Under the Moon

Prologue

“With thisss catalyssst W014, I will have complete control over Megakat City!” Dr. Viper cackled as he held up a large vile with purple fluid.

The scientists sat in the corner shivering in fear. Dr. Viper had once again allied himself with his usual horde of bacteria and mutated monsters, which were guarding the scientists, gurgling and snarling while Dr. Viper cackled over his current victory.

“Y-you’ll never get away with this!,” said one of the scientists, making the monster nearby snarl and the scientist shrink back against the wall.

The doctor turned to face his hostage with his glowing yellow eyes. “I don’t think ssso. I have a little surprisssse for the infernal Enforcers and those meddling SWAT Katsss.” He chuckled darkly as he heard an equally familiar sound of chopper blades cutting through the air and the projector light shining through the huge windows covering the front of Megakat Biochemical Labs.

“Dr. Viper, this is Commander Feral. We have you surrounded. Release the hostages and come to the window with your paws over your head,” the mega-phoned voice said from the chopper hovering in front of the window.

“Right on cue. Time to releassse my little pet,” Dr. Viper said as he walked over to a small plant, seemingly looking like a Venus flytrap, took out a syringe from his lab coat with a green fluid.

He injected the fluid into the plant and it started to shiver and writhe as it started to mutate and started to grow rapidly. Vines started to sprout and spread throughout the building, breaking windows and cracking the walls. The head emerging out of the top, mutated and wart filled with giant sharp teeth in its mouth and roared at the choppers. Its tentacles waved and swayed around the building and started swatting the choppers like flies.

———————————————–

“Dr. Viper, this is your final warning. Surrender the hostages or you will be forced,” Commander Feral spoke again as he turned to the pilot. “Send in the tanks, and get me closer to that building. We need to get those scientists out of there.”

“We couldn’t agree more, Commander; we are already moving in,” a foreign but familiar voice said over the intercom speakers.

Comm. Feral growled: “SWAT Kats! Stay out of this. The Enforcer can handle this.”

“Look out! It’s going to hit us!” the pilot suddenly shouted as the mutant vine struck the chopper, and it spiralled towards the ground.

The intercom was still working, and a second voice came in chuckling: “We can see that, but negative, Commander, we’re going in.”

“This is Comm. Feral. Give me chopper back-up,” he said before he broke the intercom out of frustration as the infamous black jet flew over his head, aiming for the mutant fly trap.

Razor and T-bone laughed as they heard Feral’s final comment.

“He’ll need more than that to get things done around here,” Razor said to his buddy and pilot, T-bone.

“Yeah. Now let’s get those scientists and take care of old lizard face.”

“Affirmative, locking on target, locked, buzz-saw missiles deployed!” Razor said as the buzz-saw missiles flew through the air and cut through the swaying vines, making the monster scream in pain. “Bingo!” Razor said as ooze sprayed from the severed limbs, splashing over the Turbo-kat and hissing on contact with the wings.

“Wow, that thing is spraying acid all over my jet!” T-bone growled.

“T-bone, we need to get in there and stop Dr. Viper before he can create more of those monsters and harm the scientists!” Razor said as he scanned the roof top of the building overgrown with the mutant plant snapping at them.

“What do you have in mind, sure-shot? There are mutant vines everywhere, and that head has some pretty sharp teeth,” T-bone asked while he did what he could to avoid the Turbokat being turned into plant food.

“We need to get through the air shaft. It’s our only way in to the lab.”

“Sure thing, buddy. Let’s cut this overgrown daisy down.”

“Affirmative, locking on target, buzz-saw missiles, deployed!”

Four more buzz-saw missiles ejected from the bottom of the jet and flew straight for the remaining tentacles, which were trying to swat the threat away, but only one missile was destroyed and resulted in the tentacle shredded and blown clean off the beast. The rest of them aimed for the thickest part of the mutant plant. The base where the neck was attached.

The beast screamed in agony as it lost its head and fell to the street below. The remaining limbs swayed and shook as its acidic “blood” sprayed all over the place, and the plant looked like it was done when it stopped moving.

The Turbokat hovered over an open spot on the Megakat Biochemical’s roof, and the two vigilantes slid down the wires and landed lightly on the surface. They looked at each other, straightened their Glovatrixes and got ready to move in.

‘I think I’ve found our way in,” Razor said as he spotted an air vent, which led into the building.

