Things had finally quieted down in Megakat City after a string of events precipitated by the super criminals: destruction of refineries by a guy named Morbulus who vanished when he fell into the ocean; walking bacterias caused by Viper that destroyed a great deal of the Megakat Biochemical Labs...Viper unfortunately escaped...again and Dr. Zyme disappeared after the bacteria grabbed him; and finally the MASA complex and Nuclear Power Plant had been trashed by an alien bug brought back by a space probe sent by Dr. Harley Street...who had been altered by the bugs and then killed by the SWAT Kats. All in all a very busy few months...par for the course for this constantly harassed city.

Though most thought Dr. Zyme had been killed by the bacteria, he actually had been saved by the SWAT Kats killing it before it could eat him. However, he had been seriously hurt and rushed to the hospital. Only a handful of Kats knew he wasn't dead: his boss, Commander Feral, the emergency crew and the hospital staff. For a while, it was feared Zyme wouldn't make it but his will was strong and the care he received top notch so after a couple of months, he was finally walking out the doors of the hospital, healthy and happy to be alive.

After spending a nice, quiet weekend at home, he headed to work for the first time in a long while, early Monday morning. Parking his car, he walked toward the main entrance. As he entered and paused at the guard station, the director of the facility was just emerging from the nearby elevator.

"Dr. Zyme! I hadn't been aware you'd recovered. You look very well!" Director Prentice said, pleased and amazed as he hurried up to greet the scientist.

"Thank you, Director Prentice. I feel wonderful and glad to be back to work. Is my office still available?" Zyme asked warmly.

"Of course. Until we heard otherwise, we kept your office just as you left it, though we did clean it up and replaced the window that horrible creature broke," the director told him then turned to the guard who was listening to their conversation. "Harry, give him a temporary pass for today until we reinstate his security."

"Yes sir." The guard handed Zyme a sign in board then reached under the counter and gave the scientist a temp badge.

After signing in and clipping the badge to his lab coat, Dr. Zyme smiled at the director who grinned back and led the way to the elevators. They stepped aboard the car and the director pressed the button for Zyme's floor.

"Things haven't been the same since you left, so I'm very glad you could return to us. I do have some papers you have to sign to reestablish your security clearance and before you can handle the Katalyst once more," Prentice told him quietly.

"I understand. It will take me a bit to sort out my projects and get started again anyway," Zyme agreed, easily.

They stepped out of the elevator together and walked down the hallway till they came to Zyme's lab door. The Director unlocked the door and gestured the doctor to go ahead of him then followed. Going to the doctor's desk, the director activated the computer while Zyme looked around his lab getting refamiliar with it. Moments later, the director called him to the desk.

"Here you go. Fill these out and make sure I get them on my desk before end of day. Have a good first day back. If you have any problems with anything just give me a call," the director said warmly then left the doctor to his work.

Zyme sighed and smiled as he got down to work. First he completed the security forms then set them aside before going through his desk.

While Zyme was getting caught up, a certain, well known, techno thief, Hard Drive was preparing to raid Megakat Biochemical Labs of their most recent formulas they'd developed on some pretty dangerous gasses that could change the face of biological warfare. He needed cash quickly as he was nearly broke. He'd had to keep low to stay out from the enforcers radar but he could wait no longer.

He decided going to the labs would throw the enforcers off his scent because biochemical stuff was not normally his thing. He checked the time and saw he had several hours before he could sneak into the labs so he went off to do some errands, catch a nap, and eat dinner.

Hours had passed as Dr. Zyme worked at his desk. It was getting rather warm so he turned a nearby fan on the desk on, the refreshing wind went though the fur on his face, cooling him. He stretched his arms and shook out his paws before continuing his work. When next he looked up, he noted it was nearing quitting time. He got up and quickly hurried off to deliver the security papers to the director's office. He paused at the security counter to tell the guard he was planning on staying late and signed the guard's entry form again to show that then he returned to his office to continue catching up.

Strange equations left from a previous scientist's project had to be solved and that had kept him occupied for some time. As he worked, a strange sound rose from nearby. Frowning, he paused to look around, trying to determine what it was.

As his gaze swept over the fan on his desk, it chose that moment to spark with a bright blue energy burst which spat out past him and landed on the floor before his desk. The energy immediately took the form of a familiar criminal.

Zymed gasped, "Hard Drive!"

Hard Drive stared at him in surprise than gave a deep chuckle, "well, well, isn't this a surprise. I thought I heard Viper had killed you...well I guess I'll just have to correct that little misconception, eh?" He laughed as he raised his paw, aiming at the doctor.

