CUDDLE
Chapter 2: The Chase is On
For the next two hours, there was no sound in the office but flipping papers and pens scratching. Finally, Feral gave a grunt of annoyance as he tossed the last file into his file basket but before he could make a comment to Strader about how useless his search had been, his office door popped open and Sgt Fallon hurried in with yet another file.
"Sir, this just came in from the sweep crew!" Fallon said, quickly, handing over the file.
Frowning, Feral opened it and began to skim the few pages it held while Fallon waited patiently.
Fallon's gaze fell on the stranger who looked up to stare at him a moment before returning his attention to a stack of reports he'd brought in for the Commander. 'This must be the inspector that was expected,' the sergeant mused then his commander snorted rather derisively drawing both him and the visitor's attention.
"Well, that confirms it." Waving the folder, Feral growled, "a wit was found at the scene who saw your Mr. Davers being hustled off a boat and into a van along with some kats dressed in head to toe black that could only be Dark Kat's ninjas."
"That's good news isn't it?" Strader asked, confused at how blase Feral was about the finding.
Sighing, Feral eyed his visitor with a jaundiced eye as he said, "it's good to know for certain your perp is here and who has him, unfortunately, finding Dark Kat is a needle in the haystack kind of thing. He comes to you...you don't ever find him."
Strader slumped in his seat. This was sounding like it was going to be a long waiting game for which he didn't have the time for.
"What are you going to do?"
Tossing the file down, Feral gave him a pained look. "We do what we always do...put out a bulletin and hope someone like this wit is found to locate Dark Kat's new hideout. However, if he chose to go to ground in the mountains, then we'll not find him at all."
The silver tom grimaced. "And how long does the wait take before you find him?" He had a very bad feeling about this.
Feral shrugged, "depends on whether he has a grand plan going at the moment or not. This Mr. Davers' attempt to pull out of the deal could have set Dark Kat's plans back and this is why he's mad enough to actually snatch the dealer. It's not ususal for him to do this so it must have been a really big scheme he has going. The possibility now is, he'll force Davers to make the deal he'd been trying for and get whatever it is he's needing." Feral's face took on a thoughtful look.
"Hmmm, you know, this kidnapping might be a good thing."
"How do you figure?" Strader asked, frowning.
Feral rubbed his chin, his eyes staring out the window without seeing anything as he explained. "It's given us an unexpected clue that Dark Kat had planned something truly big and that he was going to attack soon, something we had no idea about."
"But...despite that...you have no idea where to find him," Strader sighed, tilting his head up to stare at the ceiling. A waiting game. He hated waiting games.
"True...however, this time there's a difference in his pattern. This time he's become impatient and angry enough to do something against his normal, careful habits. If he made one mistake...he could make many more. Let me set my ops net into high gear and see if DK has left more obvious clues behind this time. We just might get lucky."
With a look of hope in his eyes, Strader watched as Feral made some calls. An hour later, he listened in as the Commander briefed the leaders of his undercover teams. He dismissed them thirty minutes later and turned to his visitor.
"Now we wait. If you want, you could shadow me to keep from getting really bored or you can cruise our city if you keep a close watch on your surroundings for omega attacks," Feral suggested.
"Either option sounds interesting. Perhaps I'll go with number two for the moment then switch to number one choice when something interesting comes up, eh?"
Feral shrugged, giving Shrader a small smile. "Something's always coming up so you won't get bored. I'll give you my personal cell number so we can keep in touch. Where are you staying?"
"I've reservations at the Freeburg Hotel in midtown."
"A nice place, nothing fancy and they don't serve meals. There's a cop diner just a few blocks from there called Jerimiah's and a restaurant in the same area called the Savoy. Enjoy your visit and I hope your wait won't be too long."
"Thanks. I'll go now to my hotel and check in since there's nothing more I can do. I'll give you a call later today to see how things are going," Strader said easily.
Feral pulled out a business card from his desk just as Strader pulled one out of his wallet. They exchanged cards and nodded farewell.
