Chapter Text
“Do you have the walkie-talkies? Are you taking some extra batteries?” Greg signed in front of Petey. The tabby had finally finished the special devices for them, they each had a screen and a camera so that the hybrid could sign in front of them (and, if necessary, they could be used as a grenade).
“Yes, darling. I have everything you put on that list, three pairs of batteries, a flashlight and I even grabbed some Tylenol. Are you happy?” The cat licked their son's cheek, cleaning a dirty spot. Then, he ensured the coat covering the kitten was closed properly. Their costumes made them look like normal city cats.
Petey was wearing a big hoodie that belonged to Greg (at first he refused, but he had to admit it was nice smelling the scent of his partner everywhere he went), baggy jeans, the same backpack Leslie gave to him the night of the conflict, and dark sunglasses. Their son was wearing a big raincoat and cute cowboy boots. Li´l Petey had said that if they were going on an adventure, he had to look accordingly.
80-HD was finally ready to fully function independently and was outside recharging his solar panels. The robot had decided to go to take care of the kid and help him if necessary. They'd just have to walk to the closest entrance to the tunnels and then take an hour to reach the district; he hoped Li´l Petey wouldn't get bored.
“No. Don't leave.” The cop signed before whining and hugging his family tightly.
“It will be just a visit, we will return before you realize it. I prepared all your meals, do not eat everything in one sitting. I baked some goods for Chief and Genie, be sure to take them with you before going to the station. Okay?” Greg nodded but kept his arms around them. Petey giggled.
“Don't worry, dad. I will protect my papa if anything happens.” The hybrid whined again. Li´l Petey caressed his floppy ears trying to comfort him.
“Sunshine, could you please check if 80-HD is ready?” Asked the tabby with a melodious voice. The kitten smiled widely and ran to the door to see his friend. “Greg, you don't have to worry. No cop has dared to go to the district since the protest began, they are too busy and are probably too scared to end up covered in paint again. Also, they don't have a clue of where to find me.”
The hybrid looked up and kissed him, Petey grabbed his cheeks to deepen the connection. After the letter, they had become more “passionate” with each other. Driving each other crazy with touches and soft caressing. The tabby had been afraid that his rough tongue would harm Greg, but the hybrid seemed to enjoy the sensation.
Once they began, they couldn't stop.
He felt Greg's hand move around his waist, caressing under his hoodie. He purred against the feeling, when, slowly, the hand moved down, stopping at the end of his spine, just where his tail began. A small moan escaped his lips.
“Whoa, okay. Time out.” Petey looked at the ceiling, trying to calm down. A shaky breath accompanied a chuckle. “Greg, you are really driving me crazy.”
When he looked down, the cop placed his head on his chest and looked at him with sad puppy eyes. Petey tried to fight the cuteness, but his partner stood on his toes so they could look at each other directly. The cat laughed loudly. “God, you are so cute! But, we have to go. The sooner we arrive at the district, the sooner we will return.”
The hybrid whined again, tightening his grip.
“And the sooner we can continue this…” Petey´s tail traveled to the cop's chin, stroking it seductively.
“Papa, 80-HD is ready!” The tabby kissed his lover's forehead before separating.
“That's my call, doggy. See you later.” Reluctantly, Greg let him go and waved at them as their figures disappeared on the horizon.
-
They arrived at the district an hour later, the tunnels were gloomy, and cold and didn't smell great, so 80-HD and he did their best to distract the kitten with jokes and games. When they got out, Tippy and Jim were already waiting for them with some warm blankets.
“Oh, 80-HD, we didn't know you were ready for such adventures. It's freezing down there, take this.” Jim gently placed one of the blankets on the robot's shoulders and grabbed Li´l Petey in his arms. Petey came out last, making sure the entrance was fully sealed. The purple cat also gave him a blanket. “Are you ready to spend some time with your uncle?” The kitten moved his arms with excitement, asking what things had changed while they were gone and if they could visit their lab.
Tippy got closer to him and sensed the air with a disgusted expression. “You smell like a wet dog.”
