In reading over the story to remember a few details, I realized that I made a terrible continuity error. I started the story with Jake's friend named Justin and, between Chapters 10 and 11, it changed to Jason. I have no idea what I was doing! I apologize for that lack of attention to detail. At this point, I think I will just continue to call him Jason. Either way, the show must go on...

For a tense long moment, Jake was sure he was going to lose control of the powerful V8 cruiser beneath him. "Should've grabbed my helmet," he thought as the cold December air whipped passed his head. At first, his reason for leaving was to get as far from Chance and home as possible. Now, however, he wanted to end this. By the time Jake pulled up to the front gate surrounding the ridiculously large mansion belonging to the CEO of Pumadyne, he was freezing. His paws shook as he examined the security keypad. "You've got to be kidding me," he hissed as he studied the unbelievably simple device. "What more did I expect from someone who encourages his scientists to build city-destroying robots." Jake toyed with the keys for a moment and then the gate lock clicked open. He pulled one of the heavy wrought iron gates open and slipped inside. It closed behind him with an audibly clang. He winced at the noise and looked around. "Smooth," he groaned. A pair of low growls caused the fur on the back of his neck to stand on end and he cautiously looked left and then right, feeling his stomach drop as two sets of yellow eyes leered at him in the dark. He swallowed forcefully. "That explains why it was so easy to get in," he backed up towards the gate. Just as one of his shaking paws reached it, the wolves snarled viciously and lunged at him. Jake pushed against the gate only to find that the lock had latched itself. "Damn it!" He cried, jumping to reach the top of the gate, cursing the lack of a crossbar when he was just too short to reach. A pair of large paws crashed against his side, pushing him forcefully to the ground. Jake kicked out at the wild animal, forcefully pushing it back, all too aware of its companion's hot breath on the back of his neck. He curled up to protect himself from the snapping jaws. Just as he was sure the pair of wolves were about to turn him into a post-midnight snack, they suddenly froze, then obediently sat, their hateful expressions turning to a misleading look of companionship. Jake peeked out from under his arms and slowly uncurled himself to see a large figure approaching in the dark. Quickly, he moved back to his feet. The two wolves growled at him but didn't move.

"I wouldn't move much more than that if I were you." The tall, broad-shouldered tom warned in an almost jovial voice. "Javelin and Shadow here will do anything for the taste of blood." He looked down at the teen's leg, noticing a dark spot on his jeans near his shin. "You might as well be dangling a raw steak in front of them."

Jake's eyes widened, realizing he must have pulled his stitches. Then he looked down at the still growling wolves.

"Breaking and entering is a serious crime." The kat said.

Jake looked back up at the towering form, positive this tom was at least double Chance's size. "The gate was unlocked," he replied defiantly.

"No matter." He grinned. "The doc's been hoping you'd pay him a visit." He looked at his wrist. "He won't appreciate being disturbed this late, however."

"I guess I'll just have to come back another time." Jake reached for the gate again only to receive another hungry snarl.

"Nonsense." The kat grinned. "You will come with me. Javelin and Shadow are starving." He reveled in the look of terror that crossed the kit's face. "After they are fed and sent back on guard, you and I will... discuss this matter."

Jake was unmoving as the tom started to walk away.

"Javelin, please escort Mr. Clawson this way." He snapped his fingers. "Or do you prefer Furlong these days?"

Jake felt his heart sink into his stomach as the darker haired of the two wolves nudged him from the gate before nipping at his exposed paws. He was stuck now. "So you gotta name?"

"Yes." The tom answered simply, walking at a pace that had the teen practically jogging to keep up.

Jake cursed his shorter legs and the pair of wolves nipping at him every time he slowed. "What is it?"

He paused to glare at the youth. "You may call me Thorn."

"Thorn?" Jake choked out. "That's the most evil moniker you could come up with?" One of the wolves growled. He guessed it to be Shadow. "I mean... Thorn's good... I guess." A chill that had nothing to do with the December air shot up his spine as they neared a wooden shed. Thorn removed a set of keys from his pocket and opened the door. Then he glared expectantly at Jake as he removed a long knife from his belt.

Jake's green eyes widened to the size of saucers and he was certain that he was on the menu.

Chuckling, Thorn reached for a switch inside the small building, filling it with light. "After you," he pointed into the building.

