Cold Ambitions: Prologue
From Whiplash Productions
Copyright Jazz: Swat Kats and all related trademarks are copyright Hanna- Barbera, not yours truly. Any other characters within the story unrelated to the series are copyright myself, unless otherwise stated.
*Author's Notation: Well, I couldn't very well let the holidays slip by and not contribute some sort of seasonal story. Therefore, I bring you this little wing-dig to read over. It's all about our favorite blonde deputy mayor on a day after Christmas misadventure. It's supposed to be serious, but what the heck, you can laugh at it if you want. As always, feedback's welcome with open arms.
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The bag was a sandy color, filled to its capacity with all her essentials needed for the trip. Its bulge was enough to send chills up the spines of luggage carriers, who were familiar with the crushing weight such a woman would carry in her suitcase. They all seemed to vanish in thin air, or so Deputy Mayor Calico Briggs thought. She switched hands frequently, trying to maintain a balanced flow of blood to each of her arms lest they try to fall off on her. At last, her gracious eyes met with the baggage check-in desk. Dropping her bag with an exasperated huff, she greeted the clerk with all smiles.
The bag was a sandy color, filled to its capacity with cold hard cash. The bag with the rest of his belongings had been sent ahead to wait for him at the lodge. His eyes darted around the station, hidden behind dark sunglasses, but fortunately, no slob of a luggage handler dared pry the bag from the kat's cold, rigid fingers. He was a fairly tall tom, brown fur, auburn muzzle, wrapped completely and entirely in a long gray trench coat, with a matching gray fedora hat pulled low over his brow. Expressionless, his definite steps led him to the baggage check-in desk, where he dropped the bag to reach into his coat and pull out credentials. He acknowledged the clerk with a serious look and a hint of annoyance at the whole process.
"Thank you, Ms. Briggs! Have a pleasant trip!" The clerk chimed, handing her a receipt with the ticket.
Giving a slight nod of gratitude, the blonde she-kat turned around, as the clerk reached for what she supposed to be her bag and tagged it as such. The slight click of her heels could be heard as she next made her way to a phone booth. Putting in her change, she waited patiently for the dial tone and then proceeded to dial the number.
"And your bag, sir?" The clerk asked, handing the tom his receipt and ticket.
"This is carry on," He replied flatly.
The clerk peered over the countertop to look at the bag. "Where is it, sir?"
Instantly, the brown tom's gaze was to the floor. True, he had set it right next to him, but a moment later, he spotted it pressed up against the desk lengthwise. That fat idiot who had lumbered up to the counter next to him had probably kicked it. He gave a small frown and pulled the bag back out into view of the desk clerk. It was a bit heavier than he had thought.
"Nope, sorry, sir, that has to be loaded into the baggage car." The clerk said, hoisting it up.
Misjudging its weight, the clerk almost outright dropped it, which put the mysterious tom in a fowl temperament. He roughly took it from the dumb clerk's hands and hoisted it over the desk himself, letting it fall with a thud on the other side. Then taking the startled clerk by the shirt collar, he pulled him in close to his muzzle.
"Be very careful," He growled in a murmur, but added, "With the baggage."
Releasing his grip of the clerk, the kat tipped his gray fedora at the handful of passengers who'd witnessed his aggression and then hastily walked off towards the phone booths. He hardly noticed the she-kat from before in the booth adjacent the one he ambled into.
"You got all that, Chance?" Callie questioned, adjusting the phone in her hand.
"Yeah, Callie, we'll take care of it for you. I'll send Jake down to pick up your car at the train depot." The husky voice of the mechanic purred, "You headed somewhere for the holidays?"
Callie smiled, to herself and openly, at the thought. "Yes, I'm going to a lodge up in the mountains. If I'm lucky, it'll blizzard while I'm there, and I won't have to go back to work for another two weeks."
There was chuckling on the other end. "A nice thought, Callie. So, you're going all alone?"
"Uh huh. I'm off for another week yet, so I figured I'd take it easy up there for a while. I hope you and Jake had a Merry Christmas!" She added.
"Oh, yeah, we did!" Chance spoke, "Though I think Jake attacked that eggnog a little hard again this year."
Moaning could be heard in the background, and Callie shook her head and chuckled.
"Well, I'd better be off. The train will be leaving soon. You have that extra set of keys, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry, we've got it handled. Enjoy your trip, Callie!"
"Thank you, I'll try," She ended and hung up.
"I don't care if there's been complications! Either you have it there when I come up, or the deal is off! I'm not gonna' put up with any more of your conniving, Malace! Either have it up at the lodge, or I'll take my business elsewhere."
The tom slammed the phone back onto the receiver and just about plowed over the Deputy Mayor on his way out of the phone caddy. He mumbled a quick apology and hastily made off towards the train. Callie was more startled than angered by the kat's actions and settled her nerves by sitting down on a nearby bench. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop on the tom's conversation, but she couldn't help but catch the last part of it. Not wanting to prod into the business any further, she took a few haggard breaths, stood up, and primed herself as she as well headed for the train. What a morning this was turning out to be.
After trampling over that poor girl, the mysterious figure's nerves were violently jolted. Had she heard? What if she told someone? Well, it was too late to do anything now, he reasoned, looking over his shoulder at the mess of kats in the depot. At the far end of the railway, he stopped. Peering over his shoulder and all around him, he noticed no one taking particular interest in his movements. Leaning against a pillar casually, he pulled out a lighter from his jacket pocket and fiddled with it. He lighted it and began mumbling incoherent jargon seemingly to himself. When his murmurs ceased, he flipped the lighter shut and pocketed it once again. The conductor called for all aboard, and the tom joined the mass boarding the train. Out of the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he saw a flash of pink board ahead of him.