“Well, it's nice seeing you too, Tip.” The black cat laughed and got closer to hug him, but then he smelled him again and stepped back.
“Ew. Is that his hoodie?” Petey nodded, feeling a blush creep into his cheeks. Tip laughed loudly. “He marked you! I am sure every single cat in the district will know you two are messing around.”
“First, we are not messing around, we are officially dating if you must know. And, at least I have someone who cares that much about me, not like you. You haven't been able to keep a relationship alive since… When?” Tippy placed a paw on his chest dramatically, as if he had been shot. Petey mimicked a thinking position, trying to recall if his friend had ever had a serious girlfriend.
“That was a low one. And female cats are terrifying! But I am glad you finally sorted things out with Dog Man,” Said the black cat, trying to defend himself and dissipate the attention from his love life.
“They are not scary when you treat them like sentient beings and when you show up to your second date, asshole.” Petey slapped his friend's head and moved forward, trying to catch Jim.
“So, where are we going?” asked the tabby, feeling better now that he was out of the chilly tunnels.
“To the community kitchen. Mrs. Richards makes breakfast for all the cats that lost their homes and businesses during the raid. They will be waiting for us there, we will have a small gathering and then we get into serious business. Sarah will be there too, she wants to talk with you about some of her investigations. Sounds right?” Big Jim smiled at him. Petey felt tired just thinking about the things he had to do before going home. “And some of your old friends will be there too, kiddo. Like Fluffy’s little brother and the kids from the daycare.”
“Cool! I should have brought some of my comics, papa. Oh, what about the lab? I have some art supplies there.” Li’l Petey questioned, looking with hope at Big Jim.
“I don’t know, kiddo, the lab is kind of… messy right now.” The purple cat looked at the tabby, hoping he would help him with the inquiry of the kitten.
“Nah, I want to see the lab.” Tippy shook his head, trying to convince him that it was a bad idea. “It’s fine, guys. I know the cops made a mess there, but I need to know what things remain. Maybe we could recover some of Li’l Petey’s old comics.”
Hesitantly, Jim led the way. “Okay, then. Let’s go to the lab, Mrs. Richards has breakfast ready by 9, it’s only 7:30, so we have plenty of time. Let’s go.”
-
Messy had been a kind way to sugarcoat the destruction of his building. The place was mostly empty, the cops had demolished at least half of it thinking there were hidden rooms (Petey was not dumb, he would not make hideouts behind the walls). But since they found nothing and the cats started their protest, they left.
So the terrace was gone, his apartment was left in pieces, and only the lab remained somewhat intact.
“Papa, do you think they took my comics too?” He felt Li’l Petey’s paw pulling his hoodie, trying to catch his attention. But he was speechless.
He had been able to buy that building when he turned 22 after he robbed a cosmetic company that used cats as test subjects. This was the first place he had been able to call “home” after his mom died.
He had worked his ass off to get all the machines, tools, and chemicals that were there (well, not anymore). And the mortgage had not been cheap either. Li’l Petey had been born (cloned) there, all those games they played, the small robots they built, and the pastries they baked were… gone.
All those talks that defined his relationship with Greg, the times they watched the stars as they shared their secrets and stories about themselves. Just. Poof. Gone.
“I think I need some water,” he said in a murmur, still looking at the destroyed walls and the dust that was covering everything. “Tippy, I used to keep all of Li’l Petey’s comics in the safe under the drafting tables. You just have to step twice on the floor to open a hidden compartment. Let’s hope they didn’t destroy that too.”
He stormed to the bathroom of the lab, the lights didn’t turn on properly and a lot of dust remained in the air. Petey coughed a little, moving his paw to clean the air.
The tabby stopped in front of the mirror, trying to steady his breath. He was an adult, he had been through worse. He just had to relax and think things wisely.
“Papa, are you okay?” A tiny voice asked him with uncertainty. Petey jumped a little, before placing a paw on his chest, feeling his heartbeat rise.
