Applause met them as they made their way into the Eastside precinct, the faces of officers and detectives alike beaming with pride. Felina strode forward, intent on reaching her office while seeming unperturbed by all the praise, Chance and Jake trailing behind her wearing dark-tinted jeans and hiking boots. Chance sported a close-fitting, short sleeved black shirt with Callie's campaign slogan on it, while Jake settled for a brown tactical shirt.

The most notable and recent addition to their wardrobe were the Enforcer badges hanging from their necks on fine steel chains, a silver rank insignia of Detective Sergeant planted right in the middle of the gold shields.

Felina stopped in front of her office, turned to face the kats under her charge… and finally smiled.

"All right, settle down you alley kats! This is important."

The noise settled to a comfortable silence as Felina cleared her throat. "I'm sure you all have heard about the recent bust…" Cheers erupted again, but cut off when the Captain raised her hands for silence. "…But that's not why you guys are standing up, is it? It's not why I'm here in front of my door instead of behind it."

She peered toward Chance and Jake. "We have two old-new detectives joining our district." A smattering of laughter echoed around the desks. "They've been around the block a few times, so they're more than qualified for senior positions. No complaints from any of you, understand?"

A few nods, but the rest were intent on the speech.

Felina folded her arms. "Good. With that, kittens and toms, I present to a whole lotta kats and introduce to anyone new, Detective Sergeants Chance Furlong and Jake Clawson!"

The cheers started up again as the two toms stepped forward, and seemed to multiply as they took their badges off and held them high for all to see. A chant went around for a speech, and they looked at each other for a moment. Jake nodded and retreated to Felina's right side, leaving Chance to put his shield back on and raise a hand for silence.

He let the silence hang for a while before a confident smirk crossed his features. Chance looked around, his eyes scanning every face. Many smiled back at him, a few adding nods to them. "I see a lot of old, familiar faces around here." He started to walk forward, putting a hand on a desk occasionally. "It's been two years since we were tossed in that scrap yard, but I can see that none of you forgot our ugly mugs!"

Laughter again, genuine and warm. "But since those two years, we've gotten our asses kicked. I'm not gonna lie, it's bad. I watched the news every day and was utterly pissed off at what I saw." The silence after was the dark anvil of a thundercloud, hanging just beneath the ceiling. "Mistakes were made. A lotta good kats lost their lives because of 'em. Those that were spared were because of a couple of kats in black that we don't even have to name, do we?"

Heads nodded, solemn and grave.

"But now they're gone." Chance stopped in the middle of the desks. "Think about that for a moment. We all saw the TurboKat go up there. We all saw what was on the side of that jet. And now it's space junk. We can't just hope to see 'em flying over our heads when we're taking fire, or to solve some problem we can't fix ourselves." Chance's brows settled over his eyes in a glower. "We are on. Our. Own."

He let the silence hang on for a while before he went on. "The public sees us as a waste of space, and City Hall sees us as a waste of resources. But that bust? That one where we brought in a kat that no one could see, hear, smell, or touch until it was too late? That sent a message."

The faces of kats began to brighten.

Chance's smirk returned. "Everyone heard it. I'm talking the press, the people, the politicians, and the assholes that wanna turn this city into their own personal playground." Nods began to circulate the room. "Now, a lot of changes are gonna be made around here now that we're back. None of 'em are gonna be easy to take. But when we're done, we'll send another message, and make this one loud and clear."

Sounds of confirmation and looks of determination spread around the room.

Chance punched his right fist high above his head. "The Enforcers… are back!"

The precinct exploded with cheers and applause. Felina beamed from where she stood. "Was he always this good at speeches?"

Jake chuckled. "I think he's been hanging around Miss Briggs for too long."

"Well drag him outta there before he gets so puffed up we'll need to pop him with a needle. I need to show you guys something in my office." She turned toward her door and slid her ID card through the reader. It unlocked with a beep and a click, and she made her way inside. "Get him in here, Detective Clawson. I'm sure he won't want to miss this."

Kanto the Slayer presents

A SWAT Kats Fanfiction

MegaKat Shield

Chance glued his eyes to the TV in Felina's office, his attention rapt as the she-kat in blue and white stood at the podium, calling the kats before her to action. His ears turned toward the screen, taking in every word she said, every reaction from the audience. Her golden hair and coat glistened in the sunlight, green eyes animated with a fervor he'd never seen in her before.

"Enjoying the show, Chance?"

