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VAMPIRE STALKER

Chapter 5: Half Vamps

Dr. Konway's eyes were red-rimmed and exhaustion made his body ache fiercely, but he ignored it all. Two rapidly dying Kats in the containment area needed what he had managed to synthesize after nearly eight straight hours of solid work with the help of his whole lab.

With the precious solution in his paw, he hurried to the special room that held the SWAT Kat, Razor, and Chief Enforcer.

In the room, unwilling to leave despite the danger, was T-Bone. He had kept an anxious bedside vigil over his partner just as Felina did over her uncle. They were worried sick that the pair would become one of those vampire creatures. It was something they both dreaded since trying to contain the pair would be difficult if not impossible and killing them simply was not an option.

The doctors had left, unable to do more for the pair of very sick Kats but palliative care. Razor and Feral had to be intubated to keep their air ways going but it was a losing battle against the virus raging through their bodies. They were paralyzed but their eyes told how they truly felt...terrified and in agony.

The hours had passed with agonizing slowness, neither of the watchers spoke, unable to voice their fears aloud. Suddenly the heavy pressurized door to the room swished open with a whoosh of displaced air.

A worn out but excited Dr. Konway hurried in holding a vial in his paw.

"Konway! What is it? You find a cure?" T-Bone asked, hope lacing his voice as he jumped from his seat.

"No. But we did manage to develop something we hope will hold off the change until we can. This is the only chance they've got and there's no time to test it," Konway said, trying to be reassuring as he went to a nearby cabinet and retrieved a pair of needles.

"So you don't know if it will make things worse?" Felina asked, her voice squeezed tight with fear.

Konway paused at Feral's side and gave her a tired look mixed with sorrow. "No, I don't, but anything would be better than becoming a vampire, don't you think?" He asked, not really expecting an answer to that.

"He's right, Felina. Something has to be done quickly and if this has a hope of partly saving them, then we don't have a right to prevent the doc from giving it to them," T-Bone's gruff voice said what they both were thinking.

She wrapped her arms around herself and nodded. What could she say to that?

Konway had been prepping the needles while they talked and was now ready to inject Feral. Having been given permission to treat the pair, he shot the needle into the big Kat's still pulsing vein in the neck.

Turning quickly, he did the same to Razor. "Now all we can do is wait and see what happens and pray for the best," he said heavily, dropping into another chair to rest and watch the two patients.

T-Bone and Felina returned to their seats to renew their silent vigil.

When that female had bitten into his cheek, Feral had never experienced such excruciating pain. The bite itself hurt but it was what was in her saliva that had felt like acid had been poured into the wound. But then his whole body went numb and that had been much more frightening. As he lay on the medical bed, he felt his internal organs seeming to heave and twist but he was helpless and unable to cry out. It felt like his whole body was being turned inside out.

More than once over the long hours of choking for air through a paralyzed throat, the body changes, and mind numbing terror over what was happening to him, he wished he was unconscious or dead. He heard Konway come in and tell Felina and T-Bone that he had something that might help. Personally, Feral didn't know if that was a good thing or not at this point but since he couldn't voice his objection, he was soon going to find out.

Razor had also been experiencing the same things as the Chief Enforcer. His leg felt as if it had been bathed in napalm then when his whole body went numb, he struggled mentally against the changes he could feel in his body and the terror-filled need to breathe. It was a losing battle but he couldn't stop fighting. He barely heard Konway's offer of a possible partial fix, his mind too wrapped up in its battle for survival.

Nothing seemed to happen for some ten minutes. Then the room erupted in screams and thrashing bodies, as first, Feral then Razor flailed in agony, nearly breaking their restraints. Their companions did their best to offer comfort and to keep them from escaping their bonds.

The alarms on the breathing machines were going wild adding to the clamor that seemed to go on for far too long but was only some twenty minutes before the two bodies went limp and two throats gagged in desperation against the breathing tubes.

Konway quickly removed, first Razor's then Feral's tubes leaving the pair to gasp and heave for air for several minutes. While they were recovering, Konway placed nasal cannulas in their noses to give them more oxygen then he signaled for medical assistance to the room.

Some two minutes later two doctors and four nurses quickly entered wearing full protective gear. They each took a patient and did an exam. Konway explained what he'd given the pair and what he hoped would occur from it.

Razor's physician, Dr. Temons, shook his head. "Well, according to the initial exam, the SWAT Kat is breathing okay, the paralysis has disappeared but his fangs have grown longer and his eyes are sensitive to light. The wound on his leg has healed over as if it had been days rather than hours since his attack. We'll need to run a chem panel to know what kind of changes have occurred," he reported, his voice reflecting his confusion by what was going on with his patient.

"Commander Feral is in about the same condition, Dr. Konway. Do you want to run the results or do you want the lab at the hospital to do it?" Dr. Staker asked, as he stood beside Feral's bed.

"Both, actually. Take enough for my use as well as your own. I want independent eyes on this and get it done asap. Don't let the samples from your sight and take extreme care in their handling," Konway advised.

"Good idea. Don't want to create our own mutants due to carelessness," Dr. Temons agreed, taking a blood sample from Razor.

Moments later, two vials of deadly blood was being carried off by Dr. Staker to their lab for analysis and two vials were given to Dr. Konway. Dr. Temons stayed with the patients to continue to monitor their progress.

Feral and Razor seemed more aware and in less pain though both felt odd.

"Razor! How's it going with you buddy?" T-Bone asked his friend, anxiously.

