Another Side
Chapter 14: The long road
Garrett pulled his backpack around his shoulder and waved goodbye to his friends as he walked away from them down the hall to the exit that lead to the parking lot. As he headed for the spot where he normally waited for Chance, he mused about what he'd been observing in the hidden hangar over the past few months.
He was a little worried about Jake's plan for the two of them to become crime fighters. It seemed Chance wasn't quite sold on the idea yet, but his friend was gradually wearing down his resolve on the subject of being a vigilante.
Garrett guessed he understood why Jake wanted to do this at all. The criminals that had been popping up lately were far more dangerous than the run of the mill crook. He hadn't forgotten the day he and Chance were nearly killed by what turned out to be metal birds designed by Dark Kat. Plus the fact, the Enforcers failures to capture the criminal nor keep him in jail when they did was a significant factor as well.
Then there was that weirdo with pink hair and a very creepy laugh, looking like a demented hyena rather than a Kat, who terrorized the city a few weeks ago and called himself Chop Shop. His high tech weapons wrecked havoc causing significant property damage and loss of lives before the Enforcers finally managed to bring him down.
Garrett thought they should have been able to control the situation better by using gas, a net, or some other kind of containment system to keep people from being killed and bring the creep down quicker. But the Enforcers methods were return fire with fire, doing as much damage as the criminal was, if not more. There had to be a better way and he thought some of the weapons Jake was developing might be the answer. However, vigilantism was still wrong.
Shaking his head, he reached his favorite tree and sank down, resting his back against the trunk. He'd received a text from Chance telling him the tom would be a little late due to a wreck down the road. Glancing toward the street, he could see traffic was indeed backed up.
He opened his backpack and pulled out a black Enforcer cap that Chance had given him and a bottle of water. Placing the cap on backwards on his head, he took a sip of water.
His arm flexed when he took a sip, showing off how much muscle he'd gained in the past few months training with Jake and Chance. He had a good amount of definition in his arms and legs. Though not broad in the chest like Chance, he was strong and wiry like Jake, and proud of it. He'd also put on height and weight recently so Chance could no longer pick him up as easily as he used to.
He chuckled as he remembered the time when Ms. Briggs stopped by and he'd fallen asleep on the couch without a shirt, as usual. Chance needed Jake's help to lift him and ended up with him up side down and all of them laughing at his shout of surprise at finding himself facing the floor.
What he particularly like was how the girls at the art club were complimenting him on his physique and on how neat his hair was, which he kept short and neat.
Thinking of the club, it reminded him the talent show was coming up in a few months and he still hadn't decided what he intended to do. Rebecca suggested singing but he just wasn't too keen on the idea yet, after the talent show his birthday would be coming up soon which meant he could look forward to getting his driver's license.
The sound of a vehicle driving close, made him bring his head up. There was the familiar green sedan roll close to him. He wrinkled his nose at the amount of dirt on it. "They really need to clean that thing,' he thought then snorted, 'course if they finally do, they'll probably make me clean it.' He got to his feet and slung his pack over one shoulder then walked over to the car. He hopped in after he said hi to Chance, clicked his seatbelt.
As Chance drove them home, his mind drifted to a few months ago when Chance and Jake were out on a tow.
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Flashback...Garrett
He decided to go down to the hangar and get a real look at what the two had been up to. Jumping down to the landing, he'd strolled down the hall to the secondary hangar and yanked the huge door back just enough for him to slip in.
Looking around, he was impressed by the look of the jet. It was now painted black overall with red and blue trimming. It looked really cool. He climbed the wing and stared into the cockpit. It certainly looked far more advanced than any of the enforcer jets he'd seen come through here. Jake had done an incredible job.
He jumped down and moseyed over to the work bench and pulled the tarp off. Whistling, he stared at all the really cool looking weapons Jake had developed, especially the glove, Chance had dubbed the Glovatrix.
Taking a risk, he carefully picked it up the one that belonged to Jake. It was heavier than a normal glove but not extremely so and had a lot of gadgets on it. He set it back down gently and covered the table again. Looking around he spotted something hanging on the wall nearby. He went over and saw they were newly made G-suits. They were black with red and blue trim that matched the jet and there were two helmets that matched.
