Chapter 2

The next morning, the city rose to some interesting news. Chance and Jake had risen and opened their garage for the day but nothing was pending nor were there any calls, so they grabbed some breakfast and took it down to their waiting area, sitting down on their old ratty couch to watch some TV.

"Good morning, Ann Gora here with your morning report. At the top of the news today is the robbery attempt and attack at Megakat Biochemical Labs, late last night. It appears the techno thief known as Hard Drive tried to steal something from the lab but was stopped by Dr. Zyme who managed to throw a katalyst at him which drove off the criminal. The search for him is ongoing. The public is asked to keep a look out for him but are warned not to approach him for any reason. The chemical thrown at Hard Drive is said to make a person very paranoid so he can be considered even more dangerous than usual. Other news this morning..."

Chance and Jake failed to hear anymore of the report as they gasped in unison, "Dr. Zyme!"

"I thought that guy was dead, at least that's what I heard the enforcers say when that bacteria grabbed him from the lab," Chance said, shaking his head.

"Well, it looks like he managed to escape somehow in one piece," Jake said, equally amazed.

"Not many escape Viper with their life intact. He's one lucky tom, is all I can say," Chance commented, shutting off the TV as a call for a tow came in over their answering machine.

Jake could only agree as he got up to and followed his friend out.

A little later that morning, near the M.A.S.A Space Center, Hard Drive was wreaking havoc with a new prototype enforcer tank he'd managed to steal from Pumadyne without any alarm going off. He wasn't alone either. To everyone's surprise, he was accompanied by an army of mutant plants. Though the enforcers as quick as they could, they were hampered in their efforts to capture Hard Drive because they were seriously hampered by the acid-spitting mutations.

Commander Feral was in a tank with his most trusted sergeant driving him. He fired his twin cannons, managing to destroy a clot of plants, but there were still hundreds more of them charging his troops.

"Choppers move in!" Feral barked into his radio while he continued to fire at the plants trying to over run him.

Lt. Felina Feral and her aid, the demoted Lt. Commander Steele who was now only a second lieutenant, were in the lead chopper. They began to fire on the mutant plants, managing to help the tanks shrink their numbers but before they could wipe them out completely, a new threat appeared.

A swarm of giant mutated wasps swept in from no where and began firing stingers that were hard enough to penetrate the choppers skins and cutting off the aircraft's blades. Soon Felina was out numbered by the flying things and losing her squadron very quickly.

While this mega battle was going on outside, Dr. Viper had stealthily penetrated M.A.S.A. and entered the former lab of Dr. Harley Street. He was hoping the lab was still intact and had not been cleared out of its previous occupant's work.

As he slipped in past security and into the locked and darken lab, he was pleased to find everything was still here. He quickly rifled through files until he found what he was looking for then, after a further search of the labs cooling units, he chortled in pleasure as he pulled out a strange small container at the back of one of the coolers. Grinning evilly, he tucked the two items in a carry bag and quickly made his way back out.

He couldn't believe his good fortune. Normally the enforcer CSI unit would have removed all traces of what had happened in the lab. All he could think of was someone had dropped the ball which was all to the good for him. Now he could move on with his evil plans.

Outside, Feral had his paws full. No matter how many of the mutations his troops tried to destroy, more were right behind them. His force had been badly decimated with only three tanks and ten choppers remaining. He'd called for back up but it hadn't arrived yet.

Above, Felina and that fool Steele were doing an excellent job of flying and shooting. He was almost jealous he couldn't be up there with them. He was glad he had demoted Steele and sent him back to flying school and extra physical training. The tom had finally come back an efficient enforcer.

As his tank took another blow from a flying bug, Feral was actually wishing the SWAT Kats were here as he was worried what would happen to the city if these things managed to escape from here. Just as the thought passed through his mind, a roar filled the air and shook his tank. Using his monitor, he saw it was the Turbokat arriving. He unconsciously sighed in relief.

Above the scene, Razor fired cement shot and match head missiles at the flying wasps, clearing the sky of them then turned their energies on the acid-spitters by using a new freeze ray, Razor had developed.

Hard Drive hissed to himself as he saw his allies be destroyed leaving him alone. As the Turbokat turned its attention on him, he switched to anti-aircraft missiles and fired at the jet.

T-Bone, however, easily dodged the attack and returned to allow Razor to send a plain old missile toward the tank. It bounced off the force field the tank sported so Razor fired a scrambler missile which took down the field and shorted out the tank.

