Chapter 2: Freedom Lost
As time passed, Dr. Mewser began to despair of Feral ever mating before he simply blew up, when a mate finally showed up in the most unexpected way.
On this day, Feral was wearing his medallion, since he knew Ms. Briggs would be very likely at paw, when he received the call on yet another omega sighting.
The call came in from a sharp eyed lab assistant at the Bio Chemical Labs who spotted something odd in a work area that had been closed for lunch. As he passed the door, his eyes caught sight of a green tail disappearing into a store room in the back corner of the lab and standing guard at the door to the store room was an ugly looking thing that was nearly as tall as the room.
Knowing immediately who it was, he ducked away, hurrying to his own lab down the hall and quickly dialing for help while putting out the alert to his fellow workers around him to evacuate.
His quick thinking allowed the enforcers to arrive in time to prevent Viper from making his escape. The omega, unaware he'd been spotted, had slipped out of the special lab where he'd stolen yet another katalyst and headed for the basement by way of the fire stairs. He was more intent on leaving as quietly as he'd come in because he wasn't in the mood to deal with the enforcers this trip which was why he chose to do his thieving during the middle of the day when most were at lunch.
He'd made it to the basement of the building and was about to escape through one of the floor drains behind the huge pumping station cycling water for the building, when the enforcers caught up with him. A messy, noisy battle ensued ending with the SWAT Kats bursting in through the maintenance entry door from the outside and joining the fight.
They quickly took out the mushroom monster that was trying to protect its master and doing a really good job of it too except for not succeeding in getting Viper out of the building. It had injured a great many enforcers before the SWAT Kats arrival.
With a combination of a tarpedo to the face and a scrambler missile amped really high, the monster screamed then combusted sending smelly vegetation on everyone near. During that moment of startlement, Viper tried again to get down the drain but was quickly sent flying against a wall by a spider chain missile which wrapped around him.
"What the heck? Razor, why didn't you use an octopus missile?" T-Bone asked in surprise as he and his partner walked up to the lizard to remove their netting.
"Simple...I was out!" Razor said with a shrug. The tabby pilot just snorted as he pulled at the netting to free Viper.
Several enforcers hurriedly came over to cuff the mutant Kat and take him into custody before he could put up a fight. The battle now officially over, the pair made for the exit they had come in at, carrying their netting. The enforcers holding the prisoner opted for the same exit rather than take Viper through the building. Feral, who had arrived at the tail end of the battle, was on their heels. Many of them were covered in nasty plant goo and stunk.
Furious at the pair's interference during an enforcer operation, Feral barreled past his enforcers to try and catch up with the SWAT Kats before they could reach their jet parked in the street a couple of blocks away.
Much to his dismay and disgust but no surprise, the press and Ms. Briggs were waiting when the group, with the SWAT Kats in the lead, walked through the fenced in, secured area and made for the front of the building. Many of the news crews scuttled backward at the appalling odor wafting their way as the enforcers got closer but Ann Gora was made of sterner stuff and stood her ground so that she and her camerakat could trump her colleagues and obtain a story.
As soon as they reached the street in front of the building, the SWAT Kats veered away to the right, avoiding the press, and heading for their jet. Feral never halted as he too swept past Ann and hurried after the retreating pair.
Callie, standing beside Ann, was briefly surprised when Feral steamed off without stopping to give her a report of what went on. She recovered quickly when she noted the reason and his obvious determined march after the pair of vigilantes. She sighed in annoyance as she hurried to a near run to catch up to the angry enforcer, knowing a row would erupt if she didn't interfere.
Ann Gora didn't hesitate to chase after her, Jonny on her tail. Anytime the Chief Enforcer, Deputy Mayor and the SWAT Kats mixed it up, it was prime news.
"Hold it you two!" Feral bellowed loudly.
The pair ignored his shout and kept heading for their jet. Really pissed now, Feral withdrew his laser pistol and fired at the ground just ahead of them.
Angry and annoyed, the SWAT Kats whirled around to stare at Feral, furious he had actually fired on them without provocation. But the action had served the Chief Enforcer's purpose, it had halted them enough for him to catch up. Callie, Ann and Jonny arrived just as Feral strode within five feet of the two vigilantes, mouth open to deliver a reprimand.
"Screeeeeeeeee!"
Everyone froze in shock. Feral's mouth was hanging open in stunned disbelief, his ire forgotten. No one moved for a long moment as the sound continued to scream in an annoying fashion, all ears flattening in response.