"I...feel so strange...and hungry..." Razor rasped, his throat still very sore.

"Uncle?" Felina asked Feral, worry and concern in her voice as she leaned over the big tom so that he could see her better.

The lights over both toms had been dimmed so they wouldn't be in pain from the brightness. Felina could see the overlong fangs Dr. Temons had mentioned. It made her uncle's mouth look odd. His eyes looked strange as well...the gold having red rims around them now.

Feral began to cough when he tried to speak. Felina offered him some water which he quickly downed and just as abruptly spit back out, hissing angrily. His eyes seemed to glow with madness for a moment before he managed to find some kind of control, his face grimacing with distaste.

"That tastes nasty... I'm still thirsty but not for that..." He complained hoarsely.

"It was only water, Uncle," Felina said in shocked distress. "Oh God, T-Bone! You don't think...?" Her voice trailed off in horror looking over at him.

T-Bone blinked and shook his head. His mind didn't want to think that his partner and Feral now craved blood and couldn't eat or drink anything else.

Not happy either, but needing to have an answer, Dr Temons whispered to one of the nurses who left the room quickly. He turned to the others in the room.

"I'm almost afraid the partial cure, Dr. Konway was able to make may only have allowed you two to breathe and retain your minds but left you with most of the weaknesses of the poor altered Kats," he said grimly.

Feral and Razor choked in anger and fear. That meant they might be half vampires/half Kats.

Just the thought of that made Feral sick inside. The hunger he was feeling was increasing as time went on. It wasn't something you could ignore like missing a meal. He'd done that often enough. No...this was far more intense and impossible to ignore. Is this what those poor Kats turned to vamps felt? If it was, it was no wonder they went totally crazy. He shuddered, if not for the...whatever it was Konway had given them...he and Razor would be the same way.

"It's horrible! I can't turn it off or ignore it and its getting harder to push back the need!" Feral moaned tautly.

"I know! It's like a fire eating the insides of my stomach out!" Razor agreed, thickly. His mind horrified by the realization he was hungry for blood.

"What is?" T-Bone asked, confused by what the two were talking about.

"Hunger!" Feral hissed tightly, struggling against his bonds suddenly, wanting to get to the blood he could smell around him.

T-Bone and Felina as well as the medical staff stepped back from the beds hurriedly. The look in the afflicted toms eyes was chilling. They seemed to be staring at the healthy Kats as if they were a meal they wanted to devour whole. Everyone was uneasy. Suddenly the sealed door whooshed open and the nurse who had left on an errand, returned with bags of plasma in her paw.

At the sight of it, both Feral and Razor went nearly mad and tried to jerk their bodies forward to get at her burden. Their growls and snarls filling the room. Nervously, the doctor and nurses hurriedly took two bags a piece and brought them closer to the two patients.

The ravenous pair was salivating violently. The medical crew was too afraid to approach them any closer so Felina and T-Bone took the bags and pull their stoppers out so that the pair could drink them down rather than have it pushed through a vein.

Razor snatched the first bag T-Bone carefully held out to him and sucked it hungrily down. Feral did the same with Felina's offering. It took them only seconds to finish and be looking for more. When they'd finished the second bag they seemed more calm.

"Are you okay now?" T-Bone asked carefully, tossing the two empty bags in the trash.

"A little. It doesn't hurt as much...sort of a dull roar," Razor said.

"Uncle?"

"I could certainly use more but it's a little easier to control the need for the moment," Feral admitted unhappily. The thought he had just drank two bags of blood and was still hungry for more made him ill.

"Well now that your hunger pains are fed...somewhat...how do you both feel?" Dr. Temons asked, warily.

Frowning, Feral looked inward. He felt hungry, anxious, the lights hurt his eyes, and he felt a strong need to hunt for more blood starting with the warm bodies in the room. He forcibly squashed that desire, not wanting to frighten those with him.

Razor was doing the same as Feral. He noted he felt stronger, more powerful but also very hungry with an intense desire to attack every warm blooded thing in sight. That was a terrifying thought, he forced away the best he could. He glanced over at Feral and saw the same look in his eyes...they had to get out of here or they would harm their own friends and fellow Kats.

"I'm alright, sort of. I hunger for blood and feel a strong need to hunt," Feral admitted cautiously.

"Me too. We're not safe around normal Kats right now but our condition could help us solve the vampire virus problem," Razor said grimly.

"Well, Dr. Konway is already testing your blood and working on a cure. What else are you thinking of?" T-Bone asked.

Glancing over at Feral again, Razor said, "He and I could hunt for Viper and force him to give us the antidote. No way would that snake puss make something this dangerous without making an antidote for it."

"What? Are you crazy! How do you expect to get close enough to him?" T-Bone blurted angrily.

"We are already infected. I'm willing to bet the other vampires won't bother us and our new abilities will allow us to overcome his plant minions," Razor explained.

Feral had to admit, the SWAT Kats idea was a sound one. "I think that's a good idea. We are running out of time before more vamps are made and our streets run with blood. Who better to do this than us?"

"I don't like it! You're betting the vamps won't touch you but you can't be certain of that?" T-Bone growled.

"We'll soon find out," Razor said firmly.

"Razor..."

Feral cut T-Bone off. "No, SWAT Kat. There is no more time for arguing. We must stop this quickly. You two can act as our liaison with the enforcers, keep the larger of Viper's plants away from us then take Viper when we're through questioning him."

