The rest of that day went as it should. Felina Feral, now a Sergeant, was cleaned up and her hair was straightened out before they got back to what they were doing. Maybe a few rounds fired would help the Deputy Mayor think a bit clearer about the plan that was taking shape in her head.

"Now remember," Felina said, "You're aiming for the center of mass- that's the center of the chest, stomach, anywhere on the torso that will stop the aggressor. It's a 9mm, so it's a bit more likely to injure someone than it is to kill them. Still, that doesn't mean you shouldn't be careful."

Calico Briggs nodded and said, "I hear you. But you know the time might come when I just might have to. I doubt I'm ready for it, but… I'd like to know how, just in case."

Felina raised an eyebrow and said, "You're awful calm about that. No doubts?"

Callie paused for a moment. "Hell, several of them. But that doesn't mean that I shouldn't learn. Some kats need to be put down before they can cause any real damage."

The Enforcer nodded. "Well put. We'll get into that when you become a better shot. Gear up and let's get to it."

Callie had already been taught about stance and foot position. There was a fine line between stability and mobility, and that line had to be constantly walked as if it were a tightrope. Her earplugs were put in; the stylish pink shooting glasses were donned. After loading a magazine and sliding it home, she assumed the Weaver stance just like she had practiced at home (oh yes, she had practiced), and aimed.

She remembered something just then.

Her plan would have to be put on hold, tossed to the back of her mind. It was quite unfortunate, but even the idea of revenge was forming a storm in her mind. A storm that would distract her entirely- keep her shots from hitting what they should hit. What was in front of her was not the target itself- no, it was Commander Feral. She actually wanted to hurt him.

'No plan is worth that.'

She breathed. Felina nodded.

"Right, keep breathing. That's an important part of it. Just shoot when you're ready- I'll be right behind you."

Callie did not hear. She breathed. Her heartbeat in her own ears slowed, calmed. Her face was serene again. The storm cleared. If only she could keep it that way- but no, even that thought was a distraction. She breathed. Her mind rested.

She felt it- the shift of her energy. It was an eerie feeling, as if something indescribable were running through her, something she could not name. Everything relaxed at once, and Felina raised an eyebrow as she looked her way.

Callie fired. The bullet struck the paper target, dead center of the chest.

'Holy shit,' Felina thought as her eyes widened, 'That was dead aim.'

"Good, do that again," she called out.

Confidence surged within the Deputy Mayor. She fired again- the second shot flew nicely through the hole the first one had made. Felina grinned.

"Right then, pick your targets. Shoot until your magazine is spent."

Felina couldn't believe it. She was a quick study- too quick. How long had she been practicing the day before? How well did she know the Glock in her hands? Highly interested, Felina did not shoot- she simply watched as Callie fired one round after another, picking out specific targets that the Enforcer knew would disable with one shot.

It was entirely crazy- she had to know how that happened. "Okay, stop," she shouted over the noise of the gunfire.

Callie's finger lifted from the trigger and placed itself out of the guard, pointing down the barrel. Her eyes blinked almost sleepily as she rose from the depths of her self-induced trance. After looking at the target, she smiled confidently.

"Well, that was a good start. So then, do we go on to the next lesson?"

Felina nodded. "Sure, but before that… how the heck did you do that? It's like you became better with a pistol overnight."

Callie smiled secretly and said, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Felina doubted she would. "Oh whatever, next lesson."

Kanto the Slayer presents

A SWAT Kats Fanfiction

SWAT Kats: Endgame

Felina's eyes widened as she heard the Deputy Mayor's plan on their way back to the parking lot. "You can't be serious about this. Only the Mayor has authorization to give someone a Commendation- you're not even that far up the ladder yet. You might as well be his secretary for the way he treats you, and Uncle Ulysses knows it."

Callie placed her hands on her hips as the elevator rose upwards.

"So what do you suggest I do about it? There's nothing you can do- you complain too loudly, and he kicks you out."

