Chapter Ten
"Talking"
'Thoughts'
Two figures cuddled together in a big bed as the morning's light spilled through the drapes. The larger of the two began to stir as the sun struck his eyes. He blinked them open before closing them immediately.
Groaning, Feral turned his head slightly to look at his bedside clock and noted it was only eight o'clock. Sighing, he turned back and leaned over his mate. Staring at Abi, he remembered how she'd tossed and turned, unable to sleep as her mind stewed over what had happened with her best friend.
He'd done all he could to comfort her until she finally fell into an uneasy sleep. Their vacation started today and he hoped he could make her forget what happened...at least for a little while.
Mentally, he sighed as he wondered what he could do to repair his mate's friendship with Callie. He knew the deputy mayor wouldn't just let this event go as she had wanted him too. Perhaps, if he told her he'd never had an interest in her so she shouldn't feel he'd snubbed her for Abi, would help. Or, maybe if he asked her to forgive Abi for not telling her about their relationship, she would forgive her friend for something that wasn't her fault.
As his mind continued to think of ways to solve this problem, a brown paw reached out and caressed his face making him look down at her again. In his mind he heard, 'please stop...it isn't your fault.'
Aloud he responded, "sorry...I didn't mean to wake you, its just I don't want things to end badly for you and Callie, is all," he murmured, reaching out with his fingers to brush back a strand of Abi's hair from her face.
"Don't worry about it, my love. This is between Callie and I, not you and her," she said aloud, her voice soft and understanding. She stretched and moved to sit up.
"Still, I do feel as if I should say something," he insisted as he, too, sat up.
Abi shook her head and sighed, "let it be love. I really don't want to think about it now, please?"
Feral winced as he felt the sadness in her and knew he should put to rest the problem for now as she wished. "Alright, we won't talk about it now. So, instead we should be getting things ready for our trip. There's something I want to show you once we're at the cabin."
"Oh? And what might that be?" Abi asked, climbing off the bed.
"That, my love, is a secret." Feral gave her a small smile as he got off the bed as well.
Her eyes were bright with questions but she could tell he wouldn't say anything so they quickly got themselves ready by first having a quick breakfast then dressing. Then she helped him do chores around the apartment, having already done hers before coming to his. They checked to insure they'd not forgotten anything, freshly made the bed, emptied the trash, did the dishes and finished packing their bags.
Finally they were ready. Bags at their feet, they looked around one more time before picking up their bags and leaving the apartment. Feral had already requested his mail be held so there was nothing more to do but leave. They stepped on the elevator and he pressed the button for the garage.
"You think everything will be alright while we're gone?" Abi asked, a little concerned about the city's safety with him gone.
"I really doubt much will happen while I'm gone, love. It's only a week after all and I have friends of mine keeping watch, so don't worry." He sent waves of assurance to her to ease her mind.
Abi sighed and let those soothing waves roll over her. He was right, they were going to be far away from the city so there was no point in her worrying.
0~0~Two days later0~0~
Urabe with Kazuma at her side stared down at the entrance way of the Silver Rankin Bank where a battle was raging between enforcers and the Metallikats. So far the enforcers had managed to bottle the two robots inside the bank but that wouldn't last long.
The two Saharas were dressed in black long sleeved shirts with long necks that allowed it to be pulled up to cover their nose and mouth and wearing black pants that were stuffed into flat black boots. They watched the action from across the street on the roof of an office building. In their fists were white oni masks waiting to be pulled over their faces.
Kazuma watched as Karel moved among the Enforcers, slipping close to Mac and Molly's Metallikats Express without any one seeing him. Getting the special cell phone into the vehicle was made easy by the pair leaving their wing doors wide open when they went into the bank.
Raina and Karel had gotten the idea of hiding the EMP inside a cell phone which no one would suspect of harboring something lethal. They watched as Karel managed to tuck the phone beneath one of the seats then slip away.
The enforcers with Steele shouting useless orders, were losing ground as Mac employed explosives rounds to make them scatter.
Kazuma was becoming concerned that the SWAT Kats wouldn't show on time and the EMP would go off with the Metallikats still in the bank. He looked up at the sky and frowned.
