{"sf1_id":579015,"sf2_id":"q1xxPE91","title":"Charged Relationships (rewrite)","author":"SynjoDeonecros","words":20565,"posted_at":"2013-08-20T12:52:00.000Z","tags":["Anal","Electricity","Felina Feral","Gay Relationships","Hard Drive (SwatKats)","Male","Oral","SWAT Kats","Surge Coat","SwatKats","Ulysses Feral","Violence (Not In Yiff)"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/579015-charged-relationships-rewrite","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/q1xxPE91","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/35/2b/352b0172-79e2-4b9d-b827-778f9051477d","description":"#4 of Swat Kats\n\nFound the rewrite I did for this story (thank you Gmail and your wonderfully huge hard drive space). I like this better than my older one, and I got consultation on it from Wielder Wolf, as well, so hopefully you'll enjoy it, too.","content":"  \n\nHard Drive cursed under his breath as he ran for his life. Behind  \nhim, sirens wailed and gunshots fired as he turned the corner of the  \nmassive industrial building. He didn't expect this kind of resistance  \nwhen he first decided to break into Khan Industries, but then again,  \nhe didn't expect to find the kind of technology the complex had,  \neither. He was only in the building for 10 minutes, and found both a  \ngold mine and trouble for a techno-thief like him; state of the art  \nelectronics and cybernetics littered the labs within the building,  \nbut each and every one of them were heavily guarded. Slipping past  \nthe security systems he thought would be easy, given his knack for  \ndisabling such devices, but Khan, whoever he was, must've been  \nextremely paranoid about his projects, since no sooner had Hard Drive  \ndisabled one security device than three other redundant systems  \ntripped, and before he knew it, he was being swarmed with armed  \nguards gunning for his life.\n\n  \n\nHe ducked into another corner, wincing  \nat the sound of a bullet ricocheting off the wall behind him. Looking  \ndown, he growled and fingered the still-scorching hole in his Surge  \nCoat that the bullet created. Fortunately, none of the circuitry was  \ndamaged, but just an inch or two further up... He sighed and charged  \nup his hand with electricity, punching the ground to electrify the  \nfloor behind him. With any luck, the static-imbued floor would slow  \nthe guards down long enough for him to escape.\n\n  \n\nOr so he thought.\n\n  \n\nTurning another corner, Hard Drive  \nscreeched to a halt as he came face-to-face with yet another guard  \ntroupe. Behind him, he could hear some of the guards he had left  \nbehind calling for rubber mats to be brought in, obviously in an  \nattempt to bypass his trap. Glancing between the guards in front of  \nhim and the empty corridor behind him where the guards were trying to  \nget to him, the electric tabby knew he couldn't get away. Then he saw  \nit. It was small and almost indistinct, but up in the ceiling was a  \ncovered light socket, burned out from his intrusion. Praying under  \nhis breath, he conjured up a bolt of lightning and threw it at the  \nfixture, shattering the dome covering it and the burned-out bulb  \nwithin with a puff of smoke and shower of sparks. That was all the  \nbreak he needed; The guards in front of him, blinded by the  \nexplosion, dropped their weapons for a brief moment as they covered  \ntheir eyes, giving Hard drive the opportunity he needed. Turning into  \nelectricity, he entered the socket, traveling like a flash through  \nthe building's wiring and out into the city's power network. As he  \nraced along power lines and stations, he cursed himself again at his  \nfailure and thought back on what he had learned during his brief trip  \ninside the complex.\n\n  \n\nHe needed to plan a lot better, if he  \nwas expecting to make another raid on Khan Industries.\n\n  \n\nFelina Feral looked up as she heard  \nthe sound of a large and very expensive car pull into the parking lot  \nof Khan Industries. Sure enough, the distinct black limo of the  \nbuilding's owner, Shere Khan, came to a halt right in front of the  \npolice barrier, the window to the far back seats rolling down to  \nreveal its passengers. Trussed up in a pair of matching suits, Khan  \nand his mate - and Felina's uncle - Ulysses Feral sat, worried  \nexpressions on their faces.\n\n  \n\n\"We got the call from my security  \nchief just fifteen minutes ago,\" Khan said, concerned. \"He said  \nit was some freak named Hard Drive making the break-in.\"\n\n  \n\nFelina nodded as she walked over to  \nthe limo, a determined frown creasing her lips. \"It was;  \nsurveillance videos confirm it, and we've got an electrified floor  \nand a bullet with a piece of the creep's Surge Coat on it to back it  \nup.\"\n\n  \n\nBoth cats in the limo cursed under  \ntheir breath, Feral a bit louder than his mate. \"He's getting  \nballsy if he's hitting something so big and heavily-secured.\"\n\n  \n\n\"Not so secured that it wouldn't  \nhave made a tempting target,\" Khan corrected. \"This is a new  \nindustrial complex that I just recently refurbished. Only half the  \nsecurity staff was assigned, tonight, and the systems were all  \nexperimental. If what you told me about his electrical powers is  \ntrue, I'm surprised he didn't get farther than he did.\"\n\n  \n\nFelina nodded again, folding her arms  \nthoughtfully. \"Fortunately nothing was stolen, at least nothing  \nthat we can tell, but I can bet you he got a good glimpse at the kind  \nof tech you've got building in there; it's likely he's going to plan  \nanother attempt on the place.\"\n\n  \n\nBoth Khan and Feral nodded in  \nagreement, but before they could respond, the high-pitched roar and  \nfamiliar gusts of wind from a pair of JATO jet engines came in,  \nsignaling the late arrival of the Swat Kats. Landing the Jet a good  \ndistance away in the parking lot, the duo of Razor and T-Bone powered  \nthe jet down and jumped out, making a beeline toward the limo.\n\n  \n\n\"Sorry we got here so late,\" Razor  \nsaid, apologetically. \"But we got caught up in an armed robbery by  \nthe Metallikats.\"\n\n  \n\n\"Besides,\" T-Bone added, smirking  \na little beneath his stern exterior. \"It doesn't sound like you  \nneeded our help with this.\"\n\n  \n\nFelina sighed and shook her head,  \nsmiling. \"Fortunately no; Khan's guards are like an army in there.  \nThey could easily rival the Enforcers... or you.\"\n\n  \n\nRazor grinned and waved the comment  \noff, dismissively. \"So, what's the damage?\"\n\n  \n\n\"Nothing of consequence,\" Feral  \nharrumphed, creating an air of haughty dominance over the pair; even  \nthough his personal relationship with them had greatly improved, as  \nof late, his public relationship hadn't changed, and he aimed to keep  \nit that way, to avoid any major suspicion. \"Seems like Khan's  \nsoldiers were able to take care of the problem before anything major  \nwas stolen... even though he still got away.\"\n\n  \n\nT-Bone snorted at Feral's attitude,  \nthough gave him a wry wink to let him know he was in on the charade.  \n\"Well, aren't you a bundle of sunshine, Feral. In any case, I'm  \nsure we haven't seen the last of him, here, though I don't think he's  \ngoing to try anything about it for a while.\"\n\n  \n\n\"Perhaps, but I'm not about to take  \nany chances.\" Khan flicked on a switch on the dash of the limo's  \nback seat. \"Peter, have the remaining guards expected for this  \nbuilding to report to duty by the end of tomorrow. I want this  \nbuilding secure 24/7.\"\n\n  \n\nA crackling sound emitted from the  \ndash as Peter, back at Khan's main headquarters, responded. \"Yes,  \nsir, I'll see to it right away.\"\n\n  \n\nKhan nodded and flicked the switch  \noff, turning back to Felina. \"I'm assuming you're going be  \nmonitoring this place for any new infiltration attempts?\"\n\n  \n\nFelina nodded herself and cracked her  \nknuckles. \"We'll have our own 24 hour surveillance on the labs at  \nyour request. If that scum attempts to come back, we'll be ready.\"\n\n  \n\n\"Very well. I'll leave it in your  \ncapable hands.\" With that, Khan ordered the limo to back out of the  \nparking lot, driving out into the night.\n\n  \n\nT-Bone and Razor watched as the limo  \nleft, then turned toward Felina. \"Is there anything we can do to  \nhelp?\" the bigger tabby asked, crossing his arms.\n\n  \n\nFelina shook her head, shrugging  \nhelplessly. \"Thanks, but from the sounds of it, and I don't mean to  \nsound like my uncle when I say this, but the Enforcers can handle it  \nfrom here.\"\n\n  \n\nRazor smirked, keeping a giggle  \nwelling up in his throat in check. \"Well, you know where those  \nwords lead, so if they do, you know where to call us.\" Waving  \ngoodbye to the Enforcer commander, the duo jumped back into their jet  \nand took off, leaving Felina alone to work over the crime scene  \nthoroughly.\n\n  \n\nDeep within a particularly dilapidated  \nsection of the Megakat City slums, Hard Drive was scheming, his Surge  \nCoat on a desk as he worked on sewing up the holes in it. He didn't  \nlike living in such a dirty, dreary place, but it was the only safe  \nplace for a thief like him to stash away. Grumbling, he reached out  \nto grab some more thread from the desk, only to wince in pain as  \nsparks suddenly flew from his hand, his hole arm twitching in  \nuncontrolled reflex. Carefully, he closed his eyes, grabbed his arm  \nwith his other hand, and willed his electrical powers to calm  \nthemselves, the pain surging through him gradually subsiding as they  \nobliged.\n\n  \n\nHe huffed in relief as he continued  \nministering to his coat. _Damn condition,_ he thought to  \nhimself, dourly. _That's the third time this week it's flared up on  \nme. If I wasn't so stupid with my heist at Khan Industries, I'd have  \nwhat I'd need to get it calmed down, by now..._ As if in response,  \nhis fingers gave off one last zap before fully dying down. He looked  \nat his fingers in concern before sighing and returning to his work.  \n_That tech was perfect for what I needed. That Khan character must  \nbe really paranoid about security to throw so many guards and  \nredundant systems into one building. I've I'm going to swipe the gear  \nI need from that place, I'm going to have to do some major recon. But  \nhow? Now that they've seen me, I don't think any of my typical  \ndisguises will work on them._\n\n  \n\nFinishing up the last  \nstitch, he zapped the excess string to cut it and went over to a  \nnearby closet to hang it up. As he did, he passed by his computer, on  \nwhich was a picture of him an a young, strong kat, playing around in  \nthe nude with an odd-looking device in what looked to be a school  \nlab. He stared at it out of the corner of his eye, considering  \nsomething that he quickly dismissed, out of hand. _No, I won't do  \nthat to him. He's got his own life to live, now, and I'll only be a  \nstupid reminder of the past. It'll never work out, anyway; I'd look  \ntoo much like I do, now, if I tried to..._ He stopped, looking  \nback at the computer, then to a mirror hanging on the wall. Staring  \nat it inquisitively, he tilted his head, imagining what he would look  \nlike now as he did in the picture - metal piercings, rainbow-dyed  \nheadfur, crazy tye-dyed lab-coat. Grunting in concerned  \ndetermination, he nodded and returned to his desk, pulling out a pad  \nand pencil to write down a list of things he'd need to set up the  \ndeception. _I'm sorry, Peter,_ he thought, bitterly, _but this  \nis the only way I can save myself. I just hope you don't get in the  \nway..._\n\n  \n\nLater that week, Hard  \nDrive arrived at the labs, looking up at the outside of the buildings  \nhe had just a few measly days earlier been running for his life in.  \nSighing, he looked down at himself, hoping his disguise was good  \nenough; much like in the picture on his computer's background, he had  \nhis hair and skinfur dyed in the occasional rainbow blotch, his hair  \nitself a cascade of color. His matching labcoat and pants were  \nlikewise splotched with tye-dye, and he had a series of piercings  \nalong his eyebrow, ear, and nose. . _As long as I keep my powers  \nand condition under control,_ he told himself, _I should be able  \nto pass myself off as a prospective techie and gain access. I should  \nthen be able to assess the situation and plot a heist. Hopefully,  \nthey'll have what I need..._ Growling in determination, he braced  \nhimself and entered the building.\n\n  \n\nInside was a cacophony of activity as  \nguards and technicians ran hither and thither, working to better  \nsecure the labs for Hard Drives return. Though nervous about being  \ncaught, he was surprised when most of the kats rushed by him without  \neven glancing at him. Some did stop, but only to say hello and to  \ncomment on his dress before running off. This was both a good and bad  \nthing; on the one hand, no one seemed to recognize him, but on the  \nother hand, no one was willing to stop long enough to interview or  \neven help him. After a good 20 minutes of this madness, he was about  \nto give up and come up with another plan to infiltrate the labs some  \nother way, when a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder from behind.  \nTurning around, he froze in place as his eyes met a pair he never  \nwanted to see again.\n\n  \n\n\"Marz?\" the kat asked, offering  \nhis left - and only - hand for shaking. \"Is that you?\"\n\n  \n\nHard Drive blinked, surprised and  \ndistraught, took the kat's hand warmly. \"Peter? Wow, how are you? I  \nhaven't seen you in years.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter grinned and pulled Hard Drive -  \nMarz - into a big one-armed bear hug. \"I've been doing better,  \nbut things aren't too bad. What about you? I thought I'd lost you  \nduring...\"\n\n  \n\nMarz nodded and patted the kat on the  \nback, cutting him off with a clearing of his throat. \"Um, yeah. I  \nthought so, too. I'm glad to see you.\" He rubbed the back of his  \nhead bashfully, looking around at the still-bustling building. \"I  \nsee you've made good for yourself.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter nodded. \"Yeah, I guess I have.  \nBut tell me about you. What have you been up to, these past couple of  \nyears?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz bit his lip, struggling to keep  \nhis composure. \"Nothing much, actually; bouncing from job to job,  \nplace to place, the usual. That's actually why I'm here.\"\n\n  \n\n\"Ah, I see. Well, unfortunately, we  \naren't hiring anyone, right now, in light of the break-in...\"\n\n  \n\n\"Break-in?\" Marz asked, quirking  \nhis eyebrow in feigned confusion.\n\n  \n\nFortunately for him,  \nPeter didn't catch the deception, so caught up with seeing his old  \nfriend was he. \"Yeah, some freak named Hard Drive tried to crash  \nthe party here and make off with some of our tech, but the guards  \nmanaged to scare him off. I'm surprised they managed to fend off an  \nattack by a metakat like they did.\"\n\n  \n\n\"Yeah, they must be something  \nspecial,\" Marz droned, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.\n\n  \n\nAgain, his old colleague didn't catch  \nthe hint. \"We're trying to fortify the labs, right now, but after  \nwe do that and make sure Hard Drive's not coming back, I'd be happy  \nto help you get a job here.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz nodded and patted Peter on the  \nback a few times. The third time, his powers freaked out again,  \nsending a small spark of electricity arcing at the kat; it was tiny,  \nlittle more than your typical static shock, but it was enough to make  \nPeter jump a little in surprise. \"Oops! Sorry about that.  \nStatic...