I'm back!
Sorry for the long wait; my other stories have been getting some attention recently, so I've been making sure to keep them updated. However, I intend to finish this story before any of those, since I started this long before, and because I know that you all have been waiting patiently to read the next chapter, and I thank you for that. So, without further ado, here is Chapter Twenty-Four! Enjoy!
Coming Up With A Plan:
Seeing humans again was a shock to Lonestar, who stared at them for a few seconds as he realized what had happened. He had been waiting for this moment, the time when he would be back in the human world, but he wasn't expecting it so soon, and not in this circumstance. It took him a few seconds to remember that this was supposed to be a good thing.
"I'm home," Max repeated, realizing he was tearing up and wiping his eyes. "I… What day is it?" He took out his phone, but that didn't help; his phone had continued as if it were still in Max's world, so its calendar currently said it was sometime in 2021. His phone was connected to internet for the first time in nearly two years, and he started to get text, phone, and email notifications."I… I need to ask someone."
"We'll stay here," Jake told him, helping Feral to his feet. "I don't think we should be letting anyone see us so soon." He and Feral made their way towards the shadows of the alley, just in case any humans came nearby. Bracing himself, the human stepped out of the alleyway, still checking his phone; his mom and sisters had sent him several texts and tried to call him, and he read through them:
Max? Are you okay?
Max, it's been a few days. Please send me a text so I know you're fine.
Max? It's been nearly a week, please call me!
They appeared to have texted him once or twice a day for seven days in a row, calling every morning and evening. That didn't tell him much, so he had to find out what day it was. So, despite his Swat Kats uniform, he made his way towards the tailgaters, mentally trying to remember what it was like to talk to another human.
"If you're looking for some sort of convention, you're in the wrong place," one of the guys said, grilling a steak as his friends played a game of horseshoes nearby.
"I… I was wondering if I could borrow your phone," Max said. "Mine died, and I… wanted to call my mom. She's gotten pretty worried if I don't let her know I'm okay."
"First year at college? I understand." He handed Max his phone. "Here."
Max checked the phone's display, which showed that it was the morning of September 27th, one week after he had been taken by the portal. One week in this world, though he was two years older than when he had left. He dialed his mom's number, but didn't hit the dial button, pretended to call her before cancelling the call. "Sorry, she wasn't there," he lied, returning the man's phone.
"No problem." Max made his way back to the alleyway, looking around until he heard a familiar cough from behind one of the dumpster. He found the kats sitting in the shadow, both looking shell-shocked.
"So," Jake asked.
"It's been one week in this world," the human told them. "Only one week has gone by here…"
"Kat's alive," Feral said. "That's… I don't know how to describe that." He covered a small cough.
"I need to call my mom," Max said, taking out his phone once again. He saw her name in the contacts, but hesitated, not pressing the call button. "I… What do I say? I haven't heard from here in nearly two years, but it's only been a week to her."
"You'll be fine," the Swat Kat assured him. "Just… apologize for not answering earlier, tell her you're working hard to make her proud, and that you love her."
"Fine." He paused again, but pressed the button, bringing the phone to his ear as he heard the dial tone ring. The seconds passed as the phone continued to ring, but then the end clicked, and the human felt his breath catch.
"Hello? Max?" His mom's voice, clear as day, spoke in his ear; it took everything he had to not start crying. "For Heaven's sake, why haven't you been answering my texts or phones for the past week?! I've been worried sick!"
"I… I'm sorry," Max said, hands shaking as he felt himself tear up again. "I didn't mean to…"
"Is your phone broken?"
"It… it was, kind of, but it works now."
"Well, please call me on another phone the next time that happens; I nearly called the police!" She sighed. "You must be very busy with classes and so on."
"Uh… yeah," he replied, wishing he didn't have to lie. "How're you?"
"I'm doing fine. So is Marie. She actually got a free afternoon off today so we're thinking of taking a quick trip up to Dallas."
Max felt his stomach drop. "No," he said firmly. "Don't go to Dallas!"