From Whiplash Productions
Copyright Jazz: Swat Kats and all related trademarks are copyright Hanna- Barbera, not yours truly. Any other characters within the story unrelated to the series are copyright myself, unless otherwise stated.
*Author's Notation: Well, I couldn't very well let the holidays slip by and not contribute some sort of seasonal story. Therefore, I bring you this little wing-dig to read over. It's all about our favorite blonde deputy mayor on a day after Christmas misadventure. It's supposed to be serious, but what the heck, you can laugh at it if you want. As always, feedback's welcome with open arms.
--------------------------
The bag was a sandy color, filled to its capacity with all her essentials needed for the trip. Its bulge was enough to send chills up the spines of luggage carriers, who were familiar with the crushing weight such a woman would carry in her suitcase. They all seemed to vanish in thin air, or so Deputy Mayor Calico Briggs thought. She switched hands frequently, trying to maintain a balanced flow of blood to each of her arms lest they try to fall off on her. At last, her gracious eyes met with the baggage check-in desk. Dropping her bag with an exasperated huff, she greeted the clerk with all smiles.
The bag was a sandy color, filled to its capacity with cold hard cash. The bag with the rest of his belongings had been sent ahead to wait for him at the lodge. His eyes darted around the station, hidden behind dark sunglasses, but fortunately, no slob of a luggage handler dared pry the bag from the kat's cold, rigid fingers. He was a fairly tall tom, brown fur, auburn muzzle, wrapped completely and entirely in a long gray trench coat, with a matching gray fedora hat pulled low over his brow. Expressionless, his definite steps led him to the baggage check-in desk, where he dropped the bag to reach into his coat and pull out credentials. He acknowledged the clerk with a serious look and a hint of annoyance at the whole process.
"Thank you, Ms. Briggs! Have a pleasant trip!" The clerk chimed, handing her a receipt with the ticket.
Giving a slight nod of gratitude, the blonde she-kat turned around, as the clerk reached for what she supposed to be her bag and tagged it as such. The slight click of her heels could be heard as she next made her way to a phone booth. Putting in her change, she waited patiently for the dial tone and then proceeded to dial the number.
"And your bag, sir?" The clerk asked, handing the tom his receipt and ticket.
"This is carry on," He replied flatly.
The clerk peered over the countertop to look at the bag. "Where is it, sir?"
Instantly, the brown tom's gaze was to the floor. True, he had set it right next to him, but a moment later, he spotted it pressed up against the desk lengthwise. That fat idiot who had lumbered up to the counter next to him had probably kicked it. He gave a small frown and pulled the bag back out into view of the desk clerk. It was a bit heavier than he had thought.
"Nope, sorry, sir, that has to be loaded into the baggage car." The clerk said, hoisting it up.
Misjudging its weight, the clerk almost outright dropped it, which put the mysterious tom in a fowl temperament. He roughly took it from the dumb clerk's hands and hoisted it over the desk himself, letting it fall with a thud on the other side. Then taking the startled clerk by the shirt collar, he pulled him in close to his muzzle.
"Be very careful," He growled in a murmur, but added, "With the baggage."
Releasing his grip of the clerk, the kat tipped his gray fedora at the handful of passengers who'd witnessed his aggression and then hastily walked off towards the phone booths. He hardly noticed the she-kat from before in the booth adjacent the one he ambled into.
"You got all that, Chance?" Callie questioned, adjusting the phone in her hand.
"Yeah, Callie, we'll take care of it for you. I'll send Jake down to pick up your car at the train depot." The husky voice of the mechanic purred, "You headed somewhere for the holidays?"
Callie smiled, to herself and openly, at the thought. "Yes, I'm going to a lodge up in the mountains. If I'm lucky, it'll blizzard while I'm there, and I won't have to go back to work for another two weeks."
There was chuckling on the other end. "A nice thought, Callie. So, you're going all alone?"
"Uh huh. I'm off for another week yet, so I figured I'd take it easy up there for a while. I hope you and Jake had a Merry Christmas!" She added.
"Oh, yeah, we did!" Chance spoke, "Though I think Jake attacked that eggnog a little hard again this year."
Moaning could be heard in the background, and Callie shook her head and chuckled.
"Well, I'd better be off. The train will be leaving soon. You have that extra set of keys, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry, we've got it handled. Enjoy your trip, Callie!"
"Thank you, I'll try," She ended and hung up.
"I don't care if there's been complications! Either you have it there when I come up, or the deal is off! I'm not gonna' put up with any more of your conniving, Malace! Either have it up at the lodge, or I'll take my business elsewhere."
The tom slammed the phone back onto the receiver and just about plowed over the Deputy Mayor on his way out of the phone caddy. He mumbled a quick apology and hastily made off towards the train. Callie was more startled than angered by the kat's actions and settled her nerves by sitting down on a nearby bench. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop on the tom's conversation, but she couldn't help but catch the last part of it. Not wanting to prod into the business any further, she took a few haggard breaths, stood up, and primed herself as she as well headed for the train. What a morning this was turning out to be.
After trampling over that poor girl, the mysterious figure's nerves were violently jolted. Had she heard? What if she told someone? Well, it was too late to do anything now, he reasoned, looking over his shoulder at the mess of kats in the depot. At the far end of the railway, he stopped. Peering over his shoulder and all around him, he noticed no one taking particular interest in his movements. Leaning against a pillar casually, he pulled out a lighter from his jacket pocket and fiddled with it. He lighted it and began mumbling incoherent jargon seemingly to himself. When his murmurs ceased, he flipped the lighter shut and pocketed it once again. The conductor called for all aboard, and the tom joined the mass boarding the train. Out of the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he saw a flash of pink board ahead of him.