“Yes, sunshine. I am…” He sighed, it was a lie. He hesitated before accepting the truth. “No, I am not. I-” He grabbed the kitten in his arms and cradled him. “I am sad. You know I worked hard for the stuff we had, I mean, it was not much, but it was ours. It was our home and now it’s gone.”
The kitten looked at him and grabbed his cheeks. “Not everything is gone, papa. We recovered some of my comics and a few blueprints… And I found the cups that had animal stickers! We have a new house, and the district is safe. You are still here and I am too. And we also have dad! Isn’t that home?”
Petey hugged his son tightly. The child was right, there was no good in crying over the missing stuff, he had a new bright future with the ones he loved. He would later take revenge for all his things. “Gosh, you are growing up so fast. Have I ever told you how much I love you and that you are the sunshine of my life?”
“No, but now you have.” Li’l Petey giggled before jumping to the floor. “I’ll bring the cups, I want some water too.”
The older tabby smiled at his child with tenderness, he still couldn't believe that was his clone. Was he ever such a sweet kid? He remembers being moody and angry all the time. Petey opened the faucet, he let the water run before grabbing some and cleaning his face. He stopped for a moment, the liquid smelled like flowers. The tabby sniffed again, weirded out.
It was not strong, just a faint scent. Maybe he was going crazy, or all the dust had messed up his sensitive nose. He washed his face and drank some of it. Tap water had always been safe to drink in the district. But the taste was sweeter too.
The kitten came back with the cups and handed them to him with excitement. He was just so stressed, he was starting to imagine things. Petey filled both cups and they went out of the bathroom to go back to the lab.
“So, these are all the comics and blueprints that were inside the safe.” Big Jim placed a box in front of him, Petey watched them and smiled when he saw one of the papers.
“Hey, guys, remember this? Mecha-Petey!” Tip and Jim smiled brightly. They had made those sketches when they were children. Along with Whiskers and Fluffy, they would play in Jim’s room; Petey had convinced them that one day he would be the most amazing inventor in the world.
What he thought would be his biggest invention, the robot that would change the course of engineering and humanity, was a giant version of himself. He would fight the bad guys and make sure that the cats in the district would always be safe and protected.
“Hell yeah! The robot that would have laser eyes and would make contact with aliens? That was so cool. I remember Fluffy gave the idea that the face would have your big smile, so everyone would trust in Mecha-Petey even if the real Petey was acting like a jerk.” Tippy held the hand-drawn drafts, they were scribbled with crayons. The tabby laughed at that, remembering his late friend.
“Right, and it would have a machine that would make pancakes every ten minutes. You should build it now,” said Big Jim with excitement.
“Yeah, maybe. But not with the pancake machine, Big Jim,” said the tabby with a serious tone. The purple cat answered with a sad whine. “Let's go have some breakfast. I am sure Jim and Li´l P are hungry already.”
Everyone cheered and began to leave the lab. Petey made sure 80-HD helped him carry some boxes, the ones that contained the comics, and also one filled with the cups, dishes, and photos that survived the demolition of his apartment. He was carrying a few reagents, chemicals, and tools that seemed to still function.
He took a look at the bathroom one more time before leaving, he could still sense the scent of flowers in the air. Petey shrugged and walked happily, ready to meet the other people at the district and make sure they were safe. A sound in his backpack startled him, he passed the things he was carrying to Tippy and finally answered the call.
It took a few seconds before the big nose of Greg appeared. When the cop finally saw him, he barked with excitement. A collective “Hush!” was heard in the back, he was still at the station.
“Hi, doggy. How are you doing?” The hybrid began barking and whining, smiling once in a while with his tongue out. “Yeah, I miss you too already. You should go to a more private location… Not the bathroom! Outside would be fine.” Petey waited until his lover was in his car. Greg accommodated the device in front of him so he could sign.
“Are you cold? Did you eat? How’s the kid? I miss you.” Greg signed so fast, it made the tabby laugh.
