Chapter 1: Billie McBride
The orange she-kat killed the gas of her Harley Davison motorcycle when she reached the Krystal Kat hotel. She kicked down the bike stand and removed her leather gloves as she walked through the revolving door.
"May I help you, miss?" an old tom asked.
"Yessir," she answered, brushing her dark brown bangs out of her face. "Any rooms available?"
"Yes ma'am. We have one suite left and we're full up!" the tom answered.
"Man, this SWAT Kat fever has gone off the deep end," she said. "This is the sixth hotel I've tried. How much per suite. Ya know what, don' tell me. Here." She handed the tom a credit card and looked around the room.
The hotel was expensive, she could tell by the crystal chandeliers and the men, women and children in elegant, nighttime clothing.
Shoot, she thought, I look like somethin' the dog dragged in.
The she-kat looked down at her clothes. She was dressed casually in her gray-hooded coat, tight fighting navy blue shirt and baggy brown cargo pants. The only fancy thing she had on her was the gold necklace with a crystal pendent carved in the shape of the Egyptian goddess Bastet.
"I'll need your name, miss."
"Huh? Oh. It's Billie. Billie McBride," she replied.
"Well, thank you Miss McBride. If you have any luggage you can leave it here by the desk. You're in room 602. Enjoy your stay at the Krystal kat hotel."
"Will do, thanks!" Billie called back, taking the keycard and walking over to the elevator.
She pressed the up button and waited.
"Excuse me, miss!" someone behind her called.
Billie turned around. A not so tall tomcat with brown fur was walking her way.
"Yessir?" she asked.
"Is that your bike outside?" the tom asked.
"Yeah, why?"
"My buddy an' I just thought you might wanna know that that's a tow away zone. We've been called twice about it. If you could move it, that'd me great," the tom answered.
"Done," Billie said.
She and the tom walked out together. There was another one in the truck. He was the complete opposite of his partner—burly and tall. His fur was gold and he looked like he could beat the pajeebers out of almost anybody.
"You find 'im Jake?" the gold tom asked.
"Yeah, I found her," Jake replied.
"Good. Hate to tow away that baby."
Billie looked at the tom in the truck.
"Can I help you, miss?" he asked.
Billie shook her head.
"I'm Billie McBride," she introduced herself.
"Chance Furlong," the tom told her. "My buddy, Jake."
"Jake Clawson," Jake corrected.
"What do you guys do for a living?" Billie asked.
"We...salvage," Chance answered.
"You what?"
"Long story. We gotta go. See ya 'round, Billie."
"Bye!" Billie waved as the two drove off.
Up in her room, Billie walked over to her bed and fell face first into the pillows. She breathed in the smell of the room...pine. She turned up on her back and looked at the ceiling. Ever since they had met, she couldn't stop thinking of Chance. It was driving her insane.
She turned on the TV. News, news, lame game show, guy with wig, soap opera. She switched it off. Nothing good. Maybe a bath...
She took her gray coat off and threw it on the floor next to the night table. She took off her blue shirt and threw it on the floor next to her coat.
Then she remembered.
"The window." She walked over to the window and looked out over Megakat City. "No one can see me up here," she decided. She left the window open. She was, after all, on the tenth floor of the building. You'd need to be a bird to see through it...either a bird or a plane. And that's exactly how they saw her.
"T-Bone! She's half naked!" Razor yelled.
Billie turned to the window and screamed. Thank god she was wearing a bra.
She grabbed a pillow off her bed and threw it at Razor. "GET OUT!" she screamed. "If you weren't driving, you'd have a pillow in your face too!"
"Miss! Calm down! You gotta come with us!" Razor said.
"Give me one good reason!" she said.
"The building's on fire!" T-Bone replied.
"Good enough for me. But I'm getting dressed!"
"THE BUILDING'S ON FIRE!"
"I refuse to go down half naked thanks!"
"BUT THE BUILDING—IT'S ON FIRE!"