Feral had to admit, Strader's backside was just as fetching as his front had been. Sighing, he pulled his mind back to business and tackled more of his work.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
To Strader's annoyance, the search for Dark Kat went on for several days. He'd already checked in with his boss who'd told him he'd have to stick it out then as they needed this matter closed. He clearly understood the problem with finding Dark Kat so wasn't as upset by the delay as Strader thought he might be.
With nothing better to do, he'd seen the sights, actually gave assistance during a gang fight, watched with grim dismay an attack by some kind of living plants which he learned later was the calling card of a mutant Kat known as Dr. Viper which afforded him a chance to see the SWAT Kats in action and how they interacted with the enforcers.
He could easily see the animosity between the two forces but also a grudging admiration toward the wild pair of fighters. Their tech was amazing and he was captivated by the pilot's stunning skill flying their advanced jet and some of the really insane maneuvers he executed.
The weapons officer was a crack shot which would have been a great benefit to the enforcer though Feral certainly matched him in skill. Another thing that astonished him was the fact the pair weren't glory hounds. They actually avoided the publicity that hounded them by never really sticking around when the job was done. And the speed with which they could take a powder told just how fast the jet truly was. The enforcers were hopelessly outclassed which hurt to watch.
During this waiting time, he'd gotten to know Ulysses a little better. When it was possible, they shared dinner together and talked shop, touching only a little on their personal lives.
From the bits and pieces Feral let drop about himself, Strader learned the tom was as lonely as himself and realized, disconcertingly, that his life was a mirror of Strader's own...total dedication to their career, no interest in marriage or kittens, and no lovers. Just two lonely souls helping others and ignoring their own needs and desires. Perhaps, that was what drew them to each other.
Whatever it was, they were having a hard time ignoring their desires for each other, however, they were too well trained to allow their personal feelings to interfere with their duties. But it was becoming obvious by the many veiled looks they gave each other, that when Strader's task was over, the barrier would come down with a crash. He could hardly wait.
The case exploded suddenly, two and a half weeks after his arrival. A dead body had been recovered from the bay and the ME's office was able to identify the male as Davers.
Strader stared down at the mutilated body on the coroner's table, dispassionately. 'Well, I don't have to worry about taking his worthless carcass home and that's one more arms broker out of the picture,' he thought, both relieved and upset.
Yes, his perp was dead, but the reasons for the death were still unanswered and Dark Kat hadn't been located. But Feral knew the death meant the omega was ready to strike and this was his notification of his intentions. Less than two hours after the body was found Dark Kat struck.
The scene was like something out of a science fiction novel...a huge black ship in the shape of a spider came charging down main street striking at building and enforcers indiscriminately, causing widespread panic and chaos.
Strader had offered his assistance and Feral reluctantly allowed him to join him aboard his chopper as his gunner and copilot.
"Be fast on the guns and fast to bail out. Don't think twice about leaping overboard the moment our chopper is hit...in a battle with Dark Kat I always seemed to lose my chopper," Feral shouted to the tom as they strapped in and lifted off the flight line.
Strader blinked at him in disbelief but didn't ask how Feral managed to survive every time. One didn't just leap out of a chopper because there was no parachuting from this close to the ground. It was suicide to leave the chopper but in the fight with Viper, he did see a lot of enforcers leap from totally destroyed choppers rather than stay with them...and, surprisingly, many of them did survive...still he thought it was crazy.
Shaking his head at the insanity of this war Feral fought regularly, he got familiar with the weapons. Considering how the enforcers had to fight, he wasn't surprised to see the pilot also had weapons besides the gunner. He'd been in Megakat City long enough to have witnessed how brutal their war with the omegas was and why their jets and choppers fairly bristled with weapons. Too bad it didn't help them as much as it should. Feral lost far too many enforcers in this seemingly endless war.
The battle lasted over twenty minutes, was vicious, deadly, and terrifying. He and Feral comported themselves with honor, fighting until their chopper was literally ripped from around them.