She smirked. "He kicks me, and he loses his best pilot, not to mention his best Enforcer. Those two facts will not change, no matter how low I am on the food chain. What I suggest you do is let it ride and let me handle it. Besides, I'm in the middle of a rather personal investigation."

The Deputy Mayor raised an eyebrow.

"Explain this… investigation."

The elevator dinged. They were at the ground level.

"Not here. Tell you what- after you get changed I'm coming with you to City Hall. I'll explain on the way there."

Roughly fifteen minutes later, they were both in the car, Felina dressed in a leather jacket with a blue top and black jeans tucked into a pair of combat boots, and Callie in her usual pink business suit. Both were strapped this time, the Enforcer with her USP, the Deputy Mayor with her Glock. No one could tell the difference, since the shoulder holsters stowed their pieces neatly underneath their clothing.

"Right, now start talking," Callie said as she stopped at a red light.

Felina got straight to the point.

"Remember that attempted armed robbery a few days ago?"

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "Yes, but that case is over. It's been over a while ago- what's there left to investigate?"

The brunette with tufts of white near her ears continued.

"What's left… are the heroes of the day. Don't you think those two moved a bit too fast for standard, civilian-level training? I've seen a few martial artists, especially in the Enforcers, but no one moves that fast. I don't know where they got their training from, but I can bet it's not from any dojo in MegaKat City."

The light turned green. She drove onward, attempting to piece her thoughts together. Felina was right- they did move far too quickly for civilians. She could barely trace their movements, and the fight ended within seconds. Jake was able to count exactly how long it took from start to finish.

An alarm sounded off in her head and her body tightened, just slightly. Jake was able to count how long it took to incapacitate all five of them? And Chance knocked the first kat so far back you'd swear he was a feather on the wind. Those facts alone were suspicious.

"You're right. That's not normal," she said with a sudden realization. "That just leaves the question of where exactly they learned how to fight."

Felina shook her head and said, "I'm trying to find that out now. Could be that they're not all that they seem. Let's swap numbers when we get to City Hall- I'll be in touch, just in case something turns up. If something turns up…"

Callie nodded, and her thoughts drifted back to Felina's demotion.

"About what happened with your uncle... are you sure," she said with a touch of worry, "There's nothing I can do?"

Felina nodded. "I'm sure. Let this one go for now. I need to stay in the force until I can get this done, and then I'll complain all I want to the Commander. After that… well, if I'm off the team I know a few places I can go."

The she-kat in pink's heart went out to the Enforcer once again. If Felina's mind was set, so be it. But still, she wanted to do something to help. Maybe she could complain to the Mayor about it- but no. That would be interfering, wouldn't it? Felina said she could handle it, and thus Callie would let her handle it.

'Revenge that is not yours to take should be best left to those slighted.'

She had heard the quote before, and now it stuck in her head. The right thing to do was absolutely nothing.

So why did the right thing make her feel so useless?

Chance Furlong and Jake Clawson sneezed more than once that day.

In fact, during the course of the past five minutes, they sneezed six times in a row. Hell, more than that.

"There a bug going around or something?" Chance asked with a slight annoyance as he ducked back underneath the hood of a car that needed to be serviced before the next day.

Jake spoke from underneath yet another vehicle, "Nah, nothing I can think of. Besides, we had our doctor's appointments last month- we're good. Someone must be talking about us or thinking about us."

Chanced stopped for a moment and said, "What does a sneeze have to do with that, man?"

Jake pulled out from under the car and lifted his welding mask.

"There's an old story about how whenever you sneeze, someone is talking about you. And whatever they are saying is right, at least most of the time. Since we just sneezed like, twenty times without explanation… I would say someone just had a full-on conversation about us."

Chance shook his head and said, "I think the smell of motor oil is getting to your head, man. You might need to lie down for a moment."

Jake smirked as he put his welding mask back on. "Ever the skeptic, huh buddy?"

With that, the two of them got back to work. Soon though, it was lunch time, and time for the mid-day news as well. But of course, there was never any good news to tell as Ann Gora sat in her helicopter, that same professional expression on her face even as she gestured towards the raging inferno that the camera displayed.

