After such a sobering Friday evening, the rest of the weekend had been quiet and enjoyable. Feral had returned to tell them what he'd accomplished and now all they could do was wait for results. Callie prayed it wasn't as bad as she feared.
Returning home Sunday evening, she did some laundry, cleaned her apartment then made for bed, alone. Monday found her energized and ready to get a lot done. The first thing she'd done upon entering her office and sitting down was to make an appointment with Professor Hackle, being successful in getting the elderly tom to see her later today. Now all she had to do was clear her morning's work first.
Just before her after lunch appointment, Manx came into her office with a tale of some company wanting to put up a statue honoring him, obviously to curry favor. Puffed up with pleasure, he wanted her to write a speech for the ceremony. It was very hard for her to not roll her eyes in disgust and exasperation.
Sighing mentally, she took notes about the event and promised she would get it done and to him by tomorrow, latest. Satisfied and smiling, his honor took off for the golf course to waste another day on the taxpayer's dime. As his backside vanished through the door, she quickly glanced at her watch and hissed in annoyance.
She quickly called Professor Hackle to apologize for running late, but he cut her off and said it was alright and to come when she was able. Relieved, she hung up the phone, reached into her desk for her purse then grabbed her briefcase from the floor and headed out the door. Convincing Professor Hackle to aid them shouldn't prove too difficult because he was already leaning more toward taking an active part in helping the city.
Reaching her car, she climbed in, clicked her seatbelt and started the engine only to hear it make an alarming pinging noise as it warmed up. Rolling her eyes in annoyance, she shook her head. Not again! What is it with this car? Guess I'll have to make a stop by the garage again. Oh wait! The guys closed the garage last week! Ah well, I'll just have to ask Jake to take a look at it when I see him tonight. Maybe it's time I just traded the old thing in and possibly I could get Jake to go car shopping with me, after all that's what a lover's for isn't it? She smirked in amusement as she pulled out into traffic and was relieved when the pinging stopped.
The drive to the professor's lab allowed her to go over the prospectus in her mind so she wouldn't have to refer to her notes much. She really didn't think she'd have to sell the idea very hard as it fell into line with what Hackle was already doing for the Enforcers. Just to be certain, she'd given her request a good hard look through and found nothing that should compromise Hackle's pacifistic stance, something she'd never want to do. Though the training system was to make better military fighters of the Enforcers it still wasn't for the purpose of starting a war of any kind but to keep the defenders of the city from dying so easily and finding more effective ways to protect its Katizens.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of the small metal sign coming up on her left that warned of the turn off she must take. Flicking her turn signal on, she swiftly exited the main highway and ended up on a well paved and tree lined roadway that wended itself through a thickly wooded forest, the highway behind her vanishing the deeper in she drove. Reaching the end of the road, she arrived at a ten foot high black wrought iron fence that protected the professor's lab/home on the landward side. On the bay side, there were a line of buoy's, set some fifty feet from the beach below Hackle's place, that warned everyone away.
Jake had warned her that Hackle had an excellent security system which was why no omega or industrial espionage thief ever attempted to rob him. As she pulled up to the security call box, she noted several surveillance cameras mounted in the trees on either side of the gate. The property was also guarded by some of Hackle's robots that patrolled the fence line at regular intervals. No way could anyone sneak up on the old tom. Rolling her window down, she reached out to push the button to activate the speaker.
"Professor Hackle, this is Deputy Mayor Briggs. We had an appointment?"
It took several minutes but soon a familiar voice answered her through the tiny speaker. "Hello, Ms. Briggs. A moment please..."
There was a soft pinging sound which was followed by the gate beginning to roll open. As soon as it was wide enough, Callie drove her car through, not surprised to see in her rear view mirror, the gate quickly reversing direction and closing behind her.
Only a few minutes later, she drove into a small parking circle before a low style ranch home. Stopping her car before the main door, she turned off the engine which gave a loud ping then went quiet except for the soft ticking of the cooling engine. Shaking her head again at the foibles of her sedan, she grabbed her briefcase and climbed out. Before walking up to the door, she paused to look around first.
The parking circle ran up and around a large flower garden, a lawn ran down from either side of the blank front of the home. Basins of flowers grew in twin, red clay pots on either side of the entrance that gave the place a rather homey appearance. She sniffed appreciatively at the lovely fragrances drifting to her nose from all the flowering plants as she walked toward the entry to the house. Oddly enough, there were no windows facing the drive nor any identifying signs or address numbers The house was done in a deep forest green lap siding with an dark oak-looking door with no handle.