Normally, T-Bone would tell Feral to shove his orders and do what he wanted to, but he could see Razor agreed with the Commander on this and wouldn't be budged to change his mind. Sighing in defeat, he nodded.

"Fine! We'll do it your way but I don't like it!"

"Neither do I!" Felina said, fuming but not offering any further resistance.

"Actually, I doubt Razor likes this plan any better than I do but there's really no other choice. Neither of us knows if Konway's drug will hold or if we will remain permanently this way. We have to find the antidote soon! I have no desire to live like this the rest of my life," Feral said plainly.

"Crud! Yeah, I can certainly see your point on that," T-Bone said flatly. "Well, it's nearly evening. I guess we should get you some more blood to drink then prepare to go out hunting...right Razor?"

"You got it buddy! If someone would let us up now..." Razor asked, pushing up on the straps holding him down.

"Oh right! Sorry!" T-Bone said contritely as he moved forward to begin removing the straps and Felina did the same for her uncle.

Chapter 6: The Hunt Begins

'Perhaps being released from our restraints wasn't such a great idea,' Razor thought uneasily as he nearly leaned closer to his partner, fangs at the ready before jerking back in horror at what he nearly tried to do. The smell of warm blood was maddening and he was glad T-Bone moved away as quick as he did.

It took clamping his mouth shut for Feral to not tear into Felina's neck as she came close enough to undo his own restraints. When she got to the last restraint on his right wrist, he turned his head away violently.

"Move away, Felina!" He hissed warningly.

Felina jerked reflexively at the hissed urgency in her uncle's voice but kept at her task of freeing him, though she kept her head away from his while she did it. She didn't miss the barest edge of control and urgent need in her uncle's voice. She stepped away to the wall as soon as his wrist came free of the cuff.

Feral kept his head turned away as he rubbed his sore wrists and sat up. It drove him crazy to be acting this way. He needed to get out of here but there was too much to be done and it wasn't dark yet outside. The hunger was trying to push at him to attack once more and it was taking all his self control to stay on the bed.

After being released, Razor also had trouble controlling himself. 'God, I can't believe how intense this hunger is!' Sitting up, he kept his body huddled on the bed, not daring to leave it.

While T-Bone and Felina were releasing the pair, Dr. Temons had the nurse who brought the first batch of blood, quickly get more. She was just returning when the pair sat up.

The smell of fresh blood, dragged Razor's attention immediately to the nurse carrying it. An overwhelming desire to have it made him nearly lunge from the bed. He caught himself in time but was surprised to see he was crouched on the bed rather than sitting on it. T-Bone shoved a bag in his face and snatched his paw away when Razor ravenously grabbed it and began drinking it down. Some dribbled down his face in a bloody trail.

Feral had been staring at a point on the bed but jerked his head up at the heady scent of fresh blood. Before he could control himself, he was nearly half off the bed. His paws grabbed the end of the rails desperately to halt his forward lunge. Felina quickly waved a bag before his face and he nearly snatched at her wrist before sinking fangs into the bag and making a mess of himself in the process. He finished the bag then licked it off himself hungrily.

The sight made Felina ill and she was forced to turn her face away. T-Bone was sick at what his buddy had been reduced to. In his mind, he swore Viper would die painfully for what he'd done. But he suspected it would be his partner that would have that honor. No way would Viper survive the night.

As quick as Razor and Feral finished a bag, T-Bone and Felina would hand them another until they had finished the three bags a piece the nurse had brought.

A sigh of relief escaped Razor as he finished the last bag and tossed it into the trash. "Okay, now I can think more clearly, the hunger is still there but far more manageable," he said aloud, relief laced with grimness in his voice. He leaped over the railing of his bed and stood up, appearing healthy and strong. That totally belied what his blood coated and ripped clothes told was the true story.

Feral scooted to the end of the bed and slid off in a more sedate fashion. He was naked from the waist up and it was blood soaked from when he broke the first bag. He looked as strong as he always had. There was no sign he'd even been attack since his cheek was completely healed. But staring into his red-rimmed gold eyes and seeing the fangs peeking through his mouth, one knew he wasn't normal any longer.

"Felina! I need clean clothes, however, not a uniform. Get me one of my old flight suits. It will be easier to move in and dark enough for me not to be seen by Viper in the swamp," he told her.

"Right away, Uncle. Return as fast as I can," Felina responded, turning and leaving quickly on her errand.

"Could you do me the same favor, buddy. I don't want to attract undo attention with blood on my clothes. Other vampires might find us tasty because we are still half Kats so let's not give them any ideas," Razor said, staring ruefully down at his ruined flight suit.

T-Bone had to agree, Razor made a ghoulish sight. "Yeah, wouldn't want you to become a snack for one of them again, once was enough. I'll be right back." The tabby turned and left behind Felina.

"If not being blood covered is your objective, I think you two need a shower. Follow me and I'll take you to the nearest one so you can wash up while waiting for your clothes," Dr. Temons said, leading the way from the room.

Feral glanced at Razor and the two traded guarded looks as they followed the doctor out. They remained very close together, not for companionship, but for ensuring neither lost control. The way they were feeling, no way did they want to risk one or both of them attacking the warm bodies around them. Staying close insured they could keep one another in check.

To Feral it felt really strange to have these insistent thoughts of wanting to attack the warm bodies passing by them. Thankfully those in this area were well aware of the situation and kept a large distance between them and the altered toms wearing blood and with eyes that made them shudder when they glanced into them.

Very quickly they were escorted to a bathroom with a single shower. They were ushered in, given soap and towels then the door was firmly shut behind them.