\"\n\n  \n\nPeter glanced at Marz, and for a  \nsecond it looked as though he had given himself away, but he merely  \nsmiled wryly and returned the pat on the back. \"That's the Marz I  \nknow and love, screwing around with the forces of nature.\"  \nLaughing, he gestured outside and led Marz toward the door. \"C'mon,  \nwe can talk about this over lunch. I'm sure there's a lot we need to  \ncatch up on.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz smiled as best he  \ncould, though it was a thin, bitter smile. _More than you could  \never know, Peter..._\n\n  \n\n'Lunch', as it turned  \nout, was at _Chez Manticores_, a very fancy restaurant near the  \ninner city. Marz was flabbergasted at how well-off Peter had become  \nin the intervening years, ordering a fine steak for himself and  \nbraised squab for Marz. Peter laid out what had happened to him since  \ntheir last contact, including his rise to the role of personal  \nassistant to Khan, though Marz could sense he was leaving out vital  \ninformation about said rise that he didn't want known. Marz, in turn,  \nfed Peter a line about moving from place to place, working odd jobs  \nfor people, and not being tied down to anywhere in particular - a  \nhalf-truth, but the only truth he was able to tell without spoiling  \nhis cover. Then, things turned to the worse as Peter finished his  \nsteak.\n\n  \n\n\"So,\" he said, patting down his  \nlips with a nearby napkin. \"When did you wake up after the  \naccident?\"\n\n  \n\nIt was a question Marz hoped never to  \nbe asked, ever, even by his old friend. He could feel the tingling  \nsensation from the electricity surging through his body, the weeks of  \ntorture as he fell into a coma. He didn't care to remember it again,  \nand if it was anyone else asking him, he would've avoided the  \nquestion entirely. But this was Peter asking him, a friend and  \ncolleague, and he owed him an explanation, even if he had to twist  \nthe truth a little. \"The docs said I was out for the better part of  \nthe year. I'm...honestly not surprised you decided not to hang around  \nafterward.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter nodded and reached instinctively  \nfor the empty void where his arm should've been. \"I did wait for  \nyou. I waited as long as I could, but when the docs said there was  \nlittle hope of you waking up, I...I couldn't wait any longer. I  \ncouldn't bear the thought of what happened to you. If I had waited  \njust a little longer...\"\n\n  \n\nMarz frowned and  \nreached out, taking the other kat's hand into his. Despite his  \ndeception, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Peter. They were good  \nfriends, after all, and it was hard to see him down like this. \"Hey,  \nit's alright. You didn't know I was going to wake up. Hell, neither  \ndid I. I don't blame you for leaving, Peter. I never have. I just...  \nI just wish things had turned out different, y'know?\"\n\n  \n\nPeter nodded and gripped Marz's hand,  \nreassuringly. \"Yeah, I do. I think about the incident every night.  \nHell, I've even refused cybernetic limbs to replace my arm, because  \nof how it reminded me of you. \"\n\n  \n\nThat surprised Marz a little; he knew  \nthat Peter hadn't taken up any new artificial limbs, but he didn't  \nknow it was because of him. \"You should; don't worry about me,  \nhonestly. I'm getting by. You should take care of yourself.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter smiled, thinly. \"I've gotten  \nby, myself. Even had a bit of a lover, at one point, but...he wanted  \nsomething I couldn't give.\"\n\n  \n\n\"Oh...\" was all Marz said, looking  \ndown at his plate, sadly. He didn't know who Peter was talking about,  \nbut he definitely knew what he meant when he said that person 'wanted  \nsomething he couldn't give'. Looking up, he caught Peter's eyes,  \nbarely containing tears as they stared back at him, and blushed.  \n\"Well, It's been nice seeing you, Peter. I'm glad you're doing so  \nwell for yourself. And thanks for the lunch; I haven't eaten that  \nwell for a long time.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter gripped Marz's hand tighter, his  \npent-up tears finally breaking through and streaming down his face.  \n\"Any time, hon. I'd like to see you again, sometime.\"\n\n  \n\nThat stopped Marz short; he never  \nwanted to meet Peter during his infiltration, for obvious reasons,  \nbut now that he did, and knew Peter couldn't recognize him as his  \nalias Hard Drive, he was tempted to take advantage of the situation.  \nBut he held back, knowing the complications of such an endeavor. \"I'm  \nafraid I'm not going to be around this area, much longer. I'm going  \nto have to move out in the next few days if I don't find another job,  \nand since Khan's business was the only one I could find...\"\n\n  \n\nPeter waved his hand dismissively and  \npshawed. \"I'm sure we can work something out. Khan's got a few  \nsuites empty in his building. I should be able to convince him to  \nshack you up there until we get this crisis with Hard Drive situated,  \nthen we can get you applied for a job at the labs.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz sucked in breath sharply at the  \nproposal, not sure what to think. On the one hand, this was perfect;  \nhe was able to continue to talk with Peter and hang out with him, and  \ninfiltrate the labs with ease. All he needed to do was make sure no  \none got wise to his true identity, and everything else was gravy. On  \nthe other hand, that meant he needed to be on his guard around Peter;  \nthe kat knew everything about him up to before the incident, and if  \nhe caught wind of his true identity, everything would be in  \njeopardy...something he did not want to risk, or put Peter through.  \n\"Thanks. I'll consider it..\"\n\n  \n\nPeter nodded and dug out a card from  \nhis pocket, handing it to Marz. \"Call me if you decide on it. I'd  \nlike to meet you again, soon. I feel like we have a whole lot of  \ncatching up to do.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz took the card and looked at it;  \nit had the distinct logo of Khan Industries, though scribbled on the  \nback was Peter's personal home phone number.\"Thanks, I will. Now,  \nif you'll excuse me, I need to get going.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter smiled as his friend got up from  \nhis seat, doing the same and offering his hand again. \"I'm glad we  \ngot this chance to talk, Marz. You don't know how much this means to  \nme.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz smiled back and took his friend's  \nhand, shaking it warmly. \"Believe me, I do. See you later.\"\n\n  \n\nAs he left Marz felt his spirits lift  \nand his heart sink at the same time; He didn't like having to deceive  \nhis old friend like this, but he had no other choice. He just hoped  \nit didn't wind up biting either of them in the ass, later on...\n\n  \n\nLater that night, Peter was  \nconsolidating the increase of security at the labs with Shere Khan,  \nhis boss...but in a most unusual way. Khan was bent over his desk,  \nhis pants and shorts around his ankles, as Peter, his own pants drawn  \ndown, was standing on a footstool, giving him the height he needed to  \ntake the tiger's firm ass. It was Khan's favorite position to  \nnegotiate deals with when it came to close confidants like Peter, and  \nwhile the roles were reversed for anyone else, with Peter he was  \nalways on bottom. Neither of them knew why; perhaps it was the  \nno-nonsense air of dominance that Peter exuded over his boss that  \nmade him weak at the knees. Or maybe it was because Peter, despite  \nhis small frame, was just as hung as his employer, coming to a hefty  \nfoot in length and 2 and a half inches in thickness. Whatever the  \ncase was, neither of them seemed to mind, even though Khan was now  \nmated to Feral.\n\n  \n\nAs they fucked, Peter ran down the  \nlist of all the security measures he had implemented, in as even a  \nvoice as possible. It wasn't difficult, honestly; Khan, being the  \ncharismatic leader of Khan Industries, taught Peter everything he  \nknew about keeping a cool head and a firm, steady demeanor, even  \nduring stressful or distracting situations, so while the pleasure was  \nbuilding up in his balls, Peter's affect remained unchanged.\n\n  \n\n\"Oh, before I forget,\" Peter  \nfinished, his orgasm growing as he pumped in and out of his boss,  \neagerly. \"We had someone come by the labs looking for work. An old  \nfriend of mine that I thought I would never see again.\"\n\n  \n\nKhan looked back at his assistant,  \ngrowling a little in confused lust. \"Really, now? Is it the same  \nguy you were lusting after in college?\"\n\n  \n\nPeter blinked at Khan's words,  \nshocked, but nodded, gripping the tiger's hips harder as he thrust  \nwantonly into his ass. \"Yes. His name is Marz Raikou, a master at  \nelectronic engineering. I had to shoo him away from the building, but  \nI think he'd make a prospective employee after this whole Hard Drive  \nbusiness is taken care of.\"\n\n  \n\nKhan hummed, thoughtfully, before  \nmoaning as his own orgasm started reaching its peak. \"I'm not in  \nthe habit of giving out work to strangers, Peter, even if he is your  \nfriend. He'll have to prove himself if he wants a job with us.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter nodded. \"I'm sure he'll do  \nfine, sir. Though, if you don't mind, I'd like to put him up in one  \nof your suites, for the time being. According to him, he's going to  \nbe kicked out of his old place without work, and I'm afraid he might  \nbe out on the streets if I don't help him.\"\n\n  \n\nKhan nodded and moaned, the tiger  \ndigging trenches into his desk as he fought back his orgasm as much  \nas he could. \"I'll think about it. I trust you won't let him screw  \nwith my generosity. I'd hate to have to put a friend of yours out on  \nhis ass for not following procedure.\"\n\n  \n\n\"I'll make sure he behaves himself,  \nsir. Now, that's everything. So cum for me, you sexy tiger!\" And  \nwith that, he slapped Khan's ass and growled as he himself spurted  \nhis load into Khan's tight tailhole. Khan, following orders, finally  \nlet himself loose, as well, spurting a load of sticky cream all over  \nthe front of his desk. His stomach bloated a little as Peter's load  \nfilled his inner walls, causing him to orgasm a second time at the  \nfeeling of being so full. It was always a pleasure he felt with  \nPeter, and he enjoyed every minute of it.\n\n  \n\nBy the time they were done, both  \nKhan's backside and his desk were painted white with cum. It was just  \nlike old times for them, screwing around at the copier during Peter's  \nrise to power as Khan's assistant. They hadn't done something like  \nthat in such a long time, and it felt good to let loose like that.  \nHuffing, Peter laid down on Khan's back, rubbing his side with his  \nhand. Khan, in turn, looked back at his assistant and grinned,  \nmurring happily.\n\n  \n\n\"Shouldn't you be going soon, sir?  \nThis was very pleasurable, but I'm sure your mate is waiting for  \nyou.\"\n\n  \n\nKhan nodded and sighed again. Feral  \nwas dancing at the club again, going strong for the past couple of  \nyears. He really didn't need to; he didn't need the money or the  \npleasure of the strip club, ever since he became mates with the  \ntiger, but it was something that Feral loved to do, sort of a  \nrebellion against his retirement from the Enforcers. And, he had to  \nadmit, Feral looked damn sexy gyrating his hips on stage. \"Indeed.  \nThanks for the release, Peter. Take the rest of the night off. I  \nthink you deserve it after this.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter smiled and hugged the tiger  \ntight, licking along his ear. \"Thank you, sir. I much appreciate  \nit.\"\n\n  \n\nWhile that was going on, Marz was in  \nhis slum home, contemplating all that had happened, that day. His  \nheart and head were torn to pieces as he agonized over Peter's offer.  \nHe knew Peter wouldn't have offered him a place to stay had he even  \nsuspected of Marz' true identity, and he had to admit, the offer did  \nput him in the perfect position for his infiltration attempt.  \nHowever, he also knew that one slip-up would bring the entire facade  \ncrashing down, and besides that, this was Peter he was talking about,  \nhis best friend and colleague. He couldn't take the risk of harming  \ntheir friendship.\n\n  \n\nHe started to pace  \naround the room as he contemplated his next move. As he paced, his  \nmind started to wander to the incident that caused them to be split  \napart and that set him on the path of his current alias of Hard  \nDrive, and then earlier to the times he and Peter had together.  \nLooking over to his computer, he sat down and started scanning  \nthrough a private stash he had of himself and Peter having their fun  \non campus. It was always the same: he would invent some new  \nelectrical sex toy that he wanted to try out, Peter would give a  \ntoken resistance to the idea, but eventually they'd wind up in the  \ncollege's electronics lab, fooling around with the device until they  \nboth blew several loads together. It was always something; a  \nconductive urethral sound or butt plug, a vibrating egg toy, a  \nFaraday cage- like steel condom for electrostim. It was always with  \nthe electrostim with them; even as a kid, Marz had a fascination with  \nelectricity and its power, and would purposely shock himself with  \nstatic electricity to get a feeling for it. Later in life, he learned  \nhow to safely harness the power for his own pleasure, and it became  \nan addiction for him. Peter, while not at the same level of interest  \nin the fetish as he was, was still perfectly willing and able to  \nindulge him, and they both had no problems with engaging in their  \ndeepest, darkest electric fantasies together.\n\n  \n\nUndoing his pants, Marz started idly  \npawing off as he started one of his better-liked videos, involving an  \never-present Tesla coil and a steel mesh glove. Peter was laying  \nface-up on the metal table, bound hand and foot to the table's legs,  \nunable to move as Marz began stroking his body with his gloved hand.  \nPeter tensed as the hand reached his genitals, the cool metal  \ncaressing his member and balls as Marz began to slowly stroke him  \ninto erection. Then the electricity started as Marz placed his other  \nhand on the sparking ball of the coil. It was exquisite; the metal  \ntable being used as the perfect ground for the kat, Peter moaned as  \nbolts of electricity danced along his throbbing shaft, teasing it  \nwith its high-voltage, low-amperage shocks. Moving lower, Marz moved  \none of his metal-covered fingers to Peter's tailhole, slipping it in  \neasily thanks to a glob of silicon-based lubrication injected into  \nit. Peter gasped as the electrified digit entered him, its tingling  \nstimulating his sphincter and prostate as the electricity surged  \nthrough his loins. Smiling, Marz slid a second digit into him, making  \nsure to keep the two digits separate to avoid a dangerous shock as he  \nprobed the kat's back end, stooping down low to lick along the  \nunderside of Peter's shaft and lap at the pre that was starting to  \nform at his cockhead.\n\n  \n\nThis went on for several minutes, the  \nforce of the shocks strong enough to keep Peter on edge but not  \nenough to make him cum. It wasn't until Marz retracted his hand and  \nundid his lab coat that the real fun had begun; there, wrapped around  \nhis throbbing 7 inch long, 2 inch thick member was a metal mesh  \ncondom, complete with wicked rounded spike on the tip, lubed up with  \nthe same silicon gel that Peter's tailhole was slickened with.  \nGripping Peter's genitals again with the gloved hand, Marz positioned  \nhis cock against the prepped ring of flesh and, with a moan, thrust  \nin, the sparking piece of flesh easily penetrating into Peter's  \nnether regions. The feeling of both his anus and his cock being  \nassaulted by electrical sexual stimulation only made Peter groan  \nloudly as a huge glob of pre spurted from his cock and onto his  \nbelly. Marz, smiling wickedly, started stroking and thrusting into  \nhis fiend at a regular interval, the feeling of the electricity  \nsurging through his body and into the kat like a perpetual orgasm for  \nhim. After that, it was simply a matter of spurts, groans, and howls  \nas they came within 10 minutes of this ministration, then another 5  \nminutes from then, and another, the two cats milking each other dry  \nwithin the following half hour.\n\n  \n\nIt was an erotic video, Marz couldn't  \ndeny that. But it was also a sad video, a reminder of the torture  \nthey had gone through during and since the incident. Growling, he  \nclicked off the video and stuffed his cock back into his pants,  \ndourly. He couldn't think of Peter like that, not anymore; he had his  \nown life to live, his own loves to pursue, and keeping him around  \nwould only bring pain. Sighing, he took out Peter's card and looked  \nat it, contemplatively. With a sigh, he tossed it onto his desk and  \ndecided to retire for the night. If anything, he could sleep on the  \noffer and come to a decision in the morning.\n\n  \n\nHowever, he never got a chance to.\n\n  \n\nLate that night, both  \nhe had Peter had similar dreams...or perhaps they were better called  \nnightmares. The harsh crackle of out of control electricity humming  \nthrough the air, the smell of frying flesh and burning nerves, the  \nagonizing cry of Peter as he struggled to escape the coil before it  \nwas too late, his right hand fused to the globe like it was trapped.  \nThen, all was blackness. It was the same dream they had, over and  \nover again, though Marz moreso than Peter, and it often ended  \ndifferently; Peter suffering through the agony of waiting for Marz to  \nwake up, Marz feeling trapped in his own body, then floating above it  \nas it moved in to punish the one responsible for the accident. It was  \nalways the same, always gut-wrenching, and always left both of them  \nwaking up in a cold sweat, unable to do much more than gasp each  \nother's name in horror.\n\n  \n\nThis time, though, was different; they  \nhad met each other again, and Marz still had Peter's phone number.  \nReaching over, he grabbed the card and stared at it, concerned. He  \ndidn't want to do this, but if he didn't he knew he would go mad, and  \nlikely Peter, as well. Sighing, he picked up the phone and dialed the  \nnumber, hands shaking in nervous anticipation. At first, the phone  \nrang off the hook, and he was about to hang up, but then it clicked  \nas Peter picked up. \"Hello, Peter? This is Marz... Couldn't sleep,  \nhuh? Yeah, me, neither. Could we meet somewhere to talk?\"\n\n  \n\nPeter waited at the Kat's Meow strip  \nclub, twiddling his thumbs and watching the dancers strip erotically  \nto the music. He had been waiting there for Marz for the past half  \nhour, and was getting worried about his friend. Sighing, he dug out  \nhis phone and attempted to recall the number the tan kat had called  \nhim from when Marz finally walked into the door, scanning the area  \nnervously. Smiling, he waved at Marz, catching his attention long  \nenough to flag him down and bring him to his table. As he sat down,  \nMarz looked around, twitchily, as if expecting someone to grab him  \nand throw him out or something.\n\n  \n\n\"Glad you could make it, hon,\"  \nPeter smiled, a little frustratedly. \"Settle down. There's no one  \nthat's going to hurt you, here.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz nodded and continued to dart his  \neyes around, fearful. \"Sorry I was late; I had a hard time finding  \nthis place, and the bouncer kept on refusing to let me in. I had to  \nmention your name before he finally did.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter nodded back and placed is hand  \non Marz's lap, trying desperately to calm him. \"Yeah, ever since we  \nmoved here, my employer and I have become quite known at this  \nestablishment, mostly through my employer's mate.\"\n\n  \n\n\"I'm surprised, honestly; I didn't  \nexpect him to be interested in such a place.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter smirked. \"Khan is a man of  \nsophisticated taste, even in porn. His mate strips here every  \nWednesday, so he decided to fund it.\"\n\n  \n\n\"I see. Does he come here to see his  \nmate show off? Or is he worried about his reputation being  \ntarnished?\"\n\n  \n\nPeter shrugged. \"He does, on  \noccasion, but in back through a private booth. I would usually be  \nback there with him, but he told me to take the rest of the night  \noff, so I decided to relax a little and enjoy myself without his  \nsupervision.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz smiled, ruefully. \"Indeed.  \nI...\" Just then, a pair of kats, one a yellow and tawny striped  \nbear of a tabby, the other a brown, lean tom, walked up to their  \ntable, smiling happily.\n\n  \n\n\"Hey, Peter,\" the tabby winked,  \nseductively. \"Who's your new friend?\"\n\n  \n\nPeter smiled and waved an arm between  \nMarz and the pair. \"Marz, I'd like you to meet Jake and Chance, two  \nof my employer's good friends. Jake, Chance, this is Marz, an old  \nfriend of mine from college.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz offered his hand in welcome,  \neying them both suspiciously. He could've sworn he looked familiar,  \nbut he couldn't place their faces.\n\n  \n\nApparently, Jake had the same  \nreaction. \"I'm sorry to pry, but do we know you? You look awfully  \nfamiliar...\"\n\n  \n\nFor a moment, Marz panicked, not sure  \nhow to respond. He wasn't sure what to make of the slim tom's  \nstatements, and hoped he didn't recognize him as his alter-ego, but  \nshook his head, denyingly. \"I had the same thought, honestly, but I  \ndon't think so. Maybe Peter showed you a pic of me a while ago and  \nforgot about it?\"\n\n  \n\nPeter glanced at Marz, suspiciously,  \nbut shrugged. \"Possibly; I've been rather busy, lately, though I'd  \nthink I'd remember showing your face around to them.\"\n\n  \n\n\"Same here,\" Chance mused.  \nShrugging back, he shook Marz's hand and patted him on the back,  \nreturning to his chipper attitude. \"Ah, well, any friend of Peter's  \ncan't be all bad, huh?\n\n  \n\nPeter chuckled and nodded. \"Oh, he's  \na sweet one, let me tell you.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz smiled, breathing a sigh of  \nrelief inwardly that his cover wasn't blown. \"Hope you enjoy the  \nshows here. This is my first time here, so I dunno what to expect.\"\n\n  \n\nJake grinned and placed a hand on  \nChance's shoulder, warmly. \"Oh, I'm sure you'll like it here.\"  \nJust then, the lights dimmed, and the room fell in a hush. \"Ooh, we  \nbetter sit down. Feral's coming up, next.\"\n\n  \n\nThat caught Marz's attention. \"Feral?  \nYou mean former Enforcers commander Feral? He strips here?\"\n\n  \n\nChance nodded and smiled. \"Yeah, has  \nbeen ever since before he left the force, though I wouldn't spread  \nthat around, if I were you. If you'll excuse us...\" With that, they  \nleft and sat back down at their own table, neither they nor Peter  \nseeing Marz's dread on his face as he paled at the thought of seeing  \nFeral strip. Actually, it was less seeing him strip than being  \nrecognized by him, considering how many times he had dealt with the  \nformer commander in the past. He never knew the commander to be  \nstupid, and he already had his first close call of the night; he  \ndidn't want to deal with the possibility of Feral, of all people,  \ncatching sight of him.\n\n  \n\nBefore he could do  \nanything about it, though, the spotlights came on and Feral -  \ndressed in a stylized version of his old commander's uniform - came  \nonto the stage. Entranced, Marz sat still as the former commander  \nmade his rounds, dancing to the beat of the techno music coming from  \nthe speakers around the patrons, giving them brief glimpses of his  \nrock-hard body. He seemed to stop for a good long while at the table  \nJake and Chance were sitting, showing them even more than he did the  \nother patrons, indicating some sort of relationship going on beyond  \nthe confines of the club. However, it was when he finally arrived at  \nhis and Peter's table that Marz held his breath, praying to whatever  \ngod he worshiped that the former commander didn't recognize him. To  \nhis relief, the commander gave him the same odd look of  \nsemi-recognition that Jake and Chance gave him, but again, he  \nshrugged and gyrated away, not paying the feline any mind.\n\n  \n\nWhen the show ended, Marz turned to  \nPeter with a worried look in his eye. This time, Peter took notice.  \n\"What's wrong, hon?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz shook his head, smiling a little  \nin a vain attempt to look nonchalant. \"Nothing. Just...he seemed to  \nrecognize me, as well. Am I that familiar to your friends?\"\n\n  \n\nPeter shrugged and put his hand on  \nMarz' shoulder. \"You have a distinctive look. You probably just  \ncaught their attention, nothing more.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz sighed. _That's  \nwhat I'm afraid of_ . Still, he was comforted by the fact that they  \ndidn't pin his identity down, like he worried they would.\n\n  \n\nSuddenly, he felt himself being tugged  \nout of his seat by Peter and led to the back of the club. \"Where  \nare you taking me, love?\"\n\n  \n\nPeter smiled, warmly. \"C'mon, I want  \nto introduce you to Feral and my employer. I'm sure they'll be happy  \nto meet you.\"\n\n  \n\nPanic gripped Marz's heart as he was  \nled backstage. \"Are you sure that's such a good idea?\"\n\n  \n\nPeter looked back and frowned,  \nconfused. \"Why so nervous, hon?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz sighed and shrugged. \"It's  \njust...I dunno, we haven't seen each other in years, and here you are  \ntrying to show me off to your friends like I was a trophy, no  \noffense. I just think we should take this a bit slower, is all.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter looked at his friend and sighed,  \nas well, debating on what to do next. \"If that's how you feel, hon,  \nthen I can understand. I was just hoping that introducing you to Khan  \nwould help you get a Job at the labs, is all.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz nodded and patted Peter on the  \nback, smiling. \"I know, but it's a bit too late in the night for  \nthat to happen, and besides, I didn't call you just for that.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter hummed and looked into Marz's  \neyes, seeing the fear and desperation in them. He looked terrible,  \nmuch worse than he thought he was. Sighing gently, he nodded and  \nwalked back to their seats, sitting down as the next show started.  \nGrowling a little in impatience, Peter called the waiter over and  \nordered a rum and coke for himself, with Marz declining any drinks.  \nTaking a deep sip of the liquid, Peter put down his glass and stared  \nMarz right in the eye, concernedly. \"So, what's are your mind,  \nhon?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz frowned and bit his lip,  \nnervously. \"I think you know what's on it, Peter, and I know it was  \non yours, as well, earlier tonight.\"\n\n  \n\n\"The dream, you mean?\" Peter  \nasked, sighing wearily. \"Are you still having them?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz nodded, folding his hands  \ntogether. \"Hon, it nearly killed me, and it took your arm! That's  \nnot exactly something either of us can easily get past in a few short  \nyears.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter pursed his lips, placing a hand  \non Marz's, comfortingly. \"Hon, I know it was hard on us. Believe  \nme, I know just how hard it was. But you seriously need to let the  \npast be and find your own way through life. Dwelling on it will just  \nmake you even more miserable.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz sighed and nodded, taking Peter's  \nhand and gripping it gently. \"I know. I just....I thought I'd never  \nsee you again afterward, you know? I though that, after the incident,  \nmy life was over, especially with you.\"\n\n  \n\n\"I know, and for a time, so did I,  \nbut no offense, I moved past that, and now, it's inconsequential.  \nWe're here, now, together. We can't exactly go back to how things  \nwas, but we can try to start anew, if you're willing.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz looked up at Peter, a curious  \nlook on his face. \"You mean that?\"\n\n  \n\nPeter nodded. \"I do. Let's just take  \nit slow and figure some stuff out before then, like getting you a  \njob. Then, we can work on being together again. Alright?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz smiled and nodded, hugging his  \nfriend tight. \"Alright. We'll try things your way. Just don't  \nexpect ol' Thunder Kat to come back, any time soon, okay?\"\n\n  \n\nPeter giggled, nodding as he  \nremembered his College nickname for the light tan tom. \"I totally  \nunderstand, hon, and I won't ask that of you, not until you're  \nready\"\n\n  \n\nSmiling, Marz leaned in and kissed his  \nold friend on the lips, sealing the deal for both of them.  \nUnbeknownst to them, however, they were being washed from backstage  \nby Feral, Chance, and Jake. The three toms stared at the duo,  \nsternly, as Marz took his leave, giving Peter a big hug in thanks for  \nhis commitment to him. Humming in dour contemplation, Feral looked at  \nthe Swat Kats, concerned. \"What do you think?\"\n\n  \n\nJake looked at the former commander,  \nthe same look of concern on his face. \"It's Hard Drive, alright. No  \nmistake about it.\"\n\n  \n\n\"Should we nail him now, before he  \ndoes anything to hurt Peter?\" Chance asked, cracking his knuckles  \nin anticipation.\n\n  \n\nFeral went to say something, but was  \ncut off by a deep, growling voice behind him. \"I do not think he'll  \npose a threat to Peter, if he is who you say he is.\"\n\n  \n\nThe trio looked back to see Shere Khan  \nemerging from the shadows. Feral frowned and shook his head, in firm  \ndisagreement with his mate. \"How do you figure, love? You don't  \nknow this scum like we do.\"\n\n  \n\nThe tiger placed an arm  \non the tom's shoulder and waved an arm toward Peter, who was still  \nenjoying the shows. \"As I told you when I met your father during  \nyour brother's wedding, I can read kats, and he looks to be very  \nsincere about his feelings toward Peter. They obviously have some  \nsort of history together, a history that goes deeper than love and  \nlust, to survival and loss. I suggest we look into this matter  \ncarefully, and figure out what we can sort out before Hard Drive can  \nmake his next move.\"\n\n  \n\nJake glanced at the tiger,  \nthoughtfully. \"I suppose, but remember, this isn't your typical  \ncriminal. This is a metakat we're dealing with. If he even suspects  \nsomething with us, you can kiss your tail goodbye with a lightning  \nkiss.\"\n\n  \n\nFeral nodded and frowned. \"I know,  \nbut we have to trust Khan on this one. Whatever their relationship  \nis, we have to determine it, and figure out how it fits in Hard  \nDrive's schemes. It's possible we can use it to our advantage.\"\n\n  \n\n\"I dunno, Feral,\" Chance said,  \nshaking his head. \"I don't like leaving that maniac running free,  \nespecially so close around Peter.