She stared at it in some confusion. How was one to get in? The question answered itself seconds later when the 'wooden' door suddenly slide sideways into its door frame which explained the reason for no handle. As it retracted, she could see it wasn't made of wood at all but thick metal painted cleverly to appear like wood. Standing in the now open doorway was the professor who was smiling warmly at her.
"Nice security system you have there, Professor Hackle," she said admiringly. "And thank you for seeing me on such short notice," she added, extending her paw.
"It serves its purpose very well, Ms. Briggs and I'm pleased to see you again too. Do come in." He shook her paw then stepped back so she could enter.
The living area was tastefully decorated with a micro suede, deep blue couch and loveseat as well as matching chairs. A white marble topped coffee table with black legs took center position with a vase of fresh tulips displayed and adding a sweet perfume to the air. A large modern gas fireplace was to the left of the sitting area and the floor was covered in a deep cream colored rug. Potted plants dotted the area and beautiful, framed paintings, displaying scenes of the ocean, were hung on the walls.
It was a warm and inviting place but she sensed it saw very few visitors and a quick glance around showed it was sealed off from the rest of the house ... the only doors were the one she'd come in and one off to the left near the fireplace ... yet another layer of security, obviously, she thought. Guess you can't be too careful when you live alone and have soo many valuable inventions.
Hackle lead the way into the sitting area, taking one of the chairs and gesturing to her to choose a seat of her own. The loveseat was closest to him so she sat there and nearly sank into it and disappeared. "Oh, how wonderfully comfortable this is," she commented, setting her briefcase on the table.
"Glad you find it so. Would you like some refreshments?"
"Coffee would be nice."
Nodding his head, he pressed something on his wrist watch and moments later the sealed door she noted, slid silently open and a stick thin robotic figure appeared. It's head little more than an odd stalk with two eyes and a small mouth.
"Please bring the coffee service," Hackle asked of it quietly. The robot said nothing as it turned about and left through the door again, moving on silent servos to do the Professor's biding.
"Now what did you need to see me about, Ms. Briggs?" He asked, sitting back in his seat and taking a listening attitude.
Lifting her briefcase, Callie set it on the coffee table and pulled out a folder just as the robot returned with a tray. It set this on the table then waited.
"Thank you, you may leave," Hackle told it. Nodding its odd head, it turned and left them alone.
Callie took out a slim report folder from her briefcase and handed it to the professor then began her briefing. Hackle said nothing as he studied the proposal and listened carefully. When she finished, he asked a few pertinent questions then went silent in thought, studying the plans more thoroughly.
The robot had returned and left a tray with a complete coffee service on it before disappearing again. While she waited, she poured herself some coffee, added cream then picked it up and sipped. She almost made a humming sound of pleasure. It was an excellent brand, full and rich, unlike the tarry substance the secretary pool made.
Hackle made a soft humming noise then closed the folder and nodded at her. "This is an excellent system and I'm surprised someone hadn't come up with it on our world. It has a great deal of potential for other things. I'm excited to be a part of this endeavor and am willing to help fund it. My only regret was not having had a chance at meeting the unusual dimensional visitors who gave this to us. I'm sure I would have learned many more things from this Tech fellow."
Callie smiled. "I have no doubt you could have. It's a shame they had to hide out then leave so quickly but at least they were very generous in leaving so much of their designs with us. I would have loved to have talked to them myself as well as thank them for helping to capture nearly all our omegas and make that nearly escape proof cells for them. Too bad it didn't hold them longer than a year," Callie sighed. "Razor told me they were odd but really nice people."
"No matter how good the effort, those omegas, especially Dark Kat, are too smart to keep locked up for long," Hackle sighed too, shaking his head. "However, apparently persistence can win ... I heard a rumor that we finally have fewer omegas at last. Is it true?"
"Yes it is, thanks to Commander Feral and the SWAT Kat's efforts as well as the criminals doing themselves in. It was a great day when Dark Kat finally managed to off himself, Viper is still in jail when last I checked a week ago, the Pastmaster hasn't shown his face for more than a year now, and Hard Drive's surge coat was destroyed and he's in jail, then there's Turmoil but last I heard, she was somewhere far from here. So that leaves the Metallikats. What is their status since their last appearance?"
A morose expression replaced Hackle's pleased one. "They no longer function as their disks had been permanently disrupted by whatever it was Razor used on them."
Secretly, Callie was elated but diplomatically she said, "I'm sorry, Professor, but they had tried to rob a great many wealthy society types at that fund raiser the Mayor put on and killed a squad of Feral's best officers so, really, Razor had no choice but to use the best weapon he had to take them out quickly."
Grimacing with old anger and sorrow, Hackle said, "I'm not condoning what they did, Ms. Briggs, but it's still wrong to kill them that way without a trial. They may not have been flesh and blood but that was their soul that was killed."