"We are high above the scene of a terrible accident- a fire has erupted at MegaKat Harbor. Warehouse 12, the location of several stockpiles of specialized goods, has caught aflame due to a gas leak that was left untended. But what started as an easily handled situation turned into a full-on catastrophe as two more nearby warehouses went up along with it."

Their eyes widened.

"Fire crews and specialized Enforcer units are doing their best to contain the conflagration, but no progress has been made yet- wait, I'm receiving an update… It's been confirmed that there are still kats trapped inside the blaze. This chopper can only fly so close, but it is apparent that they are in need of dire assistance…"

They stopped listening. As a matter of fact, they weren't even on the couch anymore.

"We gotta get there before Feral tries something stupid! Let's hit the TurboKat and haul ass over there, Razor!"

They instantly went into codenames, even before they were dressed.

"Hang on T-Bone, I got an idea. This is the perfect opportunity to test out the brand new Thunder Truck, as well as the Hydro Cannon! Before you say anything, yeah I made another one, and it's got a modular weapons system this time, just in case something like this happened. Good thing I got it ready a long while ago!"

T-Bone grinned. "That's my sure shot for ya! Let's ride!"

With that, a new weapons platform was locked onto the rails at the back of the truck- a pair of high-volume, high-pressure water cannons. The whole apparatus had a seat built into it, and it rotated on a pivot system that swung a full three hundred and sixty degrees, like the artillery piece that came with the first one.

Of course, the water had to be stored somewhere, so the support column for the cannons had the pump and pressure systems built into it. Right underneath him was the boosters, a brand new twin afterburner system instead of just one. They could move a hell of a lot faster with that if they needed to.

With that, and their gear set, they blasted out of the hangar, hitting the afterburners before they reached the exit. The truck hung a good ways in the air for a moment before it landed hard. Both T-Bone and Razor were lucky they were strapped in as the shocks on the Thunder Truck II were tested big time. At top speed, even without the boost, it would take them a hell of a lot less time than the fire trucks to get there.

Once again, the SWAT Kats were on call.

Felina was on site, observing the fire with gritted teeth. They had heard of the explosion and came as soon as they could. Callie was mostly there for risk assessment and damage control, something that the Mayor himself needed to be for.

'Then again, he's afraid of his own shadow. Fire would be the death of him.'

"Shit," Felina cursed sourly, "There's nothing I can do- I'm just a grunt now! I'd be able to take control of those guys if I were still a Lieutenant… As it is now, Lieutenant Commander Steele over there is in charge while the Commander is recovering."

Callie rolled her eyes. "Steele is an idiot. He's about as capable as outdated kitty litter and stinks twice as bad on his best day. This might not end well. Not to mention that if he sees you here, he'll probably start talking shit."

Felina's fists tightened.

"Let him. I've been waiting to knock a few teeth from that smart mouth of his."

The Deputy Mayor placed a hand on Felina's right shoulder. "Don't look now, but I think you're going to have your chance. Let me handle him."

Lieutenant Commander Steele was approaching their position, his stride confident and haughty. He had a smirk that was a mile wide and a foot deep and probably wished that the Commander would stay in bed for just a while longer. He stopped two feet in front of the she-kats, his chest pushed outward.

'Full of hot air and just as easily popped,' Felina reminded herself. She had to remember to keep her cool.

"Good afternoon, Deputy Mayor and Sergeant Feral. So glad you could join me for another Enforcers triumph."

Before Felina could take a step forward and give him what she figured he deserved, Callie shook her head and said, "Cut the bullshit, Steele. As far as I can see you guys are highly understaffed for this situation, which means you have your hands full and it's starting to spill over. How many warehouses are going to catch fire before this is over? Give me numbers, not words."

With him in charge, it was best to assume the worst.

The Lieutenant Commander grimaced. Sometimes the Deputy Mayor was too fond of her high position- she figured she could push him around. Well that opinion would change soon.

"None," he said with a growl, "Because we are going to stop this before any kat gets hurt. We've got every available unit covering the situation along with the fire department. It's under control here. If all you came to do was bitch and moan, you're wasting your time. So get back behind your desk and watch from up there, Deputy May-"

BOOM.

