Hello, dedicated Readers!
Decided to do something new with this chapter; the main story's gonna be in regular print, but inbetween POV changes, I'll be posting memories of various characters during Max's recovery time. If you don't like it, or find it confusing, I'll write a separate chapter of just memories, since most of you are probably wondering about details of what happened during the time jump.
But anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
Moving Forward:
Max POV:
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had!
While Max was a huge fan of Toto's Africa (after all, who wasn't a fan?), the slow song wasn't what he needed right now as he worked out. But he couldn't change the song, since he was currently spinning around a single bar, so he continued his set, moving faster than the beat of the song.
Flipping around the bar, twisting around as he did so, the boy practiced as the music played from a nearby speaker. He often did this most afternoons, since he no longer went out to fight crime with Jake and Chance. It was something he'd done for years now, listening to music as he exercised and worked on his gymnastic skills, and he figured he wouldn't stop now; old habits do die hard.
It was hard to believe that he had nearly been here for nearly two years. He still missed home, but by now, he had started to resign himself to the fact that he may be stuck here permanently. However, he still had hope; Hackle, upon learning of his predicament, started working on trying to find a way to create a portal to send him home, using the old research of some Void kat who had failed to figure it out. Of course, the elderly kat wasn't a miracle worker, but the human was confident that the Professor would figure it out. Eventually.
Finally dismounting, he landed on both feet; a perfect landing. Taking off his hand grips, he took a long drink from his water bottle as the next song (Take On Me) started playing. He sat down on the nearby bench, resting for a bit as he collected his thoughts.
Max wasn't happy. He no longer had the nightmares as much, but the fear of them returning always lurked in the back of his mind. Also, he still sometimes had flashbacks to what he'd gone through, meaning he couldn't go back to being a Swat Kat until they were sure he wouldn't freak out in the middle of a fight. Even though he could go outside, he had to hide who he really was, as if he were a fugitive of some kind. Add that to the fact that he hadn't seen his mom or sisters in well over a year, with a slim chance of ever seeing him again (not to mention not knowing how much older they would be compared to his age now), and it was like the cherry on top of a cruddy sundae.
The only bright side of the whole situation were his friends. They had been nothing but supportive and helpful while he recovered from T-Day, and he knew that he would never be able to repay them for sticking with him. Jake and Chance were constantly there for him, helping him whenever he fell into a nightmare, slowly encouraging him to start going outside more, and respecting his decision to not join them on missions anymore. Johnny, meanwhile, had introduced him to a world of comedy movies and TV shows to help him focus on the brighter side of life, as well as forgave him and the mechanics for not telling him about the Swat Kat Secret. And, of course, Professor Hackle was trying to find a way to get him home, as well as helping him heal physically and mentally, letting him stay at his home for the first month or so after T-Day (Max's memory of the first three months after T-Day were fuzzy, but based on what he'd been told by the kats, it took them a while to convince him that they weren't going to hurt him if he returned to the garage).
He wanted to be normal again; or at least what constituted as 'normal' in this universe. He just wanted to be his old self again, that way his friends wouldn't treat him as if he were made of glass, and so he could go out and fight crime again with no fear. But there was nothing he could do about it; he still couldn't go outside as a human, he wasn't smart enough to find his own way to get himself to his other-dimension home, and he occasionally thought he was trapped in a nightmare that could incapacitate him for minutes at a time.
"What're you thinking about," a voice spoke up from behind him, startling him from his thoughts. Turning around, he saw Jake had climbed down the ladder into the bunker, going through their Swat Kat lockers.
"Not much," Max lied, turning around to face the kat. "What about you?"
"Just re-calibrating the Glovatrixes," the cinnamon kat told him, grabbing the three weapons from the lockers and walking towards the nearby workshop area. "Wanna help, if you're not too busy?"
"I don't mind," the man replied, climbing to his feet and walking over to the feline, who started to work on his own Glovatrix. "Why did you grab mine?"
"Just figured I'd do them all at once," the small kat replied, tossing him a towel to wipe off the excess gym chalk from his hands. "Don't worry; I'm not forcing you to rejoin us, if that's what you think."
"It's fine." He sat on a stool next to the kat, helping him by passing him tools whenever he asked, watching him take apart the wrist machines, curious how they worked. "Excited for your date tonight?"
"You bet," Jake grinned, putting on a pair of goggles that reminded the human of jeweler's glasses, allowing him to see the smaller pieces. "Gotta get ready for that in a couple hours; we're going out for dinner and then a movie."
"Fancy or regular food?"
"'Regular?'"
"You know, like burgers and tacos and stuff."