“I am not cold. We are going to have breakfast with the other cats. Li´l Petey is fine, he is reading one of his comics to Jim while we go to the community kitchen. And I miss you too, darling,” answered Petey as fast as he could. They giggled at their reactions.
“You are such dorks. Hey, Dog Man. Busy day at the station?” Tippy appeared behind him, waving at the screen. The cop greeted him with a bark.
“Sunshine, come talk with your dad!” Jim and the kitten got closer. Petey asked 80-HD to grab the device while they talked.
“Hi, dad! The cops destroyed the lab.” Greg looked at him worried, the tabby planned to talk about it later, but their child had other plans. Li´l Petey was very straightforward with what he wanted to say. “We were able to save my comics, but papa was sad about it.”
“Yeah, but we can talk about that when we get home. Everything is fine, few cats are on the streets and most of them are trying to reorganize their lives. And-” A tap on Greg's car window caught their attention. The cop looked up and began apologizing while pointing at the screen. Then he turned it so Petey could see who he was signing to. “Oh. Good morning, Chief.”
“Morning, Petey.” Things were still uncomfortable between them. They had talked a couple of times over the private lines about the plans and advances on the search for the missing cats. “Sorry for interrupting, but Dog Man was supposed to go patrolling over an hour ago. Thanks for the cake, by the way.”
The hybrid whined and looked at Chief with pleading eyes. Then he signed, “Just a few more minutes.”
“No, Greg. Go to work. I will call you during your lunch, okay?” The cop nodded but remained with a sad look on his pretty face. Petey changed the tone of his voice, using the lovey-dovey one to convince his partner to go back to work. “Remember that I love you, darling. Now, be a good boy and help the city, alright?”
Greg signed with a happier expression, “I love you too. I miss you. See you later.” The communication faded and Petey looked at the empty screen before turning to see Tippy and Jim looking at him with funny expressions.
“Remember that I love you, darling.” Mocked the black cat with a high-pitched voice. “Be a good boy. I am Petey and I am so in love with a cop, mimimi… Ew, Petey.”
Big Jim laughed loudly. “Whoa, Petey. I have never seen you act that way. You are so in love, good for you!”
Petey felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment. Li´l Petey giggled at the jokes. “Shut up. Let's go. And don't you dare to say a word about this to the others.”
-
“And then, Petey said in the most ridiculous voice, "Remember that I love you, darling. Be a good boy.” Can you believe it?” Everyone at the community kitchen was laughing at the way Tippy retold the story over and over again, even Sarah was there giggling at the joke. Petey sighed heavily, helping Mrs. Richards and Leslie serve breakfast.
“Will he ever stop?” whispered the tabby holding a glass of tap water in his paws. The liquid smelt like flowers there too.
“Nah, he will talk about it until the day you marry.” Leslie was next to him, drinking some tea. “But I am happy for you, Petey. You and Dog Man deserve to be happy. And I told you, we don't need your help right now, go sit with the guys.”
“Thanks, Leslie. But I would rather be here than with Tippy and Jim making fun of my life. By the way, have you noticed that the water smells like flowers?” The girl looked at him and nodded slowly.
“I thought it was my perfume, but yeah. It began this morning, we were talking about it with Mrs. Richards. We thought that as long as we boiled it, it wouldn't affect anyone. Anyway, we give bottled water to everyone here.” Maybe he was worrying too much, it probably was nothing. And Leslie was right, as long as they only drank bottled water and not directly from the tap, everyone would be alright.
“Yeah, probably…” he said, as he played with the water in his glass; maybe he should take a sample. “I think the eggs are ready,” Petey informed Leslie as he began to help serve breakfast.
-
A couple of hours later, he was showing the places Greg and Chief had already searched to find the missing cats. All the feline leaders sighed with sadness, a lot of their men were on that list. Petey swore he would look in the archives of the cameras of the city later that night, but he knew it would take a lot of time before he found something.
Sarah was taking notes beside him, commenting once in a while when she knew something. The journalist had earned their trust through her investigations, she was the only one interested in giving space on her program to cats.
