As shi sat on the American aircraft carrier, which had apparently been on a planned exercise with the Australian navy, Sammy looked to Timothy and Casey Jones, who were actually laying their taur bodies down in the shade on the flight deck next to the main island. There were a lot of things that were happening rapidly and apparently things weren't just escalating in regard to Cuba. Something was going on with North Korea too. Sammy knew that the US still had units in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950s Korean War (technically still raging as there was never a treaty that was signed) and that the South Koreans also maintained large military forces near their border, if only to protect against another attack south. But that hadn't really reduced a lot of the risks. The North Koreans in the early 2000s finally developed a nuclear weapon, they periodically sent missiles toward or over Japan, which was probably why hir father had mentioned that the Japanese Self Defense Force was also participating in what was appearing to be a growing blockade of North Korea. The bigger surprise was that Russia and China were also actively involved in the blockade, as well as India... but then, since Ronnie had been rescued from Russia six years ago, the UN had as a whole taken a harder turn on North Korea... even member countries that had tried to at least keep North Korea around in the past. Shi hoped that if things did go south, shi hopped it wouldn't last long.
However, that wasn't all Sammy was thinking about. Shi had actually been glad to see hir father, as their lives kept them so busy that they didn't get much chance to really talk with each other. Shi remembered calling hir father after the Hong Kong outbreak to tell him that Li Sang had turned hir into a Dracokat and that shi'd taken Gloria as hir mate and not only impregnated Gloria bot gut pregnant hirself, but shi got an answering machine and shi decided shi didn't want to just leave a message, and that cycle seemed to repeat. Every time shi tried to call, hir dad was either out of the house, busy with field exercises, or was busy with other things. The result was that hir father never learned what had happened to his daughter or how things had changed for hir. Sammy only sighed as shi thought of this and then realized something...
"I didn't tell him about Emerald, Opal, An-Bai, and Dao-Ming," Sammy gasped and then slapped hir own face in frustration, "God, I'm stupid... I didn't tell him I'm a mother and a father now... I didn't tell him that he's a grandfather... this will be games of phone-tag all over again..."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Maurice left CI in Snowy's capable hands as the new Hybrikats, Brent and Kathy would be able to keep producing the new Retrovirus Vaccine. It would take time for enough of it to get to the military units preparing to go to Cuba, especially since Maurice had packed all of the first supplies of the new Retrovirus Vaccine as shi drove back to Fee City. Part of hir was fairly nervous with all of this. Shi was going back to where it all began, back to where shi and Snowy launched the first outbreak, if with misguided intentions. Shi was aware that many of the Kats there didn't like the fact that shi and Snowy took their choices from them, though shi had also seen some news reports that Fee City's residents had gotten used to being Kats and that the city had adapted to being 100% populated by Kats. However, being used to being a Kat was not the same as wishing to remain a Kat, and that was why Maurice was taking the new Retrovirus.
Unlike the the trek to Janace, Colorado, Maurice was able to fly there. Shi walked from the headquarters of the new Chakat Industries and was soon on a flight that would take hir to Fee City. From there, Maurice activated a cellphone, once it was safe to do so, and dialed the number to Fee City's City Hall.
"Hello," came the voice of the Kat on the other end.
"Hello... this is Maurice Chakat... I have something I think many in Fee City may want," Maurice announced into hir phone.
"And what is that?" came a somewhat grumpy response.
"A cure," Maurice answered, "We've recently stumbled across it while helping one of Janace's residents."
"A cure?" the tone didn't sound entirely believing or trusting, but did sound hopeful.
"Yes, it reverses the affects of the Virus," Maurice answered, "I'm bringing it to Fee City in the hopes of atoning for what Snowy and I did. I only ask for a place to administer the Vaccine to any and all that want it... and obviously any help in "
"I see," the voice answered, "Well... I'll try and we'll believe it when we see it."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In Washington DC, Jake and Raul nervously came into the Oval Office together, as there was some surprise that had happened. The Secretary of Defense was also there, and they all very concerned with something.
