Disclaimer: The SWAT Kats are owned by Hanna Barbera and the Tremblay Brothers. I own the OCs.
New chapter time! Marissa has no idea what's in store for her. But her life is about to change, forever!
MisaRae, once again, I'm amaixed at your talent. Your guidance is appreciated probably more than you know.
She published a new chapter of Two-Plus-Two yesterday. Go read it and review. I promise, she will respond to you.
The day's training had ended and the three female recruits ever so slowly made their way back to the barracks. They were forced to stop because one of the male recruits fell off of his training motorcycle and managed to crash it into a cement wall. The recruit was fine but his ego was severely bruised from falling off during a simple maneuver a rookie could have pulled off in their sleep.
After they entered the barracks, Marissa fell face first onto her bunk with her paws splayed out by her head. "Apparently you know the Lieutenant better that I do, is she this tough when she is not here?" Marissa asked.
Katerina and Tina sat on the neighboring bunk, leaning against the other and resisted the urge to lay down and pass out from exhaustion. One because if they did, they would not be able to get back up and two, it was not their bunk.
Tina replied, "She is worse when she if off duty Marissa. According to her fiancé, she was never a neat freak and he actually had to clean her apartment with a Haz-Mat suit. Now, its Tina you left a wrapper on the table or Katerina, you didn't use a coaster."
Marissa lifted her head ever so slightly then asked, "So why don't you two leave and move in here?"
Katerina didn't want to tell her newest friend that she was once Turmoil and was in prison.
Tina noticed the nervous facial expression on her fiancée, kissed her cheek, then answered, "Katerina has to stay there as part of her parole agreement Marissa. And where ever she is, I will be with her."
"Parole? Why is she on parole and why is she enlisted in the Advanced Officer's course?" Marissa asked.
"Again, that is part of her agreement with the Parole board," Tina answered. "Katerina has to complete this course in order to be free once more. As for why she is on parole," Tina looked at Katerina, silently asking permission to reveal a part of her life that Katerina wished was gone forever.
Katerina looked back at her fiancée and she held her left finger to her lips. She then replied to Marissa, "I tried to take over their skies of MegaKat City and hold them for ransom. My name was Turmoil back then and my all female crew were invincible, or so I thought. We were taken down by the one thing that we all yearn for, someone to love. I thought I had found that cat when he kissed me on the bridge of my ship. Instead, it was a rouse to plant bombs all over my ship and bring it down, along with its captain. I was sent to a Maximum Security prison where I only had one visitor. The cat that I thought loved me, T-Bone. He visited me every week. At first, I wanted to claw his eyes out and use his soft fur as a rug. But over time, I realized he was trying to help me reform and with his as well as Dr. Feral's help, I did just that. I started helping other prisoners acclimate to prison life and get them doing something to better themselves instead of joining a prison gang." She started to cry into Tina's shoulder after telling her horrible past.
Tina held Katerina tightly as Katerina cried into her shoulder, soaking the material. "I have you Kat. That part of your life is long gone. We have so much to look forward to in our future."
Marissa sat up on her bunk and handed Tina a few tissues for Katerina as well as a towel for her shoulder. She watched Katerina cry for a minute more before she gently placed her right paw on her shoulder and said, "Katerina, thank you for telling me about your past. You might have once been evil, but you have paid your debt to society and now you are on the right track to do great things with your life. I might not have known you as long as Tina has, but I still consider you a friend and friends don't judge each other. Please turn off the waterworks and give your friend a hug."
Katerina let go of Tina, crossed over to Marissa and hugged her tight. She then said, "Thank you Marissa for being a friend."
Marissa patted her back and said, "You're welcome Katerina. I only wish I could have seen you fly, you must have been one heck of a pilot."
Felina was watching them at the entrance of the barracks, waiting to intervene if necessary. However, she didn't need to act at all. Tina and Katerina handled the situation very well on their own. However, when she heard Marissa's request to see Katerina behind the stick, her mind started racing to places she knew it shouldn't go without talking to the rest of SWAT first. Felina recalled Marissa's application to the academy and read that she was a very capable gymnast as well as a strategist and part time grief counselor. The more Felina thought about it, the more she liked the idea of Marissa taking her place as a member of SWAT while she handled the trials of motherhood. Making up her mind, she said, "Then Cadet Smith, you are going to have to participate in some special training this afternoon with Cadet Belikov and Cadet Cassidy."
Marissa, Katerina, and Tina were on their feet as soon as they heard Felina's voice. Then Tina asked, "Are you sure about this Felina?"
"Positive Tina," Felina replied. "I need someone to take my place while I am on Maternity Leave and with a little work, I think Cadet Smith will fit in quite well in our little group."
"I think the hormones have made you insane Felina. But you are right," Katerina said. "Marissa would make a great addition to our group."
"I have no idea what you three are talking about," Marissa said.
"Then you will have to come with us and find out Cadet. Let's move out!" Felina said.
The four of them piled into Felina's new car and after Felina warned them about strapping themselves in, nice and tight, she hit the gas and tore off of the Academy's grounds.
