Hello everyone! AkaneKitty here. This is the third chapter of Drawing the Short Straw

As Razor attempts to repair his bike, he and Felina commiserate over their inconsiderate friends.

Author's notes: First, thanks for the reviews! I usually like thanking people in personal e-mail if I have it, but since I don't for this particular person, I'll say it here: Thanks Zangetsu! I'm glad you liked this. And you, too, Ether! I'm flattered.

Razor the smart ass...For some reason whenever I write the wizzo he often ends up this way in my writing. I like him this way.

Thanks to Ulyferal for being my beta and for the encouragement. Also Uly, I added something to the end of this chapter that I think fixes the problem I was having with a specific plot point. I reread the snippet you wrote and got inspired. I hope it turns out well.

Thanks for reading!

-AkaneKitty

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Drawing the Short Straw:

Commiseration

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Razor didn't know what to think of that exchange, so he was sort of relieved when Felina walked away to answer her cell phone. This was a side of her that he'd never seen before.

His previous dealings with the Lieutenant were strictly business as there was always some tail to be kicked. And, besides that, he couldn't forget she did kick tail as her uncle's unspoken second in command a great deal.

But the Felina that stood a few feet away was softer, feminine, and very sexy.

Hmm...Very nice and distracting.

Chiding himself, he returned his attention to his bike, suppressing a celebratory yell when the rear panel finally popped off. Lifting the panel away, he laid it on the ground beside him then shone the borrowed penlight in the Cyclotron's depths.

"T-Bone, you jerk!"

Inside the Cyclotron was a tangled mess of wires. None were grouped together nor had an easily identifiable marking scheme, and all the wires were the same color. In fact, the guts of his bike reminded Razor of the time he had to defuse one of Dark Kat's bombs.

He sighed. This was the last time he would ask T-Bone for a favor when the tom was distracted by the green eyes of the Deputy Mayor.

"What do you want, Lynda?"

Razor's ears pricked up at the tone in Felina's voice. Even though she had moved some distance away from him, her voice still carried clearly to where he sat.

"No, I will NOT go back and bar hop with you! Don't you know that last call is going on right now?"

Trying not to eavesdrop on her conversation, Razor returned his attention to his bike, making some attempt to figure out what wire went where but it was proving to be easier said than done as he couldn't keep his mind on his work with such fascinating tidbits floating to his ears.

"What happened? He wasn't a good enough fuck?"

A laugh, quickly stifled, burst from Razor at that comment. Wow, he needed that.

"I'm done doing this with you, Lynda. Don't call me to go bar hopping again. I'm sure Mr. Right Now will be a great drinking buddy," Felina growled, snapping her phone closed.

With the conversation obviously over, Razor could hear Felina walking back towards him, so he forced himself to focus on his task and look busy...which wasn't too hard as T-Bone had truly made a mess of things.

"I need better friends!" Her voice groused just above him.

"Oh yeah? Me too!"

Felina dropped down on Razor's jacket once more. "So, you finally got the panel off! Can you fix what's wrong?"

In response, Razor shined the pen light into the guts of the Cyclotron. Felina followed the light with her eyes...and cringed.

"Ugh! That...isn't pretty."

"I told T-Bone to wire up the Cyclotron while I handled an issue with the Turbokat," Razor said through clenched teeth. "This is the result."

"So I see."

"I know I'm anal about wiring schematics but T-Bone knows that if he makes it so I can fix it on the fly, I'll be OK with it. I can always go back and fix it to my liking later." Razor sighed. "But this? I would never leave the Turbokat in a lurch like that!"

Felina said nothing, continuing to stare at the wires. "Hmm...It looks like some of your leads aren't plugged in entirely."

"Huh?" Razor followed Felina's line of sight and spotted the problem. "You're right. Some of the leads must have gotten loose after I went over some potholes. How did you guess that?"

"Prior to getting upgrades, the Enforcer helicopters used to have that problem. After a battle, the wires loosened somehow." Felina replied as Razor started checking his wire leads. "It got so bad, I made it a part of my pre-flight routine to check them. Didn't want to crash over something as simple as loose wire leads."

After spending a few moments making sure all his wire leads were plugged in, Razor stood up and pressed the push button ignition starter on the Cyclotron's control panel. To his relief, the bike roared to life. As he quickly placed the panel back on, Felina had stood up then reached down for his jacket.

"Thanks, Felina."

"No problem."

He held out Felina's knife and pen light, but Felina shook her head, handing Razor his jacket instead.

"Keep it. You might need it again. I'll collect them from you later."

Tucking the tools in a spare pocket, Razor slid into his jacket. "You were a big help, lieutenant. I wish I could make it up to you."

"Really?" Felina started to wave Razor's good intentions off, but her rumbling stomach changed her mind. "I know! Give me a ride to the wharf."

"The wharf?" Razor looked confused. "What's there?"

"Rico's. I'm craving a fishburger and a milkshake right now and his are the best." Felina replied. "Want one? It'll be my treat."

"Hmm...The wharf's a good twenty or so minutes away, and I'm supposed to be on patrol."

"I'm sure if anything happens you'll be able to get back and stop it. At least you're dressed for the part. I'll have to explain to the press why I'm dressed up in hooker heels."

Razor chuckled at that. "True..."

"Besides ..." Felina gave Razor a sly look, "...the way you drive that thing, I'm certain you'll be able to cut that time in half."

"Why lieutenant...should a high ranking Enforcer, such as yourself, be encouraging a vigilante to break the law?" He smirked at her as he put on his helmet.