Chance glanced over to his right, where Jake sat, eyeing him with a knowing look. "You shouldn't stare so hard, you'll burn a hole in the screen." The slim tom smirked. "It can't be that long since you two saw each other, right?"

"And just what're you trying to imply, huh?" The big tom turned back toward the screen with a huff and leaned forward a bit. "That suit looks amazing on her." Not like he knew anything about fashion, but he certainly liked how it fit on her. He sighed, eyes fixed on her for several lingering moments.

Jake didn't seem to notice the change in Chance's expression. "If you wanna change your image, that's not a bad way to do it." The slim tom tilted his head to the right. "She sure is making it seem like this isn't her first roundup."

Chance nodded before he leaned back into his seat. "She's had to do this before, the whole public speaking thing."

Felina shrugged. "Oh, of course she has. But it's election season. Now she's up there knowing full well that every word she says is going to be chewed apart, digested, and if she says the wrong thing, spit back out at her."

Chance leaned back in his chair. "Well apparently she hasn't gone wrong yet. Look at 'em, they can't get enough of her!"

Jake nodded. "I wish we'd have been there… but hey, we had business of our own. Besides, there's always the next stop on the tour, right?"

Chance grimaced. The job came first, it always did. "If we're lucky, Jake. If we're lucky." He stood and stretched. "Well, time to see what trouble we can get into with these badges." He started to head out of the Captain's office when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Felina smiled. "If you two need to go… tell me when. Hell, I'll come with you. I convinced her of all this as much as you guys did." She let go and took a few steps back. "Now, both of you get to work. No rest for the wicked, so no rest for us."

Chance turned back toward the door. "Copy that, Captain." He made his way toward the bullpen with Jake on his heels, and found the brass nameplate on his desk waiting for him as if he'd never left. The detective ran his fingers across the engraved lettering with a smile, moved around to the reclining leather chair, and closed his eyes as he took a seat. His ears twitched, adjusting once again to the rhythm of the station.

It wasn't hard.

Chance sighed as he reclined in the office chair. The job sucked. Bad guys got away, prosecutors lost their cases, kats died. He saw things that a lesser mind would collapse over on a daily basis. He should've stayed away, stayed at his apartment.

He couldn't.

Chance felt more at home here than at his new place, and he would never have admitted it until now, when he'd gotten everything he wanted back.

The job sucked… but someone had to do it. Might as well be the ones who were the best at it.

"Radio check, all teams state condition green or red."

Silence stretched over the comms for a few moments before the responses came in, all green. The kat in the command van with a headset over his ears nodded and looked over his right shoulder. A tom with a military buzz cut, wearing full battle dress and a tactical vest, stared at the screens with a mask of stone, any apprehension hidden behind his blank gaze.

The radio officer took his headset off and turned to face the security chief. "…Orders, sir?"

For a while, the tom said nothing. Then he looked down toward the techie. "Tell me something, soldier. How do you think this operation will proceed?" His expression held firm. "Be frank. You've seen their files."

The young kat blanched for a moment. "S-sir, I… I'm not very good at tactical assessment. That's your department, sir."

The chief nodded. "Speak your mind anyway."

The radio officer forced his heart rate to slow before he took in a breath. He looked to the right and just slightly upward for a few moments, and then turned his gaze back toward his commanding officer. "Depends, sir. If the traps fail or they get wise to them, both teams will have to make their way in. If either team gives any clue as to their presence, we have to scrub the mission. It'll be too messy."

"It'll be messy either way." The chief looked back at the screens. "If the traps work and manage to eliminate them, we'll have bodies to dispose of, a cover story to fabricate, and those will take resources. If they don't and we have to go in, there will be bodies to dispose of, a cover story to fabricate, and those will take resources. Depending on the outcome, the Enforcers will have physical evidence. We can't clean that up."

The tech kat grimaced, his chest tightening. "So… the solution is not to fail."

"Exactly." The tom with the buzz cut waited a few moments, nodded. "Execute."

The radio kat put his headphones back on and gave the order. "All assets, you are cleared tactical. Radio silence in effect in five mikes, use extreme discretion."

The chief tapped him on his right shoulder and he looked over his shoulder again. With a few signals, he nodded and took off the headset, giving it to his CO.

The chief put the earphones on and began to speak. "This is Security Chief Rochford speaking. As of now, this is a Deniable Operation. I understand just about everything we've done has been that, but for this particular mission, I am putting it on full notice. Failure will result in me deleting your professional and personal records immediately. I want all three targets dead before any of you makes a single peep on this frequency. Acknowledge your understanding of this order."