"Think Briggs has called them yet?" He asked, moving back from the roof edge while pulling his mask on.
"Perhaps…though they could hear about it from other sources as well," Urabe murmured, pulling her own mask on.
She was right as the Kats Eye News crew had joined the scene and with Ann Gora and her camera Kat, Jonny by her side. There was no doubt the event was already on the airwaves.
Shaking her head, Urabe stared up at the sky looking for one thing. While they waited, Kazuma asked her a question.
"Which one do you want?" He asked, his ears twitching a little under his head cloth.
"I'll take Razor. He's fast and agile but not strong as T-Bone."
"Well, damn..."
"What?" Urabe asked sharply, concerned something had gone wrong.
"Antonio, Karel and I made a bet," Kazuma said slowly, Urabe wasn't that big on gambling though she was known to bet from time to time.
"And?" Urabe asked, feeling her eyebrow twitch as she turned her head to look at the orange tabby.
"I bet you would want to take them both and I would just watch. While Antonio said I would take on Razor and you would have T-Bone." .
"What about Karel?"
"Antonio and I now owe him fifty bucks."
"Kazuma…" Urabe said, growling.
"Hey! I thought at least Antonio or myself would be right," he said innocently, backing away from her.
Taking a deep cleansing breath then letting it out slowly, Urabe sighed, "I'll deal with the three of you later."
Kazuma snorted in amusement then grew serious. "You know...I was a bit worried."
Urabe didn't say anything at first. She knew what Kazuma meant, he had been worried that her anger and clear dislike of the SWAT Kats would get in the way of their present mission.
"You needn't be concerned. I never mix personal matters with business," she finally said, listening for the Turbokat.
Kazuma continued to watch the sky as he answered. "Yeah, but there are times when we just say, 'fuck it' and charge ahead anyway. You're not the only one who hates them, you know."
"I don't hate them."
"Okay, then let's go with strongly dislike."
Huffing, Urabe hissed, "could we just concentrate on the mission? I want those two idiots to realize their secret isn't a secret any longer."
"Okay...okay," Kazuma backed off.
Kazuma and Urabe were superb fighters. Trained since kittenhood, they were completely familiar with each others fighting style which allowed them to communicate without words during a battle. They felt since the SWAT Kats had the same ability, they would be the best at holding the SWAT Kats at bay and keeping them from going after the Metallikats until their own team had taken the robots out.
Suddenly, everything began to happen at once. The roar of a jet was heard coming closer. The two of them quickly ran to the roof top door and slipped inside to wait. They listened tensely as the jet came closer and just as they hoped, it landed on the roof where they hid.
The Turbokat's engines wound down and the two powerful toms aboard it leaped to the roof.
"Okay, buddy, over the side or down the stairs?" The large sandy colored tabby with the powerful and muscularly built body asked.
"Stairs I think. Don't want the enforcers picking us off before we get down there. Looks like they've somehow managed to keep Mac and Molly inside the bank but that won't last long. It also looks like they've managed to find some new weapons so watch you don't get your head blown off," the much slimmer built, rusty brown colored, tom said.
"Hey, I know how to duck," T-Bone objected.
Suddenly from the street came a loud explosion. The two hurried to the edge to stare down.
The Metallikats had finally broken through the enforcer blockade and jumped aboard their vehicle. Mac drove off in his usual erratic fashion. The EMP was set to go off in twenty minutes which gave Antonio, under orders from Kazuma, time to stall Steele from attempting to catch the Metallikats before Karel and Raina could finish the pair off themselves.
While the SWAT Kats were distracted, Kazuma and Urabe slipped outside and behind the pair.
T-Bone cursed as he watched the Metallikats Express race down the street banging into cars, signs, and street lamps.
"We've got to catch them!" He said turning around to run to the jet, Razor on his heels.
"I don't think so, Chance," a low husky voice said.
Standing next to the jet's cockpit were two oddly clad individuals. They were dressed completely in black with white colored oni masks over their faces.
The two warriors froze, shock thrumming through them at hearing one of the strangers use T-Bone's true name.