"THE BUILDING COULD BE FULL OF POISON GAS FOR ALL I CARE BUT I STILL WOULD NOT GO DOWN HALF NAKED!"
"Women," T-Bone mumbled.
"Tom's don't have anything to hide on their chests, do they?" Billie asked. "And my name's Billie, by the way."
"Introductions later! Please, Miss Billie, get dressed and come down!" Razor begged.
"Will do." Billie pulled her shirt back on and grabbed her jacket. She jumped in the co-pilot's seat with Razor and they flew back down.
"There goes my bath," she said.
"There coulda gone your life," T-Bone added.
"When you put it that way, losing a shower doesn't sound so bad."
Billie hopped out of the cockpit and pulled on her jacket. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked.
There was a deafening thud. The earth shook.
Billie, Razor and T-Bone turned around. The building had collapsed.
"That was too close for comfort," Razor pointed out.
Billie and Chance nodded.
"Hey, it coulda been worse," Billie added.
"How could it possibly have been worse? The building come down on top of us?" T-Bone asked.
"No. My pants coulda been off. But that's pretty bad, too."
"So. Where are you gonna stay?" Razor asked.
"No idea. I'll find another hotel, I guess," Billie answered.
"Or you could stay with a some friends of ours at the salvage yard," Chance requested. "You think they would mind?" Billie asked.
"No, they won't mind," Razor answered.
"Hey—they're the car-fixit guys, right?" Billie asked.
"Yeah, that's them—I think," T-Bone answered.
"I know them!" Billie said happily. "Chance and Jake?"
"Yup," Razor answered.
"Cool! Don't tell hi, but I think I have a major crush on Chance."
"Really?" T-Bone smirked.
"Swear you won't tell?"
"Yeah. We swear," Jake replied. "Right T-Bone?" Jake smiled.
"Yeah, sure," T-Bone answered. "But you should tell him. He thinks you're pretty."
"Really?" Billie asked.
"Yeah. Don't tell him I told you or I'm toast."
"Okay. A secret for a secret."
The orange she-kat killed the gas of her Harley Davison motorcycle when she reached the Krystal Kat hotel. She kicked down the bike stand and removed her leather gloves as she walked through the revolving door.
"May I help you, miss?" an old tom asked.
"Yessir," she answered, brushing her dark brown bangs out of her face. "Any rooms available?"
"Yes ma'am. We have one suite left and we're full up!" the tom answered.
"Man, this SWAT Kat fever has gone off the deep end," she said. "This is the sixth hotel I've tried. How much per suite. Ya know what, don' tell me. Here." She handed the tom a credit card and looked around the room.
The hotel was expensive, she could tell by the crystal chandeliers and the men, women and children in elegant, nighttime clothing.
Shoot, she thought, I look like somethin' the dog dragged in.
The she-kat looked down at her clothes. She was dressed casually in her gray-hooded coat, tight fighting navy blue shirt and baggy brown cargo pants. The only fancy thing she had on her was the gold necklace with a crystal pendent carved in the shape of the Egyptian goddess Bastet.
"I'll need your name, miss."
"Huh? Oh. It's Billie. Billie McBride," she replied.
"Well, thank you Miss McBride. If you have any luggage you can leave it here by the desk. You're in room 602. Enjoy your stay at the Krystal kat hotel."
"Will do, thanks!" Billie called back, taking the keycard and walking over to the elevator.
She pressed the up button and waited.
"Excuse me, miss!" someone behind her called.
Billie turned around. A not so tall tomcat with brown fur was walking her way.
"Yessir?" she asked.
"Is that your bike outside?" the tom asked.
"Yeah, why?"
"My buddy an' I just thought you might wanna know that that's a tow away zone. We've been called twice about it. If you could move it, that'd me great," the tom answered.
"Done," Billie said.
She and the tom walked out together. There was another one in the truck. He was the complete opposite of his partner—burly and tall. His fur was gold and he looked like he could beat the pajeebers out of almost anybody.
