This story is a compilation of parts of the Sixth Scale Stories and is meant as a reference for Nikki's and Jet's past.
Later: Jet: Sorry you had to wait for so long. We were running a bit late today. Annie: That last girl... Eva. She said she's going to study physics. Jet: I know. Isn't it wonderful? She's got the looks and brains too. She'll go far. It won't be easy, though. Annie: Why not? Jet: Once you get to be known for your looks, people will always remember that. Transforming into something else isn't easy. It took me a long time to get behind the camera. Annie: Were you a model too? I had no idea. Jet: Not a model, child actress. Nothing you have seen. A soap opera long forgotten. Annie: I'd like to see what you were like then. Jet: Maybe one day, when I've had one drink too many. I have tapes somewhere. Annie: But you don't drink. Jet: I forgot. Your bad luck then. Somehow I always relate being drunk with watching that crap. Can't take it sober.
Annie: Nikki, who is uncle Harvey exactly? Nikki: He was dad's best friend. They were together in a war and they drove a tank and blew up stuff. Harvey can drive anything with wheels. Although, I think a tank doesn't have wheels like a car. Anyway, he's really good with all technical stuff. Annie: Is he in love with your mom? Nikki: Of course not, he just promised dad he'd look after us. Mom and dad divorced long before dad went away, so there's really no need, but Harvey says a promise is a promise. He's really nice. And I think he couldn't be in love with mom... Can you keep a secret? Annie: Of course. Is it about him? Nikki: Yes. I heard something... somebody said he doesn't like girls. He likes us, so I think it means that he doesn't like girls the way your dad likes my mom. Shhh... mom's coming back. Remember, it's a secret. Annie: I won't say a word to anybody.
Schizo: I guess you think it's a secret. I can see it miles away. Harvey: See what? Schizo: Don't worry, I've got nothing against you guys. The more of you there are, the more girls there are for me. Harvey: You guys? What's that supposed to mean? Schizo: You know perfectly well. Is that why Nikki's father was your best friend? Because male felines are exclusively attracted to their own kind and don't freak out? Harvey: We had been friends since we were six years old. Nothing that came afterwards could change that. Schizo: Have you ever wondered why they're like that? I have. Is it to prevent inter-breeding? So why are females often attracted to other species? Is it because males will always sleep around without thinking about consequences whereas females plan carefully when to have babies and with whom? Harvey: You seem to know a lot about felines. Schizo: I know a lot about people.
Harvey: I don't understand why you let Nikki spend time with a guy like that. Jet: Schizo knows perfectly well what you can tell children, and children need other adults in addition to their parents. You're a good substitute for her father, but it's not enough. Harvey: Why not Frank? Jet: They're not that close. At least, not yet, although I doubt they ever will be. Frank is so different from John. He's so serious and not at all into pranks and hair-raising stunts. Harvey: Maybe it's a good thing, you know, a calming effect. Jet: If it's calming she needs, maybe you should tone down a bit the stories you tell her about yours and John's adventures. Don't worry, I'm not blaming you, she needs to know what her father was like and you know a side of him that I was never comfortable with. I'm just asking you not to encourage that side of her too much.
Harvey: You got it right, but it's not a secret anymore. Nikki: Why not? Harvey: Because I've got a different job now and nobody minds. I can be myself now. Nikki: Weren't you yourself before? Who were you then? Harvey: I wasn't another person, if that's what you mean. I just couldn't let people know what I'm really like. You see, people in my previous job wouldn't have liked me, if they had known about it. Nikki: That's silly. What do girlfriends and boyfriends have to do with if people like you or not? I'd like you even if you had both. Harvey: Hahaha! You know, your dad said the same thing to me a long time ago. Not with the same words, but the same sentiment. Nikki: Uncle Harvey, are you ever going to have children? Harvey: Probably not. It's a bit complicated. Nikki: You don't need to get married to have children. Lots of people have children without being married.
Later: Topaz: What are you doing all alone in the kitchen? Annie: I'm not properly dressed for a party. Topaz: So what? In your age and with a face like that, nobody cares what you're wearing. Stop sulking and join the party! That's an order and when I give orders, people obey. Is that clear? Annie: I guess so. - Did you really know Harvey when you were both kids? Topaz: Of course. We went to school together. Then later he and John decided to play war games and joined the army and we lost contact for a long time.
Annie: John? Topaz: Nikki's father. - In the end, the war games became a bit too real and they were shipped off to some war where we had no business to be in the first place. Don't tell Harvey I said that. He knows how I feel, so we don't talk about it. It was such a waste. Annie: You don't like the army? Topaz: How could I? John never came back from that last assignment. Annie: It sounds like you knew him well. Topaz: Of course I did, he was my boyfriend for a while. Annie: Does Jet know? Topaz: Sure. When we first met, I was with John. Then I dumped him and started pursuing my career and he started pursuing Jet.