Without hesitation, one of the team leaders responded. "You don't have to worry, boss. Either they're dead or we are."

Rochford nodded. "Then do your jobs." He gave the headset back and looked down at the tech kat. "Cut the comms." Before the officer could respond, the chief shook his head. "Now, soldier."

Two apartment buildings in the Eastside district sat quiet at that time of day, with only a few kats passing through the front entrances. Most were out of their homes or asleep, which made for just about the perfect means for anyone to come in without too much notice. Of course, in order to do that, one would have to enter in a manner that security did not expect.

So why not do it from up top?

The preparation was swift and silent, having been set up days in advance. Command was very thorough when they wanted to get rid of a nuisance, and these were very big ones. When they broke in, there would be no surprises, no alarms going off. That said, a pair of two-kat teams used small remote drones to open the windows, and then made their way down the brick walls with metal grappling claws hooked onto their wrists.

No one saw them go in. Active camouflage was a handy little tool when used properly. Really sucked for fast movement though, the jolts and bumps made it glitch out. Worse, a keen eye, thermal or infrared vision, or the slightest sneeze would give one's position away.

But for stuff like this, it was an advantage, and a good tool for intimidation.

Both teams set to work, sabotaging the one thing they thought would kill their targets while making the deaths seem accidental. Let everyone blame it on negligent maintenance and poor inspection. A clipped gas line, a bad piece of wiring, whatever was necessary. It had to be one trap, because if they put anything else out of place, things would only break down from there.

Micro cameras were set up in each apartment, linked to the helmets of the operators in order for them to watch their grim work come to life… and to act as a signal when it failed or was caught onto. Once everything was in place, they closed their entry points, made their way out of the nearest exits, and situated themselves nearby, just in case. Chances could be high that they'd need to get physical.

Hours passed as they waited in the nearby hallways with no trace of their targets. It was just about evening when their motion trackers picked them up, and within minutes, they had visual confirmation. The assets just about stopped breathing as the first two, Captain Feral and Detective Clawson, made their way down the hallway… with their guns drawn.

Their hearts stopped for a good few seconds as the two Enforcers swept the area with the muzzles of their weapons, eyes alert for any sign of intrusion. How did the electronic jammers fail? They could break countermeasures far tougher than the ones in a simple apartment building, so why were there two highly-trained officers looking for signs of trouble?

Neither infiltrator reached for a weapon, even as the cops passed right by their position. One of them pulled as close to the wall as possible, Felina's tail missing one of his legs by two inches. The situation was FUBAR already, and their targets hadn't even entered the kill zone!

As they rounded the corner, the slim tom plucked an ear piece out from one of his pockets, fit it into his right ear, and pressed in the call button. After a few moments, he spoke into the mic under his breath. "Chance… we have a problem. Where are you?"

Chance made his way toward the entrance to his apartment, his mouth stretching into a yawn as he headed down the hallway. The detective thanked whatever watched over him that he didn't have night shifts yet, or incidents that happened just as he got back to the pad. It'd happen sooner or later, but today wasn't the case.

Then his phone rang.

He snarled as he checked the number, only to find that it was Jake. Chance fumbled with the wireless ear piece his partner got for him as a 'congratulations' present, pressed the call button, and stuck it in his right ear. "Detective Furlong."

"Chance… we have a problem. Where are you?"

Chance raised an eyebrow. "Almost home. Why, what's the deal?"

"Stop what you're doing right now and listen. Do not go into your apartment. There's been a break-in at both our places, and the ones responsible could still be in the building."

The big tom's face twisted into a grimace as he pulled his pistol from the rig strapped to his right thigh. "You sure, buddy? I haven't seen anyone yet." His voice dropped to a mutter.

"Oh trust me, I'm sure. My phone buzzed me about it hours ago, so they had plenty of time to set something up. Keep your eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary."

Chance looked over his right shoulder and saw… nothing. His eyes narrowed. "Not like I don't trust you, but I still can't see shit."

"They must be using some kinda—Felina, get down!"

Chance heard gunfire on the other end of the line. "Jake! Jake, talk to me!"

Nothing but the sounds of a firefight for a few moments, and then Jake responded. "We're okay, but it looks like I was right! They're using some kinda cloaking tech for concealment! If you're not looking behind you, you better do it right goddamn now!"

