They arrived at Pumadyne amidst chaos. Kats on the ground were running away from the building as the Enforcers and the Turbokat engaged Dark Kat's fear ship. Feral could see immediately that he'd lost most of the squadron Steele had sent but before he sent for backup he needed to see if the SWAT Kats were getting any closer to bringing the omega down.
He and Tye stood near his vehicle observing the aerial battle.
"Razor! Haven't you found a way to penetrate that shield yet?" T-Bone gritted as he dodged another of Dark Kat's deadly laser beams.
"No! Nothing I have seems to be able to make a dent in it and he solved the problem that allowed my scrambler missiles to damage his systems last time." Razor said grimly.
"Well, what are we going to do? I can't just keep playing dodge the beam forever you know!" T-Bone groused angrily.
"I don't know buddy but I don't think it matters. Dark Kat has blasted an entrance and is landing close to it. Obviously he doesn't think of us as a threat and is going about his business...namely stealing the satellite." Razor said in disgust.
"Crud! Well we can't let that happen so I guess we are going in too!" T-Bone said as he took the Turbokat down to land a little ways from the fear ship.
Seeing the fear ship land then the Turbokat do the same, Feral and Tye ran to the main entrance leading to the area where the satellite was secured. Tye's team joined up with him. Warren handed his boss a weapons pack as they charged into the facility. They pushed through a set of double doors and came out onto a catwalk that circled the room. The satellite was on a restraining pad in the middle of the floor.
Dark Kat and his ninjas were already there detaching the device from its retraints in preparation to hauling it out toward their ship. A flock of creeplings were keeping security at bay. The SWAT Kats came charging in the hole Dark Kat made and immediately tangled with the creeplings and ninjas. Though they were making a dent in Dark Kats army, the vigilantes were greatly out numbered and were being pushed back. Even with the addition of Enforcers and the Phoenix Squad they couldn't stop Dark Kat from getting the weapon.
This was exactly what Feral had always feared might happen eventually with Dark Kat. Of all the omegas, save Pastmaster, this kat had all the abilities and cunning to really succeed in taking over Megakat City and it looked like this was it. Fighting a charging group of unusually large creeplings Tye stood back to back with his mate.
"This is what I warned you about. This is our chance to save the city and save ourselves in the process." He yelled over his back as he fired at another batch of creeplings coming at them on the catwalk.
Feral's mind gibbered a moment while he fought off a few ninjas that were trying to knock him off the walkway. 'Oh god! To reveal himself for what he really was...he didn't know if he could do it...and yet if he didn't the city would be destroyed by Dark Kat. Feral had only been lucky so far but now the city that had given him a home of sorts was now in serious jeopardy. More than it ever had been in the past. But there was one problem!
"I haven't flown or used my magic in soo long, I'm very rusty. I could do more harm than good." He said worriedly. Time was running out, Dark Kat had the satellite ready to move.
"Don't worry love, I'll help with the magic just do what comes naturally for our kind and you will do fine. You are a warrior! That will overcome any lack of skills you may think you have! We must move now before its too late." Tye said vanishing his clothing, dropping his weapons and glamour he fired magical energy and cleared the catwalk both ways then jumped over the rail to fly down and join the battle for the satellite.
Feral couldn't let his mate go alone. Swallowing his fear of what the katizens would do to him, he focused his mind on defeating Dark Kat and covering his mate's back. Shedding his clothing and glamour too, he leaped after his mate who was hovering above the floor.
The two of them began using their talons to rip apart the flying larger than normal creeplings. Shrieks filled the air from dying creatures. As soon as an opening presented itself, Tye fired magical blasts of deadly energy at the ninjas and non-flying creeplings on the floor below him.
Dark Kat was gloating to himself as he gave orders to his ninjas on the safe handling of the satellite. Nothing was going to stop him now. But suddenly twin roars filled the air. Dark Kat jerked his head up and saw two flying kats charging toward him. Gaping, he didn't move at first but when one of the creatures began blasting strange energy bursts at his creeplings and ninjas and they were vanishing into thin air and the other was making bloody ruins of the rest, he shouted in rage and aimed his own weapon at the flying pests.
Feral dodged the beam Dark Kat had fired and sent a magical blast of energy toward the omega disintegrating the weapon and knocking Dark Kat back against the satellite housing. Tye was making a sizeable dent in Dark Kats army. The SWAT Kats and Enforcers were given a second wind and made headway reaching Dark Kat effectively preventing him from taking the satellite. The omega saw his enemies closing in, his plans ruined and he was furious. He drew one of his favorite weapons, a bomb, and prepared to detonate it and destroy all the defenders inside the lab.
Feral swooped down and tackled the omega. He didn't dare use magic near the device not knowing if it might set the bomb off. So he wrestled with Dark Kat extending his talons and ripping the omega to shreds forcing big kat to drop the bomb before he could detonate it. Dark Kat knew he was losing so he drew a knife from under his cloak and stabbed the strange creature in the shoulder hoping to make it let go of him.
Feral shrieked in pain and fury. His instincts took over as he ignored the pain and dug his talons into Dark Kat's shoulders and jerked him into the air. Flying toward the ceiling still roaring in fury, Feral carried his prey until he was high enough and dropped the criminal to the floor. Dark Kat shrieked and hit the ground with a hard thud. Moaning in pain, Feral fluttered down to the floor bleeding profusely from his shoulder.
The fierce battle was over and the defenders were left staring in a mixture of elation that they had won and fear of the pair of creatures that should not exist near the dead body of Dark Kat. The SWAT Kats wandered over to check out this possible new danger despite the fact the pair had helped them defeat Dark Kat. The Enforcer's and the Phoenix Squad followed close behind.
