"CHLOE! WHERE IS MY DINNER?!"

"Coming daddy."

Chloe Anderson grabbed the plate of food and rushed downstairs where her inpatient father was sitting down, watching the tv with a bottle of beer in his hand.

"About time you stupid little bitch. I've been waiting for an hour." he growled.

"H-here you go d-daddy"

Her father didn't even care to say thank you. He just reached for the food and ate without a care in the world.

"I still don't even know why I didn't fucking kill you when I had the chance" he grumbled.

The young girl struggled to keep her tears away as she ran back upstairs and started slightly sobbing on her blanketless bed.

Ever since her mother died in a violent car crash about three months ago and she miraculously survived, her father began to blame her for her mother's death.

His mental state shattered and he started getting addicted to beer and cigarettes.

There were times when he would even play 'Dirty Harry' in the mirror with his fully loaded 38 Special revolver all while his daughter watched, completely terrified.

And ever since then, she'd been living in his crappy remote run-down cabin in the middle of the forest in south Illinois.

Day after day, it was the same old nightmare. She was used and abused by her psychotic, drunk father. Constantly and blindingly following his absurd orders, refraining from ever saying anything against him as she feared the deadly repercussions he might enact against her.

But today was the day that everything was gonna change.

Today was the day that she was going to beat the odds.

She was going to escape.

She was going to make it to freedom.

And every night, she'd been secretly packing her suitcase with all the clothes she was going to need. She only had two pairs of shoes, on.

She'd also snuck into the kitchen while her father was out getting more beer and stored what little food she could find, considering that her dad ate most of it.

She even kept a bag hidden in her closet of all the hygiene essentials, mainly toothpaste and a toothbrush which she also put in the suitcase.

She also had a purple sport bag that had snacks and a water bottle so that she had something to keep her going.

So that night, as Chloe's father lay passed out on the couch, with the tv still on and a beer can on the floor, Chloe, having waited patiently until her dad was asleep, carefully set her plan into place.

She went and put on clothes that she wouldn't mind getting dirty, the problem was, she only had one set of dirty clothes and it was they were the only clothes that she wore after her dad lost his mind.

All of the clothes that were in her suitcase were from when her mother was still alive, and they still fit perfectly.

Having checked everything to make sure she had what she needed, Chloe grabbed her suitcase and hooked it up to a pulley system that she'd installed in the side of the house without her father's knowledge. She may be only five, but she was definitely a fast learner.

She opened the window and carefully lowered the suitcase down.

Silently praying her dad wouldn't hear it, she was successfully able to get the suitcase down.

Now it was just a question of if she could get down without waking her father.

Once the suitcase was on the ground and then proceeded to climb down the house using some plungers she'd found.

With everything present and accounted for, Chloe took her suitcase and ran off into the dark forest, as the image of the cabin got smaller, and smaller.

It had been about fifteen minutes since Chloe escaped, and she was feeling tired. She'd hardly eaten anything in the past day or two. And she'd been running as fast as her little legs could carry her.

So, she reached into her bag and grabbed a granola bar, which was still fresh and quickly ate of it. She also grabbed her water bottle and drank some of it.

As she continued to walk through the fog coated forest, her mind kept floating back to the time when her mother was alive, and her father was not a gun toting drunk.

Tears started welling up in her eyes, but she quickly blinked them back. She wasn't gonna let her painful past slow her down. She had to find a new home and fast, wherever that may be. And she was definitely not going back to the wretched old cabin again. But the little five-year-old was in luck as she spotted a cavern nearby, big enough for her to fit inside.

Perfect, she thought to herself. Once she'd reached the cavern, she felt a raindrop fall on her head. She figured a storm was heading her way, so she quickly rushed inside the cave to catch her breath and to prevent herself from getting completely soaked.

She moved further back into the cave so as to not get wet and was about to pull out her flashlight, but she ended up tripping over a rock and falling on her rear. She groaned and brushed herself off, kicking the rock she'd tripped on into the now rainy forest.