“If the Mayor is involved in the disappearance of the cats, they probably erased the files that could be used as proof from the cameras," the woman pointed out. “ I think we have enough information to ask for new elections. We can release all these papers and photos you showed me, Petey.”
“I think we will be able to finally take the town hall on Friday, then we-” The tabby felt a sharp pain in his stomach and a strong headache. He crouched over himself, a burning sensation in his abdomen making him gasp for air.
“P? Are you alright?” asked one of the leader cats, getting closer to him.
“Yeah, it's nothing… As I was saying, I still don't have the exact location of the missing cats, but-” Nausea kicked in, he tried to get up but fell to his knees. Tippy ran to his side and Jim tried to help him stand up.
A yell made them focus on the door. “Petey! Some of the kittens started to throw up… I don't know what's going on!” said Leslie as she rushed to the rooms where the kids were.
“Li´l Petey,” whispered the tabby before trying to walk to the other room. Some cats beside him also started to feel dizzy or simply passed out. Tippy held him until they were finally in front of the door. “Li´l Petey!”
The kitten was crying in the arms of Mrs. Richards, and the poor woman was also starting to fall to her knees. Petey couldn't see properly, his vision was blurry, but he recognized a few kittens that were also lying on the floor. “Papa, it hurts.” He tried to get closer, but his legs failed him. He saw his son run to him as his eyes closed, and a tear ran through his face.
Then he simply saw darkness.
-
When he opened his eyes, he saw a ceiling he didn't recognize. He tried to move but all his body ached. He looked through the room, it was old, and the paint was not even covering all the walls. There was no furniture, just a table next to him with a glass of water and some pills. When he tried to reach for it, he saw his paw, it was tiny, as if he was just a-.
“Wake up, kid. I don't care if you are sick, I can't stay to take care of you, so you will have to go to work with me.” The door opened, and there was his dad. Looking younger than the last time, a few blond locks falling from his head. Gosh, he hated that look.
“Do I have something in my face, lazy ass? Get up, I said!” Pete threw the glass of water in his face, he stood up as quickly as possible.
“Sorry, papa.” His mouth moved before he even thought about it. So this was just a dream… Or a nightmare where he relived his horrible childhood. He hadn't suffered from these for a long time. “But mama said I have to stay in bed so I can get better.”
“See if I care what that witch says. Come on, the bus will leave.” Petey got out of bed and looked at himself in the small mirror that was on the table. He looked so innocent and yet so sad. He checked his tail, the tip was still there.
They went to the bus stop, and he tried to hold his father's hand, but the older cat walked faster. “Come on, Petey. Hurry up. Why are you so slow?”
The image blurred and now they were inside the bus, some cats waved at him and looked with aversion at Pete. “Papa, where are we going?”
“To the town hall, they asked me to help fix some doors. So you stay quiet and act like you don't even exist. Be a good kid for once in your life.” Petey nodded sadly and looked through the window, watching the streets pass by. His father was also very good at repairing stuff, but he probably killed most of his neurons with booze and drugs.
They walked through the white halls, he waved at the people who were working there, but everyone ignored him or looked at him with disgust.
“Those bastards think they are too important to even acknowledge a cat, huh? Well, then, why did they hire me? Because they are so stupid, they can't even fix a door,” murmured Pete under his breath. “See, Petey, humans hate cats because they know if they give us some power, we would be unstoppable. We are smarter, stronger, and just better than them. We should destroy them.”
They took a turn before reaching the bathrooms; Petey didn't recognize that part of the building. A guard was waiting for them, and when his father showed his ID, the man opened a secret door. They went down some stairs for a while. It was a long walk.
“But, papa, not all humans are evil. They just have to realize that hate doesn't bring any good to the world. We should learn about each other, not fight.” He didn't remember ever thinking that way. Funny. Maybe if he had remembered his own words, things would have been different.
“Ugh, Grace has brainwashed you too. All those silly songs have turned you into a hippie. Come on, let's finish this so I can go to the bar.” Pete started to move faster, leaving him behind. He looked at the walls, the place seemed like a cave. Dark, humid, and cold. Where were they? He knew well the maps of the town hall, and it didn't have a place like this. Not one that he knew about.
