CHAPTER 6: A Typical Villain's Blowhard Speech

The sun rose slowly above the sea in the east, bathing the night sky with rosy pink comfort and the warmth of the dawning light brought a little ease to the thousands upon thousands of Enforcer kat soldiers and civilians in Megakat City. Unfortunately, it couldn't erase the feeling of doom and foreclosure of despair that was hanging thickly in the air. It was everywhere, in every building and home and apartment, where many kats were huddled together with their families in basements and sealed-off hallways and boarded windows. It was in the heart of every Enforcer and volunteer who were willingly walking in plain sight amongst the streets, either armed for the front-lines of the battle to waiting behind in make-shifts tents to help with medical aid, all of them selflessly giving up their own safety and lives to help in the fight against the Invincible Alliance of Evil. It was even in the hearts and minds of every kat in the nation and world who were watching live coverage of Megakat City on the news as the battalions of soldiers, militia, navy fleets and tanks from the nation's capitol approached the metropolis by land, sea, and air, all of them sent to either save Megakat City…or destroy it. It all came down to the one unanswerable question…

"Can we even win?" Lieutenant Felina Feral asked softly to Commander Feral as they stood, side by side on top of their Enforcer headquarters, looking across the metropolitan area as far as their sharp eyes could possibly scan. Ulysses was peering and scrutinizing every shadow and possible anomaly he could spot through a pair of binoculars. They were about ready to join the rest of their patrols and legions in the defense-counterstrike against Dark Kat, but since it was entirely possible that they may not see each other again, Felina and her Uncle both wanted one, last quiet time along, just the two of them, as a family moment. And the roof of the Enforcer building seemed to be the right place for it.

The Commander's face did not falter from the hard, grim look he displayed. He then said lowly, candidly, "I don't know, Felina. I honestly don't know what Dark Kat and his henchkats have planned in their devious, depraved minds. It can go either way."

Felina at first didn't know how to react to that statement, so she just sighed, her tail swishing softly from the morning breeze of the high altitude. Feral couldn't help but glance at his niece; even when the odds were against her, she had a stubborn backbone of pure steel, never willing to back down from a challenge or to take "no" for an answer. To tell the truth, he was more worried about his niece's sake than his own, and Felina felt the very same likewise. Commander Feral was more of a father to her than her own biological one, especially since the latter was incredibly against the idea of her joining the Enforcers when she graduated high school. Feral even blandly remembered how he received a lot of blame for that one since Felina's parents thought he coerced her into joining the city's paramilitary unit in the first place.

Feral then spoke, "At least we've done all we possibly could. Even if Dark Kat sent the entire world against us, we'd still fight back and stop him the best we could. This, I can assure you, though, Lieutenant, that Dark Kat will not find this to be an easy fight! We're not going to just foolishly rush into battle without thought and die like reckless, disorganized twits like the SWAT Kats. Especially that damned Furlong who's probably rotting in hell as we speak."

At this last remark, Felina's fur bristled as she felt herself stiffen, but she gracefully kept quiet. Her uncle was no fool in knowing her stand on the opinion of the SWAT Kats, especially T-Bone, and she hated that the little barb was indirectly sent to ruffle her. Besides, if this was truly their last family moment, she didn't want to ruin it by angry words and things said that they would both later regret. Additionally, should they ever succeed in stopping Dark Kat, Felina already made it her personal goal to go behind the Commander's back and see that Jake would be spared and that Callie Briggs would be given back her job. Yet despite the good intention, Felina secretly felt conflicted about it, the clash between her loyalty to her family and her loyalty to her friends, the SWAT Kats and Callie.

She just wished that Commander Feral just saw the obvious truth: they were all on the same side.

"I better go ready the Theta teams," she stated stonily as she smartly did an about-face and strode back to the door leading downstairs. It was a passive-aggressive move, but Feral inwardly winced as though he was slapped in the face. Still…

"Lieutenant?"

"Yes, sir?" Felina asked without even turning around, her back to her superior.

"Lead them well, Lieutenant."

Lieutenant Feral nodded as she made her way down, leaving the Commander to himself. It was the closest thing she would ever get to an "I love you".

000-

Ulysses Feral went over the plans in his head for the hundredth time as he made his way to lead the Omega teams of Enforcers close to the Enforcer building. It was of the utmost importance that everyone would do his or her part assigned to them.

