her on the sofa.
"Found one!" Chance exclaimed, coming back and holding the towel aloft. He handed it to Callie who took it with a smile.
"Thanks, Chance," she said, taking the towel. "I'm really sorry for barging in like this, guys. I don't even know why I got so upset. I mean," she laughed, wringing her hands in the towel. "I've faced a lot worse over the years."
"Maybe it just all caught up with you," said Jake gently. Callie shrugged and ran the towel over her dripping hair.
"Yeah, maybe. This has been a rough month too – I guess I'm just tired."
"Uh huh," said Chance, eyeing the dark shadows under Callie's eyes. "Mayor Manx been working you overtime again?"
Callie shrugged. "No more than usual," she said evasively, not wanting to worry her friends more. "Can I use your phone?"
No sooner had she spoken then there was an enormous thunderclap that made all three kats jump. The lights flickered and then went at the same time there was a muffled 'boom' from underneath them.
"Ah man, that must have been the generator," said Jake's voice from somewhere to Callie's left. She heard Chance cursed as he bumped into something hard and then there was a bright flare as Chance found the lantern he had been looking for and held it aloft.
Setting the lantern on the coffee table, Chance turned to Jake, a determined expression on his face.
"Right, two out of three?"
"You're on," Jake said. He held out his paw and Callie watched, amused, as the two engaged in a quick battle of "rock, paper, scissors."
"Hah, I won!" Jake grinned after winning the last round.
"Have fun, buddy," he grinned as he handed Chance a flashlight and the toolbox they kept on hand.
"Yeah yeah, just don't blow the place up with your experiments," Chance groused good-naturedly before disappearing downstairs to try to repair the generator.
"Experiments?" asked Callie, quirking a fine eyebrow.
Jake shrugged and rubbed his neck ruff self-consciously. "Er, yeah – just some side projects," he said, gesturing towards his worktable.
"Oh, well don't let me stop you," she said with soft smile.
Jake seemed to hesitate, but after Callie assured him that she was fine and didn't need anything else he returned to his project, glad for the distraction.
Callie sipped her coffee and watched as Jake fiddled with some sort of circuit board, deftly twisting and cutting wires. He had an intense, focused look on his face and Callie wondered, not for the first time, why such two skilled mechanics were working in a salvage yard of all places. She had overheard Jake and Chance discussing repairs more than once during her visits, and they sounded more like engineers than auto mechanics.
Her hair was starting to curl into an uncontrollable mess and she started braiding it, wincing slightly as she ran her claws through the strands to detangle them. So absorbed was she in sorting out her hair that she didn't notice Jake's eyes drifting more and more from the circuit board to Callie.
Swallowing, Jake forced his eyes back to his project.
'Say something, you dolt,' he silently berated himself.
Chance had always been more at ease with small talk; he could charm birds out of trees – talking to a pretty she-kat was nothing for the bigger tomcat.
Jake wondered why it was so easy for him to be confident and assertive under the guise of "Razor". He had held his own as a recruit in the Enforcers and had earned the rank of lieutenant along with Chance – becoming his crime-fighting alter ego had given him an edge of assertiveness that he hadn't possessed before.
Maybe it was because they dealt with such lowlifes like Dr. Viper, he thought with a frown.
"Do you have a rubber band, Jake?" Callie's voice suddenly broke into his thoughts, making him blink in surprise.
"Huh?"
"Rubber band? Do you have one?" she repeated, pointing ruefully at her mussed hair.
"Oh, er, sure…here," he said, rummaging through the items on the workbench. He found a rubber band and handed it to Callie.
They didn't speak again for a while but Callie didn't seem to mind and Jake gradually felt himself relax as he focused again on the familiar rhythm of wires and electronics. When he stood to refill his coffee mug he looked up to check on Callie and felt his heart skip a beat.
Callie was slumped down into the worn sofa, fast asleep.
"No go, Jake. The generator's fried for good this time – " Chance voice came from the stairwell leading up from the basement. He came into the office area but stopped short when Jake held a paw to his mouth, shaking his head.
Chance followed Jake's gaze and blinked in surprise to see the deputy mayor of Megakat City fast asleep in their office.
The two tomkats exchange a silent look of understanding before stepping forward. Jake carefully removed Callie's glasses and set them on the coffee table while Chance draped a worn but soft blanket over her. Callie stirred but didn't wake; she simply settled deeper into the cushions.
They watched their friend for a moment before moving on silent paws to the small kitchen.
"She looks beat," said Chance, frowning at the dark circles under Callie's eyes as he poured coffee for himself and sat at the table.
Jake scowled as he took a seat across from Chance. "Can you blame her? After nearly being killed again by Dr. Viper last month on top of what happened earlier today?"
And now that Jake thought about that incident, he also realized that Callie looked thinner too – when he had carried Callie on his back during the escape from the tower Jake had been surprised at how light she felt but hadn't had time to consider it further in their rush to stop Viper's mutant plants.
Chance growled and flexed one powerful paw. "And I'll bet you my month's paycheck that Feral is reading her the riot act over what happened today."
"Yeah, but there's not a lot we can do," said Jake, hating how helpless he suddenly felt. How many times had Callie put her job and life on the line for them? Too many, he thought.
Chance yawned and stood. He clapped Jake on the shoulder. "Get some sleep, buddy. Lots of work tomorrow."
"In a bit," said Jake, his gaze lingering on Callie's slumbering form. "I think I'll stay up for a while longer."
Smiling to himself, knowing full well Jake would keep watch all night, Chance headed back upstairs to catch some sleep.