Going over to the computer station, he studied some of the blueprints stacked there. Jake's handwriting was clear and concise. He realized he could actually build one of these things himself if he wanted to as Jake's diagrams were very easy to understand. However, he probably would never get the chance to.
Not long after that, perhaps a month later, he witnessed the jet's first maiden flight. How beautiful and exciting it looked against the moonlit sky. He wished he was flying up there with them.
Then just a month ago, the so called SWAT Kats as they were called by the press, appeared for the first time. He was excited and afraid at the same time. He worried about them surviving this choice they made and how that would affect him in the long run.
Present day...
That made him sigh, as he rested his head on his paw looking out the window of the car.
Curious, Chance gave the teen a quick glance. The young tom seemed to be deep in thought. "You're awfully quiet...something on your mind?" he asked, lightly.
Garrett jerked his attention back to the present and turned his head toward the adult, blinking his green eyes innocently. "Nah...just have lots on my mind of mundane value, is all." He shrugged and chuckled lightly to reassure Chance.
Chance eyed him a moment longer, but decided to let the subject go, though he had a suspicion something was troubling the teen. Hopefully, he would talk to him or Jake soon before it became a real issue.
Sighing mentally, it was his turn to let his mind drift away while a small portion watched the road. It had been an eventful six months but all that hard work had been worth it the moment he flew their jet out the hidden runway and into the night sky that first time.
Flashback...first flight...first mission...Chance
It had been glorious to be flying again. Only at that moment, did he realize just how much he'd missed it. The yoke moved with ease beneath his experienced paw. The newly christened 'Turbokat' was performing better than they'd ever hoped and engines purred like kittens as they propelled them across the sky.
"She's a dream, buddy!"
"She sure is. Let's take her out to the desert and give her engines a full test as well as her weapons," his partner ordered excitedly.
"You got it!"
That night was imprinted on his brain for all time. Except for a few minor glitches and a need to adjust the fuel mixtures, Jake proclaimed the test flight a huge success. They celebrated with a bottle of the best champagne they could buy as they sat staring at their jet, still in their new G-suits.
Only a month later, Jake convinced him, after an attack by Dark Kat had ended in near disaster for the Enforcers, to become a vigilante. He still had his reservations but after that first mission he was never looking back. It truly felt good helping others as he'd sworn to do when he'd been an Enforcer.
That had been an exciting and scary day for them both. Having an illegal enforcer radio, they monitored calls and today they got one perfect for their first outing. Luckily, Garrett was at school so they didn't have to try and explain why they were taking off so abruptly. Closing the garage, they hurried to their lockers, donned their G-suits and were aboard the jet in record time.
"Nervous, Razor?" he called to his partner. He was a little concerned, as they had failed to take out the enemy on their first run at them. He briefly gave thought to how cool their new call signs were before refocusing on the task at paw.
Razor snorted, distracted, as he stared into his radar scope trying to find where their target had gone. "I'm not throwing the towel in yet T-Bone." Spotting their target, he called out, "got him...turn due west!"
"Roger!" T-Bone steered the jet toward the western section of the city and saw the stolen armored car barreling down the road, making cars swerve and dodge or be run down. "I see him. Better take him out before he causes more accidents," he warned his partner, grimly.
The canny criminals, had planned this heist months in advance. The vehicle had been specially designed and heavily armored to resist anything the Enforcers had and was armed to the teeth.
The robbery at the Megakat National Bank had gone off without a hitch and they were now hightailing it to their destination...a cargo plane waiting to taxi at the airport. It would take the vehicle and all so there was no need to unload their loot. All they had to do was get there
The Enforcers were helpless but doggedly continued the pursuit. Both parties were taken by surprise when a souped up and advanced looking jet entered the fight.
"Doesn't look like the Enforcers have been able to slow them down at all and we didn't do so good the first time. Ready for another attempt?" T-Bone asked as he brought them into range again.
"I'll get them this time, you just get close enough for me," Razor gritted, totally focused.
T-Bone did as ordered and brought the jet down to building level which, of course, brought them directly into the line of sight of the Enforcers.
An angry and familiar voice boomed from their radio. "Unidentified jet! This is Enforcer business, identify yourself!"
T-Bone snorted, switched to the Enforcer band and spoke into his helmet mike. "It's our business now. You've already had your chance, Commander and failed. Let T-Bone and Razor show you how it's done," he said smugly.