None of the Enforcers were foolish enough to believe that Dark Kat and the Invincible Alliance of Evil would not plan to finish what he had started a month ago. The atmosphere was thick, hot, and heavy with trepidation and anxiety. Even though Commander Feral had requested forcefully that no Enforcer was to repeat the messages the Enforcer cryptologists and spies detected from Dark Kat's island frequencies, it didn't stop the he-kats and she-kats from whispering it from one another, from passing down the prophet of doom in low murmurs that basically highlighted the fact that Dark Kat was eventually planning a siege this very day, the twenty-second of the month of June.

Commander Feral himself, like the hidden thefts that were made by the alliance members so long ago, didn't know what to make heads and tails out of that assertion. Yet there was no denying it. The cryptologists and experts heard references made about the Summer Solstice, the one day where the light of day was at the highest and longest period, and it was exactly on June 22nd. Though much was known about the symbolic day, where it was described from a pagan holiday to a legend where it was one of the nine days where the boundaries between worlds and reality were the thinnest, Feral knew that it was no good if Dark Kat was interested in it. It was just frustrating that he didn't know what it was that bugged him about it.

After all, there was hardly anything in common between the Summer Solstice, a mutagen, nanotechnology, an anti-technology beam, sheets of indestructible metal, and ancient Egyptian prayer stones. If Dark Kat was having something big up his paw, it was going to be a doozy.

Yet Commander Feral and Lieutenant Feral, undaunted, both met the challenge towards the prospective attacks with great planning, precision, and cunning. They and the rest of the city officials had a month to plan it, and they couldn't have been more assured of their preparations. Even if Dark Kat was expecting a full-out assault by the Enforcers, he would be thoroughly surprised to see what the Enforcers had ingeniously in store for him, Dr. Viper, the Metallikats, Hard-Drive, and Pastmaster. Felina would lead the Theta teams on the rooftops as snipers and lookout scouts to overcome any aerial attacks and spot danger from afar. Lieutenants Snow and Steele were in the Alpha teams, and the two would be the first line of defense to greet the hostile takeover with everything they got. Should Dark Kat and his alliance manage to make their way through, the Commander and his forces, the Omega Teams, would be the final wall protecting the city. Additionally, Feral and Felina also had several groups of Enforcers and volunteers meet with the outside armies coming towards the city, planning to guide them through the hidden passageways towards the city only the Enforcers knew about. With three teams fighting internally and a massive league of reinforcements attacking from the outside, the Invincible Alliance of Evil would find themselves surrounded. However, if they managed to get past Feral and overcome him, then all would be lost and Megakat City wouldn't even have a chance.

Still, as Commander Feral overlooked his army, he at least felt that everything was going according to plan. Well, at least until his yellow eyes rested in shocked outrage on one fellow kat who was nearby…

"Steele! What in hellkats are you doing here, lingering about? Get back to your post at the city limits with the Alpha teams, you useless, incompetent bumbling fool!"

Steele jumped and quivered as everyone's eyes rested on him and the livid Commander who looked ready to rip him apart limb from limb. He was trying to hide out of view in the midst of the crowds, inconspicuous in his trademark Enforcer armor and uniform along with his cache of weapons and guns at his side, but Feral still spotted him anyway. Still, no kat was ready to say the brown, lanky Lieutenant didn't deserve it; to abandon his post since they would be the first ones to be hit was nothing short of reprehensible abandonment. Steele was cowering from the huge Commander and unable to move, petrified, as he tried to stammer a defense, "I…I thought…well…Dark Kat could be back at the Enforcer base…and I thought I could stay behind and help - "

"GET BACK TO YOUR POST WITH THE OTHER ALPHA ENFORCERS, YOU COWARD BEFORE I COURT-MARSHAL YOUR USELESS TAIL!" roared Feral, at his patience's end as he grabbed the terrified Steele by the collar of his uniform and brutally dragged him along towards the second defense strike force, nearly giving the cowardly Lieutenant a kick in the rear for good measure. Feral then yelled to his niece to take charge of the Omega unit accordingly until he returned. Amid the snickering of the neighboring Enforcers at the behavior of Lieutenant Steele, Felina rolled her eyes in annoyance, unsurprised. Steele was pretty much hopeless anyway.

"There you are," Lieutenant Snow commented, highly relieved, as he saw Feral bringing Steele over to the Alpha squad, "We were about to move further out towards the docks, and I was worried something must have happened to Steele. I was about to go send some kats to look for him."

"Trust me, he's not even worth the effort!" growled Feral as he shoved Steele roughly towards the Alpha squads, "Dark Kat wouldn't even want this bumbling fool! Snow, you and your kats have your orders! Do the Enforcers proud, Snow!"