It was Ann Gora who finally spoke up over the racket, "Isn't that a Sabren Mate Medallion sounding off?"
Feral grimaced angrily, snapping his mouth shut while reaching inside his shirt to pull out the offensive thing and shutting it off. Now he could hear his heart stuttering with fear in his suddenly quiet ears and his stomach rolled in intense anxiety.
Ann, Jonny, and the SWAT Kats gaped at Feral in shock. None had dreamed Feral would be a Sabren. Only Callie wasn't surprised at the Commander's unveiling but was dismayed and shocked at the possible candidates to be Feral's new mate.
The SWAT Kats stood shell shocked and unmoving, while poor Jonny could no longer hold his precious camera up because he was shaking too much. 'No way could he be Feral's mate,' his mind insisted. He was so upset that for the first time in his life as a camerakat, he wasn't filming.
Shaking her head, Callie moved closer to Feral. She needed to take control of this situation quickly. "Alright, we need to see who the medallion is calling to so I want you three to move back a ways from the Commander," she ordered firmly.
Giving each other furtive looks, the three seemed unable to move. Callie scowled in annoyance. She could understand their shock and dismay but this had to get done.
"There's no point in pretending it isn't one of you nor trying to leave. Commander Feral is a serious threat in his present condition. I've been informed, on good authority, that he's harboring a significant amount of energy," she told them grimly then turned to Feral and gave him a determined stare.
She caught a look of fury and panic in the big tom's eyes for just a second before his normal hard eyed look returned. At that moment, Dr. Mewser's warning of Feral's fear of mating flashed into her mind.
Callie felt a pang of anguished sorrow for the poor tom but knew she couldn't allow her feelings to interfere in such a serious matter. His present condition was a threat to the city and that was the only thing she could allow herself to focus on now. They would have to deal with Feral's psychological problems afterward.
"I'm sorry Commander. I was told how you felt about this but you and I don't have an option. For the sake of the city we both protect, you will do this," she said firmly, showing him with her eyes that she understood he was afraid but wasn't going to let that sway her.
Feral hissed at her angrily and briefly displayed unusually long fangs, obviously feeling cornered. That made Callie carefully get some distance from him but not back down. She couldn't forget that Sabrens were dangerous creatures and at this moment Feral's fear made him a threat to everyone standing nearby. When she was a comfortable distance from the fuming tom, she turned to the three that had been listening but still hadn't moved as she had ordered.
"This will be done now. Move!" She barked, putting a snap of authority in her voice.
The SWAT Kats jumped in surprise. Callie had never used that tone with them before. Still reluctant, the pair took several steps backward. Equally unhappy, Jonny still refused to move until Ann took his camera away and pushed him forward.. Growling under his breath he moved to join the SWAT Kats. Within moments, the three males were standing in an uneasy line some ten feet from Feral.
"Alright, Jonny! Walk forward until you're close to the Commander."
Each step Jonny took was slow and nerve-racking. He couldn't bear to look at the Commander's face so kept his eyes on the pavement until he found himself staring at the tom's military boots. Startled, his head came up and his eyes connected with a pair of unhappy glowing golden ones. They stared for a long moment before Jonny realized the medallion was quiet.
"Commander, you didn't turn the medallion back on," Callie reminded him sharply, standing beside Ann who was using the camera herself to record the events unfolding.
With extreme reluctance, Feral viciously turned the device on again. The silence continued. Jonny's loud sigh could easily be heard as he released the breath he had been holding. Relieved, he quickly scuttled away from the fuming tom to take the camera from Ann, trying his best to steady his still shaking nerves.
"You next, Razor," Callie shouted, reminding them there were still two more to test.
Giving his partner a quick glance, the smaller SWAT Kat slowly did as he was ordered. He was soon standing where Jonny had been moments before and nothing happened. Razor turned his head toward his partner and shot him a look of worry and dismay, it wasn't hard to know the result of this test.
T-Bone swallowed hard. Looking around, he saw no one else around. The enforcers were still cleaning up the scene well back from where they stood. No bystanders were that close even though there were a bunch of them standing against a building nearby watching but again, they weren't close enough for the medallion to function. He hadn't forgotten the distance Razor and Professor Hackle had set in the device for it to sound off.
That left only him! He felt a mix of emotions; fear, shock, humiliation, and over all that, a consuming fury starting to pour through him about his untenable situation. Callie's sharp command snapped him back to the moment before him.
