End of the Line
I remember when Feral stripped us of not only our ranks but our jobs as well. It was the first time I'd ever felt real failure. He stuck us away in that shit-hole of a salvage yard so that we could pay for the damage we'd caused one dollar at a time. We were angry. We wanted to get back at that yellow-furred jackass of a commander for discharging us wrongfully. It wasn't our fault. And everything seemed to fall into place. The pieces of a new life, a chance to do what we couldn't do as an Enforcer, were there in twisted piles of metal waiting for the chance to become part of something bigger. We became something bigger. The Swat Kats became a force of unbeatable heroics. Feral couldn't touch us. The worst of the super villains to ever scratch the surface of Megakat City could not defeat us. We were icons. We were heroes.
The sound of a gavel pounding echoes throughout the courtroom.
We were.
"My verdict is for the plaintiff. I sentence 'The Swat Kats' Jacob 'Razor' Clawson and Chance 'T-Bone' Furlong to twenty-five years in a maximum security prison for damages done to Megakat City, the illegal discharging of weapons in city limits, the creation of weapons not approved by the National Firearms Committee, the illegal piloting of a jet that hasn't been approved for flight, not abiding by citizens arrest laws and violating a no-fly zone." The heavy-set judge set the list of violations down and sighed, pulling off his glasses and wiping them with the sleeve of his robe. He then looked to the unmasked vigilantes. "I'm sure you understand that, with the amount of damage you two have caused and the number of laws that you've broken, your sentences can be much more severe than this. However, you two have saved this city too many times to count. While I feel that if I were in Commander Feral's position I would have not arrested either of you, but here you are and it is my job to pass fair judgment. You do have the chance for parole, though you do have to earn it like everyone else." He pounded his gavel again. "Court is no longer in session."
Jake looked to Chance as the guard pulled him to his feet. For the second time in his life, he felt like a failure. He was sure Chance felt it too. They were being hauled off to prison as if they were Dark Kat or Dr. Viper. Feelings of fear, anxiety and dread tightened in the pit of his stomach and the only word that seemed capable of escaping his lips was one that earned him a sharp look from the guard ushering them to the bus that would take them to Hell. "Fuck."
Chance had to bite down hard on his tongue to keep from arguing the verdict. He knew it was the best they could get. The only thing they had was saving the city. And there was too much damage to cover up. What now? They would be sharing cell blocks... even cells with the same criminals they helped lock up. He could hold his own, but what about Jake? Jake wasn't exactly intimidating unless you were talking quantum physics or something. And Chance doubted there would be a prison full of geeks. He would have to find a way to watch out for his partner. Even without the masks and the gadgets, they were still a team.
On the prison bus to Megakat Penitentiary, Jake looked at Chance, a pleading look in his eyes. "Never thought this day would come. I figured if we ever were found out, the mayor would pardon us or something."
Chance sighed and stared at the handcuffs. They seemed to glow in contrast to the bright orange jumpsuits. "We did knock over a few buildings. We should have expected the fallout to be greater. Feral will die the day he stops being an asshole."
Jake sighed and looked out the window. They were heading into the desert. Last year, Al-kat-traz was deemed unsafe and a new prison was built. During the transportation of criminals, Turmoil teamed up with Rex Shard, Hard Drive and Dr. Viper to escape. The Swat Kats helped capture them and even dropped them inside the walls of the new prison. He was sure their welcome would be less than warm, and their stay unpleasant.
End of Chapter One... read and review please