The senior Lieutenant Snow nodded strongly as he gave the order on the radio for the Alpha squads to move out and take their positions along the edges of the city limits, ready to greet Dark Kat and the rest of the criminals with a barrage of tremendous firepower. Still, despite the tense moments, many of the kats were still tittering about the humiliated Steele.

"Boy, and to think that Steele is a Lieutenant of the Enforcers," snickered one Enforcer disdainfully to a group of his friends.

Another of his friends commented snidely, "Yeah, I know what you mean. He's so self-centered and pompous and full of himself, he even thinks he'll be next in line for the Commander."

"Pfft! As if! I'd sooner join the SWAT Kats than fight under Steele's command if that ever happens!" a she-kat scoffed in mock horror.

"Shhhh! Alexis, don't let Feral hear you say that! He's pretty sore about the SWAT Kats enough as it is!" her friend hushed warningly.

"Besides, it's pretty obvious Felina deserves to be the next Commander if her uncle should ever step down and resign from the position. After all, why not? She's tough, fair, doesn't buckle under pressure, and she's more of an Enforcer than Steele would ever be. I seriously could picture her leading the Enforcers and defending the city really well," her neighbor whispered.

"Nah, the Megakat City Council would never let her have it," one know-it-all kat broke in, "Didn't you hear? The Council thinks that she's too biased to ever serve in such a position, especially since she's in favor of the SWAT Kats and went against her uncle on that position!"

Another annoying busybody then contributed, "Really? I thought it was because of the 'National Kat-quirer' reporting that story on how T-Bone and Felina Feral were secretly married!"

"That's enough of that, Privates!" Lieutenant Snow barked forcefully, his voice crackling loudly on the radio transmissions on the solders' uniforms, ending the numerous speculations and insults, "All of you, keep your eyes and ears out for anything suspicious, especially since Dark Kat and the Alliance could strike you all faster than the eye can blink! Now keep out a sharp eye, all right? I don't want to be the one to tell your folks that you died in the war against Dark Kat nor can I tell you kats I'd be looking forward to it."

With that, the sideway discussions ended as the Enforcer squads went back to their duties while Snow decided to have a talk with Steele. It seemed like the best time, and no other kat, not even Feral and Felina, were too concerned with him. Steele was visibly quaking in his uniform as Snow approached him. Due to his position, he was all by himself as a lookout, and it probably was just as well since the rest of the Enforcers disliked him so much, they didn't really wanted to be stuck babysitting him. Snow, however, wasn't as judgmental. Even though he was over fifty and considered a bit elderly to be continuing his job as an Enforcer, Snow was fiercely dedicated to Feral and the good of the city, with his mind as sharp as a razor for laws and regulations. Feral himself admired that Lieutenant Snow always remained steadfast and absolute in any crisis, carrying out orders without the least hesitation or second thought and being in the background, holding things together as best as he could. Snow, however, was also different from Feral in that he was truly a grandfather figure for a lot of the novice rookies who join the city's unit, being compassionate, a good listener, and a heart as soft as goose-down. All the Privates respected him for his words and empathy. And right now, Snow could tell that Steele didn't need insults and condemnation, but some encouragement.

"Steele…" Snow began, but Steele heatedly cut him off, thinking that now even Snow was going to get on his case.

"Look, I know I screwed up, all right? I don't need you to remind me! I'm sorry, sorry that I let you down, sorry that I abandoned my post, all right?" the brown, young kat retorted in an intensely defense tone of voice.

Snow was not even the least offended as he said quietly, "That wasn't what I was going to say, Lieutenant."

"So what more do you want? You don't want me here, just like Felina and Feral don't want me with them on their teams! Because they all know I'd mess it up like always!"

"I want to know how you're feeling, young one," Snow said softly. It was then that Steele snapped.

"I'm scared, all right?" Steele yelled, "I'll admit it, I don't want to die! I'm scared, I'm about to face the Alliance and Dark Kat in the last stand of the Enforcers, and I'm too much of a scaredy kat to do anything about it and go fight for everyone like Feral and Felina! So go on and say it! Say I'm a pathetic excuse of an Enforcer who shouldn't even be a Private, much less a Lieutenant! Everyone else does!"

Steele, now weak from his confession, threw his rifle down on the ground in shame as he buried his face in his claws, awaiting the mocking laughter. To his surprise, Snow firmly yet compassionately laid a paw on Steele's shoulder, like a fatherly mentor, before he spoke in understanding, "It's all right to be scared, you know. It's nothing to be ashamed about. This is enough to scare any right-minded kat out of two of their nine lives."

