Disclaimer: I do not own Swat Kats. They are the products of their creators and I have no official say in what happens to them.
Summary: When Jake Clawson was twelve his mother was killed and his father vanished without a trace. When his father returns the truth of the past could shatter Jake's life forever. (Not related to my other Swat Kat fics!)
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"A father is supposed to do what is best for his family." At least that is what my father always told me when I was a young kat. He told me that it was the father's job to protect his family from everything that he possibly could. I failed to do that. My wife died because I couldn't protect her. I don't want to fail my kittens in the same way. I don't want to take them down with me when I seek my revenge on the ones who killed my wife. I could have saved her but I failed. I could have saved you my precious Ilia but I failed.
The dark figure sighed and slumped down in the chair that stood behind a large desk. The position that the kat found himself in did nothing to ease his aching heart because it brought him eye to eye with the reason for his mourning. He stared across the desk at a picture frame with two pictures. With shaking paws he reached over and pulled the picture frame to him.
The picture on the left held a picture of Ilia, the one she-kat he had ever truly loved. He remembered the day it had been taken. He and Ilia had taken their kittens on a picnic for their son's birthday and Ilia had brought along a camera for the occasion. The picture showed Ilia setting on the dark blue blanket they had brought with them. She had been wearing a simple white spring dress and she had been laughing at something their kittens had been doing in the background. Her brilliant green eyes were happy and the memory of her brought tears to his eyes.
The figure shivered. Ilia, his precious Ilia were gone forever. A couple of hot tears tracked down the figures' cheeks and splattered as they hit the glass that protected the picture. The figure gently wiped the tears away with the utmost respect and turned his eyes to the other picture.
The second frame held a picture of his two kittens. The photo had been taken on the same day as the one of Ilia and the unknown kat felt pain well up in his chest as he looked at the picture of his kittens. He loved them so much and he didn't want to leave them but he couldn't take them with him. He was going to get revenge against the ones who had taken his precious Ilia from him and he didn't want to drag his kittens down in the process.
That wasn't only one reason he was leaving them behind. In truth his kittens reminded him so much of Ilia, especially his son. His son was definitely his mother's. The two kats shared the same slim builds, caramel fur, and expressive eyes. The unknown kat looked down at the picture of his two kittens and a shudder passed down his spine. The picture showed his two kittens wrestling playfully on the ground beside their mother. He had managed to catch their faces when they had looked up at the camera and wide grins graced their faces. A couple more hot tears splattered against the frame and the kat wiped them away.
The picture he held had been taken two years ago when his son had been ten years old and his precious little daughter had been five. It had been nearly two months since Ilia had been killed and he had left his kittens. He knew they were being well cared for because plans for their well-being had been detailed in he and Ilia's wills. He hated living without Ilia and memories of her death constantly haunted him.
I could have protected her. the thought constantly haunted him and he could still see the blood on his paws from where he had held her. The unknown kat set the frame back on his desk and stared at his paws. He knew the blood was gone but he could vividly remember the red sticky tide as it had spread over his arms and chest. With a shiver he was lost in the memory of that evening.
He and Ilia had both worked in the same division of Pumadyne Industries. For once they had both gotten done with work at a decent hour and had agreed to go to dinner before heading home for the mandatory curfew that was being enforced because of some recent riots throughout the city. What the couple had failed to realize was that several of the rioters had organized protests in the shopping area near where he and Ilia had decided to have dinner.
The couple had been in the middle of dinner when they heard the shouts of the angry mob down the street from the restaurant where they were eating. They had tried to leave but the mob had been closer then they thought. The couple had taken off down the street in an attempt to escape. They almost made it too but some of the rioters had gotten closer and as he and Ilia rounded a bend in the street they came face to face with an Enforcer barricade.
The site of the barricade had caused the couple to stop long enough for the rioters to catch up. As soon as the rioters saw the armed Enforcers several of them started firing into the squad. The youngest Enforcers had immediately returned fire and he had watched helplessly as Ilia had been shot by the Enforcers return fire. His wife had dropped like a stone with a look of shock on her face and he had drove to the ground and pulled her into his arms even as he watched her die.
His only comfort from that night was that Ilia had died almost instantly. He had been completely oblivious to the sounds of gun fire and the cries of the dying as the enraged kats clashed with the Enforcers. All he remembered was clutching the body of his wife to his chest and watching in mute horror as her blood covered his paws and soaked into his clothing. He had met her eyes and she had whispered "I love you" before permanently falling limp.
The kat placed the frame back on the desk as gently as possible. He was doing what he had to. Ilia had to be avenged and he couldn't do it if he had to look after two young kittens. The kat's eyes strayed to the picture of his kittens. As he stared at the picture he was overcome with guilt. He hadn't seen either kitten since their mother's death and he didn't really want to see them either. He didn't want to look at his son and see his wife nor did he want to upset their lives anymore then he already had.
The official Enforcer report of the incident had said that his wife had been killed and that he was believed to be dead or at least wounded. The Enforcers had also said that Ilia had died because of the rioters and not the enforcers.
It hurt that the Enforcers had written him off for dead but it made his disappearance easier. The only people who would know that his grave lay empty would be Alexander and Hannah Furlong. Although he wouldn't put it past his son to find out the truth as well, the boy was brilliant and the kat felt a sense of loss well in his chest. Maybe one day he would seek out his son and tell him the truth. With a sigh the kat reached across the desk and laid the picture flat. He didn't want to think about the past anymore and seeing the picture would continue to remind him of what he had lost and left behind.
Once he could no longer see the picture the kat picked up a remote from the desk and pressed a couple buttons. Immediately a panel on the wall lifted up and the kat inspected the contents of the hidden compartment. The last two months had not been wasted. He had slowly been preparing for his revenge against the Enforcers and to do that he would have to leave his old life and identity behind. The kat walked over to the compartment and removed a custom made mask. It perfectly fit him and when he was wearing the mask it was impossible to distinguish as a mask.
The color was dark purple with bright yellow eyes. He smiled at the work before placing the mask back with the other pieces of the perfectly tailored costume. When he put that on and began to seek his revenge he would no longer be James Clawson. When he wore the mask he would only be known as Dark Kat. James pressed a button on his remote and the door of the compartment closed. Another press of a button and the shades of the windows opened to reveal a magnificent view of Megakat City.
"Soon Megakat City will bow at my feet and its precious Enforcers will be crushed in my paws." James looked over at the frame that lay on his desk and whispered. "I'm sorry for leaving you Jake but I have to do this to avenge your mother. I only hope that you can understand and forgive me when you find out the truth."
Well that is the first chapter guys. I hope you enjoyed it and decide to review.