Two months later...
"Commander ...get down!" Sgt Fallon bellowed as he pushed his superior to the ground and covered him with his own body.
Feral gasped in surprise at being shoved to the ground and pressed there. The next moment he and the Sergeant were inundated with debris being whipped up by a vortex from the Pastmaster. Lightning crackled and boomed around them. His royal guards were in a car behind them. When the attack occurred the four were spread out in a defensive pattern around the Commander.
When Feral had left his office, it had been a calm, serene day that is until he was laboriously climbing out of his car with the help of Sgt Fallon when all hell broke out. There had been no way for him to know that a vortex had appeared near the end of the city and had traveled rapidly toward city hall where it halted since it had moved too quickly to have been reported.
The SWAT Kats had seen the vortex while working at their garage. They could hardly miss it since it had decided to pass over the salvage yard. Changing quickly, they chased the phenomenon to city hall.
Razor readied his weapons when he spotted the Pastmaster flying one of his favorite things...a dragon. He was accompanied by some truly strange things that looked like a cross between a bird of prey and a lion. They were huge and had wicked claws that were strong enough to tear through metal which they were finding out the hard way as one of the things was presently ripping through one of the Turbokat's wings.
T-Bone flipped the jet in a barrel roll to dislodge the ugly thing. The enforcers arrived on scene and soon a violent dogfight ensued. Meanwhile, the Pastmaster slipped into the clock tower while everyone was busy. He wasn't completely unnoticed, though.
Feral had to push against his sergeant enough to get the Kat to let him up enough to see what was going on which is how he saw the Pastmaster go into the clock tower. What the creep intended there, Feral had a pretty good idea.
Meanwhile the Pastmaster's dragon swung away from the tower and left to engage the SWAT Kats. Gritting his teeth, Feral reached for his radio on the seat and called for an immeidate patch to city hall.
The first voice he heard was a frantic Ms. Briggs and the scared brogue of the Mayor in the background. She'd answered the phone but hadn't said anything yet.
Not waiting, Feral shouted a warning at her, "Ms. Briggs! Get out of there. The Pastmaster is headed your way."
"Commander! Wha...no...let me go you creep..." Briggs started to answer when a cackle and a familiar voice came through the radio before being cut off.
"Damn!" Feral swore. He changed the frequency and made a different call. "SWAT Kats!"
It took several precious minutes before a gruff and distracted voice responded, "What? We're busy right now Commander?"
"Ms. Briggs has been taken by the Pastmaster." He answered swiftly and was greeted by a curse.
"Crud! We're hung up here with these damn things the creep brought with him. Razor where is the Pastmaster's dragon?" T-Bone shouted to his partner forgetting his radio was still on.
"I don't see it! Wait there he goes...he's got someone with him." Razor voice came through to Feral's listening ear.
"It's Callie! You've got to get these things off us." T-Bone snarled as he once more he did an evasive maneuver away from the things trying to rip their jet apart.
Watching and listening below, Feral cursed at his helplessness then he had an idea. He changed the frequency yet again and made a call.
The SWAT Kats were going after the Pastmaster with the weird things still harrying them when suddenly a squadron of enforcer jets appeared and began spraying the creatures with blue energy rays. The creatures screamed in pain then froze solid, a result of the rays effects, sending them falling from the sky.
Feral smiled grimly in triumph. The funds he'd shifted to Pumadyne for weapons production had finally paid off. The new cold energy ray was a recent invention that hadn't had a chance to be tested yet. He was pleased that it worked as advertised. Now the SWAT Kats were free to take out the Pastmaster and they did so some minutes later, rescuing Ms. Briggs handily.
With the battle over, Sgt Fallon helped Feral gain his feet. He groaned in discomfort, his legs had cramped from having been in that position for too long. Gently making Feral lean against the car, Fallon quickly knelt down and began a hard, firm massage to ease the pregnant tom's tightened leg muscles. A sigh of relief told him he had succeeded. He continued until he didn't feel anymore knots in the muscles.
Feral gave him a grateful nod before closing the door to his car and walking around it to the city hall steps. He still had that meeting to attend even though he knew the ones holding it might be a bit distracted which would delay its start but at least he'd be able to sit down. His royal guards continued to keep a tense perimeter around him. The attack had made them upset and nervous.