Annie: Why are you telling me all this? Topaz: Jet says you're practically part of the family and you're old enough to understand. Nikki doesn't know everything yet, because it's too complicated, but we'll tell her some day. Besides, none of what I just told is exactly a secret. It's all been dug up and twisted horribly in articles published in trashy magazines. I'm surprised you haven't seen any of those. Anyway, I'd rather let you have the true version. And that includes the fact that Jet and I were always friends, we never fought over John, no matter what some idiot journalist has written. Annie: You're nice. I thought, you know, as you're a really big star... Topaz: That I'd be a total bitch? I can be when needed, because it gets things done, but today is my day off. - Come on, time to join the others!
Maria: You shouldn't think about those things. They've got nothing to do with you. Nikki: But Pauline says that guy kills felines. What if he comes to our house? Maria: He won't. He's a coward and only goes after people who are alone at home and you're never alone here. And you've got the alarm system. Nobody's going to get here without making a lot of noise and people like him don't want to attract attention. Nikki: Mom is alone at home sometimes when I'm at school. Maria: Nikki, I just said the guy is a coward. He wouldn't dare to come near your mom. You know what would happen. Nikki: Yeah, mom would tear him to shreds. Like that burglar when I was a baby. Maria: That's right. John Sr. always said your mom should have joined the special forces.
Jet: What did you and Maria talk about? Nikki: Mom, did that guy die? You know, the burglar... when I was a baby? Jet: Why are you...? Oh well, I guess you're old enough. Yes, he died. I didn't mean to... but he was in your room and I thought he was going to steal you. Nikki: And if that serial killer got here, you'd kill him too? Jet: If I had to. Nikki: And you wouldn't go to jail? Jet: Of course not. I'd probably get a medal or something for doing everyone a favor. But he's not going to come here. Nikki: I know. He's a coward and only goes after people weaker than him. It's not fair. Jet: No, killing innocent people is never fair. I'm sure the police will get him soon and then he'll spend the rest of his life in jail where he cannot hurt anybody anymore.
Nikki: That new teacher, Mr. Wilkins... Jet: What about him? Except that he's always late. Nikki: He says it's not fair that felines get away with murder. Did you get away with murder? Jet: It wasn't a murder. Anyone breaking into a feline home is fair game for anyone living in that house. - When did the teacher say something like that? Nikki: It wasn't in the class. I heard him talking with another teacher. Jet: He's not a feline... new in the city and says something like that... I think I need to make a phone call. It's probably nothing, but better safe than sorry. Nikki: What are you talking about? Jet: Oh, nothing. Just thinking out loud. - Eat your breakfast. Even if Mr. Wilkins is always late, it doesn't mean you can be.
Nikki: Mom? What's special forces? Jet: It's the military version of supermen. Why do you ask? Nikki: Maria said that grandpa thought you should have joined the special forces. Jet: Oh, that. It was a joke. - Although, that night was the only time I ever saw him at a loss for words. Nikki: What night? When the burglar came to our house? Jet: Yes. Your dad was abroad, so grandpa came over. Nikki: Were there a lot of policemen? Jet: Several regular ones plus the military guys who came with grandpa. And then of course those lab guys, although they don't waste much time with cases like that. Nikki: Because it was his own fault? Jet: That's right. They just made sure it really was a break-in and that was it.
Later that day: John: ...and they were all single women, so he must have been watching them at least some time to find that out. Maria: I guess our nutcase knows something about felines, even if he can't tell the difference between the half-breeds. John: What do you mean? Maria: Breaking into a feline home with small children would require you to be seriously suicidal or totally ignorant. - I see you don't understand. You're not from around here, are you? John: No, and we don't have felines where I come from. Maria: Well then, let me show you something we use in training our officers. It is very educational.
John: What's this? Maria: What's left of a burglar who entered a feline home through the wrong window. Any other window than the nursery and he could still be alive. John: Who did this? Maria: The mother. She was home alone with the baby when it happened. A neighbor saw the guy go in and called the police. They arrived in ten minutes and that's what they found. John: She did this... in ten minutes? Maria: I said you'd need to be seriously suicidal. John: So, who... I mean, what was this guy? Maria: Not a feline, that's for sure.