\"\n\n  \n\nKhan nodded and placed a hand on the  \nchocolate-striped tabby, comfortingly. \"I don't like it, either, if  \nhe truly is Hard Drive. However, right now there's nothing we can do  \nbut gather information and wait for him to make the next move. If I'm  \nright, he won't make it as long as Peter is around to get harmed.\"\n\n  \n\nFeral nodded and hugged his mate  \nwarmly. \"I hope you're right, love. I know how much Peter means to  \nyou.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz's spirits were high as he made  \nhis way back to the slums that were his home. He couldn't believe his  \nluck back at the club; slipping past unnoticed by the former  \ncommander himself! If that wasn't a victory over ol' ironheart, he  \ndidn't know what was. He couldn't wait to tell the other metakats  \nabout his findings...\n\n  \n\nThat thought stopped him cold. No, how  \ncould he go back to his old life when his old flame is offering him a  \nnew one? Sure, he originally planned on using him to gain access to  \nthe labs so he could rob the place, but now he's not only offering  \nhim a real job, one best suited for his technological genius, but  \nalso a new beginning with him, something he had always wanted since  \nthe accident.\n\n  \n\nA spark of pain and actual sparks from  \nhis right arm shattered that notion completely. No, he would never  \naccept a freak like him, a freak who had done such horrible things in  \nthe interest of self-preservation. Peter may have lost an arm in the  \naccident, but he became a metakat, a criminal, and that's something  \nthe tom could never accept him for. He looked down at his crackling  \nappendage, wearily; everyone thought it was just his Surge Coat that  \ngave him his power, and to a point they were right; in the beginning,  \nit did allow him to do all the things he could do as Hard Drive.  \nHowever, it was just a conduit, a regulator of his true power, and  \nnow those powers were growing out of control for even the Surge Coat  \nto contain. Normally, he only unleashed low-voltage static  \nelectricity without his coat, but with the sparks and seizures he was  \nundergoing as his powers fluctuated, he estimated four, five years  \nbefore the coat could no longer handle the discharge and he burns out  \nlike a car battery being drained by a short circuit. He needed the  \ntech at Khan Industries, there was no two ways about it, and going  \nwith the new plan Peter offered him was not an option for him.\n\n  \n\n_So, I stick with the  \nold plan,_ he thought to himself, bitterly, forcefully willing the  \nsparking in his arm to subside. _I don't like it, if it means  \nhurting the one I love, but that can't be helped, now. It's do or die  \ntime, now, and I'm not about to lose it when I'm so close to  \nsalvation._\n\n  \n\nWith that, he found an old power line  \nand, using his power, transferred himself into an electric current  \nthrough it, traveling the swift way home.\n\n  \n\nThe next few days were hectic for Khan  \nand the others; they had a plan to trap Hard Drive, and a means of  \ndoing so, but keeping it a secret from Peter was going to be tough.  \nHe was the key; Khan was convinced the metakat had some sort of  \nhistory with his assistant, and was determined to use it to figure  \nout Hard Drive's plan for him and the labs. To that end, he settled  \non a daring plan; he'd set up an interview for 'Marz' as a way of  \ngathering intel on the kat, forwarding it whatever information he  \nfound out to his mate to be transferred to the Enforcers for  \nanalysis. Feral, meanwhile, will have the Swat Kats be on call for  \nany suspicious movements 'Marz' makes in the lab. It was a perfect  \nset-up, and it all started at the interview...\n\n  \n\n\"Name?\"\n\n  \n\n\"Marz Raikou, sir.\"\n\n  \n\n\"Age\"\n\n  \n\n\"28.\"\n\n  \n\n\"Address?\"\n\n  \n\n\"264 East Wincheshire Alley.\"\n\n  \n\nThe droning voice of the interviewer -  \nan old kat secretary who seemed more out of it than a stoner in a  \nfield of catnip - was starting to grate on Marz's temperament.  \nFortunately, after a few more monotone questions, the interview  \nwrapped up... or so he thought.\n\n  \n\n\"That does it. Wait here for the  \nboss to call you in.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz blinked, confused. \"Wait, I  \nthought you were giving the interview?\"\n\n  \n\nThe old tom shrugged. \"Usually I am,  \nbut the boss wants to see you, personally. Something about being  \nreferred to him by a trusted employee of his. Just wait here for him  \nto call your name, it'll be the last door at the back of the hall.  \nNext!\"\n\n  \n\nMarz started to panic;  \nhe never expected to meet the boss so soon. He figured he could slip  \nunder the radar for a few weeks as he assessed the situation and  \nplotted his heist, but this... He didn't have time to finish that  \nthought, as a gruff, growling voice that shook him to the core with  \nits assertiveness called his name. In a split decision, he couldn't  \ndecide whether to do as he was told or flee the area, abandoning the  \nmission he had set up. A wince as his left arm contracted with a  \nfaint staticky sound reminded him of why he came, and made the  \ndecision for him. Gravely, he got up and walked into the jaws of  \ndoom...\n\n  \n\nThe boss...was huge. There was no  \nother way of describing him. An imposingly large tiger sat across  \nfrom him, the business suit he wore barely containing the massive  \nbody within as he stared at the smaller cat with a keen, intimidating  \neye. Marz's ears flattened as he questioned the feasibility of his  \nplan, now, but all thoughts fled him when the tiger spoke.\n\n  \n\n\"You do know why you are here, do  \nyou?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz stammered a little before  \ncollecting his thoughts, almost grateful he didn't eat any breakfast  \nbefore the interview as he most certainly would've soiled his pants  \nby the tone of the tiger's voice alone. \"Ye-yes sir. I need a job,  \nyou are offering one, and I was told I was referred to you by one of  \nyour employees, which is why you wanted to see me in person.\"\n\n  \n\nThe tiger smiled imperceptibly,  \nenjoying intimidating the metakat immeasurably. \"That is correct. I  \nbelieve you know of this employee; his name is Peter Collins.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz smiled back as Peter's name was  \nsaid, thanking the gods his friend didn't screw with him. \"I do,  \nsir. He and I go way back.\"\n\n  \n\n\"Really?\" the tiger mused with  \ninterest. \"Tell me, how do you know him?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz gulped as he stared at the tiger,  \ntrying to come up with a suitable lie to tell the tiger, but knowing  \nthat those piercing eyes would catch any that he told. So, in an  \nuncharacteristic move for him, he said the only thing he could say:  \nthe blatant truth. \"He and I went to Megakat U. several years ago;  \nI was studying electical engineering while he was majoring in  \ncomputer programming. We ended up becoming roommates, and together,  \nwe made an unstoppable team in the computer and electronic science  \ndepartment.\"\n\n  \n\nThe tiger glared at him for a few  \nmoments, looking for any hint of deception, but finally relented and  \nnodded, satisfied. \"I see. And, did you and he graduate from this  \ncollege?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz sighed, knowing where this was  \ngoing, but not wanting to reveal more than he already had. \"No,  \nsir. There was an...accident at the school that incapacitated us and  \ndestroyed a key laboratory. Had it not happened, we probably would've  \nbeen working at Pumadyne or some other high-tech place.\"\n\n  \n\nThe tiger nodded and  \nhummed, gently, disseminating what he just heard in his mind. _An  \nincident at Megakat U., eh? That is definitely something that needs  \nto be investigated further._ Filing that bit of information away  \nfor later, he stared at the younger kat, scanning him over with a  \ncultured, predatory eye. \"I see. Normally, I don't hire people  \nunless they're the top of their class, but from the sound of it, you  \nwere getting there, anyway. And Peter speaks highly of you. Tell you  \nwhat; I'll give you a low-level apprentice job at the labs, for the  \nnext few weeks. If you do well there, we'll see about a more  \npermanent solution to your unemployment issues. Does that sound  \nfair?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz locked eyes on the  \ntiger, not letting him know he was cursing his luck on the inside.  \n_Low-level apprentice work? That won't get me anywhere near where I  \nneed to go in the labs. Still, it's better than nothing, I suppose,  \nand as long as I can keep up this charade and play my cards right, I  \nmay be able to get the info I need to make the heist._ Coming to a  \ndecision, he nodded firmly. \"Yes, sir. I thank you for this  \nopportunity. I won't let you down.\"\n\n  \n\nThe tiger growled deep enough to send  \nshivers down Marz's spine. \"You better not, young lad; I'm a harsh  \nmaster on those under my employ who do.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz quivered a little in fear as he  \ncaught the double entendre in the tiger's words. Fortunately, the  \ntiger cut him loose before any further scaring could happen, and  \ndespite the low-level position he was granted, Marz was happy that  \nthings were going smoothly for him.\n\n  \n\nAs the tan tom left, Khan flicked on  \nhis phone and called Feral at home, tapping his claws on the desk as  \nhe waited for his mate to pick up. \"Feral, this is Khan... Yes,  \nhon, I know it's early for me to call, but I've got some news about  \nour boy Marz... Yes , stage one is complete, and I've got some info  \nfor you to check out. Do you know anything about an incident  \ninvolving Megakat University...?\"\n\n  \n\nLater that night, Marz got a call from  \nPeter, asking about his interview. Apparently, to his dismay, news  \ntraveled fast in Khan Industries. Informing the one-armed kat about  \nhis acceptance into the labs, Peter squealed in joy and insisted they  \ntalk about it over dinner. Smiling, Marz donned his best casual  \noutfit and made a beeline to the restaurant Peter suggested they meet  \nat, the same restaurant they had lunch together at, days earlier. As  \nhe entered the fancy building, he couldn't help but feel rather small  \nand insignificant next to the bigwigs that were dining there, almost  \nas if he was ashamed of eating in their presence. Cursing inwardly,  \nhe reminded himself of why he was there and what he had staked in it  \nand sat down at a table, ordering some rotisserie chicken for  \nhimself. A few moments later, Peter showed up, flagging the tom down  \nand sitting across from him at the same table, ordering a salad and  \nshrimp.\n\n  \n\nAs they waited for their orders to  \narrive, Peter asked how the interview went. When Marz told him about  \nthe entry-level apprenticeship, Peter could barely contain his glee.\n\n  \n\n\"That's wonderful, love!  \nCongratulations. When are you going to be starting?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz shrugged and took a sip of water.  \n\"I wasn't given a date, but I'm suspecting I'll be asked to come in  \nin a few days. What got me confused about the interview is that the  \nboss himself decided to conduct the interview.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter blinked and stared at the tom,  \nquirking an eyebrow as their food was served. \"A large tiger with a  \nbooming voice?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz nodded, taking another sip of  \nwater before turning to his food. \"Yeah, that's the one.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter hummed as he picked up his fork,  \nhis eyebrow raising higher. \"That's Khan. I'm surprised he took the  \ntime out of his schedule to interview you personally.\"\n\n  \n\n\"Well, he did say  \nthat you referred me to him, so maybe he thought that if anyone has  \npotential to be a decent enough worker, it's a friend of someone as  \ndedicated to his work as you are.\" The tom reached down to pick up  \nhis own fork, only to jerk back in pain as his powers flared up  \nagain, arching a bolt of static from his fingers to the metal  \nutensil. It wasn't enough to cause a spectacle, but it was enough to  \ncause him to flinch and caused Peter to notice.\n\n  \n\n\"Another bout of static?\" Peter  \nqueried, worriedly. \"You seem to be having a problem with that,  \nlately. I thought 'Thunder Kat' wasn't making a reappearance, yet.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz smirked thinly and willed his  \npowers to settle, thankful that they chose not to go farther than a  \nsmall spark. \"It's nothing, just something the docs said I'll have  \nto live with...\"\n\n  \n\nPeter stared at his old friend, not  \nsure what to think. \"What do you mean?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz sighed and put his hands down,  \nbeing careful not to touch anything metal. \"Since the accident,  \nI've been getting random twitches and sparks of static. The docs say  \nthe accident must've affected my fur to be especially sensitive to  \nstatic. As far as I know the changes are permanent.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter looked down at Marz's hand,  \nwhich was still trembling from the shock it gave. He could believe  \nit; when the doctors had to amputate his arm after the accident, he  \nwas told the nerves in it were going so haywire that it was  \nimpossible to calm them. \"I'm sorry to hear that, hon.\" :He  \ngrabbed his right shoulder, trembling a little himself in sadness. \"I  \nguess that incident changed both of us, hadn't it?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz nodded and tentatively picked up  \nhis fork, breathing a sigh of relief that his powers finally calmed  \nthemselves. \"Like you wouldn't believe, Peter. Anyway, I hope this  \njob goes smoothly for me. I'd hate to screw it up like last time...\"  \nHe looked up to see Peter staring at him, eyebrow quirked again in  \nconfusion. He realized what he had said and cleared his throat. \"My  \nlast job didn't do me any favors, sadly. Only lasted a few months  \nbefore I got fired. Not pleasant, I can assure you; kept getting shot  \ndown in my attempts to get ahead.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter nodded and dug into his shrimp,  \nsmiling. \"Well, hopefully that won't be the case, this time. As  \nlong as you keep your nose clean and do your best, I'm sure you'll do  \njust fine.\"\n\n  \n\n_Yeah, keep my nose  \nclean,_ Marz thought to himself, ruefully, taking a bite out of  \nhis chicken. \"Don't worry, I'm sure with my skills, it won't take  \nme long to get myself in the right position to succeed in the labs.  \nSpeaking of, I'm surprised you haven't tried to get some help with  \nyour condition from the labs, yet.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter frowned a little in insult,  \nlooking at his limbless shoulder. \"Something I have to live with,  \nas well, I guess; docs said that the nerves all along my arm were  \ntotally shot, pretty much useless. Any prosthetics I could use either  \nirritate the area or can't get through the bad nerves to connect to  \nthe good.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz nodded, sullenly, as he realized  \nwhat that meant. \"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter just shrugged. \"I learned to  \nlive with it, though Khan said the company's working on a  \nrevolutionary new device that could help me out.\"\n\n  \n\nThat got Marz's attention. \"Oh? How  \nso?