Sighing in relief, Feral went to the shower and turned it on. Razor was stripping his clothes off behind him.

"Be glad to get this blood off," Razor muttered. Feral just grunted. "Look, we need to talk before our friends return," he continued.

Feral gave him an understanding look. "I agree. We need a plan."

"Roger that!"

As they washed up hurriedly, the pair discussed what they needed to accomplish. They had a firm plan laid out by the time they finished their showers and their clothes arrived. Dressing quickly, they stepped out and the group headed for a small conference room.

Feral used the phone to summon his squadron officers, second in command and Ms. Briggs. T-Bone and Felina blinked at that in confusion but Feral refused to explain until all parties had arrived.

The officers arrived first and stared uneasily at their commander as they were told to have a seat and wait. Not more than fifteen minutes later, Ms. Briggs arrived. Since the emergency, she had not left her office as she tried to keep the Katizenry calm with news spots. Not daring to risk her safety, Feral had her picked up by chopper.

"How is the city handling this, Ms. Briggs?" Feral asked her as he began the meeting.

"Nervous, frightened and threatening the Mayor with bodily harm if he doesn't do something about it," Callie said, in grim humor.

"That's certainly understandable and if what Razor and I plan is successful, tomorrow you'll be able to tell the city the danger is over," Feral told her.

"That's the kind of news I'd be glad to give out."

"To accomplish that, Razor and I came up with this plan, so listen up! First, Kitsner, I want you to clear out two weapons vaults immediately. This is where we're going to put the newly killed bodies and any vampires we find," he ordered his second in command.

"Second, I need you, Ms. Briggs, to turn on the Emergency Broadcast System and tell all Katizens that martial law is being instituted. As of immediately, all Katizens will confine themselves to their homes or places of business until dawn. All windows and doors must be sealed and barricaded. If you have a basement, go into it and don't come out until morning. No businesses will be open! That includes, hospitals, fire departments, police, and public works. We have to hope there will be no fires during this period because I don't want our fireKats at the mercy of these creatures. As for medical emergencies, all calls will be directed to my enforcer comm center. Chopper crews with medical personal will fly where they're needed but no one is to be on the ground where they can be attacked. No one will be on in the open, unprotected for any reason," he said firmly.

"What about criminal activity?" Ms. Briggs asked in concern.

"Frankly, Ms. Briggs, if criminals and their targets are stupid enough to be out after they'd been warned, they deserve what they get. But, despite my feelings on that, I do have a plan to handle it, just wait and I'll explain."

She nodded and settled back to listen further.

"Third, we need to contact all morgues and have any bodies that were vampire kills transported to our metal storage rooms asap before darkness falls.

Fourth, my chopper patrols will be on the look out for any normal Katizen walking around outside. Once spotted the offender will be picked up and taken to Enforcer Headquarters for their safety until dawn.

Fifth, my jet fighters and choppers will also be on watch for any vampires. For their capture, only T-Bone will handle it with Felina as weapon's officer. He has the weapons we hope will confine them. He will haul them here. Officers, who have volunteered, will be dressed in battle armor and will take the vampires, without removing them from their restraints, to the holding area.

That's the plan and it's the only one we've got with any hope of success. If all works out, this will be ended before dawn. You have your orders, execute them as fast as possible. We have only two hours until full dusk. Move!" Feral barked.

His officers snapped to attention and left quickly to begin their tasks. Ms. Briggs took off for her ride to the local TV station to set in motion Feral's orders. She prayed his and Razor's plans were successful.

"I hope this works, guys. We're not at all certain if our weapons will hold against the ones that are already vampires. I don't want to see anymore people killed and altered," T-Bone said grimly.

"Neither do I. It will make Razor and I's work much easier if we don't have to worry about normal Kats. As for the vampires, how do we contain any we find, Razor? They are super strong and dead...uh, more or less. Not much we have can affect them," Feral asked, frowning in concern.

"I have just the thing, I hope. T-Bone go get a back up glovatrix for Feral to use plus refills for my spider chain, octopus and slicer missiles... oh, and bring an extra spot flash as well...hurry buddy!" Razor ordered his partner.

"Sure thing!" T-Bone said, leaving the room at a run, heading for the Turbokat parked on the flight line a floor up.

Feral eyed Razor questioningly.

Razor answered that look. "They are the best I have and hopefully they will be strong enough. The flash is bright enough to blind them. Make sure you have your heavy duty visor to protect your own eyes"

"Good idea and I hope you're right about your missiles! Now, what about if we have no choice but to kill them?"

The smaller SWAT Kat grimaced unhappily, "That's where the slicer missile comes in. Cutting their heads off would be the fastest and most humane method."

Feral nodded, his own expression grim and unhappy but determined. 'All the more reason to take that slimy omega out,' he thought coldly. In this case, he would prefer dead rather than alive and damn the consequences. This mutant had come far too close to killing everyone in the most horrible fashion ever. He didn't deserve to live and Feral was tired of him escaping jail over and over again. It would end tonight and he had a strong feeling the SWAT Kat felt the same way.

Things moved rapidly after that. Darkness was falling when the last body known to have been killed by a vampire was tucked away in the vault and shut in. Guards were put on the door.

Callie's message through the airways, produced a ghost town. When Razor and Feral went down to Razor's cyclotron there was an eerie silence over the once busy city. The air was filled with the sounds of choppers and jets as they began their gruesome patrols.