"What? Why not," his mom asked him.
"I…" He looked at the two kats, who were pretending not to be listening in. "I… can't say exactly why, but just don't, okay?"
"Max, you're gonna have to do better than that -"
"I just… I wanted to come visit you today… as a surprise. I have a free day too, and wanted to spend some time at home." He regretted the lie, but knew he couldn't let his family go to a city that was about to be attacked.
"Really? Why… that's sweet of you to offer," his mom said, and he could almost picture her smile [which did little to make him feel better about his current situation]. "I can't really swing bus fare right now -"
"Don't worry. I'll cover it," he said. "I'll look at times I can come home, but don't either of you go to Dallas; I wanna spend time with you both and see home again."
"Fine, but what has gotten into you? Did something happen? Are you okay?"
"I'll tell you when I get there," he promised.
"Max, I knew this would happen. Are you having a rough time at college? You probably feel homesick, right?"
"I… yeah," he said honestly, hugging his legs with his free hand. "So… I'll let you know when I find a bus?"
"Take your time," his mom said. "Even if you're not here until dinner time, then that's fine. I gotta go now. Love you."
"Okay… love you too, mom. See you soon."
"Bye." She hung up, and for a few seconds, Max was silent, lowering the phone. He hadn't talked to his mom in nearly two years, but it had only been a week to her...
"You can't go visit your mom right now," Feral said. "This isn't a leisure visit; Void's about to attack this world."
"I know that," he replied, sorrow in his voice. "I just needed to make sure that they don't go to Dallas; I won't risk them getting hurt in whatever happens."
"What about the rest of the humans," Razor asked. "We need to get them out of there."
"How? We have no proof that Void's gonna invade the city, and there's no way to get everyone out in time. Dallas is a big city, and there would be a risk of someone getting left behind. All we can do is go there and cut off Void before he can cause any damage."
"How," Feral asked. "We have no weapons or materials, no kat to call for help, and Void's planning on attacking at dawn. How far away is this Dallas?"
"About a two hour drive."
"And we don't exactly fit in," the Enforcer said, frowning and crossing his arms. "What now?"
The human sighed, looking around the alleyway, unsure of what to do next. "I don't know. Hopefully, T-Bone and the others'll get back to Hackle with the plans."
"What plans," Jake asked. The human explained the plan with Cybertron scanning the portal device, and the experimental teleportation technology that hopefully saved everyone.
"So if everything worked out, Hackle would have the designs to the portal machine, meaning the others could come after us," Feral asked.
"Yes."
"How do we know if it worked?"
A sudden glow filled the alleyway, causing the three of them to shield their eyes. When they opened them, they saw T-Bone, Callie, Johnny, Ann and several Enforcer soldiers standing there, all wearing some sort of device that was strapped to vests they wore. They looked around before finally noticing the trio sitting nearby.
"Need a hand," Chance asked, a grin on his face.
###
It took a while for the new arrivals to explain everything.
Hackle had managed to make several smaller versions of Void's portal machine, using the scans Cybertron had sent him. Callie, meanwhile, had come, bringing several Enforcers with her as backup. There had been a fight to allow Johnny and Ann to come, but they won out in the end; the Professor had tricked Johnny's camera so anything he filmed in the human world would be sent to the kat's world, allowing him and the Enforcers back home to check on their progress. Should the need arise, more would join them [since Hackle was still working on making more portal vests]. T-Bone had also stopped by the lair to pick up some extra gear for his fellow Swat Kats since their other gear was taken by Void.
Callie, meanwhile, had been doing her best to keep the kat public calm. Void's threat had caused a panic in Megakat City, but Max's interview managed to calm most of them down. Manx was currently hiding in his office, so Callie was in charge. She asked the Enforcers to prepare for any attack, taking eight brave soldiers with her to Hackle's house. She left Srgt. Talon in charge when she left, which made Feral happy; he was the one he wanted to take over for him after he died. At the moment, the kat world was preparing for the worst, their hopes resting on their ragtag group in the human world.
