Both Chance and Jake flinched when they heard the ceramic cup hit the floor. They looked at Vivian, who was absolutely beside herself as Kats Eye News did a close up of the robbed gravesite, her dead fiancé's gravesite. Tears welled up in her eyes as her hands shook. Jake got up off the couch and went to her. "Ms. Vanfang, are you okay? What's wrong?" He touched her shoulder and she flinched. "I...who...who would...do that, especially...to him?!" She chocked out. Jake looked back at the TV. "You know who's grave that was?" Jake asked as Chance spoke up from behind him.
"It was her fiancé's." Jake moves out of the way as Chance steps forward over the broken coffee mug and takes her in his arms. Her brain screamed that she should push him away, but her body wouldn't let her as she broke down in his arms and cried. Chance let her cry in his arms, she wrapped her arms around him, clinging to him as she sobbed into his chest. Jake just starts cleaning up the broken coffee cup in front of them and left the room to let Chance comfort her.
Chance's heart was breaking watching her suffer and couldn't do anything to help. No words he could say would ever make this better for her and he knew it. After a few moments, she stepped back and looked up at him and wiped her face as much as she could. "Thank you. I have to leave now." She said, obviously still disturbed by the news.
Chance was quick to offer his assistance. "I can go with you and make sure you're okay. Get you whatever you may need." Vivian sniffles a bit and sighs. "I appreciate it Chance, but this is something I have to handle on my own." She said as she took out her cellphone and started calling someone.
"HR department please." She waited for a few moments. "Hi, this is Vivian Vanfang. I'm going to have to call out today. I just found out my fiancé's grave was the one robbed at the Megakat Cemetery. Yeah, the one they're airing on TV now. Okay. I'll try and make it in tomorrow. Okay, thanks." She said as she hung up and sighed. "At least The Enforcers were understanding. I have to go. I don't know if I'll be back tomorrow." She said to Chance, not really looking at him. She turned to go and he gently grabbed her wrist and she turned back to face him.
"You really shouldn't be alone, Vivian, especially right now." She thought for a moment and shook her head. "You need to work and I need to handle this by myself. I'll be okay." She said as he looked at her with nothing but care and concern in his eyes. "Okay then, just...call the garage and keep me posted, please." Chance pleaded and she forced a smile. "I will. Promise." She said as he let go of her wrist and she got in her car and left.
A while later, Vivian arrived at the cemetery. There were kats everywhere, trying to figure out any clues to what had happened. Vivian made her way towards where she knew her fiancé was buried, but was stopped by an Enforcer officer. "I'm sorry ma'am. You can't go in there right now. Official Enforcer crime scene." Vivian pulled out her Enforcer HQ badge. "I'm with you guys." She said simply and the officer let her by, lifting up the crime scene tape for her. Commander Feral was there. He spotted Vivian quickly.
"Ms. Vanfang, what are you doing here? This isn't part of your job description." He said to her sternly. "The body that was stolen out of that gravesite belonged to my fiancé, Doctor Maxwell Sharpclaw. I'm trying to see if you found anything more yet?" She said as his eyebrows go up. "Then you're a Kat of interest, Ms. Vanfang. We're going to have to take you in for questioning. Lieutenant! Take Ms. Vanfang in for questioning."
Lieutenant Steel came up to Vivian and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes as he escorted her back to her car and she followed him to HQ.
A while later, Vivian was in an interrogation room. She looked around the boring gray room and sighed, shaking her head. 'Ugh...this brings back memories from when they brought me in when he died the first time.'
A few moments later, a criminal profiler came back in with Steel to ask Vivian questions. The attractive older black tom kat interrogator looked at Vivian with a stoic look as he sat down in front of her. Steel remained standing. The profiler extended his hand out to Vivian and she leaned forward and shook his hand. "Detective Ramsey, and you're Ms. Vanfang? You're also one of ours I see." He said as he flipped through her file. She nodded as he continued.