"What is it, sir?" Jake asked nervously.
"Escalation," the President said nervously, "apparently an Australian ship that had been participating in the monitoring duty around North Korea as reported some odd behavior along the coastline..."
"Odd behavior? Like Kats moving or...?" Jake asked.
"That we don't know," the President answered, "but they're doing something and the bordering nations of South Korea, China, and Russia have all responded in escalating the isolation of the country..."
"No one likes their use of the Virus as weapon," Raul commented.
"Yes, well... it could very well mean that we're going to have to send MORE to South Korea," the President answered, "it shouldn't sap our manpower with regard to dealing with Cuba..."
"And we should have sufficient forces to defend South Korea," the Secretary of Defense added, "at least by supporting the South Koreans and the fleet we normally have in the Pacific... but with regard to North Korea... knowing that they are the stronger of the two we're hoping for a way make sure we have overwhelming force..."
"But if they force a war in the Far East, we won't have overwhelming force," Jake said nervously.
"Not immediately," the President sighed, "but I have Herman Williams on his way to talk with China, Japan and Russia..."
Jake nodded at the mention of the name of the Secretary of State.
"Hopefully he'll be able to figure out entirely what is going on and whether or not China and Russia will commit troops or are just making sure that no one gets out of North Korea," the President than finished.
Raul listened quietly. It seemed as though things with regard to the Outbreaks was rushing toward an explosive end. Li Sang had organized them after the Fee City outbreak in the hopes of spreading chaos and committing robberies, but given his history as a pirate and a terrorist, he brought with him a great deal of organization to his actions. The organization survived Li Sang, but now it looked as though it would finally collapse, albeit under the guns of the world's armies. Not knowing that Maurice was on a personal mission of absolution, Raul hoped that Maurice and Snowy were getting enough of both the Wise and "Retrovirus" Vaccines ready.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Maurice was ultimately met by only five Kats, and as with what Maurice remembered from hir last days in Fee City, they were nude, largely as while Danna and Mikkie's clothing and weaving designs had produced effective clothing that didn't irritate fur as much as most common fabrics (a result of the way they had engineered the weaving process), there was some small level of irritation that did occur, and to avoid it, the Kats in Fee City went au naturale.
"Hello, I'm Ramon Tyre," the first Chakat spoke, "the present Mayor of Fee City. I was told you had a cure?"
"Yes," Maurice answered, "we found it by accident... but it does reverse the virus. If you want to be human again... you can be."
"I see," Ramon spoke.
"Please understand that I never meant for anything to be bad... I only wished to do something that would put an end to the..."
"I understand your reasons, and you will find that for your work to combat what you unleashed, you'll find that there is no outright hatred," Ramon answered, "but you still took our choices away... many have accepted being Chakats and even embraced it, but that doesn't change that you took our choices away."
"I know," Maurice answered, "and I am sorry... Jess, Sally, and their mates helped me realize that... along with some of the realization that the lust phase lasted longer in some Kats than in others... creating situations that Snowy and I didn't want."
"We understand that you're sorry," Ramon answered, "but we've been told there was no way to go back."
"And initially Snowy and I designed it so that once a Kat... always a Kat," Maurice sighed and looked down, "but then this new vaccine is new and actually came as a surprise, but it can reverse the virus."
"Prove it," Ramon said firmly.
"Of course," Maurice turned to a couple of the crates that had come with him. They were hastily packed and some of the UN personnel had helped pack them in the cargo hold of the plane and had made sure that they wouldn't shift or break. Shifting aside the packing peanuts, Maurice opened the first case and opened it, revealing three syringes along with the necessary alcohol swabs. Shi then moved to approach Ramon again when Fee City's mayor raised one hand.
"Not on me," Ramon answered, "On you."
"What?!" Maurice gasped, "but I want to remain as I am!"