The three kats ducked slightly as an explosion tore through one of the buildings, sending firefighters scattering. He looked behind him and gaped as the roof of the warehouse partially caved in. They were possibly too late... he was having a bad day today.

"What the hell are you idiots doing!?"

Callie grimaced and said, "Victory indeed. What exactly are you going to do if any kats were in there, say oops?"

He turned and snarled at her. "You don't know that. They could be in any one of those three!"

He was panicking. No, this was worse than a bad day.

Callie exhaled hard. She wanted to kick him in one of his shins for being such an incompetent fool. Commander Feral, at the very least, had better leadership skills- it was just that his rigid tactics and lack of field leaders made for many a bad day. Unfortunately, he was out of commission at the moment.

She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, trying to clear the stress that began to accumulate in her body. This was not a good situation. Of course, Felina wanted to help, but she faintly heard Steele scoff and say that she had no authority here and he gave the orders. As if his orders were any good.

'It looks like I'll have to take this in my own hands.'

"…Steele, I'm going to try something, and you are going to cooperate. Otherwise I tell Feral what a piss-poor job you did here, and you will either get demoted so fast your head will spin, or get kicked out before you feel the boot hitting your ass. Get me?"

The Lieutenant Commander grimaced. That was no idle threat.

"…Whatever," he grumbled.

The Deputy Mayor took a deep breath before letting it out slowly; making sure all the air was spent. Then, she started breathing normally, her eyelids drooping slightly. She didn't know whether this would work or not, but once again she couldn't think about that. She asked herself the question: which one were the survivors in?

She looked towards the second burning building. While the fire was a threat, it was not the focus of the problem. Her face remained neutral. Her body remained still. Nothing happened.

"What the hell are you doing, Deputy Mayor? We don't have time to test your x-ray vision," Steele said with a marked frown and folded arms. "I have kats to lead, so if you'll excuse me-"

Without looking, Felina said with authority, "If I were you, I would do nothing but stay here and wait… sir. We haven't expounded all the possibilities yet. First we find out where they are, then we go rescuing. If you wanna help, you won't move until she's done, sir."

Steele's eyes almost popped out of his head. Sure she called him sir, but there was that tone, that attitude… but as soon as he started to speak, Callie gasped. Her facial expression turned from neutral, to wide-eyed in shock and fear.

"The building to the right! They're in there, and they don't have much air left! Go, NOW!"

Steele did not think twice.

"MOVE, DAMMIT! Focus all your cannons on Warehouse 10! Get a team in there and get those kats out! Go, go, go!"

They went. The teams moved immediately, hitting the fire with all they had. Steam billowed as the water quenched the flames, and yet Callie was right- they were understaffed. There were too few kats for too big of a problem. Her head snapped towards the third building as the itch between her shoulder blades came forth again, and watched as a second explosion completely decimated the building.

'It's not enough!!'

She almost fell to her knees as she realized that the other warehouses could go at any time, when her ears suddenly picked up something. It was the sound of a truck, approaching at high speed. She swore she could hear the rumble of the engines, the noise of the wheels, and the sound of a pair of boosters.

She looked behind her right shoulder and her stress seemed to release in the space of a single moment.

"Yes!! The SWAT Kats are here!"

Steele's eyes roved towards the Thunder Truck as it hauled ass, and they glinted greedily. They were how he could save face in this situation… if they saved the day, he would take the credit and argue passionately that they got in his way. Their arrest would be assured because of him… and so he let them do as they wished.

'This is the end for you vigilantes. And the beginning of my real career,' he brooded to himself as he watched the SWAT Kats drive by.

A slow, sinister grin crept along his features. This was going to be glorious.

He didn't see Felina looking towards him. She knew that look, and she didn't like it. She never did. Her eyes narrowed, but she said nothing for now. No, she would bide her time- wait until he did what he was going to do, and then either punch him, cuss him out, or simply go back to headquarters and file a report.

