The laughter came from the living room. Chance pricked up his ears. Yes, it was definitely Jake's laughs.
Chance crossed the room and slowly opened up the door to the living room. Jake sat on the couch, watching TV. He didn't notice Chance as he folded his arms and leaned against the doorframe, studying him.
"Oh, here's a good one: The Enforcers received an emergency call yesterday from a hysterical citizen who complained about his neighbor having stolen and threatened to burn his kat."
Chance Furlong watches the David Litterbin Show! Now, there's a picture, Chance had to grin at the thought.
"A three-car Enforcer patrol raced to the given address head-over-heels, kicked in the kidnapper's front door SWAT Kat style and stormed into the house. They found him in front of his fireplace, just about to throw the victim into the fire.
Only the victim was a shrub*."
A wave of laughter went through the audience, and Jake joined in, although Chance couldn't really see the joke.
"I looked it up, Fuzzy. A 'kat' is a plant. Whoever gave the shrub that name must have been Mr. Originality. 'Kat'..." Litterbin grunted.
Jake roared with laughter.
Chance's grin spread into a smile. It was more or less the first time he'd heard Jake laugh in the previous nine days.
"There exist thousands and thousands of words, and they chose 'kat' for this plant."
As he had guessed rightly before his passing out, the Mind Transfer Device was broken beyond the possibility of repair. Jake had taken the pieces with him upon leaving the Mint, working on them nearly all day for the last week, but it was hopeless. And, despite being the technical genius he was, even Jake didn't know how to reverse the mind swap without the device.
The last week hadn't exactly been funny. Their sense of balance had improved steadily the longer they inhabited each other's bodies, but there were still frustrating relapses sometimes. And, on Monday, the unannounced visit of one of Jake's high school comrades had been more horrible than joyful.
"At least that explains why Dr. Viper is so keen on taking over Mega*Kat* City!"
Chance shifted his position, and Jake turned his head. His smiled as he saw Chance at the door.
Chance returned the smile. He too had searched for a way to undo the body switch, without success. Now, watching Jake's tabby features, he realized that it didn't matter.
It didn't matter that they were trapped in each other's body. Nothing had really changed! Jake was still Jake, and he was still himself, even though their outward appearance had transformed. And, their good mood was returning. It was something the Metallikats hadn't been able to destroy.
So, he was Razor now, and Jake was T-Bone. They'd have to get used to their new alias names. But, that was all, really. Behind the masks, they were still the same, and whether it would take ten years until they'd get their bodies back or just one - it didn't matter.
They'd face it together. As they always did!
Jake broke out into another fit of laughter from some comment Chance had missed. Chance looked at the tiny television screen. Why not watch some Litterbin?
He walked over to the couch. After the first step, he suddenly *sat* on the couch.
What…?
Jake was not so lucky. "Haha… Ohhhhh…" and he fell on all fours, having reappeared in his own body in mid-step.
Chance sprang up and gazed down on his striped arms. With a beaming face, he went over to Jake and helped him up. Jake's smile was likewise broad.
Chance gave him a friendly slap on his head. "I took good care of your body, and you're trying to break your neck the minute you take over!"
"We have our bodies back," Jake stated in surprise. "Chance, we swapped bodies for only ten days! Why…?"
"I don't know, buddy, and I don't care, either. I'm more interested in a little competition…
Now that I am Chance again, you won't stand a chance on the obstacle course." He gave Jake a challenging look.
Jake stretched his arms, testing his reclaimed body. "Two outta three. Your cockiness will soon end!"
"That does it! Prepare to get your tail whipped."
"We'll see about that, pal," Jake said with gleaming eyes as they headed for the lockers.
"You know," Chance said cheerfully when he rummaged for his army boots, "I've come to think that the Metallikats' plan was doomed to fail anyway."
"How's that?"
"Well, we had some severe problems being stuck in each other's body, but even so, we finished them off effortlessly," he boasted. "The SWAT Kats don't give way just because of some problems with keeping balance."
He grinned. "We might fall, but we won't go down!"
"You're right, Chance, their plan was doomed to fail. I never thought about that."
Chance looked to the side and saw that Jake just stood in front of his locker, pondering.
"What's the matter, Jake? No shirking now!"
Jake looked up, as if returning from afar. "What…?"
"No shirking now! Don't dream, get dressed!"
The slim tom smirked. "I was just considering giving you a 10-meter start."
"Ha, funny. You'll be laughing on the other side of your face before you know it!"
Jake had caught up with Chance on dressing. "You're on!"
Good-humored, the twosome left for an amicable contest on the salvage yard.
*"kat" - variant of "khat", an evergreen shrub cultivated in the Middle East and Africa