Steele gave the elder a bitter look of doubt. He pointed out, "You aren't. Neither are Commander Feral and Felina. Neither are the rest of the Enforcers who all are willing to fight Dark Kat and give up their lives for this city."

"What makes you think we're not everyday kats like you, Steele? Of course we all are scared, scared that we'll never see our loved ones again, scared that we won't enjoy to see the next sunrise, and scared that we won't get to live out our lives to the fullest, that we'll have things we regret we didn't do."

Steele then glumly asked, "So why even bother?"

Snow gave Steele an intense look of determination as he emphasized, "Because we fight for the kats we care about, the kats we know we're devoted enough to defend for, to show Dark Kat that he can't do this…to us or to our families. Steele, keep in mind, this isn't about trying to be the next Commander of the Enforcers or gaining political power and authority. This is about the city and how we can't let kats like Dark Kat bowl us down and kick us in the gut whenever they feel like it. Funny thing about disasters, kiddo: they can cause great pain and destruction…but it brings kats together like nothing else can, cause it reminds us that in this city, we're all family."

Steele gave a snort, obviously showing he wasn't too convinced about that. Snow just raised an eyebrow, amused; he wasn't a patient kat for nothing.

"You don't sound like you put a lot of stock in that statement."

For once in his self-involved life, though he had no idea, Steele became vulnerable as he let out quietly, "If you grew up with a family like mine, you'd see that being the next Commander is the only thing I've got going for a kat like myself. I could tell you stories about my father and how I was never good enough for him."

"From where I'm standing, he was wrong, young one," Snow said sincerely as his paw slightly caringly massaged Steele's shoulder a bit. Steele was silent after that, but the peace and tranquility was suddenly shattered by a series of explosions, shaking the very pavement and rock they were all standing on.

KKKAAAAABBBOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!

KAAAWWHOOOOOOOOOOM!

BOOOOM! BOOOOOM! BOOOOOOM!

"Dark Kat's been sighted! Code Red-Alpha! Code Red-Alpha! The Alliance has begun to attack! Repeat: code red-alpha!" Felina shouted in the Enforcers' radio frequency, her voice now strong and determined and full of defiance as the air was rent by the multitude of bullets and firepower tearing through the air.

"Get ready, Steele," Snow said encouragingly to the trembling Lieutenant, "Now's your one chance to see what truly is important to you."

000-

"Johnny, are you getting this?" Ann Gora gasped excitedly as she was on a nearby rooftop, witnessing the sudden carnage. Even though the Enforcers had barricaded the war-zones from the public, Ann Gora simply took their "no" as a "try harder", and she and Johnny managed to sneak their way undetected to a nearby, evacuated skyscraper, high enough to view the sudden incoming of mummies, plants, and Black Widow robots crushing their way through from all around Megakat City.

"Yeah, I am!" the camera-kat hissed back with slight irritation as he continued to film using his camera, using a live-video feed directly back to the station. Ann then spoke into her microphone as the war began to unfold into its bloodbath.

"This is Ann Gora, Kat's Eye News…"

000-

"Augh! What are these things?" yelled a kat soldier as he tried to fire his gun at the numerous vines and snake-like plants attacking them. The armed forces and naval fleets sent from the nation's government had finally arrived within the city limits, but they were greeted by a rude surprise. The entire area of Megakat City was surrounded by a wall of bloodthirsty plants. Dr. Viper's mutagen had been properly used to cultivate a massive amount of flora, each pulsating unnaturally with raw energy, power, and even eerie, pulsating heartbeats, and as a result, the forces at land found themselves at the mercy of the flailing arms and leafy tentacles ripping them to shreds. Even the tanks found themselves besieged by the thick vines that were stronger than metal as they relentlessly pounded upon the vehicles. No amount of hacking from their knives could save some of the members of the army from being overwhelmed as they were torn apart forcibly by the monstrous plants, ripping them into bloody pieces while they were still screaming. It was the same in the surrounding oceans as well. The naval fleets found themselves viciously defending themselves from a colossal bevy of seaweed, the plants eagerly jamming the propellers of the strike fleets and ships while doing their best to rip into the metal hulls.

However, Feral and his Enforcers were well prepared.