\"\n\n  \n\n\"They're experimenting with  \nhigh-level conductive metals and other electrostatic devices in order  \nto help stimulate the damaged nerves for possible repair. Right now,  \nit's just a prototype, but it looks promising.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz nodded, making mental note of  \nthat bit of information for later. \"Ah, I see. Well, let's hope it  \nworks out for you; I would love to see you with two working arms  \nagain.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter sighed and nodded, smiling  \nthinly. \"Yeah, so do I.\"\n\n  \n\nRealizing he had depressed his lover,  \nMarz reached out and took his hand, gripping it tightly with love. As  \nhe did so, a rumbling through his arm alerted him to another electric  \nshock coming,on, but it was too late for him to will it to stop. With  \na \\*bzzap!\\*, a somewhat larger bolt of static than the one that he  \nproduced earlier went through his arm and into Peter's, causing both  \nparties to jump in surprise. But instead of yelping in pain, Peter  \njust purred and gripped Marz's hand tighter. With a smile and wink,  \nPeter leaned over and kissed Marz on the cheek, letting him know he  \nwasn't hurt by the bolt, something that confused Marz, but ultimately  \nchalked up to their previous playtimes together. \"I guess Thunder  \nKat's back on, huh?\" he asked, warmly.\n\n  \n\nAt Khan Towers, Feral was meeting with  \nthe building's namesake in his bedroom suite, reporting on what he  \nhad learned from Marz's interview.\n\n  \n\n\"Apparently, there was an explosion  \nin one of the university's electronics labs. Two people were injured;  \nMarz Raikou and Peter Collins. Collins lost his right arm, while Marz  \nwas in a coma for most of the year. After he woke up, Marz vanished,  \nand there was no more contact made with Collins after he was  \ndischarged.\"\n\n  \n\nKhan frowned and rubbed his chin,  \nthoughtfully. \"Well, that explains Mr. Collins' missing arm. I've  \nmeant to ask him about it, but it was always clear from the beginning  \nthat he didn't care to explain himself about it. Do you know what  \ncaused the explosion?\"\n\n  \n\nFeral shook his head. \" The best the  \ninvestigators could tell, the main Tesla coil in the lab overcharged  \nand detonated. Except for Marz's and Peter's prints, the only fresh  \nprints that the forensics department could find were those of the  \nheadmaster.\" He frowned and started pacing. \"What's odd is that,  \nshortly after Marz woke up, the headmaster was found dead in a  \nsimilar lab, electrocuted to death.\"\n\n  \n\nThat caught Khan's attention.  \n\"Interesting. You think the two are related?\"\n\n  \n\nFeral shrugged. \"Perhaps, though  \nthere's no evidence to prove it. It would make sense, though; The  \naccident is probably where Marz gained the powers he has as Hard  \nDrive, and after losing those many months and Peter's arm to such a  \nsuspicious explosion, he likely thought the headmaster was to blame  \nfor it; his record does show several complaints of abuse by the  \nhomosexual students there during his tenure.\"\n\n  \n\nKhan blinked and quirked an eyebrow at  \nhis mate, curiously. \"I thought it was known his powers came from  \nthat Surge Coat of his. You're telling me that it's actually  \ninternal?\"\n\n  \n\nFeral nodded, grousing. \"That's the  \ntypical belief on the street, but I've seen him use his powers in  \njail. It's become harder and harder to cage him, because of it.\"\n\n  \n\nKhan hummed at that, thinking.  \nSuddenly, his eyes widened, turning to his computer and calling up a  \nmanifest of the products his lab was producing. \"I thought as much.  \nMy labs are currently producing bioelectrical equipment and  \nartificial organs and limbs for medical research. Perhaps he's  \nlooking for a way to better control his powers...\"\n\n  \n\n\"It's possible,\" Feral shrugged,  \nfrowning. \"last I heard, it was getting harder for him to control  \nhis powers in jail without his Surge Coat on. I doubt it, though;  \nit's likely something that a rival of yours ordered him to steal, to  \nget one up on you in the medical competition.\"\n\n  \n\n\"Perhaps, but we should not rule  \nanything out, just yet. I have him scheduled to start his  \napprenticeship at the start of next week. I'll have the guards lax  \naround long enough to give him brief windows of opportunity to skulk  \nabout and do what he has planned without security being useless. If  \nthings go well, we should be able to catch him in the act soon  \nenough.\"\n\n  \n\nFeral sighed and sat down beside his  \nmate, folding his arms in displeasure. \" I hope you're right about  \nthis, hon. I don't want you having to bear an actual theft from that  \nscum.\"\n\n  \n\nKhan frowned and gave his mate a stern  \nlook. \"If we are to determine what his goals are, we must play the  \nroles that he has set us up to play, and we must be prepared for when  \nhe does make his move. To do anything else would be presumptuous of  \nus and risks putting Peter in danger. I can't risk that.\"\n\n  \n\nFeral nodded and hugged his mate,  \nwarmly. \"I know, hon. I know. I just hope this all works out.\"\n\n  \n\nThe weekend, as it  \nturned out, was rather uneventful for all parties. Peter and Marz  \nhung out as much as they could between Peter's work hours, catching  \nup on old times. Marz, for his part, managed to keep his anticipation  \nin check as he counted down the hours to his new \"job\". It was  \nhard on him, not having his Surge Coat to keep his powers under  \ncontrol, but somehow he managed to do so with little issues, only  \naccidentally sparking a few times during his meetings with his  \nfriend. Peter, on the other hand, was getting more and more worried  \nabout the tan tom's health, each spark and sizzle emitting from Marz  \nsparking a pang of remorse from him. Eventually, things came to a  \nhead when, hanging out at Peter's suite Sunday night, the tabby asked  \na strange question.\n\n  \n\n\"Hey, Marz? Do you ever regret what  \nwe did at college?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz looked up at his friend and  \nquirked an eyebrow, confused. \"What do you mean, hon?:\n\n  \n\nPeter glanced over at Marz and  \nshrugged, sighing. \"The times we had sex in the lab. If it wasn't  \nfor those, we likely wouldn't have had the accident.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz stared at his friend for a few  \nminutes, then shook his head, dourly. \"I don't think so. There was  \nsomething else that happened, something that someone didn't want us  \nto know.\"\n\n  \n\nThe tabby blinked and propped himself  \nup on one elbow. \"What'cha talking about?\"\n\n  \n\n\"I mean the headmaster. You've heard  \nthe complaints about him by the gay students there. I'm sure he found  \nout about what we were doing and did something to the coil to cause  \nit to explode.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter stared at Marz, disbelievingly.  \n\"How do you know for sure?\"\n\n  \n\n\"I can't say,\" Marz lied, sighing  \nfrustratingly. \"All I know is that he did it. He had to have.  \nThere's no other explanation I can think of for it.\"\n\n  \n\n\"Hon, you're starting to sound like  \na conspiracy theorist. You don't know for certain that it was him.\"\n\n  \n\n\"Yes, I do. He had to have; the coil  \nwas working perfectly the last time we played with it, and we both  \nknow our way around it, so there was no way we could've messed up on  \nit.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter wasn't convinced. \"But why  \nwould he do something so cruel like that? What did he hope to gain?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz glared at his friend, sighing. \"I  \ndunno. I think he was both pissed off at us being gay and messing  \naround in the labs, and jealous of our talents. You remember when he  \nkept on putting us in detention for no apparent reason, right?\"\n\n  \n\nPeter nodded, biting his lip. \"Yeah,  \nthe guy kept insisting it was because we were causing problems and  \nbeing a bad influence on the other students, but we were graduating  \nthe top of our class. You think he'd really be so jealous and  \ndisgusted at us that he would actually try to kill us?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz shrugged. \"You've heard the  \nreports; the bastard was capable of anything.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter nodded and frowned, thinking  \nabout something. \"What happened to him, anyway?\"\n\n  \n\n\"He died,\" Marz said, simply. \"Or,  \nat least, that's what I hear. Similar kind of accident that we were  \nin. In my opinion, the guy deserved it.\"\n\n  \n\n\"I don't doubt that, if he did  \nsabotage the coil,\" Peter replied, pointedly.\"Right now, it's all  \nhearsay. I heard our case went cold.\"\n\n  \n\n\"Yeah, it did. So did the one with  \nthe headmaster. Look, no offense, but can we get off the subject,  \nnow? I'm not too comfortable talking about it, right now.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter nodded and patted Marz on the  \nback, comfortingly. \"Sure, I don't mind. So, what do you want to  \ntalk about, now?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz smirked and laid back, thinking  \nto himself. \"Well, what have you been up to, during my absence? I  \nsee you've made a name for yourself at Khan Industries. Found any  \nhunky guys there that you liked?\"\n\n  \n\nPeter blushed and nodded. \"Yes, I  \ndid. Actually, you met him when you had your interview.\"\n\n  \n\n\"You don't mean...\" Marz blinked,  \nmouth agape as Peter nodded, confirming his suspicions. \"Well, talk  \nabout sleeping with the boss. Bet he was pounding your ass pretty  \ngood in the back room.\"\n\n  \n\n\"Actually, it was the copy room,\"  \nPeter corrected, smiling. \"And it was the other way around.\"\n\n  \n\nThat got Marz's attention. \"Really,  \nnow? You, such a little tabby, taking the ass of that big, bad-ass  \ntiger? Now that I would love to see.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter blushed and grinned, beeping  \nMarz's nose with a finger. \"I think I can arrange that; he and I  \nstill sleep together on occasion, despite him being mated. He and his  \nmate have an...interesting relationship going on.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz giggled and patted his friend's  \nhand, warmly. \"I would like that. Though, I'm surprised you aren't  \nmated to him, right now.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter's disposition turned a little  \nsour at that. \"Believe me, he tried, but...he wasn't the right one  \nfor me. Not like you are.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz frowned, noting the dour turn of  \nhis friend's attitude. \"Don't tell me you were pining for me all  \nthis time...\" Peter nodded, solemnly. The tan tom hugged the tabby,  \ntenderly. \"Oh, hon, you shouldn't have. Like you said, we didn't  \nknow when I was going to wake up, and you had moved on with your life  \nby the time I did. Just because I was your first, doesn't mean I had  \nto be your only one.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter nodded, biting his lip a little  \nin shame. \"I know, but I couldn't help it. I...I love you, Marz. I  \nalways have, and I think I always will. I know I said I had moved on,  \nbut when it came to you...I can't. I just can't...\" He gripped Marz  \ntight, burying his head in his shoulder as he started crying.\n\n  \n\nMarz mrewled and snuggled the tabby  \ntight, shushing him in an attempt to calm him down.\"It's alright,  \nhon. It's alright. I understand. I never stopped thinking of you  \neither, honestly. I...I don't think I could've survived for much  \nlonger without you.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter looked up at his friend and gave  \na weak smile, before kissing Marz tenderly on the lips. Marz, caught  \noff guard, blinked a few times at the kiss before returning it in  \nkind, rubbing his friend's sides with his hands. For a long while, he  \nforgot entirely about his mission or his old metakat identity as he  \nmelted into Peter's embrace, making out with the tabby with all his  \nheart. Peter, in turn, was just happy to be in his lover's embrace  \nagain, and moved his arm down to grip and fondle Marz's ass, gently,  \ncausing him to meep in amused shock. Grinning, he pressed himself  \ntighter against Peter's body, lightly stroking his sides and thighs  \ngently in response. That was all the encouragement Peter needed;  \nslipping his hands underneath Marz's waistband, he felt around before  \nhis hand landed on the tom's package, fondling it gently. Marz let  \nout a gasp as he was groped, grinding into the paw needingly as he  \nexplored his lover's body.\n\n  \n\nAfter a few moments of this, both kats  \nwere full hard and pressing against the tight fabric of their pants,  \njust waiting to be released. Peter, his hand still occupied with  \nMarz's girth, leaned back a little to give room for the tom to undo  \nhis pants, an offer Marz quickly obliged. As he undid the snap and  \nunzipped the fly, Peter's husky foot-long member sprang to life,  \nsurprising Marz at his lack of underwear. Glancing up at his lover  \ninquisitively, all he got was a giggle, shrug and kiss as Peter  \nstarted undoing his pants, smiling slyly as he saw the velvety  \nleather fabric of what was clearly a thong.\n\n  \n\n\"I guess we both have interesting  \nchoices of underwear, huh?\" Marz smirked, playfully.\n\n  \n\nPeter's giggle died down to a chuckle.  \n\"You can blame Khan for my lack thereof; he gets so horny when we  \nplay around it's impossible to keep anything on.\"\n\n  \n\n\"I can bet. Speaking of...\" Marz  \ngrowled, mischievously, and pounced his lover, pinning him down on  \nthe bed as he started stripping Peter's clothes off. In spite of the  \nlack of an arm, Peter's body was just as perfect as Marz had  \nremembered it; a swimmer's build, looking almost like an otter with  \nhis height, and gorgeously handsome. It was no wonder Feral found him  \nattractive... or why he found him so dominant; there was an authority  \nbeneath the meekness, a type of no-nonsense attitude that just exuded  \nfrom every muscle of his being. His crotch didn't help matters any,  \neither; the long, thick slab of male meat hung semi-limply in Peter's  \nlap, adorned with its fair share and more of a kat's typical penile  \nbarbs, while his orange-sized balls laid deftly between his thighs,  \njust waiting to be juiced by a skilled tongue and mouth. With  \ndifficulty, Peter also stripped Marz of his clothing, exposing his  \nown taut body to his gaze; more chubby than Peter was, he was  \nnonetheless fit and stern in frame, being somewhat more muscular than  \nhis smaller counterpart. Adorned on both nipples were a pair of metal  \nhoops, with more lining his urethra and golf ball-sized testicles,  \nand piercing the underside of his glans. Peter smiled as the memories  \ncame flooding back; Marz had such piercings even before they met, and  \nwere perfect contact points for their e-stim games, something that  \nPeter theorized was done on purpose, given Marz's addiction to the  \nelectric tingle they produced in his nether regions.\n\n  \n\nGrowling in unbridled lust at the  \nsight of his naked lover, Marz stooped down and began tracing his  \ntongue around the length of Peter's shaft, eliciting a moan from the  \ntabby. The taste was just as delectable as he remembered it, a  \nsalty-sweet concoction of sweat, musk and precum that tingled the  \nsenses and intoxicated the taste buds. It was more than Marz could  \nstand as he slowly took the kat's member into his mouth and started  \ngoing down on him, sucking hungrily on the length of flesh like a  \nkitten suckling on his mother. Peter, looking down at his lover,  \nsmirked broadly and placed his hand on the back of Marz's head,  \nguiding him on his cock as the tom bobbed up and down its length.