In a nutshell, the SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna-Barbera/Warner and the Predator is owned by Fox. What more could I say? Oh yeah, for those SWAT Kats fans, I promise you Callie Briggs, Mayor Manx, Commander Feral, Felina Feral, Professor Hackle, and some other known characters will be in the FanFic. But since the main antagonist is the Predator, just as a heads-up, no SWAT Kats villains will be shown, other than OC's. The story here is dedicated to all fans of the SWAT Kats and the Predator. And for those of you curious about the name "Thwei Halkrath," it means "Blood Shadow." Enjoy!

Far off in space, a sinister-looking spaceship passed over a planet, ejecting what looked to be either an escape pod or a missile. Travelling at countless miles per second, the object made contact with the planet's surface, specifically in a field outside a metropolis called Megakat City. The escape pod stood there, motionless in the dark humid night. After a moment of silence, the doors opened up, revealing an array of buttons and screens inside . . . just before a rather large, muscular creature called a Yautja, known elsewhere in the universe as the Predator, stepped out. (A/N: Imagine the Predator was being shown as the camera slowly moved from its feet up to its face.) The Predator, or Thwei Halkrath as he was called back on his home planet, wore a fishnet jumpsuit under some heavy gray armor and loin cloth, along with a string of extra-terrestrial skulls around either shoulder down to the torso. The weapons strapped to his back and hips included a Combistick (a type of spear), Smart Disc, Speargun, Glaive, and a Maul; he also had a weapon mounted on the other shoulder called a Plasmacaster and a pair of Wristblades. The Predator had scaly skin, long sharp claws, appendages similar to dreadlocks attached to the skull, and he wore a black mask with red markings. Using the mask, Thwei Halkrath detected heat signatures in search of any potential prey . . . and he did in Megakat City's new cannery.

Meanwhile, Megakat City's local vigilantes, the SWAT Kats, were in the Turbokat, making a nightly inspection around the city.

"See anything yet, Razor?" asked Chance Furlong, alias T-Bone. "As far as I know, the city looks pretty safe from here."

"From what I see so far," said Razor, or Jake Clawson when not on SWAT Kat duty, "the criminal activity is at a minimum of zilch, buddy."

"Huh, lucky break for us. I dunno 'bout you, pal, but I'm in the mood for an all-night marathon of Scaredy Kat. Add a pizza and a six-pack of milk and I'll be good to go."

"Yeah, I think we deserve a night-off. Wait a minute T-Bone, I'm getting a blip on the radar."

And Razor indeed was picking up something on the radar.

T-Bone sighed in annoyance. "Ah, crud—that's what I get for wishful thinking. Oh well, might as well go down and see what's up."

"Don't sweat it pal," assured the smaller orange SWAT Kat, "once we check out the problem, I'll pay for the pizza as soon as we get back."

"Sounds like a plan to me, buddy."

Landing the Turbokat safely in the field, the SWAT Kats climbed out and inspected the area. All seemed calm as far as they could tell.

"Are you sure you checked your radar?" inquired the larger yellow Kat. "'Cause all I see is empty field and even more empty field."

"Of course I did—" answered Razor half-defensively—"just yesterday."

"I believe you pal. . . ." T-Bone paused for a moment when just a few yards away from them, he spotted the Predator's escape pod. "Hey Razor, I think I found your blip."

The vigilantes ran to Thwei Halkrath's pod; as they got up close, they were both speechless for a moment as they looked at it in an odd way.

". . . So, what do you make of it, Razor?" asked T-Bone.

Razor scratched the back of his head in confusion. "Your guess is as good as mine T-Bone. Maybe Pumadyne is responsible for it. Let's take a quick look inside it."

"Good idea."

The SWAT Kats poked their heads inside the pod and were inwardly stunned at the assortment of buttons in it. What took them aback were the odd markings.

"If Pumadyne is involved," said T-Bone after he and his partner took their heads out of the pod, "then what's with all the markings?"

Razor rubbed his chin in remembrance. "I'm just spit-balling, but maybe—just maybe—it's a code of some sort."

"I'm listening."

"Remember the old Mega War II movie we watched? Where the good guys used another language so the enemy wouldn't be able to understand them when eaves-dropping on the plans?"

"Yeah, I remember that—pretty good movie. And since you put it that way, buddy, I can see where you're headed."

"Thanks, but I probably wouldn't count on that."

"Why not?"

"I don't know—just the design and everything. Call me crazy if you want, pal, but it could be possible that we might be heading for another outer-space problem."

The larger yellow Kat face-palmed himself. "Why did you have to say that? First, it was those Ci-Kat-A's, then it was Mutilor, now what's next?"

"Rest assure it wouldn't be a Ci-Kat-A—they aren't that smart. As for Mutilor's species fitting into one of those pods . . . you might want to scratch that possibility off. Let's take it into Professor Hackle's."