"We're going out to this place called Tail's End; kinda fancy, but not too fancy. It's a regular sit-down restaurant, but not fast food."
"What kind of cuisine," the human asked.
"Comfort food. They've got really good fish… cold milk… mice meatloaf-"
"WHAT?!"
"I'm joking," the kat told him, chuckling a little at his friend's annoyed expression. "You should know by now we haven't eaten mice since the Dark Ages."
"Hardy har. I'll crash your date now that I can go outside!"
"You're too nice to do that, but keep an eye on Chance in case he tries to."
"I doubt it. Sure, he seemed kinda sore that Callie said yes to you at first, but I think he's fine with it now. Besides, we have plans tonight; Johnny's coming over and we're watching Ferris Bueler's Day Off."
"Good one."
"I have my talents," Max said graciously. "Now, in all seriousness, don't let Miss Deputy Mayor find out the whole Swat Kat secret."
"You're lecturing me on being careful," the tabby asked him incredulously. "I've been doing this way longer than you!"
"I know, but you haven't dated anyone during that time, and you've been pining after Callie for years; I mean, you even gave her a special communicator just to call you guys! I'm just saying, don't let your guard down and reveal that you're a Swat Kat. And also don't mention that there's a human being living on your couch as well."
"I'll be fine," Jake assured him, tightening a screw on the interior of the Glovatrix. "Sounds like somekat's just jealous that they can't date anyone because they're from another dimension."
"It's not my fault all the human girls are in a parallel universe," the human retorted jokingly, handing him another screwdriver. "When I get home, I'll make sure not to tell her that I spent nearly two years in a dimension with talking kats."
"Probably not a good idea; you might as well let her know how crazy you really are before it's too late!"
"I will chuck this measuring tape across the room."
"Fine! Let's just agree to stop discussing dates?"
"Deal."
...
130 Days after T-Day:
"So how have you been feeling recently, Max," Professor Hackle asked him, sitting in a nearby easy chair, just like a real psychologist.
Max was lying on the familiar couch, staring at the ceiling of the elderly kat's office above him; even though he'd been back at the garage for three months, the Professor still insisted that they meet weekly to discuss his mental state and such. "Fine, I guess," he finally said. "I mean, not much has happened."
"Are you still sleeping on the couch?"
"Yeah, but I don't mind; it's... familiar. But just in case, we've put a small mattress on the ground next to it in case I fall off in my sleep."
"Hmm." The teen heard the scribbling sound of a pen on paper; even with all of the gadgets that the kat invented, he still preferred written notes. "What about your daily routine? Any changes?"
"Not really. I still wake up at the same time, eat at the same time, exercise at the same time-"
"You're still practicing your gymnastics? I thought you decided to not resume Swat Kat work."
"I... I did, but... it's what I used to do when I wanted to calm down."
"It's... familiar?"
" ... Yes." The sound of more writing followed that answer. "I also still go to sleep at the same time as well, except when we have movie nights with Johnny."
"Is your friendship with Johnny strained in any way?"
"No. He understood why we hadn't told him before, and he's even introduced me to some comedy shows."
"Why comedy?"
"You're smart," Max finally snapped. "You figure it out!"
Silence followed this, and the human suddenly felt bad for yelling at the kat who'd helped him heal from what had happened (they'd decided to call it T-Day, since he couldn't say the she-kat's name without having another episode), and he looked over at the kat.
"I'm sorry," he said, twisting his hands in his lap. "I just-"
"It's fine," Hackle assured him, giving him a kind smile. "It is understandable that you'd have some anger. Even though you have a solid schedule, one that will help keep you grounded in reality, you still stay inside all day; humans need some time outside, yes?"
"Yeah."
"I know that your options are limited, given your circumstances, but is there anyplace that you could get about an hour of fresh air and sun everyday?"
"I... I think so. I don't think I could tell you where it is, but-"
"I understand. I'll let Razor and T-Bone know about this." More writing on the page, and the human turned to look at the nearby clock. About 50 minutes left in their session. But he wouldn't complain; he settled down against the soft cushions of the couch, ready to finally move on.
...
Jake POV:
Jake was nervous about his date (who wouldn't be nervous after having a crush on someone for years?), but he was determined to sweep the Deputy Mayor off her feet the best he could.
Usually, he took about ten minutes to get ready for the day, but this evening, it was closer to an hour before he finally emerged from his bedroom. Since the place they were going to wasn't too nice, he bought a new pair of jeans to wear with his regular t-shirt and nice windbreaker he'd gotten from his mom last Christmas. He made sure he had enough money to pay for both of their meals in his wallet before walking into the living room.
