COMES THE PHOENIX, CH3

Chapter 3: Letting Jake in on the Secret

On their next meeting, T-Bone was not alone. After returning home that night, Chance waited until the next morning to drop the news on his partner.

Jake was already eating a bowl of cereal when Chance came down and got himself breakfast. As he went to get some milk he said over his shoulder,

"Don't take off, buddy. I have something to discuss with you that's very important."

"Oh, okay. You're going to finally tell me what's been bugging you for weeks now?" Jake asked curiously as he finished up his food and got up to put the bowl in the sink.

"Yeah, you could say that," Chance grunted, taking a seat and digging into his food.

Jake sighed, grabbed a glass of water and sat back down and waited patiently until his friend had finished.

Shoving his bowl aside, Chance eyed his best friend a moment before beginning to speak. "Remember when Mad Kat had taken Feral and I?" Jake nodded. "Okay, while he and I were trapped in that damn box, Feral told me something incredible. If he hadn't proved it, I would have sworn he was crazy. But his proof was scary as hell and I had no doubt he was what he said he was..." he paused a moment.

Jake frowned at him. "Well, what the heck did he do to scare you?" He finally asked impatiently.

"Do you know anything about the Phoenix, Jake?"

"Huh?" His friend stared at him in confusion.

"Just answer the question buddy," Chance said, mildly amused.

"Well, yeah I do. Remember, I'm the one who told you about them when I came across it in that old book I found. What's that got to do with Feral?"

"That's what I wanted to know when he asked me the same thing only the answer got me proof that the Phoenix exists and he's in the form of a Kat and walks among us. The Kat form is a spell put on him centuries ago. So Feral isn't a Kat at all but a mythical creature that isn't so mythical after all."

"Say what? You're telling me Feral says he's a Phoenix and proved it?" Jake said, disbelief coloring his voice.

"Yeah, that's how I felt too but, Jake, his eyes changed to a fiery red-gold, his fangs extended past his mouth, and his body glowed. It was creepy and scary as hell. I could feel the power he was barely hiding at that moment."

Jake's brow furrowed. He could tell Chance believed what he was saying but it was really hard for him to believe it too. "Okay, I trust you when you say you believe him but I think I'll reserve judgment until I see it for myself," he said thoughtfully.

"Oh, you'll get your chance alright. Anyway, what he wanted from me was to be his master and be bonded to him. I would control his change from Kat spell form to his true form then control the Phoenix while it is in our world. Dangerous just doesn't describe how deadly this creature is Jake."

"Why the heck would you have to be his master and why would he want to be enslaved like that?" Jake asked in stunned surprise.

"Because he knows Megakat City is in danger of being destroyed by a coalition of omegas that is far worse than the one we fought two years ago. He managed to find out, Dark Kat has somehow gotten Viper and the Pastmaster to work with him. They are testing our limits, wearing our forces down, and getting ready to take over the whole damn city. Because of this, Feral felt the only way to save us was to indenture himself again and allow the Phoenix out to destroy our enemies," Chance explained, grimly.

Jake stared at him in shocked horror! He known the omegas were up to something big but even he hadn't counted on how big the trouble had gotten. Adding the Pastmaster into the mix was an effective death sentence for them all.

"Oh God! I never dreamed it was that bad. He's sure of his information?"

"Jake, he's lived for centuries...he can see patterns we can't and spotted the buildup and however, he managed it, was able to find out who was involved but not where they are holed up. Unfortunately, we can't do a preemptive strike with the Phoenix until they show up in force," Chance said unhappily.

Jake could only shake his head. "Now I understand why you asked me that question about which of two evils was the best choice. I'm guessing you accepted and are now bonded to Feral?"

"Yeah. I didn't want to but he said I was the only one he trusted with this task and I had to agree finally."

"How long do you have to do this...be his master I mean?"

"For the rest of my life."

"?"

"Yeah, that was why I was really reluctant to do it."

"Crap! How does this affect us then?"

Chance blushed. "Well there's something else you should know...he was the one that made us the SWAT Kats. He deliberately set us up for the fall knowing we wouldn't give up being heroes and he was right but I told him I didn't like the way he'd done it. He had the decency to apologize for causing us so much grief but said our legacy would be the heroes that kept safe Megakat City, and that would have to suffice as a balm to our egos for losing friends, position, and family by keeping this secret."

