Chapter 2: Home
Pulling back the throttle, the Turbokat generated a low hum for a few seconds and then they were airborne in minutes. As the Turbokat zipped through the air, Hacker realised that she was very lucky to be acquainted with Jake and Chance. Not only were they quick and smart, they also had the best and most advanced technology that she could ever dream of, in the whole of Megakat City.
The Turbokat, which was designed by Jake, was the only jet that flew the skies. The Enforcers had been working on the design of a jet's engine but this project was abandoned as many labs were destroyed due to the over-powering of the engines. If Jake had stayed on with the Enforcers, the Swat Kats would never have been formed.
Hacker glanced to her right side and saw that Jake was busy trying to design new weapons. Shaking her head, she peered out of her window, which was on her left, and saw the salvage yard, which was a couple of kilometres away from Megakat City and well out of view from the many citizens. The entrance to the underground hanger was hidden behind a huge pile of old and rusty cars. As the jet dipped downwards, Hacker could see the piles and piles of cars and other electrical appliances closing in fast ahead of her.
"Steady, T-bone," cautioned Hacker, "We're in no hurry to get home, you know."
"Yeah, T-bone, slow down," said Razor softly so that he would not hurt T-bone's feelings anymore than it already was.
T-bone winced with frustration as he forced himself to control his emotions. The hanger doors opened and he steered the jet onto the runway, which lead to the underground hanger. As the Turbokat came to a complete stop, T-bone released the catch above him and the canopy lifted upwards. Razor and Hacker left the upset T-bone in the Turbojet and headed upstairs to the living room, which was part of their home. The house was situated on the outskirts of the salvage yard and this made it easier for the Swat Kats to have excess to Megakat City.
Razor trotted straight to his room to get changed for he found walking uncomfortable as the dried mud had made his pants stiff. Hacker, on the other hand, was not that dirty but exhausted. Pulling of her helmet and her glovatricks, which was a variety of weapons attached to the glove, and turned on the television.
When Hacker untied the knot of her mask, which was a key feature that hid the Swat Kats' identities, she was transformed to a new kat. Now, her name was Kitty, an ordinary kat who had experience with computer systems. Kitty worked for Jake and Chance in the Megakat City's salvage yard. Her job was to pick out the useful parts, in the old computers, and sell them to anyone who needed computer spare parts. Many a time, kats would always need a computer expert to repair their computers and they would turn to Kitty so, a mini computer maintenance service was provided for a small amount of cash. Of course, most of the useful parts that were dug up in the yard were used for her own computer, which could now hack into practically every system in Megakat City.
She slumped down into the sofa bed and raised her legs onto the armrest, occupying the whole seat. Her mind wandered back to when she was just a little feline of eight. Her mother had died the year before and her father had to work extra hard just to keep them both alive. She had little education but was still able to self-teach herself as she visited the library frequently. Soon, at the age of thirteen, she found a growing interest in computers. Her father who owned a computer shop, which sold computer-spare parts, was greatly in dept too many loan sharks. Back then, most of the computers, owned by the other kats, were brand-new and they hardly needed repairs much less, spare parts.
Her father had disapproved of Kitty's interest for computers as he had imagined her in an office when she grew older. Nevertheless, Kitty continued to work on her growing interest. Kitty was fifteen when the loan sharks burst into her father's shop and brutally murdered him. Later the Enforcers found a terrified Kitty hiding under the counter of the cash register. The Commander had no choice but to hire Kitty as a cleaning woman as she had no one else to turn to and the orphanage only excepted children under thirteen.
For two years she 'slaved' for the Enforcers. And during these years she lived in almost complete boredom. She had thought that this experience would make her stupid or mentally retarded but fortunately, she did not.
Though bored, she was curious in what was stored in the computer of the Enforcers' diskettes. One night, she crept into the Commander's office and began hacking into his private files. What she found out had turned out to be her biggest disappointment. Kitty had got hold of a list of employees sacked by the Enforcers. And at that same moment, the Commander had decided to walk into his office to get some files when he had spotted Kitty at his desk. Enraged by the sight, the Commander had ordered his men to arrest her. Frightened, Kitty panicked and escaped the only way she knew how: through the window. She had somehow managed to escape unharmed as her agile body had allowed her to leap from the window ledge to the ladder of the fire escape route. Gracefully, Kitty had raced down the rungs and over the fence, which bordered the Enforcers' compound and escaped the complex with her heart pounding so fast she thought she might have fainted right there and then.
She ran on foot with the Enforcers had given chase on motorcycles. When it felt like she was at her last burst of energy, a stranger appeared before her on a fully equipped motorcycle allowing her to give her a ride. Gratefully, she had accepted, as at that point she didn't really care if she was going to be kidnapped by some psychotic maniac. Truth to tell, she didn't remember thinking at all; it had all happened so fast.
The stranger turned out to be Razor, who had been delighted to save any innocent bystander. T-bone in the Turbokat had picked them up when Razor took a wrong turn and met a dead end. Kitty was blind folded and brought to their hanger where she had to reveal to them the truth of what really happened. Learning about Kitty's interest in computers and her status, the Swat Kats immediately welcomed her to the team as they needed major tuning and upgrading to their computer systems. They had worked together for a year or so, gaining each other's trust, when they officially accepted her as a member of the team. She was surprised that they had secretly added an extra seat for her in the Turbokat. A compact and yet advanced computer was installed into the side of Razor's controls, to give Hacker her own station in the Turbokat.
As Kitty lay on the couch, lost in her reverie, hear ears perked up at she heard a familiar voice. Instinctively, Hacker sat up straight and let out a loud gasp of anger.