Their lives had been saved only because Feral knew he was about to be creamed and managed to swing the chopper toward the Turbokat's location, fired one more round into the enemy to add to the barrage his other choppers were doing and the more intense pounding the SWAT Kats were giving the odd flying ship.
When that fatal blow struck their chopper, Feral yelled, "jump outward then fall toward me!"
Strader blinked at that odd instruction but didn't have much time to think more on it when their chopper exploded. He was suddenly freefalling wildly for the ground. Mindful of Feral's last command, he searched the sky while spreading his body flat to slow his downward fall. There was the big tom to his right and below, doing the same maneuver as himself. He angled himself as best he could, folded a little so he would fall quicker until he was just above Feral then spread out again.
Feral didn't see him yet then suddenly they were both snagged by a large net that wrapped around them and jerked them to a stop, squashing the pair of them together. With his chest pressed against Feral's, Strader looked upward to the see the Turbokat was responsible for their rescue.
"Glad you made it. Would have hated losing you," Feral rumbled close to his ear.
Strader turned his head a little so he could look the tom in the face. "You knew this would happen?"
The tom snorted, amused, "I counted on it!"
"Oh, so that's why you changed direction and came closer to them." Strader realized, which explained Feral's strange behavior and shouted instruction.
"Yeah, if they insist on being on the scene, I might as well make sure I survive the battle by being close to them. Their morals forbid them from just allowing me to go splat to the ground even if they don't like me much," Feral grinned, wolfishly.
As they were pulled skyward toward the jet, Strader could only grin and say, "I like how you think."
In minutes, they were aboard the jet and he got to meet the gunner of the pair face to face. There wasn't time for an introduction, though, as the enemy was still in the game. Waving the two of them to some jump seats against the wall, the small, colorfully dressed tom climbed back up to the cockpit.
Strader listened intently as the pair above them fought Dark Kat. He had to admit, they made an efficient team and he learned the smaller tom, named Razor or sure shot by his partner T-Bone, was the one who had invented and fired the amazing array of weapons they were using.
It was only another five minutes before Razor yelled 'bingo', signifying the end of Dark Kat's plans, whatever they had been. The jet flew a short distance then went to VTOL to land in the street. Strader wished they had a jet that could VTOL with such ease. It was still in the experimental stage in his home country and Feral didn't have the funds to have one built for the enforcers, which was highly unfair.
He got to meet the pilot, a big, brawny, sandy colored male who was arrogant and snide with Feral. That made Strader bristle with indignation but held his tongue as he noted Feral only seemed mildly annoyed and traded, what sounded like, familiar barbs.
Listening more closely to their testosterone laden bantering that consisted of threats by Feral and snide rebuffs and posturing by the big SWAT Kat, Strader realized there was true respect between the two and no real animosity. It seemed to be an act strictly for any viewers watching and/or listening in. Feral had to be careful not to show he sanctioned the vigilantes presence though it was obvious they did manage to work together...sort of a clandestine partnership to protect their city.
He was impressed. Feral knew he was in a bad position with his poorly equipped forces and was smart enough to utilize what was at paw to protect his city. To take the abuse and humiliation such as was being heaped on Feral by their pompous and unimpressive mayor took a big person who did what was right despite being vilified for it. He simple shrugged it off and stalked away proudly as he finished his work, ordering the clean up of the area, medical for the wounded, later finishing the necessary reports and the letters of condolences...all without appearing to care what was said of him but Strader knew otherwise. Inside, that huge tom suffered alone and friendless, keeping a gruff exterior to hide his true feelings.
Well he knew just the thing to help that wonderful warrior and martyr at the end of a terrible day. Now that his mission was over and Dark Kat had been captured, they could make time for themselves. Tonight, he would soothe both their lonely souls by joining together to celebrate surviving another day with a passionate night of sex. While Feral finished his day, Strader called his boss and said he would be back in a couple of days as he was going to take a short break then made for his hotel to make some special arrangements. He left a message with Sgt Fallon to tell his superior to come to his hotel room at seven that evening.