Jake gaped, his face growing angrier and angrier by the minute as Chance told him Feral had deliberately set them up to become what they were and knew who they were all along.

"That asshole!"

Chance smiled wanly. "Oh yeah! He's that alright but he was right too, buddy."

His partner snarled and spit for some minutes before growling, "he may be right but he's still an asshole!"

"You won't get an argument from me," his partner snorted in amusement.

For more than a week after that revelation, Jake continued to fume. When Feral called to set up a meeting again, Jake was right there as Razor when they drove up on their cyclotrons one evening at Megakat Park.

Feral didn't appear surprised at all to see the smaller SWAT Kat as he boarded behind T-Bone. Without a word, they took off for the desert.

Thirty-five minutes later, they cruised slowly up into the box canyon Feral used as his sanctuary. They climbed the wall into the cave and while Razor watched uneasily, T-Bone stood with Feral at the center of the cave and firmly intoned the spell for releasal.

Instantly, Feral became the Phoenix. After giving Razor a questioning, quick sniff, it ignored him and waited for T-Bone to give him the command to leave. Once given, the Phoenix roared its pleasure and took off for the skies.

T-Bone followed it outside and kept his eyes on it for the next few hours.

Razor had been suitably shocked and awed at the sight of the mythical creature come to life especially when it lowered its lethal head toward him to sniff. Those fangs were really formidable that close up. Now he believed and was forced to accept the Phoenix would be a part of their lives until T-Bone died. It truly boggled his mind.

He had many questions to ask but now knew it wasn't wise to distract his partner while he controlled the most dangerous creature on the planet. He would wait until the spell form was returned.

T-Bone called the Phoenix back and again fought it for supremacy and won. It was a little easier this time. Feral had said it would become nearly second nature with time except when the Phoenix was in battle then all bets were off and he would have to truly work at it to keep control over it.

Cooing quietly at it, having learned that was the best way to calm it, T-Bone waited till he had its attention then spoke the reversal spell. Instantly Feral reappeared looking very pleased.

"Very nice! You're getting the hang of it now."

"Thanks. You are a little spiteful thing though but I can understand how much you must miss cruising the air like that. Must be really cool!"

Smiling broadly, Feral nodded enthusiastically. "Oh it is and that's that only thing I miss about my true form...flying and flaming...such a wonderful feeling," he sighed regretfully.

"Yeah, I think I would be real unhappy to give up something like that," Razor spoke up. "You really are something else but scary as well."

"Oh you haven't seen me be scary, SWAT Kat...wait till you see me in battle...then you'll know what scary truly is!" Feral gave him a spooky smile that made Razor shiver.

There was an uncomfortable silence before T-Bone broke it. "Let's go home!"

Leaving Feral at the park, it was only fifteen minutes more before they were roaring into the secret entrance and pulling in to park, shutting down their engines.

"Okay, I can safely say that was the most radical and awesome thing I have ever seen. I don't know how to feel about being tied to Feral for the rest of our lives, though," Razor said as he walked to their lockers and started to change clothes.

"It's even weirder for me, buddy. I'm tied to him mind to mind as well. When he's Feral, there is a barely perceptible sensation of something in the back of my mind. But when he's the Phoenix, I'm connected to a purely emotional creature that's highly volatile in temperament and take all my efforts to keep under control. It's a strange battle in my mind that I'm really unable to describe fully."

"You win! That's just freaky but fascinating as well...I have to admit. Well, our lives have just gotten really interesting. Gee...aren't we special?" Jake snarked, not happy at all about this new twist in their lives.

Chance could only grimace at the sentiment...in total agreement with his best friend.

"Hey, there is a silver lining in all this, Jake...Feral won't be trying to arrest or anymore."

"Oh joy! That's a nice break alright except now he will be a part of our lives always...some trade off."

The tabby just sighed and went up the ladder to find something to eat. He understood his partner's feelings on this but they couldn't change things so the sooner they accepted their new lot in life the sooner they could find some good in it and enjoy life once more...just like Feral was able to do but first they had a war to win.