Pulling back the throttle, the Turbokat generated a low hum for a few seconds and then they were airborne in minutes. As the Turbokat zipped through the air, Hacker realised that she was very lucky to be acquainted with Jake and Chance. Not only were they quick and smart, they also had the best and most advanced technology that she could ever dream of, in the whole of Megakat City.
The Turbokat, which was designed by Jake, was the only jet that flew the skies. The Enforcers had been working on the design of a jet's engine but this project was abandoned as many labs were destroyed due to the over-powering of the engines. If Jake had stayed on with the Enforcers, the Swat Kats would never have been formed.
Hacker glanced to her right side and saw that Jake was busy trying to design new weapons. Shaking her head, she peered out of her window, which was on her left, and saw the salvage yard, which was a couple of kilometres away from Megakat City and well out of view from the many citizens. The entrance to the underground hanger was hidden behind a huge pile of old and rusty cars. As the jet dipped downwards, Hacker could see the piles and piles of cars and other electrical appliances closing in fast ahead of her.
"Steady, T-bone," cautioned Hacker, "We're in no hurry to get home, you know."
"Yeah, T-bone, slow down," said Razor softly so that he would not hurt T-bone's feelings anymore than it already was.
T-bone winced with frustration as he forced himself to control his emotions. The hanger doors opened and he steered the jet onto the runway, which lead to the underground hanger. As the Turbokat came to a complete stop, T-bone released the catch above him and the canopy lifted upwards. Razor and Hacker left the upset T-bone in the Turbojet and headed upstairs to the living room, which was part of their home. The house was situated on the outskirts of the salvage yard and this made it easier for the Swat Kats to have excess to Megakat City.
Razor trotted straight to his room to get changed for he found walking uncomfortable as the dried mud had made his pants stiff. Hacker, on the other hand, was not that dirty but exhausted. Pulling of her helmet and her glovatricks, which was a variety of weapons attached to the glove, and turned on the television.
When Hacker untied the knot of her mask, which was a key feature that hid the Swat Kats' identities, she was transformed to a new kat. Now, her name was Kitty, an ordinary kat who had experience with computer systems. Kitty worked for Jake and Chance in the Megakat City's salvage yard. Her job was to pick out the useful parts, in the old computers, and sell them to anyone who needed computer spare parts. Many a time, kats would always need a computer expert to repair their computers and they would turn to Kitty so, a mini computer maintenance service was provided for a small amount of cash. Of course, most of the useful parts that were dug up in the yard were used for her own computer, which could now hack into practically every system in Megakat City.
She slumped down into the sofa bed and raised her legs onto the armrest, occupying the whole seat. Her mind wandered back to when she was just a little feline of eight. Her mother had died the year before and her father had to work extra hard just to keep them both alive. She had little education but was still able to self-teach herself as she visited the library frequently. Soon, at the age of thirteen, she found a growing interest in computers. Her father who owned a computer shop, which sold computer-spare parts, was greatly in dept too many loan sharks. Back then, most of the computers, owned by the other kats, were brand-new and they hardly needed repairs much less, spare parts.
Her father had disapproved of Kitty's interest for computers as he had imagined her in an office when she grew older. Nevertheless, Kitty continued to work on her growing interest. Kitty was fifteen when the loan sharks burst into her father's shop and brutally murdered him. Later the Enforcers found a terrified Kitty hiding under the counter of the cash register. The Commander had no choice but to hire Kitty as a cleaning woman as she had no one else to turn to and the orphanage only excepted children under thirteen.
For two years she 'slaved' for the Enforcers. And during these years she lived in almost complete boredom. She had thought that this experience would make her stupid or mentally retarded but fortunately, she did not.
Though bored, she was curious in what was stored in the computer of the Enforcers' diskettes. One night, she crept into the Commander's office and began hacking into his private files. What she found out had turned out to be her biggest disappointment. Kitty had got hold of a list of employees sacked by the Enforcers. And at that same moment, the Commander had decided to walk into his office to get some files when he had spotted Kitty at his desk. Enraged by the sight, the Commander had ordered his men to arrest her. Frightened, Kitty panicked and escaped the only way she knew how: through the window. She had somehow managed to escape unharmed as her agile body had allowed her to leap from the window ledge to the ladder of the fire escape route. Gracefully, Kitty had raced down the rungs and over the fence, which bordered the Enforcers' compound and escaped the complex with her heart pounding so fast she thought she might have fainted right there and then.
She ran on foot with the Enforcers had given chase on motorcycles. When it felt like she was at her last burst of energy, a stranger appeared before her on a fully equipped motorcycle allowing her to give her a ride. Gratefully, she had accepted, as at that point she didn't really care if she was going to be kidnapped by some psychotic maniac. Truth to tell, she didn't remember thinking at all; it had all happened so fast.
The stranger turned out to be Razor, who had been delighted to save any innocent bystander. T-bone in the Turbokat had picked them up when Razor took a wrong turn and met a dead end. Kitty was blind folded and brought to their hanger where she had to reveal to them the truth of what really happened. Learning about Kitty's interest in computers and her status, the Swat Kats immediately welcomed her to the team as they needed major tuning and upgrading to their computer systems. They had worked together for a year or so, gaining each other's trust, when they officially accepted her as a member of the team. She was surprised that they had secretly added an extra seat for her in the Turbokat. A compact and yet advanced computer was installed into the side of Razor's controls, to give Hacker her own station in the Turbokat.
As Kitty lay on the couch, lost in her reverie, hear ears perked up at she heard a familiar voice. Instinctively, Hacker sat up straight and let out a loud gasp of anger.