Tye had immediately flown to his mate's side when he saw that Feral had been injured. He cradled his mate in his arms trying to soothe him while he checked the shoulder.
"Umm, can we help in any way?" Razor asked carefully.
Feral moaned and shuddered. "It's alright love...ssshh...let me help...just breath." Tye said gently to his mate ignoring Razor. He placed his palm above the wound and poured his magic into the site. Feral felt the injury get warm and the pain ease. Soon there was no more pain and the wound had sealed leaving a small scar. Tye sighed and bowed his head exhausted.
Feral moved his shoulder in relief and sat up holding his tired mate. He flicked his wings and folded them. He let them spill where they may because it hurt too much too move. The sudden movement made the watchers back up in surprise.
"Who or what are you guys?" T-Bone demanded eyeing them cautiously.
Staring into each other's eyes, they came to a silent decision. A moment later their glamour and clothes reappeared. Gasps of shock came from the defenders.
"Commander Feral?" T-Bone and Razor blurted in unison echoed by the watching Enforcers.
"Tye?" Gasped Clawfur in shock. The rest of the Phoenix Squad just gaped.
It was Rue Jander of the Phoenix Squad who guessed what they were.
"You're Gryphonskats, aren't you?" He asked in stunned amazement.
"Yes we are Rue and Commander Feral is my new mate." Tye answered quietly.
"Gryphonskats? I thought they were a myth?" Razor said in surprise and not a little fascination.
"No we're very real but because of the superstitious fear surrounding us it's no wonder no one knows much about our kind except to be frightened and to kill us on sight usually. We have more to fear from you than you us." Tye said seriously. "We've had to hide and that has been our downfall. There are soo very few of us now. I was shocked and pleased to have found Ulysses. I haven't seen one of my own kind for more than a few decades and neither has he." He finished sadly.
"Wow! That's rough but you two are mated? How is that possible when you're both males?" Clawfur asked confused.
For the first time Feral spoke up. He was still feeling nervous about revealing what he was and had let Tye do all the talking.
"I'm an hermaphrodite. Not truly male or female but a little of both. I have the capability to breed. That's what attracted Tye to me in the first place." He said quietly.
"So you have been hiding what you are all this time because you were afraid of what we'd do to you?" Razor said soberly and unhappy that these incredible creatures were justified in their fear.
"Yes!" Feral said simply, surprised that Razor had understood so quickly.
"I don't know why, but somehow I feel ashamed in some way." T-Bone said uncomfortably.
"Because it shows a nasty side of us we aren't happy to know about." Tommy Pensler said soberly. "We as a race do have the bad habit of destroying what we don't understand."
"Well you can't really blame us, after all we are always under attack by some kind of creature on a regular basis." Said a surprising voice. Ms Briggs came forward through the group. "I just got here and was in time for the finale. Though it's a shock to discover our own Chief Enforcer is not what he appears to be. I can hardly blame him for hiding his true form. It's alright Commander. You've done our city a big favor finally putting an end to Dark Kat's threat. Though I can't say I am too happy with your solution, I can certainly understand what pushed you to do it. Are you really alright?" She asked in concern.
"Yes, Ms Briggs. Tye healed my shoulder. It's something a mate can do for each other if the wound isn't too severe." He paused a moment. "Thank you for accepting me. It's a big relief. I've lived in fear for soo long. I had to give up my magic and my wings just to feel safe but it took something of my soul to do that and I was very lonely." Feral murmured softly.
Callie looked at him in sorrow. "Ohh, Commander, I'm so sorry. That is a miserable way to exist. I am truly glad that you are alright and that you have come 'out of the closet' as it were and found a loving mate." She said warmly.
Feral smiled in relief and hugged Tye suddenly in a surfeit of happiness that his mate had been right along. Everything would be alright. Tye smiled back, grateful to see his mate relaxed and happy at last. As they climbed to their feet and everyone began clearing out, Tye gave his mate another hug and whispered in Uly's ear that he would meet him at his apartment later that evening, then gathered his squad together and left for their hotel. The SWAT Kats were still shaking their heads as they headed for the Turbokat and left for home.
Meanwhile, Feral took charge once more despite some odd looks his way and had the area secured and processed. Dark Kat's body was taken to the morgue and the prisoners were hauled away to jail. The scientist carefully came back in to assess the damage and were relieved to discover the satellite had suffered no major damage in the battle. Cleanup took several hours and Feral was exhausted by the time he returned to his office to file the report for Ms. Briggs.
It was past nine when he finally locked up and went home. He was on autopilot all the way home. His thoughts a tired jumbled. It was still sinking in that he didn't have to hide anymore if he didn't want to and that he wouldn't have to worry about being run out of town or worse killed for what he was. It was too incredible.
Wearily he dragged himself into his apartment and began shucking his uniform. As he made his way to his bedroom there laying on his bed was Tye.
Tye had debriefed his squad and answered their questions about himself and what his mating meant to the squad's future. He had told them he would move his base of operations to Megakat City and that they would still do their troubleshooting jobs. He did tell them that he intended to take a brief hiatus to honeymoon, as it were, with his new mate. His squad laughed and clapped him on the back congratulating him on his bonding. He was pleased that his squad had accepted his true self so easily. Now he could spend time openly with Ulysses while they hunted for the last omega.
He gestured invitingly to his mate to come to him. Sighing gratefully, Ulysses stripped off the last of his clothing and lay down on his mate. Smiling warmly, Tye began a gentle caress of his mate's back as they lay together comfortably enjoying the feeling of safety and happiness for the first time in their lives.
Tomorrow would be soon enough to face the press and the tasks ahead to finish the Phoenix Squad's job.