"Better take them out, buddy or we'll look like idiots," he said privately to Razor on their own frequency.
"The Enforcers will handle this, do not interfere or you will be arrested!" Commander Feral retorted, rising anger in his voice.
T-Bone was amused. "What's the matter can't stand a little help?" Ignoring Feral's order to desist and move off.
Their conversation was interrupted by a missile fired at them by the crew aboard the armored car. T-Bone growled and quickly sent the jet into a barrel roll to dodge it.
Razor clenched his teeth as his stomach rebelled at the sudden move. Annoyed as well, he waited until they righted again, acquired a target spot and fired. "Missile deployed!" he shouted to warn his partner.
Unfortunately, the missile didn't even scratch the metal alloy that was the armor. It shot off and took out a section of highway abutment, the armored car was zipping past.
"Crud!" Razor cursed, searching his weapons board for something else.
"Guess that armor is tougher than we thought, buddy. Hope you have something stronger in that arsenal of yours," T-Bone growled, getting a little concerned. They just couldn't fail in this, their first battle or no one would take them seriously.
Razor thought for a minute then snapped his fingers, "I think now's a good time to test out a Shark missile."
"Good idea. I'll get us as close as we can." He brought the jet around and lined them up again, ignoring all the Enforcer choppers buzzing around them including Feral's now anger rant on the radio for them to break off.
"Missile deployed!" Razor shouted.
From beneath the jet a missile shot out from the lower launch tube and unerring went straight for its target. Just before it was halfway there, the metal casing fell away revealing a nose cone with sharp mental teeth resembling a shark's snout. It reached the armored vehicle and tore through its side with ease and sending it to flip on its side. The vehicle slid into a nearby telephone pole effectively ending its race for escape.
The battered occupant's crawled out the side of the vehicle pointing skyward and into the waiting paws of the Enforcer ground squad who formed a cordon around them. Feral landed his chopper nearby and shouted, "you are under arrest!"
At the sound of a jet's engine overhead, Feral looked up at the amazing sight of it hovering on VTOL. He scowled. How the heck did these guys get a jet the enforcers didn't have? And who the hell are they? Were his annoyed thoughts.
Calling into his radio, he snarled at them, "you two are under arrest for interfering with an enforcer pursuit. Land your jet and come out with your paws up!"
"You've got to be kidding me!" T-Bone laughed.
That infuriated Feral who barked back, "we would have had them if you haven't interfered!"
"Oh sure, you were doing soo well...not!" T-Bone snorted.
Razor snorted, "Geez, what a grouch!"
T-Bone laughed. "Forget it Commander. When trouble rears its head, the SWAT Kats will be there to kick their tails." Feral could only growl impotently as the jet went to forward motions and shot away out of sight. However, he knew this wouldn't be the last time he would see them.
It had been a successful first mission and they'd been going out on many more after that with equal success. Their names were on everyone's lips and it felt good.
Present day...
As Chance turned into the salvage yard, his mind returned to the present but a small smile still lit his face as he parked the car.
Garrett's own thoughts were interrupted when they pulled in and parked. He unbuckled himself then stepped from the sedan, grabbing his backpack off the seat. He coughed from the dust thrown up from the car then sniffed. Immediately his nose was assaulted by someone's perfume.
There, standing beside her vehicle, was Calico Briggs talking with Jake. The pair turned to stare at the two toms getting out of the vehicle.
Callie smiled radiantly, pointing at her car. "Hi guys. I just brought my car in because the brakes are making a horrid noise when used."
Garrett raised an eyebrow at the car but said nothing. Shaking his head, he couldn't believe how often she brought that jalopy in. She really needs to replace it, he thought as he waved at her in passing and headed upstairs to the apartment to change clothes.
"My, he's certainly shot up in height since last I'd seen him," Callie remarked.
"It has been three weeks," Jake chuckled.
Callie laughed, "Yes, I know. It's obvious, you two have been taking great care of him. He's happy." She paused looking thoughtful, "You know, I've always been a bit curious on how he ended up here."
Chance chuckled. "It's a loooong story, but it's his to tell. Maybe he'll let you in on it eventually." He waggled his eyebrows at her coyly causing her to giggle. Jake rolled his eyes at his friend's obvious flirting.