"You find 'im Jake?" the gold tom asked.
"Yeah, I found her," Jake replied.
"Good. Hate to tow away that baby."
Billie looked at the tom in the truck.
"Can I help you, miss?" he asked.
Billie shook her head.
"I'm Billie McBride," she introduced herself.
"Chance Furlong," the tom told her. "My buddy, Jake."
"Jake Clawson," Jake corrected.
"What do you guys do for a living?" Billie asked.
"We...salvage," Chance answered.
"You what?"
"Long story. We gotta go. See ya 'round, Billie."
"Bye!" Billie waved as the two drove off.
Up in her room, Billie walked over to her bed and fell face first into the pillows. She breathed in the smell of the room...pine. She turned up on her back and looked at the ceiling. Ever since they had met, she couldn't stop thinking of Chance. It was driving her insane.
She turned on the TV. News, news, lame game show, guy with wig, soap opera. She switched it off. Nothing good. Maybe a bath...
She took her gray coat off and threw it on the floor next to the night table. She took off her blue shirt and threw it on the floor next to her coat.
Then she remembered.
"The window." She walked over to the window and looked out over Megakat City. "No one can see me up here," she decided. She left the window open. She was, after all, on the tenth floor of the building. You'd need to be a bird to see through it...either a bird or a plane. And that's exactly how they saw her.
"T-Bone! She's half naked!" Razor yelled.
Billie turned to the window and screamed. Thank god she was wearing a bra.
She grabbed a pillow off her bed and threw it at Razor. "GET OUT!" she screamed. "If you weren't driving, you'd have a pillow in your face too!"
"Miss! Calm down! You gotta come with us!" Razor said.
"Give me one good reason!" she said.
"The building's on fire!" T-Bone replied.
"Good enough for me. But I'm getting dressed!"
"THE BUILDING'S ON FIRE!"
"I refuse to go down half naked thanks!"
"BUT THE BUILDING—IT'S ON FIRE!"
"THE BUILDING COULD BE FULL OF POISON GAS FOR ALL I CARE BUT I STILL WOULD NOT GO DOWN HALF NAKED!"
"Women," T-Bone mumbled.
"Tom's don't have anything to hide on their chests, do they?" Billie asked. "And my name's Billie, by the way."
"Introductions later! Please, Miss Billie, get dressed and come down!" Razor begged.
"Will do." Billie pulled her shirt back on and grabbed her jacket. She jumped in the co-pilot's seat with Razor and they flew back down.
"There goes my bath," she said.
"There coulda gone your life," T-Bone added.
"When you put it that way, losing a shower doesn't sound so bad."
Billie hopped out of the cockpit and pulled on her jacket. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked.
There was a deafening thud. The earth shook.
Billie, Razor and T-Bone turned around. The building had collapsed.
"That was too close for comfort," Razor pointed out.
Billie and Chance nodded.
"Hey, it coulda been worse," Billie added.
"How could it possibly have been worse? The building come down on top of us?" T-Bone asked.
"No. My pants coulda been off. But that's pretty bad, too."
"So. Where are you gonna stay?" Razor asked.
"No idea. I'll find another hotel, I guess," Billie answered.
"Or you could stay with a some friends of ours at the salvage yard," Chance requested. "You think they would mind?" Billie asked.
"No, they won't mind," Razor answered.
"Hey—they're the car-fixit guys, right?" Billie asked.
"Yeah, that's them—I think," T-Bone answered.
"I know them!" Billie said happily. "Chance and Jake?"
"Yup," Razor answered.
"Cool! Don't tell hi, but I think I have a major crush on Chance."
"Really?" T-Bone smirked.
"Swear you won't tell?"
"Yeah. We swear," Jake replied. "Right T-Bone?" Jake smiled.
"Yeah, sure," T-Bone answered. "But you should tell him. He thinks you're pretty."
"Really?" Billie asked.
"Yeah. Don't tell him I told you or I'm toast."
"Okay. A secret for a secret."