Wary of the knife and the wolves, Jake quickly entered the building, followed by the mountain of muscle. Relief washed over him when Thorn opened a large bin, clearly filled with kibble. After the wolves were busy shoving their large faces into their bowls, Jake was ushered back out of the building and towards a rear entrance into the large estate. This time, however, since the wolves weren't there to threaten his life, Thorn quite forcefully duct taped his wrists together behind his back and removed a blaster from a holster Jake hadn't seen. "Now," he chuckled darkly. "It's time to get serious."

Jake squeezed his eyes shut as Thorn pressed the barrel of the blaster into the nape of his neck. "This way," he purred. He was led into the mansion through what was clearly a servants' entrance, a large kitchen and then down a short dark corridor, at the end of which was a moderately sized metal door. "Should I be surprised that he has his own torture chamber?" Jake hesitated despite the gun pressed against him.

Thorn laughed deeply. "This?" He pressed his paw against a white block on the wall. A bluish beam moved up and down and then left to right, scanning his prints, and then the door hissed open.

Jake's eyes immediately darted around the cavernous laboratory and a part of him wanted desperately to explore and examine every aspect. The rest of him, however, the rational part, told him to cooperate and not do anything stupid to get himself killed. "You wouldn't happen to know exactly what it is that your boss wants from me, do you?"

Thorn grunted and pushed him forward. "Your father was a very selfish kat."

"Preaching to the choir," Jake smirked as he was pushed down onto a bench against the wall. Thorn removed a control from his pocket and pressed a button. A silver-bluish wall appeared around them, turning the corner of the lab into a cell. Thorn smiled and rapped his knuckles against it. "Solid as steel," he said, leaning against it and twirling the blaster on one of his fingers. "How does it feel to know you were less important than Dr. Clawson's work?"

"That's a lie." Jake replied without any enthusiasm. "He did what he could to protect me."

"Oh. That's right. He hid you away and beat you until you cowered in fear of him, rather than simply giving the Doc what was rightfully his." Thorn holstered the blaster. "Do you have scars?"

"Fuck you." Jake spat. "He did what he had to do."

"That's what he told you in his will?" Thorn snorted. "You sure he wasn't settling his conscience?"

Jake clenched his jaw and glared hatefully at Thorn. "Just tell me what it is Felino wants."

Thorn laughed loudly. "The Doc always knew you were the smart one. Just in case, however, precautions were taken to ensure your honesty." He pressed another button the control and a screen embedded in the digital wall appeared, revealing footage of a rustic building in a busy town. "I hear Catbodia is the place to be this holiday. Suri certainly does enjoy the food there. And her family's quaint little hotel room is just to die for."

"I didn't come here intending to play games," Jake said meekly. "I just want to make this stop."

"Wise decision. Where's the laptop?" Thorn pocketed the controller.

"I don't have it." Jake replied, lowering his head.

"Not what I want to hear." Thorn removed the controller again and pressed a button. A timer appeared in the bottom left corner of the screen.

"But I can access it remotely." Jake huffed out.

"Not good enough." Thorn smiled. "The Doc wants all of it. Hard copies and everything."

"But that's my father's work!" Jake gasped. "You can't expect me to just let him have it. The AI is one thing. He wants his designs back, fine. But I'm not giving him what my father worked to keep hidden."

"Suri isn't the only thing we've got our paws on." Thorn growled. "You think we were just digging through your stuff while you were getting your little gunshot wound fixed? Or what about sweet old Rita? She really does a lot to help those who can't afford health care, but you just can't trust every homeless bum with a case of the flu."

"I don't have it with me." Jake defended. "You want the damn laptop? Give me time to get it."

"Sure." Thorn grinned. "But you aren't leaving here without a little insurance."

Chance looked at the time. It was nearly three in the morning, and he'd scoured the city for any sign of Jake. He was just climbing back into the black SUV to try a few more places when his cell phone rang. Relief coursed through him when Jake's name lit up the screen. "Where the hell are you?"

"Meet me in the hangar." Jake replied.

"When?" Chance tried to gauge the tone in Jake's voice.

"Now." Jake replied before hanging up.

Chance already had the car started and in drive. Not caring about the speed limit, he dropped one of his heavy feet down firmly onto the accelerator. He reached the salvage yard in record time and was relieved to see the customer's motorcycle Jake had pretty much stolen sitting in the open garage. Chance launched himself out of the vehicle and ran into the building. He found Jake in the hangar, a USB cord between his teeth and both his father's computers turned on.

"What the hell is going on?" Chance demanded of the frazzled looking teen.

