Talia and Midnight moved quickly through Cairo, having left the spot where a group of Jackats had attacked and raped Sally. Midnight had never expected anything like that, as shi could remember Paris, slightly. There, while some of the Kats had been violent, they weren't violent toward other Kats. Yet the Jackats here had gone after hir mother.
"Don't worry," Talia spoke softly, "Your mother will be fine, and your father will love the children as if they were hir own."
"I was afraid they'd kill hir," Midnight said weakly, still tasting the Jackat's blood in hir mouth.
"Shi is your mother," Talia answered, "never feel bad about defending family."
Midnight nodded and they continued moving along through the streets of the city. Some of the sights were relatively peaceful and what Midnight had grown accustomed to in Janace. There were Kats relaxing and mating. That was fairly typical Kat behavior, and Midnight remembered night Charlie became pregnant with the twins that were now hir newborn sithers. This Kats were fairly easy to dart and allowing the two to move on.
"How are you doing Midnight?" came Snowy's voice over a walkie-talkie that they all had.
Midnight picked hir walkie-talkie from a belt shi was wearing and gave hir reply.
"Talia and I are doing well... we got my mom out and we've vaccinated at least thirty of the other Kats," Midnight answered, "How are you making out?"
"I'm nearly to Tahrir Square," Snowy answered, "and I've vaccinated around twenty Kats..."
"And the human army?" Talia questioned and waited for Midnight to repeat the question.
"They're moving slower and more deliberately, and the Egyptian soldiers are a bit resentful of UN officers conducting the campaign, but they're doing fairly well," Snowy answered, "They've found a couple hundred people who hadn't been changed yet and have given them the Justin Vaccine and are escorting them out of the city... it would appear that many of the Kats have felt so secure that they're not going into buildings."
"That'll make darting them easier," Midnight answered, "but that might still make things difficult with regard to the Kats that were criminals before they became Kats."
Midnight said that in remembrance of what those Jackats had done to hir adoptive mother.
"We can't get away from that, Midnight," Snowy answered, "just be safe."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Snowy meanwhile continued on hir way toward Tahrir Square. The spot had been where the image of the Arab Spring began, but it soon became where those protesting the changes that came from it also gathered. And according to all the reports, the outbreak in Cairo had included a protest over Egyptian government policy. It all struck the short furred snow white Chakat of all shi and Maurice wanted to solve. They had admitted that their methods were wrong, but shi'd never convinced that hir idea was wrong. A world without war and hatred was one shi and Maurice hoped for.
"Finally," Snowy commented as she entered the square.
Here, shi found the remains of the initial outbreak. There were three dead Chakats near one far edge, likely near the government buildings when they began their charge when the outbreak began. Shi also found five dead humans, all of which had been stripped of their clothes and raped. Snowy guessed that these people had received the Justin Vaccine and didn't transform when raped and were then killed as a result. Sadly, the bodies had been so badly mutilated that they could not be identified. Snowy only sighed. Kats were NEVER supposed to do that, and if shi could hate anyone, shi could hate the terrorist that was using hir work in such a way.
Shi slowly made hir way through the square until shi came up on a open briefcase that was nearly in the very center of the square. As shi got close to it, shi noticed that the hinges had been blown open and much of the briefcase looked burned. Shi also saw the remains of what looked like glass inside the briefcase. There were also bits of plastic, which looked like it had come from some specialized coffee maker. Snowy lay down and lifted up a piece in hir hands and looked at it closely. Shi then sighed heavily.
"So it was an improvised bomb," Snowy figured, "There's no technological equipment left over... and he used coffee makers... likely with the Virus in it... when whatever weak explosive was used to break the briefcase also released the gas..."
"What gas?" asked a child's voice.
Snowy looked up to see a Jackat slowly approaching, hir torso draped in Egypt's flag.
"The... the gas that likely transformed many of the people here," Snowy said slowly, "maybe transformed you..."
"I was in my office," the Jackat answered, "Doing my work for the salvation of Egypt and keeping Egypt as the leader of the Arab world as the leading state within Islam... when... when a Kat broke in and... and raped me... ME! The President of Egypt! Reduced to a mindless animal seeking only sex..."
"You aren't mindless," Snowy said slowly, "you wouldn't be talking with me if you were."
Snowy sighed when shi saw the Jackat sigh and look heavily ashamed of hirself.
"Look," Snowy said slowly, "My name is Snowy... I'm with the UN mission that's been trying to get the lid on these outbreaks for the better part of six years. I can vaccinate you so that way you can not spread the Virus and get this to the military leadership."
"Very well," the Jackat answered.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The van that Luna and Lia had rode in to go to Alexandria arrived back at the main base where Sally had been taken as the "battle" to retake the city of Cairo began to go into its final stages as the newly vaccinated Kats began to get their minds back. Shi immediately rushed to the medical area where Sally had been taken.
"Mom!?" Luna called, hir voice filled with worry, "Mom, are you okay?"
Luna began running from bed to bed as shi was searching for Sally. Doctors were moving about and checking on people. Luna barely noticed that some of them were going through the process of turning into Chakats or some other Kat species. They had been found when the military and the UN and the others went into Cairo, and blood tests confirmed that they had contracted the airborne version of the virus and had been waiting to change, thankfully, as with what had happened in Sydney, the outbreak had not gone on long enough for it to turn everyone into Kats. Between half and the three fourths of the population managed to avoid infection entirely, they had responded quick enough to stop it from taking over the entire population. Luna ignored that and kept going until shi came to where a lone black panther Chakat lay on a large medical table and was surrounded by medical personnel.
"MOM!" Luna rushed forward and hugged at Sally's chest, and before Sally could even respond, began to lick hir adoptive mother's muzzle. "I'm so sorry."
