SO FAR FROM HOME

Chapter 3: Confronting Dark Kat

The SWAT CO shook his head but they didn't have any other plan for getting the hostages out safely. He eyed Feral as he escorted him close to the edge of his police barrier. The guy was big, powerful and exuded an authority the CO recognized as similar to his own. Capt Jersen wasn't forthcoming on who this guy was but he seemed to trust him so the CO was forced to do the same.

"Do you want us to call him or do you want to see if he'll talk to you?" He asked.

"He's asking for me so give me the bull horn." Feral said, his face tight and grim.

The CO nodded and gestured for the bull horn from the SWAT negotiator who didn't look happy about this either as he handed it over.

Taking in a deep breath and letting it out, Feral brought the mouthpiece to his face. "Dark Kat! This is Feral." He proclaimed. He could just feel the odd looks he was getting around him but he couldn't let that distract him.

"It's about time, Commander! Come to me or I will end the life of a hostage." Came the grim dark tones of Megakat City's worst enemy.

Feral grit his teeth, he wished he'd been wrong. "Fine! I'm coming in!" He gave the horn to the CO. Before he could move, Capt Jersen caught his arm.

"It's who you thought?" He asked quickly.

"Unfortunately, yeah!"

"You're unarmed! How do you expect to take him out?" Jersen pressed. The CO wanted to know as well as he leaned close.

"I can't! Only those two hotshots can do that now. All I can do is delay him until they arrive. You need to retrieve Ms. Briggs immediately. When they arrive, she will let you know then I highly suggest you ensure no one shoots them out of the sky nor freaks out when you see what they look like. You better cordon this area tightly then decide who you want to see what they'll have to keep secret or you'll have a nightmare of government head hunters after us." Feral said grimly.

Jersen licked his lips nervously. "They'll think I'm crazy!"

"Yeah, at first but there's no hiding what that jet is nor the crew aboard so you better do something quick. Now I've got to go before he gets impatient." Feral said firmly then pushed forward to walk through no-mans land, the area between the cops and the building.

As Feral disappeared into the building, the SWAT CO turned to Jersen. "What the hell was that all about?" He demanded.

Jersen tensed and tried to think how to tell this no-nonsense guy that these were aliens. "These people aren't from around here." He said rather inanely.

"No shit! I guessed that from the way you two were pussyfooting around. Just how far out of town are they." He growled.

Jersen winced. Commander Sanderson, the CO, didn't realize how accurate that word 'pussy' was.

"You wouldn't believe me. I certainly didn't until too many of them showed up in my borough. I couldn't dismiss it and still I can't believe what I know now." Jersen said unhappily.

"I know you for a down-to-earth kind of guy, Jersen so I'll help you out here." Commander Sanderson said seriously, moving his head closer so that his words wouldn't travel. "I just happened to have dealt rather recently with something downright weird a couple of months ago. If you'd told me I'd see an honest to god werewolf, I'd have ask you what you were smoking. But I did deal with such a beast with a select FBI secret organization that deals with the bizarre. So believe me when I say, I'm probably the only one that won't send you to the psych ward. Now that guy in there spooks me. We can't see his face but I did catch something odd about him through a sniper's scope so give up what you know!"

Jersen stared at Sanderson in surprise. He thought this situation was bad enough but to know there were other strange things of earth itself that a secret organization was dealing with didn't make him any happier.

Taking a breath and settling himself, he told the CO what he knew. When he was through, he watched Commander Sanderson suck in a breath and let it out.

"Damn, that's weird alright! And you say, a jet with two cats will be showing up here real soon to rescue these....uh....people?" He asked, to be sure he heard correctly.

"Yeah, that's what they told me. I don't even want to think what the military is going to do if they hear of such a modern style jet with weapons far beyond our own. Makes me think of war of the worlds." Jersen said with a shiver of fear.

"Except they aren't here to invade but the panic that movie showed isn't too far from the truth if the people of this city see them. So, we better do what this guy, Feral says and make a cordon that's big enough and secure enough to hide a jet flown by cats." Sanderson said in grim amusement. He got on his radio and began to bark some rapid fire orders.

Jersen sighed in relief. Thank god for this piece of luck. If anyone can cover this up well enough, he felt Sanderson would be the one. They were damn lucky he was the one on this case. He looked back at the building Feral had went into.

'Now I hope that poor guy can hold off that super criminal long enough for help to arrive.' He thought worriedly.

Feral was hoping the same thing as he opened the door to the office building and stepped in. The office had a large front section with a secretary's desk and comfortable chairs in a waiting area. Off to one side of the wall behind the front desk ran a hallway with offices.

His human ears couldn't hear as well as his cat one's could but the cries of frightened people were loud enough for him to hear through the wall. A dark form suddenly detached itself from behind a room divider sitting on the other side of the hallway entrance.

"Dark Kat!" He said flatly.

"Commander. You're looking rather different lately." The criminal said with a cold smirk.

Feral growled and bared his teeth wishing it was fangs and claws. He felt so naked and helpless before this formidable enemy.

"So why are you here? I thought your plans were working well." Feral goaded.

Dark Kat growled and his eyes glowed with fury. "I'm sure you've guessed already that those infernal SWAT Kats were the reason for my rather hurried departure." He snarled.

"They are quite the pests aren't they?"

"Would have been to both our benefits if you'd been more successful in taking them out but I suspect you really didn't try that hard since they were doing your job." Dark Kat said nastily.