"Eat tri-chloro ethane, you freaks of nature!" snarled an Enforcer as he and his teammates sprayed the plants with the disgusting, orange-colored chemical from their specially-designed hydro-packs they borrowed earlier from the Megakat City Fire Department. Ordinarily, the hydro-packs were meant for the firefighters to use for extinguishing fire with water or specially-created foam, and one pack could hold over thirty pounds of liquid, yet the Enforcers ingeniously replaced the water with tri-chloro ethane designed from Puma-Dyne, an acidic compound that specifically killed plant cells and was a major component for most weed killers.

It was an immediate effect. Shrieking and gurgling in high-pitched, gelatinous squealing, the abominations retreated back as they felt the acid eat away at their appendages instantaneously, melting the vines and roots into pools of green slime. With the force of the assault lessening, the now-free tanks fired round upon round upon the forests, incinerating each bunch in a furious nova of fire and gunpowder.

Dr. Viper, however, wasn't the least bit worried. The special Katalyst-X had given his plants a furious growth rate, multiplying their rates of mitosis cellular division by more than a thousand-fold, and with each plant that was destroyed, five or ten more took its place. The green and black-striped kat laughed gleefully, his lizard-like tail twitching with happiness at the joy of seeing his precious children wreck havoc on the city, as his vines streaked through the sewer systems and ground, tearing up many foundations to multiple buildings and causing quite a few to topple over and cave-in, trapping many innocent civilians inside or crushing them to death underneath the tons of rubble. Yet Felina then let loose another trick she had up her sleeve.

"Deploy the fire-bombs!" she commanded to the Theta Squad, and at once, several Enforcers and soldiers pressed their remote-control detonators. Automatically, the signals activated the scores and scores of Semtex bombs that Feral and his Enforcers had secretly hidden within the very pipes of the sewers themselves, and all their time searching for Jake Clawson in the sewers was made for this additional reason. And mixing an explosive with a maze of pipes naturally filled with methane gas and waste was not very good for the vegetation that was snaking its way throughout the city using the very same sewer system.

KAAAWWWHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSHHHHH!

Dr. Viper screamed in fury as he saw his plants, his beloved and precious children, writhe in pain helplessly as the sewers completely exploded in a torrent of flames, every opening, gutter drain, and manhole spewing out columns and columns of fire rising to the sky and bathing the air with the sickening scent of burst plants and leaves. Dr. Viper's yellow eyes glowed with vengeance and incredible hate as he focused on the kat responsible for the mindless and thoughtless destruction of his hard work.

"She shall pay dearly with her own blood," Dr. Viper hissed as he scowled at the sight of Felina Feral shooting at the mummies with her rifle.

000-

Meanwhile, back at City Hall…

"Callie, just go! You don't need to be here!" Manx heatedly yelled at his protégé in his office atop City Hall on the highest level of the damaged skyscraper. Earlier, the old Mayor was planning to contact the City Council personally from his workplace and announce his resignation, effective immediately, along with his decision to personally pass on the job of Mayor to Callie Briggs as a vetoed vote of no confidence. Already, once the Mayor stepped out of the elevator, he felt the ground shake from the explosions of the war, saw the looming darkness cast from the Black Widow titans as the robotic war-crafts stormed the city, smashing everything in their path. At first, Manx was relieved that he personally declared a state-of-emergency to the city and urged everyone in City Hall to not leave their homes until Dark Kat could be stopped, leaving him by himself in the abandoned building. Yet that feeling of relief broke into shock and then melted into outrage when he entered his office to only find Callie Briggs standing at the windows, numbly watching the scene of the fighting unfold below her, her paws holding her elbows tightly.

Callie had refused to go back home; she instead put herself in the line of danger by coming to City Hall. And Manx was less than pleased and nearly out of his mind with worry for Ms. Briggs as he tried to force her to leave and go where it was safe.

Callie was obviously against the idea as she yelled back, "I'm not leaving this city when it's about to be destroyed! And I'm not going to run like a damsel in distress! I'm sick of this, sick of the bullshit from Feral, sick of cowering and waiting for someone else to fight and protect me! This is my city too, like it is for Felina and the other Enforcers! I'm making my stand here!"

"Briggs, you cannot do any good if you get yourself hurt or worse!" Mayor Manx uncharacteristically growled as he tried to shove the taller she-kat towards the door, insistent, "Just get back home or else - !"

