Saturday, September 17, 1977 : 2154

Lieutenant Dan 'Hondo' Harrelson held up the Competition Cup and whistled sharply to quiet the group.

"Men," Harrelson said, "I'm very proud of your performances out there today." He handed the Cup to Officer Jim Street.

"That was a new record in the obstacle course, wasn't it?" Harrelson asked.

Jim put down his beer mug and took the Cup, admiring the latest etching that read: "Olympic Division – 1977". It followed two Sunset Division wins.

"Yes, sir – by one-point-two seconds," Jim answered his commander.

"And, Luca," Harrelson addressed Officer Dominic Luca. "Great win in the repelling competition."

Jim handed the Cup to Dom.

"Thanks, Lieutenant. I just missed my record from last year, though." Dom held the Cup high, smiling as brightly as the shiny trophy.

"The big surprise was TJ winning the buddy-carry event," Harrelson said, "as well as the distance shooting."

Dom handed the Cup over to teammate Officer TJ McCabe.

TJ lifted the Cup and his beer, toasting his teammates. "Drawing Dom to carry helped a lot."

"Who was that behemoth that you had to carry, Jim?" asked Sergeant Deacon 'Deke' Kay.

Laughing, Jim said, "That was Wee Willy from Sunset. Six-eight and three-twenty-five – at least that's what he admits to. Felt more like three-eighty."

"But third place got us an extra point," Dom said.

"How about you and Deke, Lieutenant?" TJ said.

"Yeah," Jim agreed. "Figuring out we could run the Capture The Flag course backwards – get the flag first, then run the course – put us in the lead for good."

"I bet they're rewriting the rules on that event right now," Deke said.

Harrelson smiled. "But it worked." He held his beer out and the group toasted again.

"Another round," Harrelson told the bartender. He placed the Cup on the bar top and it was placed in a reverent place behind the bar. Every cop that came into After Hours would see it and know what it stood for. The annual SWAT competition was tough and a Division win was definitely boasting material.

"Gentlemen," Harrelson announced. "You'll want to watch the end of the late local news tonight. They're doing a bit on the Competition Cup."

"Hot damn!" Dom said. "It's about time we get some good press. Perfect timing since we won."

"I saw the cameras," TJ said. "But I figured we'd get about six seconds or be bumped by a weather alert or something."

"Not this time," Deke said. "I heard it's a full ten minute feature piece."

"Ten minutes," said Dom. "We're stars!"

"You'll have to get a bigger little black book now," Jim teased Dom.

"I'll have to get an assistant to screen my calls," said Dom, staring into his perceived future. "She'll sort the callers by age, hair color …"

"Earth to Luca," Harrelson said. "It's on after the late local news. Probably only grannies will be watching."

The others laughed, Dom frowned.

###

Rachel Bisbane watched the piece on the SWAT Competition Cup after the late local news. Watched intently and liked what she saw. There were several very fine specimens of the species. She must have them. She wanted to see them in action, study them.

The next morning, she sat with her coffee and the newspaper. In the group photo with the winning team holding the trophy, she circled three faces. In the accompanying photos, she circled three more times.

She addressed her Security Services Chief. "Edward, I must have these specimens. Immediately." She pushed the paper to him.

Edward Townsend studied the picture, read the accompanying article. He frowned. "These are the best of the best, ma'am."

"I know that. That's why I want them. I really must have them." She sat back, lit a cigarette, and crossed her legs. "You'll get them for me."

Edward fidgeted, ran his hands through his hair. "I'll put together a team and have a plan for your approval by the end of the day."

"I suppose that'll have to do." She waved her hands in a shooing fashion at Edward. "Get to it."

Gathering the paper, Edward stood. "Ma'am." He turned and left quickly.

Rachel stubbed out her cigarette and went to a window that overlooked her compound. Nothing in particular caught her attention, but she smiled. Remembering the TV broadcast and the pictures in the paper made her giddy. The new specimens were just what she needed – boredom had been gnawing at her.