"Wonder where the heck Feral is?" T-Bone asked his partner as they went after Viper with only the enforcers and Steele screaming in anger and getting no where.
"No telling. Seems weird he's not here doing the yelling though Steele is doing a good job in his place...with the yelling that is. That guy is so worthless." Razor said caustically as he fired a brace of slicer missiles at the vines strangling the Biochemical Labs.
"You got that right...Look out, buddy!" T-Bone shouted as a phalanx of those acid spitting plantimals arrowed toward their jet nearly getting the canopy where his partner sat.
"Thanks! I've got something that'll snuff those things quickly." The smaller tom said flatly. He fired a strange bulbous missile in the center of a group of acid-spitters and it exploded in their midst releasing a cloud of white that filled the air. When it covered the plantimals they screamed and crashed to the ground dead.
"What the heck was that, Razor?" T-Bone asked in amazement.
"Just sodium bicarbonate of soda, buddy. I figured if it could clean up acid spills it could put the kibosh on those plant things." His partner crowed.
"Well it did the job alright." T-Bone said admiringly then turned the jet to get back to the building under siege. "Wha tha...where's he going?" He asked in shocked surprise.
Below them Viper was surrounded by mushroom monsters and other plantimals and they were moving down the street in a hurry instead of dropping down into the sewers as was his usual escape route. The enforcers were stymied in their attempts to stop the moving vegetables as they were being bombarded by spiny and electrified plants that kept them at bay.
"I don't know but he's heading toward the hospital district." Razor shouted. "Get ahead of him buddy!"
"Roger!" T-Bone responded, quickly flying the Turbokat toward the front of Viper's army then dropping down to try and stop it's progress.
Razor fired many different types of missiles and managed to do some significant damage but didn't stop the main force from apparently reaching their destination. The plant army was only a block from the hospital entrance when Viper stopped and did something to the landscaping that edged the parking lot.
Within moments even more plant monsters were created and were blocking the way toward the hospital. While this wall of vegetation sprang up to block them, Viper used it to run the rest of the distance and enter the hospital. The SWAT Kats had no clue as to what the mutant Kat wanted there but they had to stop him. T-Bone lowered the jet as far as he dared and still manage to avoid the waving hedges that were now twenty feet tall and forming a barrier before them.
"Crud! He was really prepared this time and we're losing."
"I know. Nothing I have seems to be working and anything else more deadly would wreck havoc with the hospital. He couldn't have picked a better place to make a stand where we absolutely can't attack." Razor said grimly as he studied his weapons panel for something that might help them.
T-Bone watched below him in helpless anger as Viper's army continued to block them and wondered what Viper wanted in the hospital.
Only a little earlier...
Feral sighed as he prepared to leave the hospital for home. He'd just fed Elora and dressed her for the trip when Sgt Fallon arrived to pick him up.
"Hello sir. How are you feeling today?" He asked politely.
"Tired, of course. They weren't kidding when they said I would feel like death warmed over for a while. I can't seemed to get enough sleep." Feral growled unhappily.
Fallon made a commiserating noise as he moved closer to the bed and looked down at the kitten. He smiled as the kitten yawned and sighed. Her eyes weren't opened yet. She was a pretty little thing. He could see her mother's dark hair on the little head but the body was a lighter brown than Feral and had dark stripes on her tiny arms.
'Must be from the sire.' He mused. Aloud he said, "She looks healthy and is very pretty, sir."
Feral turned from putting his coat on to look down at his daughter. A tender look crossed his face which Fallon thought made him look more peaceful than was his wont.
"Yes, they've given her a clean bill of health, her first shots, and a lot of stuff to take home." He said pointing at the bags filled with kitten stuff.
Fallon chuckled lightly. "They want to make sure you have everything you need, obviously. You ready to go, sir?"
"Yes. I have our discharge papers. If you'll just get all that stuff, I'll carry her." Feral said with a sigh as he leaned over carefully, he was still sore, and picked up his daughter, cuddling her close to his body.
Present moment...
They had gone down in the elevator and when the doors opened on the lobby floor they were greeted with screams and shouts of panic.
Feral stood blinking in shock near the bank of elevators trying to determine what was going on. Fallon hurriedly put down his armload and set it behind a huge potted plant next to the elevators so that his paws would be free.
Strolling in as if he owned the place was Viper. He looked around, ignoring the frightened Kats as they ran before him. After only a moment's determination of what direction to take, Viper headed down a hallway to the left of where Feral and Sgt Fallon were standing.
Feral made an abortive move forward but pain in his abdomen warned him he wasn't fit for fighting and the bundle in his arms reminded him he now had other responsibilities. It hit him hard just how helpless he was at this moment.
Fallon also felt helpless to stop Viper but he would not leave the Commander and his kitten unprotected.
There was a lot of noise coming from outside the hospital doors and the pair could see shadows of huge things moving through the glass.
'What the hell was going on?' Feral wondered, worriedly.