Feral and Razor rode in the belly of the Turbokat while T-Bone and Felina were in the cockpit. The pilot lifted off the flight deck and soared toward the swamp. Within a couple of miles of it, the double cyclotron was launched.

As soon as it touched the ground, Razor raced off. He and Feral figured the swamp would be the best place to start searching for Viper. If he wasn't here, they weren't looking forward to trying to find him in the sewer system of the city. That could take days they didn't have.

Above them, the Turbokat returned to the city and began their patrol. He had the enforcer band on so they would hear any calls for them immediately.

It was more than fifteen minutes before the first one came in.

"That's in the shopping district, T-Bone," Felina reported.

"Gotcha! Heading there on all engines," T-Bone acknowledged grimly. He directed the jet to the location and saw a pair of choppers circling over a vampire in the midst of a kill.

Grimacing in disgust and anger, T-Bone brought the jet down close. The vampire was too intent on its meal to care. The drive to feed too strong for self preservation.

Felina fired a spider chain missile which quickly enveloped the creature and its victim. She quickly winched it up. The creature screamed and struggled. At first it seemed it would escape but to their relief, the netting held.

T-Bone quickly flew his gruesome cargo back to Enforcer Headquarters.

"This is Lt. Feral, bringing in one vampire and its victim. Be prepared to accept delivery," she called over her radio.

As soon as they arrived, six armored enforcers were standing by. Carefully, T-Bone swung the netting over the flight line and waited until the enforcers were ready before releasing the line. They continued to wait to see if the troops could transport the thing safely into custody.

Taking netting and all, the troops lifted the screaming creature and its victim onto a rolling cart. Keeping the netting tightly closed, two enforcers pushed the cart, while the other four kept hold of the netting.

Felina and T-Bone could see that it was an effort for the enforcers to keep the netting tight but they managed and the group quickly made for the inside.

Still T-Bone was loathed to leave. He needed to be sure their prisoners could be managed and locked up safely. It seemed to take forever but some ten minutes later, Felina got the report that the prisoner and the victim were secured...no casualties. With a heartfelt sigh of relief, the pair headed back out on patrol.

Chapter 7: Swamp Hunting

While T-Bone and Felina were handling their first vampire of the evening, Razor and Feral arrived at their destination. Parking his cyclotron on somewhat solid ground, Razor set the security system and armed with their daylight flashes, the two began to slink quietly to where it was suspected Viper had his hidden lab.

Feral was surprised at how well he could see out here. There was no moon and the city lights were far behind them so it was very dark here except for the glowing phosphorescent algae floating on the scummy water. The stench was stronger than he remembered too. Must mean his sense of smell was better as well...that really wasn't a good thing.

Razor's ears were twitching and turning, trying to catch any sound that warned of danger. He too noted that his vision was far better than it had a right to be as was his hearing and sense of smell.

He tried not to inhale too deeply of the scent of rotten vegetation and other things as he tramped through the high weeds and over the soggy ground.

They'd walked for some twenty minutes without locating any sign of Viper or his creatures and, disturbingly, hunger was starting to stalk them once more making them very irritable. Razor had moved into Feral's path at one point and received a hiss and snarl for his trouble. The smaller SWAT Kat returned the hiss but moved away, giving them both space from each other.

Suddenly a loud 'plopping' noise startled them, causing both to freeze and listen hard. Nothing moved and there was no further sound but the usual insect and night creatures so they decided it was safe and continued probing the thick undergrowth along the banks of the swamp.

Feral was some ways from Razor when something huge, wet, and very smelly reared up from the water and snatched him. The big tom roared with fury before he was dragged under the water.

Razor raced to the spot but could see nothing but the brief disturbance which began to subside so that he couldn't tell where the creature was with Feral. Hissing with anger, he paced the water's edge anxiously, shining his flash over the water to try and see into the murky depths, without success.

Beneath the water, Feral could see nothing as he struggled with the creature. He felt teeth bite down on his leg and he had to keep from screaming or he'd swallow the water and maybe drown. He wasn't certain of that since he was only half alive. A blood fury overcame him, nearly drowning the pain, as he turned his head and tore into some part of the thing with his fangs.

He must have gotten something vital because it released him and disappeared. Now he was floating in the dark with no idea where up was. Before he had a chance to panic, a light pierced the water then moved away. Hurriedly he chased after it and found he was rising to the surface. Seconds later, he burst free of the water and dragged air frantically into his lungs.

Razor heard a loud splash and flashed his light to it quickly. He spotted Feral flailing and gasping for air. His flash hit the tom's eyes causing him to screech in pain.

"Shit! Sorry Feral!" He apologized, flicking the light away but using it to guide the dark tom back to shore. He leaned out to help the thoroughly soaked tom to climb the slippery bank to more solid ground.

Feral sputtered and coughed as he sat trying to recover. His leg burned like fire but it was getting less painful as time passed.

"Razor! (Cough) Shine that light on my leg!" (Cough)," he managed to choke out.

The flash shone on a jagged tear in the fabric and fur. Blood was leaking out slowly but as they watched it soon stopped then the tear in his skin began to seam together.

"Handy ability," Razor grunted. "Are you okay now?"

Feral slowly got to his feet and shook himself. "Yeah, seem to be. Did you see what it was?"

"Nope! Took you down way too fast for me to make it out before it vanished with you. How'd you get away?"

"Bite it!"

"Yuck, well at least the fangs are good for something," Razor snorted. "Unfortunately, all that racket may have given us away..." his voice trailed off as the two listened silently for some minutes.

