A LIFE TORN
Chapter 4: Dark Kat's Plans
His claws were sunk into the mattress, his face pressed to the sheets, his tail end hiked as high as Forry's body would let it go. He groaned and cried out in ecstacy. He'd thought taking Forry had been great, but being taken was heavenly. Forry had been reluctant, feeling he wasn't ready but he firmly insisted that their relationship would not be one sided. They would share the experiences equally. Right now he was very glad he'd made that decision. His body was on fire and sparks were going off in his head as Forry plowed him harder and harder. He didn't think he could hold out much longer. With a wild scream, he clenched his ass in hot spasms and vaguely heard Forry yell seconds later and a heated stream filled him adding to his delight. Gasping he collapsed like a limp doll to the bed with Forry's warm weight slumped over him. Oh yes, life was good.
Except for that one night, Feral had no more nightmares. He credited that with nights spent in Forry's warm and safe arms. He never dreamed he could be so happy. At work the omegas still tried to trash the city at least once a month but his personal life was so comfortable and warm that the stresses at work were bearable as long as he had Forry. It had been a few months since the last nightmare had occurred. His therapy visits were now only twice a month though Katrina said until he fully came to terms with what happened it would still haunt him.
He and Forry had moved into a new apartment together. It was an interesting experience buying things for the apartment with someone else and sharing space. It took a little getting used to having someone there all the time but he found it more preferable to the intense loneliness he had lived with most of his adult life.
Everything wasn't completely perfect obviously. He still had problems. Showing emotions other than anger took a lot of effort and rape cases still made him ill. As yet, he hadn't come completely to terms with his attempts at suicide and the rescue by the SWAT Kats. He avoided speaking to them as much as possible. He didn't know if it was shame or anger that kept him from being able to interact with them. He was also uneasy in Ms. Briggs' presence as well. It hurt her to sense him flinching from her and there didn't seem to be anything he could do about it.
On the work front, there had been no more incidents like the one in the subway tunnel. Felina had not been able to determine who the perpetrator was. It hadn't been a crime of passion. All those who knew the unfortunate young kat had been cleared. Everything seem to point to a cold blooded rape and kill. It left them both cold, afraid that this was one of many. That others hadn't been found didn't mean there weren't more out there. They just hadn't been found yet. It appeared the killer hid his kills and wasn't interested in publicity which made this type of kill that much worse since there was no telling how many of the missing were his victims.
Felina found that on any given day at least five kats went missing of those at least three would be found and the last two were never heard from again. It was very frustrating. There matters lay as the weather turned warm again with summer approaching. Then the bodies began to appear.
The second one appeared as Burke and Murray were cleaning up a pile of wrecks left behind in an altercation with the Pastmaster and his dinosaurs. As they were loading the smashed cars into their rig, Murray recoiled from the sour/sweet smell emanating from a van he was readying for the crane. Calling his brother over the two cautiously pried the back doors open and nearly threw up at the sight of a decayed corpse within. Moving away quickly they called the enforcers.
Felina sighed as she oversaw the crime scene. There wasn't much of the body left and only a forensic pathologist would be able to determine what sex it was and how the poor kat had died. At this moment it was just a body. They would have to wait to see if there had been a crime or not.
When she received the report a week later, it sent a shiver down her spine. The victim was male, there were signs it had been raped and tortured before the body had been dumped. Everything the same as victim one. They had a serial killer on the loose and he or she had been doing this for some four months, at least by the age of this last body. She didn't want to contemplate the chances of finding an even older corpse. She began the tedious business of contacting next of kin and investigating the kat's life.
The bodies were being uncovered more frequently due to the warmer temperatures and odor of rotting corpses rising in the air. There was no rhythm or reason to their locations. Nothing to tie them together except for the manner of their deaths. Omega attacks were bad enough for the population but the presence of a serial killer had them terrified because it was more personal. The Mayor's officer was being inundated with demands to find the killer and the Mayor was leaning on Feral for results. Knowing his niece was doing her best he did not climb all over her with constant demands on her progress. The number of bodies had reached ten when Dark Kat made his move.