T-Bone gave the smaller orange Kat a thumbs-up. "Great idea, Razor. Maybe the Professor could shed some light on the little problem—especially after he worked with Pumadyne as long as he did, you know?"

(A/N: Here's a little World War II fact—the Allies actually used that sort of strategy when they were stationed in Japan; specifically, they discussed plans by speaking in the Navajo language. If you read that in history, or watched the Nicholas Cage movie Windtalkers, then you probably know what I'm talking about.)

While the SWAT Kats hooked Thwei Halkrath's escape pod to the Turbokat, the said Predator was inspecting the cannery. Seeing an open window, the alien monster turned on an invisibility cloak from his wrist and silently jumped onto the window ledge and gently got down on a collection of wooden crates as he watched his prey-to-be through his thermal vision, then switched it to his neuro vision. Although he had never seen these feline beings called "Kats" before, his father had told him of his journey to the planet many moons ago: a hunt to remember, and a planet that he wished to forget . . . especially after losing his brother, Thwei Halkrath's uncle before him.

Down below was an elderly Kat with a thick moustache and white fur tied to a chair as he faced his tormentors: a six-Kat group of newcomers to Megakat City called the Korat Gang.

"Okay old-timer, there's a reason why the catnip shipment had been sunk last week. I'm only going ask you one time—did you snitch on us to the Enforcers?" asked a buff, deep-voiced Kat with gray fur, black spots, and a smooth tail, wearing a black suit and pants. On his left side he had three of his members: the one closest to him was a light brown She-Kat with long black hair, shifty green eyes, a bushy tail, long claws, and rough-looking casual wear; next to her was a deep orange Kat with a buzz-cut, a thin build, a long face, and a light gray suit; and the furthest Kat from the gray interrogator was a scruffy yellow behemoth of a Kat with a bobtail, a fang sticking out of the side of his mouth, and a patch covering his right eye, under which was a scar, and wearing a pair of blue jeans and a white muscle shirt. On the right of the interrogator were identical brothers with dark brown fur, long faces, thin build, and while one of the brothers wore a pair of green cargo pants with a white tank top, the other one had black cargo pants with a light gray tank top.

Coughing due to how tightly bound he was to the chair, the old Kat rasped out, "Please Bruno, I have no idea of the catnip operation going down—honest."

The interrogator, Bruno Bombay, waved a finger as he shook his head and made a tsk-tsk sound. "Now don't try to play dumb with us Eddy. Ever since the Enforcers captured you, you've been acting different. You've been acting all shifty around us. Now, tell us what's going on."

"Yes," hissed the She-Kat named Mist as she waved a gun around Eddy's face, "tell us what we need to know."

"Please," begged the old Kat, "I have no idea about what's been going on. The Enforcers were trying to interrogate me and they just shook me up. I would never betray the Korat Gang."

"Hey boss," whispered one of the two brothers, "my brother and I think we caught Eddy here in a lie."

"Well Eddy," said Bruno, "your face doesn't convince me; I can see guilt on it . . . and I know just how to make people spill their guts. Deadeye, do the honors."

Deadeye, the behemoth of a Kat with an eye patch, snapped his neck in place and pointed a machine gun between Eddy's eyes. In a deep, savage-sounding voice, Deadeye growled, "Start talking Eddy, or I won't be responsible for what's about to happen next."

Eddy shook like a leaf and gulped as he saw Deadeye's finger on the trigger, twitching with anticipation. Either way, the truth or another lie, the old Kat knew he was going to be rubbed out. If I'm going to die, silently figured Eddy, then I might as well tell them so I can at least be out of the gang. "All right, I was arrested by the Enforcers, and they told me if I help them in having the Korat Gang arrested, I would be free. You see, Bruno, I never wanted to be a part of your mob; I only joined so I could pay off the debts I have owed you."

"Really?" asked Bruno in a thoughtful tone. "Did you tell the Enforcers the same thing?"

"Yes. Now, I understand I'm a dead Kat either way, but could I at least have one last wish?"

"Are you really buying this, sir?" asked the buzz-cut Kat with a thick Scottish accent. "He sounds truthful of course, but why give him any last requests?"

"No need to worry about it, Angus," said Bruno, "'cause he's not getting anything . . . other than a bullet to his head, of course."

After hearing the entire conversation from these Kats, Thwei Halkrath considered all but the hostage as worthy trophies. He had to get their attention somehow, so he could stealthily pick them off one by one . . . and leave their leader the best for last. The best thing he could come up with was a roar.

The Korat Gang whipped their heads around to the source of the sound. Deadeye didn't have a second to give the cannery a long enough look as he let loose a barrage of bullets. Little did he realize, however, was that the Predator avoided every bullet as he ran from one stack of crates to another before jumping up to the metal support beams.

Ripping the machine gun out of Deadeye's hands, Bruno snarled at his partner. "What do you think you were doing, you one-eyed moron!? Do you realize you probably scared the intruder off!?"