More than a couple of hours later, as Sgt Fallon drove the Commander back to Enforcer Headquarters, he dared to make a suggestion.
"Sir, I think you should take a short nap. I can keep everyone away for about an hour. What just happened with the Pastmaster then the meeting has exhausted you. I can see how pale you are despite your dark fur."
Feral gave him a tired and annoyed look but didn't take the sergeant to task for his comment. He did feel tired, he just didn't like it pointed out to him. "I'll see when I get back to the office." Was all he was willing to promise.
Sergeant Fallon wisely didn't comment and got them back to headquarters in quick order. He aided Feral out of the car once more and kept close behind the very gravid tom. They waited until Feral's guards were around them again, then went into the lobby.
As Feral caught an elevator and pushed the button for the top floor, his cell phone went off. Sighing he pulled it from his coat and answered it.
"My love, are you alright?" His mate's anxious voice asked.
"Sorry Tanlir, yes I'm fine, just tired. We had an incident with the Pastmaster. I wasn't in any danger but it was dicey for a bit there." Feral answered, knowing his mate had sensed his fear and anxiety a little while ago.
"You'll have to tell me about it tonight meanwhile, take a nap, my stubborn mate." Tanlir warned.
"My sergeant has already suggested it."
"Good. Then do it! I love you. See you later." Tanlir said rather distractedly, obviously, Feral had, yet again, interrupted Tanlir when he was busy.
"Fine. I love you too." He murmured, closing his phone and putting it away. He hated it when he disrupted his mate's day. The doors of the elevator snapped open and he walked down the hall to his office. 'It was going to be yet another long day.' He thought mentally.
Another month passed and another crisis had Tanlir in a panic and Feral being rushed to the hospital.
It had started as a normal day with the two of them getting up for breakfast together before they separated for work. Feral's belly was sticking out like a beach ball which annoyed him to no end. Despite the tailors making him new uniforms to cover his pregnancy, he hated how he looked. His great coat didn't even button at all and it made him feel sloppy. It didn't help that his feet and back pained him a great deal of the time. He was glad he was due in another four weeks, he didn't know how much longer he could handle this.
"Such a sour look you have on your face this morning, my love." Tanlir murmured gently as he hugged his mate in preparation for their parting.
"Just so very tired of being pregnant, love." Feral sighed, hugging back.
"I do wish you would listen to reason and stay home to do your work. It would allow you to rest as you need to." Tanlir broached the subject yet again but knew he wasn't going to win it.
Moments later, he was right when Feral grunted at him and shook his head. "You already know my answer to that and the reasons."
"I know but I can't help but try." Tanlir said without apology.
Feral just shrugged, they parted for the day. He had worked for most of the morning at his desk before going to a demonstration of some new tech for his enforcers at Pumadyne.
The group, consisting of himself, a few of his enforcer squadron commanders, four of his royal guards and the Director of Research were walking down a cement corridor heading for the firing range.
He had felt a twinge of pain near the top of his belly at first as they walked but then a much sharper more intense one streaked across it. It had taken his breath away and forced him to stop in midstep. He heard the others asking if he was alright as if from a distance.
"Sir, what is it?" Sgt Fallon asked worriedly, putting an arm around his Commander to steady the dark tom.
"Commander?" The Director of Research asked uncertainly.
Feral's officers stood back in a group because the royal guards had immediately encircled the tom but their eyes were wide with concern. Feral stood hunched in Fallon's arms, one paw over his belly. With eyes closed, he tried to breathe through the discomfort. He waited for the pain to ease but it didn't. Instead, it intensified and his legs couldn't hold him anymore.
Sgt Fallon exclaimed in fear as Feral's legs began to crumble beneath him. The Director quickly summoned emergency aid as Feral's royal guards helped Sgt Fallon lower Feral more slowly to the floor. Everyone was worried as Feral writhed in obvious pain. There was no doubt something was amiss with the Commander's pregnancy.
At the embassy, Tanlir was in a meeting with the head of a shipping company that wished to begin a business arrangement with Asszeria when the cheetah prince suddenly lurched from his seat and screamed, "Ulysses!" His clawed paws reaching forward as if to catch something that was only in his mind.