After driving for a few minutes, Felina looked at Marissa in the rear view mirror, then said, "Marissa, what you are about to see is for your eyes only. If a single word got out as to who we are, anyone and everyone we ever cared about will be placed in grave danger and I will not allow that to happen. Do you understand completely Marissa?"
"I think so Felina but where are we going?" She asked. "There is nothing out this way but a scrap yard."
"And that is exactly where we are going Marissa," Felina said.
Another few minutes passed and Felina pulled up to a Chain link fence gate with a very impressive security camera aimed right at them. Felina reached out through her window, opened a cover revealing a 12-digit panel, punched in a code, and the gate opened.
She drove into the yard and pulled around the backside of the garage. She stopped the car and switched it off before she leaned across the seat and looked Marissa directly in the eyes and said, "This is your last opportunity to leave Marissa because once you see what is behind that door, your life is going to change and you will be bound to a trust that can not be broken, ever. Everyone here has taken an oath to put their lives on the line to protect this city and protect this family till the end. Are you prepared to take a bullet or worse for the sake of your team member? If not, walk out of here now and never speak of this place to anyone!"
Marissa got out of the car and went over to the door to the garage and said, "You three are too slow."
Felina, Tina, and Katerina got out of the car and went to Marissa's side. Felina punched in the security code again and the door clicked open. She pushed the door open and revealed what seemed to be a normal two-bay mechanics garage.
Everyone stepped inside while Felina closed the door.
"What's so secretive about a garage? I have been in plenty of these before," Marissa said as she looked around.
Felina and Katerina went over to a large rolling tool box and moved it aside. Hidden behind the tool box was a closed hatch door that seemed to lead to a lower level. Felina entered her security code into a hidden panel mounted on the wall and waited for a distinct 'Click' to let her know that it was safe to enter the lair.
After a few seconds, the locking mechanism disengaged from the hatch and it popped open just enough for a paw to slip under it and lift it the rest of the way.
Felina crouched down and lifted the hatch completely open. Then descended down the ladder. She turned on the lights, then yelled back up to the others, "All clear, come on down."
The three others descended down the ladder then Marissa's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open in shock at what she was seeing.
The first thing she noticed was a pair of very sleek looking jets sitting nose to nose about fifty feet ahead of her. To her right were five impressive motorcycles lined up against the gray wall. And to her far left was what once was some sort of bus of which she had never seen before. Marissa closed her mouth, then asked, "What is this place?"
"Welcome to our Home away from home Marissa," Felina answered as she walked over to her jet. As she ran her right paw over the nose of the TurboKat 2, she said, "You are inside the base of operations for the SWAT Kats Marissa." She turned to face Marissa, then said, "Now you know why I had to make sure you could keep this to yourself."
Marissa walked further into the lair and stood next to Felina. She looked at the jet in front of her and asked, "Why am I here?"
"I need a replacement for after I give birth to mine and Jake's kitten, you are that replacement Marissa," Felina said.
"Whoa, I'm not a SWAT Kat Felina! There is no way I can do what you do," Marissa responded.
"Yes you can and you will, with a little training of course," Felina said. "Why don't you see what your friends can do behind the controls of my baby, then you can make your decision." After she finished speaking to Marissa, her head turned to Katerina and Tina, then asked, "Havoc, Sniper, how come you two are not changed yet?"
"We were waiting to see if we had to do a mind wipe on Marissa Felina," Tina jokingly answered.
Felina rolled her eyes then picked up a large wrench. As she lifted it, she said, "If you two are not changed and ready in the next five minutes, both of you two will be cleaning the jets with your toothbrushes!"
"You wouldn't do that to your kitten's aunts," Tina said.
Felina lowered the wrench to her waist and said, "You're right, I wouldn't. But I have no objection to making you two run your tails off in full uniform around the salvage yard, multiple times!"
Both Tina and Katerina took off towards the lockers to change into their uniforms as Felina put the wrench down, then yelled, "And don't have sex while back there."
Marissa turned her head to Felina and asked, "They really wouldn't have sex down here, right?"
"Those two could and will go at it any chance they get," Felina replied. "Those two are so madly in love with each other that I am surprised they haven't figured out a way to get married already instead of waiting for the Government to recognize gay marriage."
Katerina and Tina stripped put of their fatigues and changed into their uniforms in record time. As Tina zipped up her left boot, she lifted her head to her fiancée and asked, "Are you ready to command the TurboKat 2?"
Havoc already had her boots secured to her feet and was slipping her mask on her face, then replied, "I admit, I'm nervous about flying that jet. I have flown a few jets in the past, but none of them were as advanced as the TurboKat 2. I hope I can handle her."
Sniper finished affixing her mask on her face and went over to Havoc. She kissed her, then said, "You are an amazing she-cat Havoc, there is nothing you can't do. Let's get you in that jet and you can show Felina exactly how well you can pilot her jet."
Havoc kissed Sniper back then said, "I love you Sniper. Let's go."
They walked back to where Felina and Marissa were standing, paw in paw. "So how do we look Marissa?" Sniper asked as they both stood in front of her wit their legs slightly apart and their paws crossed under their chests.
