As a first step toward ending this city's omega plague, Kam talked Ulysses into going after Dr. Viper. Of all the omega's this one kept a more or less permanent address and could be found much easier than the others, except for the Metallikats but they were a different problem.
Sneaking in a little of his technology and passing it off as a bit of new tech his agency came up with, Kam gave his lover a way to detect Viper's cold blood signature among all the hot blooded signatures in the swamp.
Armed with this, Feral planned a special ops mission with him and Kam heading it. But first, they would send a jet to fly high over the swamp to find the mutant Kat's hidden home, without giving away their intentions.
"It will probably take them a day to search just one section of that huge area." Feral sighed impatiently.
"Most likely, but considering how you always had to wait for him to appear in his own good time, waiting just a few days to find him yourself is well worth the time, hmmm?" Kam cajoled his lover.
"Yes, you're right. For once we will get a jump on that creep." Feral said, a hard smile of anticipation gracing his lips.
Kam grinned at his lover's enthusiasm. He couldn't imagine what it's been like for the proud Chief Enforcer to always be on the losing end with his enemies. This capture (or death, if Kam had his choice) would give Ulysses a much needed boost to his sagging self esteem.
While they waited to hear from the search team, Kam shadowed Ulysses as he worked, they discussed ways to get funding from the tight fisted Mayor, batted around strategies for catching Dark Kat next and made love at night.
Three days later and still Viper hadn't been located. Kam sighed at that, especially since he knew his shuttle would have found the omega in minutes. Resigned to wait, he had to tell his lover he wouldn't be with him that night, telling Uly, that he had a prior commitment (which was the truth) and wouldn't see him until the next day.
He could tell Uly was curious, since Kam was a stranger to the town, he wouldn't have anyone here to see but held his peace and said nothing. Kam would have to give him a good excuse by morning, his lover was very smart and might become a little suspicious by his very necessary absences.
Genus, had spent the evening after hearing some very revealing gossip at work, doing some serious research on his new lover. Sitting in his room alone, Kam having begun to spend nights with the Chief Enforcer, Genus began researching using his uplink to the shuttle's computer. As he dug into the files maintained at city hall, the news morgue's, and library files, his mind was momentarily distracted by a stray thought that had been haunting his mind of late. His leader's behavior was off somehow.
When they saw each other, which was becoming very infrequently, Kam was brisk and informative about what he was accomplishing at Enforcer Headquarters and asking Genus how he was doing but he was unusually closed mouth about why he was spending so much time with Feral.
Genus knew they were intimate because he could easily smell the other tom on Kam despite the wolf taking a shower. He also smelled the scent of a female and that confused him. Why would Kam risk their mission by getting involved so intimately with two Kats at the same time?
This worried him. This wasn't like Kam and that was cause for serious concern. Perhaps he should take Tara aside and speak with her about it so that she could observe their leader discretely. After all, that was her job...monitoring their health and state of mind.
Yes. That's what he'll do after their next meeting unless an opportunity to see her sooner came up. His mind now settled on a course of action, he was able to give his full attention to his research.
Some three hours later, he rubbed tired eyes. What he'd found out was stunning. He'd tracked Jake's career...from his blacklisting by the tech community for reasons that weren't clear in the files he found but that he suspected was piracy of a young Kat's ideas, to his time spent in the enforcers (academy to active duty) until his dismissal with a tabby by the name of Furlong, then his ignomious new position as one of the caretakers of the Megakat Salvage Yard.
That would have been a crushing blow to such a bright and engaging mind and yet, Genus could find no sign of depression and anger at the loss of their reputations. Instead he and Furlong opened a garage and worked on cars to make additional funds to pay their debt to the enforcers. That just didn't make sense, especially if one looked in the profile for Furlong. No way would that Kat accept being demoted this way without hatred or some form of retaliation.
Instead the two seemed like a likeable pair, honest, hardworking, compassionate and easy about their new station in life. So how had they managed to keep they optimism under the conditions they existed under now?
Genus sensed something more had to have happened to give them a new purpose that allowed them to accept this demotion and still have an upbeat outlook on life.
