Over a month since the last post, so there's that. There's less action for this chapter, but there's more to this story than just action. I hope you all like it.
Disclaimer: I, Lord Genesis Shadow, do hereby state that I do not own the rights to SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron.
…
I closed the hatch to the manifold and picked up the rag, wiping my hands off as I looked at the 'Cyclotron'. My motorcycle was indeed intact enough to repair, but it would take a few days, so I told them to be careful with it, and I'd take good care of the Cyclotron. As I wiped my hands, I heard heavy boots on the floor.
"So, you went to check up on what the Metallikats had told you at Pumadyne." The commander said. I simply nodded. "And they're not the SWAT Kats. Just a couple of ex-Enforcers paying off a debt."
"A pilot and his operator running a junkyard." I said. I wouldn't lie, but I wouldn't have to tell the truth, if I didn't want to, and I felt like I owed them for all the times they saved the city. "And now the Metallikats are back online."
"So it seems." He said. "They lied to us, and still managed to get up."
"Some kind of redundant activation system." I said. "Some data got saved, some was erased. Anything long term remains while the new stuff goes away. They might actually think they were rebuilt, and they forgot about just wanting to quit."
"Did they seem damaged when you last saw them?" He asked. I shook my head. "Not surprising. Instead of the initial Super-Steel they were made from before, they're now made of a light amount of Mega-Alloy, made with small amounts of agracite." I set the rag in the bucket by me. "Their new bodies are entirely durable enough to take just short of everything we can possibly throw at them. We can hit them hard enough, but it's going to take a lot of work and planning to get them where we want them so we can do it." He looked at the Cyclotron. "And I doubt this has the firepower we need." I patted the side.
"Four missiles on both sides, and some Buzzsaw Missiles in the back." I said. "It'll do some damage if I can't make it to headquarters." He smirked slightly before turning toward the city, so I looked out, sitting against the table.
"It's becoming harder to protect the city lately." He said. "We used to get the best, most recently designed equipment, the most advanced weapons, and the most accurate firepower we could ask for. Then the SWAT Kats showed up, and Manx stopped funding us quite as much, since the SWAT Kats could get the job done and it didn't cost him or the city a dime. A little collateral damage here and there… Less than I usually said, if I'm being, completely honest." I nodded as I felt him looking at me. "We need better equipment, and right now, our prototypes, what the technicians are starting to call the 'Falcons', are all we've got that stands a chance against the modern criminals, who are able to get what they need, by stealing it." I stared toward the city. "If we just had one working copy of the Turbokat, even without those 'Speed of Heat' thrusters, we could handle just about anything."
"Who would, or could, fly it?" I asked.
"Felina, or me, or, you." He said. "The reason only the three of us are flying the Falcons is that we're able. We can go to mach three, faster than any other jet we've got. The best we had up to recently was the ability to just break the sound barrier." I knew he was making a fist. "And by then the SWAT Kats were hitting mach five, neither one having any real trouble handling it, and still being able to take down their targets." I crossed my arms. "It's been under wraps, but I've had some people working on a prototype to the Turbokat, one that should go to mach five, if we can get the engines to work properly. I want to put an ace pilot in it. I'm getting a little old to go that fast, but I can get by in my Falcon." I could feel his eyes on me. "If we can complete our copy, I want the best to pilot it and fire for it. Jenkins is the best shot we have, and, as much as I'm sure Felina might disagree, you're the best pilot."
"I'd suggest the captain take it." I said honestly. "She's earned it, and I'm sure she'll be a better fit. She's got the strength to handle the speed, and enough skill she might just be able to match the SWAT Kats in the air. I've never gone mach five before, so there's no telling if I could take it, but she's been in the Turbokat before, at that speed, and more. She can take it."
"Are you sure?" He asked. "It could be a long time before you get your chance. The one we're working on is expensive, an undertaking that requires a pilot of incredible skill, and whether or not you can handle it at top speed, you could still do better than any other pilot on the force."
"Let Captain Feral have the honor this time." I said. "If I ever get the chance to fly a Turbokat, it'll be when I know I can handle it."