She was in the mood for the first one.

Meanwhile in the Thunder Truck II, T-Bone gritted his teeth and said, "There's no way to tell which building they're in Razor, but it doesn't matter. We gotta contain these fires before they spread any further, buddy! Aim for the one the firefighters are spraying down first. Turn those cannons on full power and let 'em rip!"

Razor grinned and said, "Roger that. Hydro Cannons engaged!"

He stepped on a pedal near his left foot and the engines that pumped the water revved. As soon as the pressure gauge located on the panel just below the cannons was maxed out, the slim SWAT Kat pulled the triggers, and the cannons were let loose, high-pressure streams of water exploding outwards. The fires were put out at a much faster rate now, and combined with the efforts of the firefighters and the Enforcers, it was ended in minutes instead of hours.

The ambulances were already on the scene, helping the kats recover and healing their burns, and the SWAT Kats began to take care of the other fires on their own.

Steele grinned madly. 'That's right, save the day. It'll be the last time you ever do.'

Callie felt an odd shiver run along her spine. She couldn't help but wonder why she didn't feel so good right now… they were here, they were saving everyone, so why didn't she feel more relieved? She looked towards Felina, who was busy watching the action. Or rather, busy trying not to look at Steele. Apparently, he wasn't paying attention to her either, because he didn't notice her expression when he saw the look on his face.

'I've seen that look before on a bunch of the criminals,' she thought to herself as she made her way behind him. That look was crazed, as if he found some sort of his own little victory in this whole thing. He was rubbing his hands together too, and that was not a good sign. Once she was behind him, she placed her hands on her hips and began speaking.

"Well, we certainly do have to thank them once they're done, don't we?"

Steele perhaps, did not hear her. Either that, or he didn't fully understand the situation.

"Yes, that we do," he said smugly. "Those toms just saved my career… it's just too bad they're the ones that will pay for it. Feral's going to give me a nice prize for their arrest. Of course, once I take credit for all this."

The Lieutenant Commander was poked on his right shoulder, and as soon as he looked behind him his jaw went slack.

Callie had a confident smirk and a cold look in her green eyes.

"Thanks. That's all I needed to know. Sergeant, you can dislocate his jaw now. I doubt he'll be saying anything else that's useful anyway."

She held up a pocket recorder and twirled it around her fingers.

Before he could say anything to protest, Felina began the process of doing just what she was ordered to do. Her right hand balled into a fist and delivered a solid hook to Steele's left jaw. She was no slouch- that punch had a lot of swing to it, and with the already awkward angle his head was turned at there was a bit more strain on his neck than normal.

The Lieutenant Commander felt his jaw loosen as he fell to the ground.

"I tried to go easy on him. He is, after all, my temporary commanding officer," Felina said with a smile that radiated false kindness.

Callie giggled and said, "His position is temporary all right. Not only did he fail to put out the fires, but he tried to usurp the command of the Enforcers away from Commander Feral. Oh yeah, it's very temporary."

Steele's eyes widened as he got up off of his ass, staggering a bit as he did so.

"What the hell are you she-kats doing? Those two are a menace; they need to be put away! There's nothing wrong with what I'm doing here!" Of course, this was the Commander's thoughts too, but even he could admit when they had saved their asses.

Callie placed a hand on her chin and said, "You know, I wonder who the Commander will believe more… you, the man who's after his position and does a worse job of it, or me, the Deputy Mayor who pays the Enforcers their salaries, and thus gets to conduct these kinds of investigations whenever she wants?"

Steele grimaced.

"…What do you want?"

Callie smiled and leaned forward slightly.

"I want you to leave those two alone. They just saved the lives of… what, five, six kats, maybe more? Not to mention kept the fire from spreading any further. Something you could not accomplish. So you leave them be, and do whatever it is you do… or you could try your plan and have to deal with me and Felina here. That's not even saying what the Commander will do to you when he finds out."

He gulped. "…Whatever!"