She snorted, amused at the tabby's attempts at seduction. "Perhaps I can coax him to do so for me. How about the four of us go out to dinner next Saturday, my treat?" she asked, smiling sweetly at the pair of them.
Jake shrugged and smiled shyly. Chance was all over that in a heartbeat. "Sounds great. It fits with out attempts to get the kit out in public more."
Callie eyed him in confusion. Chance grinned and shrugged. "It's part of that long story," he admitted, scratching the back of his neck and looking sheepish.
She made a silent "oh" with her lips before saying, "Alright, looks like I have something to look forward to."
Upstairs, Garrett walked into his room after going to the bathroom and began to change clothes. Seeing Callie reminded him of the first time he saw Chance and Jake respond to a call from her but it had nothing to do with her car.
Flashback...Garrett
It was just after the two had made their appearance as the SWAT Kats. He'd been spying on them, as usual, when they were tuning up the jet. Suddenly, a loud alarm went off, startling him.
He saw Chance hurry to a phone he'd not seen before and speak into it. What the tabby said stunned him.
"Yes Ms. Briggs, what's up?" Chance had made his voice deeper and gruffer, obviously disguising it.
Unlike a normal phone, this had a speaker so that Jake could hear what was being said as well so Garrett was able to hear what the deputy mayor said next.
"T-Bone! Hard Drive stole an Enforcer jet along with important security data from their computer. You have to stop him!" She said urgently.
"We're on our way, Ms. Briggs!" T-Bone assured her then cut the connection. He and Jake ran to some lockers and hurriedly changed clothes then ran to the jet.
Jake had set up an automatic signal to open the dividing door so that Chance could taxi the jet to the other hangar and the hidden runway. In very little time they were gone, leaving a completely shocked teen behind.
All Garrett could do was shake his head. How the heck did they get Ms. Briggs to be their warning system on the bad guys and what did she use to contact them with? An ordinary phone nor cell would do since it could be traced. Jake must have made some kind of communicator.
Wow! They really planned this whole vigilante business out really well, he thought. As he left the hangar and went back upstairs to his room, he ruminated over what he'd seen and heard.
He realized he was not okay with his guardian's going on these missions and risking their lives but he knew he would never talk them out of it. And since he loved them like family he would have to accept this was what they wanted to do with their lives. So the only thing that made him truly upset was the fact the two insisted on keeping this a secret from him.
Perhaps it was because he wanted to be an enforcer and they didn't want to force him to decide on protecting their secret versus turning them in as his duty required. He didn't like being put in that position either. However, that decision was way in the future. They might not even still be SWAT Kats by that time, one could hope. Meanwhile, he would keep their secret. What else could he do.
But that vow was getting hard to keep when he would spot injuries on them many times after they'd gone out fighting. They would pretend and hide it but it reminded him just how dangerous their secret mission was. One particular omega they'd fought had scared Garrett terribly.
He'd seen what had happened on the news when he'd returned from school not long ago. He shuddered at the memory. The news report had told their audience how Viper came to be then how he'd captured the Mayor and deputy mayor, planning to change them into monsters like himself but the SWAT Kats got there in time and saved them though they hadn't gotten away unscathed. They explained away the numerous bruises on a scrap pile falling on them.
He hadn't bought it but pretended he did and warned them to be more careful in the future. They laughed and promised they would.
Fortunately, the two had advanced medical skills learned in the academy and were teaching him what they knew. He never told them his own mother had already taught him these things, they would have just laughed and say his mother was a bit crazy. He was just glad he was so skilled. They just might have need of him soon enough if they kept on the way they were going.
Present day...
Sighing, he pushed those memories away, picked up a pair of goggles, perched them on his head and walked back downstairs to go to work. As he reached the garage, he caught sight of Ms. Briggs just climbing into the Mayor's limo.
He found Jake already elbow deep in the engine of her car but Chance was still outside the door, waving at the lovely she-kat as the limo took off. Garrett shook his head and smiled, someone had a crush going on, he smirked to himself.
One other thing bothered him about the guys second job, the times they were called out left them tired and exhausted, especially when it happened too many times in a row leaving them no break to recover. He knew exhaustion could lead to some serious mistakes on their part and maybe get them killed.