Outside, Razor finally managed to destroy a pathway through the monsters. Steele, surprisingly, managed to blunder his tanks through another section, destroying part of the hedge creature. Concerned about what Viper might be up to, Razor had his partner land the jet on the hospital chopper pad.
They jumped out of the jet and rushed through the emergency entry point on the roof and raced down a hallway to the elevators causing a shocked stir among patients and medical staff alike.
When they reached the bottom floor they were stunned to find Feral standing nearby, holding something small against his chest and looking rather pale and tired. Before they could ask why he was there, Feral spoke first.
"Viper went that way." He pointed down a hallway.
Shocked he was telling them where to go and letting them handle it, but knowing there was no time to ask what the heck was going on, they turned in the direction indicated and ran. Screams told them where the lizard had gone. They finally reached the cross hallway Viper had disappeared down when the criminal in question came out of a nearby lab with something clutched in his paw.
He snarled when he saw them. "Get out of my SSSSWAT Katssss."
"No way snakepuss!" Razor growled raising his glovatrix but halting seconds later when Viper snatched something from the room he was still partly standing in.
"Try it!" Viper threatened as he pulled a female lab tech into view, his clawed fingers wrapped around her neck.
"Shit!" T-Bone hissed furiously, backing off. His partner doing the same. They kept their weapons trained on Viper and followed him as he dragged his hostage down the hall back to the lobby once more.
Keeping his eyes on the SWAT Kats, Viper didn't note Sgt Fallon holding his weapon out and ready behind Viper's retreating back.
Unfortunately, Fallon was also hamstrung by the hostage. Thinking quickly, he dropped to the floor, forcing Viper to trip over him. The lab tech was released when Viper fell and scrambled away but before the SWAT Kats could move in, Viper got rapidly to his feet and used his tail to slap Fallon away.
The Sergeant was sent flying against the SWAT Kats knocking them back. The next few moments happened so fast Feral could never have said later exactly what had happened, he only knew he would always remember it as the single most horrifying moment of his life.
Viper was preparing to flee through the doors to escape when he spotted Feral and the bundle he was holding, standing just a few feet from him. In seconds, the fast moving lizard snatched the blanket covered kitten and tore away for the door leading out.
Feral screamed in horror and terror, attempting to run after Viper only to collapse in pain short of the door. "Elora!" He wailed in anguish.
The SWAT Kats had been taken by surprise and were equally horrified as they tried to catch up to the fleeing criminal, Feral's screams of 'MY KITTEN...HE'S GOT MY KITTEN' ringing in their shocked ears.
Sgt Fallon had managed to get back on his feet though his back hurt something fierce. He heard the commander's screams and saw his empty arms. Anguished terror filled him as he hurried to the sobbing tom's side. Feral was trying to get up but couldn't, tears of loss running down his face.
"Easy sir! The SWAT Kats will get her back don't worry." Fallon comforted the new mother. His heart hammered in fear at what would happen to Feral if his daughter was killed or badly hurt.
Out the doors the SWAT Kats ran faster than they'd ever run before. There was no time to get a vehicle from the jet. Steele was still busy engaging the rest of Viper's army as the criminal himself slipped by the battle and headed for a nearby sewer, clutching his twin burdens.
Razor sped ahead of his partner using the fact he was lighter to catch up to the mutant before he could drop down into the sewer he'd just opened. Taking a chance, he could grab the kitten before Viper tossed it or took it with him, Razor leaped the distance still between them and crashed into Viper's side reaching for the kitten, desperately.
He just managed to get a hold of the kitten's clothing with the claws of his outstretched paw then rolled, gathering the wailing kitten in his arms leaving Viper for his partner who pounded up as he got out of the way.
Viper hissed and rolled to his feet but before he could get to the open hole to vanish a furious SWAT Kat caught up with him.
Fury lent T-Bone extra strength behind his pile driver punch he sent straight into Viper's face.
The solid blow hurled the lizard back from the hole. Getting to his feet again, Viper lunged for the tabby only to be pummeled repeatedly until he finally fell unconscious.
Once he was out cold a lot of his creatures became directionless, making it easier for Steele to finish them off.
Meanwhile, the SWAT Kats quickly cleared out before Steele could stop them. They slipped out of sight behind a building not far from the hospital. They paused for Razor to check the kitten.
"Is it okay, buddy?" T-Bone asked anxiously as the kitten continued to wail.
Razor looked the tiny kitten over carefully. "Seems to be T-Bone, just frightened badly, poor little thing." He cuddled the kitten close and patted it gently to try and calm it.
"Did I hear what I thought I heard when we tore out of the hospital?" T-Bone asked uncertainly, as he peered down at the kitten.
"That Feral was screaming 'my kitten'? Nope, we both heard it and I'm still having trouble believing it but we'll find out when we take this little darling back." Razor said. The kitten was no longer screaming, just crying in a more subdued fashion.
The two of them hurried down the street until they could come back to the hospital entryway. Feral was still near the lobby doors, the doctors unable to coax him to lay down and rest. He couldn't until he knew what had happened to his daughter. He was trembling and tears were still running down his face as he stared at the doors anxiously.