\n\n  \n\nAfter a few minutes of  \nthis ministration, Marz decided to take it a bit further; sliding his  \nmouth off of Peter's length, he took one of his fingers and stuck it  \nin his mouth, wetting it generously before moving it to the  \nunderside of the tabby's tail, pressing it gently against his  \npuckered bud. Feeling the digit against his tailhole, Peter moaned  \nand relaxed himself, allowing it to slide easily into him as Marz  \nresumed his suckling on his cock. One finger quickly turned to two as  \nMarz started pumping in and out of Peter's ass, his lustful growling  \nsending rumblings through the tabby's cock. Finally, a third finger  \nwas added, and Marz quickly picked up a rhythm with his fingers and  \nhis mouth, going down each time he pulled out, and pushing in  \nwhenever he drew his lips upward. This dual pistoning quickly brought  \nPeter on-edge, but for some reason, it wasn't enough to push him  \nover.\n\n  \n\nThat is, until Marz's powers chose  \nthat time to malfunction, again.\n\n  \n\nWith a wince, Marz unwittingly  \ndischarged a mild bolt of static from his fingers deep into Peter's  \nanus, shocking his insides and causing his sphincter to spasm.  \nHowever, instead of pain, Peter cried out in pleasure as a huge glob  \nof precum spurted in Marz's mouth. Marz barely got a chance to pause,  \ncontemplating the consequences of his actions, when Peter pushed his  \nhand against the back of his head again and gave out a cry of \"Spark  \nme again, Thunder Kat!\", indicating a clear desire to be shocked  \nagain. Grinning in deviousness, he slowly charged up his fingers and  \ntongue, releasing short, low-voltage, random bolts of static from  \nboth as he administrated to Peter's crotch area, carefully  \ncontrolling the bolts to make it seem like his \"condition\" was  \ncausing it instead of his powers. That seemed to do the trick; with  \neach spark, Peter started preing heavier and heavier into Marz's  \nmouth until finally, with a last, stronger burst of static to his  \nprostate, Peter came, spilling what seemed like a lifetime of salty  \nkat cream down Marz's throat. It was almost too much for the tom to  \ndrink, but he had much experience with taking Peter, so he was able  \nto quickly compensate and take the full load down his gullet.\n\n  \n\nLooking up as he sucked  \nthe last dregs of cum from Peter's member, Marz saw a very exhausted  \nbut satisfied tabby laying on the bed, staring back at him with a  \ngrin. \"I could get used to your condition, if it causes that to  \nhappen,\" he huffed, eagerly. Marz smiled back, a hint of saddened  \nbetrayal in his eyes that Peter thankfully didn't catch. _Thought I  \ndoubt you'd want to..._ Getting up, he repositioned himself into a  \nstraddling position over Peter's chest and head, stroking himself as  \nhe got close to his own orgasm. Knowing what the kat wanted, Peter  \nreached up and did the same thing he was given, wetting his own  \nfingers to shove underneath Marz's tail as he sucked the tom off,  \nravishingly. While he didn't have the powers Marz had, Peter was  \nstill able to make the kat's groin tingle with his ministrations,  \ndexterously pawing and sucking until, with a final cry of pleasure,  \nMarz shot his own load into Peter's mouth, the warm tongue and mouth  \nmilking him dry.\n\n  \n\nOnce his balls were fully emptied into  \nhis lover, Marz rolled off Peter and cuddled up close beside him,  \nsnagging the tabby into a warm embrace. They kissed, tasting their  \nown seed in each other's mouth, enjoying the flavor of their mixed  \ncontributions. Both kats purred as they hugged each other tight,  \nletting the warmth of each other's body calm them in their afterglow.\n\n  \n\nPeter looked at his lover and smiled,  \nkissing him gently on the lips. \"I love you, Marz. I don't think I  \ncould ever spend another day without you, from now on.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz blinked, a little  \nunsure of what to say to that. Now that the haze of lust had left his  \nbrain and he was thinking more clearly, he thought back to his old  \nlife, his life as Hard Drive, and the life Peter was offering him  \nnow...and he was conflicted. His time as Hard Drive had hurt a lot of  \npeople and caused a lot of destruction and thefts, and now he's using  \nPeter to instigate yet another heist. Knowing Peter was completely  \nignorant about his past since the accident, and now knowing he still  \nlived him and wanted to be with him, tore at his heart. He knew that,  \nif Peter ever found out about his lifestyle, that would be the end;  \ntheir relationship would be dashed, and anything that could've  \nhappened between them would be lost.\n\n  \n\nAt the same time,  \nthough, Peter's declaration of love for him made him question  \nreturning to his old lifestyle. He knew it would be impossible to not  \nreturn, to forget that his time as Hard Drive ever happened and  \nreturn to loving Peter the way he wanted, but the moment those words  \nof declaration of love to him slipped from Peter's lips, his heart  \nmelted. He couldn't just turn his back on this, just as he couldn't  \nturn his back on his life as Hard Drive. He _wanted_ this; he  \nwanted to be with Peter, to kiss and hold and caress and make love to  \nhim every single chance he got, to be his mate, to love him like  \nPeter loved him back.\n\n  \n\nPeter, finally noticing his lover's  \nindecision, tilted his head a little in confusion. \"Hon? What is  \nit? What's wrong?\"\n\n  \n\nBlinking, Marz snapped out of his  \nmusings and gave a weak shrug and a thin smile. \"Nothing. It's  \njust...it's been a long time since we've done this, Peter. It feels  \ngood but weird, at the same time.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter frowned and shook his head, not  \nbuying it. \"You can't fool me, Marz; you're worried about  \nsomething. What is it?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz sighed and curled up, biting his  \nlip a little in consternation. \"It's just...you've made a name for  \nyourself, working for Khan, and I haven't, at least not the kind of  \nname you'd want me to make for myself. I haven't kept a steady job in  \nyears, I've been running around this city, getting into trouble...I'm  \nnot the kind of guy I used to be, anymore, and I don't think you'd  \nwant that as a mate.\"\n\n  \n\n\"What kind of trouble?\"\n\n  \n\n\"Just little tiffs, here and there.  \nTypical zap in, get into a little mayhem with some locals, and zap  \nout.\" He laughed half-heartedly at the joke he made. \"I guess you  \ncould say that I've turned into a bit of a bad boy since you've been  \ngone.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter hugged him tight and looked into  \nhis eyes. \"Hon, listen to me: whatever trouble you might've gotten  \ninto, I don't believe it's your fault, and I don't believe you meant  \nany harm by it. Whatever happened, I'll still be here for you, you'll  \nnever lose me. You got that, Thunder Kat?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz stared at his lover for a few  \nmoments before finally smiling, holding him close. \"Yes, sir.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz's first couple of months on the  \njob was largely uneventful, giving the tom a sense of confidence as  \nhe made note of every bit of surveillance and security upgrade they  \nmade, since his bold attempt at a break-in over a month ago.  \nInterestingly, his position as an apprentice gave him much deeper  \naccess to the labs than he initially thought, and he didn't have to  \ngo too far out of his way to spy out the situation. The guards, while  \ndoubled from their original number and still as highly-trained and  \nheavily-armed as usual, were still spread out pretty thin along the  \nbuilding's floors, and he discovered several flaws in the sensors and  \nalarms that made up the automatic security system for him to exploit  \nwith his powers. Pretty soon, he had a good diagram of what to expect  \nduring his next impromptu visit, and where to hit them for maximum  \nimpact with minimum risk.\n\n  \n\nThe prizes he saw were pretty sweet,  \nas well; state-of-the-art biomechanical devices and electronic  \nmedical gear were being researched and built, all miles above what  \neven Pumadyne and the Metallikats could ever hope to see. Artificial  \nlimbs, respirators, artificial organs, sensory equipment, monitors,  \neven experimental electro-stimulation devices for nerve-damaged  \npatients were in the works. It was the latter of which he was most  \nfascinated with; from what his superior told him, they were highly  \nexperimental and ran off the body's own bioelectrical field, allowing  \nit to bypass or stimulate damaged nerve endings for victims of severe  \nburns, chemical attacks, or - what Marz wanted to hear -  \nelectrical shocks. Combined with sensors built into artificial limbs  \nor organs, they could use the body's own nervous system to render  \nsomeone fully functional again.\n\n  \n\n_Perfect,_ the  \ntabby thought to himself, smiling. _With some tweaks to that  \ntechnology, I should be able to cure these blasted seizures of mine  \nand increase my powers without the Surge Coat tenfold. Even the Swat  \nKats will end up kneeling before me!_\n\n  \n\nSuch thoughts  \nfaded, though, when he passed by the artificial limb factory on his  \ntour, and saw a perfectly manufactured and free-moving robotic right  \narm being tested for grip strength and sensitivity. Once he saw that,  \nhis thoughts turned immediately to Peter and his missing arm, and how  \nsuch technology could be used to benefit him, as well. He then  \nremembered what Peter had said about the nerves in his right  \nshoulder, and he furrowed his brow in concern. Again, doubt gripped  \nhis mind as he began to question his commitment to the plan, but  \nquickly shoved those doubts aside as he continued his recon of the  \nlabs.\n\n  \n\nMeanwhile, at Khan Towers, Khan,  \nFeral, Chance and Jake - the latter two in their personas of the  \nSwat Kats - were listening in on a play-by-play of Marz's movements  \nthrough the labs by the head security guard, making note of all of  \nthe places and devices he stopped to question his supervisor on.\n\n  \n\nChance - T-Bone - folded his arms  \nand whistled in surprise. \"Man, Mr. Khan, you're sure taking an  \nawful risk letting that freak into such a secure area like this.\"\n\n  \n\nFeral growled and pointed at the Swat  \nKat, deftly. \"May I remind you that you are here at our request?  \nAnd as for Khan's plan...\"\n\n  \n\n\"As for my plan,\" Khan cut in,  \nglancing at his mate in slight irritation. \"I have it all under  \ncontrol. I requested you here to give us your assessment of what he  \nmight have planned for another heist. As such, what do you think,  \nRazor?\"\n\n  \n\nRazor frowned and rubbed his chin,  \nthoughtfully. \"My best guess would be that he'll go after those  \nelectro-stim devices your company is building; with those, he could  \nincrease the power of his Surge Coat immeasurably. Even we might not  \nbe able to stop him, if that turns out to be the case, and he gets  \nhis hands on them.\"\n\n  \n\n\"Or maybe he could make use of his  \npowers without that coat,\" Feral pointed out, frowning. \"Remember,  \nI've seen him outside of his coat after you ruffians capture him, and  \nI can tell you right now his shock value, while diminished without  \nit, is still very much present even out of it. What I don't get is  \nwhy he's showing interest in the artificial limb production line.\"\n\n  \n\nKhan frowned and started to talk, but  \nanother voice interrupted him, filled with anger and disappointment.  \n\"It's because of me, sirs.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter was sitting at  \nhis desk, bored. It wasn't often that he would have nothing to do,  \nbut now was one of those times; he had finished the paperwork Khan  \nhad him do a few hours early, and with the tiger meeting with his  \nmate up in his office, there wasn't going to be any new assignments  \noffered to him, any time, soon. Sighing, he stretched out and put his  \nfeet on his desk, staring out the window and daydreaming about Marz.  \nThe tom was kind and decent to him, but curiously aloof with his  \npast. He couldn't see Marz as a bad boy, far from it, but there was  \nsomething off about his demeanor, something hidden behind his words  \nand eyes that made him wonder just what was going on with the guy.  \n_Maybe he's just uncomfortable with dating me, after all these  \nyears,_ he thought, wryly. _Maybe he's ashamed because he didn't  \nmake it big in life like I did, and feels embarrassed for dating  \nsomeone of a higher caliber as him._\n\n  \n\nThe familiar roar of the  \nTurbokat's engines snapped him out of his musings as it flew into a  \nhovering position above the tower. As it landed, Peter blinked and  \nlooked out the window, looking for what crisis was happening to bring  \nthe Swat Kats in to their center of business. He didn't have long to  \nfind out as T-Bone and Razor barged into the office, somewhat  \nhurriedly.\n\n  \n\n\"We're here on request of Shere  \nKhan.\" T-Bone growled, hastily. \"Will you let him know we're  \nhere?\"\n\n  \n\nPeter stood there, agape, as he was  \naddressed by the duo, but did as he was asked, flicking on the  \nintercom and announcing the Swat Kats' arrival to his boss. After a  \nmoment, he was ordered to let them in, and he did so, watching them  \nwalk through the doors into Khan's personal suite. At first, he tried  \nto go back to whatever semblance of work he could manage, but  \nsomething kept him back, something about the Swat Kats' arrival that  \nunnerved him. Frowning, he flicked a few switches on the intercom,  \ntapping into the one in Khan's office to allow him to listen in on  \ntheir conversations without Khan knowing. He didn't use it too often,  \nnot wanting to incur the tiger's wrath for spying on him, but on this  \noccasion, something told him to do it, despite the risk.\n\n  \n\nWhat he heard astounded and enraged  \nhim.\n\n  \n\n\"So, you think Hard Drive was  \ninvolved in the attack on the headmaster of his college, after the  \nincident?\" Razor asked Feral, curiously.\n\n  \n\nFeral nodded. \"There's no doubt  \nabout it; the fingerprints found at the crime scene were distorted  \nand almost unusable, but matching them to Hard Drive's showed enough  \nof a match to provide no doubt; he and Marz Raikou are one and the  \nsame, and he was responsible for the headmaster's death.\"\n\n  \n\nT-Bone growled, cracking his knuckles  \nin frustration. \"That isn't like Hard Drive; he's more interested  \nin theft than destruction and death. Are you sure it's him?\"\n\n  \n\n\"I'm sure, T-Bone, and honestly I  \ncan't blame him; evidence reexamined from the site of the incident  \nthat created Hard Drive showed strong evidence that the headmaster  \nwas indeed the one who sabotaged the Tesla coil that exploded. I  \nbelieve he used his powers to get revenge on the headmaster for the  \nattempted murder.\"\n\n  \n\nRazor nodded, humming in doubt. \"That  \nstill doesn't explain why he's after the tech in Khan Industries'  \nlabs, or why he's getting so buddy-buddy with Peter.\"\n\n  \n\n\"Peter and Marz were good friends,  \nprobably lovers,\" Khan noted, pointedly. \"Likely they haven't  \nseen each other for so long, they don't know about the other's life  \nafter the incident. Peter always told me that I wasn't his first, so  \nI'm assuming it was Marz that popped his proverbial cherry. If that's  \nthe case, he's probably playing it cool and avoiding conflict to  \nprevent Peter from being hurt when he does try to steal my company's  \ntech.