It worried him so much that he suffered nightmares about it sometimes. He was so close to them that losing them would be devastating. He'd lost so much already in his life. He thought of the pair as older brothers and the closest he'd come to having a family since his parents had died. He loved Matthew as well but the two males had managed to get under his fur much more.
Sometimes it got real hard to keep their secret and pretend he had no clue what was going on. The only thing that made him feel better was the fact he was now able to send Jake to the mat. His record stood at four tosses so far. The greatest challenge yet was to drop Chance. He laughed at himself at how badly he wanted to do that. Right now, though, he was just pathetic as the big tom could toss him without breaking a sweat and he couldn't get even a good hold on Chance before he was thrown to the mat. But he never gave up trying.
He loved how Chance treated him like a brother, playing tricks on him and teasing him just like a real brother would. He remembered one time when the roof was leaking and he was forced to sleep in Jake's room for three days. Chance teased him every chance he got about finding Garrett cuddled against Jake's body but he managed to get even when he found out Chance was mortally afraid of bugs.
Garrett caught a grasshopper one day and dropped it into Chance's lap. He never knew the tabby could jump so high. He laughed for days about it. It was memories like that he wanted to make last forever. He wished there was something he could do to help them and keep them safe instead of sitting around at the yard waiting and praying they returned safely to him again.
His meandering thought's were interrupted when a sneeze jarred his head followed by a wicked coughing spell. All day he'd not felt particularly well at school. He was afraid he'd picked up something from a classmate who had been under the weather and should not have really come to school at all. It looked like he had it too now.
He groaned aloud in displeasure.
Jake heard and eyed him in concern. He'd not liked how the teen looked that morning and told him he should stay home but Garrett had shaken his head. However, after a long day at school and trying to work, he felt much worse.
"Sounds like that cold has gotten a real hold on you," Jake observed.
Garrett shrugged. "I'll get over it," he muttered, not wanting to be fussed over.
But Jake wasn't to be put off. He stopped work and came over to Garrett and felt his forehead. Irritated, the teen shoved the adult's paw off him.
"I said I'm fine," he growled but his voice was hoarse.
The slim tom growled back. "No, you're not. You look worse than you did this morning."
"It's just a cold. No big deal." Garrett was getting a bit angry now but suddenly a wave of nausea swept over him. His eyes widened and he slapped a paw over his mouth as he made a mad dash for the waiting room bathroom, shoving past Chance in his haste.
"Woah! What's with..." Chance started to say then winced when he heard violent retching. "Never mind...he sounds bad."
The two adults went to the bathroom to check on the teen, wiping the grease off their paws on a rag first. Jake leaned into the partly open door and asked quietly, "a little cold, huh?"
Garrett looked up blearily and saw a small smirk on the slim tom's face. "Bite me!" he retorted then began to cough again.
Smile vanishing from his face, Jake turned to look back at his partner. "Does your mom still run that clinic?"
Eyeing Garrett over his friend's shoulder, Chance nodded. Frowning in concern, he said, "yeah, she does though it's been awhile since I've seen her." Flushing a little in embarrassment at that admission.
Jake didn't comment but said instead, "we'd better take Garrett to see her. I'm afraid he's got more than just a cold going on there by the sounds of it."
"Yeah, I agree. I'll ring her up. She's been wanting to see Garrett anyway. We've just been too busy to go," Chance sighed, stepping away and pulling his phone out.
"Aw come on guys, don't make such a big deal about it," Garrett whined, not interested in going to see a doctor, nor caring if it was Chance's mom or not.
Jake shook his head while Chance was on the phone. "It might not seem bad yet but it could get worse by later tonight and the clinic will be closed by then."
The teen groaned, the one thing he hated the most was being babied. However, he knew they were just looking out for him so he sighed and raised his paws in defeat, "Fine, whatever!" He washed his mouth out, wiped his face off then began to walk out of the garage.
Chance finished with his call and went to the fridge to get a bottle of water, halting Garrett to hand it to him before the teen headed out to the car.
Turning to his partner he said, "Mom says she can see him when we get there. Despite the reason, she's excited about meeting him. So let's close up. We can work on Callie's rig when we get back. Thankfully, there are no others waiting."
"Good idea," Jake agreed, going about the process of closing the garage doors. When they were finished they climbed into the car and drove out of the yard.