Jake connected the cord to an external hard drive and then to the first laptop. When it started copying the contents, he grabbed Chance's arm and pulled him. "Look at this."

Chance allowed Jake to drag himself out of the hangar and then to the stairs. "What the hell is going on, Jake?"

Jake paused in front of the stairs. "I went to see Felino."

Chance's jaw dropped open. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

"I need this to stop, Chance." Jake gave him a pleading look. "I didn't take into consideration that he figured I would show up." Turning away, he climbed the stairs just enough to reach one of the garage's ceiling panels. Slowly he removed it, exposing an electronic device counting down from one hour, thirty seven minutes, forty two seconds. "There's another one in your mom's clinic. And one in Suri's hotel."

"Christ." Chance dragged his paws through his air. "I can disarm it."
"That's the problem." Jake set down the panel and quickly squirmed out of his shirt, revealing a device embedded into his left upper arm just below the shoulder. It had a timer as well and was in sync with the one in the garage. "If we tamper with those, then this explodes."

Chance's ears dropped against his head. "And if we tamper with that?" He pointed at the device.

"Then everything else explodes too." Jake whispered, his fear evident. "I don't know what else to do. So... just... go make sure Rita's not crashing at her clinic and don't come back here until I tell you it's clear."

Chance's tail twitched wildly. "You're not going back there."
"Chance, I have to." Jake pleaded. "If I do this, then we can all just move on from this."

Chance clenched his jaw tightly before pulling Jake into a tight hug. "I'm gonna check on Ma. After that, you're crazy if you think I'm just gonna sit back and wait."

"I figured you'd say that." Jake returned the hug before grabbing his shirt and running back down into the hangar. He was wasting time.

After clearing the clinic, Chance high tailed it back to the garage and down to the hangar. He paused to look at the work table where now only Jake's laptop and external hard drive rested. "That kitten's gonna get himself killed." The tabby quickly suited up and then approached the Turbokat. Rather than initiating take off sequences, though, T-Bone pressed a button to release the gunner's seat through the bottom of the jet. In slid out, transforming as it did into a very large motorcycle. He'd been working on it while Jake was at school and it was supposed to be sort of a Christmas gift. Now, however, it seemed much more practical than barreling into some scientists home with a fighter jet.

Jake looked down at his watch as he returned to Dr. Felino's home. He had nearly thirty minutes to spare. Thorn was waiting for him, Javelin and Shadow by his side. Jake swallowed nervously as he approached. Thorn opened the gate and escorted Jake at an unnervingly casual pace back to the lab. "He's stalling," Jake realized to his own horror.

"Alright," Thorn said. "Let's see it."

Jake immediately removed the two laptops from his backpack and set them on a metal table. He booted them up and waited impatiently for everything to load, repeatedly looking at his watch. "This is all of his work," he said quietly. "Now please, leave me and my family alone."

Thorn smiled an evil smile. "Certainly," he purred, holding the controller.

Jake looked up at the monitor displaying all the places that were armed, including his own little device.

"But since you have no family to speak of..." Thorn pressed a button.

Jake watched in horror as Suri's hotel exploded. His heart sank as he realized that, while Suri may or may not have been inside, there were dozens of kats in that area. "Why?" He asked, feeling sick.

"Why not?" Thorn shrugged. "I have what I want."

There was a loud rumble outside, followed by a mix of snarling and yelping. Thorn dropped the remote. "My wolves!" He shouted and ran for the door.

Shaking, Jake picked up the controller and studied it for a moment. "Please be the right button," he prayed, letting out a sigh of relief when all the remaining timers stopped. A sharp pain shot through his shoulder and he dropped to the ground, clutching the device through his shirt. His entire body throbbed as the device released it's hold. Jake removed it from under his shirt and stared at it. A sudden feeling of dizziness washed over him and he noticed that the prongs that had been embedded in his flesh looked suspiciously like needles. "Not good," he slurred before slumping to the floor.

T-Bone felt a pang of guilt for injuring the two animals. As they laid unconscious in the grass, a massive tom stormed out of the building, rage and worry propelling him towards his pets. "What have you done?" He shouted.

"Where's the kit?" T-Bone snarled.

Thorn realized too late that he'd left the young genius alone with the controller to the bombs. No matter. He would handle this Swat Kat and then finish off the teen. "By now," he smirked. "Undoubtedly unconscious."