As he poured through everything he could find on the two, one thing caught his eye. He nearly missed the connection but as he kept digging it slapped him between the eyes. Of course, a salvage yard, a genius level inventor/designer, and a spectacular pilot add up to one thing. Not more than a few months after their banishment to the yard, a pair of colorful vigilantes complete with new tech and a fancy jet burst on the scene.
Inputting their physical description from news pics and the enforcer records for the pair into his uplink verified what he already suspected. His new lover was the SWAT Kat Razor.
Genus grinned, 'Well I'll be!' He thought in pleased amazement. 'Wait till I tell Kam and the others about this.'
He shook his head at how people could miss the obvious because they were too close to it. Being an outsider had allowed him to see everything as just information without the emotions involved that would blind a local from spotting the similarities because they wouldn't accept the information as truth knowing the pair involved and that mindset had protected the SWAT Kats identities all this time.
Pleased with his night's work, he yawned and noted it was after midnight. Sighing, he shut down his link and went to take a shower. Time for bed
Donar yawned and shutdown his link nearly the same time as Genus. He'd tracked the information Kam had wanted and came up with some surprising results. Checking the time line, he'd discovered the omegas had begun appearing some twelve years ago.
Before that time, local mobs were the only real threat that plagued the city. The enforcers were able to keep that in check but when the omegas appeared, first Dark Kat, then the accident that created Dr. Viper, Hard Drive, the escape and death of Mac and Molly Mange soon altered into sentient robots, Turmoil, and the Pastmaster. Interspersed among them were various 'accidents' or deliberate creations that brought forth numerous creatures. Finally, there were the aliens that 'dropped in'. This place was busier than a spaceport with all the strange things that kept appearing and happening.
All his research, though, could not find out why this all began occurring in the first place. All he did find out was the enforcers began to lose ground rapidly against these occurrences. According to his extrapolations, if one factor hadn't happened, this city would be a dead ruin and the rest of the planet would have rapidly followed. But that one event, the appearance of the SWAT Kats, changed the tide and saved the city from complete annihilation.
In the timeline, the pair appeared a little over five years ago. Since then, the city had managed to keep itself in one piece. What spooked him most was the Pastmaster. That creature had the ability to alter time and the repercussions of that could have catastrophic effects way beyond the boundaries of this planet. He shuddered at that. They really had to get rid of that creature not for Aristal alone but for the rest of the galactic community.
Shaking his head he returned to the surprise he'd discovered when creating the timeline. If Feral or any of the news hounds had bothered to do what he was doing now they would have discovered who were behind the SWAT Kats masks. It was pretty obvious by the data he'd searched through, that the pair of ex-enforcers relegated to manage the city's salvage yard were the vigilantes. That alone was an excellent bit of info. It may come in handy very soon.
Three days later, the team regrouped aboard the shuttle. Each member arrived and settled into their familiar seats and waited until everyone had arrived. Kam was the last to appear. He nodded at everyone as he sealed the door then took his seat.
"Okay, let's hear what you've got." He said briskly. "Donar, what have you found out about these omegas?"
Donar displayed a hologram of his timeline. Over the next twenty minutes he showed what this city had endured and for how long. "During my research, I did come across a very interesting fact. See this area here..." Donar pointed at the part of the timeline that showed the appearance of a pair of enforcers, "...well if you follow these two you get a surprise..." He pointed to the end.
"Hey! No fair Donar! I was hoping to break that news." Genus said, pretending to be upset but everyone could see the humor in his eyes.
Everyone eyed him questioningly. "Now how did you come across it?" Donar asked in surprise.
"By an ironic twist, I hooked up with a really cute cinnamon tom who seemed way too smart to be just a mechanic he said he was. His motorcycle is one of a kind and its equipped with tech that should be beyond this planet's capabilities. He told me he built it himself. Well that got me to thinking so I did a little digging about him and low and behold I came up with the same thing you did, Donar. My lover is none other than Razor." Genus said in amusement.