But her body soon froze when she felt a cold, gentle wind blowing against her back. Goosebumps began to spread across the back of her neck.

She slowly moved her head around to the direction that the wind was coming from and shown her flashlight forward. To her surprise, the cave was a lot longer than she thought. If anything, she might have just found herself in a tunnel or a massive cave system.

But she knew there was no turning back as thunder boomed from outside and the rain began to pour down even harder. Taking a deep breath and clutching her flashlight in one hand and her suitcase in the other, Chloe bravely ventured into this long cavern.

Not knowing or caring where it led, she walked through the darkened round walls, the sound of her breathing and the thunder rumbling in the background breaking the silence.

As she ventured deeper and deeper, the area around her got smaller and smaller to the point where she was on her hands and knees, using her foot to drag her suitcase.

But before she was about to give up and accept her fate, she noticed a light a few feet from her. She figured this was her way out.

This was the pathway to her new life.

With a hopeful grin on her face, Chloe crawled her way forward as the light got brighter and brighter. Once she got close enough, the light began to die down.

Then, to her surprise, the light began to fade, revealing what looked like a city.

A city.

Filled with life.

Filled with good food.

Filled with good people.

And who knows, maybe even a new home too.

The little five-year-old reached the end of the tunnel and squeezed her way out of it. She was worried it suitcase wouldn't fit through, but thankfully, it did.

She lightly hit the ground, her suitcase and sport bag following after. She stood up, dusted herself off once more, flung her bag over her shoulder, grabbed her suitcase, and set out toward this new world.

Only problem was, the city was so far off in the distance and all that stood between her and it, was a massive, massive scrapyard.

Piles upon piles of metal towering over her. Everything from rusted old cars to parts from fighter jets. It was a custom builder's playground. But that wasn't a concern to Chloe. What mattered was her reaching the city and finding a new family, or at least someone willing to take her in.

Near the outskirts of Megakat City, a big black jet flew over the city scrapyard. It entered through an open metal door in the ground and landed perfectly on a platform in the hanger. The platform began to rise until it reached another room.

Two figures than emerged from the cockpit of the jet. Both had on red and blue colored uniforms. One was taller and bigger than the other. He had blond colored fur, a round face and a very muscular body. The other was skinnier, had cinnamon fur and his facial features were different then his blond furred friend.

They were known as the SWAT Kats.

Their names, Razor and T-Bone.

At least, that's who they were to the citizens of Megakat City. On the other half, they were just two car mechanics looking for anything to fix up.

Their real names were Jake Clawson and Chance Furlong.

And right now, they were currently celebrating their victory against one of their archenemies by the name of Dark Kat.

"Ha! Nothin' like another victory to add on to the list eh Razor" T-Bone said with triumph as he stamped a black skull and cross bones on the wall along many others.

"You said it T-Bone. How bout some milk?"

T-Bone smiled at his colleague. "I couldn't agree with you more bud."

Jake and Chance changed from their SWAT Kat uniforms and into their mechanic clothes. They then climbed up the latter that led to the body shop where they worked.

They strolled down the hall and to the kitchen where Jake wasted no time opening the fridge, grabbing two cans of milk and tossing one to his friend.

The two cats used their claws to open the cans with ease and collapsed on the couch with a pair of sighs, toasting to their success. "Ahhhhh, nothin' beats a hard day of saving Megakat City then-"

Chance was cut off by Jake putting a finger up to his mouth signaling for him to quiet down. "What? What is it Jake?"

"Shh. Listen." Chance's ears perked up and he looked over at his colleague with wide eyes. "I hear it too." It sounded like an audible cry, high-pitched in nature.

"Ya think it's coming from the back?" Jake questioned. Chance didn't say a word before they put their milk cans down, got up from the couch, and went outside to investigate.

The two kats walked around the front and side of the body shop when they got to the back.

