"This is Ann Gora, Kat's Eye News, with an update on the situation from earlier this morning. After a struggle that stretched on for more than seven hours, the threat to City Hall has been neutralized. We could not get a statement from Commander Ulysses Feral or Deputy Mayor Briggs, but eyewitness reports state that the SWAT Kats were heading away from the clock tower at around ten in the morning.
"Other reports indicate that several figures were involved in the battle for City Hall, including the Unconventional Tactics unit of the Enforcers, and a personal, handpicked team led by Commander Feral himself. Though we may never know what happened inside due to lack of any sort of apparent damage, this reporter is grateful that the SWAT Kats were able to handle the situation. High in the skies, this is Ann Gora, returning you to your normal broadcast day."
The brown-haired she-kat looked down at the massive clock from her position in the news helicopter, wondering what kind of a story she would have been able to report from in there, while the fighting was said to have taken place. She also wished that she could have gotten a statement from any of the parties involved.
'Still, this is a good enough piece for now,' she mused to herself as she had the helo return to the news station. She wasn't worried- a good story would come along sooner or later, and most of the time a good story involved the SWAT Kats.
Kanto the Slayer presents
A SWAT Kats Fanfiction
SWAT Kats: Endgame
Two days had passed since one of the wildest early mornings that the SWAT Kats had ever spent at City Hall. But of course, afterwards they had to get back into their normal routine, which was paying off their astronomical debts. Yes it was a tough job, but someone had to do it, right? Besides, it wasn't all that bad, especially today.
A familiar green car drove up to the garage, and apparently it did not need fixing. As a matter of fact, just a few days ago it had all been taken care of. Chance Furlong raised an eyebrow, wondering what the sudden visit was for. Sure, Callie had their number and all, but she was infinitely busy with attending to the Mayor.
'More like baby sit,' he thought with a chuckle. She deserved a break, but she deserved it somewhere better than a military scrap yard.
But he didn't complain as Calico Briggs exited the car, still in that pink business suit. And damn, she still looked hot in it. That wasn't even considering the way she moved, which had him staring (though discreetly) towards her hips and waist.
"Hey, Chance. Working hard, or hardly working?"
The big tom chuckled and said, "The second one- we're done with our stuff for now. What can I do for you, Miss Briggs?"
The blonde placed her hands on her hips and leaned forward slightly. "I told you to call me Callie. We don't have to be strangers, you know. And don't you dare talk about how I shouldn't be friends with the guy who keeps my wheels spinning- it's a pile of crap and you know it."
Chance raised his hands defensively and said, "All right, all right! Sure thing, Callie! So then, to what do I owe this sudden, surprise visit? We took care of your ride two days ago. Is something already wrong with it?"
The Deputy Mayor shook her head and sighed. It were as if he refused to treat her as more than just another customer- something about being honorable, she supposed. Callie didn't buy it though, and cleared her face of the mild irritation as she walked towards Chance.
"Truth be told, I came to check up on you guys- see how you were doing. You know, things that a friend does now and then. Besides, the office isn't exactly the place I need to be right now- the Mayor is having an actual meeting, which is of course one of the only things he does personally."
The mechanic laughed and said, "Well there's not much room, but we can seat three on the couch here. Oi, Jake! We got a guest here, buddy."
He did not get a response.
Callie and Chance looked towards each other before heading towards the back. The further they headed, the more they heard the telltale sign of a heavy bag being whacked into. Past the television and the couch, past the barbell and weight rack, further and further still. She smiled as she observed their workout gear. So then, they did work out after all.
'Then again, I can already see that,' she thought to herself as she saw Chance's broad back. Not an ounce of fat on him, he was all muscle. Impressive calves, strong, toned thighs, a cute ass… wait, no. No, that was not right, bad Callie.
Then, she re-thought that. 'Why is the truth so bad? He's hot, incredibly so.'
"Something wrong, Callie?"
