Hey, Readers!
Glad you enjoyed the story so far! Thank you SO much for all the support I've received (including an idea for a villain!), and it spurs me on to keep writing! Decided that this chapter will be a series of short stories that take place during the first three weeks of Max's time in the Swat Kat world. Note: Stories will be out of time order.
Favorite and Follow to stay updated, and enjoy the story!
Also, if this chapter goes well enough, I'll write another one of just mini stories like this, and y'all can comment or DM me ideas for what you'd like to see! I'm always open to feedback!
-aggiefrogger
Short Stories:
Max didn't tell Jake or Chance about what happened with Johnny, and they didn't show any indication of knowing about what happened when they came back from the scrap yard, carrying some piece of an engine for the news van. When Ann and Johnny came back later for the repaired van, they thanked the two mechanics and left, Johnny giving the garage one last look before climbing into the driver's seat. Of course, he hid the card the camerakat had given him in his backpack, resolving to only call if he was 100% sure it was safe to do so.
But even after the events of the day, life went on. The three of them started to grow closer as friends, and as the weeks passed, the two felines started to ask themselves if the human was capable of more than just being a junkyard assistant…
Horsing Around:
One particular afternoon, Max was polishing some metal bits for the two kats, using a rag to make the metal shine like new. Behind him, Chance was using a hose to clean a client's car, washing off the suds and walking around the vehicle to make sure he got every bit of soap off. As he was doing so, he accidentally ricocheted the stream of water off a hubcap, hitting the human.
"HEY!" The human flinched at the sudden cold, dropping the metal piece to the ground.
"Shoot, sorry dude," the kat called, quickly shutting off the water. "Just an accident."
"It's okay," the human said, flicking some water off his sleeve.
"I thought you hated water," the blond mechanic questioned. "Since ya nearly drowned and all."
"I don't mind water in small amounts," the teen explained. "Nor do I mind oceans, lakes, or pools. Growing up in a place as hot as Texas, you need water just to keep cool in the summer; I even remember having water fights growing up with my older siblings and friends. But I don't go swimming; that's the ONE thing that I cannot do."
"Oh…" They both turned back to their tasks, continuing to clean their respective metal. However, the brawny kat shot another glance at the kid, an idea crossing his mind, and a grin on his face.
"Hey, Max?"
"Yeah?"
PSSSHHHH!
The stream hit the human square in the back, and he cried out, falling off his stool in an attempt to escape the water.
"CHANCE," he yelled as the kat laughed good-naturedly, ducking behind the car to escape the water. "Chance, cut it out! You're getting me all wet!"
"That's the point," he replied, snickering a little as he walked around the side of the car, aiming the hose at the teen, who ran and hid behind the back of the vehicle. "Does this mean I win?"
Suddenly, the young man stood up, dumping the contents of the bucket of soapy water Chance was using earlier all over the kat. The kat sputtered, his fur and mechanics uniform now soaking wet and soapy.
"Not yet," the boy said proudly, lifting another bucket and grinning as well.
When Jake came back from the scrapyard a few minutes later, he found Bedlam. The client's car, along with the floor and walls of the garage, were covered with water and a few dying soap bubbles. The two offenders froze mid battle; Max on Chance's shoulders, holding an overturned bucket that he had just dumped on the kat, and the burly kat was holding a hose, the nozzle pointed at the boy's face.
"How…" It took Jake a few moments to take in the scene before he could continue. "What happen-"
"He started it," Max blurted.
"But he fought back," Chance added, struggling to keep the human upright.
"How did you get on his shoulders," the cinnamon kat questioned, still staring at the sight of the human on his friend's shoulder.
The two troublemakers looked at one another. "I… I kinda did that thing you did when you flipped up onto his shoulders," the teen finally answered, lowering the bucket. "I mean, I had to use the car to help me, but I remembered how you did it… and…" He lapsed into silence, obviously embarrassed of how infantile he'd acted. The blond kat shrugged his shoulders with difficulty, and the human quickly climbed off his back, the two now standing next to one another.
Jake looked between the two for a few moments before breaking into a smile. "Well, I gotta say, next time you do something like this, try not to drown the whole garage in water, okay?"
Chance and Max were shocked for a few seconds, but soon broke into grins, laughing as well. "Yeah," Chance said. "Don't worry; we'll clean it up after we shower."
"I call it first," the young man exclaimed, plopping the bucket on his friend's head, quickly rushing towards the solitary bathroom. Its contents spilled over the kat who quickly started after the kid.
"Why that little," the burly kat started, yanking the bucket off his head.
"Easy, dude," the smaller kat said, holding his friend back. "It's not worth it. Besides, I could tell you started it."
Chance sighed, tossing the bucket off to the side. "Yeah, yeah. I'll get him back, though."