And they saw something alright. But they just couldn't quite make out what it was. But it was moving, and whimpering.

Chance then spoke up. "What are we gonna do Jake?"

The cinnamon kat looked at his friend and answered, "why don't I go see what it is." But Chance was quick to rebuke him. "What if it's a trick bud? What if Dr. Viper or Dark Kat are behind this?"

"Oh, come on Chance. It's pretty small and it looks like it needs our help."

"I hope you know what your doing buddy."

Jake gulped and took a few steps forward but stopped when he heard another loud moan from the shadow.

He reached over and flipped the switch to the outside light.

What Jake saw almost made his heart skip a beat.

It was a young girl; unlike anything he'd ever seen before in his life.

She was small, relatively skinny in stature and had on an array of dirty clothes.

Jake was surprised to see that she was completely devoid of fur except for the top of her head which went do to about her neck. There was also a small red worn out suitcase and a purple sports bag next to her.

He also saw that there were small cuts and scratches in her clothes and on her face. Thankfully her wounds looked like they'd healed over time. But what really stood out to him was a massive red mark on her left cheek and the multiple blood stains on her clothes.

As the tabby approached the small creature, she saw him, screamed, and backed away until she was against the wall.

Jake felt bad for the poor girl. She was cold, alone, and scared out of her wits. And she had no idea where she was.

"Uh…h-hi there." Jake finally said.

The girl didn't answer him. She just continued to cower in fear at the mechanic.

After a few seconds of silence, Jake spoke up again.

"What's your name?"

No answer.

"What are you?"

Still no answer.

Jake knew he couldn't just leave this girl out in the cold, stranded and alone.

Taking pity on her, the cinnamon tabby placed his paw on the girl's shoulder. "Look kid, I know you're scared, and you probably don't know where you are right now. But you need to talk to me otherwise we won't be able to understand each other, ok?" His voice was firm but gentle.

Slowly but surely, Chloe removed her head from her hands and looked up at the kat before her. His amber eyes sparkled with sympathy and compassion looking down at her tear-coated hazel ones as a kind smile spread across his face.

"It's alright. We're not gonna hurt you. I promise."

Chloe let his words hang in the air. She still didn't know what was going on, where she was or who this guy was. For all she knew, she was on some distant alien planet, light years away from earth. Heck, maybe even a different dimension.

She eventually nodded her head again making Jake smile.

"Ya know what? How bout this kid. We'll let you stay with us. We'll give you shelter, food to eat and a warm bed to sleep on. We'll take you inside and ask you some basic questions. Sound like a good deal?"

Chloe knew this was an offer she couldn't refuse. Shelter, food, a warm bed? She also knew that these odd cat-like creatures had given their promise to not harm her. As long as they didn't ask her about her abusive father.

The girl nodded causing Jake to brighten up.

"Great. Here, you want me to pick you up?" She nodded and he gently wrapped his arms around the girl and lifted her up, cradling her against him.

Jake suddenly felt his cheeks heat up a bit as he felt the girl in his arms snuggle up against his chest.

He smiled as he carried her back to the body shop. However, the girl quickly buried her face into his jacket when she saw Chance.

Jake let out a slight chuckle. "Hehe. It's ok. He won't bite ya."

He felt her nod and continued onward, with Chance carrying her suitcase and sports bag in tow.

Once inside, Jake set the girl down on the couch and Chance put her suitcase next the counter. Jake then pulled out a can of milk from the fridge. He figured she would rather have it in a glass, so he pulled out a glass and poured the milk in there.

He then brought the milk over to the girl and set it in front of her. Chloe quickly grabbed the milk and downed it faster than Jake had ever seen.

"Well, looks like somebody's thirsty" Chance chuckled. Chloe than set the glass back down on the table as Jake and Chance sat on either side of her. "Ya hungry kid" Chance asked her, but she shook her head.

"Well, now that you've had something to drink, would you mind answering some simple questions we have for you? We won't ask anything personal until you feel comfortable talking about it, ok?" Jake said to her.