She blinked as the mechanic brought her out of her daze. She was lucky that he couldn't see the blush that turned her creamy fur a tinge of red, but she managed to compose herself enough to say, "Oh no, not at all. Just admiring your place here," with that same cool voice.
Chance looked around and said, "What, this hole in the wall? It's nothing special. Sure we've got a few places to sleep in here, but other than that the accommodations aren't exactly… you know."
Callie chuckled and said, "At least it's somewhat neat. You guys keep things organized around here- it's better than most garages I've been in where the floors in the waiting room are sticky as all hell, not to mention the whole place smells like smoke."
He nodded understandingly as he turned towards her. "Yeah, well we could use a few upgrades to the place- new couch, new TV, bigger weights, things like that. And before you say anything, do not try and get that kinda stuff for us. You don't have to, really."
She folded her arms beneath her breasts and raised an eyebrow. "I swear some guys don't want a girl to shop for them. I don't get that."
Chance took a step back. Something about her tone of voice suggested that she was not in the mood to argue. Hell, the very statement was less of a comment and more of a challenge. "That's not the point, and it's not what I meant. I don't want you to go out of your way for us- there are plenty of other things you could be spending your money on. You got bills to pay, clothes and food to buy, stuff like that. Spending all that money on us would be…"
He shook his head and said, "It'd make me feel better if you took care of yourself first, that's all."
Callie dipped her head, suddenly interested in her feet. Another blush rose to her cheeks. Why did he have to be so goddamned nice? It entirely defused her! Without looking, she began closing the distance, walking towards him with careful, measured steps.
"I'm glad to hear you say that, you know. But I've already paid my bills; have enough clothing for a good while, a fully stocked fridge… You're forgetting who you're talking to, Chance. When I want something, I can get it whenever I want."
As she approached, Chance backed up. Why did he not like this? The way she moved was entirely too distracting now and he could smell the perfume she always wore. Her hair shone faintly in the lights overhead, making the she-kat seem all the more surreal. Damned if he didn't want to drag her to one of those back rooms and show her how much of an effect she had on him.
'But not now,' he thought to himself as he searched for an exit. There was only one right now, since Callie would not let him pass. He was entirely unnerved, holding his desires in check. 'Keep your cool, man! Say something!'
He wanted to protest, to tell her that they could get it on their own, but… the words were stuck in his throat. Right now, she probably could get anything she wanted, especially from him. And there was nothing in this world that he could do about it besides acquiesce.
And then, it happened.
She looked up at him through her eyelashes. For some odd reason, that always got him. By now, he was backed up against the wall and she was entirely too close for comfort, and yet not close enough. His hands balled into fists- he wanted to run. Him, Chance Furlong, wanting to run from one of the sexiest she-kats a tom could lay eyes on!
But yes, unbelievable as it sounded to him, he wanted out of there. But there were no exits. He couldn't get past the Deputy Mayor- a deep-seated part of him knew it. It was tactically impossible- he couldn't hit her, he couldn't yell at her, he couldn't even complain when she was this fucking close.
'Her perfume is foggin' everything… damn!"
She spoke, and it was all he could hear.
"So you, Chance Furlong, will not tell me what I can and cannot do. If I want to help you as a friend, then by any means in my vast capability, I will help. You name it, I've got it. If I don't, I can get it. All you have to do is ask. Is that so hard, asking for help?"
The mechanic could do nothing but shake his head. No, it wasn't hard. Well, perhaps it was, because what he needed help with was more than just what was held in this room. He was hot and bothered, entirely off center, and the only way she could help with that was to either kiss him… or get away from him.
The second condition was readily met.
"It's settled, then. Now what did you say you needed again?"
Chance shook his head again and said, "You're dangerous, you know that?"
Callie smiled. "Yes, I do. Now hurry up and tell me what this place needs, so I can make arrangements. Seriously, it shouldn't be too hard to make you guys comfortable."