"Well, what are the odds of that?" Kam asked rhetorically then blew out a breath of air. "So, we now know the identities of the SWAT Kats. That is interesting and you have an intimate tie, Genus...that's good. We may have use for that. Are you continuing to see him?"
"It took some coaxing but yeah. He's actually a shy fellow but he's also very much a warrior despite that little flaw. He's always on alert so if I'm going to keep seeing him, it won't be long before he suss out that I'm not what I appear to be." Genus warned.
"Hmmm, by then you maybe able to tell him." Kam said thoughtfully then gave his crew a questioning glance. "What else do you have?"
"I just wanted to add that my observations of this species say they would be an excellent addition to the alliance as a way station. They are very flexible and courageous. I feel we should tell Captain Ing of that possibility so that our anthropology department and medical can do a deep probe of the inhabitants. It will give them something to do while they wait their chance to come down here." Genus suggested.
Kam's eyebrows rose in surprise. "How does everyone else feel about this...Tara?" He asked glancing at her.
"In my professional opinion, Captain, I have to agree. They are a very resilient race and would make a great addition to the alliance." She responded.
"Donar?"
The red furred wolf frowned a bit. "Well, sir, I really can't answer that. I've not had as much contact as these two have but if I went by what I've researched, then yes, they would make a great contribution. However, I reserve judgement until I see a little more of them."
Kam nodded. "Understandable. I personally agree they seemed very suited to being a way station and based on everyone's input, I will notify the Captain of it and let him decide. Does anyone have anything else to add?
"Yes sir. During my work with Dr. Sinian I got a glimmer of an idea how we could dispose of a truly dangerous creature... the Pastmaster." Tara said grimly.
"Oh yeah. Most definitely that creature has to be gotten rid of." Donar interrupted to say fervently.
Tara eyed Donar in surprise but continued her report. "Checking their ancient history, it appears the Deputy Mayor is a direct descendent of Queen Callista. This queen was the leader of Megalith City and a sorcerer. It was the last century where magic flourished. What I propose is taking a DNA sample from of Ms. Briggs, see if she is a descendent then see if our technology can goose her dormant magical genes to activate. If it works, with the help of Queen Callista's spellbook, she could be taught to do a banishment spell to rid the city of that menace completely."
Kam and the others stared at her in surprise and a little disbelief. "Uh, Tara that's reaching even for you." Kam finally managed to say.
"Not really sir, though we can't really do anything until the Captain decides its alright to reveal ourselves, it has a good chance of working and Ms. Briggs' profile shows she would be willing to do it as well. You have to admit it would be worth the attempt. The Pastmaster isn't just a threat to this city but to the whole time continuum. I'm truly surprised it hasn't cause some serious repercussions already." She said seriously.
"That's what I was thinking as well." Donar agreed wholeheartedly.
"I won't say you're wrong there...both of you...but...okay...I'll bring it up to the Captain and we'll see." Kam said shaking his head at the fantastic idea and what the Captain would make of it.
"I have something more to add, Kam." Donar said. "What I've been able to find out about Professor Hackle and his penchant for building robots, is his passion for helping Katkind. I would like to utilize that passion and try to coax him to allow his robots to be used to rid the city of Hard Drive, Dark Kat, Viper, and Turmoil."
"Hmm, you might have something there! But Viper is already going to be taken out by the enforcers, so we don't have to be concerned about him. The rest though...perhaps...I'd say go slow and feel out the Professor first, Donar then we'll see how it plays out." Kam decided.
"Yes sir. One more thing...the Metallikats..." Donar said then paused.
Kam grimaced, now here would be a moral dilemna. "Yes, should they be destroyed or captured...a good question.. I'll have to ask the Captain. I take it you want to 'deal' with it when you manage to get close to the Professor?"
"You got it, sir. I could make sure they never resurface again." Donar said grimly.
Kam nodded. "Well you've given me a lot to pass on. Anything else?" He asked. Head shakes to the negative were his response. "Fine then I'll call the ship."
That was the crew's cue to leave the shuttle and to wait outside for the results of Kam's report to the Captain.