Immediately, Tanlir's aids surrounded him to support the now distracted prince who's only focus was on his distant mate's distress. One of them summoned a car, while another contacted the Commander's guards to find out what was happening.
At Pumadyne, an on-site emergency team responded to the Director's call and were assessing Feral's condition. Not equipped to deal with this kind of emergency, they made the decision to immediately transport the Commander to the hospital.
In very little time, Feral was on his way in an ambulance to Megakat Trauma Center. His royal guards and enforcer officers followed in their own vehicles. One of the royal guards was riding with the Commander and answered the urgent call from the Prince's advisor.
So, at very nearly the same time, Tanlir was being guided to his mate's location just as Feral was reaching the hospital. Tanlir could barely function as his mind reached out to his very sick mate. It was up to his support system to insure the Prince was taken where he needed to be and that he was guarded the whole way. Meanwhile back at the embassy, the badly shaken business Kat that had been left behind was being told what was going on and asked to return when things were back to normal.
At the hospital, Feral was rushed into a trauma bay and immediately surrounded. An ob/gyn was summoned while the on call physician did his best to try and assess Feral's condition.
Outside the Prince's limo roared up the emergency ramp and screeched to a halt, his guards in cars behind doing the same. Tanlir leaped out of the limo, his guards surrounding him immediately as he hurried into the emergency room intake area.
Things were happening so quickly that the Hospital Administrator was only just getting the word that Commander Feral was in the ER and that Prince Tanler was just arriving as well. He quickly ordered that security be increased in the area and that the top physician's be called quickly to the scene. He didn't want anything to go wrong with such important people in his hospital. Once he'd gotten the orders out, he hurried downstairs to assess what was going on for himself.
Patients sitting around the intake waiting area blinked in amazement at all the commotion, many only just realizing who had walked in as the Prince and his guards were quickly escorted to the back.
Feral panted in pain as his clothes were taken off and he was bombarded with questions as they took care of him.
"How many months along are you, Commander." The chief of trauma asked as he put a stethoscope over the tom's chest.
"Six...ohhhh!" Feral groaned.
"We need an ultrasound done stat!" The doctor barked out, one of the nurses responded by going to a wall phone and calling x-ray. "I'm sorry we can't give you any pain meds until we're sure what's going on first Commander. Just pant, that will ease some of your pain."
"Doctor, the patient's mate is here!" A nurse quickly informed him.
"He's going to have to wait a bit." The doctor said distractedly.
"No he's won't. They are bonded and he has to be here by his side." The Hospital Administrator interrupted, having finally managed to get into the room a few moments before.
The ER doctor blinked in surprise at that but didn't stop his work, just accepted he had been over ruled. Moments later, a tall, powerful looking cheetah entered the room and immediately went to the Commander's head. He did stay out of the medicals ways as best he could. His fingers caressed his mate's forehead and he frowned as he closed his eyes and concentrated.
He sent healing energy into his mate along their bond trying to ease Ulysses' pain. Feral felt a warmth in his mind then an easing of some of the pain, it had kept him from realizing Tanlir was near. He opened his eyes and stared up at his mate whose eyes were still closed.
"Tanlir." He murmured heavily.
The Prince's eyes snapped open and he looked down worriedly. "My love, is the pain a little better?" He asked in concern.
"Yes...thanks." Feral said, talking tired him more than he thought it should. He frowned and eyed all the people surrounding him.
A machine was being wheeled up to him and his belly was being covered with a familiar goo. They were going to do an ultrasound, he realized. The lights in the room were turned out and the doctor ran the wand over his belly.
The kitten moved and made Feral meow suddenly in renewed pain.
"I'm sorry, Commander but you must hold still if you can." The doctor said tensely. He'd seen something he didn't like.
Tanlir sent more healing energy through their bond but it only eased his mate a little.
The doctor's face was unhappy. Before he could decide anything, another doctor hurried in and moved to his side.
"May I, John?" He asked as a professional courtesy.
The ER doctor turned his head in relief. This one was an expert in OB/GYN and he was glad to hand over this case to him.
"No, I'm glad you're here." He said then reeled off Feral's vital signs as he stepped away from the patient, handing the wand over to the specialist.
Dr. Freeborn nodded and accepted the wand and began his own examination. He stared at the screen in intense concentration. His face went grim at what he found.