Callie pinned him with a glare. "NOT whatever. You will address me from now on as you would your commanding officer while he is gone, or I will discharge you from the Enforcers myself. And trust me, I have the authority. Do you understand, or do I need to have Sergeant Feral here clear things up for you?"

Steele's face seemed to collapse in on itself in mortification. This was one dangerous she-kat.

He saluted sharply.

"Understood, ma'am!"

Callie nodded. "Thank you. Make sure to file a good report to the Commander, all right? And try your hardest to tell the truth, because I will keep tabs on you."

They walked back towards Callie's car, satisfied smirks on their faces.

They hadn't even driven three hundred feet away when they gave each other a high-five.

"Damn," Felina laughed, "I've never seen Steele so pale before, not even in a flight simulator!"

Callie nodded and said, "That's the last time he thinks he can order me around, I bet. So then, Sergeant, shall we break for lunch, or do you want to head back towards Enforcer HQ?"

Felina grinned. "Lunch… sounds perfect, Deputy Mayor. Work doesn't need me anyway."

It was later that day when Callie finally stepped into the office, and saw the Mayor working on his golf game yet again. He looked…"Ah, Callie! You were… not in this morning, is there something amiss that I should know about?"

She shook her head and smiled. "Not at all; in fact, it's been a fine day so far. Well, except for that fire, the cause of which is still being investigated. Damage estimates are still being calculated, but we could be looking at a heavy hit to the treasury, depending on what was in those warehouses. In addition, Lieutenant Commander Steele of the Enforcers failed to salvage one of the buildings, adding to damages."

Mayor Manx listened with half an ear, most of his focus on the next putt. "It does not sound good then. That Steele is a bit reckless, isn't he?"

Callie smirked. "If he were reckless, that would mean he actually tried to do something of use."

The Mayor grunted in response as he made the putt. The golf ball slid neatly into the pocket that it was meant for. "I trust the situation has been properly taken care of then?"

She nodded. "The SWAT Kats were on the scene, and they effectively put out the blaze, helping those that did not yet escape out of the building. We owe them again, Mayor Manx. Still, they left before I could give them proper appreciation."

They did that most of the time, it seemed. She would have to do something about that one day.

The Mayor simply lifted his nine-iron and casually placed it on his right shoulder. "Yes, well I do hope they stick around one day to receive the people's appreciation, and mine of course. By the way," he said as he walked back towards his desk, "I heard that Felina Feral was demoted a rank… is there any viable explanation behind that?"

Callie frowned distastefully. Should she tell the Mayor what she thought, or should she let Felina handle things? She knew she would run into this situation sooner or later, but now that she had… well, she hadn't thought that far yet. She had to make something up…

"That… is still being looked into. I don't know why really- she helped save everyone- she was a big part of it all." The train of thought in her mind raced onward as she thought of an excuse, something to stop the Mayor from sticking his nose into it. "It's suggested," she said after a few brief moments, "That we let the one who was demoted handle the situation. I'm sure there's nothing for us to worry about for the time being."

At least, she hoped not.

Apparently, the Mayor accepted that suggestion and nodded. "Well then, let's hope it takes care of itself without any further incidents. Now then, about that building project…"

And thus, it was business as usual. Well, not exactly as usual- but then again, this was MegaKat City. How did one define usual in a place like this?

Answer: they didn't. But the rest of this day was calm enough… for now.

It was another evening at Enforcer Headquarters. Felina Feral was here late, as usual. It wasn't like she had a choice- she didn't have a tom to go home to, and she was burying herself in work, trying to keep herself busy enough not to be angry at her uncle. Oh yes, she was still angry at him. But that wasn't the point right now; the point of her being here was to continue simply staring at the file before her in amazement.

'All this time, I never thought they'd be right here in front of me. But here they are.'

She had to do some digging in the Enforcers' records, a bit of snooping of her own. She didn't have the security clearance to peek into the files anymore, so Felina had to do some clandestine activity for the first time since her drop in rank.

'And against my own organization too- I'm surprised the sky hasn't fallen yet.'