“But mama hates it when you go there. You will come back drunk and violent. But you don't even care…” Pete stopped abruptly and slapped him.
“Mind your own goddamned business, Petey. I told Grace to get rid of you the moment she realized she was pregnant. I told her I didn't want to be a father, but she stopped me when I was about to leave, she even begged me to stay.” Petey sighed heavily and simply followed him.
An old man was waiting for them in front of a big metal fence, he was wearing a fancy green suit. A long road of dark cells was behind him. “Good morning, Mr. TheCat. This is the door I talked about. I need you to-”
“That's not a door, that's a fence,” corrected Petey. The man looked at him with disdain.
“This is a very important place to my family, my father used to be an amazing doctor and helped this country win the war. He made some… experiments down here, but the humidity is starting to rust the fences. I want you to repair every single one of them without messing with the electricity.” A teenager was behind him, looking at Petey with an evil smile.
“Sure. I'll finish as soon as possible,” answered Pete nonchalantly. Petey looked at the guy in front of him, his face seemed familiar.
“What are you looking at, creep?” The teen pushed him, making the kid trip with his tail. Pete was already working, ignoring him completely.
“Not now, Conan. Let's go.”
Conan. He heard that name before. But where?
“Come on, Petey. Move!” He turned to look at his father. The place started to get blurry again. “Wake up, please!”
“Ruff!” A loud bark made him open his eyes. He was in a different room now; the white lights blinded him for a while.
“What?” A whine made him turn to his side. He recognized the room. He was at the hospital of the district. What had happened?
“Papa! You are awake!” Li´l Petey hugged him. His kid was heavily crying. A lick in his paw alerted him. Greg was there, his face full of tears as he whined.
“What happened? Greg, why are you here? You were supposed to be working.” His voice was brittle, and his throat felt like sandpaper.
“Papa, you… You fell to the ground and you didn’t answer. You slept for three days and we were so scared.” The little hiccups of the kittens broke his heart.
“Three days? What happened?” Tip entered the room with Nurse Lady by his side. The black cat had baggy eyes, his fur looked disheveled and dirty. When he realized Petey had woken up, he hugged him tightly.
“Oh, man. Don’t ever do that again. We thought we lost you.” Petey patted his back and looked at Greg, who had stepped back, looking at him with sadness.
“I… What happened?” The tabby was still confused. Why was everyone so worried? Suddenly, the nausea kicked in. Nurse Lady got closer with a bucket and looked away as the tabby vomited.
“I think I can explain that.” Nurse Lady got closer and checked his vitals, Greg cleaned his face with a napkin that was in his pocket. “Multiple cats around the district were poisoned. I ran some studies, blood tests, and urine samples. All of you had high amounts of Lilium pollen in your stomachs.”
“Lilies? But… How? It is strictly prohibited to bring any kind of this flower to the district. We know even the leaves could kill us,” Tippy said with confusion, then he paced angrily through the room.
“The water,” murmured Petey, after clearing his whiskers. “It smelled like flowers this morning.”
“Yes, Petey,” Nurse Lady said with a worried expression. “Leslie told me about something you said about the water in that morning, so I sent a sample to the lab in the city, just in case. The water in the district had been contaminated with lily pollen.”
The kitten kept crying on his chest. Petey looked at the walls in awe. How? Just how much did they have to suffer? He had so many questions and he was so enraged. A few tears escaped his eyes from the frustration.
“Fortunately, most kids threw it up and were able to get rid of the pollen in a couple of hours. They just have to drink a lot of water and take their medicine, that’s the case of Li’l Petey.” Nurse Lady took Petey’s paw. “But some adults couldn't handle the toxin, some are still in a coma. You have to be under strict supervision for a couple of days, the pollen almost caused renal failure in your case.”
“Fuck. Just fuck, ” whispered Petey as more tears fell. A hand made him look up, Greg was trying to comfort him by caressing his back. “Can we be alone for a second?”