T-Bone drove his fist into the body guards face with a growl before firing a few cement globs at him, successfully sticking him to the ground. He hesitated only a moment while he decided whether or not to be the better kat. "I ought to gut you like the slime you are," he hissed, kicking him hard in the ribs before hurrying to find Jake.

Jake was pulled back to consciousness by a somewhat familiar throbbing in his skull. Had he foolishly gone out drinking with Jason again? He tasted bile in the back of his throat and grimaced as he swallowed it back. Finally mustering up the courage to open his eyes, he found himself in a dimly lit room. Slowly turning his head, he realized there were a couple of machines nearby and an IV with a lead that went into his arm. With a soft groan, he closed his eyes. He heard voices outside the room and opened his eyes again. Weakly, he pushed himself up. The only thing connected to him was the IV. With his bottom lip firmly between his teeth, he removed it, allowing himself a moment to recover from the sting. Then, after double checking to make sure whoever brought him to wherever he was didn't leave him naked, he slid of the bed. His legs felt like jelly and a sharp pain shot up his left leg. Jake looked down at his calf. It was wrapped in thick white gauze, his reddish brown fur puffing up around the edges. "Gunshot wound," he mumbled and stumbled towards the door. It was slightly ajar. He gripped the inside handle to steady himself and leaned forward to listen.

"I don't have any say in this, Chance." Rita sighed loudly. "He got shot. That's not something we can just brush off. It's Susan's job to make sure he isn't in a dangerous situation."

"He'd be in an even more dangerous situation without me." Chance's voice was raised. "It's my job to protect him! No one else is gonna do that!"

"Chance!" Rita snapped. "You might be an adult. But you are still my son, and I will not tolerate you shouting at me!" She huffed. "She isn't going to take Jake, but he's got a very influential kat accusing him of breaking and entering. Not to mention he stole a motorcycle to get there."

"They strapped a fucking bomb to his arm." Chance growled. "And there was one here. You saw it."

"You don't have to convince me." Rita hissed. "But he's ruffled a lot of important feathers."

Jake squinted as he struggled to pay attention. His vision started to swim and he clutched the door knob tighter in an attempt to remain upright as he started to stumble backwards.

"She just wants to do her job." Rita sighed. "Just let her..." Both she and Chance looked up sharply as the door leading to the exam room where Jake had been swung open and something crashed hard against the wall behind it. Chance moved before Rita could, pulling the door forward as he hit the light switch. "Jesus, Jake..." He swore, dropping the check the teen sprawled on his back in his underwear. "What the hell are you doing up?"

"I was jus'..." Jake slurred, scrubbing his face. "Wha's goin' on?"

"You have an altered form of gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid in your system." Rita helped Chance get him to his feet.

"Gamma-wha...?" Jake blinked at her, leaning into Chance as things seemed to sway again.

"GHB." Rita simplified. "It's a common date-rape drug."

Jake's eyes widened and then immediately dropped back into a squint as he sluggishly turned to look at Chance. "Someone was gonna rape me?"

Chance snorted. "Kit, I don't know what that kat was gonna do to you."

"Wha' kat?" Jake allowed himself to be tucked back into bed.

"Dr. Reynold Felino's body guard." Chance reminded him. "The crazy that tried to blow everyone up?"

He sighed, watching Jake's eyes start to roll back in his head.

"Let him rest, Chance." Rita said softly as she checked the needle before reinserting it into Jake's arm. "Try and leave that alone."

Jake shook his head slightly to try and clear the fog. "Sure."

Chance clenched his fists tightly by his sides as he watched Jake slip back into unconsciousness. He was supposed to have been the one to get Jake out of there. Instead, however, Dr. Felino, whom Chance was positive had been watching the whole time from somewhere inside his monstrous home, played his cards just right by calling the Enforcers, reporting a break in. T-Bone had no choice but to get out of there. He'd used his connection with the deputy mayor to pull some strings and get Jake brought to his mother's clinic rather than a hospital, however. But now she sat in the waiting area, anxious to hear the whole story as well.

Jake glared at the wall, his arms crossed against his chest and a deep scowl on his face. He was beyond pissed off, and Miss Sharpclaw knew it. "House fucking arrest," he spat. "You've got to be kidding me."

"It's the best I could do." Susan sighed. "Felino wants to have you locked up and put in the juvenile detention center for breaking and entering, not to mention nearly killing his bodyguard."

"I didn't touch Thorn." Jake defended. "And I was unconscious when the Swat Kats showed up."