The door opened to Chance's right side and Jake stepped out, a gray sweatshirt and black sweatpants on. His hands were wrapped, a sign that he was the one hitting the bag. The slimmer tom raised an eyebrow and said, "Callie! Sorry, I didn't hear you come in. What brings you here?"
She smiled towards him and said, "Oh, just wanted to check on you two. See if everything was all right over here. Chance was nice enough to give me a tour of the place, small as it is. I have to say, it's the best back room that I've seen in a garage."
Chance wanted to roll his eyes. A tour his ass. One minute she stalks him like a wild thing, and the next she's having casual conversations with Jake. What was he going to do with her?
'Love her to death.'
That was the only answer he had, really.
Shaking his head to clear the heat from his thoughts, he said abruptly, "Well then, how about we continue said tour then? Jake, you comin' with us?"
Jake shrugged and said, "I don't mind, really. There's not much to this place, but it does have a few things to keep us up to speed, if you get what I mean."
Callie nodded and said, "Then let's go, already. I can't wait to see what else you guys have around here."
With that, she saw the training room, as they called it. There were plenty of things here that she took a look at- a heavy bag and a hit bag, kicking shields and hand targets, a wooden dummy, several concrete blocks, sand bags, and even a metal plate that was two feet long, three wide, and roughly three inches thick. It looked… strange, as if it were made of water rather than metal. She ran a hand along it- it looked untouched thus far.
Jake noticed what she was doing and grinned. "I made that one recently. The heavy bag isn't enough these days except to practice combinations. It's pattern-welded, a combination of steel and titanium. It's tough to find the pure stuff in natural situations, but in the scrap yard out there we can find anything. It can stand up to a 7.62 mm round and keep on ticking."
She nodded and said, "So what's it for? Don't tell me you hit this thing."
Chance grinned and said, "Oh, yeah! Of course, we don't wrap our hands during the process- that'd ruin it. See the more you hit it, the stronger your hands get. It's like a heavy bag, but more intense. According to Jake, you don't even have to hit it that hard, but that's just his opinion."
Callie shook her head and said, "I don't see the point. I mean, why exactly would you do something like that?"
Jake and Chance looked at each other before grinning at Callie.
"Glad you asked," the slimmer tom said as he retrieved one of the concrete blocks, setting it on a nearby table. Callie didn't know it yet, but they were fortunate that it was sturdy as hell. He gestured towards it and said, "Looks tough, doesn't it? Guess what- it's not."
Callie raised an eyebrow, but said nothing; she only watched as Jake centered himself. For a moment, she saw his features go entirely blank, as if he had put on a mask of indifference. Then he raised a hand, just one, and forcefully dropped it onto the block with the palm side. An audible smack echoed through the room, and he removed said hand from the stone.
Nothing happened.
"I still don't get it." Callie said with a disinterested frown. Chance nodded and said, "Neither did I, at first. But check this out…"
He walked over to the cinder block and looked towards Callie with a confident smirk as he tapped the block with one single claw, nothing more.
The cinder block crumbled. Callie's eyes widened.
"…How did you…"
Jake grinned. "The funny thing about any attack is that it's not the attack that counts, but the force and energy produced by said attack. Every ounce of force I put into that attack went right into the cinder block. And all it needed was a tap from Chance here. So what I throw might look soft…"
"…But it lands hard," Chance finished as he cleared the table.
Callie nodded and smirked. "I see. That was impressive. You did all that, that by just by practicing your moves on this here?" She ran a finger along the beautifully crafted metal plate. "Then why hasn't this bent already?"
Jake shrugged and said, "It's made of steel and titanium, Miss Briggs. What do you think?"
For a while, she was silent- then she nodded. "I understand. That's why you made it in the first place- you would have broken anything else in here if you used full force."
Chance nodded. "Bingo. Well, are we done with the tour yet?"