It was a warm, sultry evening, as Feral left Enforcer Headquarters and headed home. Within a mile of his apartment he was waylaid. A foursome of muscle cars had hemmed his hummer in at an intersection. They proceeded to keep him in a box and pushed him into a dead-end alley. He had summoned assistance but before they could reach him, his attackers had forced him to stop, surrounded his hummer and yanked him out. The sound of a helicopter was heard and soon a winch was lowered. Feral was stuffed into a heavy bag, hooked to the winch and hauled up to the waiting copter. When the enforcers reached the commander's vehicle, all sign of the kidnappers were gone.
Far side of town, industrial area...
Feral was hauled like a sack of potatoes out of the chopper and into a building then dropped to the floor somewhere. The bag was pulled off him and he was yanked to his feet. He was briskly frisked and disarmed. Surrounding him were ninjas and walking through the door was Dark Kat and another kat in a lab coat.
"Welcome to my hideout, Commander." Dark Kat said, a hideous parody of a smile on his face.
Feral shuddered and looked around. The room he was in had no windows and was bare except for a medical bed in the middle of the floor with restraints. "What do you want with me?" He asked gruffly.
"Why, you are an important piece to my plan to take over the government of this city. Once I'm finished with you, I'll have the perfect spy who obeys my every command helping me take the city from within. They will never know their totally trustworthy leader of the military will be under my command." Dark Kat said smugly. He pointed to the lab coated kat. "Meet the one who will be responsible for your transformationDr. Lynkill has been experimenting with a new drug that allows a kat to retain their intelligence but subverts their loyalties to the one they have been conditioned to accept as their dominant. It's a combination of mind altering drugs with sex that causes the kat to be totally under the power of the one who has sexually dominated them. It's taken months of experimentation to get the right levels of drug and sex to work but we've been successful at last and we are now ready for you." His smile dark and evil.
Feral felt sheer terror grip him. He blindly struck out and a scream exploded from him. The ninjas restrained him, stripped him to his t-shirt and pants and forced his unwilling body to the bed and strapped him down. He screamed and tried to break his straps in his wild panic to get free. His head was suddenly rocked by a sharp blow against his face. He gasped and stared in shock as Dark Kat withdrew his paw.
"This isn't like you Commander. I expected resistance but not sheer terror. It seems something has happened to you since our last encounter. No matter, the drug will calm you. It will take a few days to be at the level it needs to be before the next step. So we'll get started now. Dr. Lynkill if you will please give the injection." Dark Kat ordered as he stepped back.
The doctor approached Feral with a hypodermic needle. Feral's eyes widened and fear clawed his insides. He suddenly remembered he was already on a drug. He really didn't want Dark crud to know but it might make them stop what they intended to do. It was the only chance he had. He prayed his enforcers would find him soon.
"Wait! I'm already taking a drug." He panted shakily.
The doctor halted in consternation. "What drug are you taking?" He hissed in annoyance.
"I...I'm on hydroxyzine." Feral managed to squeeze out.
"Dammit!" The doctor swore and turned to Dark Kat. "We can't give him anything right now till that antidepressant is out of his system." He snarled angrily.
"Why? How long do we have to wait?" Dark Kat demanded angry as well.
"At least four to five days. My drug would act unfavorably with the drug he's on. It would cause my drug to be altered and fail." The doctor explained.
"We have only his word that he's on this drug. I never heard the great Commander Feral needing an antidepressant. He could be lying." Dark Kat snapped.
"That's easy enough to check. I'll take a blood sample and find out. I'll know in about thirty minutes." The doctor said. "I'll go get what I need to draw blood." He left the room.
Dark Kat moved back to the bed and leaned over the Commander. His fury plain on his alien face. "It seems you have a temporary reprieve Commander. But not to worry, no one will find you here and we will begin the 'treatment' soon never fear. Until then you will be treated gently because I wouldn't want you to be damaged until I'm ready to return you as my spy." With that final pronouncement, the powerful creature turned and left the room followed by his ninjas. He was left alone. A few minutes later the doctor returned with blood draw equipment. He took what he needed and left. Feral could feel his heart hammering in his ears, his stomach was clenched tight and the terror he felt was too much like that horrible moment when he was sixteen.