"I don't think I've ever seen you wear anything besides your work coveralls or your Swat Kat uniform," Max spoke up, gaping at his friend's new appearance. "I didn't even think you had other clothes!"
"Whaddaya think we wore before we got exiled here," Chance asked, giving his kat friend a grin. "Lookin' sharp, Jake! You're lookin' like Mr. Kool Kat over here!"
"Thanks," the cinnamon kat replied, walking towards the garage. "See you all later tonight."
"Are you picking her up," the human asked.
"No; I'm meeting her there."
"Can't show up in front of her apartment with a tow truck," the blond kat laughed. "Is that why you fixed up that cruddy old car?"
"With my help," Max said proudly, jumping onto the couch, grabbing one of his comics from nearby and flipping through it.
"Just because Jake let you pass him a wrench every once in a while doesn't make you a master mechanic," Chance told him.
"Since when have you been a master mechanic," the human countered.
"At least you two won't run out of things to talk about before Johnny gets here," Jake said jokingly, grabbing his keys off the hook and heading towards the door.
"You rang," the tan kat asked, walking in through the door at that moment. "I wanted to show ya somethin' before ya left. You two also."
"Um… we've already seen your camera," Max started to say as the kamerakat reached into his bag. "Why would we- YO!" He gaped as the kamerakat held out a small box, opening it to reveal a small ring with a simple diamond in the center.
"Is that real," Chance asked, getting up from his chair to get a closer look at the engagement ring.
"Yep," Johnny said proudly. "Picked it up a the jeweler's at the mall about a week ago. I'm waiting for the right time to ask her."
"Congrats, dude," the blond mechanic said.
"She didn't say yes yet," the human reminded him.
"She's gonna say yes," Jake told him, checking his watch. "But right now, I really have to get going so I'm not late, but congratulation as well!"
"Good luck on your date," Johnny called after him as he went into the garage, removed the tarp over the sleek blue-and-grey car he'd fixed up, and drove across the salvage yard, hoping and hoping that tonight was the night that all bad guys were out sick.
...
Seven Days after T-Day:
"How long will he be like this," Chance asked Jake as they stared through the one-way mirror at their friend, who sat huddled in the corner of the room, quickly eating the plate of food that one of Hackle's machines brought him. It'd only been a week since their fight with Turmoil, and with the Professor's diagnosis, their human friend was in for a long road of recovery.
"I honestly can't even guess," the cinnamon kat replied. "Hackle said it varies between individuals, but Max is a different species, so we're really shooting blind."
The blond kat slammed his fist against the wall nearby, clearly angry. "We'll get whoever did this to him."
"How? Turmoil's dead, and we have no idea who supplied the serum; right now, Max's recovery should be our number one priority right now."
"I'm going to talk to him," his friend replied, walking towards the door that led in the room.
"Hackle said we shouldn't-"
But by then, Chance had opened the door, stepping into the room. Jake looked back through the mirror, wary of what might happen, and ready to go get the Professor if things went wrong. The human, meanwhile, looked up when the door opened, and he backed into the corner, giving the kat a wary look.
"Max," the mechanic started, standing by the door, the speakers in the room allowing Jake to hear what was happening. "Max... it's me... it's Chance."
"No you're not," the teen whispered, shaking his head. "You're not real. You're a new nightmare."
"I am real," the feline replied, almost pleadingly, taking a few steps forward. "I'm not-"
"SHUT UP," Max screamed, chucking his cup at the Swat Kat, water flying everywhere. Chance ducked, avoiding the cup, but upon straightening up, he staggered back as the human suddenly tackled him to the ground, holding the tray above his head and trying to hit him in the face.
"MAX STOP IT'S ME," Chance yelled, managing to block the hits, trying to figure out a way to get his friend away from him without hurting him.
"LEAVE ME ALONE," the teen screamed, trying to whack the kat in the face. "GET OUT OF HERE! YOU'RE NOT HURTING ME AGAIN! YOU WANNA LEAVE ME TO DIE?! THEN GO!"
"PROFESSOR," Jake yelled, running down the hall, searching for Hackle as more screaming came from the room behind him. He still wasn't sure of how long their friend would be llke this, but he was hoping that it ended as soon as possible.
...
Callie POV:
Callie sat at a table in the restaurant, waiting for Ann to show up.
She was supposed to meet Jake at this Tail's End restaurant in about 10 minutes, but Ann had called her earlier that week, wanting to talk to her about some important issue. Both were busy throughout the week, so they weren't able to talk until this evening, which was her free night. The Deputy Mayor wondered what her friend wanted to tell her that was so important that she couldn't tell her over the phone, but she figured it could only be one thing.