The Deputy Mayor shook her head and said, "Not by a long shot, but we can pause for now." She wanted to play around some in here- it looked exciting. Besides, she could use the workout. For the moment however, she smiled and said, "I just remembered that I have somewhere to be- an appointment, you might say. But before I leave," she said as she poked Chance in his impressively sculpted chest, "You are going to tell me what you guys need."
Jake raised his eyebrows and said, "Did I miss something?"
Chance sighed and said, "Just a talk between me and Callie about her giving us a bit of a boost around here, nothing serious." He looked towards the Deputy Mayor and said, "You don't have to do this. But thanks anyway."
She smiled and said, "My pleasure. Now hurry up and let me know what you guys would like…"
Two hours.
That was how long Felina Feral had to wait for Calico Briggs- two hours. She had gotten a phone call two hours ago that stated she was on her way from, of all places, the garage. Something about getting her car checked out. But she was patient, unlike her uncle.
'But two hours? This is a bit absurd. Still, she did say she was coming.'
Sure enough, she saw the Deputy Mayor's car roll up towards the parking lot of Enforcer Headquarters, and lo and behold, out stepped Calico Briggs, sweeping a hand through her blond tresses.
"Sorry I'm late- had to make a few quick stops."
Felina smiled. "Nah, I don't mind. I'm sure you've been in here before, so I'll skip the tour and get right down to business. Let's go then," she said as she motioned for her to follow. Soon, the two had arrived at the firearms cages, located in one of the sub-levels of Enforcer Headquarters.
"Benny," Felicia acknowledged as she headed towards the range. "I trust you've met the Deputy Mayor before?"
He nodded and said, "She's been on tour here for a while now- wanted to know if our weapons were up to date. She needed it for a budget report, I think. Thanks to her, we got all the latest pieces in our arsenal, including your specific F2000s, Lieutenant."
Felicia smiled and said, "Been meaning to thank her for that. But now I need you to pull out one of those Glocks- I think the 19 should do nicely."
Benny raised an eyebrow and said, "You don't carry a Glock usually, you got that .45 USP, right?"
The Lieutenant smirked and said, "Too big of a gun for her."
And then, he understood.
"Ah. Well then, welcome to your first firing range, Deputy Mayor. Don't let her push you around too much."
He winked, and she blushed.
"I'll try my best," Callie said as she looked towards Felina with trepidation. She shrugged and said, "Don't let him tease you like that- you'll be fine. Come on, I'll show you how this thing works." She took the Glock and a few clips full of training rounds before leading her towards the targets.
After giving her a horizontal shoulder holster with two magazine pouches on the right side, Felina began explaining the basics of the basics. "All right then, let's start with the basics. When you're not shooting at something, make every precaution necessary so that you don't shoot at all. This ain't the movies, so use common sense. Gun pointed to the ground, away from what you don't want shot, and finger off of the trigger. Got it?"
Callie nodded. That was easy enough.
"Right, then. Second rule and this is an important one. Your gun, or any gun for that matter, is always loaded. Not half empty, not entirely clean, not even the safety on, always loaded. Treat it that way. Drill this into your mind until you don't have to think about it anymore, and you'll be fine."
Callie most definitely nodded at that. This was more of a matter of respect than technique, but she understood it. "Got it, and the third?"
Felina raised an eyebrow and said, "Got it? No, no you don't. You always come into a lesson with the mindset that you know absolutely nothing about the subject. Don't be so eager to start shooting."
Remembering what Benny said about not letting the Lieutenant push her around too much, she placed her hands on her hips and said, "Well that's a given. You think I came in here with any experience? No, I know perfectly well that I know precisely jack shit about this, so don't you talk to me like I do."
Felina blinked for a moment, put off balance by the response. Then, she smiled.
"Good, just checking. Third rule: watch what's behind what you're shooting at. A lot of things could happen with a bullet- but there are two very, very possible things. It could miss, or it could simply punch through, as if the target weren't even there. In either of those cases or in any case at all, you have to be mindful of your surroundings. If someone who you don't want to shoot is behind who you do want to shoot, he or she is going to get hit."