"T-Bone! We're waiting!"
Feeling as if he were being sentenced to a fate worse than death, his fists clenched tightly, T-Bone walked stiffly forward. The moment he was within the medallion's signal range it screeched.
The two stared in horrified fascination at each other and couldn't move. T-Bone's brain had froze, unable to fathom how he could possibly be the perfect mate for someone who had made his life hell and who hated him with equal hostility.
"Hell no...no way...am I being forced to mate this pig-headed, stubborn ass!" He finally managed to blurt out angrily.
Humiliation at the rejection, fear, grief, then fury flashed rapidly across Feral's face leaving T-Bone blinking in confusion at some of those emotions but the last he understood only too well.
The furious Sabren's only response was to shut off the medallion violently. If it hadn't been made so well it would have been crushed in the tom's grip.
"I don't want a mate!" He hissed violently, his eyes beginning to glow with his rising ire. "I want nothing to do with you! Just the thought of being intimate with your arrogant hide is enough to make me want to throw up!" He declared, teeth clenched so tight that the words were nearly unrecognizable.
T-Bone's anger was fading a little at Feral's adamant assertion that he'd rather die than mate. He was rather stunned by the tom's intense reaction. This had the effect of taking some of the fire and humiliation out of his own attitude. Before he could ask what they were supposed to do then if Feral was so opposed, Callie interrupted.
"I'm sorry you feel trapped, Commander and if there was some other way to help you accept this easier believe me, I would try and find it but it is far too late now. And as I said before, you no longer have a choice. You gave it up when you waited so long," she said bluntly, her expression making it clear she would no longer brook any more posturing on either tom's part.
"And before you try to argue about it or attempt to leave, you should know your eyes and body are beginning to glow. From what I've been told, you are now at a point of no return...dump your energy or blow all of us to kingdom come!" She said grimly. "Personally, I would rather live and I'm certain so would the Katizens that are still watching us from over there," Callie said, pointing to the bystanders.
Feral froze! His fear and anguish had made him forget about the innocent lives around him and the danger he represented to their continued existence. Swallowing down the bile that threatened to come up from his stressed out stomach, his shoulders slumped in defeat and resignation.
T-Bone stared at Feral in fear and fascination before being forced to look away. The big tom was starting to resemble a small sun. 'OMG! I'm supposed to mate that?' He thought in dazed horror. His fear filled thoughts were interrupted by Callie speaking again.
"Since the Turbokat is available, I suggest we get aboard and go to the power plant immediately. There's not a moment to waste."
T-Bone jumped in surprise when his partner pulled on his arm. Razor gave his buddy a mixed look of sympathy, sorrow and worry.
"Yes, Ms. Briggs," Razor murmured unhappily as he continued pulling on his partner's arm, leading him to the jet.
In a daze, his thoughts flying everywhere, heart pounding loudly in his ears, Feral contemplated his imminent demise. He followed the SWAT Kats to their jet, barely able to move one foot before the other.
Callie felt just sick inside. Feral's slumped shoulders and the look of hopelessness made her fear for both his and T-Bone's lives but she didn't have any other solution to solve the problem glaring them in the face. Feral was glowing so brightly now that no one could really look at him.
Razor lowered the cargo door and helped Callie and the news crew to their seats. Feral didn't look at anyone as he took a jump seat but refused to secure himself. Razor left him alone.
Climbing back into the cockpit, he closed the cargo door and made ready for takeoff. Only then did he realize his partner was just sitting in his seat not moving.
"T-Bone, come on buddy. Snap out of it and get the jet into the air!" He said sharply, trying to break through his friend's shock and rising fear.
The tabby shook himself a bit and moved in mechanical fashion to start the engines then took the jet airborne. Razor could only sigh in worry.
"Razor?" T-Bone's voice startled him.
"Yeah?"
"He doesn't want to mate! You heard him! How can I get him to do it anyway and how am I supposed to handle that much energy?" The tabby asked plaintively.
Swallowing down his grief at the sound of hopelessness and fear in his partner's voice, Razor tried to help his friend face the greatest challenge of his life and prayed the tabby would survive because he didn't know what he'd do without his partner.
"The Professor told me, what makes a male compatible is their ability to absorb their Sabren mate's energy and send it harmlessly outward except for the first mating which is so strong that they usually mate outdoors so the force of it is sent through the ground but the Kat is unharmed during the process. Once you mate that first time, your minds become linked and that is the bond they talk about," Razor explained the best he could.
