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I'm back with another chapter! Thank you all so much for your patience and support!
Enjoy the chapter!
Dallas Dealings: Part Three
Jake and Callie could not help but be scared of the monstrous kat that now stood before them. They were not expecting Void to use the mutagen formula on himself, which was about to make their job a lot more difficult.
"So this was your plan," Razor asked, instinctively putting up an arm to protect Callie while aiming at the Void monster with his other Glovatrix hand. "Turn yourself into a superkat like Gorgon? How does that make your plan any easier?"
"It isn't really necessary to my plan," Void admitted, admiring his stronger form. "But it makes killing you more enjoyable. And why shouldn't I look like this? My minions will need a strong leader to look up to, and now I look the part!"
"You're no leader," Callie said angrily. "You're a monster! We won't let you destroy this world!"
The villain smiled. "As if you could possibly stop me." He looked towards the Dallas skyline. "By the end of the day, this city will be mine, and it's only a matter of time before this world bends to me. My kat mutagen will be here momentarily, and it will be so easy to spread to this human race."
"Not if we stop you," Razor said. "We outnumber you with kat power!"
"And I think it's very premature of you to think that you'll win," Callie added, glaring at him.
The evil kat frowned at her. "This is progress, Deputy Mayor," he told her. "It was bound to happen at some point. If not me, some other brilliant mind would have done the same to this planet, or these humans could have come to our world."
"You don't know that," she argued back. "Not every kat is as demented and evil as you!"
"I know… but that means less competition for this world." He grinned, holding up his clawed hands. "And even less when I get rid of you!"
Void leaped forward, and Jake pulled Callie out of the way, narrowly avoiding being hit by the kat. The two friends looked around, trying to think of what to do next; they had no way of incapacitating the monster kat with what they had, and they were confined to the roof of the building. Going downstairs would endanger the humans, and they needed to keep the monster far away from any people.
"I'm not in the mood to play with my prey," the villain said, down on all fours like a wild animal as he looked at the two kats. "If you're going to attempt to stop me, I would appreciate you making a move."
At that moment, the door to the downstairs opened, Ann and Johnny dragging the unconscious Butler kat through the door. When they saw Void, they froze, gaping at the monster as it turned its attention to them. Seizing the opportunity, Razor shot a smoke bomb at the kat's feet, covering that part of the rooftop. Running forward, he used the Glovatrix's grappling hook to latch onto one of the metal bars forming the ball above them. He swung forward, kicking the villain in the back of the head. Void roared angrily, swiping at Jake as he swung away from him, the two ready to fight.
Callie, meanwhile, ran around the fight and towards her friends, who were pulling the butler onto the roof. Ann and Johnny looked unhurt, though the deputy mayor noticed her friend looked a little shaken, and her boyfriend's invisibility belt was broken. Void's butler was unconscious, and his hands and legs were crudely tied together with what looked like computer wires.
"Ran into a little trouble downstairs," Johnny explained.
"It wasn't fun," Ann added, indicating to a crudely patched wound on the butler's shoulder. "I hated using a gun… especially after Felina…"
Callie hugged her friend. "I'm sorry," she said.
"It's fine… we made sure he didn't hurt any humans, and we tied him up as best we could."
"I found some wire in a supply closet," Johnny said. "I take it you two aren't doing that well?"
A roar answered him, and they turned to see that Void had finally managed to grab Razor by the neck, throwing him towards the group. The Swat Kat hit Johnny, knocking them both to the ground. Callie and Ann were immediately on guard as the villain turned towards them.
"A valiant effort," Void said. "But a futile one. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some unfinished business." He jumped into the air, catching the nearest metal rung of the ball surrounding the top of the building. He started to climb, heading for the top of the sphere.
"We have to stop him," Jake said, climbing to his feet.
"How," Ann asked. "This dome thing is huge, and he has speed and strength on his side."
"We could ask T-Bone for a lift." The Swat Kat then winced, remembering something. "And… I just sent him to help Max and Feral."
"Then we do it the old-fashioned way," Callie said, walking towards the nearest beam that led up.
"What about him," Johnny asked, indicating to the Butler. "Do we just leave him?"
"I'll tie him up," After some hesitation, the others followed, hoping that the fight with Gorgan would end soon.
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Max hit the wall of the monument behind him, the air leaving his lungs as he fell to the ground. He gasped, trying to breathe as Gorgan approached him, fists clenched in rage.