Callie grimaced. That was a problem, definitely.
Felina nodded and said, "With that said, there's a second part to rule number three- make sure that your target is valid- that means dangerous, threatening you or other people. There are three measures of threat- Compliant, Resistant, and Assaultive. I trust you already know what those mean."
Callie raised an eyebrow and said, "I've heard of them. Compliant means just that- they'll do what you say without another word. Resistant is what it means too, except they might resist your words but go along with just a push or shove, or it could mean they're fighting you, trying to break free."
Felina smiled and said, "You know, I could teach you how to restrain someone, but one thing at a time here. Good- you got it so far. So what's the last one?"
Callie nodded and said, "Assaultive is… well, they're fighting you. How they fight you dictates your response- if they come at you with bare hands or some kind of blunt object, you fight back with bare hands until you either knock them out or they give up. If they have anything more… potent in their hands, same thing- except they have to be put down for good, whether you have a gun or not."
The Lieutenant nodded and said, "Then that's one less thing I have to teach you. If you understand that, then you don't need to know when to shoot. All you have to know is how, and we're getting to that part now."
Callie smiled. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.
All of one hour passed, and she hit the magazine release instead of the trigger a few times, she was deemed… well, adequate. Not good, not even a beginner, just adequate.
Felina smiled to herself and said, 'This should be rather interesting. She's got potential, that's for sure.'
"You wanna keep going?"
Callie nodded, keeping the colorless shooting glasses on over her normal ones. "We might as well! I don't have anything better to do."
Felina smiled and said, "Okay then, let's stop shooting for a bit and focus on the next thing."
And so, she learned the barebones basics of how to shoot. Sure she wasn't good at it yet, but in her head she vowed that she would come down here every morning until she was satisfied. Felina agreed with that- she woke up early anyways.
"Oh and next time," she said before Callie left, "Bring your own Glock and shoulder holster. These belong to us."
The Deputy Mayor nodded. "Done."
Commander Feral was situated in his apartment, incapacitated for the moment. For the past two days, he had been recovering, knowing perfectly well what exactly he could and could not do. Now on his third day, he checked the news, just to find that someone had gone on a joyride through the streets of MegaKat City, causing havoc in the traffic lanes. He was stopped, sure enough, but only after a crazy chase that was captured by Kat's Eye chopper.
'Well at least we can handle those,' he brooded with a grimace.
He had gotten to thinking about what T-Bone had said to him. His attrition tactics were the wrong way to fight? That was crazy. The only way to deal with a criminal was to face him head on, not at an angle or from the side. He didn't like sneaking around and acting from the nearest alley, he wanted to get in their face and show them that no one fucked with the Enforcers.
'But the SWAT Kats constantly fuck with us, though they haven't directly attacked yet.'
And that was the problem- every attack they made against a criminal or terrorist, they made sure to do it in clear view of the Enforcers. An indirect shot at their incapacity to deal with the situation, and it always worked whether they taunted them verbally or not.
It was the same thing in the Clock Tower, except they had Felina behind them as they did so.
It hurt his pride more than anything else to see his own niece running with the very vigilantes that he was so adamantly trying to unmask and lock away. And yet, circumstances called for it. He knew perfectly well; but it didn't make him feel any better. There was only one way to keep that from happening again, and that was to keep her from participating in further engagements.
He shook his head and said, "My brother will never forgive me for this, and neither will Felina."
Still, he had to do this, for her sake and his peace of mind.
No, he was not going to cut her from the Enforcers- just stall her. Keep her off the streets and out of trouble, but more importantly, away from the SWAT Kats. They were a bad influence in the first place, and he didn't like his niece being around bad influences. With that said, he made the most mortifying call he would have to make.
