((A Chance to Live, A Chance to Die, and Clawson Labs blog posts are all related in characters and storyline.
'A sentence like this' indicates thoughts. I was using italics and prefer to do so but then I have to fix it in the document editor and pffth. I'm done with that.
SWAT Kats belongs to Hannah-Barbera and I do not own any of the trademarked characters nor am I profiting from this in any way, other than it's fun. Sgt. Barry Bagheera is an OC I made for this storyline.))
"You need to let Barry in on your identity."
Felina says this real calmly, like she's commenting on the paint color for a bedroom or something. For a second T-Bone is sure his heart stops beating.
Barry looks to T-Bone and then back at Felina like he thinks he must of heard her wrong. "Say what, Lieutenant?"
"I've known who the SWAT Kats are for a couple years," Felina says cautiously.
T-Bone's jaw drops and he stares at her, disbelieving what she'd just said. Encouraging him to share his identity, he could see. Course she'd want to know that, she was an Enforcer and Feral's niece. Though he wondered if that wasn't just a little paranoia talking.
But the claim that she already knew?!
'No way. How could she? Maybe this is a test?' But, wait… Had she told him before that she knows? When was that? Where was that? It was all foggy. 'Maybe I dreamed it.'
He finally waves his hand dismissively at her.
"Think I'm bluffing?" She was watching T-Bone as she reaches into the pocket of her pants and pulls out…. a key ring.
And T-Bone's mind spirals backwards to nearly three years before.
"All finished, Lieutenant," he had said cheerfully as he handed over a set of keys.
"Thanks Furlo- hey," Felina paused, looking at the keychain with puzzlement. "These are my keys, but this isn't mine." She held the ring with the gold colored, pizza slice shaped keychain in her hand and raised her eyebrow at the mechanic.
"Oh yea uh…. well I heard it was your birthday next week," he said nonchalantly, "I saw this at Pappadelli's…. It's uh, it's for the birthday pizza club."
"The what?" The Lieutenant looked down and flipped the keychain over to read the lettering on the back.
"You know, you get a free pizza, during your birthday month." He shrugged, hands in the pockets of his coveralls. "You like Pappadelli's Pizzeria right?"
"Love it… how do you know that?" she questioned.
"Er, well. You said it. Uh. Once. We had a box here, remember, and you said you liked their pizza, and we were talking about peppers," he replied quickly.
"You remember this encounter a lot better than I do," she replied, her voice crisp.
"He remembers stuff like that," Jake had called from under a nearby hood. "He has been plotting to give you that keychain for three months."
Felina blinked and turned to stare at the slimmer kat. "Three months?" she asked, disbelieving.
Jake glanced over with a grin before he'd straightened up and nodded, and wiped his hands on a rag. "Yup. He's been counting the days waiting for you to show up for the next oil change."
Felina turned back to glance at Chance, and raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
"I….I guess?" He stammered, looking a little nervous.
"Would you like me to show you the big red circle and arrows he drew around your appointment in the calendar?" Jake interjected, with a most innocent air.
His head had spun so quick his neck popped. A deadly glower had been aimed at his best 'friend' and partner, and he'd begun to crack his knuckles.
"So you remembered a random comment I made and got me a birthday gift months before my birthday, even somehow finding out my birth date without me telling you," she said with a bright smile. "That's not stalkerish at all." She eyed him, full Enforcer mode now. "Do you treat all she-Kats you meet like this?"
The conversation had disintegrated from there.
T-Bone stares at the keychain for a long silent moment before he reaches out for it. She places it into his hand and he sighs, turning to it over from side to side, and eventually meets her eyes.
"You remember giving me this don't you?" Felina asks softly, and T-Bone hesitates a moment, and glances worriedly at Razor.
'Jake is gonna hate this.'
"Come on T-Bone. Even if you don't admit it, I obviously have figured it out."
He finally glances back at her, then shrugs and nods. "Uh huh." He tosses it once in his hand and then offers it back to her.
She smiles slightly, taking it. "I enjoyed getting free birthday pizzas, it was a thoughtful gift," she informs him as she spins the keychain around once on her finger.
A half grin creeps across his face.