"It takes a big man to admit that, major." He said. "I'm sure your parents would be proud of you." He turned to me. "And they're going to be." I looked at him. "Ann Gora called, and apparently she wanted me to be aware that you didn't want your parents to know you're alive." I closed my eyes. "I was under the impression that you were an emancipated minor, or just some kid that ran away from home but was able to handle getting an apartment. I figured I'd overlook the latter since the former was more likely, but now I hear that your parents think you're dead, or at least missing. They 'buried everything but a body'."
"I'd rather they not know, sir." I said. "In a few month's time, I'll be eighteen, and that's enough to say that I'm allowed to live on my own. There's a lot I keep to myself, for a lot of reasons, but I promise, it won't ever affect my performance negatively, and it won't create any form of backlash."
"I'm not so sure." He said. "You never talk about your past other than that you were at camp, where you learned to fly, fight, and do a lot that a kat your age shouldn't be remotely able to do, or even know about. Was that a lie, too?"
"I keep a lot to myself." I repeated. "And it won't affect how I do my job in a negative fashion, sir." I looked him in the eye, standing and turning. "When I'm on duty, that's all that matters to me. When I'm off, I maintain my body and prepare for the next day. But no matter what, at this point in my life, being an Enforcer is the top priority. If my parents found out, they'd be within their rights to force me to quit, and you'd have to accept that, and in the time it would take to become emancipated, I'd be old enough to leave them anyway, and I'd come back here to get my job back. No matter what, this job is the most important thing to me, not because I need the money, or to indulge my need to be in the air, but because this city needs as many skilled Enforcers as it can get." He smiled a little. "I'm sorry that I can't give my parents peace right now, but if I go back home, what's to stop them from stopping me from coming back? Above all the other things I respect, the chain of command is at the top of the list. You're the strongest link we've got, but you can't ever say that your parents don't supersede the chain." He laughed quietly. "In a few months, go ahead and order me to go home and let them know I'm alive and well, I'll do it, happily. But until I know I won't end up being forced to stay home, I'd much prefer to stay here, where I can make a difference."
"One problem with that." He said. "I've done some digging, and I found out, you don't even have your high school diploma." He held out a form. "This is a special paper called 'it doesn't matter as long as you sign it' form." I fought a smirk. "Put your name on this, and it'll count, because you're smarter than any high school student, maybe even some of the eggheads at Pumadyne." He set the paper down. "I'll respect your choice regarding your parents, and I'll keep it quiet, but when you turn eighteen, take a week off and go visit them on that jet-bike. I just want one thing in return."
"Of course, sir." I said.
"My niece needs someone to go to the charity ball in two weeks." He said. That time I blushed. "Due to her, let's call it dedicated, personality, it's kept her from finding anyone who would take her, and thanks to pressure from my brother and his wife, she's, for lack of a better term, troubled. Surely you've noticed that she's only really all there when she's on the job." It was true. She did seem a little off at the diner, and at the club. "Thanks to her 'I don't take no for an answer' mindset, when her 'date' decides he's got other plans for the night of the ball, or he's got another date that he couldn't refuse since the date with Felina is just for her convenience and isn't going further than that one night, and he'd rather take a chance for something more, it's starting to get to her." He looked out at the city again. "My brother's expectations for her are higher than she realizes, higher than even I realized, but the problem isn't that she can't live up to them, it's that she doesn't realize she can. I won't let something as small as being unable to find a date to a formal event shake her. Even if it's not serious, someone needs to bite the bullet." I pulled out a pen and signed the form, and he looked over. "I'll have you set up to meet a tailor for a dress uniform in a few days."
"Captain Feral just needs to see that she's more than she realizes." I said. "I've seen enough to know that confidence can be shattered by the most innocuous of things. A formal event without a date, parents… And, besides that, I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be there anyway. Officers have an automatic invite." He laughed quietly as he took the paper and put it in a folder.
"Just remember, this paper doesn't exist." He said. "I know what it looks like when someone finds their calling, and apart from your 'need' to fly, you're supposed to be an Enforcer, or at least someone who protects Megakat City."
…
I looked over the forms as the door opened, and I heard the clerk shift, so I looked up slightly, expecting the worst, but he had a small smile.