"Kats alive," Feral said when they finished telling the story. "That's…"
"Genius," Razor said. "And crazy."
"I'm used it it," Callie commented.
"I still don't think Ann and Johnny should've come," Max said.
"We weren't just gonna sit home and do nothin'," the kamerakat said, taking his girlfriend's hand. "We're all in this together now."
"And when you save the world," Ann said, "our ratings will go through the roof!" Everyone stared at her. "What? Just some light humor."
"I hate to ruin anyone's humor," the head Enforcer spoke up, standing with his soldiers, "but how do we get out of here without causing a scene?"
"Hackle thought of that too," the deputy mayor said. "He had been working on some sort of invisibility device, which he added to these vests." She hit a button on the side and she vanished from view. "Did it work?"
"Uh… yeah," Lonestar said, torn between freaking out and admiring the Professor's invention; it seemed he could build just about anything they needed. "But how did you guys do all of this so quickly? We only got here about ten minutes ago."
"It's been several hours in our world," T-Bone explained. "It took us a while to get everykat together and to make enough vests, though Void's gonna be going through his portal soon. Now what time is it here?"
"It's Saturday morning" the human replied. "We have no idea what time Void will arrive here, and Dallas is a two hour drive from here. Please tell me you have the Turbokat or something up your sleeve."
"Hackle's shrink ray is still in the development phase," Ann said. "We need to get there as soon as possible and come up with a plan."
"What is the plan," one of the Enforcer soldiers asked. "Show up at this human city and stop this kat from releasing a toxin? Sounds like a bad movie plot."
"First, we need transportation," Razor said. "Any vehicles in this world that has enough seats for all of us?"
Max paused, thinking about what they could do next. There were now about fifteen of them, and he was the only human. Looking back, he figured his fellow Swat Kats had it easier, keeping him hidden in their world, and now he had to get himself and fourteen kats to one of the biggest cities in the state. The only thing that could carry them all was a bus, which were expensive to rent last minute, leaving them with only one other option.
"Okay, who was no moral qualms about stealing a bus," Lonestar asked.
###
Fortunately, the bus-stealing plan worked out pretty well. It helped that they could all turn invisible, given Hackle's invention, and that all the other humans were currently preoccupied with the game. Feral nearly gave them away with his coughing, but they managed to sneak onto one of the charter busses that the visiting team had come in.
"So they have TVs in cars in the future," one of the Enforcers asked, gaping at the screens set up every few rows. "Why're they so small?"
"This is trickier than I thought it'd be," Max said, looking at the bus instruction manual. "These controls are different, and apparently I can't go above a certain speed limit. Not to mention there's gas, but it looks like we should have enough to get us there." He set the book aside. "I'll drive, since I know the way there. Now let's just hope we get enough of a head start before someone notices we've stolen a bus."
"So does this world have Enforcers too," one of the soldiers asked.
"No. We have a military, but it's separated from most everyday life. Police officers are the ones that keep the peace. I would get arrested, being human, and you all… Let's just say we don't wanna be caught."
"This is your university," Ann said, looking out the window. "Johnny, get a shot of this!"
"We still need a plan," Callie said. "We know where Void's gonna show up and when, but we need a plan of what to do once we get there. I take it we can't just go up to the roof of a building and set up a strike force."
"We can turn invisible."
"Those won't work forever. We need to defeat him without causing too much of a panic or destroying the city."
"I think all of humanity would appreciate that," Lonestar said from the driver's seat, so far managing not to crash into anything. "Take an inventory of all we have. Razor, T-Bone and I have our skills and gear."
"We have eight of the top Enforcers on the squad," Feral said, covering another cancer cough. "We have two newskats with no skills whatsoever -"
"HEY!"
"- And the deputy mayor." He looked at Callie. "What does Manx think about all of this?"
"He's been hiding in his office since Max's fight with Gorgan," she replied.
"Okay, so we have fifteen of us against Void, his butler and Gorgan." T-Bone shrugged. "Should be too hard."