"We'll make this as quick and painless as possible. How long were you engaged to the deceased?" He asked as Vivian responded. "A year prior to his death two years ago." She responded. "I see. Would you say your relationship was a happy one?" Vivian rolled her eyes. "I didn't plan his death, if that's what you mean. According to you guys, he died at Puma-dyne due to an escaped toxin. I was on base out of town when it happened. You guys already checked that out years ago." The profiler shook his head. "Fair enough. Where were you around 10:00 PM last night?" He asked.
"I was at home." She said as he pressed on. "Have anyone that can confirm that?" Vivian's thoughts went to Chance, being reminded of their time in her room. "My sister came home around that time, but I was in my room. She wasn't aware I was home though until I came out about an hour later." The profiler took some notes and looked up at her again. "Anyone else?" she pursed her lips for a moment. "There was one other Kat, Chance Furlong." She said as he took down his name. Steel spoke up. "That Enforcer disgrace?! Why are you hanging out with him?!"
Detective Ramsey snapped at him. "Steel, this is my interrogation, not yours! Now Ms. Vanfang, could you give me Mr. Furlong's number? I may need to confirm your story. What is your relationship with him?" Vivian answered quickly. "Friend."
She felt a pang feeling in her heart at that, secretly wishing she could call him something else. She wrote down the garage's number and handed the paper back to him. "Look, I'm visibly upset by this. Have you found out who did this or why? Or more importantly, where his body is?" Detective Ramsey hesitated for a moment, but then relented. "We did find something, but...you're already distraught. You may not wanna see-" he said, holding out a tablet and Vivian grabbed it. It was camera footage from nearby buildings. She saw skeleton creatures digging up her fiancé's grave with a smaller looking half zombie half skeleton gnome like creature, obviously directing them. They wrapped his body in a sheet and tossed him out of the grave. Dr. Viper appeared and picked up the body and carried it off. The footage ends there. Vivian looks on in absolute horror and anger.
"Grave robbery isn't usually Dr. Viper's MO, now the Pastmaster..."
"How could The Enforcers let this happen?! And why only his grave?!" She cried out in anger. "And how come you haven't apprehended either one of them?! How come they just come and go as they please?!" Detective Ramsey held his hands up in a calm down motion, trying to get Vivian to quiet down. "The Enforcers and the Swat Kats do what they can to keep Megakat City safe-" Vivian doesn't let him finish his sentence as she gets up and slams her hands into the metal table. "Obviously not safe enough! Even the dead can't rest in peace! Can I go now? This is asinine!" She said, giving him the death glare. Steel was in a corner, now a bit scared of Vivian. Detective Ramsey sighed. "Yes, Ms Vanfang, you can go. We'll call you if-" she slams the door shut as she leaves before he can finish his sentence.
"She's a little scary, isn't she?" Steel asked, trying to fake confidence. Detective Ramsey snapped at him again. "Shut up, Steel. You're about useless." He said, picking up Vivian's file and leaving.
A while later, the Swat Kats were in the air patrolling Megakat City. T-bone couldn't help but think about Vivian as he flew over the city, barely paying attention to the Enforcer band. 'I hope she's okay. She hasn't called me all day. Then again, she just found out someone grave robbed her fiancé's grave. I don't know how I'd react either.'
"Hey T-bone, did you hear that?" Razor asked from his place behind him. T-bone shook his head, snapping back into Swat Kat mode. "Negative buddy. Hear what?"
"Robbery at Megakat City Chemical. Ready to kick some tail?" T-bone couldn't help the wide smile. "Roger pal, let's hit it!" T-bone put the jet into a higher gear, and took off for Megakat City Chemical, but when he picked up a few G's, a black box lifted from the floor on T-bone's side, T-bone oblivious to it, flew past him to the back and hit Razor square in the nose.
Needless to say, Razor was stunned for a minute, taking away the offending item from his face. "Ack! what the...?" Razor asked as he looked to see what it was. In letters, plain as day, the word "condom" was displayed across the box.