'Please someone find me!" He prayed fervently. 'Even if it's the SWAT Kats, please get me out of here.' He closed his eyes tight and tried to keep the tears of despair from falling.
Elsewhere in the hideaway, sometime later...
Dr. Lnykill strode into the office space Dark Kat was using. "It's positive. He is on a antidepressant and by the looks of the amount, he's been using it for some time." He said annoyed his project was now on hold. "It will be at least five days before we dare try our drug. I'll have to recheck his blood then to see how much of the hydroxyzine is still in his system." He said in disgust.
Dark Kat slammed his desk angrily, then sighed. "Well, we wait. He's not going anywhere."
That night the nightmares returned. He screamed and thrashed around on the bed. The guards ran in and were unable to quiet the terrified kat and had to get the doctor. Taking one look in disgust the doctor gave Feral a sedative which knocked him out. The next day he was released from his bed, a kitty box was provided and a meal. He was hung over from the sedative and depressed as the antidepressant left his system. He had no appetite and wandered the room, pacing aimlessly. That night the air was again filled with screams, returning yet again and administering another sedative, the doctor studied his subject a moment in frowning dismay.
The third day of his imprisonment, Feral looked horrible. The guards were concerned enough to risk going to their boss. Meanwhile, Dr. Lynkill came to check on his patient. What he saw made him snarl in fury. Leaving the prisoner's room he stormed off to see Dark Kat.
In Dark Kat's office one of his ninja's was giving his boss some unpleasant news. "Sir, Commander Feral is not looking good. He's had screaming nightmares for the last two nights bad enough to require the doctor to trank him, his appetite is nonexistent, and he has a nearly catatonic look in his eyes."
Before Dark Kat could react to this, Dr. Lynkill stormed in. "Your Commander is unfit for your plans. You will have to get another. I've seen his type of medical condition before and it explains the drug he was taking. That kat has been sexually abused sometime in his past. There is no way you can sexually dominate someone who has been abused it will only drive the patient into a psychotic episode from which he probably will never recover making him useless as the spy you want."
Dark Kat lunged to his feet and swore in fury. The doctor just stood quietly fuming. He'd seen the big kat's fits of temper before. Finally calming somewhat, Dark Kat snarled, "Fine, get rid of him the same way as the others. This means a significant delay in my plans and a new target."
His ninja ran off to do his bidding on the disposal of their prisoner. Feral was quickly bundled up and removed from the hideout. They packed the kat into a van and drove some time until they reached a secluded area under the freeway bridges that intersected the city. Hauling him out they proceeded to beat him, he was soo depressed and doped to react much until one of them attempted to strip his pants off to rape him. His terror surged up overtaking his mind and turning him into a berserker. Ripping and slashing with his claws and using his larger size he beat and nearly killed his tormentors. When his enemies were strewn on the ground around him he staggered off, his eyes wild with fear and nearly psychotic fury.
His wild appearance was reported by passing drivers who had spotted the kat wandering near the freeway shoulder. The enforcers immediately caught up with the kat and were shocked to see their Commander and the state he was in. Their attempt to try and help him was met with fangs and claws. Not wanting to upset him further and unable to touch him, they stayed close as Feral tried to escape them. A call went out to Lt. Feral. She flew her chopper to the site. At the same time another kat was rushing to the scene.
Forry had been beside himself with fear and worry for his kidnaped mate. He had taken to listening in on police calls to hear any news about his lover. He heard the call about Feral being found but that he was ill and that no one could get near him and that Lt. Feral had been summoned. As he raced to the location, on the radio he heard Felina call in that she was on her way. By the noises he surmised she was in her chopper. His heart in his throat, he pushed his car past the speed limit and prayed no police stopped him before he reached Ulysses.