"I know, truly I do. But I was there and he really didn't have a choice. You know very well, as you built their bodies, that none of the Enforcer's weapons could bring that pair down without more people and property being damaged or killed and most of the SWAT Kat's weapons weren't as effective either so he developed something that hopefully would end their reign of terror quickly though even he didn't think it would do more than just shut them down for awhile." Callie could understand the old tom's grief, after all, he was a kind soul and didn't like anything to suffer or die if it could be helped but personally, she was just glad they were gone permanently.
Though Hackle knew she was right, it still rankled the way the pair had to die. He still had hopes of rehabilitating them but now that was gone. He pushed his hurt feelings on the subject away, they had no bearing on what Ms. Brigg's was here for. "Yes, I understand but I still cannot help how I feel about it. But that's in the past, this new system is the future. How soon would you need the funds for its construction to begin?"
Callie willingly left the hurtful subject with relief. "As soon as you're able to do it, Professor Hackle. In your prospectus there is a private site code for your use to transfer funds to the account I set up for it. It's very secure... Razor vetted it himself and he has invested in the project as well."
"Perfect. I will take care of it today. Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"No, that was the only thing I came here for. Thank you so much for your support," Callie said briskly then added. "I'm sure Razor would welcome your assistance on this project. I wouldn't dream of keeping you from it as I'm sure you're dying to be a part of something so exciting," She said coyly. He blushed at her accurate assessment of his interest.
"If he wishes me there, I would be very interested," He said, smiling.
"I'll be sure to let him know when I get back to the city. You should hear from him rather quickly as we're anxious to get the project off the ground within the month," She promised then rose to her feet, preparing to leave.
He walked her to the front door where she watched as he uncovered a special touch pad and tapped in a code that opened the door. Smiling warmly, she bid him farewell and went back to her car.
One down and one more to go, she thought happily as she dropped her briefcase on the seat beside her. Her mind on what she had to do on her desk, she started the car and gasped when it made a loud ripping sound before settling down to normal again. She sat there disconcerted, listening for more trouble but when nothing else happened, she cautiously put the car in gear and drove off. Nothing happened.
Okay, definitely need this looked at soon, she thought, annoyed as she drove back through the opening gate then down the road to the highway.
Reaching the city limits then turning onto the boulevard that led to city hall, something she'd said during the briefing made her realize they had a new problem.
Oh no! How do we explain Jake possessing the patent on the system when the Loonatics gave it to his persona Razor? Add to that, no one knows Jake is an inventor as he has no patents in his name...only as Razor. That would raise red flags with Hackle when he meets and talks with Jake. He's no fool and will easily guess who Jake really is and then the rabbit will truly be out of the hat. The same is true of all the ones who will be working on the project with them though I'm sure we could put out a plausible reason for Jake's presence to the construction crew but definitely not with Hackle or any scientists that he recruits for this.
Her heart fell. She had so hoped to restore Jake's reputation as being a brilliant inventor and it wasn't possible as long as he remained behind a mask. She felt like pounding her head against her steering wheel. Keeping their secret was going to be difficult especially in light of Feral reinstating them back into the Enforcers and their new jobs of shadowing her at work as her bodyguards. Now this complication.
Oh, and it gets better...if Jake has to remain as Razor for the project the Enforcers will not be happy to know a SWAT Kat built their new training system and is responsible for teaching them how to use it as well.
"I think a new powwow is necessary. I swear, solve one problem and hundreds more crop up," she muttered irritably as she pulled up to her spot in front of city hall.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
After parting from Callie, Sunday evening, Jake returned to the salvage yard to get some sleep. In the morning as he made breakfast, he ruminated on all the things he needed to do after the project was fully funded and who he wanted on his team to build it.
Having Professor Hackle at his side was a no brainer but who else would be useful? Perhaps Dr. Greenbox? Yeah, the tom had gone rather daft when his project went berserk but that had been a momentary lapse.
He'd dug into the scientist's background and found a deeply moral person who's only interest was in making life easier for Katkind, much like Professor Hackle. Greenbox's only crime was getting too caught up in his corrupted invention. When he came to his senses, he was horrified and remorseful that it had led to so much chaos and damage. Personally, Jake would really like to see the tom reinvent the device that had led to Zed's creation but with protective measures set into it to prevent it from being corrupted again. It was simply too valuable and useful an idea to toss.
At the present time, Greenbox had served his sentence and was struggling to regain his reputation with the scientific community by working at Pumadyne who were the only ones that were willing to trust him. He didn't like working for them but it was the only way he could pay his bills and living expenses.