Everyone nodded, Nurse Lady went out to take care of the other patients, and Tippy smiled sadly before leaving the room, trying to bring some comfort to all that messed up situation. Li’l Petey had calmed down a little, but his breath was still shaky.
Greg hugged him tightly, the tabby felt some tears in his fur.
“I am sorry for worrying you. I…” He began to cry again. “Why? How could someone do something like this?”
The cop licked his cheeks. “We are investigating. But we don’t know yet,” he signed.
“It’s the Mayor. Only a spiteful woman like her could do something like this, she must have thought she could make cats talk about my location if she poisoned us. Or maybe she was finally ready to kill us.” Sadness was gone, and now anger filled his words. “And I am gonna make sure she pays for every single cat that didn’t survive.”
“We don’t know for sure if it was her,” signed Greg.
“Who else, Greg? I- Look, I don’t want to fight. Could you please just hug me? Then we can-” The hybrid didn’t wait and kissed him desperately. Li’l Petey hid his face on his chest.
“I was so scared, Petey. You didn’t wake up. You didn’t call. I tried to reach Jim, but no one answered. I came here and everything was chaotic.” The poor cop signed so fast, that he would often skip a few words. “No one knew where you were. I looked for you for hours. No one knew what to do, so I called Nurse Lady.”
Petey tried to calm him down, caressing his head with tenderness. “Thanks, Greg. You probably saved many lives.” The cop took his paw in his hand and howled with such heartbreaking emotion.
“But you didn’t wake up. I thought I lost you. You can’t leave me, Petey. You can’t leave us alone again,” he signed as a few tears ran through his muzzle.
“I won’t,” he said, bringing his family closer. “I won’t ever leave you alone. I promise.”
-
Nurse Lady and the doctors told him to rest for some days before getting up. Of course, Petey didn't follow their instruction. After convincing Greg, the cop helped him visit the other cats to see if they needed anything. The younger felines were recovering quickly, some were able to go home before Petey had woken up.
Some older cats, like Mrs. Richard, had unfortunately passed away in a matter of hours. Petey hugged Leslie as the girl cried over the loss of her aunt, the woman had taken care of so many cats in the district, she didn't deserve such suffering. Li´l Petey was playing with some kids in the hallway, trying to distract them from the pain and the horrible pills they had to take. It was already night. 80-HD was inside one of the rooms resting, he had helped carry as many cats and medicine as possible to the hospital.
Petey wanted to do so much, go outside and investigate, create some sort of machine that would help his friends recover faster, or whatever. But the nausea came back occasionally, so Greg led him to his room carefully.
They both tried to fit in the small bed. The cat was lying on top of the hybrid, purring slowly as his partner caressed his back. A comfortable silence fell upon them, the tabby was already closing his eyes. A few minutes passed when, suddenly, Greg smelled the air suspiciously before growling.
“What? What is it?” He tried to sense any danger, but he only smelled detergent and pills. “Greg, what's wrong?”
The hybrid kept growling and hugged him tighter as if he knew Petey would try to escape his embrace once he realized what was going on.
“Cats of the district!” A voice rumbled through the place, someone outside the hospital was yelling with a megaphone. “I am the Commissioner. I've come to help you. I brought medicine and a car filled with all the equipment you might need to treat the poison. Just give me Petey´s location, and everything is yours.”
Petey looked up at Greg, the hybrid kept growling but didn't let him go. He knew it would be dangerous, the tabby had not fully recovered.
“Cats of the district! You have to understand you are hiding a very dangerous criminal. Your protests are futile. The Mayor offers peace as long as you give us the location of Petey TheCat. This is your last chance.” He tried to get up, but the cop's grip was stronger. Greg shook his head, trying to convince him to not move.
“Get the fuck out of our district!” Petey recognized Tippy´s voice. “You fucking poisoned the water! You killed and disappeared our friends and family. And you want us to give you the location of Petey? You must be nuts, Commissioner.”