She pockets the keychain and her expression becomes more serious. "T-Bone, look. I've given this a lot of thought. Think about where we are right now. Your identities are going to be at risk with a standard guard rotation. I think it's vital you have somebody you can trust here at all times. I can't be here all the time and I think the Sergeant can be trusted. He needs to know."
Barry looks like he's swallowed something that tasted disgusting. "Waaaaaaait wait wait wait wait a second here," he protests. "Has anybody asked me if I want to know the SWAT Kats secret identities? No? They should ask, because I don't!"
T-Bone glances over at Barry and grins. He extends his hand to him and Barry grabs it, shaking it energetically. Barry gives Felina a smirk. "See? We're in agreement here, Lieutenant!"
Felina watched this show of solidarity with scorn. "Okay. Come on, Barry. Tell him."
"Tell him what?" the Sergeant asks with suspicion.
"Tell him you already know who Razor is," she replies.
T-Bone looks at Barry accusingly and takes his hand back like he's expecting to be bit.
Barry holds his hands up guarding himself, palms out. "Oh no you don't - Don't tell him that! I didn't… look at how he's looking at me, dammit!" he stammers.
"See T-Bone, it's perfect," Felina says brightly. "Barry already knows and he hasn't told anyone."
"I WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS AND I WANT THAT ON THE RECORD!" Barry roars.
*SLAM* T-Bone bangs his big fist down on the arm of his chair. "SHAAAAAAAOP!" he growls, looking irritated. "...Wha? Wh…?" he gestures frustratedly at Razor and Barry shrugs, then ducks a bit in his chair when T-Bone's finger is pointed in his face.
"It was an accident. Somebody yanked his mask. It's not a big deal, I didn't recognize him. Stop waving your hand around!" Barry complains.
"Quit it you two," Felina orders, her hand moving to T-Bone's shoulder. "Look, the aim here is to help."
The Sergeant is still hunched a little to avoid the finger of accusation."Don't believe her, T-Bone! She's a sneaky, conniving female!"
"Sergeant!"
T-Bone glances at Barry a long moment. He starts to open his mouth then glances back at Razor.
'I could really use some advice about now, Sureshot.'
Felina glances at Razor and takes her hand away from T-Bone's shoulder. "I think he'd tell you to do it."
"Let him alone, Lieutenant," Barry advises her. He settles a bit more comfortably into the chair and laces his fingers together over his abdomen. "He's too smart to just blow his cover like that."
"Oh. Well then. Razor's name is Jake, and this is Chance," Felina announces and T-Bone gives her a look that could melt steel.
Barry stares at her open mouthed for several seconds before he remembers he can talk. "...wait, what? Did I hear you right? I can not believe you just did that!"
Felina shrugs, then crosses her arms over her chest. "I made a decision."
"No, lieutenant, you forced a decision. That was really a jerk thing to do. Sir."
T-Bone is quiet. And there's a space of silence for about ten heartbeats, before he sighs a defeated sigh and reaches over and tugs Razor's mask off. He pats down Jake's forelock which only rewards him with a slow, dull blink.
With a final dirty look at the two Enforcers he tugs his own mask off. He chucks the mask on his bed, and takes the opportunity to scrub at the fur that'd been mussed.
Nothing like mask fur. Worse than any hat fur ever.
Chance finally glances up, defiant with arms crossed over his chest.
Barry groans and buries his face into his hands. "See this is always how it starts. I'm doomed. In the comic books it's always the guy who knows the hero's secret identity who gets captured by the super villain. Every time!"
Despite his displeasure with the current events T-Bone cracks a hint of a smile at Barry's theatrics. Though Felina's expression clearly indicates she thinks he's lost his marbles.
Barry finally lifts his head from his hands and sighs, giving Chance a good eyeball before he speaks. He still looks rather irritated. "...Well I don't recognize you either, if that makes you feel any better. 'Chance' huh? Nice to 'meet' you, I guess." He extends his hand to him again.
Chance makes a grumble and shakes his head. But he begrudgingly takes Barry's hand again and they shake.
"Well. Now what," the Sergeant questions, turning to Felina.
"Chance is your new best friend, Barry," Felina says, smirking.
Both the toms snort, in unison. "Great. Just great," Barry grouses.