T-bone grinned. “Leave it to you to find the tightest way in,” he said in a joking fashion, making his partner raise his brown under his mask but merely grinned back.

“It’s not my fault you can’t fit in tight spaces with that milk-belly of yours. Now, come on,” Razor answered back while smacking the back of his paw against T-bone’s stomach before he took off the front face of the vent and jumped in.

“Lead the way, pal,” T-bone said, right behind him.

———————————————–

Dr. Viper growled as he could sense that his giant fly-trap monster was beaten, which only meant one thing. That the SWAT-Kats were on their way.

“Go, my pets! Go and stop them! They must not spoil my plans, again,” he commanded his minions, and they ran down the corridor to defend their master. “I will not let those pestering SWAT-Kats ruin my plans to take over Megakat City,” he muttered to himself while the scientists were still guarded.

———————————————–

Razor kicked open the hatch to the vent and jumped down on to the tiled floor. T-bone followed and looked around with the Glovatrix aimed at any on-coming threat.

“You think old lizard-brains knows we’ve turned his pet plant into compost?” T-bone asked his partner while he scanned the building.

Before Razor could answer, they could both hear the snarling and gurgling sound of monsters coming down the hallway.

“I think he knows…. and isn’t too happy about it. I’ve located the scientists. They are about two floors down in the main research laboratory,” Razor answered as he joined his comrade in shooting down the horde of bacteria and other mutant monsters coming at them. “We need to get to the elevator shaft. It’s the quickest way down,” he continued.

“Yeah? But, what about these creeps?” T-bone asked as he could see them coming closer.

“We’ll see how well they can fly. Follow me!” Razor answered as he bolted for the elevator, closely followed by T-bone while still shooting at the beasts to slow them down, but they were gaining on the two heroes.

T-bone turned to shoot a mini-spider missile at one of the creatures when it jumped like a frog, missed the missile and chomped onto his Glovatrix.

“Get off my Glovatrix, you slimy, wart-faced toad!” T-bone roared as he tried to get the frog-thing off, but it sank its sharp teeth into the metal casing, making the metal screech as it was twisted.

In a panicked yell, T-bone threw away the broken Glovatrix so the frog monster wouldn’t get a chance to bite him. He stumbled to the floor, watching the frog-thing still biting his weapon. It spat out the metallic attachment and turned its yellow gaze to the kat on the floor. For one brief moment, the beast’s gaze locked with T-bone’s, and he was suddenly filled with dread as an old memory returned. One he thought he had banished for good.

Now he was scooting away from it as it sneered and got ready to pounce. T-bone’s eyes widened as he tried to guard his face from the leaping creature with his arms.

The frog squealed, but it didn’t meet with T-bone’s arms but with a spider missile from Razor’s Glovatrix, pinning it to the wall. It kicked and screamed in anger, and, when he was sure it wasn’t going anywhere, Razor then turned to T-bone and gave him a hand to get him on his feet.

“You alright, pal?” Razor asked as he looked at his partner before ejecting his portable shield and handed it to T-bone.

T-bone looked at his Glovatrix and watched as the holes the monsters had made were dissolving and getting bigger because of the monster’s acid drool.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” T-bone stated as he tried to put up calm demeanour.

It didn’t fool Razor, but now was not the time for psycho-analysis.

“Come on, we’re nearly at the elevator,” Razor said as he kept shooting behind them while T-bone ran head on, using the shield to deflect the monsters that came from the side corridors.

He quickly checked his paw but saw no tears in the glove. “Elevator, straight ahead!” He called back to his partner.

“Good, stand clear. Wedge missile, deployed!” Razor said as he aimed the Glovatrix at the elevator doors and then fired a missile that jammed in between the two doors. The warhead broke off to reveal two jack-like arms, which pushed the doors apart to reveal the elevator shaft and the cables that linked the actual elevator. “Jump!” Razor shouted as he leaped for the cable, and T-bone followed as they slid down the cable to the main research lab.

As they jumped off, the creatures were close behind them, attempting to climb or jump down to their target. T-bone had the shield at the ready while Razor aimed at the cable.

“Going down.” He shot a buzz-saw missile at the cable, and a loud sound came from above.

The creatures paused their descent, looking up to see the horrifying sight of the bottom side of the elevator cabin come rushing to towards them. The elevator came down on them all and compressed them like air in a piston, and it plummeted towards the bottom of the shaft. The creatures screamed before it was over-powered by the thundering boom of the elevator crashing at the bottom of the shaft.