Garrett was half slumped in the back seat using the water bottle to cool his heated forehead. He felt really tired and he would cough every few minutes. Guess he was sicker than he thought.
Dr. Rita Furlong was finishing up notes on some patient records before closing for the day. She'd been surprised when her son had called her out of the blue and unhappy to learn poor Garrett was under the weather. Though not a good way to meet the young tom, she was still glad to get the chance despite the circumstances. Her son might not ever make the time again. She sighed and smiled.
Her thoughts were interrupted by her receptionist telling her last patient had arrived. She thanked her and told her to go ahead and leave when she was ready. She got up, closed the files and tossed them into a basket for filing by her office staff.
She checked her hair in the mirror a moment before leaving her office for the waiting room. She opened the door and smiled at her son standing there with his best friend Jake. Looking at the kit, she shook her head. When Chance said he was the spitting image of Jake he wasn't kidding.
Chance came up and hugged her tightly, "hi mom, how ya been?"
"Just fine sweetie," She purred, pleased to see him looking so fit despite not working for the Enforcers any longer. That thought still made her a little sad.
Jake waved and said a soft 'hello' in her direction. She graced him with a warm smile. She liked the tom very much and he was the best thing that had ever happened to her son.
Turning to the young teen who was sitting in a the chair now, she murmured sympathetically, "So you're the cranky teenager I've been hearing so much about. It's amazing how much you look like Jake," she commented, smiling. Ruffling his hair, she said, "I swear you two look like brothers."
Garrett managed to give her a weak grin. He liked her and didn't mind her gentle touch even though she had messed his hair up. Then his stomach flipped again making him groan and rub a paw across it.
"Hmm, tummy trouble, eh? How about we go to an exam room..." she said, becoming a doctor and not a mother at that moment. "Do you want them to come with you?" She asked.
He shrugged and nodded.
Smiling, she lead them all through the door she came in and down a small hall, opening a door to a room and gesturing them to enter.
Garrett moved slowly, feeling really crappy.
"Sit up on the table, please, Garrett," she instructed as she pulled out a pair of gloves and pulled them on. Picking up a patient file folder her nurse had left for her and pulling out a pen, she began to ask him questions. "Alrighty, what seems to be the problem…well besides the obvious," she asked, warmly.
Garrett sniffed, "My throat feels like I'm swallowing sandpaper, my nose burns and my stomach feels like it's doing gymnastics…basically." His voice was a bit hoarse; letting out a cough again.
Rita nodded and wrote the information on the clipboard then asked him a lot of basic health questions that he tried to answer as accurately as he could. Finished, she set the file down on the rolling table nearby. "Okay, please take everything from the waist up off, please."
Jake came close and helped him pull his shirt and tee off then held onto it for the teen, moving back to stand near the door with Chance.
She came close and used a stethoscope to listen to Garrett's heart and lungs, a tongue depressor and lighted scope to check his throat and tonsils, put a thermometer in his mouth to check his temp as she took his pulse then finished up by taking his blood pressure.
"Alright sugar, it seems you've managed to catch a small stomach bug." She made a tsk sound as she went to the sink to watch her paws.
Chance frowned in concern, raising a paw to gently scratch the kit between his ears. "So what are you going to do for him, Mom?"
"There's not too much that can be done. I can give him a shot for nausea but rest and clear fluids are the best thing right now. He'll get over the worst of it in about 24 hours and be right as rain in about a week. Oh, and no school until Monday. Don't want to give it to others, do we?" She said, smiling sympathetically when the kit moaned at the restriction. "Like school, huh? That's good. Too many would love to play hooky and watch TV or play video games," she said knowingly. "Glad you aren't one of them. I'll be right back." She left the room then returned a few minutes later with a filled syringe.
"Okay, this will sting a bit," she warned as she took the teen's left arm, swabbed it, then pricked his skin, injecting the medicine quickly. "There, all done."
Garrett had hissed a little at the sting but once she was done, he hurriedly put his clothes back on giving his guardian's and Rita a venomous glare.
She snorted, amused. "Oh don't be like that, it wasn't that bad and it will make your stomach quiet." She patted the teen's arm lightly.
The teen wasn't placated, annoyed at being so abused in the first place and just being grouchy. He huffed crossing his arms over his chest and pouting. "I hate all of you…" he groused.