\"\n\n  \n\n\"And that makes him even more  \ndangerous than before,\" Feral continued, frowning. \"If we start  \ngetting on his or Peter's case about this, either one of them could  \ncrack and warn the other about our intentions, and blow the whole  \nplan sky-high. Hard Drive might even try to use Peter as a hostage  \nto keep us at bay.\"\n\n  \n\nKhan growled at that suggestion,  \naghast at such a proposition. \"I don't think he would go that  \nfar...but we can't take the risk, either way. We'll wait until he  \nmakes his move at the lab, then swoop in to strike. We can't let him  \nand Peter get together any more, if your theories are correct, lest  \nwe put Peter in danger.\"\n\n  \n\nThat did it; standing up, Peter balled  \nhis hand into a fist and stormed toward the doors to Khan's office,  \ndetermined to clear this mess up once and for all...\n\n  \n\n\"Peter!\" Khan gasped, surprised,  \nstaring at shock as the one-armed tabby pushed his way past the Swat  \nKats and to the tiger's desk. Swinging his arm back, he decked the  \ntiger across the jaw; not a slap, but a full-fledged punch, sending  \nKhan reeling back in pain.\n\n  \n\n\"How dare you accuse my friend and  \nlover of being such a horrible criminal!\" Peter yelled, furiously.  \n\"How dare you, sir, threaten to separate us in a haphazard  \nconspiracy theory!\" The Swat Kats jumped on him after a few brief  \nmoments of stunned silence, only to get thrown off by the smaller  \nkat,.\n\n  \n\nIt took Feral to finally push the  \ntabby back. \"And how dare you punch _my_ mate! Do you know  \nwhat you've just done?\"\n\n  \n\n\"Do you know what _you've_ just  \ndone, sir?!\" Peter shouted back, eyes welling up with angry tears.  \n\"You have no right to accuse my lover to be Hard Drive; you have no  \nproof, just speculation and circumstantial evidence that won't hold  \nan ounce of water in court. And now you're not only planning on  \narresting him for no good reason but to also divide us for my sake?  \nWho are you to say who I can and cannot have for my lover?\"\n\n  \n\n\"_Enough!!!_\" Khan bellowed,  \nrubbing his chin in the process. He glared daggers into the smaller  \nfeline, more hurt by the accusations than he was at the punch.  \n\"Peter, you have no idea what you are getting yourself into, and  \neven we have only a vague idea of it, ourselves. This is purely a  \nreconnaissance mission to determine what course of action to take if  \nand when the worst happens, nothing more!\"\n\n  \n\n\"And what action would that be,  \nsir?\" Peter asked, in angry sarcasm. \"You said it yourself, you  \ndo not wish Marz and me to be together as long as your fruitless  \naccusations of his criminality continue. Are you really going to try  \nand separate us? Are you really going to keep the only other love of  \nyour life from pursuing the love of _his?_\"\n\n  \n\nThe room went silent as the group  \nmulled over that question. After a few minutes, Khan looked up,  \nstared Peter right in the eye, and nodded. \"If he is what we  \nbelieve him to be...yes, for your own safety, we have to keep you  \naway from him.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter stood there, fuming, unable to  \ncome up with a proper response to that; he knew that Khan was a  \nsweetheart at heart, and always had his and his loved ones' best  \ninterests in mind. It showed even in his ruthless business practices;  \neven though they seemed harsh to outsiders, once you were in the fold  \nyou quickly discovered they were fair and well-meaning, with plenty  \nof compensation for all. So in the back of his mind, he knew what  \nKhan was saying was true. However, he wasn't thinking rationally; his  \nbody was on automatic, his brain blocked out by irrational anger and  \nprotective instincts for Marz, and he said the words he thought he  \nwould never say in his life: \"Then you can take your sympathies and  \nthis job and shove it, sir. I will not allow you to ruin this man's  \nlife for your petty conspiracy theories. You will have my resignation  \non your desk by tomorrow. Good day, sir..\"\n\n  \n\nAnd with that, he ran out, not even  \nbothering to slam the door behind him, leaving the group of kats  \nstaring bewildered behind him. As he ran, one thing permeated his  \nmind: he had to warn Marz about what Khan and the gang were up to,  \nbefore it was too late. Racing down to the ground floor of the  \nbuilding's parking garage, he dove into his car, started it up, and  \ndrove full-tilt out of it, headed straight toward the labs. As he  \ndrove, he dialed Marz's cell phone number and tried to get a hold of  \nhim, but Marz, having left his phone home for the night, wasn't  \nanswering. Growling in frustration, he threw the phone onto the  \npassenger seat and continued his trip to the labs.\n\n  \n\nAt the labs, Marz had checked himself  \nout early and slipped into an unused part of the building, carefully  \navoiding the guards as he waited for nightfall. He wished he had his  \nSurge Coat with him, but he knew he couldn't risk it, not at this  \npoint. Minutes turned to hours as he waited , until a final  \nlights-out throughout the building alerted him to the fact that it  \nwas deserted once more. Smirking, he tossed his lab coat and charged  \nup his powers, his hair and fur glowing lighter and spiker as the  \nstatic electricity around him surged. His eyes dimmed to golden orbs,  \nand his hair shot straight up in a staticky mowhawk.\n\n  \n\nBracing himself, he pressed a hand  \nagainst a power socket near the door, charging up electricity as he  \nmutated himself into pure energy and entered the socket, sliding  \nalong the electrical conduits within the building's walls. Soon, he  \nmade his way to the main security room, where the head guard was  \nlazily scanning the wall of monitors for any sign of invaders.  \nGrinning to himself, the metakat popped his head onto one monitor,  \nthen another, until his face filled the entire wall. He cackled as  \nthe guard fell backward at the sight, startled out of his wits as the  \nbeing now known as Hard Drive spoke.\n\n  \n\n\"You're watching HDTV, Hard Drive  \nTelevision, and on our next episode, we'll be robbing you blind and  \nzapping you unconscious, all in wondrous 3D Shock-o-vsion!\"\n\n  \n\nWith that, the monitors started to  \nburst, one by one, shooting lightning at the frightened guard. The  \nguard tried his best to dodge the bolts as he ran to the button that  \nwould sound the alarm, but just as he got to it, a stray shock struck  \nthe button, destroying it.\n\n  \n\n\"Uh, uh, uh, can't have you do that,  \nnow, can we? But let's give him a hand for trying anyway, folks!\"  \nHard Drive then stuck a hand out of the destroyed button, its  \ncircuitry allowing him to reform as he grasped the hand of the guard,  \nsending a taser-like shockwave through his system. Groaning, the  \nguard rolled his eyes into the back of his head and collapsed, alive  \nbut out like a light. Reaching down, Hard Drive felt the guy's pulse  \nto make sure he was still among the living, before patting him on the  \ncheek. \"Night night, Sleeping Beauty. Hopefully, when you wake up,  \nthis nightmare will be over and done for all of us...\"\n\n  \n\nBack at Khan Towers, Feral was fuming  \nat what Peter had just done to his mate.\n\n  \n\n\"Goddamnit!\" he yelled out,  \nroaring almost loud enough for the entire building to hear him. \"What  \nin the hell is he thinking, trying to protect that criminal? If I had  \nhalf a mind, I'd...\"\n\n  \n\n\"You'll do what, my love?\" Khan  \nasked, standing up to stare into Feral's eyes, confrontingly.\n\n  \n\nFeral growled and poked a finger at  \nhis lover's chest, defiantly. \"You're not going to let him get away  \nwith this, now, are you, Khan?\"\n\n  \n\nKhan continued to glare at the former  \nEnforcer Commander, tempted to start swinging, himself, but managed  \nto calm himself down as he realized what had just transpired.  \n\"...Yes, I will.\"\n\n  \n\n\"You can't be serious! Mr.  \nCollins...\"\n\n  \n\n\"Is his own man with his own  \npriorities,\" Khan cut in, pointedly. \"I should've realized this,  \nsooner.\"\n\n  \n\nFeral quirked an eyebrow, confused.  \n\"What do you mean?\"\n\n  \n\nKhan sat back down, rubbing his jaw,  \nwearily. \"He told me, once, while I was worrying about whether or  \nnot to marry you that I wasn't his first. I should've realized when  \nhe mentioned Marz what he meant by that. They aren't just lovers,  \nthey were separated by chance and brought together by fate, two men  \nbroken by their love only to be rebuilding each other together by  \nthat love. It's that love that's blinding him, right now, to the  \ntruth.\"\n\n  \n\n\"Then shouldn't we go after him?\"  \nRazor asked, concerned. \"I mean, If he finds out that Marz really  \nis Hard Drive, there's no telling what he'd do, or what Hard Drive  \nwould do to him, in defense.\"\n\n  \n\nT-Bone nodded in agreement. \"Yeah.  \nNo offense, but I don't care how deluded he is in love or how much  \nelectricity he was able to take during the incident, facing off  \nagainst that psycho-electro won't be good on anyone's health, least  \nof all his.\"\n\n  \n\nFeral nodded, still pissed. \"At the  \nvery least, we should make sure things don't escalate between them,  \nshould the litter hit the fan.\"\n\n  \n\nKhan looked at the trio, unable to  \ncome to a decision, but finally nodded, as well. \"Fine, we'll get  \ngoing. But I warn you, no unnecessary force against either Hard Drive  \nor Peter. I don't want either of them getting harmed, understand me?\"\n\n  \n\nThe trio nodded their agreement and  \nheaded out, Feral and Khan in their limo, the Swat Kats in the  \nTurbokat. As he headed toward the labs, Khan secretly prayed for  \nboth Pater and Hard Drive - Marz, he reminded himself, gently -  \nwould be okay.\n\n  \n\nIt was late at night before Peter was  \nable to arrive at the labs. Most of the lights in the buildings were  \ndark and the parking lot was itself barren. Shutting off his car, he  \njumped out and ran into the main building, passing by a few security  \nguards along the way. The guards blinked as the one-armed tabby  \nrushed by them, only to jump as a klaxon started blaring. \"Intruder  \nalert! Intruder alert! Lock down at Section E-7. Repeat, lock down at  \nSection E-7. Theft in progress. Repeat, theft in progress.\" Peter,  \nhearing the announcement, blinked and growled, cursing himself for  \nhis foolishness. Steeling himself, he ran toward the mentioned  \nsection, hoping to catch Marz before anything else went wrong.\n\n  \n\nIn the aforementioned section, Marz  \nwas running for his life, dodging fire from guards and slipping under  \nclosing riot doors as he attempted to make his way out of the labs.  \nWithout his Surge Coat, he was reluctant to simply zap out of there,  \nespecially with the amount of experimental devices he was carrying.  \nOnce again, he was duped into thinking the lab was easy pickings,  \nonly to be sorely mistaken shortly after sneaking into the lab where  \nthe experimental electro-stimulation devices were being held. He was  \nso sure that, after a week of studying the layout of the building and  \nits security, he'd be able to get what he needed no problem, but  \ninstead, it was almost as if someone knew what he had planned and was  \njust baiting him on before springing the trap on him.\n\n  \n\nSliding underneath another riot door,  \nhe stopped as a familiar face came into view: Peter, running  \nfull-tilt toward him with a worried, almost enraged look in his eyes.  \nThey both screeched to a halt as their eyes met, both widening in  \nshock as they saw what the other was doing. Then Marz saw the guards  \ncoming up from behind Peter. Yelling at the kat to get down, he  \nconjured up the most potent bolt of lightning from his fingertips and  \nflung it at the riot door behind him, causing it to slam with a crash  \nbetween him and the guards as Peter did as he was told. With another  \ncouple bolts of lightning, he magnetically sealed the door, locking  \nthe guards out of the corridor. Peter, looking up from his crouched  \nposition, looked back to see the electrified door and the guards  \npounding on it, trying to get inside, then glanced back to Marz, a  \nlook of utter shock and horror on his face.\n\n  \n\n\"What the hell are you doing here,  \nPeter?\" Marz yelled, trying futilely to hide his stash behind his  \nback.\n\n  \n\nPeter got up and brushed himself off,  \nbefore angrily stomping toward Marz, growling a little in rage. \"I  \nshould be asking you the same question, Marz. Or would you prefer I  \ncall you 'Hard Drive', now?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz frowned as Peter walked over to  \nhim and grabbed the duffel bag that held the device out of his hand.  \nLooking into it, Peter snarled and dropped it onto the ground and  \ngrabbed Marz by the collar, bringing him down to eye-level with him.  \n\"What the hell have you been doing, Marz? I just risked my job and  \nmy life with Khan to defend you from his and his friends'  \naccusations, and now...\" He sniffed as tears welled up in his eyes.  \n\"And now I learn they're all true. Every one of them. \"\n\n  \n\n\"Peter, I...\" Marz started,  \ntearfully, but stopped, unable to come up with a proper retort to  \nPeter's words.\n\n  \n\nSnarling, Peter went to punch Marz in  \nthe jaw, his eyes flared in anger, only to go wide-eyed as Marz,  \ninstinctively, reached out and slammed him with a bolt of  \nsupercharged lightning. To both parties' surprise, though, instead of  \nblasting Peter back and causing a heart attack, it only made him  \nstumble back a little as it scattered harmlessly around his body.\n\n  \n\nMarz gasped and reached out, trying to  \ngrab his friend in concern. \"Oh, gods, Peter, I'm so sorry, I...\"\n\n  \n\nPeter growled and knocked Marz's hands  \naway, taking another swing at the now-exposed metakat. Again, Marz  \nattempted to defend himself, trying to block Peter's punch with his  \narm, only for his powers to spaz out again, sending a shockwave  \nthrough his arm and into Peter's as they connected. Again, Peter was  \nknocked back, the electricity diffusing around Peter's flesh and fur.  \nSeeing how futile this battle was becoming, Marz quickly grabbed  \nPeter by the shoulders and slid his hands down, pinning the tabby's  \narm to his side in order to calm him down. Peter, still pissed off,  \ntried to fight him, but his fighting slowly dwindled as he realized  \nMarz wasn't trying to fight him back. Looking up, he stared at Marz,  \nsolemnly, and buried his head into the kat's chest, sobbing his eyes  \nout.\n\n  \n\n\"Why? Why is this happening? What  \nhappened to change you like this?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz blinked, looking down at his  \nlover in despair, and powered down, his normal appearance gradually  \ncoming back as he willed his powers back in check. It was hard -  \nmuch harder than it used to be - but he managed to do it, his fur  \nsettling down and returning to its original color, his hair falling  \nlimp as the static that held it upright dissipated, and his eyes  \nreturning to their normal state. Hugging Peter tight, he hushed the  \ntabby gently, sighing as he looked around the room. \"This isn't  \nexactly the right place to talk about this, hon.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter shook his head, emphatically,.  \n\"No, I have to know, now. And I'm not leaving until I do.