She was going to be demoted, as soon as possible. He'd put her so far down the chain of command she would have to stick to her allies instead of behind enemy lines. He'd put her as far down as he could without outright kicking her off, because he was concerned for her safety.
Sure, it was unfair, but he was the Commander. Felina would have no choice.
'You'll just have to forgive me one day for this.'
Jake and Chance were currently busy setting up their new entertainment system- it was a wonder what lengths Callie would go through for them. They did indeed have a new set of weights now, state-of-the-art ones too. It was nearly evening, but they weren't closing up yet. They were on call even in the dead of night, for when someone had a flat tire or dead battery, or anything else of that sort.
That said, they were thankful that they had a guardian angel right now.
Chance especially- he couldn't get the scent of her perfume out of his head. Oh, he would have trouble sleeping tonight. The only remedy for it was physical exertion, and while Jake was busy finishing his setup of the new toys they had, the bigger of the two headed in to deliver a few blows to the body bag.
The chains rattled in a satisfying manner as fists and feet, shins and elbows and knees rained on the tough hide of the bag. He soon lost himself in what he was doing, which was enough to get rid of the memory that bounced around in his head.
It had been all of two hours since he had finished, and by then the stars were in the sky. Having worked up a good sweat, he toweled of and headed back in.
"How's it lookin', bud?"
Jake was relaxing on their old couch, looking up at their new HDTV with surround sound and a full entertainment system. "We're operational, and it's extreme! I swear, whatever you said to Callie worked man. Now we won't have to be bored as hell."
Chance scratched the back of his head and said, "Actually, it's what she said to me, but whatever."
Jake peered at his big partner for a moment before sighing and pressing the mute button, halting the sound from The David Litterbin Show.
"Yeah, I did miss something earlier. You gonna talk about it?"
Chance shook his head. "No, I'm not. It's not important anyways."
Jake glared towards him, a concerned twist to his mouth. "There you go again, man. You not wanting to bother other people with your problems is noble, but you gotta talk sometime. Why not talk to me instead of a shrink?"
Chance glared back. "You think I need a shrink?"
Jake shook his head and said, "Not yet, but that's where you're headed if you don't talk to me, buddy. I won't send you there, but someone else might if you don't let this stuff out. Know what I'm saying?"
The bigger tom sighed and said, "Yeah, I know what you're saying. Just that…" He sighed and said, "Callie got us all this stuff, just for us, and she didn't have to. I told her earlier that she didn't need to bother with this- she should take care of her own stuff first. Just when I thought the message got to her, she…"
Jake raised an eyebrow. Why was he hesitating? Did something so bad happen that the big lug was unable to say it? "Come on dude, just spill. What happened?"
Chance muttered under his breath. It wasn't going to be pretty, and Jake would probably laugh or tease. When Jake said to speak up, he said what was muttered.
"She made a move on me, man. She just walked up to me with that sway in her hips, looked at me through her eye lashes, and got close enough that I could count the hairs on her head. I couldn't do anything but answer yes and no, and then she just stepped back like it was nothing!"
Jake sighed in sympathy. "That… is one dangerous she-kat."
Chance nodded and said, "Straight up Mata Hari. If she does that again, I dunno what I'm gonna do."
That was a lie- he knew exactly what he was going to do, and he knew that he shouldn't do it. He shuddered to himself and said, "I'd rather not think about it, Jake. Let's just watch David Litterbin before we get another call." He took a drink from his milk can as Jake turned the sound back on.
"Well at least you know she likes you. She wouldn't try that unless she cared, right?"
Chance smirked and said, "She was playing with me. There's no one who would like gear heads like us. We're nobodies."
Jake turned towards the bigger tom and smirked. "But she could turn you from nobody into somebody, and she won't even have to throw her cash around like she did today. Just watch- you'll get used to having a she-kat in love with you someday."
Chance smirked. "And you and Felina?"