"And while you have fought the later outbreaks, it remains that your mistakes started here," Ramon answered, "and we know that you've done a lot to protect and argue for Kat interests. Change yourself back and we'll believe you and help you turn those that wish to be human... but without proof, there is no way of knowing for sure whether or not you're telling the truth..."
Maurice sighed and nodded. Shi swabbed hir shoulder with the alcohol swab and then injected the syringe and depressed the plunger. As shi did so, shi cried. Granted, shi and Snowy didn't know if the Retrovirus Vaccine would leave a person immune to being transformed again, which gave hir some hope, but the fact that the Retrovirus Vaccine was such a surprise, they didn't know for sure. And the effect was almost immediate. Hir spine began to compress all along its length. Bones pushed together and seemed to merge. Hir lower lungs and heart stopped functioning and Maurice screamed in pain as it happened. Hir fur began falling out in clumps and shi then fell to the ground as hir forelegs began to fall victim tot he same condition as hir spine, with the original retrovirus for the Chakat transformation reversing, hir forelegs were being pulled inside hir.
Hir rear feet shortened to form to be the plantigrade feet of humans, and as hir body began to resume its old human shape. Maurice continued to scream in pain as hir ears rounded and slid down to the side of hir head, gray colored human hairs returned and was now the only spot on hir body where there was any hair. At the same time, hir nose pushed forward from the brachycephalic face that hir Persian Cat based form had. As hir nose pushed forward shi felt hir breasts pull into hir chest, becoming semi-firm pectoral muscles and as hir shoulders began to widen.
"Nooooooooo..." Maurice moaned as hir voice deepened, and pulled hirself into a ball on the tarmac of the airport, as the plane from Janace hadn't been allowed to approach the terminals. Maurice hesitantly reached down as "shi" felt some additional weight between "hir" legs. Shi rapidly found that shi wasn't a shi anymore. His sheath was gone, but his penis was still there and now hung down just above his testicles, and there were no female organs on him.
"He's old..." one of the other two Kats spoke, and was actually the one that Maurice had first talked with on the phone.
"He was pushing forty or fifty when all this began," Ramon answered, "remember that becoming a Kat made many of us younger... without that there to hold it... our age would also be restored."
Maurice hesitantly brought his hands up to his face and felt the faint trace of wrinkles there. After all, despite forming friendships with Charlie, Sally, and Jess in Janace, he was still roughly the same age as Charlie and Brent's father, Sally and Jess's father and mother, and Snowy had been roughly the same age as him. And it had been twelve years since the Fee City outbreak, Maurice found the wrinkles to be deeper and even more obvious.
"There," Maurice said slowly, "Now that I've destroyed myself... do you trust me when I say that this can undo my mistake?"
"Yes," Ramon answered, "if you wish clothing we can stop by our Walmart as some people from outside Fee City do come in to shop... and for some reason they never cut their stock after the outbreak."
Maurice sighed and nodded, "Will you help get the Retrovirus Vaccine to where it needs to go?"
"Yes," Ramon answered, "We'll set you up in the clinic before announcing anything."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
What followed was roughly two days worth of injections. The Retrovirus Vaccine did everything it was supposed to and according to what city officials reported, nearly 90% of Fee City's Kats came to become human again. It might mean that many of the laws made for Kat convenience might go back, but Maurice hoped that the experience might leave some things in place. Fur fell out, leaving pink or brownish skin, depending on the person's ethnicity before their transformation. Eye colors returned to the human standards of gray, green, brown, and blue. Hermaphrodites became gendered beings, even a few Kats who had been BORN as Kats became human, though Maurice didn't know how willing that was, but since the parents demanded to keep their children, Maurice couldn't argue to let them return to Janace and Charlie and Sally's orphanage.
As the last group of restored humans left at the end of the second day, Maurice sat back into the chair with a very worried and depressed face. His mind focused on Snowy. Would shi love him after all of this? Could he become a Chakat again? What about Snowflake or the children he had given birth to while he was a shi, Alpha and Centuri. What would they all say?