"As long as you keep me and the garage out of it," his friend joked, looking over at the client's car. "The metal sure is slippery. Did you see how he flipped up?"
"Yeah; I nearly coughed up a hairball when he suddenly went from me holding him in a headlock to him sittin' on my shoulders!" He rubbed his neck. "Pretty talented at weaselin' out of situations. But he's heavy, though!"
"Or you're just weak," his pal commented.
"Hardy har har! Watch your back, bro, or you'll be next!"
A Bit About Max:
Max didn't tell the two kats much about his human life or past before ending up outside Megakat City. He only revealed vague details; he lived in Texas, he had two older sisters and a mother, and he was a college student. Of course, he'd only been with them for about a week, so they didn't expect the kid to pour out his heart and soul to them, but they expected something more. However, their Enforcer and Swat Kat training helped them notice subtle details about the teen that they couldn't help notice.
First, there was his music. The human LOVED listening to music, and every chance he could: while he worked, before he went to bed, and even while taking a shower (the kats could hear it through the door), he listened to the music on his smartphone. Jake and Chance were amazed by the sheer number of songs that he had on his phone (well over 500), as well as how different this "future music" was used to the songs they were used to.
Also, the human seemed to have self-esteem issues. Even when casually talking with the two mechanics, they were disturbed by how easily Max put himself down. What was even more disturbing was how one minute, the teen seemed happy and bright, the next, he was silent and subdued. Whenever he joked, some of his jokes were morbid and not that funny to them, but they tried to laugh, for the teen's sake. They didn't know if that was how all humans acted, or if it was a future thing, but it still worried them, and they took it upon themselves to compliment him when he completed a job (no matter how small), and asked him questions about his world and the future, which he told with great detail, his face animated and happy.
And finally, it was how athletic the kid seemed. He had told Jake and Chance that he never did any sports growing up (except marching band in high school), but he seemed especially fast for someone his size, and flexible as well. They wondered if it was a human trait, but the teen told them that he was simply 'average.' However, they kept an eye on him, wondering if he was lying about how much skill he really had.
But what they did know for sure was that Max Greenwich was a cool human (even if he didn't have a tail and was pretty strange), and that they would do anything to help him, as Jake and Chance, or as the Swat Kats. And, out of anyone to find out their identities, they were glad it was him.
Movie Night:
"Movie night," Chance cheered, dumping the bag of popcorn into a bowl. "Can we watch Scaredy Kat: The Movie?"
"Aw not that again," Jake cringed, searching the VHS tapes in the cabinet underneath the TV. "What about Superkat?"
"Nah, we've see that one a thousand times," the blond kat replied, sitting down on the couch next to Max, offering him the bowl, which he accepted. "What about you, Max? Any specific movie ya wanna see?"
"I dunno; I don't even recognize half of these movies y'all're saying," he replied, eating a handful of popcorn.
"Either way, since Jake an' I would spend the next twenty minutes arguing over what to watch, you should choose what to watch. Jake, scooch over so he can see."
"Wait!" The teen jumped off the couch, handing the bowl to the brawny kat and running towards his backpack nearby. The two felines stared after him, slightly confused as he brought out his laptop computer.
"Just gotta check…" he muttered, opening it and clicking a few buttons. "YES!"
"What, what," the cinnamon kat asked, wondering what he'd seen.
"All my movies are still here," the human explained, walking back over to the two kats.
"Wait, movies, as in plural," Chance asked, his eyes wide as he stared at the tiny plastic device. "On that thing?!"
"Yeah, check it out." He placed the device on the old coffee table, and the two pilots huddled around him, gaping as he scrolled down, showing movie posters that were foreign to them.
"Transformers… Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles… Life is Beautiful… What About Bob…" Max read off the titles, finally stopping on one in particular. "Yes! I haven't watched this in forever!"
"'Harry Potter,'" Jake asked, squinting at the poster, which featured a bunch of humans with a castle in the background. "What's that about?"
"Oh, so in about two years or so, some British kat, I guess, is going to publish a children's book about a boy who learns he's a wizard and goes to a magical school and has adventures and stuff. She wrote seven books in total, and they made eight movies based on the books. This is the first one."
"Is it any good," Chance queried.
"Hell, yeah! These books were my childhood, and the whole series has a following of millions that grows every day! Think of it as… Imagine that Scaredy Kats was shown all over the world, and everyone loved it and watched it in their free time, and their kids and grand kids watched it as well, and it continues to affect and delight for years to come."
"Wow," the kat replied, smiling a little. "That sounds like-"
"Anarchy," Jake finished, rolling his eyes a little. "But if Max chose this, then we're gonna watch it; we've never seen a human movie. I wonder if they're any good."
"They are," the young man assured them, pressing play and setting up the laptop so they could all see the screen as the opening music started to play. "HECK, YEAH I'M READY FOR THIS!" He jumped onto the couch, grinning excitedly as he watched the screen.