"You're already breaking the law, smartass. What's another speeding violation?" Felina snorted, enjoying their bantering immensely.

Razor laughed, feeling his mood lighten for the first time since the night began. "Okay, you've convinced me. Let me get you a helmet...it might mess up your hair, though..."

"It's not my hair I'm worried about." Felina made a face. "It's the fact that my dress might ride up. That could be embarrassing, even for me."

"And that's a bad thing?" Razor pulled out a spare helmet from the Cyclotron's storage space and handed it over to Felina. "Think of it this way, lieutenant ...at least I'll be able to look at your great legs."

To her chagrin, Felina found herself blushing but recovered quickly by pulling on the helmet. Satisfied he had put the beautiful she-kat on the defensive in their playful battle of witty repartee, Razor climbed on the Cyclotron and waited for Felina to do the same.

Maybe this night could be salvaged after all.

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Elsewhere...

An armed guard watched closely as a Siamese tom dressed in a very expensive suit pressed his paw against the pawprint scanner recessed into a wall. Despite knowing who the tom was, the guard nonetheless held his rifle at the ready, his claws inches from the trigger.

The display of force didn't bother the kat. After loyalty, one of the most important principles the Syndicate demanded adherence to was security. It was imperative that each member was exactly who he or she said they were and they must be willing to prove it at any notice.

Even the Boss himself.

A light above the scanner flashed green, and a heavy door began to slide open with an audible hiss. Visibly relieved, the guard slung his gun over his shoulder and bowed his head slightly, stepping back out of the way. Nodding, the tom stepped through door.

The mechanical clicks and chirps of computers greeted the tom. The room housed one of The Syndicate's many observation posts. Information was another principle the Syndicate valued, so observations posts were needed to collect and store information The Syndicate's Council found relevant.

Walking through the room, the tom glanced at the banks of screens that lined the walls. Each screen displayed information on various subjects, ranging from text to video feeds. Nothing displayed interested the tom, but he didn't come for that.

At the center of the room, the tom found who he was looking for. Hunched over a keyboard, a grey kat dressed in a white lab coat typed with blinding speed. Nicknamed Doc due to his intimate knowledge of robotics, the kat controlled many of the Monitors the Syndicate dispersed throughout MegaKat City. The tom coughed slightly to announce his presence.

"Doc?"

The grey kat stopped what he was doing and leapt to his feet. "Boss!"

The Boss smiled. Even though he considered Doc to be a close friend, Doc never called him by his name, even when he'd insisted. So with a slightly heavy heart, he called his good friend Doc.

"Your message said you had important information to report."

Doc bowed his head slightly. "I'm sorry to interrupt your evening."

The Boss waved the apology away. "Don't be. I'm glad to get away from that bunch for the moment. Budget planning dinners are so boring."

"I see."

"So what is this important information?"

Doc sat back down behind his computer. "Monitor Four has sent me a video feed you might find interesting."

"Monitor Four...Isn't that the one shadowing the Commander's niece?"

"Lieutenant Felina Feral of the MegaKat City Enforcers." Doc nodded. "She's been an interesting study. Likes to separate her work and her personal life. Doing her part not to harm the Enforcers, I suppose. But she loves to have fun. Watch the screens."

Doc pressed a key and all the screen's images were replaced with a sing video feed. Doc pressed another key and the video began playing. The Boss watched as Felina walked right up to the front of the line at a club called Anchovy and waltzed right in, much to the chagrin of the partiers waiting in line. The Boss' blue eyes widened slightly at the Lieutenant's after hours look.

"...She should dress down more often."

"I knew you would say that."

The Boss cleared his throat to cover his slight embarrassment. "But I'm sure that's not the reason you called me."

"No." Doc pressed another button. "This is."

The screen switched to what The Boss assumed was a back alley. He recognized Felina again, but he was having trouble recognizing the tom she was talking to. The kat sat hunched next to a bike.

"Who is that?"

"You don't recognize the colors?"

The Boss stared at the screen. "Is that a SWAT Kat?"

"Yes. Specifically it's Razor, the weapons officer."

"Really." The Boss continued to look at the screen. "How did they meet up?"

"I'm thinking accidentally." Doc sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. "From what I've seen of the Lieutenant, she would never let either SWAT Kat see her dressed that way on purpose."

"That sounds right."

"And since Monitor Four is also reporting that they have ridden off somewhere together, I'm asking how you wish to proceed." Doc turned toward his friend. "This is the first time a Monitor has gotten this close to a SWAT Kat, so I didn't want to assume anything and jump the gun on what you have planned."

"Wise decision." The Boss tugged at his sleeves, thankful he'd worn his suit jacket into the cold room. "What are the kill orders for the Monitors?"

"They have none. They are on strict observation protocols at moment."

"For Monitor Four, I want it to collect as much information on the SWAT Kat as possible." The Boss jammed his paws into his pockets. "If an opportunity presents itself, I want it to kill him."

Doc's paws were already flying over the keyboard. "Yes, sir."

"If Monitor Four is able to kill the SWAT Kat, it makes our nine lives in this city much easier. Besides, I've always wanted to see our Monitor's lethal abilities in action."

Doc nodded, his paws still flying over his keyboard. "And the Lieutenant?"

"She is not to be harmed. My sister likes her. If anything was to happen to Felina, my sister will be very upset. And you know me, Doc..."

The Boss turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Doc to his computers.

"Anything that upsets my sister greatly upsets me."