"Appears not. Probably common here," Feral finally said.

"That's to our advantage actually. Let's try this direction and keep a better eye on the water from now on," Razor said grimly, turning away from the bank and heading toward a more tree filled area of the swamp.

Feral didn't object and willingly moved back from the water's edge. He was now wet and uncomfortable, raising his irritability factor even more as the hunger hadn't abated and was really nagging at him. Woe be to anyone that was stupid enough to be out here...they wouldn't last a second with two hungry vampires on the hunt.

_ Back in the city... _

Felina and T-Bone had captured three more vampires and, unfortunately, each of their victims by this time.

"Crud! I wish we could find the things before they kill someone but they are practically invisible," T-Bone growled in frustration.

"I know!" Felina bit out, just as frustrated as her flying partner. "It doesn't help that there are so many fools not willing to listen to the 'stay inside' ban, providing the vamps fresh food."

"I'm with your uncle when he said they get what they deserved. The threat is real and yet they still throw their lives away for nothing more than greed or needing a pack of cigarets. They're right when they say cigarets kill," the tabby said in grim humor.

Felina just groaned at the misplaced humor of the pilot then she spotted something below them.

"T-Bone, go back! There seems to be a rather large group of idiots in front of a club. Couldn't tell if it was a fight or what was going on."

"Well, let's just see..." T-Bone grunted, turning the jet around and going to VTOL over the spot she had indicated. Bringing the jet lower, the pair could plainly see it was a fight going on. Snorting in disgust at such stupidity, the pilot lowered the jet to the street.

Opening the canopy, he and Felina kept a wary eye out for vamps that would be drawn to the commotion as they approached the group.

Both males and females surrounded the pair of battling males. Rather than wade in, T-Bone fired a flash bulb missile into the air after warning Felina to protect her eyes. The crowd screamed in shock, blinded and falling all over each other.

"Shut Up!" Felina bellowed.

The crowd went silent though there were still some cursing and crying going on as well as the grunting sounds of the two males still whaling the tar out of each other. T-Bone stepped forward and yanked both combatants away from each other then shouted in their faces.

"Are you two crazy? There are vampires wandering around and here you fools are, out in the open, providing them a ready-made feast." He shook both and dropped them on the ground.

"Now get your asses back inside before the Lieutenant here has you all arrested and taken to Enforcer Headquarters," he roared at them.

"Not your homes, you ninnies!" Felina shouted when she saw some of them heading off into the dark. "Get inside that club and stay there until dawn. The manager can't evict you but he can refuse to serve you anything more tonight. Now get your butts inside...move!"

Suitably cowed the club goers and the combatants headed for the door of the building. T-Bone and Felina watched them to insure all were indoors and safe.

Unfortunately, the commotion had attracted the hunters. As the last of the crowd began to disappear into the club, several dark shapes dashed from a nearby alley and snatched a few of the lagers. Screams filled the air causing a panic with the crowd at the door. The ones in back shoved the ones in front violently, trying desperately to escape the certain death at their rear. Within moments, the rest of the Kats vanished inside and the door slammed shut.

Meanwhile, outside, T-Bone and Felina were using their glovatrixes to fire spider chain missiles at the attackers. They knew it was impossible to separate the killers from their victims once they'd latched on. The vamps ability to kill swiftly meant no victim was spared to make it to a hospital anyway so they didn't even try.

There were six vampires and it was a race for the pair to take them out before they became the next candidate for those deadly fangs.

Nearly all were caught in the first volley but not two of them. They had been faster with their kills and were looking for more victims. Spotting T-Bone and Felina, they split up and advanced on the preoccupied pair.

"Look out T-Bone!" Felina shouted as she spotted one rushing up behind the tom. She fired a tarpedo missile because she was out of spider chains. She immediately followed it with a flash bulb missile which made the ones tied up on the ground and another one that had nearly gotten her, to scream in pain.

T-Bone saw the one near Felina and shot his last spider chain missile at it.

As the flash bulb faded, the pair hurriedly ran back to the jet before more could appear and leaped aboard. Once airborne, T-Bone fired another spider chain at the tarred faced vamp before going about collecting all the wrapped up vamps. Using the sky claw, he carefully picked them up without losing any. Their load now secured, T-Bone flew them to Enforcer Headquarters.

"Lt. Feral to tower! Arriving with six vamps and five victims in five minutes."

"Roger, Lieutenant!"

_ Back out in the swamp... _

They'd been searching the swamp for more than two hours now and were getting very frustrated and becoming more vicious as time went on.

"Stay away from me!" Feral hissed hungrily as Razor slipped to close again to him as they navigated through a clot of trees with hanging vines on them that made getting by that much more difficult.

Razor snarled back, flashing fangs. "I'm just as hungry as you are so shut up!"

Feral nearly charged the tom but forced himself under control. They needed to find Viper soon or they would be reduced to killing each other. Turning away from the SWAT Kat, he pushed through a thick patch of vegetation and was surprised to come upon a clearing. He halted before pushing through completely to stare around cautiously. His caution paid off as he spotted one of Viper's mushroom soldiers standing near a huge, thick tree that didn't quite look natural.

He stepped back quickly and grabbed Razor's arm, putting a finger to his lips. The small tom nearly snapped at him but halted instantly when he saw the look of urgency on Feral's face.

Feral leaned close and whispered, "I think we hit paydirt! There's one of Viper's mushroom things standing before a tree which doesn't look like a tree. Go through there and see!" He advised, releasing the tom.