"Mayor Briggs, your registration is, still good." He said. I went back to the form as I wrote the information in.
"I just came in because I, saw a familiar motorcycle." She said. "Are the SWAT Kats here?"
"No, ma'am, um…" He started. "This, is the owner, of the 'Cyclotron'."
"How did…" She started. I turned to look at her, and I saluted. "You…" She pointed. "Mayor Manx had you, protect Megakat Tower last week. You took down that big brute."
"Major Leon Mane, Mayor Briggs." I said. "I'm just following up on something." I lowered my arm as she walked over. "I had an issue with my motorcycle, and on the way back from the salvage yard, the SWAT Kats saw me waiting at a bus stop, recognized me from the news, and gave me the bike. Said to keep it as long as I needed it, so, I figured I'd get it registered so I wouldn't have to…" I laughed quietly. "Turn it over to the boys in R&D." She laughed. "It's just temporary registration until I get it back to them." I turned and finished it as she walked over. "Luckily I set this up or I'd be late for work." I signed my name and the clerk handed me some papers.
"You're set." He said. "When you turn it back over, just, shred this or toss it in a fire or something. Thank you." I shook his hand.
"Thank you." I said. I put the papers in a folder and turned to walk out, but Mayor Briggs stayed with me, so I held the door open for her. "Big day." She nodded as we walked over to the curb, near the bike.
"You're one of the ones flying, right?" She asked. I nodded. "Good to know my security is the best of the best. Commander Feral personally recommended you and Felina. But, without your uniform, don't take this the wrong way, you look a lot younger." I nodded, smirking, as I got on the Cyclotron.
"I should." I said. "I'm seventeen." She stared as I put my helmet on and gave a quick salute. "Have a good day, Miss Briggs." I started the engine and drove off, heading toward headquarters. As I got to the parking complex, however, I was stopped by Felina trying to lift the gate arm, which was putting up a good fight, since it was her and two security guards. I cut the engine and stepped away.
"Hey, lend a hand?" A guard asked. I walked over and grabbed the end, and jumped up onto the low wall. As they groaned and strained, I managed to loosen it, and as it went up, I jumped down as he put something to lock it. "I told them to oil it, not put in krazy glue." They laughed, but stopped as the 'lieutenant' walked over to her car.
"Thanks, Major." She said. "We'd have been here another ten minutes without your help."
"It's all about leverage." I said. I walked over to my bike as they stared, but she got in and drove while I showed my ID, a formality since these guys knew my face and voice fairly well from most mornings. I drove up to my usual spot and parked, but to my surprise, she walked over to me.
"So, the SWAT Kats actually just, gave this to you." She said.
"Temporary." I said. "I'll call them when my bike's out of the shop so they can pick this up at the salvage yard." I got up and put the helmet on the handlebar.
"Must be nice." She said. "Smooth ride?" We started walking.
"Like flying down the street." I said. "It just glides on the blacktop, even without the thruster engaged. I'll say this, it's quiet without that thing, too. Like a ghost bike or something." She laughed. "Yeah, it's nice, but give me my Harley any day of the week so I can roar down the street, so I can wake up my neighbors on time."
"You're their alarm clock?" She said jokingly.
"For a few blocks." I said. She laughed as I pressed the button to summon the elevator.
"So, you checked for bugs last night?" She asked. I nodded. "Find any?"
"No, but the engine was designed by a lunatic." I said. "Only the SWAT Kats could design a stealth bike with zero emissions without that engine on the back going." She nodded. "The guys in R&D would go insane trying to figure it out."
"Yeah…" She said. After a minute, she sighed. "So, ready to guard the mayor on her way in to her first day?" I nodded.
"Yeah, ready as I can be." I said. "I manually reloaded my fighter's missiles, saw it refueled, checked all of the systems twice, and I'll do that again before we take off." She nodded. Another few minutes went by and I pressed the button again. "I think we need to call someone in to take a look at the motor or something."
"No kidding." She said. A few more silent minutes passed and I shook my head.