The two mechanics gave each other a look. "Am I right in assuming that you're one of these Harry Potter fans," the smaller kat questioned, pulling his chair over so he could see the screen better.
"Sure am! I'm a Ravenclaw!"
"Raven-what?"
"You'll find out soon enough. SHHH! It's starting!
When the movie ended, the two kat's eyes were wide, amazed by the future movie that they had just witnessed. They know understood why humans in Max's world were so enamored with the story: the magic, the music, storytelling, and even the special effects were successful in blowing the kat's minds.
" … Woah," Jake mumbled, watching the end credits scroll as the main theme started to play again. "That was…"
"That was AMAZING," Chance exclaimed. "That was the raddest movie I've EVER seen! Max, didn't you say that there were eight-" He cut off his question as he turned to look a the human.
The teen, though being a huge fan of the film, was still subject to being tired, and was passed out on the couch, leaning against the arm, snoring slightly.
The Swat Kats gave each other a quick look, not sure of what to do next. Eventually, Jake got up from his seat, closing the laptop, which automatically shut off the movie. Chance slowly got up from the couch, reaching down and grabbing the kid's legs, stretching the kid out on the couch and Jake put a pillow under the teen's head.
"Blanket," the cinnamon kat asked, looking around for it before his friend pulled it out from under the couch, tossing it over the human. For a few moments, the two friends stared down at the sleeping form.
"Wonder what humans dream about," the blond kat wondered softly.
"Probably the same as us, but with human stuff," his pal replied philosophically. "C'mon, let's go to bed."
"Fine, but tomorrow, I'm askin' him how he found out he was a Ravenclaw."
"Do they have a Sorting hat in his universe, do you think?"
"Maybe. Crud, it sucks that we have to wait a few years before the books come out!"
I Can Relate:
One night, Jake woke up, not sure of what had woken him, but deciding he might as well get a can of milk before going to sleep. Stepping into the hall, he could hear Chance's snores from the other room, and tiptoed towards the living room, not wanting to wake Max. However, his sharp eyes noticed that the human was in fact awake, and appeared to be crying.
And that was what had woken the Swat Kat up.
" … Max?"
The teen whirled around, his face red and covered with tears, his eyes puffy and wet. He looked shocked to see the kat, and turned away in embarrassment.
"Shit, you can hear me," the young man asked, quickly wiping his face. "I'm s-sorry, I just-"
"It's fine," the cinnamon kat said quickly, quickly scratching the back of his neck. "I just… came for a can of milk."
"You guys have midnight snacks here as well," the human questioned, wiping away the last of his tears.
"Yep. You want one?" The kat walked over to the fridge, pulling out two cans, already knowing the human's answer.
"Sure." Max accepted the can, his hands shaking a little as he opened the tab, taking a sip of the cool drink. "Th-Thanks."
"Yeah, nothing like a cool drink of milk to help clear one's head," the small feline commented, opening his with a claw and taking a sip.
"Don't pretend that you care," the teen snapped, settling back against the couch. "I'm sorry if I woke you, so just-"
"I do care," the mechanic said, sitting down on the opposite end of the couch. "And I know what you're going through."
"Oh really," he replied sarcastically. "You've been stuck in another dimension with no hope or idea of how to get home?"
"Three times, actually," the kat replied calmly, sipping some of his milk.
Max simply gaped at the feline in shock, his cheeks going slightly red as he quickly looked down at his can. "You… you've been-"
"Once in the past, once in the future, and once in an alternate reality. Chance was with me, too; all of them Swat Kat missions."
"I swear everyday I think I'm trapped in a damn cartoon," the human muttered, taking another sip of his milk.
"To say the least," Jake continued, ignoring the comment, "I know what you're going through; you feel… cut off. Like everything you've ever known is gone for good, and there's that underlying fear that you'll never see home again."
The young man was silent for a few moments before nodding. "Yep… that pretty much sums it up."
"But we got home on those occasions, and we'll get you home, too. I promise."
The human nodded again, a few more tears leaking from his face. "I know you two already have a lot on your plates. I'm pretty sure that another mouth to feed and another secret to hide is the last thing you need, huh?"
Jake didn't answer, because if he did, he would have agreed with the human. They only got a certain amount of money each month for food and necessities, and they were already struggling as it was. But they knew it was hard for the human as well; being cooped up inside a tiny apartment and garage was probably not ideal for humans.
He looked at the kid, because the human was a kid in his mind; the boy was only 19, and he himself turned 26 in seven months. "You're not what we expected, that's true," he finally answered. "But I think that you're here for a reason. Think about it: out of all the humans on your planet, you ended up here, out of all places. Who knows how many other universes there are out there, and you showed up here, on our doorstep, and figured out our secret six seconds after arriving. You must be someone pretty important if you're here."