Jake shrugged and said, "Hey, I'm just now starting to realize my own potential here. I know I said earlier this week that we're just a couple of grease monkeys, but recently I've had a change of opinion. You can have any damn thing you want if you go after it. Maybe you should just grow some nuts and ask her out?"
The bigger tom grunted for a moment and said, "It won't work."
The slimmer tom shrugged and took a swig of his milk. "Then you've already lost to Mata Hari."
Early the next morning, Callie had returned to Enforcer Headquarters, this time on time. The day before, she had gotten her own gun, a Glock 19C, her own accessories, and familiarized herself with every single part in the best way she knew how- taking the damn thing apart.
It was simple enough to field strip the firearm and find out where each part went, what it did and how it did it. She realized the reason why there was no safety on the outside, like most guns she had seen- all of them were inside of the gun itself. It was ingenious really- if one dropped it, it wouldn't misfire. It was easy to clean, so it wouldn't misfire. And as long as she kept her finger off of the trigger, it wouldn't misfire.
'One, two, three, perfect. Felina definitely has the right idea with her guns.'
With that, the next morning she felt more confident as she approached the building, wearing not her business suit, but a pair of blue jeans and short sleeved blouse, colored white instead of pink. As a matter of fact, the only pink things she wore were the pair of pink shooting glasses and her usual business suit in her backpack, along with her black shoulder holster and the case that had her gun.
However, despite her efforts to come earlier than her teacher, Felina was still there first. Still, she had that smile on her features as she nodded approvingly.
"Well, how about that? You're here on time. You got everything you need?"
Callie nodded cheerily. "Sure do. Let's get this going, and quickly- I have a few papers to sign today on a building project that needs authorization."
But as soon as they headed in and Felina swiped her card for the lower levels, the first problem of the day occurred. Oh, they got downstairs all right, but there must have been a problem in the computer logs. Her rank was that of a Sergeant.
Felina raised an eyebrow. "What the hell?"
Callie peered towards the readout and said, "That's strange… I thought you were a Lieutenant."
She scratched the back of her head and said, "Last I checked, I was. The computer system must be malfunctioning today- I'll get the techs right on that."
So the day moved on, but the matter would soon rear its ugly head again.
Felina strolled into the firing range, her spirits restored for a while. Benny however, saw her and looked at her as if she were someone to be pitied. "Morning, Sergeant."
She blinked. "Excuse me?"
He raised an eyebrow. "No one told you? Damn, news gets around slower than I thought. You got knocked down a peg- chain of command said that your actions at the clock tower were unfitting of an Enforcer. At least, that's what I heard. I don't know the whole story, but-"
Callie knew. She didn't know how she knew, but she just knew.
"…Commander Feral."
Felina was entirely silent as she walked mindlessly into the weapon cages. This time, she retrieved an assault rifle, a G36K. As she began attaching a scope to the top rail, her thoughts whirled in a storm of confusion, sadness, anger. Why? Unfitting of an Enforcer? She had just saved the goddamn city- sure she had help, but no Enforcer was any good without backup! Why!?
Her mind retraced her steps, attempted to figure out how this was possible.
One thought continued repeating.
He had a grudge against the SWAT Kats.
Thus, he hated her being around them. The only way to prevent her from interacting with them was to kick her footing out from under her, reduce her to a beat cop instead of a member of the SWAT team. She would lose command of her unit, lose her benefits, and lose… everything she had worked for.
Her mind cleared.
By the time Callie saw her walk out of the weapons cage, she noticed that Felina's eyes were brimming with moisture.
'Oh, no…'
Felina took a stance, peered through the scope at the paper target. Her mind was clear; her face was so emotionless it might as well have been shaped from stone. The only indication otherwise were the tears threatening to stream down her face as she aimed for the head.
'You bastard.'
She fired. Clean shot, center of the head. She lowered the sights, aimed for the center of the chest.
'Bastard.'
Pop. The paper rattled as another highly accurate shot hit home, smack in the middle of the target's upper body. She adjusted her sight again, this time aiming for the neck. Another shot. Left and right collar bones, two more shots. Abdomen, another shot.