Perhaps he should ask Professor's Hackle's opinion on pulling Greenbox into their group. Another possible candidate was Dr. Konway. As a biochemist with a secondary in physiology, he'd be perfect for understanding the body's reaction to the system. They would also need a psychologist and a military training specialist. Feral could supply the later and perhaps Konway could suggest the former. That should round out the team they'd need.
As he got up to put his dish into the sink, he halted as a shocking realization struck him.
Oh crud! None of these guys will recognize me as a scientist or inventor as I haven't made a name for myself as Jake...only as Razor. There is no way they'd go along with me being in charge of something so important without knowing anything about me especially when they find out I was an Enforcer then a garage mechanic. There's no record of me being an accepted inventor anywhere thanks to my being blackballed. Hell, I wouldn't follow such a person why should I expect them to? And they certainly wouldn't accept Chance helping out either. That means they'll have to know our secret or we have to be the SWAT Kats to build it.
But that presents a new problem. No Enforcer worth their badge would want a SWAT Kat building their training system.
He slumped in dismay and stared off blankly for a moment. They knew this day might come but perhaps they didn't have to reveal it to everyone just to the scientists directly involved in the project and have Feral make them swear to keep it secret just as the plans/designs for this system will remain top secret.
It might work and still allow them to remain incognito to the world at large. It was worth a try, he sighed then shelved the problem to be dealt with when next he met the others.
Yet another problem to solve, he grumbled, echoing Callie.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Despite her new concern, Callie was excited about her secret meeting with Mr. Young. Her current run of luck was still with her when she called him Monday and learned he would be coming to Megakat City on personal business on Wednesday and would be alone. Perfect!
She gave him only enough information to entice him to meet with her and he took the bait, suggesting they meet for a late lunch at his favorite restaurant on the bay.
Her meeting with Hackle had been short and sweet so she had time to return to the office to finish up her work day. Dropping her purse in her lower desk drawer and her briefcase on the floor near her feet, she tapped on her computer and began writing the Mayor's speech. She finished it in time to go to the many meetings she had for the afternoon. At the end of the day, she actually managed to be done to go home on time. She wished she could see Jake but they'd decided keeping apart right now would be a good idea with her under so much surveillance right now.
The next two days passed quietly and she had enough work to keep her from getting antsy about the meeting with Mr. Young. Finally, Wednesday arrived and was a typical busy day. But she managed to keep on top of her work and with only thirty minutes to spare for her lunch appointment, she tossed her completed work in her out basket for her secretary, closed out her computer, then grabbed her purse and briefcase and took off for the bay.
Biting her lip nervously, she started her car and again those suspicious noises occurred, a bit louder than before. As long as it didn't shut down completely, she decided to ignore the noise as she had already done so for the past two days, and headed to the restaurant.
Reaching her destination ten minutes later, she lucked out in finding a parking spot near the door which was usually impossible at the popular eatery.
Stepping inside the busy place, she looked around a moment. Before the hostess could ask her where she'd like to sit, Callie caught sight of the older, Siamese tom sitting, studying a menu in a quiet corner with an excellent view of the bay. "I see my party, thank you," she said to the hostess, moving away.
"Thank you for making time to see me Mr. Young," she said, coming up beside the tom and taking the seat opposite him.
Young smiled brightly and inclined his head. "It is my pleasure, Ms. Briggs. This is one of my favorite places in your city."
"It's mine too. Shall we order then talk?"
"Excellent idea."
The next few minutes were confined to ordering their food then waiting until the waitress had left with their orders before Callie handed over the prospectus to Young. She sat back, drinking her wine and staring out at the sailboats floating by on the water as she waited.
Their food arrived as he finished and set the folder aside. They spent the next half hour enjoying their food and tacitly saying nothing about their reasons for being here, confining their comments to the quality of their meals and other mundane subjects.
When they were enjoying desert and coffee, Mr. Young picked up the folder and wagged it at her.
"This is extremely intriguing if it's real and not merely fantasy."
"Oh it's real alright. Had you, by chance, heard about the odd dimensional super heroes that visited our city about two and a half years ago? The ones that were instrumental in capturing Dr. Viper, Dark Kat and the Pastmaster plus converting a section of our prison to hold them more securely?"
He frowned in thought a moment. "Oh Yes! But I put no credence in the report...wait..." his eyes widened suddenly then fell on the file folder still in his paw. "This was from them?" He exclaimed.
Callie smiled, grateful he had such a rapier mind. "Yes indeed. They were very generous with their technology."