“Tippy, you are also a wanted criminal. I am willing to forgive every single one of the crimes committed by cats if you simply tell me where Petey is.” The man didn't sound like himself, he was nervous, desperate even.
“I won't repeat myself, Commissioner. Get the fuck out of our district before we kill you!” the black cat yelled threateningly.
“You know what, do it! Kill me, Tippy. Believe me, I would rather be dead if that means I won't see what he is planning to do with all of you.” Greg and Petey looked at each other. They didn't expect that at all. The tabby saw that his partner was distracted, so he stood up from the bed and got closer to the window.
The Commissioner looked like a mess. He was not accompanied by any other cop but by two trucks from the hospital of the city. The old man looked older than before, his hair was almost completely white, and his uniform was dirty.
Petey got out of the room, Greg was behind him, barking, telling him to stop. But the tabby had already decided what to do. He stormed through the front door, everyone looked at him in awe. The Commissioner's lips curled into a smile. Tippy tried to stop him, but the tabby ran faster and punched the old man right in the face.
The man fell to his back and Petey took the chance to pin him down on the ground. “You are going to tell me everything you know, right here, right now.”
The Commissioner laughed like he had lost his last drop of logical thinking. “Oh, Petey. I think if we are fast enough, you can still save the others, but I don't know. They keep dying. Even if I tried to stop him, he wanted more. He wants you. Petey, not even I would have imagined what was going on down there.”
“What are you talking about?” The man kept murmuring nonsense. Petey yelled at his face, trying to make him focus. “Commissioner!”
“I am sorry, Petey. But if sacrificing you means saving my old ass…” He felt something pointing at him. He stood up slowly with his hands up, the man was holding a gun directly at his chest. A shot caught everyone's attention. The Commissioner looked behind him and laughed again.
“Dog Man, didn't know you were here.” The hybrid ran to his side and placed Petey behind him, growling defiantly. “Oh, so it is true. When I heard that you were fucking someone in the district, I thought you were just messing with a prostitute. You go for the big leagues, huh?”
Greg pointed at the Commissioner, the man put down his gun and raised his hands.
“You know, it was not my idea to create you. It was his.” Dog Man looked at the old man with confusion. Who was he talking about? “Growing up, I realized that asshole was crazy. I told my uncle, but he didn't believe me. All the family loves him, but I know he is nuts. When he told me about this super cop idea, I laughed. I mean, would you have believed him?”
Greg got closer, making sure Petey was behind him. The tabby understood that it would be better if he didn't intervene. The Commissioner's eyes were not even focused on them. It seemed like the man had lost his mind.
“Sew a dog's head onto a man's body? I mean, what? But then he showed me your file, he explained to me that you were the perfect subject for this experiment. You were smart and loyal, you only lacked a human body. And Knight was strong, the top in his combat and shooting class, but he was dumb as hell. Together, you would be unstoppable. So I believed him.” The Commissioner grabbed his hair, pulling strands of it as he talked.
The man stopped just in front of Dog Man's gun, adjusting his forehead so it would be at the same height with the barrel of the gun.
“I made you investigate Petey, waiting for the right time to attack. But your skank was faster than me, he dropped the opportunity just in the ceiling. I knew Knight was an asshole, and I knew you wanted to be a hero so bad. So I told you to go try to stop the bomb until the specialists came. I hoped it wouldn't kill you. And a day later, you were born!” Petey gasped as he tried to let the man's words sink in. Everyone around him looked surprised. Dog Man kept aiming, growling more heavily.
“But it only took a slut like Petey to erase all the loyalty you have, you are a man after all, right? We can never say no to a good ass-” Greg knocked the man down with his gun. A tense silence filled the night. He turned to see if Petey was unharmed. The tabby just looked at him, he saw the sadness that those brown eyes held. He threw himself into the arms of the hybrid he loved.
“I am sorry.” Why? Why was he even sorry for? “I am so sorry, darling.” Greg hugged him tightly as a whine escaped his lips.
He was sorry for the future that presented itself as a maze of darkness.