"As for getting him to mate, you're always telling me how great you are in bed and how much your partners enjoy and are satisfied by your performance. I guess you're going to really have to step up to the plate and prove it now. Use all the skills you've learned over the years to win him over because I don't want to lose you buddy," Razor said sincerely. "I'm so sorry this has happened to you! You know I'd give anything to find a different solution to this but there isn't time for me to find one."
T-Bone absorbed what his friend had said as he piloted the jet toward the power plant. He could see it just coming up in his window. Taking a shaky breath to steady himself, he took his courage in his paws. Razor was right, there was nothing either of them could do about the situation. The fact it was going to change their lives significantly didn't matter right now. They could deal with the fallout later...if there was a later. He violently shoved that thought away. He couldn't afford that emotion right now. He even managed a wane smile at Razor's assessment of his sexual prowess. His friend was right, he would have to use every trick he knew to get Feral to cooperate for both their sakes.
"Thanks for the info, buddy and don't be sorry. It's not your fault this happened but the fates that control our lives. I'll do what I have to so you won't lose me, I promise" he said softly as he brought the jet down for a landing.
"I know you will but I still feel bad," Razor said unhappily. His partner didn't respond.
As soon as the jet set down, Callie called the facility manager and warned him of the situation. When the cargo door let down, they were greeted by the manager, his face grim but professional as he gestured for the group to follow him inside while keeping his eyes averted from Feral's incandescence.
In self defense, Razor and T-Bone had pulled down their polarized visors on their helmets to block most of the brightness while Callie, Ann and Jonny could only keep their eyes averted which didn't help much. Even Jonny's ever present sunglasses weren't enough to keep out the blinding light.
They walked into a large room. A huge control console dominated the right side of it with technicians sitting at every station. At the rear of the room, not far from the control station, was a large concrete bunker with a heavy door that had a large wheel to open and close it. The door was open halfway and inside they could see a rather nice bedroom.
On one wall was a comfort station which held a thick long cupboard also made of concrete with a small wheel to open it. The manager went over and opened this to display four shelves. The top shelf held several bottles of water, the next had towels and some lube, the next two shelves were empty which, he explained, would hold their clothes and the bottom was for their shoes.
He told them the cupboard was made of concrete so that the energy being captured in the room would not destroy their things or the water.
Against the other wall was a bed firmly anchored to the wall. It was king-size and tastefully made up with fire-proofed clean linens and pillows of deep blue. There were no carpets but the floor was covered in a springy rubber surface colored black. The walls were bare of decorations but was colored in a swirl of various hues of blue like an ocean, covering all the walls and ceiling. The light glowed from recessed lighting, the coverings made of unbreakable glass.
"When you are finished, simply press this button..." he paused to show them a very large red button near the door, "... and you will be let out. Until then, you will be sealed in. Any questions?" He asked politely trying to ignore the obvious fear and unhappiness of the pair about to use the room.
This wasn't the behavior of any of the Sabrens that had gone before them and it made the manager uneasy. The fact the Sabren was glowing so brightly they couldn't really look at him was extremely unsettling. When both grimly shook their heads, he gestured them to enter then sealed the door behind them.
Throwing his visor up so he could see better, Razor moved to the controls that monitored the amount of energy being expelled and sent into the electrical grid. As the facility manager joined him, he made his concerns known.
"Feral is supposed to harbor tremendous energies. You might want to bring the backup stations on line and be ready to take a sudden overload so we don't blow the system." He warned.
"Right! We'll get on it. Jerry, turn on the backup systems and put them on stand by mode. I want you and Derrick to stay by them in case we need to activate quickly." The manager ordered two of the facility techs.
Callie and Ann Gora stood and watched as the station crew got ready. Callie stared over at the block room and prayed things worked out. She couldn't bear for anything to happen to either male but especially T-Bone. His partner would be devastated and the city would be at the mercy of the omegas if they lost the SWAT Kats.
Ann didn't know what to think. She got the strong sense things were very wrong about this particular mating. She hadn't missed Callie's words to Feral about understanding what the tom felt about being mated nor Feral's extreme reaction. She didn't think it was just the animosity between the Chief Enforcer and the SWAT Kats. No, there was something more going on.
Ann just knew there was a story there but it was one she wasn't going to get right now as everyone waited and hoped both males survived the next few hours. She'd taken note of Callie's tone of voice and what she'd said there seemed some doubt the pair would come out alive.