'Condoms? What would a box of condoms be doing in...the...' Razor thought as the realization hit him just as suddenly as the box did. He looked up at the back of the pilot's seat.
"HOLY KATS, T-BONE! HAVE YOU BEEN HAVING SEX IN THE TURBOKAT?!" Razor more or less yelled than asked. T-bone was oblivious to what had happened to his friend. "Huh? Why would you ask that buddy?" Razor was obviously pissed.
"Because an opened box of condoms just hit me in the face!" Razor responded angrily.
T-bone resisted the urge to burst out laughing, but the mental vision of his best friend getting smacked in the face with a box of prophylactics was too much and he let out a slight snicker. He looked over to the tiny cargo hatch that was open. 'Oh, I must have missed when I tossed them back in and they landed on the floor and I didn't see that. Oops...'
Seeing that it was obvious he was caught and couldn't deny the allegation, T-bone tried to respond with humor. "Oh...I was...wondering...where those went..."
Razor once again roared. "T-BONE! REALLY? IN THE TURBOKAT?!"
T-bone sank down in the pilot's seat, but couldn't help the slight half smile, wincing with one eye closed as his partner yelled at him.
"I had nowhere else to do it and I couldn't very well take Shadow Kat to our place or hers!" T-bone pled his case.
"How about a hotel?!" Razor shot back.
"You know as well as I do, we don't make hotel money, buddy." T-bone said as Razor let out a deep sigh and shook his head.
"We're doing a deep disinfection of the Turbokat when we get home." Razor grumbled.
"It's not like we did it in your seat, kiddo. Consider it payback for all those times I was downstairs, trying to watch TV, and you and Callie were getting it on upstairs. I heard absolutely everything." T-bone said as Razor once again shot back. "Okay, but I didn't hit you in the face with physical evidence that I had!" T-bone once again had a chuckle.
Meanwhile, at Megakat City Chemical...
"I thought you ssaaaid you could bring anyone back from the dead?" Doctor Viper asked, gathering the chemicals he needed, as his smaller cohort was looking through his spell book. "Usually I can, but he's being somewhat difficult. Why do you need this one back in this realm so badly anyway?" The body was still covered in the white sheet.
"He can perfect hiss ssserum, and I don't want any missstakes. I want the Sssswat Kat whossse blood I collected, dead. The other one will be nothing without hisss partner. The city will be ours to control."
The Pastmaster, not understanding science too well, just shrugs and continues looking through his spell book.
Suddenly, black cables wrapped around Doctor Viper and down he fell. The Pastmaster heard the thud and turned in time to see The Swat Kats in the doorway. "Forgot to invite us to the party, guys?" Razor said while T-bone stood next to him in the doorway grining, gloveatrixes armed.
"It's those meddling Swat Kats! I'm not done with my spell yet!" Pastmaster takes the opportunity to run and hide. "You got him pal?" T-bone asked as Razor nods. "Roger. You stay with Viper." He says as he runs to catch him. "No problem." He said as he came closer to the struggling lizard Kat. "You have no idea whatsss waiting for you, Swat Kat." Viper said to T-bone as he stood over him and smirked. "Really? I know what's in store for you...jail. Hope you like prison food!" T-bone said to him.
T-bone didn't notice the body covered in the sheet had sat up behind him. He noticed Viper starting to laugh evilly. He gave him a suspicious look with an eyebrow raise through the mask. "What's so funny, Viper?"
Arms suddenly went around T-bone, grabbing him from behind. "That, Ssswat Kat!"
T-bone tried breaking out of whatever's grasp had him, but to no avail. 'Crud! Whatever has me has a vice grip and my gloveatrix is useless as I can't see whatever's got me!' The next thing he heard was a gunshot. The shot hit the figure's shoulder.
"Drop him or the next shot will be your head!" Shadow Kat said as she appeared in the doorway. The figure had no blood coming from the shot. 'That was a .9 cal too! It should have left a hefty hole in him! Why is there no blood?!' The figure turned towards her, still holding the struggling T-bone. Shadow Kat nearly dropped her gun when she recognized the figure holding T-bone. "M-Max?!" She whispered almost in shock.