Felina spotted her uncle staggering away from the enforcer cruisers carefully following him. They kept a small distance to try and ease the Commander's fear but close enough not to lose him. She landed her copter in a nearby field and got close to her uncle to speak but not touch. She was frightened of the sheer terror and wild look in her uncle's face and began to wonder if she should have Dr. Woodard be brought here to deal with this. She tried to get him to hear her but he never responded. As she continued to stay close and follow him she heard someone yelling. She looked behind her and saw Forry, her uncle's lover, running past the nearest cruiser and trying to catch up to her and her uncle. She looked back at her uncle and saw him slow and look around him wildly.
Forry finally caught up to Felina then passed her and moved to Ulysses. He didn't try to grab his mate but he did get real close and called his name. "Ulysses its me, Forry. It's alright love. Let me help you." He said trying to keep his winded voice warm and coaxing.
Feral had stopped completely and stared at Forry. For a moment it didn't seem he was seeing his lover at all then his face crumbled and he reached anxiously for his mate with tears starting to stream down his face. Relieved, Forry pulled the traumatized kat into his arms. Feral's legs gave out and he brought both of them down to the ground. Not letting go of his mate, Forry hugged the big kat tighter to him as Feral sobbed in emotional meltdown.
The SWAT Kats had heard the commotion on their radio during their search for the Commander. Calico Briggs had heard about it on the news station and was headed to the scene. Soon the two parties arrived with the SWAT Kats landing near Felina's chopper and Briggs parking behind Forry's car and the enforcer cruisers. She joined up with the SWAT Kats as they moved toward the three figures on the roadway just ahead of them.
Stopping beside Felina, the four stood still watching Forry and Feral. "Any word as to where he came from?" Razor asked.
"No. He was just found wandering down the freeway. He wouldn't let anyone near until Forry arrived and he responded to him. My uncle looked totally out of his mind." Felina said tightly, still upset.
At that moment an enforcer rushed up to Felina. "Lt. we found some kats dressed as ninjas near a van under the freeway underpass. They'd been beaten and clawed badly but there were signs they had a prisoner and he turned on them. It's possible that is where Commander Feral came from." The officer said quickly.
"Ninjas?!! That sounds like we have Dark Kat involved." T-Bone said sharply. "Wish we could get Feral to talk to us. If Dark Kat is around we need to know about it quickly." He said urgently looking at the still upset Commander.
Forry rubbed his mates back and rocked him. He'd heard the SWAT Kat and realized if they were to catch the ones involved they needed to know what Feral knew. "Uly, honey can you talk to me. Love, please we need to know where you were!"
Feral shuddered, but answered in a choked voice, his face buried in his mate's neck. "I...I don't remember. They...were going to rape me. They started beating on me but...one of them started to remove my pants...I went crazy...don't remember what happened next." He panted and shivered.
"I'm so sorry love. But where were you before that? What happened when you were kidnaped?" Forry asked coaxingly. He signaled the others to come closer so they could hear better. They moved up but stayed out of Feral's line of sight.
"I'm soo tired." Feral moaned slumping deeper into his mate's embrace. "Dark Kat has plans." He finally managed though he was fast sliding away from consciousness. Worried, Uly would pass out completely, Forry had to shake him a little and help him sit up more. It broke his heart to see the trauma written on his love's face.
"Come on love, please you need to tell us what happen. You don't want Dark Kat to get away with this." He pressed feeling like a heel for pushing his mate.
Trying to shake himself more aware, Feral focused on his mate's face as he spoke, "He's experimented on others to develop a drug that makes a person pliant and using sex to make them his spy within the city government. That's where all the bodies came from. They are failed experiments. But he's perfected it and was going to use it on me but I was already on a drug so they were waiting for it to leave my system. Without the drug and without you the nightmares came. It overwhelmed me. Apparently I was damaged goods and Dark Kat's drug would not work on me so they were getting rid of me the same way they did the others. Don't know where I was. Some kind of big place in a warehouse district is all I was able to guess at. Was kept from seeing my location. Sorry." He sighed falling into unconsciousness at last.