She chuckled to herself as she pored over the records, finding mention of the achievements of two specific toms that used to be part of the Special Tactics unit of the Enforcers, the precursor to her Unconventional Tactics team. In fact, they were pretty high up on the chain of command, leading their own teams. But most of the best cases she found were the ones where the two worked together.

Their records were cold now, which meant that they were pretty much dead as far as Commander Feral was concerned.

The names rang in her head time and time again, along with their ranks.

'Chance Furlong and Jake Clawson, rank of Detective III.'

Felina picked up the phone on her desk, grinning to herself. Before she made the call, she placed a finger on Jake's portrait.

"I got you right where I want you, you cute thing."

She would have to make a visit to that military salvage yard later. For now, she could sleep with the knowledge that her personal chase was almost over. And yet, unbeknownst to her, it was just getting started…

After making the call to the Deputy Mayor informing her of what she had seen, Felina replaced the file where it was stored and wiped her prints from the doorknob that led to the file room. She began heading towards the parking lot, whistling a merry tune to herself, and was glad that it was someone else's job to lock up after everyone left- if she were demoted to that, she'd go crazy.

Speaking of demotions... she slowed down as she walked towards her car.

She was thinking about confronting him with this issue tomorrow, but… hell with it, she would do it this evening. No time like the present, and besides, if she didn't she'd probably forget later. Nodding to herself, she quickened her pace, working out what she was going to say to him in her head. By the time she had opened the door and climbed in, she was halfway through the imagined questionnaire.

Whatever happened in his apartment, she would most likely either regret it, or she would get something good out of it. His apartment wasn't far- only about one hour from the headquarters. It meant that she had one hour to figure out the most… diplomatic way to solve this. That was, if there was a diplomatic way…

However, when she unlocked the door with the key she had given him, just in case she needed to come over, what she saw took all of the pieces that she had effectively put together apart all over again.

He was in bed, recovering. From the necessary evils that had been visited on him. Concern colored her features immediately as she knelt next to the bed.

"Felina… what brings you here?"

Her uncle sounded… calm, almost docile. She couldn't remember the last time he acted this way around her. She couldn't help but smile as she placed a hand on one of his broad, powerful shoulders.

"Just here to check on my Commander. You ready to go back on the job yet?"

He grimaced as he sat up, and she shook her head. "If you're not ready to move, you shouldn't move," she said with a definite tone of worry.

"I'm fine," her uncle said in classic Feral form. "I go to the doctor tomorrow and get my injuries checked- if I pass the tests, I go in, but go easy. If not, we could most likely see that bumbling Steele in my chair for another week. I doubt the Enforcers can survive with him at the helm."

She chuckled and said, "Well you're right about that part. You saw that fire on the news, right? I headed for the scene with the Deputy Mayor and he was posturing around as usual. He was entirely useless- the SWAT Kats came to help put out the fire, and… well, that was that."

Ulysses scoffed and said, "Figures. He couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag. I don't much like it… but better the SWAT Kats than Steele."

Felina laughed and said, "Well you do have a point. Did you know he even had the nerve to try and push around the Deputy Mayor?"

Feral raised an eyebrow. "He's not that goddamn high up the chain. Maybe I should have a talk with him about showing a little tact. Perhaps a three-week suspension will cool his heels for a while."

The she-kat shook her head and said, "It's okay- I think he's learned his lesson well enough- Callie took care of it nicely. She even made him salute her- it's kind of scary, seeing her in action. When she wants something, she doesn't just wait around for it, that's for sure."

Her uncle lifted both brows now at the nickname. "…You two are on friendly terms then?"

Felina smirked and said, "Yeah, we are. Something wrong with that, uncle?"

He shook his head and chuckled. "No… there's nothing wrong with that. It's good to have a she-kat like her as a friend, even if she is nothing but a secretary for the Mayor. But then again, Manx isn't exactly the hardest-working tom out there."

His niece laughed. That was true enough.

Things were silent for a moment as they sorted out in their heads what to say next. After a while, Felina opened her mouth to speak, but her uncle beat her to the punch.

"Well let's cut to the chase, shall we? I know why you're here, and I figured that you would come ask me sooner or later."