It was a zombified version of her former fiancé. He was a Siamese breed. One of his eyes was nothing more than socket. Some of his skin was gone in places and his bones were starting to show. He didn't seem to recognize her, but he dropped T-bone to the floor. He landed on all fours as the figure walked towards Shadow Kat. "Take him out, Shadow Kat!" T-bone said as he was getting up. She was in shock, watching him walk towards her. She half way lowered her gun. "What are you waiting for?! Take him out, now!" T-bone yelled at her. 'Crud, what's wrong with her?! She's usually dying to use the gun, and now she chooses not to?!' T-bone thought as he watched the scene unfold.
"Doctor Maxwell Sharpclaw...Max...it's me, Vivian." She said, low enough so only he could hear and T-bone wouldn't. "Your little rose." She said, backing up a little, hoping he would remember, despite her disguise. He grunted for a second and reached for her. She stood there with tears welling in her eyes. He then suddenly cried out in pain, being hit from behind with a mini rocket from T-bone's gloveatrix. "Get away from her, ugly. Unless you want some more!" He whirled on T-bone and to T-bone's surprise, Shadow Kat came to stand in front of him with her gun pointed directly at T-bone, like she was protecting the zombie like creature. "Don't you dare fire another shot!" She said to T-bone.
T-bone didn't understand why she was protecting the zombie. "Shadow Kat, get out of the way! He's the enemy!" He took a step forward, but Shadow Kat shot at his foot, missing on purpose. "The next one, I won't miss. Stay back!" T-bone was shocked, but he backed up and put his hands up. "What are you doing, Shadow Kat?! Have you turned tail on us?!" T-bone asked, slightly angry.
Shadow Kat shook her head. "You don't understand, T-bone! Just let me handle it!" At that moment, The Pastmaster appeared and smirked. "Ah! He's awake. Slave, get rid of this she-kat and this Swat Kat! Your master commands it!"
Viper, still tied up yelled out. "No! Do whatever you want to the ssshe-kat, but the Ssswat Kat isss mine!"
Zombified Max didn't move. Shadow Kat turned to him and stared. 'Maybe he does recognize me.' She thought to herself. To her surprise, he went around her and went to attack T-bone. He moved from putting his hands up, poised for attack and defense, his brown claws extended, teeth bared. He went to grab at T-bone, but he dodged and kicked the zombie in the stomach, but that didn't stop him. He lunged at at T-bone, clawing at him and trying to grab at him. T-bone dodged and punched him square in the face, knocking him down.
"No!" Shadow Kat cried out. This distracted T-bone for a moment, but enough for zombie Kat Max to claw at him. He got T-bone's shirt and flight suit, leaving sharp tears in both, but he drew no blood. Razor appeared in time to fire a mini octopus rocket, hitting the zombified Max, pinning him to a wall. "Bingo!" He said, in triumph.
Shadow Kat went almost desperately to the now caged zombie on the wall, but T-bone grabbed her by the arm and whipped her around to face him. "What the hell is up with you, Shadow Kat?! Who's side are you on?!" She pulled against him, holding back tears. "You don't understand! You just don't! That's my...was my..."
"Was your what?!" T-bone nearly yelled in her face. The Pastmaster took the opportunity to free Dr. Viper and he was up again. He gathered his chemicals and ran out the door. "T-bone! Viper is getting away!" Razor said as T-bone let go of Shadow Kat. Razor, T-bone, and Shadow Kat ran after Dr. Viper. They cornered him on the roof of the building.
"We got you now, Dr. Viper. You're not getting away this time!" T-bone said as he cornered him, aiming his glovatrix at him. Viper smirked and pointed at the sky. "That'sss what you think!" He said as a prehistoric flying creature dive bombed the three kats. They all ducked and dove out of the way. Pastmaster and zombie Max also came to the roof. "This ends here!" Pastmaster said as he blasted at the three kats with his watch. A pink stream of power knocked all three of them off the edge of the building.