'Bastard.'
Unshed tears blurred her vision.
She switched the fire selector to full automatic and muttered, "Fuck it."
She unloaded the entire clip into the paper target, screaming after a few seconds as the bullets roared down the barrel. Her mind was clear now, and so was her anger.
The paper target was doomed to oblivion. Click.
She was out of bullets.
Felina felt her knees buckle, threatening to collapse beneath her, and felt the need to blink so the tears would run. But she refused to do either in front of Callie and Benny. She wanted to just sit down and cry so badly… but she would sooner shoot herself than break down in front of a colleague and the Deputy Mayor. She had a feeling they would understand, but she would never forgive herself.
'I'm an Enforcer, dammit,' she thought to herself. 'I'm better than that, even if Uncle Ulysses doesn't think so.' So she willed her legs to remain rigid, wiped the moisture away from her eyes with the back of her glove, sniffed as quietly as she could, and stared down at the range of targets as she tried to recompose herself.
Though the niece of Commander Feral did her best not to show it, Callie could see that Felina was suffering inside, and sympathized greatly with her. Though she did not know what exactly the situation was, her heart went out to the hard-working Enforcer who had just wanted to make her uncle proud, and instead ended up being punished for it. There was only silence in the firing range as the Deputy Mayor approached the immobile she-kat.
Felina felt arms encircling her. She started to raise her arms so she could push Miss Briggs away gently… then paused, and let her hands fall back to her sides. A hug was alright, she reasoned. Besides, it helped a little.
Callie rested her head against the back of her teacher's shoulder and closed her eyes, allowing a tear of her own to slide down her cheek. For a reason she could not name, Felina's pain was a tangible thing. The Deputy Mayor felt Felina's sorrow as if it were her own. This was yet another measure of her intuition. It was not something that she realized consciously, but it allowed her empathize more effectively with the poor she-kat.
The Deputy Mayor hugged tighter, partly to get Felina's attention and partly to ease the tightness in her own chest.
Suddenly, the Enforcer turned around where she stood, even through the gentle, yet firm hug. Callie started to let go, wondering if Felina wanted her to stop, and suddenly found Felina's arms around her as well in a tight, somewhat awkward embrace.
The hug she returned only lasted a few moments, but it was enough to help her start picking up the metaphorical pieces.
"I guess," Callie said softly as the two of them finally pulled apart, "the lesson is off for today?"
Felina let out a much-needed bark of laughter.
"Hell no, the lesson is not off. You're not getting out of our agreement just because I'm a little upset."
Callie couldn't help but feel angry. For the first time, she wanted to throw her weight around and make her friend a Lieutenant again- hell, higher than that. She deserved First Lieutenant, Colonel even.
'Maybe I should.'
The thunderhead in her mind spewed lighting. The idea was born, and it would gather momentum until the clouds burst overhead. When they did, there would be Hell to pay.
Chapter 9: Friends in Need
Awww, damn… I don't know how long Felina has been an Enforcer- I'm going to assume she's been in for a few years now since she's the rank of Lieutenant, a Commissioned Officer. But of course, now that Feral has made his move, it's possible that we could see a falling out between the two.
Hell, more than possible.
But anyways! Drama, drama, drama! I love DRAMA! Can you not tell?
Conflict! The clashing of two opposite forces drives it, which is why I love it! Story breeds conflict, conflict breeds action, action breeds fight scenes, fight scenes breed chaos, chaos breeds order, order breeds story, repeat! This is how I write, and I wish everyone wrote that way.
Anyways, I'm outta here. I just had to get this chapter off of my back or I'd never fall asleep.
Hasta la vista, see ya when I see ya.
EDIT: Shout out goes out to Master Nemesis, for betaing this chapter. It is re-posted with a more accurate portrayal of Felina, but a similar response from Callie. Enjoy!