Marissa looked at how her friends were now dressed and was very impressed. She walked over to Havoc and brushed the material of her uniform with her left paw. The material felt a little rough to the touch, yet very warm from her body heat radiating through the material. She then asked, "What is this made of? I have never felt anything like this before."
"I'm not sure Marissa," Felina asked as she walked over and stood next to Sniper. "According to Jake, the material can withstand a strike with a knife. What I can tell you is that it is quite comfortable to wear. Well, at least for us ladies it is. Adonis complains that his uniform rides up and binds a part of his anatomy." She then walked over to Marissa and whispered into her ear, "Wait until you see him in his uniform. You can see every one of his well-defined muscles, quite clearly. Not that I looked, of course."
Marissa giggled at Felina's comment about her fellow team member, then asked, "Do I get a uniform like theirs?"
"You sure do, why don't we see if mine fits you while these two get the TurboKat 2 started and up in the air," Felina said as she placed her arm around Marissa's shoulders and led her towards the lockers.
"That is our cue to get going Sniper," Havoc said before she asked, "Are you ready to fly?"
"Heck yes Havoc," Sniper replied. "I want to see you up in the air, where you belong."
The two she-cats ran over to the TurboKat 2, climbed the ladder, and set themselves up in their seats. They buckled themselves into the jet and Havoc flipped a few switches to start the engines.
The TurboKat 2 responded to Havoc's command and came to life. Its landing lights illuminated as well as the strobes on the winglets before the engines started to turn. A dull rumble filled the hangar as the engines spun up which quickly turned into a high pitched whine as they reached idle speed.
Havoc examined the gauges to make sure that everything was operating normally before she pulled the canopy closed and released the parking brake. She turned her head fully to the left and then to the right in order to make sure that the area around the jet was completely clear before she pushed the throttles forward just a hair to taxi the jet into the launch position.
The whine that filled the hangar increased to where it was a slight roar and the jet rolled from its resting position to the center of the hangar and aligned with the runway.
Havoc pulled back on the throttles and engaged the brakes which caused the nose to bob as the jet stopped. She breathed hard as she waited for the exterior hangar doors to completely open and the runway lights to illuminate green. Her right paw twitched in anticipation of pushing those throttles fully forward and launching the jet into the sky.
After a few agonizing seconds, the coast was clear and the indication she was waiting for was now present. Havoc pushed the throttles fully forward and the jet responded instantly, slamming the two she-cats into their seats and rolled forward, increasing in speed as more time passed.
The jet developed enough lift that it wanted to take off on its own. However, Havoc had to fight the jet to stay on the ground because they were only half-way up the launch ramp.
Thirty seconds later, the jet was now clear of the hangar and Havoc pulled back on the stick, launching the jet into the skies.
Havoc started breathing again once there reached twenty thousand feet. She leveled off and looked around her. "The view is amazing from here, isn't it Sniper? Havoc asked.
The sun was just starting to set over the horizon and bathed the city in an orange glow.
Sniper looked at the city below her, then answered, "I have never been in a plane before Havoc. But you are right, this is amazing."
Marissa changed into Caliber's uniform and found it almost comfortable. The material formed to her body like a second skin and just like the rest, showed off every muscle and curve on her body. The major issue she had with the uniform was her chest was larger than Felina's was, so the uniform wouldn't close entirely at the top. Marissa left the lockers and stood in front of Felina, then asked, "How do I look?"
Felina was busy watching her baby under the command of another and just like a mother, she was worried about her baby's safety. Felina heard Marissa walk up behind her and ask her question before she turned around to face her. "Not bad. But the top is supposed to be closed," she replied.
"I can't zip it all the way up. I'm a little more.. endowed in the chest than you are Felina," Marissa said.
Felina laughed then said, "We'll have Jake adjust it to fit you Marissa."
"There is one other thing Felina," Marissa said.
"Oh, what is it?" Felina asked.
"I want to add a skirt to this. It shows off more of my backside than I am comfortable with," Marissa answered as she turned her back to Felina.
"That is how it is supposed to be Marissa. The uniform is supposed to be aerodynamic to allow the rider to slip through the air," Felina said.
Marissa faced Felina again, then said, "If that is the case, I want a pair of briefs to cover up my lower section. I'm not going out like this!" She then put her paws on her hips, telling Felina that she meant business.
Felina went over to Marissa and said, "We'll see what I can do. Want to watch me put Havoc and Sniper through the paces?"
Marissa relaxed her stance, then answered, "Sure Felina or what is your code name?"
"Caliber," she replied. "We need to come up with a code name for you."
Marissa then noticed a rack of weaponry on the far wall and walked over to it. She picked up a version of the Glovetrix with a small crossbow attached to it. Marissa slipped it on her right paw, aimed at a small pile of wood in the corner, and fired a bolt at the pile. The bolt hit the pile and embedded itself into a beam.
"Nice Sure-Shot," Felina said.
"That's it!" Marissa exclaimed.
"What's it?" Felina questioned.
Marissa went over to the beam and pulled out the bolt before she answered, "My code name, It's Sure-Shot!"
Felina smiled since she knew she made the right decision in bringing Marissa into the fold. She then said, "I like it, welcome Sure-Shot to the SWAT Kats."
End of Chapter