“ALRIGHT!” the two heroes shouted as they gave each other a high-five.

“Now, let’s get to that quack and save the day. Feral is probably hacking his way through the leftovers of the giant plant we killed for him, and I don’t fancy hanging about when he blames us for more property damage,” T-bone said as they headed down to the research lab.

“Affirmative!” answered Razor as he looked up and down his partner.

T-bone noticed it and knew his partner was concerned. “I’m ok, Razor. That frog freak didn’t get me.”

Razor nodded. “I know it didn’t. It’s more your nerves I was checking.”

“I said I’m fine.” T-bone snapped as he was getting annoyed by his partner’s over-concern.

Razor let the subject go as they were close to the lab.

———————————————–

Dr. Viper was walking back and forth as he wondered what was taking his minions so long.

“What’sss taking them so long?” he muttered out loud.

“Sorry, Doc, but your buddies got off on the wrong floor. So it’s game over,” T-bone said coyly as he and Razor pointed at Dr. Viper.

“You meddlessssome SWAT-Katsssss!” Dr. Viper hissed as his last beast, the fungus-kat which was guarding the scientists, came to its creator’s defence, hissing and gurgling at the SWAT-Kats.

T-bone and Razor stood their ground and confronted the mad scientist.

“Give it up, Doc! You got nowhere to run. Any minute the Enforcers will be here and drag your scaly tail right to the slammer,” Razor said as he kept a clear shoot at Dr. Viper.

The deranged scientist was fuming with rage. “You will NOT foul my plans! I WILL take over Megakat City, and YOU will all be under MY control! DESTROY THEM!” he shouted to his monster as it snarled and charged at the two heroes.

Both jumped to each side of the green mushroom monster. Now it had the difficult choice of choosing which kat to follow.

T-bone jumped near the scientists, and, as he looked back at them, he gave them a confident look and signalled to them to head for the door while he and Razor dealt with the monster and its creator. Razor was jumping from side to side to avoid being squashed by the monster’s long tentacles. T-bone roared as he leaped from behind the monster and landed on its head, slamming the shield down hard. The monster screamed in pain as it tried to get T-bone off of it.

Slowly, the scientists crawled close to the wall, one by one, until they were out of sight. Except for one. A young male scientist was almost home free when Dr. Viper noticed his hostages were thinning out. He grabbed the scientist by the tail, which made the young tom yelp and turn around and face Dr. Viper.

“Ah, ah, ah. Not so fast.” He then grabbed the scientist by the collar of his lab coat, held him in an arm-lock, and he backed away with him.

Just then, Comm. Feral, followed by Lt. Feral and their troops, stood in the doorway as the monster slammed both SWAT-Kats against the wall near the doorway.

“Ouch,” was all they could reply as they dislodged themselves from the wall.

“Perfect timing, Feral,” T-bone stated as he saw the commander.

Comm. Feral ignored the comment as he turned his attention to the more dangerous villain. “Dr. Viper, you are under arrest. Release the hostage, the catalyst and come quietly,” he said in a firm and commanding voice, while he, his niece and troops held Dr. Viper at gun-point.

“Fat chanccccce, Feral. I will take this little guinea pig with me and use him to control Megakat City. So, don’t you move, or I will pour the catalyst down his throat!” he screamed as he backed away with hostage in his grip and held the vial of purple liquid over his head with his tail.

T-bone and Razor got up but didn’t move either.

Dr. Viper cackled, as he glared from the Enforcers and the SWAT-Kats to his hostage. “GULLIBLE FOOLS! Do you really think, I play fair?” he said as he slowly tilted the vial to pour the liquid over the panicking scientist.

The Enforcers gasped, making Dr. Viper cackle even louder.

“Heads up, Lizard-lips!” T-bone said as he quickly grabbed the shield and threw it at Dr. Viper like a frisbee.

It missed, and Dr. Viper cackled again. “HA! Misssssed me.”

But, T-bone’s wide grin didn’t fade as he crossed his arms, watching how his frisbee was now returning like a boomerang. It hit the back of the green tail, and the vial landed on the floor and shattered, and the liquid spread all over the floor.

“NOOOOO!” Dr. Viper screamed as he let go of his hostage, who scrambled over to the door and the Enforcers. Dr. Viper landed on his knees, looking at the spoiled fluid.