Max looked up at him, a few tears still trickling down his face. "You… you really think so?"
"Sure," Jake grinned, patting him on the shoulder. "Besides, think of the story you'll tell when you get back to your time!"
"Yeah," the teen grinned back. "Like anyone would believe me!"
"But you'll still know the truth." Jake finished the last of his milk, crumpling the can and tossing it into the recycling bin nearby. "But I better get some sleep; we gotta wake up early tomorrow and do some Turbokat repairs."
"Okay; I'd better get some sleep as well. By the way, when can I see this secret lair of yours? It's pretty weird watching you two on the TV fight bad guys and not even know where you keep all your gadgets."
"We'll show you soon," the kat promised, heading back towards the hallway, stopping and looking back. "Hey… I won't tell Chance about this, if you don't want me to, and if you ever need to talk to anyone-"
"Thanks," the human said gratefully, giving the feline a small smile. "For everything... Goodnight, Jake."
"Goodnight."
Epilogue: A Villain Revealed
Gary Robertson woke up strapped to a table.
"What the hell," he muttered, pulling at the restraints that held him to the gurney. How did he get here? The last thing he remembered was that he was watching TV in his living room, there was a bright light, and-
"Stop struggling, my pet."
The chilling voice made the man freeze, and he blinked and looked around the surrounding darkness, looking to see who had spoken. "Who the hell are you," he demanded, starting to struggle again. "When I get out of here I'll-"
"Silence," the voice commanded, sounding close by but not visible to the human. "Consider yourself fortunate; while you many not be an ideal specimen, you'll still do well for my process."
"P-Process," Gary stuttered, missing the poke at his weight. "And did you just call me a specimen?"
"You may not understand now, but you soon will."
"Look, mister, why don't you stop hiding in your shadows and face me like a man!"
The man heard a slow chuckle, one that made a chill run down his spine, and he watched as the speaker finally stepped into the light, too scared to even scream.
It was about five or six feet tall, and wore a bright white lab coat and pants. However, the fact that it wasn't human scared the human even more; it looked like a cat, whiskers and all, and it was covered in grey fur with stripes of black criss-crossing parts of it. It wore a pair of thick aviator goggles, obstructing its eyes, but it grinned down at the helpless human, showing sharp and bared teeth.
"Fear," it said, sniffing the air. "And ignorance. Both very human traits, if I'm not mistaken, but I'll take those away soon." He stroked the man's leg, who flinched and tried to pull away.
"Wha-Wha-What are you?"
The cat creature leaned in close, bringing his face close to the man's bearded face, that creepy grin still on his face. "I am the Solution. And you-" His claws shot out, causing the human to gasp. "-you will soon be the Cure. With a few… modifications, of course."
"Don't touch me you sick-"
The cat suddenly lashed out, swiping at the man's face and leaving three slashes across his face. Gary screamed, his voice echoing through the room as blood started to pour from the wounds.
"Do not worry," the kat monster reassured him, straightening up and calmly pulling on some surgical gloves. "This resistance is only temporary. I only wish that the other human had survived the portal; I'm already behind schedule with your Transformation."
The human whimpered, confused by the words. Portal? Other human.
"However, since you're here, there's no time to lose." He reached towards a tray, lifting up a syringe. "Just something to keep you still, and we'll get started."
"What-" The kat injected the odd liquid into his arm, and the man suddenly felt his whole body go numb. He couldn't move! No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't-
"Of course," the grey kat continued, now picking up a saw, "we'll start small. All kats have four fingers, and you, I'm afraid, have one too many."
"N-N-N" Gary couldn't even speak; it was a miracle he could even breathe. All he could do was watch as the cat grabbed his hand, placing it on a small table next to the gurney.
However, he could scream through gritted teeth, he found out a few seconds later as the monster started to saw through his ring finger, taking the small engagement ring with it.
And… that's it! Pretty crazy ending, right? Shout out to BladeKnightmare for letting me use their OC villain for this fanfic. Honestly, I was struggling to think of a villain, but then you showed up with the answer, and I thank you for that!
Basically, the first story was about Max and Chance, the second was sort of a get to know Max a little better (though I will reveal more about him as the story continues), the third was one with all three of them (by the way, I do NOT own Harry Potter or any of those other movies mentioned in ANY way, shape or form), and the last was Jake and Chance. Let me know if you want another chapter like this someday, and I'd be happy to write one!
And, of course, I introduced the villain (more info to come soon!)! Yay!
Sorry for the late post; I had two midterms today (blegh!), and I still have three more coming up, but I HAD to get this chapter out of me so I could focus on studying. Hope you all enjoyed it, and please let me know in the Reviews if you liked/hated, plus DM me any suggestions you may have, and don't forget to favorite/follow! Goodnight!