Feral reddened but didn't take the bait. Now was not the time for him to lose his famous temper. He didn't have the high ground here.

"So what did you want with me? I certainly can't help you get back." The Commander asked, ignoring the dig.

Dark Kat suddenly moved to Feral's side and grabbed his arm, pulling it behind his back.

"Uh....owww......"

"You'll be my hostage for when the SWAT Kats get here. I want back!!! But the only way to return is with their help." DK hissed in Feral's ear.

"Kat's Alive! Then why did you come here in the first place?" Feral was confused.

"None of your business, Commander. Shall we join the others? Hopefully, we won't have long to wait long." The huge Kat rumbled as he pulled Feral along the hall, brutally twisting the arm he was holding.

At the end, he opened a door that lead into a large room filled with computer equipment along the walls and tables. In one corner were at least twenty people huddled together. They stared at him as he was shoved through the door and it close behind him.

He thought he heard chittering before the door closed. He shivered as he rubbed his sore arm. That could only mean some of Dark Kat's creeplings had come through with him but for reasons of his own, the omega was keeping them out of sight.

"So who are you? A cop?" Asked a heavy weight male wearing a business suit without the coat.

"You could say that!" Feral muttered, looking back at the door for a moment then turned back to stare at these humans. It made him feel odd to look at these fur-less creatures. He hoped he wouldn't have to look like them for too much longer.

"I want you to stay calm. Everything is being done to get you out of here but you must be patient. Has he done anything to you?" Feral asked, curious to see what Dark Kat had been up to.

"No. That...guy...shoved us all in here after disarming our security without any effort. He's super strong and has weapons we've never seen before." The heavy set human answered.

"I did hear some kind of strange squeaking sound but I never saw what was making it." Another male offered.

"He gives me the creeps. There's just something really wrong about him and why is he hiding his face?" An older female asked no one in particular.

"Yeah, that guys creepy alright." A younger female muttered, hugging her body nervously.

Feral nodded. "He's an evil person but he has no interest in you. He's got something else on his mind so if you don't call attention to yourselves, you should be safe."

"But you don't know that!" Another male spat, fear making him hostile.

"I know more about this guy than I care too. He's not interested in you." Feral repeated with conviction. These people didn't know Dark Kat would kill them all if it served his purpose. He didn't intend for them to know that since it wouldn't help the situation.

He grabbed a chair nearby and sat not far from the door and took on a waiting look. The rest of the hostages sighed or muttered angrily but settled into quiet groups, soft conversation broke out here and there. As long as it kept them calm, Feral didn't care.

Outside the building, Commander Sanderson had succeeded in making a larger cordon around the hostage scene. It had taken some doing removing people from buildings all around the block for a mile radius and to keep news reporters from getting a whiff of what was going on. He had ordered some of his black ops choppers to guard the airspace and to be on the look out for a black jet.

He'd done everything he could to contain this area including insuring the brass and city officials didn't stick their noses in either. The last thing he wanted was the National Guard to be called in.

While they waited, he sent a small detachment with Capt Jersen and Detective Forman to the safe house where the rest of these aliens were holed up.

Capt Jerson and Det. Forman got out of their car while the detachment off loaded and surrounded the house. They did it as casually as they could so as not to raise the suspicions of the neighbors.

The two police went up to the door and knocked. Ms. Briggs opened and noted the added strangers around the area. She frowned questioningly but backed up to allow the Capt and detective in.

"What's going on? Who are those people?" She demanded as soon as she closed the door.

"Stay calm, Ms. Briggs. They are part of the unit handling the hostage situation where Commander Feral is at this moment. Feral wants you to come down there and be on hand when these SWAT Kats show up so that we identify them quickly and get their help. The SWAT CO has already succeeded in making a large cordon around the place to keep ordinary citizens away." Jersen explained quickly. He sighed, "We got lucky! The CO, a man by the name of Sanderson is familiar with the weird and is ready to help as soon as your calvary arrives."

Callie sighed in relief. "Well, that is certainly good news." Then she frowned as a thought occurred to her. "I know Commander Feral said only I should go but it occurs to me that if the SWAT Kats succeed in taking down Dark Kat things will move quickly and we'll have to be on hand to leave immediately. If the rest of my people are here........."

"Oh crap! They could become trapped here." Jersen interrupted her.

"Yes."

"Then there's no choice. We'll have to take all of you with us. Gather them all and wait a moment. I have to get transport." Jersen said tensely as he turned and went back outside to talk to the detachment leader.

Detective Forman remained, "Is there anything I can do to help you get ready to go, Ms. Briggs?" He asked.

"Yes, you could help guard Hard Drive. We need to insure he doesn't escape to help Dark Kat." She said grimly.

"Yes, ma'am!"

Callie nodded and left to gather everyone. Some fifteen minutes later, everyone was gathered in the living room and waiting to go. Detective Forman and Major Firestar stood on either side of Hard Drive. The criminal had a sour look on his face and his hands were handcuffed behind him.

Capt Jersen came back in and gestured for them to hurry to the van that had been quickly procured from the local police station. They moved quickly toward it and climbed aboard, except for Ms. Briggs.

She stopped Major Firestar and Hard Drive from getting aboard the van and signaled to Capt Jersen..

"Capt Jersen. I suggest you take Hard Drive with Major Firestar in your car." She said.

"Good idea. Forman get in back with them." Jersen said as they packed the criminal between them in the back seat of Jersen sedan.

Callie boarded the van and soon they were on the road. The detachment lead the way with Capt Jersen taking the rear behind the van.