Razor acted quickly, firing his glovatrix grappling hook, wrapping it around a metal tower at the top of the building. T-bone did the same, and Shadow Kat managed to grab on to T-bone's leg, but barely. The Pastmaster, Dr. Viper, and zombie Max all got on one of the larger flying prehistoric dinos that Pastmaster had brought to the future and flew off the edge of the building. The wind picked up from the large creature taking off, shaking the suspended kats and blowing off Shadow Kat's wig and mask.
Her mask got torn off as it was wrapped around the blonde wig, revealing her fiery red hair, flowing and blowing everywhere. This caught T-bone's attention and made him look down. His eyes go wide at the realization of who exactly was holding on for dear life on his leg. "Viv?!"'he asked in disbelief. Her head snapped up at the mention of her name. "What?!" She asked, thinking she heard him say her real name. "Live, he said we gotta live through this!" Razor yelled, trying to cover for T-bone, shocked to see Shadow Kat was Vivian as well. "Oh...yeah." She said as they both used their glovatrixs to pull themselves back up on to the building. T-bone helped her over the edge too.
"So...uh...you lost something there." Razor spoke up, pointing at his whole face and head. Vivian realized her wig was gone. She reached up to her face, feeling around, realizing her mask was gone too. 'Well...crud. Hopefully neither one of them have met me as Vivian.'
T-bone stared at her, many emotions running through him and many more questions formed as well. 'Vivian is Shadow Kat! I thought I was chasing two she-kats, when really I was only chasing the one! Which also means I did Vivian and she doesn't even know! This changes everything!' He thought to himself as he stared at her. "Why did you hesitate to attack that zombie? You also pulled a gun on me for him. Why?!" T-bone growled, trying to sound convincing, knowing why she did it.
She stared at him, trying not to get angry. "That robbed grave they televised this morning? That was my dead fiancé. He's alive again." She said as T-bone got in front of her, looking down at her, a serious look on his face, despite the mask.
"Get this through your head, Shadow Kat, or whatever your name is; he's not your fiancé anymore. He's now undead and he's a pawn for The Pastmaster and Dr. Viper. Once we find them, he's going back where he belongs. I won't hesitate to take you down if you get in my way or you threaten me with deadly force again." T-bone sees several emotions pass over her face. Her face sets into slightly angry and then goes back to sad. "I'm sorry I did that. I just thought..."
"I know what you thought, but he's not who you remember him as. If I run into him, I'm taking him out, no matter what it takes." He says, turning away from her. Razor puts a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "What's gotten in to you buddy? You're never this cold to anyone." Razor says, very concerned for his friend. T-bone sighed and shook his head. "You're right, Razor, but I've never faced something like this. I don't know how to deal with it."
Razor smiled, pulling something out of the inside of his flight suit. "You can start with this. It's my spare just in case one of us were to need it, but I think she needs it more than we do." He hands T-bone an extra bandana mask and he looks over at her. Her back is to him. "Thanks buddy." He says as he walks over to her, and clears his throat as Vivian turns to him. "What? Come to tell me how horrible of a vigilante I am some more?" She snapped at him a little. T-bone winces but offers the mask to her. "Look, I'm sorry. I've never had to deal with this, and I approached it wrong. I've also never had a supposed ally point a gun at me either. Here. You don't need the Enforcers or anyone else knowing who you really are." She hesitates for a moment, but takes the mask from him, putting it on. "Thank you. We'll find him together and put Max back to rest." She said as she finished tying the mask on.
T-bone nodded as she came to stand before him. "Yes, together." She hesitated, but stepped forward and hugged him, tightly. T-bone reacted slowly and put his arms around her, hugging her back. She stepped back and smiled at him. She went back into the building to leave. T-bone shook his head as Razor put his hand on his shoulder. "Heck of a night, eh, T-bone?" T-bone looked down at his friend and partially smiled. "Yeah, heck of a night alright."