Rita didn't let his pissiness bother her, it was typical behavior for teens. "You'll thank me later," she said, smiling.
Garrett just rolled his eyes. He was willing to bet his parent's ghosts were laughing from the grave right now. He winced when Dr. Furlong gave him a light kiss on his head.
"Make sure he get's lots of rest and stays hydrated," she warned the two toms then gave Chance and Jake kisses on their cheeks. "And why don't you give him one of your papa's 'fix all brews'?" she suggested with a grin.
Chance smiled and nodded. "You got it."
Rita wrote down a school excuse for Garrett and wrote instructions for his care to give Chance. "Let me know tomorrow how he's feeling," she told her son, patting his cheek then sending them all off.
After taking Garrett home, feeding him what Chance's mother had suggested, then tucking him into bed, they retreated to fix something for their own dinner. While the teen slept, they went downstairs and finished up Callie's car then went back upstairs to clean up.
They finished the evening by watching some TV. When they went to bed, they paused to check on Garrett. Both smiled when they saw him sleeping soundly with nary a cough.
"Looks like your dad's special brew worked like a charm," Jake said, closing the teen's door.
"Yeah, he's out like a blown engine," Chance grinned, relieved.
Before they split up for their own rooms, Chance put a paw out to his partner's shoulder.
Jake paused and eyed his friend, "hmm? What?"
Glancing back at Garrett's door, Chance said hesitantly in a low voice, "Um...Jake? I've been thinking...should we let the kit know what were doing?"
Jake eyed his friend in surprise. Looking away, he thought hard. His original reason for keeping Garrett in the dark was still very valid. He simply did not want Garrett to be linked to the SWAT Kats in case Feral managed to catch them. For his safety, it was better the teen didn't know.
"No. I'm sorry, buddy but I just don't want Garrett to know about us in case Feral somehow manages to catch us. I don't want him to be arrested with us and have his future as an Enforcer ruined because of it," he said grimly.
Chance's face fell. "Oh…right…I didn't think about that. I just felt bad lying to him about it all these months…I thought…maybe…" the blond tabby sighed and stared down at his bare feet.
Jake sighed, "I know buddy, but I think it's just safer for Garrett if he didn't know. However, if he finds out on his own...well I guess we'll have to tell him then but until that happens, I want to keep him in the dark." He looked toward the door himself and added, softly, "if he does find out, I hope he isn't too pissed with us."
Chance sighed, "I guess…" without another word the two parted and went to their bedrooms.
Garrett tossed restlessly in his sleep. In his dreams he was standing in a long white hallway which seemed to go on forever. Suddenly, he saw a figure wearing attire similar to the SWAT Kats only the colors of the G-suit was much darker without the colorful markings of red and blue, his back to him.
Garrett stared at the strange figure. Something didn't seem right about him. He realized after a moment, the figure seemed to be getting closer to him though he still kept his back to him.
Concerned, Garrett began to step backward away while the figure continued to close in on him until he suddenly turned to look over his shoulder at Garrett. The figure wore a helmet that covered his upper face but the lower jaw was the same coloring as...
"Jake?" he called, hesitantly.
The figure turned completely around and stared down at himself then up again. "Wrong," he whispered, his voice dark, matching his shadowy appearance. It definitely wasn't Jake.
Before Garrett could say anything to the figure the floor behind the tom shattered and vanished but the stranger never reacted. Eyes growing wide with horror, Garrett watched as the rest of the floor around the figure shattered and disappeared as well.
His attention was so riveted to the floor he hadn't seen the stranger move until he was nearly nose to nose with him.
Jerking his head back in shock, he heard the tom say, "act before you have time to regret..."then everything went dark.
He gasped and woke suddenly, sitting up in his bed. He began coughing and reached over for his water to ease his raw throat. He shook his head. What the hell did Chance give me? That was the weirdest dream. He set the cup down and looked at his clock...it was three in the morning.
Groaning, he lay back down and pulled his cover's back up. He shoved the dream away though he did briefly wonder what the heck it had been about. And just what did that guy mean by 'act before you have time to regret?' Oh well, he wasn't going to solve it feeling the way he did. Sleep pulled him back down, the voice and those strange words chasing him into the darkness.
A/N: Rita Furlong is copyrighted to Nyte Kat, thank you for letting me use her in my story :)