Razor nodded then slipped through the hole Feral had made and peered out when he reached the edge of the clearing. He stayed back far enough to still be hidden by the near wall of vegetation. He studied the tree closely before backing away and returning to the big tom.

"You're right! It looks fake. So how do you want to play this?" Razor asked tensely.

"Come in from either side and take out the monster," Feral said simply.

Razor nodded and made off to the left while Feral went right. They met up on either side of the odd tree and leaped out at the same time. Claws and fangs tore the mushroom thing to ribbons before it could even screech.

"Yuck! That tasted nasty!" Razor hissed softly, spitting out what he'd taken into his mouth.

Feral agreed as he too spit out his gross mouthful.

Razor went up to the tree and studied it very closely. He went around it once before returning to the front and lifting his glovatrix. Using a small light he finally located what he was searching for then used a small device to push into the locking mechanism he'd found. There was a soft click and a door silently opened. It had been cleverly hidden so no one could have discovered it.

The door opened to a set of stairs made of stone leading down into the dark. A faint light could be seen at the bottom. They headed down, allowing the door to close silently behind them. At the bottom, they came upon a lab.

The buried room had been carved out of rock and was some twenty by fifty in size. A long rectangle. The end of the room had doors on one side which were closed at the moment. The lab itself held long tables filled with beakers, microscopes, burners with stuff bubbling in beakers on them, dozens of petri dishes, a wall of cabinets, a fridge, cages, computer, and other lab equipment that one would find in a modern lab.

Viper was no where to be seen. Creatures in the cages hooted, howled and screeched at them as they passed. Feral's first instinct was to trash the whole lab but they needed to find the antidote first. They'd just reached one of the doors when one of them opened and Viper walked out, attention on something he was holding in his paws. He looked up and squawked in shock at the sight of the two.

"You! What are you doing in my lab?" He screeched angrily, turning to swat Razor with his tail, sending the SWAT Kat against the nearby wall. But he couldn't turn fast enough to prevent Feral from grabbing him.

Clutching the paper in his paw tightly, Viper used his other paw and feet to fight Feral, barely beating the tom back from him. He prepared to turn and disappear through the door that was still open but Razor was there first.

"You're not going anywhere snakepuss!" Razor hissed, displaying his fangs.

Viper's eyes widened in horror, backing away but ending up running into Feral's chest. The huge tom wrapped his arms around the lizard and leaned his head forward, displaying his own fangs.

The mutant Kat shuddered in shocked dismayed as well as confusion. "How could you be ssstill alive?"

"Just lucky I guess," Feral growled, using all his self control to not take a bite from Viper's neck. The sound and smell of blood running beneath the mutant Kat's skin were driving him crazy.

"Where's the antidote for this? We know you would have made some if only to protect your slimy butt." Razor demanded, pushing his face even closer to Viper's.

Viper's eyes were huge with fear, he continued to clutch the paper tightly in his paw as he tried to weigh his options...they were pretty bleak.

Chapter 8: Getting Back to Headquarters

Faced with certain death at the paws of his own creation, Viper did the only thing he could...surrender.

"Thissss isss the formula for the antidote. I haven't made a batch asss I had no need to," he hissed reluctantly.

Feral didn't release him, his grip tightening and his face moving closer.

Viper froze in terror at the look of hunger in the huge tom's eyes. Razor noted Feral's increased tension and divined the reason.

He put a careful paw on Feral's near arm. "Easy, Commander. We still need him alive a bit longer. If something's not right about the formula we're back where we started from except we'll be minus the one who made it," he warned.

Taking a hard pull on himself, Feral let go of Viper rather violently, shoving him hard enough to knock the mutant out against the nearest rock wall. The lizard Kat slid to the floor in a heap. Razor just shook his head and went to search the lab using the sheet of information Viper had been holding.

He wanted to see if he could find any of the ingredients that maybe only Viper had in his stock. They couldn't afford time wasted looking for this stuff back had headquarters. Realizing what he was doing, Feral gave him a paw while keeping an eye out for any more of Viper's creatures.

He did find more creatures that had suffered under Viper's cruel experiments. Furious, he quickly dispatched them. He caught himself licking the blood from his paws but couldn't stop despite his disgust.

Razor scented the blood and it took every ounce of will power not to attack Feral for his share. Just as disgusted with himself as Feral was, the SWAT Kat hurried his search, wanting out of here as fast as possible.

He soon had a box full of various potions and other items and was making for the door. Feral had picked up their prisoner and was carrying him out. They met nothing as they stepped out into the swamp once more.

Feral dropped Viper to the ground and turned to go back into the lab.

"Where are you going?" Razor asked in concern and anger, stepping near Viper to guard him.

"Destroy Viper's lab!"

"What if we didn't get what we needed?" Razor asked reasonably.

Feral paused only a moment before coming to a decision. "If something should happen to us and Viper's lab is left in one piece, this whole nightmare could be repeated. You want to take that chance?"

Razor thought about that a long moment before shaking his head. "No, you're right. Destroy it!"

Feral nodded grimly, went to the door of the lab and fired a match head missile into the bowels of Viper's underground home.

Feral quickly picked up Viper's body and they ran some distance away before there was a roar of flames that belched from the entrance of the fake tree and bubbling geysers from the swamp nearby.

Satisfied, they started back to the cyclotron but froze when loud, weird sounding, roars filled the air and Feral howled as burning pain on his back and arms made him drop Viper.