Genus took this time to speak with Tara. "Donar, can you tune out. I need to speak with Tara privately."
Donar nodded and wandered off, pulling out some mini-earbuds and flicking on some tunes to give the pair some privacy.
"What's up Genus?" Tara asked, leaning against the shuttle.
"It's about Kam. He's been spending a lot of time with Commander Feral. I suspect he having relations with him which, as you know, could compromise his objectivity. But, that's not the main problem. Besides the smell of male, I've picked up the scent of a female on him at the same time. I'm concerned about him apparently becoming entangled with two Kats at the same time." Genus said worriedly.
Tara frowned. Okay, that was not good. Genus had a right to be concerned. "Hmm, I'll speak with him about it, Genus. Thanks for telling me." She said quietly.
Genus nodded then moved off to Donar and tapped his shoulder to say he was through speaking to Tara. Donar nodded and they fell into talking about the tom and the club where Genus had met him. Tara joined them and they talked softly, Donar and Tara planning on taking in this club at some point themselves.
An hour later, Kam poked his head out of the shuttle and signaled them back inside. Within minutes they were settled in their seats once more.
"Okay, the Captain was impressed by what we've come up with and he'll be discussing it with his staff and giving us the results in a few days. Meanwhile, Donar you have permission to get friendly with Professor Hackle and to tell him who we are. Have him keep it secret. His profile says he's very honorable and good at keeping his mouth closed on sensitive matters."
"And the Metallikats?" Donar asked, a bit surprised that they were going to be allowed to unveil.
Kam shook his head. "Not yet. Captain needs to discuss it with morals staff first. Tara, you must not pursue this matter on the Pastmaster and Ms. Briggs as yet. The Captain is concerned at how sensitive this particular matter will be even if Ms. Briggs would be willing to do it. Fortunately, that creature hasn't appeared so we can leave it be for now. However, continue your research with Dr. Sinian. When or if this is approved I want you to be as prepared as you can be and no word who we are with her, not yet."
"Yes sir."
"Now, Genus...play it cool for a while longer. Captain Ing is very intrigued by the profile on Jake and Chance. But we don't want to tip our paw yet."
Genus nodded.
"Okay, that's it for now. Excellent work guys. See you again in a week." Kam said, dismissing them. "Tara would you stay please. I need to discuss something with you."
"Of course, sir." Tara murmured then said farewell to her team mates as they filed out and disappeared into the night.
Kam closed the door and sat but said nothing for a long moment.
Tara let him be. It was obvious he was troubled by something. Perhaps it would be about what Genus had told her. She hoped so, it would save her from bringing it up herself.
"Tara, I've been seeing Commander Feral on an intimate level. I hadn't planned on getting that close to him." He laughed uneasily at that statement. "Anyway, things just got heated between us but I'm concerned. I'm feeling too much for him especially for such a casual contact."
Tara eyed him. He really looked trouble about this. "Why do you think that?"
Kam sighed and rubbed his face. "I can't seem to keep my paws off him. He's an hermaphrodite."
Tara's eyes widened in surprise.
Kam smiled at her expression. "Yeah, a real rarity huh? His scent is incredible and so exotic, it just strikes me like a hammer. I've never reacted to anyone this strongly before."
"Well, he is definitely exotic, Kam, and that could be all it is that's got your hormones all stirred up. I'm sure its nothing to be concerned about. You're lucky to find such a catch here. You certainly won't be bored." Tara said, smiling gently, an amused twinkle in her eye.
Kam relaxed. If Tara thought it was nothing but the fact Ulysses was really different then he could relax and enjoy it. "Thanks, he's really something in bed. He can take me and wants it more than once. I think he's wearing out my healing wand." Kam said in amused concern.
"Huh! You're serious? Wow! You are lucky." She grinned.
"Yeah, I think so." Kam smiling. "Well, we'd better get back to our homes. Looks like I'm going to be home for once since I told Ulysses I wouldn't be back until tomorrow." He sighed wistfully.
Tara snorted, "You'll survive, Kam."
"Yeah, but it won't be fun."