-What the hell is this?-
Chance stood there, at the side of the Turbokat, holding the mysterious wooden mask with his right paw. Sure, in his time as an Enforcer, as a SWAT Kat, or even as a mechanic, he had seen many incredible and uncommon objects and gizmos, but this one... there was something about the mask that sent a weird chill down his spine.
First thing he found weird: the shape. The design was fairly simple, as it had no remarkable marks, decorations, or drawings, and it was intended to cover just the face of the wearer. However, although it had a pair of adequately-sized eyeholes, the mouthpiece was at the same level as them, with only a small orifice for the wearer to fit its mouth... meaning it could be uncomfortable for someone with a snout to wear it. Was it even meant to be fit for a kat's face? Any other mask he had seen so far (including the lucha libre mask he had somewhere in his room), were always made to fit a snout inside them. Which meant...
-This IS from another world alright- Said Chance to himself. He inspected it further: The mask was completely made of wood, except for the L-shaped metal piece in the forehead, and it had a slightly green tone on it. The mask looked both ancient and resistant, although there was no string or strap to keep it fastened on. Whoever made this mask, obviously made it to last... but was it wearable at all?
Chance yawned. With all the conmotion over the mask he forgot that he was supposed to fill up the Turbokat's tank before going to bed. He placed the mask on a table nearby and decided to continue refilling the tank. Well, at least that wasn't going to take long, he thought. When both canisters were completely empty, he moved them aside, locked up the TurboKat in place and closed the hangar.
When he finished, Chance noticed he was sweating all over, but fortunately there was nothing else between him and his soft, comfy bed. Could Jake still be awake? It couldn't take him so long to finish a sandwich... And just as he approached the hangar door that led to their small apartment, he remembered about the mask. He went to the table and picked it up.
There was a lot more questions about this mask, mainly where did it came from? And why it was lodged inside the Turbokat? Or maybe, who it belonged to? One of the best answers he could think of was that some kat crafted it, and if that was the case, there could be some signature, a special mark or a seal somewhere on the mask. But just as he turned the mask towards the inside, something incredible happened.
A weird green shimmer appeared on the inside of the mask. It lasted just a couple of seconds, one of those blink-and-you-miss-it happenings, but it was just enough for Chance to notice it. He became suddenly enthranced by that light, as he kept staring on the inside of his mask... which suddenly appeared to be more interesting, more appealing.
Wait, did he thought 'his mask'? It wasn't his, he just happened to find it... but then again, finder's keepers is the rule, isn't it? That would mean that the mask only belonged to him now, he was his owner... And if he was the owner, he had to figure out what to do with it. Perhaps... perhaps putting it on, just to see how would he look wearing it...
With every passing second, the idea of placing the mask on his face sounded more and more appealing, as his paws slowly -the mask towards him. At the same time, there was a sound of thunder out in the distance, as the crescent moon in the window was blocked out by dense clouds. Just when the mask was about a couple of inches near his snout, the mask propelled itself at Chance's face like a powerful vacuum cleaner. Chance reacted quickly and pulled the mask away, as the vacuuming sensation stopped suddenly.
If he had any trace of sleep, the sudden scare drove it away. Chance's heart was beating fast, as his eyes looked at the mask more cautionly. What the hell has just happened? It was official, his mask was absolutely freaky and alluring, at the same time... but also it peaked his curiosity to the top. The saying goes, 'curiosity killed the kat'... and he wasn't going to live with the curiosity, either. So he held the mask from the edges with both paws, and once again he drove the mask towards his face really slowly... until the tip of his snout touched the warm, woody surface of the mask.
As the previous time, Chance felt a vacuuming sensation from the mask, but this time he did nothing to stop it. He felt the mask clinging to his face, when suddenly the mask adquired a somewhat liquid consistence and adapted its shape to Chance's snout. From the edges of the mask, small green tendrils started to take shape, as they expanded and covered his head completely.
Chance held his head, trying to reach for the tendrils, but it was already too late as they met on the back of his head, fusing with each other and encasing his head completely. Chance felt like he was wearing some sort of latex mask, except this one was particularly tight and form-fitting. As the mask finished up adjusting to Chance's face, he felt an extreme surge of energy course through his veins. Pure, chaotic energy that was unlike anything he had felt before. He felt more than alive, he felt power... he felt freedom. He started spinning like crazy all over the place, until he became a living tornado that sent sparks of energy flying in every direction of the hangar.
And, as sudden as it began, it stopped. Except that the kat that was standing in the middle of the hangar was not Chance. Or at least, didn't looked like the humble mechanic that was supposed to be there. Instead, there was a big, self-confident kat, wearing a stylish italian suit and a black hat.
-HOLY CANOLY, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?- Said Chance, who unknowingly yelled everything he said. His voice sounded funny, it was slightly deeper and completely assertive in comparison to his normal voice. Without even thinking it, he went towards the hangar's bathroom in super-speed, and stood in the very same mirror he was looking at earlier. Although the result was different than before.
Looking back at him was a very energetic kat, grinning wide with excitement as he checked himself out. The suit he was now wearing looked really classy and expensive, but in this case it was HIM who made the suit look better. The fur on his face, for some reason, had a lime-green colour all over it, and reached until the middle of his neck, when his fur recovered his natural yellow-brownish coloration. Also, his facial features looked a bit more exaggerated than usual, sporting giant white-pearl fangs and shiny, brilliant eyes.
He suddenly realized that his new makeover was because of the mask. -Oh my, what has that thing done to my face... I LOOK EXTREMELY HANDSOME!- Said Chance, oblivious to the fact that his face was now green. He could feel it: every inch of his kat body now sported untold power, as his muscles were propelled by unlimited energy reserves.
-Why on earth would I go to bed right now? There is still a whoooole lot of things to do! And boy, I really feel like having a PAAAR-TAAAY right now!- Chance said, signaling at his reflection in the mirror. Surprisingly, his masked reflection winked back at him.
Suddenly Chance started spinning into a tornado again, heading to the garage door and closing it down on impulse, and placing hundreds of locks and padlocks outside. –Safety first, that's what I always say, hehehe…- He was now feeling both energetic and mischievous, thousands of unfiltered ideas running through his head, and all of them seemed good! Suddenly, one figment of Chance surfaced, turning around towards Jake's room… just to be interrupted by the mask's influence. –Naaah, he might be asleep. This night, solo it is!- Chance said, as he assumed again his tornado form, heading in super speed into the city.