One of the twin brothers sniffed the air before shuddering at the thick scent that rivaled the fish. "I dunno boss, I think the intruder is still in here."

"Well don't just stand there, you idiots—search the entire cannery and don't come back until you have their head! Angus, you take Mist and Deadeye and inspect the left side. Frederino, you and Reggie take the right. I'll stay here with Eddy, and don't you dare come back without the intruder's carcass, understand?"

Checking her gun to make sure it was loaded, Mist nodded to her boss. "Don't worry, Bruno—the poor sucker is as good as dead when we riddle them with bullets."

"Indeed," agreed Angus, "you can count on us, big guy."

"Good," nodded Bruno, "now go before you join Eddy. Whatever you do, don't mess up."

With a salute, the five Kats split up and started inspecting every nook and cranny amongst the stacks of crates. Thwei Halkrath saw that the twin Kats named "Frederino" and "Reggie" would be easy to take out first.

While the Predator incognito swung from the support beam and silently onto the crates closest to the brothers, Frederino and Reggie were slowly walking through the shadowy pathway of crates as they held their handguns and prayed for a little action.

"Yo Reggie," called Frederino as he followed his brother, "what would you say if the SWAT Kats are involved?"

Little did the brothers know was that the intergalactic hunter lowered an invisible noose right in front of Frederino and quietly yanked him up, forcing him to drop his handgun.

"I dunno," shrugged Reggie, "anything's possible, but what are the chances of us killing the SWAT Kats, eh?" Just as he turned around, he jumped in surprise to see that his brother was gone. "Uh, Freddy? Where are you, brother? Okay, it's not funny anymore."

As the Kat slowly backed up into the shadows, he bumped into something large and smelled of something beyond foul.

"Err . . . Deadeye?" asked the Kat weakly as he slowly turned around to face what he thought was his ally. As an answer to his question, Reggie heard the sound of metal unsheathing.

Meanwhile, on the left side of the cannery, the other three members of the Korat Gang heard a bloodcurdling scream that could only be identified as Frederino or Reggie.

"Sounds like the brothers are in trouble. Should we go help them?" queried Mist.

"Aye," answered Angus, "let's get moving—quickly."

After Deadeye grunted in agreement, the other three Kats ran to the other side of the cannery. They only paused when Bruno started berating them.

"What are you three doing?" demanded the boss Kat. "I thought I told you to make a sweep through the left side of the cannery!"

"We were, boss," explained Angus, "but we heard one of the brothers scream and we—"

"I don't care about them—whatever they're facing, it's their problem and only their problem. Now quit wasting time and—"

Bruno was then interrupted by that same chilling roar. As the four Korat Gang members and Eddy faced the direction the roar came from, Thwei Halkrath jumped on top of a collection of crates, turned off the invisibility cloak, and growled threateningly at his prey.

"Blast him!" commanded Bruno. Mist, Angus, and Deadeye fired away at the alien monster. While the bullets ricocheted off his armor, only one of Mist's bullets struck Thwei Halkrath in his thigh. The Predator jumped off the crates and slowly advanced towards the She-Kat.

Shoving her out of the way, Deadeye aimed his gun at the Predator's head. "Eat lead, you freak!"

However, before he could pull the trigger, Deadeye was shot directly in the chest by Thwei Halkrath's Speargun and sent flying into the wall. Whipping his head around with a growl, the Predator approached Mist and held her up by the neck. With his Wristblades extended to their minimum length, Thwei Halkrath plunged them into Mist's abdomen. As the Predator watched the female Korat Gang member slowly die, Angus picked up Deadeye's machine gun and fired a few rounds into Thwei Halkrath's side.

Flinging the dead Mist away from him, the unaffected Predator activated his Plasmacaster and aimed at Angus's chest area. The Predator shot a blue ball of plasma out and sent the Scottish-accented Kat flying into a stack of crates. The only thing that could be seen of Angus was his scorched hand sticking out of the pile of crates.

Thwei Halkrath examined the cannery and saw that the trembling hostage called Eddy was the last living soul around. The Predator knew that there was one more Kat to kill and claim as a trophy . . . but where did the one called Bruno leave was the question.

As the threat searched the area of the cannery, Bruno Bombay watched silently from the stack of crates he stood on while unsheathing his knife from his boot. With a battle cry, the Korat Gang leader pounced on top of the Predator as the creature turned his head upward.

"Take this, sucker!" exclaimed Bruno as he shoved his knife into the bare part of Thwei Halkrath's right arm. As Bruno held onto the Predator's back with all his might, what he least expected was his victim slamming him against the wall, forcing him to lose his grip on his knife and on Thwei Halkrath.

With a guttural growl in his throat, the Predator barked and punched Bruno Bombay in the face, leaving him subconscious. Taking the knife out of his arm, Thwei Halkrath looked at his prey for only a moment before extending his Wristblades to their maximum length.

Don't worry folks . . . it's only the beginning.