The fight had not gone well. Most of the Enforcers lay unconscious in the plaza, and the ones that were awake were tending to the wounded and hiding from the human police. By now, Dealey Plaza was surrounded by dozens of police cars, and the occasional fighter plane would fly overhead. There was no telling how long they would wait before they made their move, and if any of the kats were captured… Lonestar could only imagine how badly that would go.
"You tired," Gorgan asked, grinning as the human Swat Kat struggled to stand. "Father said you were weak… I believe now."
"At least… I'm not some… villain stooge," Max said, finally catching his breath and standing up. He wiped the blood off his lip. "You… realize you're just a means to an end, right?"
The kat monster frowned, confused by his words, but then he glared at him. "Father is no villain! He is smart kat in all the world!" An Enforcer tried to attack him at that point, but his efforts were in vain as Gorgan tossed her like a rag doll. "Made me stronger… better than weak kats!"
"He turned you into a monster," the human told him, trying to distract the villain with talking so someone else might have a chance to sneak up on him. "You used to be like me… you used to be human!"
"No! I was always kat!" He grabbed Lonestar by the neck, holding him up to his face. "Stop lie and say I'm best kat!"
"We… We saw your DNA," the hero gasped, trying to figure out what to do next. He had a hidden blade in his shoe, but he needed to hit his heels together at the right angle in order to activate it. He started clicking his heels together, trying to get a weapon he could use [since all his other weapons had failed]. "You… were human once…"
"No! I not!"
"You… You were…"
Gorgan glared at him. "Stop lie to me! I was no human! I no remember being-" He paused, a frown on his face as he tried to remember something. Max kept knocking his heels together, hoping the monster didn't notice what he was trying to do.
"I… I no remember before Father," the kat finally said. "Except… Dream." Sensing the opportunity, the human decided to say something.
"Y-Yeah," Max said, holding onto the monstrous hands so he didn't choke. "You… You were human… Voi- Father made you like this… Took you from your home like he did with me."
The monster kat shook his head. "No… Father… Father loves me," he said, though he sounded more uncertain. "He said no one love me except-" His eyes got a far-away look in them, as if recalling a long-lost piece of information. Max stared, wondering what was about to happen. "... Emily."
"Who," Lonestar asked, pausing in his attempts to free his boot blade as he wondered if he had somehow gotten a lucky break.
"My… she my…" Gorgan dropped the human, looking at his hand. "My… ring… Where ring finger?" He looked around, confused. "D-Dallas?"
Max slowly stood up, noting the disoriented expression on the monster kat's face. "You recognize this place," he asked, cautious of the villain.
The monster kat continued to look around, as if coming out of a dream. "Emily… she was marry me." He finally looked at Lonestar. "Father… hurt me… said I need to help kats."
"I know. I'm… I'm so sorry."
"He said… first target never came…" He pointed at the human. "That you?"
Lonestar nodded. "Yes. I never appeared in his lab."
Gorgan looked back at his hands, a thoughtful expression on his face. Max stared at him, wondering what would happen next. With any luck, he may have somehow turned Gorgan back to the side for good, meaning they would have a better chance of stopping Void. The monster kat would probably have intimate knowledge of the scientist's plans, and perhaps -
The villain suddenly leaped forward, grabbing Lonestar by the neck and slamming him into the wall of the monument. Max gasped, clicking his heels together and hearing the familiar shink of the hidden compartment in his shoe opening. However, no blade appeared, and the human realized that he had broken it off years ago on Turmoil's ship; it was apparent that Razor had not repaired his shoe since then.
"You… You reason he took me," Gorgan said, sounding and looking enraged. "He took me because you never appear. I was happy before… I was about marry… now I a MONSTER!" The last part was screamed in Max's face, spittle hitting his face.
"I'm s-s-sorry," Lonestar gasped, trying to knock the kat's hands away. "I didn't know-"
"You reason I'm here!" The monster held up his free hand, claws suddenly appearing. "Now I kill you!"
Right as Gorgan was about to attack, there was the sudden sound of a horn blaring, followed by the sound of an approaching vehicle. They turned around to see a charter bus barreling towards them. In the front seat, there was Feral, along with a human police officer, both of them looking terrified and screaming.
"What the-" Gorgan dropped Max in shock, and the human quickly jumped out of the way as the bus turned the monster kat into a pancake. The bus crashed into the wall, knocking it over with a resounding boom as some of the glass on the bus windows shattered. Lonestar gasped, looking at the wreckage, knowing that there was no way the villain could survive; this was confirmed when he saw a single, limp hand sticking out of the rubble. Even more surprising, he recognized the charter bus they had taken from the university.