Felina's mouth shut, snapping closed like a trap. She looked down at the bed sheets and simply said, "Fair enough… why, uncle?"

He sighed haggardly. He couldn't tell her that she could never understand- she was an adult, and didn't deserve that kind of excuse. "Which version do you want- the official one I gave, or the real one?"

She was silent for a moment as she looked up at him, her eyes hard.

"The real one will suffice, but just for kicks let's start with the one that's on record. Conduct unbecoming an Enforcer? What kind of crap is that, uncle?"

He cut in before she could get going on her rant. "You disobeyed a direct order and got yourself in trouble for it. I do these things for a reason, Felina. You should have waited until he had me before you tried to do anything. You can't imagine what it was like, having that monster in your head… the purest form of torture, as if he enjoyed causing pain."

Felina was silent. She knew that… she knew, and yet…

"There had to be another way."

Feral shook his head. "There wasn't. It still hurts to think about it, but the SWAT Kats had the right idea in beating me to an inch of my life. It cleared my head enough so I could plan out what to do. They made a sound tactical decision, while you hesitated. I know you think of me as your uncle and you love me, but… you're an Enforcer first. Contrary to how many times we fail against the larger threats, I do not give an order without planning it out first, though I admit I had little time to do so."

Felina paused, and then shook her head. "No… that's not fair, uncle. I can't make that kind of choice."

He grunted and said, "Sometimes we have to do what needs to be done, no matter how much it hurts or what it costs. I'm not about to try and make you see things my way, but this is just the way it is."

She lowered her head, entirely mortified. She would have had to kill her own flesh and blood? It was infeasible, unacceptable. She wouldn't do it, no matter what it cost. She would rather have her uncle alive than have their enemies locked away or dead. If she lost her Uncle Feral… she didn't know what she'd do.

'I can't… I can't make that kind of choice.'

She composed herself before any tears could show, and said "What's the second reason? What's the real one?"

Ulysses knew that this was not a good reason. It was personal, it was selfish, and it was just plain fucking wrong. But he had to say it.

"What hurt me more than anything else… was when you and your Unconventional Tactics unit started using the same reckless, hot shot tactics as those SWAT Kats. For the longest time, I couldn't do anything about it, because you were my best Enforcer. What you were doing may have been successful, but it put you at great risk."

He paused, gathering his thoughts.

"I… I didn't want to see you throw yourself into the fire anymore, Felina. Not with those dangerous toms. After I saw you in the Clock Tower, working with them, I thought I had lost you. I figured that I would do anything I could to keep you from being influenced by them any further… so I made the call."

Silence reigned. Felina's fists clenched.

'I knew it… dammit, I knew it!'

She tried not to get angry. She tried so hard. Her voice was barely under her control, but it sounded icy, emotionless.

"So then, instead of putting track record and past successes into consideration, and the stipulations of the mission, you put your own personal fears and grudges first in consideration of a rank change? Without even asking why I did what I did?"

Feral began to speak, but his niece cut him off. "No Uncle, you don't have to say a damn thing. I understand perfectly well. I don't condone what you did, but I will stay in the Enforcers. I have promises to keep and people who are counting on me. But I won't forget what you did to me. If something like this happens again, you can have the badge, and you can have the gun, because I don't want any part of it."

Ulysses Feral attempted to speak… closed his mouth, and then opened it again. The second time he closed it, it was for good and with a nod of acquiescence.

Felina nodded as well and said, "I hope you can come back to work tomorrow, Commander."

With that, she got up and left.

On the way back to her own apartment, she felt cold and numb. She was usually right about these hunches of hers, but this was one time where she wished she weren't.

Chapter 10: Everyday Heroes

Well, there you have it. I would have had her find out whom Jake and Chance were associated with later, but I figured, why not now? It's a good time, and she could find that information easily, any time of the day, unless the records were destroyed. Fortunately for her, they were not- so there you have it.

Anyways! Remember that this author eats reviews for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and twice in between for snacks. Leave comments.

Hasta la vista, see ya when I see ya.