Razor thought that was enough and was shocked when an enforcer chopper swooped in and fired another missile, blowing the tank up completely. A body was thrown from the wreckage.

"Whoah! The enforcers are getting a bit bloodthirsty, buddy."

"Yeah, I thought they were supposed to capture the bad guys but I guess this fight got the better of them and pissed them off," T-Bone commented. "Want to land?"

"Yeah, we need to find out who stole that tank and why there were Viper's mutants around."

T-Bone found a cleared space to land and set the Turbokat down. Next to him an enforcer chopper landed as well. Rolling up to them came a tank.

Leaping down, the pair stared in surprise when Lt. Feral and Steele climbed from the chopper. Feral climbed out of his tank to walk toward them all.

"Thanks for the timely assist, SWAT Kats," Felina grinned, giving them a high five.

"You're welcome, lieutenant. Always happy to help the enforcers," T-Bone said, smugly.

"At least you two hot shots know when you can be useful," Feral said, reluctantly thanking them as well, earning him startled looks from the pair.

"Hey, Razor is that really Feral thanking us or did someone replace him?" T-Bone said, a bit tongue in cheek. Feral glared at him but didn't comment back.

Razor was nicer about it, soothing Feral's temper by saying, "you're welcome Commander. Sorry about the tank though. Who was driving it and why was Viper's little pets around?"

"Hard Drive stole the tank from Pumadyne then came here. I think he was supposed to be a distraction for Dr. Viper, though its hard to think of the two of them working together," Feral grunted. Concern and confusion in his tone.

Razor didn't much like the implications of that. "Then where is Viper?"

Before Feral could answer, a microphone was suddenly shoved in his face.

"Commander Feral, that was some battle you all fought. Who were the enemy?" Ann Gora asked, a bit breathlessly as she had run to be here to interview them before they took off.

Going into interview mode, even though he was irritated the press managed to get through the enforcer blockade, he said bluntly, "we suspect Dr. Viper engaged the assistance of Hard Drive to steal something from here."

"Do you have any idea what it might be?" She asked eagerly, smelling a big story.

"No. An investigation will be started to determine that. No further comment," he said, raising a paw to put a stop to the interview then stalked away to begin a search for Viper, the SWAT Kats moving off with him.

Disappointed and annoyed, Ann went to speak with the chopper crew but Felina had followed her uncle leaving Steele behind with the chopper. He smirked as the reporter came up to him.

"Lieutenant Steele, you and Lt. Feral did a good job up there. Do you have any comments you'd like to make?"

"Yes," Steele said smugly "The enforcers had the situation under control and did not need the interference of the SWAT Kats to take care of the matter."

"Weren't you out numbered ten to one," Ann Gora asked silkily, "...and if it wasn't for the SWAT Kats suddenly arrival, you would be dead right now?"

Steele's face reddened in anger and humiliation as he stuttered, "Eeeerrrr, what I mean is..."

"Shut up! Steele!" Feral barked, coming back to his tank again. "Don't embarrass yourself any further!" Steele shut up instantly.

"Commander! Did you find Viper?"

Grimacing unhappily, Feral admitted, "no...obviously he slipped away while we were still dealing with Hard Drive and, no..." he interrupted her before Ann could ask another question he could see in her eyes. "...we don't know yet what he might have wanted in the labs. That is all."

Ann knew that was all she was going to get out of him so went back to her news fan to report what she did know.

Behind her, the SWAT Kats prepared to leave but Razor still needed to say something to Feral. "Commander, we really need to know what Viper took. It can't be good so we need to try and find out so we can at least be prepared for when that creep shows himself again," he said grimly.

Feral would normally just tell them to mind their own business and the enforcers would handle this problem but he knew, with what Viper was capable of, not getting all the help he could get, could wind up with them all dead.

"I'll let you know if we find out anything though what that slimy lizard could have wanted here is beyond me," he murmured.

"Me too. I'll be waiting for your call," Razor said grimly then he and T-Bone leaped back into their jet.

As T-Bone piloted the jet home, he spoke to Razor through their radios, "wow, buddy...I would have never thought Feral would actually be willing to give us info!"

"That's because he's just as scared as I am about what Viper could be cooking up now."

T-Bone didn't respond to that but a shiver of fear went down his back. He sensed they were in for a terrible time when Viper showed up again.