The back of the bus opened, and Feral climbed out of it, looking dazed and confused. He was followed by a short police woman, who looked equally freaked out. Lonestar got to his feet, walking over to them and wondering why the heck Feral was doing with a cop.
"That… was insane," the woman said, brushing spray shards of glass off her shoulders. "Remind me why I helped you out?"
"You… wanted to…" Feral coughed, looking ragged as he shook miniscule pieces of glass from his fur. The police officer noticed Max at this time, jumping a little at the sight of the costumed vigilante.
"Okay… you just destroyed a monument," Lonestar said, looking at the rubble that remained of the wall.
"Yeah. I'm probably gonna get fired when my boss finds out," the police woman said, getting over her surprise. "I was just trying to stop that monster; sorry for nearly killing you."
"I appreciate it."
"Well… the cruddy villain's gone," Feral said, covering a few more coughs. "Now… we gotta stop this… Void kat."
"Void," the police officer asked.
"At the Reunion Tower," Max explained. "Our friends are up there; we have to help them."
"What about my Enforcers," the kat asked, indicating to the other kats, the awake one starting to gather around them. "They're… in no shape to fight again today."
The human Swat Kat looked around, noting the tired and frightened expressions most of the Enforcers had. "They should go home," he suggested. "We can't risk any of you being arrested or taken." He gave the cop an awkward look. "No offense."
"None taken," she replied, looking at the battered kats. "They all deserve some rest."
"So you all use the belts and go home. Get some medical help there, since I doubt human hospitals will be much help."
"Fine," Feral coughed. "Thank you, soldiers; you fought a valiant battle today. Help get the wounded and go home."
"I'll tell the other officers to stand down," the police woman said, taking a walkie talkie from her belt. "Plus… explain what the heck is going on."
"Thanks, ma'am," the human Swat Kat said. "Miss…"
"The name's Selena," she replied. "Don't worry; I'm not going to ask yours. Something tells me you wish to remain anonymous."
"That would be best." The cop smiled, walking a few feet away to talk to her coworkers.
"You should go too, Feral," Max said, approaching the sick kat. "You've helped us more than we could ever-"
"I will not," the kat snapped, covering a few more coughs. "I will… see this through to the… end." He gave the human a steely look. "Besides… Felina… never quit. Besides, my belt broke back there… doubt it works."
Lonestar was silent, once again feeling the guilt about Felina's death. However, he could also tell that the kat was tired, and given his already sick state, charging into another battle seemed like a bad idea. Instantly, he knew what to do. It would be difficult for him later on, but right now, he needed to do what was right.
"Here." The human took off the belt the others had given him, handing it to the kat. "Go home. I will not let you die here so far from your niece."
"I do not plan on dying," Feral protested.
"And I will not let you." He put a hand on the kat's shoulder. "Please… you have to trust us."
The kat looked at him for a few moments, clearly stunned. Then, to everyone's surprise, he laughed, though it quickly turned into more coughing. He took the belt, removing the old one and replacing it with the new.
"Fine," he said. "But you better win… or I will lock you up… in jail for the rest of your… nine lives!"
Max couldn't help but grin. "Thanks, sir."
The sound of another approaching engine filled the air, this one from the sky. Everyone looked up to see the Turbokat landing on the grass nearby, the engines blowing the grass back. When the engines quieted a little, the cockpit opened, and T-Bone stuck his head out.
"Someone need a lift," he called.
Lonestar nodded, picking up his fallen weapons from the earlier fight. "Let's go stop Void… once and for all," he called back, running towards the plane.
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Void was on top of the world, it seemed, staring at the city skyline around him.
The humans were interesting, he would give them that. Amazing that they had built a similar world to theirs, except they had technology the kats had never even dreamed of. That tech would be useful in taking over the kat world, as well as this one later on.
"And now," he said to himself, standing on top of the dome sphere, "it begins."
He took a small device from his pocket, pressing the button. A portal opened up several meters above him, the swirling yellow circle contrasting with the blue sky. The other side was in his hidden lab, where dozens of gas canisters sat, waiting to release their contents on this world. The gas would sink, covering the city like a blanket, and he would win.
There was no kat that could stop him.
And finally, we are about to start the final showdown in the next chapter! It's been a long time, building up to this, and now it all comes down to this battle to see how the fate of two worlds hangs in the balance!
See you all then!