She nodded.

"Alright. First things first, what's your name kid?"

The girl just stared at the cinnamon kat before opening her mouth.

"C-Chloe Anderson."

Both Jake's and Chance's faces lit up.

"That's a nice name. See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Chloe shook her head and smiled up at him. "Alright, next question, and I don't wanna be rude but, what exactly are you?"

"I-I'm a h-human, and I'm f-five years old" she said as she held up five fingers.

Jake couldn't help but smile at Chloe's sheer adorableness. But the human part. He'd never heard of that before. For all he knew Chloe might be an alien from another world, maybe even from a different dimension far beyond Megakat City.

"Nice to meet you, Chloe Anderson. My name's Jake, Jake Clawson and the gentle giant next to you is my good friend Chance Furlong" Jake said as he gestured to Chance.

She shook both Jake and Chance's paws before she let out a small yawn.

Jake noticed this and wrapped his arm around Chloe's shoulder. "Getting tired kiddo?"

She nodded as she leaned her head on his side, earning a smirk from Chance and a blush from Jake.

"Aww. I think she likes you Jake."

Jake shot a glare at him as he looked down at the sleeping human girl next to him and face softened a little. "Yeah. I guess she does."

Chance looked at his watch, looked back up at Jake and yawned. "Well, it's getting late. I'm gonna go hit the sack. G'night Jake. G'night Chloe."

"G'night Chance. Alright kid, let's get you tucked in. You've probably had a long day."

Jake walked over to his bedroom, the now sleeping human girl in his arms. But one question was stuck in Jake's mind. Where were her parents?

His mind kept floating back to those cuts on her skin and that red mark on her cheek. Whoever did this must have held a deep hatred towards her.

He figured it was best to wait a bit so that way she'd be more comfortable telling them her backstory.

Jake gently laid Chloe down on his bed, then went to the bathroom and changed out of his mechanic clothes and into his khaki pants and black tank top.

He climbed into the bed and was about to close his eyes when he felt Chloe curl up next to him, snuggling into his soft fur. Jake smiled warmly at the child and wrapped his arm and tail around her, giving her some extra warmth.

As Jake woke up the next morning, he turned his head to see Chloe still sleeping at his side and smiled.

He saw the sun peering in through the window, filling the room with light. He felt the warmth of the human girl sleeping peacefully next to him.

He quietly got out of bed, careful not to wake her and got changed, ready for the what the day would bring him and Chance.

But before he exited the room, he heard a faint moan coming from behind him. He turned around to see that Chloe was slightly awake, letting out a yawn.

Smiling, Jake walked over to the bed and sat down on the side next to Chloe.

"Good morning, Chloe. Did ya sleep ok" he asked.

"Yes. Thank you Mr. Clawson" she replied.

The cinnamon kat lightly chuckled and waved it off. "Please, no need for the formalities kid. You can just call me Jake."

Chloe giggled at the tabby. She raised her hand and started stroking his fuzzy cheek. "You're very soft Jake" she commented.

Jake didn't even realize that he was starting to purr very loudly as he leaned into her irresistible touch.

The mechanic's cheeks then started to turn red again. He tried to shield his flustered face, but it didn't save him from Chloe's adorable laughter which in turn caused him to start laughing himself.

He then reached in and started tickling the little human causing the two of them to laugh even harder. She hadn't even been with them for a whole day and already the five-year-old was starting to form a bond him.

Once their little ticklefest was over, Jake helped Chloe out of bed, but Chloe stopped Jake at the door.

"Jake, I need to go potty. Do you know where it is?"

Jake knelt down to her level and pointed towards the door next to his room. "Right next door to my room."

"Thank you."

Chloe ran over to it and closed the door. Jake was unaware that she'd taken a pair of her clean clothes with her from her suitcase.

While she did her business and got changed, Jake walked into the kitchen where Chance was making breakfast. "Hey Chance. What's cooking?"