"On top of a skyscraper shaped like a lollipop," Razor pointed out.
"He's going to the Reunion Building," the human asked. "That's an observation tower near the JFK assassination site. Got a couple revolving restaurants up there."
"Humans are crazy," one of the Enforcers whispered to their friend.
"Crazy radical," his friend replied.
"Wait, who's JFK," Ann asked.
"I'll tell you if we survive Void's invasion."
"Wait, I just remembered," Johnny said, taking a small device from his camera bag. "Hackle wanted us to test out this communicator once we got here." He hit the button, holding it to his mouth. "Professor Hackle? It's Johnny? We made it safely to the human world. Can you hear us?"
There was a moment of silence as everyone in the bus [except Max, who was trying to reach the highway] stared at the device. However, there was a cackling sound before they heard a familiar voice. "It works," Hackle said. "Any problems with the portal vests?"
"They worked great. We found Max and the others, and we're on our way to Dallas. What time is it there?"
"Nearly dawn, though remember; time is different in both of our worlds. He could appear in Max's world at anytime."
"We understand. Is the Turbokat ready?"
"Yes. Say the word, and it will be teleported to the human world; just make sure you give me the correct coordinates so I don't send it crashing into anything or anykat."
"Thanks. And we'll let you know if you need to send us anything else."
"Seriously, that kat's a literal deus ex machina," Lonestar said when they turned off the communicator. "Is there anything he can't do?"
"He's allergic to tuna," Razor said.
"Poor kat," an Enforcer muttered sympathetically.
"Okay, so we have roughly two hours to come up with a plan and save both of our worlds," Callie said. "Let's spend it wisely."
"Fine." Razor turned to Max. "We need to know everything you can tell us about this Reunion Tower."
"I don't know much," the human admitted. "I haven't been there in years. The only way up is in one of the elevators, and you need a ticket. If Void's planning on releasing the serum from up there, then it'll get a lot of people; it's near the historic downtown area, and the observation deck of the tower can get pretty busy on a weekend."
"That's probably why he chose it," Feral said. "He wants to get a lot of humans at once so he has the start of an army when he invades our world."
"He can't just walk into the tower without causing a panic," T-Bone said. "If everykat runs away, then he won't have an army. Plus, he said he was releasing it as a gas."
"That probably means he's gonna release it from the top of the tower, which won't be easy to reach."
"We can use the Turbokat. Park somewhere outside the city and fly it there," Johnny suggested.
"We won't all fit in there," Feral reminded him.
"Then we split up," Max suggested. "Some of us stay on the ground and make sure no one gets hurt while a group of us fly straight to the top to cut off his arrival. If your world has taught me anything, Void's probably gonna use Gorgan and his butler as a diversion, sending them somewhere to the city to force us to go after them. The ground group goes after them while the rest of us stop him."
The kats exchanged questioning looks. It seemed like a sound idea; only five kats could fit in the Turbokat, and it was likely that Void would send his henchkat and son to create havoc throughout Dallas. And no one else had any ideas at the moment; Lonestar was the one who knew what this world was like.
"Fine," Razor said. "But let's make sure we're all clear on the details before we get there."
"I agree," Feral said. "So that means you eight need to stop staring out the window." He glared at the Enforcer soldiers. A few gave sheepish looks as they turned away from the windows. "Okay… let's get started."
Not very long or action-packed, but we get to see Max's reaction to finally returning home, as well as the kats' first reactions to the human world. Now all that's left is to stop Dr. Void!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Feel free to follow or favorite this story to be updated on new chapters, and feel free to leave a review on this chapter or others if you want. And, as usual, have a safe and happy week/weekend!
Quick PSA: PLEASE BE CAREFUL AND SAFE WHEN YOU GO OUTSIDE DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC! Seriously, you guys are awesome, and while being sick gives you more time to read fanfiction, it's not good for you or your loved ones. Keep yourselves and everyone else outside safe. Thank you.
-aggiefrogger