"Where's the ring," she asked her friend after they exchanged greetings and sat down.
"What," the newskat asked, confused.
"Your big news. You-" She cut off, realizing her mistake as she noticed her friend's bare finger. "Oh… Johnny didn't propose?"
"No, he didn't, but-" Ann suddenly looked up with a panicked expression. "Do you think he's gonna ask me?"
"You don't want him to," Callie asked, confused by her friend's reaction. "I thought you two were doing great."
"I do want him to… I mean we are doing great! It's just- Oh, that's not why I'm here! I'm here because I finally found a clue about-" She lowered her voice, leaning in a little so they wouldn't be overheard. "-about the third Swat Kat."
Callie simply gaped at her for a few moments, processing the information she had just heard as all thoughts about her friend's boyfriend were sent packing. Then, she finally got over her shock. "Are… are you serious?! How?! We haven't had a lead since-"
"We never had a lead," the newskat reminded her, reaching for her purse to grab something from it. "We gave up over a year ago because none of us got anywhere, and because the third Swat Kat member vanished without a trace."
"Didn't we conclude that whoever they were, they went back to their time?"
"But they didn't go back." Gora put a slip of paper on the table, trembling with… excitement? Fear?
Callie quickly looked over the note, her eyes going wide. "Where did you find this?"
"Johnny's apartment."
"Johnny's-" She looked up at her friend at that. "Oh… oh no."
"What do you mean, 'Oh no,'" her friend hissed angrily at her. "He's not a criminal! He's just-"
"He just happens to know who the third Swat Kat is, meaning that he probably knows who the ORIGINAL Swat Kats are," the deputy mayor whispered back, picking up the note and reading the words again. "It's that Texas place again… And he's not the only one; it looks like Hackle knows as well."
"Isn't he that Professor who created the Metallikats," Ann asked.
"Yes. He's retired now, of course; tries to make inventions to benefit katkind. But who are J and C? Why didn't Johnny write down their names?"
"Who knows? There's no way he could've known that I would find this."
"How did you find this?"
The she-kat hesitated for a moment or two before saying, "I… kinda took it from his notebook."
"WHAT?!" Callie's yell startled a few other dinner goers, so she lowered her voice. "Ann, if he finds this note missing, he's going to get suspicious, and will most likely find out that you took it, and then he'll know that you know that he knows that-"
"I know that," Ann interrupted impatiently. "I just wanted to show it to you before I returned it."
"And you couldn't tell me this over the phone?"
"I figured you'd want to see it in front of you."
"That is true." She finally put the note down, the gears turning in her brain. "J and C… who are they? Are they scientists or professors like Hackle? Or are they the Swat Kats themselves?"
"I doubt it; Johnny's not the brightest, but he's not dumb enough to write down a clue to their identities. I think that J and C must be somekat else; maybe, like you suggested, a professor or scientist like Hackle."
"But if he knows who they are, wouldn't you know who they were too," Callie asked. "I mean, you spend most of the day with him, so wouldn't you notice who he spends time with in his free time?"
"Just a few of his friends; he occasionally hangs out with a couple of mechanics who live outside of Mega-"
"Jake and Chance?"
"Yeah. How-" The both realized the same thing at the same time, and they slowly looked down at the note.
"J and C… It's Jake and Chance," Callie said, her mind racing as she started to put the pieces together.
"But they can't be the Swat Kats," Ann cut in. "They're mechanics, not pilots!"
"I know that, but-" Her eyes widened as the final puzzle piece fell into place. "But you've seen the Enforcer Air Force, right?"
"Yeah?"
"They need mechanics to upkeep their planes and that sort of stuff. How else would Razor and T-Bone be able to keep their vehicles in top shape, ready to go whenever they're needed? We know they have some mechanical skill, but just the two of them would take too much time; they must have some sort of outside help!"
"So… you think that my boyfriend's friends, including the kat you're about to go on a date with, are the mechanics to the Swat Kats," the newskat asked incredulously. "Does that mean Johnny doesn't know their secret identities? Or that Jake and Chance don't know their identities?"
"Probably; it makes sense if they just help them anonymously. Jake and Chance aren't the kind of guys to keep secrets," the deputy mayor explained. "And it explains Professor Hackle's involvement; he used to build weapons before he retired, and he's supposed to be one of the smartest kats alive! He probably helps Jake and Chance out with some of the mechanical details of the Turbokat, and- - - Ann, he may have even invented the time machine that brought Lonestar here!"
"YES!" This time, they both gave audible cheers as they finally cracked the case, ignoring the stares they were receiving as they gave each other a high-four. "We did it! I can't wait to get this on the air!"