Chance turned his head and noticed his friend behind him. "Hey buddy. I'm makin' pancakes. How's our little pint-sized guest?"

"She's in the bathroom right now, but I actually wanted to ask you something."

Chance grinned. "Fire away."

A frown formed on Jake's face. "It's about Chloe. I'm just worried about how Megakat City would react to her if she were to go out in the open. What might happen to her if she's taken by Commander Ferel and the Enforcers? Or if Dr. Viper or Dark Kat get their hands on her? I mean besides, we've never even seen something like this before."

Chance patted his friend on the shoulder. "Ah don't worry Jake. She'll be fine. We're gonna make that she's taken care of and protected."

Jake's face fell. "That's what I'm afraid of. I obviously want her to be protected. But we can't just keep her cooped up in this place for the rest of her life. Remember, she's only five years old."

"Jake, you shouldn't be putting so much pressure on yourself. I mean believe me. I wouldn't want her to spend the rest of her days in this place either. I'd very much like for her to see Megakat City. But I understand where you're coming from bud. Now go and relax while I finish making breakfast."

Jake obliged and sat down on the couch right as the bathroom door opened and Chloe walked out to kitchen.

She saw that Chance was making breakfast, but she really wanted to see Jake. She saw him sitting on the couch with his hand over his chin as if he was deep in thought.

Jake glanced over and saw Chloe. She quickly rushed over and sat down next to him, giving the cinnamon kat a hug in the process.

"Hey there kiddo. Feel better?"

Chloe nodded as she pulled away and showed Jake her new clothes that she'd changed into while she was in the bathroom.

She wore a pair of purple-colored cotton pants and a pink short-sleeved shirt with multicolored butterfly on it.

"Well I say. That's a pretty shirt ya got there Chloe." Jake commented.

At that point, Chance was done cooking and brought the plates of food over to the table. He set them down and smiled at Chloe.

"Hey squirt. Did you sleep well last night?"

"Yes. Thank you Mr. Furlong" she replied. "Hehe. You can drop the formalities kiddo. Just call me Chance" he said.

"Anyways, I hope your hungry squirt. I made us all some pancakes. Ya like pancakes?"

"Mmhmm" she murmured.

Both kats smiled brightly and not even a minute later, they dug in.

To Jake and Chance's surprise, Chloe wasted no time devouring her pancakes. Just like what happened when she drank that entire glass of milk in only a few seconds.

"Geez kid. Slow down. Don't wanna end up with a tummy ache." Jake said. He glanced over at Chance who was trying hard to suppress a laugh.

The trio ate mostly in silence, with Chloe asking the two kats a few questions about where she was.

After Jake had taken the plates and put them in the sink, he walked back over to the table where Chloe and Chance were currently adversed in conversation.

"So Chloe, do kats exist where you're from" the blond tom asked. "Mmm-hmm. But the only difference is their smaller, walk on four legs and don't talk."

The two continued to converse for a bit longer. Jake had just finished washing the dishes and made his way back to the table.

"Hey Chloe. Do ya mind if I talk to you about something?" "Sure" she answered.

She waved goodbye to Chance and fallowed Jake into his room. Once inside he closed the door and turned his attention to the human girl.

"Am I in trouble Jake" she frowned as she put her hands behind her and moved from side to side.

Jake giggled. "No. Of course not. I just wanna talk to you."

He knelt down to where he was level with her and put his paw on her shoulder. He knew what he was about to tell her was monumental. Not even Callie knew their secret identities. But he was positive that Chloe would be able to keep it a secret.

"Alright Chloe. What I'm about to tell you is something that me and Chance have never told anyone before, but I need you to promise me that you'll keep this a secret no matter what, ok?"

Chloe nodded and stuck out her pinky finger. "Pinky Promise" she said. Jake beamed as he wrapped his pinky around hers. "Pinky Promise."

He took a deep breath and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Chloe, the reality is…we're also superheroes."