Suddenly, the windows and walls facing the streets exploded in a flash of green, the blast of energy being so forceful, it sent both Manx and Callie flying from their feet as the entire room was desecrated with glass, splintered hunks of wood, rebar, and broken plaster. Callie was dazed and slightly disoriented as she groaned softly in the cracked, marble hallway while holding her head with one hand, her suit littered with white dust and ashes as she found her glasses and shakily put them back on. She looked back into the Mayor's office to see a terrifying sight. There, Mayor Manx was shakily getting up, using the far wall as support as the Metallikat, Mac Mange, jumped off the gigantic, green vine he was riding on and through the hole where he blasted his way through earlier. Where the gigantic windows once were was now only a smoldering, gaping hole with a few traces of shattered glass all around the frames as the robot pounced through the opening and landed heavily on the carpeted floor, the pieces of glass cracking underneath his alloy claws. Manx was trembling visibly as the henchkat of Dark Kat approached him, like a cat cornering a mouse at a dead end. In the confusion, Mac must have failed to notice Callie partially hidden in the hallway and thought that Manx was in his office alone. Callie couldn't leave Manx and abandon him, but she didn't know what to do at first until she noticed the red fire extinguisher still hanging on its attachment on the wall.

Mac's gun was still smoking from the harsh energy blast he discharged as he laughed soullessly at the portly mayor, "Forgive me for droppin' in, Manx, but I decided to personally deal with you myself. Now, where's the Deputy Mayor?"

"She's not here! She's back at her home hiding from the likes of you!" Manx managed to hiss defiantly as he collapsed weakly to the floor again in fright. At least it wouldn't be a complete loss; he could buy Callie some time to escape.

"Then this'll be just as sweet," sneered Mac as he pointer his robotic arm-blaster directly at Manx's head.

Suddenly, a plume of foam and white, thick haze engulfed the air around the Metallikat as he sputtered from the heavy, suffocating layers of retardant dousing his body and slightly weighing him down. Manx turned to see Callie bravely emptying the last of the fire extinguisher from behind before she grabbed the hose and swung the metal apparatus like a mace, smartly bringing it down on the side of Mac's head. The robotic monster howled, wiping his eyes and face furiously, as sparks coming out from the dent made in his shiny temple, as his circuits and computer mainframe went into furious backup-mode from the damage brought on by the sticky chemicals seeping into his motherboards.

"Run Mayor!" Callie gasped as she rushed over to Manx's side and grabbed his paw, trying to drag him out of the warpath of Mac Mange. Manx, now incredibly grateful, grasped Callie by her hand as they both tried to dash out of the room and towards the stairways. Yet a second blast from the doors in front of them sent them flying backwards only to come crashing down hard to the floor of the Mayor's office. Slightly injured and bruised, Callie managed to raise herself in a sitting position weakly to see Molly Mange, the second Metallikat, wickedly and triumphantly readying her blaster appendage as she stepped through the smoking rubble of the entrance only to reveal herself in her full, shiny regalia, like a finely polished knife, razor-sharp and deadly.

"Look at what the kat dragged in," Molly laughed in her strong Brooklyn accent as she pointed her blaster at Callie Briggs. Manx then did a very noble and brave act as, grunting, he weakly managed to rise on his two feet before placing himself between Callie and the Metallikat as a shield. Callie was shocked, but the Metallikat was unbothered.

"Suit yourself," the female android snarled as she fired at the old kat. Manx's body was throw back and sent flying in the air once again over Callie's head before coming to a sickening thud against the far wall behind his desk. Callie inwardly cried as she saw the charred, blackened cadaver slide down the blood-spattered paint onto the floor, the odor of burnt flesh permeating the air amongst the smoggy clouds of dust and plaster. She forced herself to look away from the dead Mayor as she glared at Molly Mange with the utmost loathing and hate, tears streaming down her angry face.

"You…bitch! You heartless bitch!" Callie sobbed.

"And you're next, Briggs!" Molly said as she readied her weapon again, but Mac's harsh voice cracked through the air as the stout Metallikat stopped his wife from carrying out the task.

"Cool it, Molly! Y'know how much I wanna see you give this she-kat what she's got coming to her, but Dark Kat said he wants her to be publicly killed in front of everyone in the city! Said he's got a special idea in store for her. Look, either way, she's gonna die, but at least we get to see everyone watch her die if we follow through! And once she's gone, we can tell Dark Kat to go screw himself while we take off and do whatever we please!"

Even though Molly wanted to tell Mac to take that suggestion to a very uncomfortable place, she then thought better of it as she lowered her blaster as Mac hefted the screaming, struggling Deputy Mayor over his shoulder before both of the Metallikats leapt out of the window and onto the safety net of the vines before the plants gently brought them back to the ground. Callie squirmed, screamed bloody murder, and cursed enough profanities to make a sailor blush, yet she could not get free. Helpless, she cast a final, fleeting glance at the body of Mayor Manx through her blurred, tear-filled eyes as she was taken to her public slaying.