"Thank you for doing this," Ramon said from where he stood, now dressed in jeans and a tee shirt, apparently the best that the local Walmart had.
"I told you that I never intended for the exact events in Fee City to be as bad as they were," Maurice coughed, feeling rather old.
Ramon nodded, "I'm sure. And you've done a great thing by doing this. Those of us that have fully accepted it and wished to remain Kats are still Kats and those of us that preferred to be human are as we were supposed to be."
Maurice only nodded, when he found Ramon pulling him up and then pulling him into a hug. It was a surprisingly "Kat-like" behavior which did surprise him.
"And don't worry," Ramon answered, "You made a mistake and you proved you could correct it. That's better than many can say with regard to such big mistakes."
"So, I'm forgiven?" Maurice asked slowly.
"Yes," Ramon gave an almost fatherly smile, "we did learn some things from being Kats and we'll try to keep those lessons. Our desire to be human doesn't change that..."
"Thank you," Maurice answered and managed a smile.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Maurice was still nervous when he returned to the plane he had flown from Janace on. He was still very nervous about what to say to Snowy, or whether or not he could even be a Chakat again. The world seemed so dull as a human. He had grown so used to the heightened senses of smell and hearing, and even after two days, walking on two legs was a bit tricky, as he had grown used to walking on four legs. But now his vision was poor, he could barely smell anything, and he couldn't hear the things he could hear as a Chakat. That also created the fear in him on what would happen if he couldn't become a Chakat again. His wife and mate and their children would go on living for centuries. His father as a Komokat would also easily outlive him if he couldn't go back. He'd never get to see Alpha and Centuri grow up to find mates and be happy. A lot of it made him feel like crying.
"Excuse me, Mr. Chakat," came a voice from behind him as he made his way back to the plane.
He turned to see two adult Chakats with four children with them. The oldest two were twelve, and the younger two looked like they were nine. They seemed to be based off a Domestic Short-haired Cat and had a sort of tabby pattern in their fur. One adult was largely orange and an orange cream while the other was blackish-brown and brown in their coloration. The colors alternated in accordance with their tabby colored pattern. Maurice figured they were Charlie's old neighbors when shi lived in Fee City, though Maurice only got their first names, Jack and Caitlyn. From what what he had been told, these two were the ones who ultimately ensured Charlie's transformation by sending hir a vibrator that they had coated in their own sexual fluids. It was a devious way of transformation, but Maurice figured that Charlie was over it. He knew that vibrator was still in Charlie's possession, and Maurice had remembered various visits to Charlie and Sally's home to hear the two of them taking turns using it on occasion.
"Yes," Maurice replied, "Did you miss the whole change everyone back meeting?"
"Well, yes, but we don't want to go back," the adult orange one stepped forward, "My name is Jack, this is my mate, Caitlyn and these are our soughters... you know Charlie Wise, right?"
"Both Charles Sr and Charles Jr," Maurice answered, "why do you ask?"
"Well... we used to be Charlie's neighbors when the outbreak hit... and well, when everything quieted down and we got our heads back... neither of us got the chance to talk to hir," Caitlyn spoke, "Shoot... we didn't know that shi and Sally moved to Colorado until the news broadcast the official announcement for the Kat Kops and Charlie's name was on the list of members."
"I take it you wished to apologize for the way you infected hir?" Maurice asked, "Or that you infected hir at all? If that's the case, I must tell you that Charlie is over it... and is a very happy Kat and is again pregnant."
"We're happy for hir," Jack commented, "but still... once we got our minds back... we realized that we'd kinda mindlessly tried to spread the virus and had no problem with it..."
"We would also like to talk with hir again... as we were on fairly good terms before the outbreak," Caitlyn added.
Maurice sighed and thought for a moment. Figuring that since Charlie was long over it, it would be okay, he eventually nodded.
"The plane should have plenty of room," Maurice said slowly and continued on. Jack and his family were quick to follow.