T-bone stood confidently before the, once again, beaten scientist. “It’s over, Viper. You’ll never take over Megakat City. Not as long as we SWAT Kats are around to kick your tail,” T-bone said with a satisfied smile as Razor stood by him. “When we stick together, you can never win,” he said.

Dr. Viper fisted his paws as he stood up and glared at the SWAT-Kats. “You meddlessssome SWAT-Katssssss have ruined my plansss for the lasssst time! When you leasssst expect it, I will come out and I will DESSSTROY YOU, AND, WHEN YOU ARE GONE, MEGAKAT-CCCITY WILL MINE!!” Dr. Viper shouted as he pointed at the SWAT-Kats with a defiant green digit.

“Not on my watch,” Comm. Feral said loudly as he turned to his troops “ARREST HIM!”

“Ssstill a fat chanccce, Feral,” Dr. Viper said as he swung his tail around and knocked over vials and test tubes from a lab table and on to the floor.

The mixing chemicals resulted in a large smoke screen with Dr. Viper cackling behind it.

Before the troops moved forward, Felina hit the nearby ventilation switch so the poisonous fumes could be cleared, but Dr. Viper was already gone, along with his fungus kat-monster.

“He got away,” Felina sighed as she and the troops spread out to search the building.

“No thanks to you SWAT-Kats,” Comm. Feral said as he needed to let his anger out on somebody, and that somebody was his ‘favourite’ pair of vigilantes.

“You’re most welcome, Feral,” Razor said sarcastically as he was getting used to Feral giving them the blame for anything.

T-bone, on the other hand, was mad as hell at Feral. “Yeah, thank you for saving the scientists and destroying the catalyst so it wouldn’t land in Dr. Viper’s slimy paws.”

“Exactly! You endangered civilians and destroyed public property,” Comm. Feral retorted, and T-bone was ready to blow.

Razor acted quickly though, placing a paw on T-bone’s shoulder to hold him back before he turned to one of the scientists who re-entered the lab. He recognised him as Dr Konway, one of the enforcer scientists. “So, Dr. Konway. Can you tell us what Dr. Viper had almost gotten a hold of?” he asked, hoping it would draw his partner’s attention.

“It was an experimental formula we were developing for the medical industry. It is supposed to de-evolve cells back to their primary state, our stem cells, so we can aid katkind in the battle against terminal diseases such as cancer and feline leukaemia. I am both elated that you stopped Dr. Viper. With his malicious paws he could have corrupted our work. But, I’m also sorry that our first physical sample had to go to waste,” Dr. Konway said, looking at the spilled fluid on the tiled floor.

T-bone glared at Feral before turning a friendly smile to Dr. Konway. “Sorry for making you all start from scratch, Doc. But, it’s good to see you all are safe and unharmed.”

“Uncle!”

All turned when Felina approached her uncle. All were eager and hoping to hear something good.

“What’s the situation?” Feral boomed as he faced his niece.

“I’m afraid he has slipped away from us again, Uncle. We’ve searched every possible and impossible exit, and the snake has managed to slither away,” Felina stated as she was just as frustrated as both her uncle and the SWAT-Kats.

“THAT FIENDISH REPTILE!” Feral shouted as he once again turned to the SWAT-Kats.

T-bone was ready as he was, sure, this time, Feral was going to pop a vein.

“IF YOU SWAT-KATS HADN’T INTERFERED–!”

“We would have had Viper gift-wrapped for you,” Razor interrupted as they started backing over to the large windows.

“Yeah, but you were just too impatient, like a kitten before Christmas,” T-bone finished, which made Feral growl and Felina chuckle quietly behind her commanding officer, but quickly stifled her grinning as her uncle turned to find the source.

“Happy hunting, Commander,” T-bone signed off and he opened the window and he and Razor beated a hasty retreat to the Turbokat now hovering outside, waiting to pick them up. They jumped into the cockpit and took off with the roar of the turbine engines, leaving a trail of smoke in their wake as they took to the skies.

———————————————–

But, unknown to the Enforcers, the scientists and our intrepid heroes, another mind was boiling over in the deepest and darkest corner of the sewers.

“They think they have won. They think they have beaten Dr. Viper, but it isss I who will have the lassst laugh. Oh, yessssssss. You had best watch out, SSSSWAT-Katsss. When you least expect it. When your guard issss down, I will ssstrike and I ssshall no longer be the cobra to your mongoossse, but you’ll be the fly to my toad,” Dr. Viper hissed as he carefully held a small test tube of the purple fluid.