000-

"What goes up must come down!" cackled Hard-Drive as he let loose the Vertigo Beam on another Blackhawk Enforcer helicopter, sending it plummeting down to the ground. Luckily, the pilot managed to parachute out before the heavy weight crashed directly into the chest of a nearby mummy sentinel, causing it to howl in pain from the sudden, charred hole gouged directly in the middle of its torso. The rest of the mummy sentinels were having a hard time fighting against the Behemoth tanks of the Enforcers, especially since they had enough missiles, bullets, and firepower to take out a small country alone, much less a fifty-foot tall bandaged monstrosity. Hard-Drive then tried to use the Vertigo Beam on the Behemoth tanks, but to his surprise, it had no effect. The insurmountable armored cars still continued to let loose upon the mummies without pause, raining down upon them charge after charge of various missiles. Hard-Drive then decided to do things the hard way as he charged his suit, converting himself into a stream of raw electricity before flinging himself towards the mass of mechanical tanks, intent on shorting them out. Yet to his horror, the instant he came close to the Behemoth tanks, he was flung back painfully by a powerful energy force-field, stunning the criminal and causing him to revert back into his kat form. Taking the advantage, a nearby she-kat Enforcer sprayed Hard-Drive instantly with a chalky, white foamy material with another hydro-pack she was carrying.

"What…did you do…to me?" growled Hard-Drive as he tried to electrocute the Enforcer, only to find that his suit was suddenly nonresponsive.

"Did you really think we wouldn't have been prepared for you to take over the computer systems of the Behemoths like you did last time? We're not that stupid, Hard-Drive! Thank Puma-Dyne for that one, for they gave us the ability to increase the electrical barriers around each tank, and it's strong enough to resist the Vertigo Beam and even your electrical-conducting suit!" the she-kat grinned as more and more Enforcers surrounded the member of Dark Kat's alliance.

Another Enforcer then crowed, "And don't even bother with that voltage suit, creep. It's a special type of insulating-foam designed by Puma-Dyne, all of it non-flammable and completely one-hundred percent resistant to electricity. In fact, the dust was specially designed to suppress that handy-dandy jacket of yours."

It was then that Hard-Drive grinned.

"Funny you should call me 'creep'," the terrorist grinned as he snapped his fingers. Immediately, hordes upon hordes of Dark Kat's creeplings, the demonic, miniature, and mindless genetic creatures of Dark Kat ambushed the Enforcers, and even though they all tried to fire their bullets and use their clubs, they all fell screaming victim to the thousands of claws and teeth as they were all eaten alive, like a swarm of rats to a piece of cheese. Hard-Drive just grinned sickeningly at the carnage.

000-

"Steele, WATCH OUT!" roared Lieutenant Snow at the relatively-novice Enforcer. Steele turned to see the Pastmaster aim his magical clock directly at his body, but it was too late for the brown kat to do anything as the magical burst of energy surged out of the clock's face before rushing directly at the young lieutenant. Steele was frozen, too scared to do anything but watch dumbly as the glittering, hot, searing energy approached closer and closer by every millisecond.

Yet before the energy struck, Steele felt himself get haphazardly shoved to the side, narrowly missing the power of the Pastmaster by a hair's width. Yet it was not without dire consequences.

"YYYAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHH!" yowled Lieutenant Snow as the crackling nova of time and space from the clock consumed his body, setting every cell in his body on fire. Steele was stunned and horrified. Lieutenant Snow had pushed Lieutenant Steele out of the beam's path…only to get hit himself.

"No!" cried Steele, nearly in tears, unable to do anything as he saw the body of the grizzled Snow age rapidly and disintegrate into a living, sickly skeleton before his very eyes in mere seconds. Snow was turning into dust, and thanks to the magic of the Pastmaster's clock, years were passing by and wrecking havoc on his body in fleeting instants. Feeling the merciful gift of death relieve him from his dying body, Snow managed to gasp out his last words to Steele, pleading.

"Steele…tell…my wife…" and with that, the brave Lieutenant Snow died, leaving his plea unfinished, as he turned to ashes and dust, blowing away softly into nothingness in the chaotic currents of wind. Steele wept, on his hands and knees, at a complete loss.