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz sighed and looked around, trying  \nto find any place secure enough for their discussion. A doorway to  \nthe side of the corridor caught his eye, and he darted in, dragging  \nPeter with him. Inside was the unintentional memory of a nightmare  \ngone by; an electronics lab, filled to the hilt with all sorts of  \nelectrical devices, including a professionally-made Tesla coil in the  \nmiddle. Slamming the door behind them, Marz used his powers to seal  \nit like he did with the blast doors blocking the guards' entrance.  \nTurning, he saw Peter looking over the lab in remembrance, a solemn  \nlook on his face as he touched the coil tenderly.\n\n  \n\n\"This device...it's where all of  \nthis started, wasn't it? If the one at college hadn't blown...\"\n\n  \n\nMarz frowned and walked up to Peter,  \ntrying to hug him again. Instead, Peter turned and pounded  \nhalf-heartedly on his chest again. \"Why did you leave me, hon? Why  \ndid you get into this unsavory business?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz frowned and stepped back,  \nextending his arms in presentation. \"Look at me, hon; that accident  \nmade me a monster, a freak of nature with little left to lose. No one  \nwould hire me, in this state, and I doubted at the time that you  \nwould've taken me back, especially after thinking me dead for so  \nlong, so what choice did I have in the matter?\"\n\n  \n\n\"But why do this, hon?\" Peter  \nasked, insistently. \"Why keep me in the dark like this and try to  \nuse me to rob my employer blind?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz growled and bit his lip,  \nstruggling to keep his composure. \"No offense, but I wished I  \nhadn't reunited with you; things would've gone so much easier without  \nthis; I could've slipped in and out without anyone noticing, and  \nyou...you'd be safe to pursue whatever life you've been living.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter mrewled, sadly, and frowned,  \nreaching out to stroke Marz's arm gently; it was still cracking with  \nelectricity from the large bursts he used to seal the doors, and it  \nseemed to be growing in intensity. \"You weren't kidding about your  \ncondition, were you? You were just hiding how severe it was.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz nodded. \"Normally, without my  \nSurge Coat, I can only produce low-level electricity, but recently my  \npowers seem to have a mind of their own, going off in fits and spurts  \nwithout my doing anything. And they're growing worse. That's why I  \nneeded the tech from your boss's labs, to try and whip up an antidote  \nfor this.\"\n\n  \n\n\"But why not come to a hospital or a  \nspecialist, or...\"\n\n  \n\n\"There are no specialists for this  \ncondition, hon,\" Marz snapped back, frustrated. \"Believe me, I've  \ntried, but not even the docs on the Enforcers' payroll know what's  \ngoing on with me. The only specialist I can count on is me, and  \nwithout that tech, I can't cure my condition... not that I'd ever  \nwant to...\"\n\n  \n\nPeter frowned. \"You've become  \naddicted to the power, and the criminal lifestyle, haven't you? With  \nthose devices, you could increase your powers to the point where no  \none could stop you, couldn't you?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz nodded. \"Yeah, at least...that  \nwas the plan. But the more time I spent with you, the more I realized  \nthat you meant more to me than this life. I...I don't want this  \npower, anymore. I want to be normal, I want to be with you and never  \nhave to deal with my stupid alter ego ever again.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter stood there, contemplating all  \nthat he heard. He could tell in Marz's eyes that he was telling the  \ntruth, but he was hesitant to believe him; after being used for so  \nlong without his knowledge, could he ever trust the guy again? Just  \nthen, he realized something else, something that hadn't come to mind  \nuntil then, and he had to know the answer. \"...You were the one who  \nkilled the headmaster, weren't you?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz blinked as the question was  \nasked, a pit forming in his stomach as he realized what he had been  \ninquired about. \"Hon, he sabotaged the coil, tried to kill us both.  \nHe confessed as much when I confronted him about it. The bastard was  \nsick and he deserved what he got!\"\n\n  \n\n\"How could you be so sure?\" Peter  \ngrowled, despairingly. \"With your powers, he could've told you  \nanything you wanted to hear, and it wouldn't have made a difference.\"\n\n  \n\n\"No, he confessed quite readily  \nwithout me having to create so much as a static spark. Hell, he  \nblabbed about it the moment he realized it was me coming after him,  \nhe was so surprised I was still alive.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter frowned as he absorbed what he  \nwas told. He had to ask Feral about it, if Khan and the others were  \nwilling to forgive his impudence, but he had a feeling Marz was  \ncorrect. Still, he couldn't believe what was going on,. It seemed  \nlike a distant dream, vague and undefined, as he fell out of focus  \nwith the world and narrowed his vision to himself and Marz.\n\n  \n\n\"I...I dont even know what happened,  \nafter that,\" Marz cried, tearfully. \"I didn't even know about my  \npowers until after I confronted the dean. All I know was thare were  \nsparks, lots and lots of cackling, and when I finally came to, I had  \nhis charred flesh on my hands, on my body. It...it was...oh, gods,  \nPeter...\"\n\n  \n\nPeter gasped as he saw Marz break  \ndown, his powers fluctuating, causing him to go from normal state to  \nthe state he was as Hard Drive and back, rapidly. It was beginning to  \ndawn on Peter what was happening; Marz's powers were going out of  \ncontrol, his emotional instability translating into actual  \ninstability with his ability to control his electrical impulses.  \nRemembering the sudden seizures the tan kat had before, he wondered  \njust how much of his willpower it took now just to maintain his  \nnormal presence. He also realized why he hadn't seen Marz until now;  \nthe burden of being a murderer, accidental or otherwise, must've  \nweighed heavily on his conscience; from what he was told by the Swat  \nKats, Hard Drive usually wasn't in the habit of harming anyone, if he  \ncould help it. _He probably didn't think I could love someone like  \nhim after what he did, after what he had become._\n\n  \n\nMarz sniffed and attempted to speak,  \nhis voice cracking in choked-back tears. \"I...I didn't  \nmean...to...to kill him, hon... I...I just could...couldn't help  \nmy...myself...\"\n\n  \n\nPeter, worried, snuck up close to Marz  \nand wrapped his arm around him, the sparks dying down a little as  \nthey were absorbed into Peter's fur. He nuzzled Marz, trying to calm  \nhim down. \"It's alright, hon. It's alright. I'm here, now. It'll  \nall work out, now.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz shrugged, just as lost to the  \nworld as Peter was. \"I dunno; I can't exactly knock you out and  \nmake you forget what happened. My powers don't work like that, and  \nbesides, they don't seem to affect you, for some reason. I guess  \nit's a side-effect to the blast, just like my powers were.\"\n\n  \n\n\"And I've pretty much blown my  \nchance of retaining my job out of the water trying to protect you,\"  \nPeter noted, without going into any other details. He didn't need to;  \nMarz new that harboring a dangerous criminal like him was enough to  \nget him arrested and suspended from work, if not worse. \"But  \nsomething has to give, here. One of us has to sacrifice their  \nlivelihood for the other. It's the only way we'll both survive this.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz frowned and thought, trying to  \ncome up with a plan. Peter was right; there was no way both of them  \nwould be coming out of this one intact; one of them had to give  \nthemselves up for the other to get off. Sighing, he made his  \ndecision. \"I've been in prison enough times to know the routine.  \nI'll be gone for a couple of months, a year or two at most, then I'll  \nbe back on the streets and we can pick up where we left off, if  \nthat's what you so - _GYAAAAAH!_\"\n\n  \n\nPeter winced as Marz started spasming  \nout of control, first in his left arm, then his right, then his  \nentire body started jerking and sparking like a robot going haywire.  \nConcerned, he rushed to Marz's side and hugged him close, the  \nresidual electricity coming off him being absorbed by Peter's skin  \nand fur. \"Marz, hold on, I'll try to get someone to help. Just stay  \nwith me, okay?\" Digging out his phone, he hastily called Khan's  \ncell phone, the signal crackling due to the close proximity to Marz's  \npowers.\n\n  \n\nAfter a few rings, the tiger picked up  \nand growled into the phone. \"Peter? What are you - \"\n\n  \n\n\"Just shut up and listen, sir,\"  \nPeter yelled into the phone, keeping the spasming Marz close. \"Marz  \nis down and we need an ambulance and your best technicians here,  \npronto. He's going into spasms and I think his powers are going out  \nof control from him using them so much without his Surge Coat. You  \nhave to help him!\"\n\n  \n\nSilence, then Feral's voice squealed  \nover the line. \"We will not help that criminal scum, especially  \nafter the stunt you just pulled.\"\n\n  \n\nKhan batted his mate away with a snarl  \nand took the phone back. \"How do I know this isn't a trick, Peter?\"\n\n  \n\nPeter bit his lip and held back an  \nenraged roar. \"You can hear the static over the phone, can't you?  \nPlease, he may die, at this rate! You have to help him. I'm sorry for  \nwhat I did, but if you've ever loved me, _please help him!_\"\n\n  \n\nAgain the phone went silent as Khan  \nconsidered his options. With a glance of indignation to his mate, he  \nmade up his mind. \"Alright, we'll be there in five minutes. Try to  \nhave him hold out until then, okay?\"\n\n  \n\nPeter smiled and nodded. \"Yes, sir.\"\n\n  \n\nPeter sat with Khan and Feral at the  \ncourt house, waiting for the verdict on Marz. It had been months  \nsince the robbery attempt, and things were never the same since;  \nMarz, thankfully, had gotten the treatment he needed in time, telling  \nthe technicians where his lair was so they could examine and  \nreverse-engineer his Surge Coat for a cure for him. While they did  \nso, Peter stayed right by his side; at first, the docs tried to to  \npull him away from the injured kat, but the constant sparks flying  \nfrom Marz's body kept them from getting too close, and realizing that  \nPeter was not harmed by them, they decided to let him be. Eventually  \nKhan's medical technicians were able to create a prototype device  \nfrom his Surge Coat, but it wasn't perfect; he had to wear a rather  \nbulky device that looked like a three-ring collar around his neck to  \nhelp regulate his electricity, but the doctors said that it and  \nregular contact with Peter - whose skin they determined now acted  \nas a sort of insulator against electrical attacks - should keep the  \nspasms down to a minimal. After that was done, Marz was taken into  \nEnforcer custody to stand trial for the robbery.\n\n  \n\nAs Marz was carted away, Khan - with  \nFeral grousing at him from behind - placed a hand on Peter's  \nshoulder and squeezed it, tight. It was a sign of concern and  \nrespect, a gesture that Peter knew meant the punch he threw didn't  \nhurt their trust. Sitting down, they began discussing what was going  \nto happen to Marz and what it meant for them; after a long  \ndeliberation, Khan realized just how much Marz had meant to Peter,  \nand how much he had risked to defend him. As they talked, Khan  \nexplained to Feral how, the last time Peter had hit him and  \nthreatened to leave, he did it out of concern for Khan and his  \nrelationship with Feral; now, he did it out of concern for his own  \nrelationship with Marz, something he just now realized was little  \ndifferent in perspective. It took some doing, but Feral was finally  \nconvinced of Peter's convictions and was able to forgive him for what  \nhe had done.\n\n  \n\nAt the same time, Khan had to admit  \nthat he owed Marz one; with the reverse-engineering of the kat's  \nSurge Coat, he managed to acquire several levels of electrical and  \nmedical technology that even his best technicians weren't able to  \nproperly create, on their own. To Peter's surprise, Khan revealed  \nthat, with the tech gleaned from the coat, they were able to advance  \nthe sensitivities and usefulness of the devices Marz was trying to  \nsteal exponentially, and tests seemed to indicate they should be able  \nto work even with Peter's own anti-electrical condition and damaged  \nnerves. With time, he was sure Peter would be able to get a fancy new  \ncybernetic arm no problem.\n\n  \n\nNow, as they awaited the verdict,  \nPeter looked at Marz, sorrowfully. He couldn't believe what had gone  \non, in the past couple of months, but he was grateful that it was  \nover. Marz, on the other hand, was stoic as ever, patiently awaiting  \nhis fate as the judge read the court's decision: guilty of robbery in  \nthe first degree. Biting back tears, Peter turned away from Marz as  \nthe latter bowed his head low, knowing what the judgment meant.  \nHowever, in a shocking twist, the judge continued to read the  \njudgment; in light of the revelation about Marz's power and due to  \nthe doctors' prescriptions, the court would defer custody of Marz to  \nPeter for house arrest. Blinking back tears of surprised joy, Peter  \nand Marz rushed up to meet each other in a warm embrace, grateful for  \nthe court's mercy. They didn't even bother to listen to the other  \nrestrictions the judge placed on Marz, such as a year away from the  \ncity in a facility suitable for containing him (which they later  \nlearned was a self-sufficient cabin in the woods that Khan and Feral  \nused for their honeymoon) and a strict restraint against him using  \nhis powers; all they cared about was that they would finally be  \ntogether.\n\n  \n\nAs they walked out of the courthouse,  \nKhan stopped the duo and asked to talk with Marz, privately. Ignoring  \na dirty look from his mate, he pulled Marz away and into a dark  \ncorner, making sure no one was around to listen in. \"First of all,  \nyou can thank me for ensuring the judge was so lenient on you.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz nodded, solemnly. \"I figured  \nyou were the one behind this. Thanks. I don't think I could ever  \nrepay you for this.\"\n\n  \n\nKhan smiled, wickedly. \"There is  \nsomething, but before we discuss that, there is something I must  \nemphasize in regards to your relationship with Peter.\"\n\n  \n\nMarz nodded again, knowing where this  \nwas going. \"I understand, sir. I won't harm a hair on his head, or  \nany other place on his body.\"\n\n  \n\n\"Good. I'll hold you to that,  \nbecause if you break that promise, I swear I'll hunt you down and  \nbreak you, understand?\"\n\n  \n\nMarz winced, shying away from the  \ntiger as he said that. \"Loud and clear, sir.\"\n\n  \n\nKhan nodded. \"Good. Now that that's  \ntaken care of, I heard you were once in the business of, let's just  \nsay... technological espionage?\"\n\n  \n\nThe tom frowned. \"Yes, sir, but you  \nheard the judge; I'm done with all of that stuff, now.\"\n\n  \n\nThe tiger growled and placed a hand on  \nMarz's shoulder, staring at him coldly. \"Not until I say you are,  \nboy. You said you wanted to make this up to me, well here's your  \nchance. Now, I'm assuming you've run into them enough times to know  \nabout the Swat Kats, correct...?\"\n\n  \n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"Swat Kats","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/577249-aftermath-2.json"}}