The big tom would have responded, had he not felt something against the back of his head. "You really should listen to your partner, Detective. Now put the gun down."

Chance scoffed. "And why would I do that? If my guess is correct, you're not here to negotiate."

"No, we aren't. You do it our way though, we'll kill you clean. Maybe bury you in a decent spot. After all, this is just business."

The grin on Chance's face almost split his features in half. "I got a better idea… you want my gun, you take it from me." He moved within half a second, turning to the inside of the gun's firing line. The sound of the weapon going off made his ears hurt like hell, but not enough to jam his right knee into the sneaky bastard's guts, the satisfying sound of a harsh gasp giving him all the time he needed.

A flicker of movement just four feet away let him know his next target, and he wasted no time firing two shots at where he figured center mass was. The active camouflage winked out as the tom that was just about to shoot through his squad mate to get at him toppled to the carpet.

He'd live. These kats were well-equipped.

The one that just had the wind knocked out of him suddenly found himself on the ground as well with a good shove from the big tom. That was enough to take out his concealment as well, and soon Chance had a pistol pointed at his head, left boot on the chest plate to keep him pinned. "I wouldn't move if I were you two."

The first downed kat stood, as Chance expected him to, only to get a bullet to his right knee. He fell again, this time finding it harder to stand. "Next one's permanent. So like I said… don't move." He leveled his gun back at the guy he used as a foot rest. "Where's your boss?"

The tom chuckled. "Why the fuck would I tell you, pig? We're here for one reason and one only, so you might as well kill us both now."

"Is that right? Well…" Chance aimed at the kat's right shoulder and fired, causing him to hiss in agony. The left shoulder followed. "…you can't do it now. And it doesn't matter if you talk or not, I'm going to assume Donovan isn't gonna be too happy you didn't axe Jake and me. Bet you were going after Felina as well, since she's conveniently over there with him. So you got two options."

Chance knelt, his eyes narrowed to murderous slits. "Go back and report your failure, only to die… or talk to me right now, and stay alive. You're all going to go to jail for a very, very long time, but it's better than what he's offering."

The kat grimaced. "I'll take the third option, thanks." He reached for something in his right pocket… only to find Chance's boot right in his face. It was the last thing he saw before his world turned black. He looked over at the other tom just in time to see what his guy was reaching for… a detonation trigger.

"Shi—"

Chance hit the floor just as the explosion went off, but what happened next was something he didn't expect. The kat turned into meaty chunks, flesh and bone flying like gruesome shrapnel. A piece of the poor bastard missed Chance's forehead by a few inches as the rest of him splattered onto the walls, painting them a macabre shade of red.

Once the ringing in his ears stopped, the detective stood and looked up at the damage done. He covered his mouth to try and stifle the bile that rose in his throat, managed to keep it down, and turned away to get back on the phone. "Jake… you guys okay?"

"Yeah, we're good. I trust from that noise I just heard, something went wrong on your end though."

Chance paused for a moment, waiting until he turned the corner before replying. "One of mine turned himself into chunky meat sauce. These guys were pretty determined to take us out in one shot." So much so that they resorted to rigging themselves with micro-charges as a last resort. "You got both of yours though, right?"

"Cuffed and ready for delivery. They keep on saying they won't talk for shit though."

Chance grimaced. "They better. Otherwise this'll just look like a random attack."

"Yeah, well Felina's calling in units to both buildings. You better not move until they get there."

The call ended, and Chance headed back toward the grisly scene. One alive, one dead, both tried to take him with them. This just got very personal, and if they wouldn't talk, he'd damn well make them.

The detective pulled his phone out again and dialed a certain number. It took a few tries, but the call got through… and he sighed in relief as a voice he'd only been hearing through a television for the past few weeks graced his ears. It was a shame he had such bad news to deliver.

"Callie… it's Chance. There's been a problem…"

Chapter 14 – Validated

Phew… the things one can do when their internet is down.

Anyways, that's that for this chapter. Lemme tell you it's been a long time coming, but it's worth it. Of course, due to the lack of reviews on the last chapter, I don't know how I'm doing. But of course, I've already decided that this story is going to go onward, regardless of how many comment about it. Still, it'd be great if I heard from the people that read this stuff.

That's assuming that anyone reads these at all…

If you have reached this point, once again, thank you. People taking note of this stuff is the best thing an author like me could ask for. See you guys again!

This is your Slayer.