Young sat back and shook his head. "Just as your city is unlucky enough to be the epi-center of so many odd things, Ms. Briggs, you are also uncannily lucky as well. This..." he opened the folder and studied the contents again. "...this is an ingenious idea that could make it's new owner very wealthy many times over if sold to other military and law enforcement agencies. I can also foresee a greater application of this system in other fields like ..sports training, education, medical ... and other dangerous career fields," he murmured thoughtfully.
Callie blinked in surprise. They'd been so focused on the crime fighting aspect of the system, they'd never considered how many other fields could benefit. She was utterly stunned. The empty coffers would fill quickly from those begging for the system and would definitely make her bid for Mayor even stronger. It was mind boggling. "Oh my, none of us involved in this thought past it's initial application. But you're right, everyone could benefit from this project."
"Oh yes indeed, as would anyone so fortunate to be on the ground floor of its discovery. I would be a fool not to be the first in on such a fantastic technological advancement and I'm no fool. The magnitude of this is staggering, Ms. Briggs. It could very well help Kat kind leap decades into the future," he said in muted excitement, eyes flicking around them to insure no one was close and listening.
"What an amazing thought," Callie breathed then got herself back to the business at paw. "So, just to be certain we're on the same page here, you are willing to fund this project?" She had no doubts he would but needed it to be formally spoken between them.
Young sat forward and extended his paw. Smiling, Callie extended hers and they shook firmly. "It most certainly means we have a deal Ms. Briggs." He released her paw then eyed her shrewdly. "Since it is you that is presenting this to me and Mayor Manx has not once been mentioned, do I ascertain this is a private deal between you and I? That you are not speaking for the city?"
She smiled secretively at him then leaned forward. Intrigued, he did the same. "What I'm about to tell you is known to only a few people so far, but I intend to run for mayor."
His eyebrows raised in delighted surprise. "Why that is wonderful news. If I was a Katizen of your fair city I would be casting my vote in your favor but since I am not, allow me to support you in another way. I'd be more than happy to generously contribute to your campaign."
"Why that would be wonderful of you but I wasn't stumping for funds yet, Mr. Young..."
He held up a paw. "Tut, tut Ms. Briggs. You didn't have to. I've always known who held the true reins here and it will be refreshing to deal directly with you," he said smiling broadly.
"Then thank you for your support but I feel it important to warn you that there is some intrigue going on right now. I and my supporters suspect a mob boss has managed to infiltrate our government in preparation of placing a candidate of their own in office." She felt he should be warned what he was getting himself into.
His face grew serious. "Ahh, I see. Thank you for telling me but that only means the funds I will forward to your campaign will be doubly necessary to ensure you win against this dark horse. Your city has suffered much already. It does not deserve to be beaten down by corruption and depravity if this criminal element is allowed to win. Besides being very bad for business all around the world."
Callie shuddered at that dark prediction. "You see our difficulties with a very clear eye, Mr. Young."
He waved that off. "Any shrewd businessman could see this coming easily." He took her paw once more. "Speak no more of this now. I will take it as a given that communication between us must, of necessity, be kept under the strictest security for both our sakes."
"Thank you for your understanding," Callie said humbly. She'd never expected such high powered support and was grateful for it. "On your prospectus is a coded site where you can deposit your contribution to the project. You may tag the campaign contribution with my initials so that my team will know that it is for a different reason so you won't have to deposit again in a different place."
"Excellent. Then I'll bid you good bye until we see each other again. Be very careful, Ms. Briggs. You face many enemies now."
"I have some very special help to protect me," she admitted quietly.
His eyes lit up. "And they wear colorful costumes to, I think, eh?" he chuckled lightly. She smiled but said nothing. "And how does your Chief Enforcer fit into this new government? Doesn't he lose his position when a new incumbent takes over? Also I seem to recall some kind of scandal concerning him recently..."
"Only high society thought the circumstances were a scandal, Mr. Young. The truth of the matter is Feral was outed as an hermaphrodite and having soul bonded with a male." Young gaped at her. She gave him a small smile and shrug before continuing. "As for his future in the city, he already knows I'll keep him on but we were already getting along better because it happens his mate is the best friend of my new lover so that makes us all good friends. Believe me, it has made taking care of the city so much easier and friendlier."
"What wonderful news! Please convey to the Commander my congratulations and how lucky I consider him to be to have found his soul mate. I envy him. And luck seems to keep following you, my dear, with the finding of new love for yourself. I always felt you were too alone," he said warmly. She blushed at that, totally surprised that he had even noticed that much about her. "Let us toast your good fortune, his happiness, and our new collaboration," he said raising his coffee cup. She did the same and tapped hers against his then drank.
This had been the perfect day and she couldn't wait to tell the others how successful she'd been.