"Wait," Callie said, finally starting to sober. "We can't report anything without proof, and the only proof we have is a note that you stole from your boyfriend's apartment, and a glance at a library book that shouldn't exist yet."
The newskat's face fell as she realized her friend was right. "Yeah…" She looked up at the Deputy Mayor. "Should I ask Johnny about it?"
"How would you explain you figured it out? You're not supposed to know what that Texas place is."
"Oh yeah… I don't want to lie or hide anything from him, though," Ann said, looking downtrodden.
"I know," her friend told her kindly. "But the only way we can get proof is for him to confess what he knows, and if you do that, then he'll ask how you knew-"
"Why can't I ask him, then," the she-kat interrupted. "He might tell me if I explain it to him."
"I doubt he'd tell you," Callie started to say.
"You don't know him," Ann interrupted, frowning at her. "He's understanding, and I don't like keeping secrets from him."
"Even though he kept some from you and didn't tell you about this," the deputy mayor started, starting to grow a little annoyed at how her friend was acting.
"For a good reason; the Swat Kats do this city a lot of good. If he goes public with what he knows, he'll probably be arrested by Feral for helping them out!"
"Felina would get him out."
"But that wouldn't look good for him, and you wouldn't know how long he'd be in jail! You don't even have a boyfriend, so stop acting like you know better than me when it comes to Johnny!"
Callie felt like she got slapped in a face. Throughout their friendship, they had agreed to never mock one another when it came to boyfriends, or their lack of a boyfriend. Now, however, the she-kat grew angry as she raised her voice a little. "I'm sorry for trying to help you get the biggest story of your career in a legal way that would prevent you from getting arrested as well! If you're going to complain about not being able to talk to your boyfriend, then maybe you should just dump him!"
"Of course you'd want me to do that so you don't feel bad about being single!"
"What are you talking about? I'm waiting for Jake right now so we can go on a date!"
"After how many years of waiting for him to ask you? If you were so interested in him for so long, why did you wait for him to ask you out first?"
"Because I didn't want you to complain about not having a boyfriend either!"
"Well look who's complaining now; some Deputy Mayor you are! You're just scared; too scared to find out the truth, too scared to talk to kats you need to talk to, and too scared to put yourself on the ballot! Well, I'm not scared, so I'm going to go to Johnny right now and ask him about this note!" She snatched the note back from her friend, getting up from her chair and heading towards the door.
"Ann," Callie called angrily, storming after her. "Ann! Don't be an idiot!" Reaching her friend at the front door, she tried to prevent her from leaving by grabbing her arm.
"Let go of me," the newskat yelled. "I'll call the Enforcers, and-"
" ... Callie? Ann?"
The two fighting felines stopped their impromptu tug-of-war, looking up at Jake, who had just walked in through the front door, looking at them with shock. Realizing what they were doing, the two friends quickly stepped back from one another, embarrassed at being caught like this, but also wary of the cinnamon kat, given their recent discovery.
"Uh… is this a bad time," the mechanic asked. "Are you okay? What're you doing here Ann? I thought Johnny was at my place for movie night."
"He… he is," Ann Gora said, looking between him and Callie, giving her a look that clearly said, "Ask him."
"Well, it was nice of you to stop by," Callie said, walking over to Jake's side and giving her friend a tiny head shake. "But if you'll excuse us, we have to be going to dinner now."
Her friend gave her a furious look, probably confusing Jake, but she eventually nodded. "Yes… see you later, Deputy Mayor." It was hard to miss the tone of voice as she said the last part, but Callie quickly turned away, holding Jake's hand as they made to walk back into the restaurant. She wondered how many times his hands repaired the Turbojet for the Swat Kats, and couldn't help but wonder as they finally reached their table. Looking back, Callie noticed Ann was still standing by the enterance to the restaurant, but decided to ignore her.
"So," Jake started to say, "what was that all about?
At that moment, however, before Callie could answer, a small grenade sailed through the nearby window, shattering the glass before going off with a loud BANG!
What an ending to this chapter!
So Ann and Callie finally figured out about Jake and Chance's secret... sort of. I know they came close to figuring out the REAL secret, but I figured that Ann and Callie, not working for the Enforcers, would know about Jake and Chance being pilots in the past. Felina might know, but I'm not saying.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always, feel free to follow and favorite the story if you want to be updated on new chapters and so on, and feel free to leave a review on the chapter if you want.
I hope you all have a great and safe weekend, and keep on being radical! See you all next chapter!
-aggiefrogger
Note: I do NOT own Toto, Africa, the continent of Africa or any of its countries, or Ferris Beuler's Day Off in ANY way, shape or form!