"Wait! Why kill me?" Zyme asked, frightened and angry to be under attack again.

"Because you've seen me and no one is going to keep me from the formulas I came here to steal and tell anyone, least of all, the enforcers about it!" Hard Drive said coldly then shot blue bolts of electricity at the scientist.

Zyme threw himself backwards from his chair, after hitting the panic button for security, and fell to the floor then scrambled away to hide under one of the lab tables. Besides various scientific tools of the trade, a container holding vials of different Katalysts sat within reach of Zyme's paw. Thinking fast, he grabbed the one closest to him and without looking at the label which said 'Katalyst 005' on it, he tossed it with all his strength at Hard Drive who was just preparing to fire his energy at the scientist again.

Hard Drive's aim was ruined when the vial smashed against his lower jaw and neck, bursting into pieces and spraying its contents over his fur. The errant bolt of energy hit a wall causing plaster to spray everywhere and making a loud booming noise.

The solution seeped into the would be thief's body quickly and, almost instantly, the tom felt strange, his skin beginning to feel tingly. Frightened and knowing the guards were on the way, he changed to energy once more and escaped through the fan.

Only moments later, two security guards burst into the lab, guns raised and yelling, "Freeze!" But they were too late. Seeing there was no one but the scientist there, they moved to check him out and inspect the damage done to the wall.

"Dr. Zyme" one said, "we got here as fast we could when you hit the alarm. What happened here?"

"It was Hard Drive. He was here to steal something and was going to kill me because I saw him. I managed to drive him off by hitting him with one of the Katalyst's. I don't know which one," Zyme explained, standing up then looking over the other vials.

One of the guards looked down at the floor, where he saw the broken bits of the vial and a few droplets of katalyst there. "What's this?" He said, kneeling down to inspect the liquid.

"Don't touch that!" Dr. Zyme warned him. "It's Katalyst 005 and it's very dangerous. If it came into contact with one's skin, they would suffer hallucinations of persecution, making that person very paranoid."

"And you hit Hard Drive with this?" The guard asked.

"I'm afraid so. I'm sorry but I grabbed the first vial that came to paw."

"It's alright sir, you did what you had to in protecting yourself. Don't touch anything or clean up. I have to contact the enforcers and they'll want to check the scene first," the guard warned him. "They'll also want to get a statement from you so don't leave." With the that the guard pulled out his radio and made the call while the other guard left to let the enforcers in since the building was locked for the night.

Meanwhile, behind the transformer at the rear of the lab, Hard Drive had appeared and was standing dazed and confused. The first effects of Katalyst 005 were manifesting themselves in the form of spiders the tom thought were crawling all over him and searing pain from where the katalyst had hit his throat. In reality, though, he was only bleeding a little from the glass but his fur was falling out at the site.

His mind firmly believing he was covered in spiders and burning with pain, Hard Drive screamed and clawed at himself violently, his surge coat hampering him and driving his panic even higher. Suddenly, a cold voice managed to penetrate his panic, while clawed paws of steely strength held his own paws from moving. Panting wildly, Hard Drive found himself staring into the glowing eyes of Dr. Viper.

"Hello Hard Drive." The insane mutated scientist's sinister voice crept into his ears. "Dr. Zyme got the besssst of you, did he?" Hard Drive shrieked in terror and struggled to get away but Viper held him tightly with ease.

"Do not be frightened by me," Dr. Viper said easily to the terrified tom, his hissing tones almost impossible to understand. "I sssssee you have been infected by Katalysssst 005. I can cure you but first you need to help me!"

"No!" Hard Drive gasped, frantically still trying to get free of the mutated Kat. "You're going to turn me into a monster!"

Viper just laughed. "No, I won't do that because I need you just the way you are."

"I don't believe you! Let me go!" Hard Drive shouted desperately.

"The katalyst you were hit with will make you so paranoid you will live in fear every waking moment of your life until you can't stand it any longer and kill yourself or be killed by someone else," Viper told him flatly.

Hard Drive sobbed in terror. It was soo hard to think but finally he realized he had no choice. "Fine! Cure me! Make it stop and I'll help you!" He shouted in resignation.

"Excellent! Then we mussssst get out of here as thossse fool enforcersssss are nearly here. Then we'll discuss my plan!" Dr. Viper said, pleased then yanked on Hard Drive's arm, pulling him toward an open manhole that lead down to the sewers. "Climb down!" He released Hard Drive who struggled to fight off the hallucinations as he climbed down the ladder into the dark followed by Viper who pulled the manhole cover back into place before dragging his new minion through the sewers.