"I'm taking the stairs." I said. "This is ridiculous." I went to the door and started walking, but I heard the door just as I jumped the entire way up the first part. As I jumped the second, third, and fourth, I heard her call something, but I couldn't hear her. I leaned my head over the edge. "What?!"
"I said, the elevator…" She started. She looked up at me. "Never mind, looks like you're faster on the stairs!" She laughed as I smirked, going back to jumping. When I got to the floor I wanted, I walked out just as the elevator got there. She walked out and stared as I started toward the locker room. "Did I miss the memo that you had a teleporter or something?" She walked by me as I shrugged, putting my hands in my jacket pockets. Over the weekends I'd leave my uniform to be cleaned at headquarters, as did she. She wore a white shirt with a black jacket, jeans, and a pair of running shoes. I had a black shirt, black pants, and black boots which, just like my work boots, had jackknives in the heels. "Seriously, how fast are you?"
"As fast as I need to be." I said simply. "But only when I need to be." She laughed as we walked in, and as I got to my locker, I found a note taped to it. I pulled it and looked it over. 'Major Leon Mane, your invitation to the Annual Enforcer Charity Ball is in your locker, and remember that the captain could use a dance partner. Ulysses Feral.' I folded it as I opened the locker, putting it in my pocket after making it small enough. I pulled an envelope out and opened it.
"What's that?" She asked. "Secret admirer?"
"I'd think you would be more likely to have one." I said. "You've been here longer, and your hair is much nicer." She laughed as I looked at the engraved letter. "It's my invite to the charity ball in a few weeks. Officers are automatically invited."
"Yeah, I know, I get passed over on promotions, all the, time…" She said. "Except, this time! Yes!" I looked at her as she did a quick arm pump. "I finally made captain! It's about time!"
"Then there must be another letter waiting for you." I said. I looked at mine and she laughed.
"You're right, there is." She said. "Captain Felina Feral, you are cordially invited to the Enforcer Charity Ball…" She laughed quietly. "The only way I could have gone before was as a plus one, and no one was man enough to even ask. They'd try, but they'd chicken out at the last second and just flirt like idiots."
"You know, legally, I'm not old enough to go to the ball due to the drinks they serve." I said. "Can't exactly ask them to go dry on my account." I felt her looking over. "Regardless of my personal moral fiber, this invitation might just go unanswered for another, three years." I put the envelope away.
"You know, they'd probably call you up for any number of awards." She said. "Six months and you're a major, you took down who knows how many dirtbags, on duty and off… If they didn't at least give a toast every ten minutes at every table, it'd be an insult. And if they do, better you be there to hear it."
"Shame I'm too young." I said. "Though, if I had someone to vouch for me, someone who could keep me away from the champagne or wine, I think an exception could be made. Then again, there's still the fact that I'm still seventeen, a little young, and it's close to short notice." I held the envelope up. "Well, I'll just have to RSVP no."
"Why?" She asked. "Just because you're a little young?"
"Well, I'm a kid first, officer second." I said. "Hard to say that I'd be worth asking, and who says yes to the kid?" I put the letter down and removed my jacket normally. We were early, but then, I tried to be as often as possible when I had to use the locker room, though not for being 'shy', I just didn't care for being jabbed at by some of the less mature guys.
"Try asking before you send out that RSVP." She said. "You'd be surprised by some of the women that work here. A date doesn't meant it has to end in going home together."
"That's true." I said. I pretended to be in thought for a moment as I hung the jacket up. "Being that that's the potential case, captain, would you care to surprise me?" She laughed as I looked over.
"You know, I had you pegged as brave the second I found out you were so young." She said. "More when you started flying the sixteen, and when you went between those buildings, I thought you were absolutely insane. And you know what, that's what I like in a man. Surprise, major, you just got yourself a date." I smiled genuinely.
"I'll pick you up at seven?" I suggested. She laughed as she turned to her locker, removing her jacket.
"Sounds good." She said. "Rocket bike or the Harley?" I turned to my locker as I undid the buttons on my shirt.
"I'll rent a limo." I said. She laughed. "Hey, I've got some disposable income thanks to the tower-sitting. What better way to spend it than to show up at the charity ball in style? My bike is getting a free tune up, after all."