In a matter of minutes, Dark Kat and his Invincible Alliance managed to turn the tide as they struck hard and effectively during the chaos and the disasters. Dr. Viper managed to capture Felina Feral from her position on the roof as he had his plants take care of the Theta squads. The Metallikats returned with the struggling Callie Briggs, and Feral was immediately overwhelmed by the massive armies of creeplings as they pinned him down and carried him in chains to their master. Upon the sight of their Commander being at Dark Kat's power, the rest of the Enforcers were unsure what to do as they unwillingly and reluctantly ceased their attacks, especially when Dark Kat, in his daunting attire, bellowed for all of hear, "CEASE YOUR ATTACKS! YOUR COMMANDER AND YOUR DEPUTY MAYOR ARE OUR PRISONERS!"

"Oh no…" gasped Ann Gora, watching from above, as she held a paw to her mouth in tears.

Dark Kat then crowed triumphantly, "You see, you pathetic fools! You all have no hope for this city! You shall all live and die by my hands, my will, my fates! The Incredible Alliance of Evil shall govern all who breathe and walk with our authority and will! None shall defy us, for we are all truly invincible!"

With that, Dark Kat grabbed Feral by the collar of his trench-coat with one claw, lifting the Commander of the Enforcers by the fabric of his uniform, nearly choking the kat, as the tyrant raised Feral high in front of him for everyone to see, like a trophy.

"You were never fated to win, you fool! My master had proclaimed that I would be the true ruler of this city, the savior and messiah that would lead this pathetic race into the true blessings of power and katkind! Now beg me for you pathetic life! Beg me! Acknowledge me as your superior, and I will let you live!"

Feral managed to hack a bit before he spat a hairball into Dark Kat's face, the soggy mess running down the mastermind's eye and cheek, cursing, "Go to hell, criminal scum."

With a roar, Dark Kat slammed Feral down to the ground, the force of his throw so powerful, Feral's body cracked the black pavement slightly upon impact as the Commander mercifully lost consciousness. Dark Kat then unsheathed his blade hidden in his cane, ready to plunge it into Feral's chest and heart.

"No!" screamed Callie as she fought against the grip Mac had on her arm.

Felina, unable to break free from the vines snaring her legs and claws, screamed as loudly as she could, "Leave him alone! Leave him alone, you asshole! I swear, Dark Kat, if you hurt him, I'll get you if it's the last thing I do!"

"I will not worry, my dear Felina," Dark Kat purred cruelly as he raised the sword high, "You shall be joining your dear Uncle quite soon."

Yet before the metal blade could strike, a voice rang out of nowhere, "Hammer missiles…AWAY!"

Before Dark Kat could react, a barrage of tiny shells came rushing through like a swarm of heavy hail from his blind spot, each projectile powerfully propelled by a jet engine and armed with a flat, leaden steel-head in front, like the heavy end of a sledgehammer. Dark Kat managed to twist out the way, but he could not escape the swarm as one struck the cane out of his claw, breaking two of his fingers upon impact. Another missile skillfully struck the very metal blade of the sword in sync of the first missile, neatly snapping the sword into two and shattering it into two, useless pieces. The rest of the barrage just painfully struck Dark Kat's body, each hitting him with as much force as if someone repeatedly bashed Dark Kat hard with a heavy, lead pipe.

"What!" gasped Lieutenant Steele as he, Felina, the Enforcers, Ann Gora and Johnny K., Callie, Dark Kat and the Invincible Alliance of Evil turned towards the source of the missiles with rage, wonder, or bewilderment.

It was Jake, standing there with suppressed rage in his torn G-suit without his trademark mask, his arm and glovatrix primed and ready for another shot as they were both aimed directly at Dark Kat. Next to him within a few steps was his trusty black, blue and red Cyclotron motorcycle.

"Back off, Dark Crud!" Jake roared, "Your fight's with me now!"

Author's note: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter cause I wasn't so sure about how to write about the siege and how the Enforcers would be able to handle it! Action sequences are very difficult to write about! However, you WON'T want to miss the next chapter! Now that Jake is in the mix, will he succeed in his plan? And I will finally reveal what Dark Kat was planning along with the identity of his master! And lastly, I will reveal a VERY big twist in the SWAT Kats universe that I created specifically for this story! Folks, you won't want to miss the chapter next Friday, "A Hero Never Stands Alone"! Until then, read and review! Constructive criticism welcome, and can you guess who Dark Kat's master is? I left enough clues in the chapters to tell, and if you can guess the master, then you might be able to guess the big twist that's coming!