Late that night: John: We finished the background checks for the last two victims. No criminal records, but Dana mentioned Angela's drugdealer boyfriends and the one before her was involved in a burglary case where the burglar got killed. Naturally, she wasn't prosecuted. Maria: And the earlier cases? John: Most had a criminal record of some kind and the rest were involved in burglary cases. The reason we didn't connect the dots earlier was that we didn't think that committing a crime and being a victim of one could be the same thing in somebody's opinion. Maria: I feared it might be something like that. John: What's wrong? Maria: Remember that educational case? I was the detective in charge and it was when I first met Jet. She's the mother who did it. John: What!? But she's so... so... I mean, she's a lady. Maria: That night, she was a mother who thought somebody wanted to steal her baby.
Kate: Have you ever reconsidered? Nikki is a big girl now and could handle you being away occasionally. Your job would be an excellent cover. Jet: I told you my decision was final. You know I've got responsibilities - Nikki, Frank, my employees. And you know what John thought about it. Kate: But he's not here and you don't need to do what he would have wanted. Jet: That's not quite true. He was Nikki's father and I need to think about what kind of life he would have wanted for her. Besides, as he's not with us anymore, I have no right to take unnecessary risks. I've explained it all to you before. Kate: Yes, I know. I'm sorry. Please just forget that I asked.
Nikki: Uncle Schizo meant well, he couldn't know you don't drink. Tori: Are you saying he's not familiar with felines? Nikki: Of course he is, he's known us for a long time. Tori: Then he should know that most felines don't drink alcohol. It just doesn't work the same way with us. Nikki: Mom used to drink when she was young, but she stopped when she got pregnant and hasn't done it since. Tori: That's the way it usually goes. Anyway, catnip's a lot safer. And if you really need a drink, you can make catnip tea. Danny: What's catnip? Tori: It's... um... it's medicine for adults. Danny: Yuck!
Ellen: About Schizo... Jet: He can behave really badly sometimes, but never around children. He's grumpy, but he likes his young friends. I guess it's because they don't tell him to behave like a grown-up. Ellen: So you think I can let them be friends? Jet: Yes, and I think you should tell him what you just told me. He may be able to help. Children love him, because he's a good listener and can keep a secret. And he's not easily shocked, no matter what they tell him. Ellen: That's good. Some things Caroline's been saying... I'm not sure if she makes them up or if she's telling the truth, but even if it's made up, she shouldn't be able to do that. Jet: Some children grow up faster than others, or they are forced to. All I can say is that I turned up just fine despite the bad start. Ellen: You were a foster child? Jet: Not exactly. I left my parents when I was 15. Ellen: Why... I'm sorry, I shouldn't be asking. Jet: Why did I leave? The tabloids had a field day with it and I might as well save you the trouble of looking it up. The short version is that I was a child actress and first it was fun, but in the end I hated it. However, my parents were too fond of the money and wouldn't let me quit, so I ended up doing some stupid stuff. The judge let me go, but assigned a guardian for me. He said I needed somebody who was thinking of my best interest. That was Kate, the new teacher at school. We've remained friends all these years. Ellen: I've met her. She's... um, quite formidable. Jet: Scary, you mean? She's scary even to most felines, but she's actually quite nice once you get to know her. And she has worked with problem children, so she'll know how to deal with Caroline.
Jet: Harvey, I've been thinking... am I doing what's right for Nikki? I'm talking about my parents. Harvey: I'm not qualified to judge. I only know what you've told me. Is this because you don't like lying to Nikki? Jet: Yes. I mean, she does have a right to know, but then again... Harvey: Then again, it probably wouldn't be good for her to hear that her grandparents treated you as their money-making machine and cut off all contact once they couldn't make you continue anymore. Jet: No, I guess not. I've always thought that I'll tell her when she's an adult and can understand it better, but then they'll probably be dead already. Harvey: Jet, she had one set of perfect grandparents. She'd just be expecting your parents to be the same. You need to decide, which is better, the lie about dead and nice grandparents or the ugly truth. Jet: You're right about John's parents. You have no idea how many times I hoped that I had parents like that. Harvey: You know, if you want a more informed opinion, you should talk with Kate. She knows all about it and she knows about children. Jet: I don't need to ask her opinion. She has told it to me more than once. Harvey: And what is it? Jet: Forget they ever existed. - It's hard to believe she used to be a family friend. Harvey: I'm happy she chose your side, but wasn't she a bit young to be your guardian? Jet: Sure, but she had been a social worker for some time and that was enough for the judge. I wish she had remained a social worker and later a teacher, so she would have stayed home instead of traveling around the world. Although that only started after I was 18 and the first thing she always did after returning was to check on me. Harvey: But now that's all over, isn't it? She has decided to stay put. Jet: Not exactly. She's just taking a break while considering her options. The teaching job is just something to keep her busy.