Susan sighed again. "Listen to me, Jake." She leaned forward, her arms on the table between the two of them. "It's either this or therapy. It took me and Chance both to convince the Enforcers that you weren't acting rationally."

"I was acting rationally!" Jake exploded, jumping to his feet and slamming his paws against the table. "He killed my parents." He hissed. "And he tried to kill me and everyone I care about." He threw his arms up. "For all I know, Suri's a pile of ash on the other side of the globe! And you saw the explosive devices that were here and where Chance and I live! What more proof do they need?"

"Money talks, Jake." Susan was unmoved by the young tom's behavior. "And Felino has it to spare. I'm doing what I have to do to keep you with Chance. If you don't like it, I have no choice but to put you in the system."

Jake dropped back into the chair and buried his head in his arms. He should have been getting a medal. At the very least, he should have been seeing the CEO of Pumadyne in cuffs. But no. Instead, he was on house arrest until the end of holiday break, he felt like he had a hang over, courtesy of the drugs in the bomb that had left a wonderful little series of welts on his upper arm, and, to cap it all off, he now had a criminal record. "Can I go now?" He mumbled into the sleeves covering his arms.

"Sure," she sighed. "When that comes off," she added as Jake started to get up. "We're going to discuss counseling."

Chance was positive that if he and Jake were in a competition to see who was more angry about the whole thing, he would win. Not only was he furious at Jake for making such an irrational decision based on his eavesdropping, but they had clear evidence that someone had planted explosives in his home and place of business as well as his mother's clinic and the Enforcers weren't even going to investigate it. He was positive Steele's name was all over it somehow. He glared at Jake in the passenger seat. The teen had his leg pulled up and was investigating the device around his ankle. "I bet I could hack it," he hissed. "And reprogram it."

"Sure. Why don't you just go right ahead and add tampering with government equipment and jailbreak to your record." Chance said from between his teeth.

Jake looked up sharply. "Are you seriously going to side with them?"

"I'm not siding with them." Chance's tone softened. "I'm tired. I'm pissed off. And I don't want to deal with another damn Enforcer for as long as I live. So, for the sake of just two weeks of peace and quiet, will you please just leave it alone?"

Jake looked as if he might defy his guardian in some fashion before letting his foot drop down to the floorboard with a loud thump. "Sorry," he mumbled. He heaved in a deep breath. "You think Suri and her family are alive?"

Chance gave him a sympathetic look. "The news this morning said that most of the guests registered at the hotel were not there during the explosion."

Jake simply nodded but remained silent for the remaining ride home.

Chance looked down into the crystal tumbler and swirled the contents around. He didn't drink often, especially as of late. But he had so many things running through his mind. He broke it off with Callie, although they hadn't been dating that long. It just seemed too much of a risk. One more life in danger. She'd been understanding, and sympathetic, though it was clear her feelings were hurt. He took a sip of the expensive drink then held the glass up so that the light could reflect off the amber liquid and wondered if this was something Jake's father had done often. Staring into the golden abyss, trying to find an answer to it all. He had a good feeling Felino wouldn't try anything right away, and he was thankful for that. Both he and Jake needed a break from the constant flow of drama and tragedy. They needed a change of pace badly. Chance finished off the drink and set the glass down. Two shots of scotch was all he needed to calm his nerves before he went to check on Jake, who hadn't left his room since they got home. He paused in the teen's slightly open doorway. The glow from the screen on his laptop illuminating his spot on the bed in the dark. Chance narrowed his eyes, squinting to see better. He sighed when he recognized footage from the explosion in Catbodia.

Jake didn't look up when he heard the hinges on his door creak. "I can't find anything," he whispered. "The news is calling it a terrorist attack."

"It kind of is." Chance sat down on the bed and pulled the laptop away from Jake. He closed the browser and turned it off. "Stop torturing yourself. You aren't going to spend the next two weeks hiding in your room watching morbid news reports."

"There's so much I could be doing." Jake rolled his eyes before pointing at his ankle.

"There's plenty for you to do around here." Chance smirked.

"Right." Jake sulked. "I see myself spending the next to weeks helping you do your job while you plan your next date with Callie."
Chance winced. "Your crystal ball needs a tune up."

Jake gave Chance a curious look but didn't question him. "Either way, I don't think I'm going to enjoy the break."

"Not even Christmas?" Chance pouted.

Jake huffed. "Especially not Christmas."

Alright, sorry this one took so long. I got stuck and kept redoing it. Next ones should go smoother.

Nyte Kat