Razor set the precious box down near his feet and raised his glovatrix at the flying acid-spitting plantimals that were dive bombing them from the air.

Hissing in pain, Feral also raised his glovatrix and fired some match head missiles at the things. He managed to strike two of them, causing them to blow up as they were too slow to catch the missiles as they would have during the day. Razor thought it was because they might be too torpid from the cold of the evening which was to their advantage as they quickly decimated their attackers.

When it was silent once more, Razor went to check Feral over. There were holes in his flight suit but the burns were already healing. Feral still moved a bit stiffly because the wounds still hurt, but gritting his teeth, he again hefted Viper to his shoulder and they hurriedly made for the cyclotron.

They managed to reach the bike without further incident. Razor disengaged the security system, stored the box of precious materials within his storage area after removing Feral's helmet, then took hold of Viper so Feral could climb aboard then took the criminal across his lap rather awkwardly. Razor climbed aboard and started the engine.

The cyclotron roared out of the swamp and headed back into the city at nearly supersonic speed. They raced over Megakat Bridge and into the main thoroughfare that would lead them to Enforcer Headquarters.

The streets were eerily empty and silent, all vehicles were either parked properly along the road or just abandoned in the middle of the streets making traversing the area more hazardous. This caused Razor to reduce his speed to navigate through the ocean of vehicles safely.

They had just past city hall and the park when they were set upon by four vampires rushing out of an alleyway they were passing. Two of them were automatically thrown off because of the bike's speed but two managed to cling to the two riders.

Snarling in fury and hampered by Viper in his arms, Feral was forced to dislodge his unwanted passenger by sending his head backward sharply. His skull cracked against the vamp's who had tried to bite his neck but was having trouble clinging on. His scream was swallowed by the roar of the bike as it fell into the street behind them. Razor speeded up while slamming a fist into his own hitchhiker, sending it flying into a nearby building.

"This isn't good!" Feral growled into his mike.

"I wonder just how many vamps are out there?" Razor responded worriedly.

"It's only been three days since this all started..."

"Yes, but we don't know how many one vamp can alter before a night is through. Having everyone stay inside may have cut down the number of victims but there are still enough out there already..." Razor cut him off.

Feral could only grunt at that. Just as they reached, Enforcer Headquarters and Razor shut down the engine, the Commander spoke again.

"If Konway can come up with the antidote it will have to be you and I that hunt for the others and either cure or kill them," he said grimly.

"Yeah, I already guessed that. It's going to be a bloody night's hunt," Razor agreed as he climbed off and took off his helmet.

Feral could only nod as he handed Viper over to the SWAT Kat to hold while he climbed off and laid his helmet on the seat. Grabbing Viper again, the two walked up the stairs and into headquarters. Though it was very quiet outside, inside was busy as officers handled people picked up wandering the streets after curfew and booking criminals doing the same.

Feral handed off Viper to a group of officers and told them to take him to the special omega holding cell and keep a close watch on him then he and Razor went up to the BioTech Labs. Walking in, they didn't see Dr. Konway and had to ask his assistant where he was.

"He collapsed of exhaustion, sir. We took him to bed about four hours ago to get some rest. Don't worry, we've continued to work on a cure but are doing it in shifts so that no one misses something due to exhaustion," Dr. Resdon said earnestly, a little nervous in their presence.

Razor handed the box and formula to him. "We got this from Dr. Viper. I hope I found everything that was needed because the his lab is destroyed."

Dr. Resdon took the box reverently. "We'll get right on this, sir. Excuse me!" He hurried into the heart of the lab, yelling for his assistants to come running.

Sighing in relief, Razor turned to Feral and frowned. "We have a problem," he muttered softly, his eyes and nose following all the hot blood moving around them.

Feral huffed out a breath of hungry frustration, "I know! My guts are screaming at me. We'd better get out of here or find a supply of blood quickly before we become a problem."

"Better find blood," Razor hissed softly. "We can't hunt effectively without a cure. We'd just be slaughtering if we went out without it."

Feral grimaced but nodded. Decision made, the pair sought out the medical staff to get what they needed quickly.

It took twenty agonizing minutes to locate someone who knew where the blood bank was and then find the one who held the key to the locked room. The two of them were becoming rather stressed when the key holder was finally located.

"I'm sorry sir but I need authorization to release blood supplies," the nurse said flatly.

Barely controlling himself, Feral leaned close to the nurse and hissed coldly, "if the SWAT Kat and I do not get some blood in the next minute, we will begin dining on everyone around us starting with you!"

The nurses face went white at that threat, she hurriedly unlocked the door and stepped into the room. Reaching the blood plasma cold storage, she blindly pulled out bags and handed them over.

After seeing the two toms break the bags and slurp the red liquid down in seconds, she could barely retain her stomach contents. Turning her face away, she reached for more bags and began handing them behind her without looking.

By the time she had handed out eight bags, she was trembling with fear and disgust.

"Thank you. We're okay for now. I suggest you hand us two more bags apiece. Hopefully, that will hold us until we are able to go out and put an end to this nightmare," Feral requested quietly.

Silently, still not turning around, the nurse did as asked. She stood waiting then heard the pair leave the room. She slumped in relief, her body shaking in reaction as she slowly relocked the cabinet. She would have to get this storage unit refilled quickly in case the pair needed it again.

Their hunger sated for the moment and their extra bags of blood stored on their person, they went to the operations room to find out how things were going with T-Bone and Felina and to give them the news on Viper's capture.