Fallon had gone outside to see what was going on and watched as Steele started cleanup of the area. Viper had been defeated he had overheard but nothing was said about a kitten being found. Before he could tag Steele to find out anything, a pair of very welcome warriors appeared from around the corner of the building, one of them holding a tiny body carefully against his chest.
Fallon felt a rush of relief and hurried toward the pair. "Thank god! Is she okay?" He demanded quickly.
"Yeah, just shaken up badly." Razor said.
"Thank you both, here I'll take her." Fallon said in relief, reaching for the kitten.
"Uh uh...I'll hold her. She's not screaming and I want to keep it that way until I lay her in her mother's arms." Razor insisted, tightening his hold.
Fallon shook his head but didn't argue. Feral needed to see his daughter and if it meant the SWAT Kat would be the one handing her over, so be it. This was no time to argue. He turned around and led the way back to the main doors. The SWAT Kats dogged his steps as they went through the automated doors in a group and followed him to a huddled and tear stained Commander sitting in a wheelchair not far from the doors.
Feral's eyes widened as he saw the tiny body in Razor's arms. His own arms rose up immediately. "Oh my god, Elora!" He cried as Razor tenderly lowered the kitten into Feral's desperately reaching arms.
"Oh love, mommy's so sorry!" Feral moaned as he kissed and licked his kitten almost hysterical with relief, his maternal instincts badly shakened.
T-Bone and Razor stood by, relief in their body language as well as some embarrassment at the uncomfortable sight of Feral's obvious tears and upset. The big tabby pulled Sgt Fallon to one side, giving Feral some privacy to comfort his daughter and regain his composure.
"Okay, what's going on?" He asked softly.
"It's not my place to speak of it." Fallon said firmly.
"True, and I didn't want the particulars, only wanted to know if Feral really is the mother? This isn't an adoption or anything?" T-Bone pressed.
Fallon grimaced and sighed. They deserved at least an honest answer on that. "Yes he really is the mother. He gave birth last Friday and almost died doing it. He needs rest and this will set him back a bit. I don't know if they'll let him go home now."
"Woah! Feral a mother...weird!" Razor said shaking his head. "But it's obvious he has all the instincts of one." He added thoughtfully as he watched Feral coo softly to his now calm kitten.
"Well glad we were able to get her back for him. We'd better be going. We'll make extra patrols to make up for him being out of commission. I don't trust Steele all that much though I have to admit he did manage to come through this time." T-Bone growled grudgingly.
"Really?" Fallon asked, blinking in surprise.
"Yeah, he managed to take out a whole section of Viper's plants while we we're taking out another section. So he's not completely useless." Razor admitted reluctantly. "Though, I think it was mostly luck then skill."
"That actually will help calm the Commander's fears about being gone. It's going to be at least two weeks or more before he can return to duty." Fallon said.
"Great, a month of Steele!" T-Bone groaned.
"SWAT Kats!" A hoarse, but familiar voice called out.
They turned to look back at Feral who was cradling his daughter close to his chest. He was much calmer now and was gesturing for them to come closer.
With Fallon trailing behind them, T-Bone and Razor moved back to stand before the Commander.
He stared at both of them for a long moment before speaking. "Thank you! I don't know how I can express how grateful I am that you were able to save my Elora." He said softly.
"We're just glad we were able to catch that creep before he managed to disappear down a sewer. I not ashamed to admit it was very close." Razor said humbly.
"You succeeded and that's all that matters to me and her." Feral said, sincerely.
"You're welcome. She's sure a cutey, now that she's not screaming." T-Bone said softly looking at the quiet little face.
"She is." Feral said, his look adoring when he gazed at his daughter.
"Congratulations, though I have a suspicion this wasn't planned." Razor said, fairly certain he was right.
Feral blushed a little at that perceptive observation. "You're right, but she's here and I have to change my life to accommodate her because I won't give her up." He said fiercely.
"Good for you. It will be tough but I'm sure you'll succeed." Razor said encouragingly.
Feral blinked in surprise and wished he could see the smallest SWAT Kat's eyes to know what emotion moved him to say that.
"Thank you, I'm going to try my hardest but you're right it's definitely not going to be easy. I would appreciate it if you kept this to yourself, though. The Mayor and Ms. Briggs, Sgt Fallon and my doctor are the only ones aware of my new situation." He said quietly.
"Sure, mum's the word." Razor promised. T-Bone nodded gravely. "Well, we'd better take off. Our jet is blocking the emergency pad. Take care and rest Commander." Razor said in parting as he and T-Bone turned and made for the elevators and soon vanished from view.
"I think you need to have Elora examined first then hopefully I can still take you both home." Sgt Fallon said after a moment.
Feral sighed and nodded as Fallon took the handles of the wheelchair and wheeled him back to the elevators. He made sure to collect the bags of kitten gear that were still hidden behind the potted plant before wheeling the Commander aboard an arriving elevator car.