Chloe was trying so hard not to squeal in excitement. These two were secretly superheroes and she didn't even know it?

"Wow. Really?"

Jake nodded. "Really. We call ourselves the SWAT Kats. We also have code names so that way we can hide our true identities. Mine is Razor and Chance's is T-Bone."

The human girl's eyes sparkled with pure fascination. But she was still a little skeptical about what Jake was saying.

"Cool. So do you guys have like a secret lair or something?"

"Sure we do." Jake answered. "C'mon I'll show ya."

With that he took her hand and led her out of his bedroom, and to the back of the kitchen where there was a stairwell that she didn't even know was there.

Chloe fallowed Jake down the stairwell until they came to what Chloe assumed was the 'underground lair' that Jake had mentioned earlier.

And man was this place massive. There were tools, gadgets and gizmos everywhere, the likes of which she'd never seen before.

"Wow" she breathed in awe.

"Impressive isn't it. C'mon I'll give you the grand tour" Jake said as he took her hand once again.

As they walked, Chloe was observing every vehicle in sight, wondering what it could do. Jake showed her the various rooms within the lair including more upgraded bedrooms, bathrooms, training areas, and a full-blown hanger.

But the one thing that Chloe couldn't stop staring at was a massive jet in the middle of the hanger. It was mostly black in appearance, had yellow painted vents, and a blue and red colored cockpit.

Chloe couldn't believe her eyes. She'd never seen a jet this big before.

"Woah. What is that thing?"

"That Chloe, is the Turbokat, our pride and joy. Took us about a year and a half to build it. Used all the spare parts we could find in the scrapyard. What d'ya think? Ya like it?"

She looked up at the cinnamon kat with a wide smile. "I love it."

That made Jake happy. This girl had been so kind to him and Chance.

"Maybe someday Chance and I'll take you for a ride in it."

Chloe frowned. "But why can't I go on it now?"

Jake once again got on one knee and put his paws on her shoulders.

"Because your way too young to do anything like that yet."

The human girl pouted, much to Jake's amusement but she understood where he was coming from. "But I can show you the inside."

Chloe's frown melted away and she took Jake's paw and he led her to the Turbokat. Jake lowered the ladder and let Chloe climb up first.

Once Chloe was inside the cockpit, her eyes went wide. There were knobs and switches everywhere. Buttons of every shape and size littered the control panel.

Various screens of contrasting sizes were in the backseat.

She sat down in the front seat while Jake followed behind her and leaned forward. "This is where we control/fly the Turbokat. Chance is the pilot, so he sits in the front and I'm the gunner/weapons operator, so I sit in the back."

"So what do all of these buttons do" she asked the cinnamon tabby.

Jake then proceeded to show Chloe all of buttons and their functions. From the missile launchers to the targeting systems, to the ejector seats.

"Cool"

"I'm glad you like it kiddo. There's a lot of other things that I'd like to show you, but I'm worried that you might hurt yourself or break something."

Then Chance entered to the hanger, holding a toolbox in his hands.

"Hey bud. Hey squirt. I'm gonna make some repairs on the Turbokat, then we can show little Chloe here our high-g training centrifuge."

Chloe farrowed her brow and tilted her head.

"What's that?"

"Oh, we'll show you later. But right now, I gotta help Chance work on the Turbokat. In the meantime, feel free to look around the hanger, just make sure that you don't wander off to where we can't see you and don't touch anything, ok?"

"Ok Jake" she replied. She was indeed interested in what all these devices, but she remembered what Jake told her and smartly refrained from touching any of them.

Greeting and Salutations my fellow Americans.

This is your author speaking. I am pleased to report to you that I am introducing my third Fanfiction, this time, from the SWAT Kats.

Now before I go, this will probably be, at least as of right now, my longest story EVER!

I'm currently working on Ep. 5 The Metalikats.

Anyways, with that being said, I will post the other four previous episodes that I've already finished.

In the meantime, Thank You and God Bless.