"It wasn't your fault," Sally said softly, "I got a bit careless, that's all... what..."
"Mom, you were raped!" Luna answered.
"And if you and Lia had been here, you might not have been assigned with me," Sally said softly and hugged hir oldest adopted soughter, "what happened... happened... and Midnight made sure that the Kat that did this won't be doing anything for awhile, and I made sure shi won't be able to mount anyone without a prosthetic..."
Luna only hugged Sally in response, "I'm so glad you're okay."
"Okay is all relative," Sally said.
"Relative?" Luna asked.
That was when one of the medical personnel came forward.
"Ms. Sally here has no physical damage from the rape... none that will heal completely anyway," the doctor spoke, "The issue at hand though... is that shi was in heat when the rape occurred..."
"You mean?" Luna gasped.
"It means I could be pregnant with Kittens that AREN'T Charlie's!" Sally spoke and then let out a few weak sobs, "What do I tell hir? Shi's so happy at nursing our newest Kittens and now some Kat has robbed hir of being a new father again!"
"Do you know for sure?" Luna asked.
"It is too early to tell for sure," the doctor answered, "but given everything we've learned about the fertility rates of Chakats, it's likely. Like a mundane cat or any species, a Chakat needs the sexual stimulation to ovulate, unlike a mundane cat, a Kat needs only the stimulation of one mating in order to ovulate."
"But Kats mate a lot!" Luna argued, "Mom and and dad were at it for hours when Sally conceived twins with Charlie!"
"Kats mate a lot, yes," the doctor answered, "My sister and hir mate are Kats and live with me in my apartment in Philadelphia, and them mating is a routine noise when they're not at work, but that doesn't physically mean you NEED that much stimulation. Given what I hear when I'm at home... your kind's mating is more about the deep bonds that mates form with each other. You mate because you're in love, not because you physically need it. It's generally a lifestyle that trashy romance novel writers dream about..."
"Of course their pairing are all heterosexual with single gendered beings," Sally sighed, "I have both sets of reproductive equipment. And that isn't the issue."
"Yes, I know," the doctor answered, "but I'm afraid I can't do much more. You could get lucky Ms. Sally and your other soughter's attack on your attack was enough to prevent a pregnancy... and even if you are now pregnant, I'm sure your mate will still love you."
"I hope shi does," Sally sighed.
"I'll give you two some privacy," the doctor then said.
"I trust your day went better than mine," Sally sighed to Luna.
"It was," Luna gave a smile and then a sigh, "though not in the way we expected."
"Oh...?" Sally wondered.
"Remember when you and dad adopted me and Midnight?" Luna sighed.
"Yes," Sally nodded, "the paperwork was a nightmare and my Dad had to pull a lot of old diplomatic strings to get Romania to allow two American Kats to adopt two Romanian Kats under French law... I think from what you said back then that your only living family had seemingly dropped off the face of the Earth."
"Well, I found them," Luna answered, which made Sally look a lot more cheerful.
"Oh that's wonderful, dear," Sally said in an excited voice and hugged Luna to hir, "that's wonderful! Did you talk to them, and more important, did you invite them to the wedding you and Lia will surely have..."
"That's where the problem is," Luna said slowly.
"Huh? But you two were getting along so well!" Sally gasped.
"Shi's also my cousin," Luna told hir, "Lia's father is my uncle. We are blood relatives."
A look of realization crossed Sally's eyes and muzzle. Shi then took Luna's hands in hir own. Kats had great capacity to love, and mated pairs did use sex as a way to show their love for each other, a legacy Maurice and Snowy's desire to spread love around the world, but they did not engage in sexual relationships with their own family members. It's why when Sally and Charlie needed to receive the Foxkat Vaccine at the end of the Fee City outbreak and the syringes that had it broke, Sally mated with Charlie's mother, Nikole, and Charlie mated with Jess. Luna and Lia would likely remain very good friends, but their blood relationship would mean they would never become mates.
"It's okay, Luna," Sally said encouragingly, "I'm sure you'll find someone to be your mate... and since you have been vaccinated, you could take a human if you wish... there was one girl that liked you while you were in high school..."
"Mooooooom," Luna gave an embarrassed groan, "Now is NOT the time to play matchmaker."
"So where is Lia?" Sally asked.
"Shi and hir family came along," Luna answered, "they'll be coming with us back home. They want to meet you and the rest of my new family."
Sally worked hir way off of the table stood beside hir oldest adoptive daughter, "and I look forward to meeting them and I know Charlie will too."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Back in Janace, Nikole moved forward to check on hir soughter. Like Jess, Nikole and Maurice were only seven and a half months along. They spent a lot of time resting, but since they were not at eight and three quarter months along, as Charlie was, their wombs were not as gravid. She found Charlie resting in hir home, in the bed shi shared with Sally. The birthing fluid had all been cleaned away and Nikole's new grandsoughters were now clean, and Nikole found them nursing from Charlie's breasts. Janice and Pinkie were also present. They lay across from Charlie and periodically reached out to pet the newborns.
"How are you, Charlie?" Nikole asked.
"Giving birth still hurts," Charlie said with a chuckle, "but Alexis and Flake did a lot to help... and now...I'm happy! I'm nursing infants and I'm happy!"
Nikole smiled and moved to stand behind Janice and Pinkie.
"What are their names, mommy?" Pinkie asked.
"The one with the long fur... like mine... shi is Fluffy," Charlie spoke, "the other is Mary."
"They're wonderful names," Nikole told hir soughter, overjoyed to see Charlie happy.
"I can't wait to introduce them to their father," Charlie spoke in reference to Sally.